- All books must have been written at least 50 years ago; therefore, books must have been written by 1974 to qualify for this challenge. The ONLY exceptions are books published posthumously.
- E-books and audiobooks are eligible! You may also count books that you read for other challenges.
- Books may NOT crossover within this challenge.
- You can change your list at any time. Books may also be read in any order.
1. A 19th century classic. Any book first published from 1800 to 1899
2. A 20th century classic. Any book first published from 1900 to 1975. All books must have been published at least 50 years ago; the only exceptions are books that were written by 1975 and posthumously published.
3. A classic by a woman author.
4. A classic in translation. Any book first published in a language that is not your primary language. You may read it in translation or in its original language, if you prefer.
5. An award-winning classic. It could be the Newbery Award, the Prix Goncourt, the Pulitzer Prize, the James Tait Award, etc. Any award is fine.
6. Classic detective or mystery fiction. This list of books from the Golden Age of Detective Fiction is a great starting point if you're looking for ideas.
7. A classic travel or journey narrative, fiction or non-fiction. The journey itself must be the major plot point -- not just the destination. Good examples include The Hobbit, Around the World in 80 Days, Unbeaten Tracks in Japan, Kon-Tiki, Travels with Charley, etc.
8. Classic children's book. Indulge your inner child and read that classic that you somehow missed years ago. Short stories are fine, but it must be a complete volume.
9. A nonfiction classic. Travel, memoirs, and biographies are great choices for this category.
10. Humorous/satirical classic. Find the classic book that strikes you as funny.
11. Banned or censored classic. This has been a hot topic lately. Here's a list from the American Library Association to get you started.
12. Free choice. Read any book you like.
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HOW IT WORKS
You can select, read and review a book from the categories listed below during the year for a total of up to 12 books; OR select, read and review any nonfiction book. A book may be in print, electronic or audio format.
Choose a goal:
Nonfiction Nipper: Read & review 3 books, from any 3 listed categories
Nonfiction Nibbler: Read & review 6 books, from any 6 listed categories
Nonfiction Nosher: Read & review 12 books, one for each category
Nonfiction Grazer: Read & review any nonfiction book. Set your own goal, or none at all, just share the nonfiction you read through the year.
This year we will be reading some of the most important and beloved works of American literature, including two Pulitzer Prize winners and a book that some call “the great American novel.” This is the eighth year of the chapter-a-day read-along, and in all those years we have not read one book by an American author. So 2025 will be the year of American classics: Roots by Alex Haley; Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry; and Moby-Dick by Herman Melville. These are all sweeping epics of grand scope, spanning vast landscapes and capturing difference facets of the American experience.
Join us in reading these masterpieces in 2025. We’ll be reading them in one chapter a day, from January 1 to December 31, a full year exploring the human spirit in the context of the American story. Each of these books has the power to move a reader emotionally and spiritually.
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry – 864 pp. (May 1 to August 10)
Moby-Dick, or The Whale by Herman Melville – 672 pp. (August 11 to December 31)
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This challenge is about reading books on creativity, art, crafts, writing, film making, photography, cosmetology, DIY, cooking, music and any other topic that helps you live a more creative life.
How It Works:
- Runs January 1 to December 31, 2025.
- Read as many books as you want.
- Books may be nonfiction, memoir, how-to, self help, coffee table books, instructional, picture books, and even fictional books if they are about people who are creative.
- You may include books of any format including traditional books, ebooks or audiobooksYou may reread books.
- Books may count towards other reading challenges in which you are participating.
- Ideas for books to include: 40 of the Best Books to Unlock Your Creativity; Goodreads Creativity List; and 20 Best Creativity Books of All Time.
Reading Challenge details
Each month, a new post dedicated to the HF Challenge will be created where you can add the links for the books you have read. To participate, you only have to follow the rules:
Everyone can participate! If you don't have a blog you can post a link to your review if it's posted on Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram or Amazon, or you can add your book title and thoughts in the comment section if you wish.
Add the link(s) of your review(s) including your name and book title to the Mister Linky we’ll be adding to the monthly post (please use the direct URL that will guide us directly to your review)
Any sub-genre of historical fiction is accepted (Historical Romance, Historical Mystery, Historical Fantasy, Young Adult, History/Non-Fiction, etc.)
During the following 12 months you can choose one of the different reading levels:
20th Century Reader - 2 books
Victorian Reader - 5 books
Renaissance Reader - 10 books
Medieval - 15 books
Ancient History - 25 books
Prehistoric - 50+ books
To join the challenge you only need to make a post about it, add your link in Mr. Linky below or just leave a link to your blog if you are not yet ready to post about it yet. If you don't have a blog you can just leave a comment for this post saying that you are joining, and link to your Facebook, Goodreads or other social media page where you will be sharing your reviews.
