2025 Back to the Classics Challenge
0/12 Completed
The Back to the Classics Challenge is a year-long challenge in which participants are encouraged to finally read the classics they've always meant to read -- or just recently discovered.
The Back to the Classics Challenge was sponsored by Sarah from Sarah Reads Too Much until 2014, and Karen at Books and Chocolate until 2022. I've decided to press on with it. You are welcome to join in.
And now, the rest of the rules:
- 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
Hunger by Knut Hamsen
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Peer Gynt by Henrik Ibsen
Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
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.
The Tin Drum by Gunter Grass
The End of the Affair by Graham Greene
The Weary Blues by Langston Hughes
This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
3. A classic by a woman author.
The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather
Sanditon by Jane Austen
Rome and a Villa by Eleanor Clark
Unbeaten Tracks in Japan by Isabella Bird
The Heat of the Day by Elizabeth Bowen
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.
The Tin Drum by Gunter Grass
The Master of Go by Yasunari Kawabata
If This is a Man by Primo Levi
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.
Hunger by Knut Hamsen
The Glass Bead Game by Herman Hesse
Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse
Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann
The Master of Go by Yasunari Kawabata
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitzen
Barabbas by Par Lagerkvist
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.
The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan
The Man Who Was Thursday by G. K. Chesterton
The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
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.
Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville
Travels in Asia and Africa by Ibn Battuta
Unbeaten Tracks in Japan by Isabella Bird
A Tramp Abroad by Mark Twain
Travels With a Donkey in the Cevennes by Robert Louis Stevenson
Rome and a Villa by Eleanor Clark
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.
Bevis, the Story of a Boy by Richard Jefferies
The Adventures of Maya the Bee by Waldemar Bonsels
The Adventures of Maya the Bee by Waldemar Bonsels
Jock of the Bushveld by J. Percy FitzPatrick
Eric, or Little by Little by Frederic W. Ferrer
Pigeon Post by Arthur Ransome
9. A nonfiction classic. Travel, memoirs, and biographies are great choices for this category.
Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville
Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton
The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois
Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington
10. Humorous/satirical classic. Find the classic book that strikes you as funny.
The Thurber Carnival by James Thurber
The Loved One by Evelyn Waugh
Miss Carter and the Ifrit by Susan Alice Kirby
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.
An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser
Sons and Lovers by D. H. Lawrence
Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
12. Free choice. Read any book you like.
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hosted by Book'd Out
0/12 Completed
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.
Categories (with Possibilities):
History
The Day the World Came to Town
Let Us Now Praise Famous Men
Paris to the Past
Black Potatoes
The Bookshop
Memoir/Biography
100 Poets
House
Far From the Tree
Oath and Honor by Liz Cheney
True Crime
A Fever in the Heartland
The Day the World Came to Town
A Village in the Third Reich
Slaves in the Family
Science
Around the World in 80 Birds
A Season on the Wind
This Birding Life
An Immense World
Atlas Obscura: Wild Life
Health
Niksen
One Bird, One Stone
The Kindness Method
What Comes Next and How to Like It
How Not to Die
Catching Whimsy by Bob Goff
Food
More Home Cooking
The French Ingredient
Sift: The Elements of Great Baking
Travel
Ten Years a Nomad
The Snow Leopard
Arctic Dreams
Rome and a Villa
Spying on the South
Return to the Olive Farm
Off the Road by Jack Hitt
Garden
Around the World in 80 Plants
Consolations of the Forest
Wildwood
The Light Eaters
Confessions of a Recovering Environmentalist
Myth, Legend and Folklore
Atlas of Countries that Don't Exist
Islands
Turtle Island: The Story of America's First People
How-To
Niksen
The Bright Side: How Optimists Change the World, and How You Can Be One
Aflame: Learning from Silence
Published in 2025
Outraged: Why We Fight About Morality and Politics and How to Find Common Ground
The Bright Side: How Optimists Change the World, and How You Can Be One
Aflame: Learning from Silence
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0/3 Read
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.
Roots: The Saga of an American Family by Alex Haley – 912 pp. (January 1 to April 30)
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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Gaia/Nature Reading Challenge 2025
0/10 Read
There are no strict rules to the challenge. Pledge to read as many or as few nature-themed books as you would like. Just one qualifies for the challenge. The titles you choose can be either fiction or non-fiction; they just have to have nature, climate or environment as an issue or theme. This challenge was originally created by Gumtrees and Galaxies. Links are welcome and encouraged.
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Creativity Reading Challenge 2025
0/10 Completed
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:
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.
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2024 Happiness Project Challenge
0/10 Completed
Ten years ago, Gretchen Rubin began a year-long experiment to discover how to create true happiness. Drawing on cutting-edge science, classical philosophy, and real-world examples, Rubin's book will provide the model for a happiness project of my own.
I will aim to read ten books about various aspects of happiness.
Welcome to the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge for 2025! Marg at the Intrepid Reader and Baker is super excited to be hosting this challenge again this year. You are welcome to join if you are have participated before or if it is your first 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.
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.
I shall aim to be Victorian Reader.
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