This captivating historical novel set in nineteenth-century and post–World War II Paris follows two fierce women of the same family, generations apart, who find that their futures lie in the four walls of a simple bakery in a tiny corner of Montmartre.
When Cathy of 746 books announced last year that she would not host 20 Books of Summer this year after ten successful years, Emma of Words and Peace and Annabel of AnnaBookBel both volunteered to take it on. Summer reading IS the 20, 15 or 10 Books challenge to all of us! They couldn’t let Cathy’s wonderful challenge fall by the wayside.
So this is the first call to start planning…
- The #20BooksofSummer2025 challenge runs from Sunday June 1st to Sunday August 31st
- The first rule of 20 Books is that there are no real rules, other than signing up for 10, 15, or 20 books and trying to read from your TBR.
- Pick your list in advance, or nominate a bookcase to read from, or pick at whim from your TBR.
- If you do pick a list, you can change it at any time – swap books in/out.
- Don’t get panicked at not reaching your target.
- Just enjoy a summer of great reading and make a bit of space on your shelves!
They’ll have monthly summary posts where you can add progress reports and recommendations. The final one at the at the beginning of September will stay open for a while to catch all the last reviews.
Emma designed some new logos, and for the first time they’ve done one specially for our Antipodean friends for whom it is winter rather than summer. Resize them to fit your needs. Emma has also made a book bingo card to match your reads for more fun, too.
If you’re planning to join in please do add your blog / planning post link to the Mr Linky here, which’ll help us keep track, and you can use the hashtag #20BooksofSummer2025 on your socials.
Here are my (planned, but subject to change) 20 Books of Summer:
The idea behind this reading challenge is simple: Use the ease of summer to tackle a Big Book (400+ pages) or two or ... however many you want! You set your own goals. And if it is the start of winter where you live, then it's your Big Book Winter Challenge. Everyone is welcome to participate.
The Details:
Hey, it's summer, so we'll keep this low-key and easy!
- Anything 400 pages or more qualifies as a big book.
- The challenge runs from the Friday of Memorial Day weekend (May 23 this year) through Labor Day (September 1 this year).
- Choose one or two or however many big books you want as your goal. Wait, did you get that? You only need to read 1 book with 400+ pages this summer to participate! (though you are welcome to read more, if you want).
- No sign-ups are necessary! All readers are welcome to participate.
- If you are a blogger or YouTuber and want to share your Big Book Summer plans, book reviews, or wrap-ups, you can add your link(s) to the links list here so others can find you.
- Join the 2025 Big Book Summer Goodreads group to enjoy Big Book discussions all summer long! We always have a lively group with lots of fun book chat. Or if you prefer, join the Big Book Summer Storygraph group.
- For chatting on other social media platforms, use #BigBookSummer
That's it! Go check out your shelves and your TBR list for chunksters and get started!
What kind of books "count"? All kinds! Middle-grade, YA, graphic novels, classics, all genres, all types--as long as they are at least 400 pages. Yes, e-books and audio books count, too--just check online for the number of pages in the print edition.
My potential reads:
- Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry - 964 pages
- The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang - 545 pages
- Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty - 505 pages
- Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945 by Tony Judt - 955 pages
- Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - 474 pages
- Pigeon Post by Arthur Ransome - 548 pages
- Dangerous Liasons by Pierre Choderlos de Lacios - 400 pages
- Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser - 557 pages
- A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens - 590 pages
- The Crow Trap by Ann Cleeves - 560 pages
I'm signing up for the Nonfiction challenge and a different classics challenge.
ReplyDeleteThat American Masterpieces challenge is a doozy. Those are all some serious chunksters! I guess that's why you're tackling them in a chapter a day. I've read Lonesome Dove and loved it. I own Roots but haven't ever even started it. I think we were supposed to read Moby Dick in high school but our English teacher let us get away with watching the Patrick Stewart movie in class instead. That's entirely too much to inflict on teenagers. Good luck!
You certainly have quite a long reading list! I'm also joining the Nonfiction Reader Challenge for 2025 (my fifth time). So far, that's my only Challenge because I have so many other books I want to read that don't qualify. My reviews are at https://nonfictionisstrangerthanfiction.blogspot.com/ . Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteI am bookmarking this page! Wonderful challenges to ponder. I am trying to expand my blog this year as a goal and get more followers and by that I mean people wanting to read my posts and engage more. Your blog is wonderful and a true inspiration for fresh ideas. I am a member of the Historical Fiction challenge but these others are new to me. Great post! Have a wonderful week :) You are already listed on blogs I'm following.
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