2023 Spine & Leaf Books Reading Challenge

Welcome to the Spine & Leaf Books 2023 Book Challenge!

How Do I Complete the 2023 Book Challenge?

This challenge starts with the phrase ‘Read a book…’ and then lists 50 different categories or prompts that complete the sentence.

Choose 1 book that satisfies each category and cross off the number on the list when you complete the book. Scroll to the bottom of the post to find a beautiful and printer-friendly version of the list.

Try to read about 1 book per week in 2023 and you’ll be able to complete this challenge with time to spare! So don’t get worried if you get a bit behind or get stuck on a longer book (#6!). There’s plenty of time and several other books on your list may be pretty quick reads (#7 and #14).

This past year, I have been writing down every book I’ve read, whether it fits the Book Challenge for the year or not. I highly encourage everyone to write down at least the title and author for each numbered category so at the end of the year you have a great list of book recommendations! It’s so easy to forget all the books you read 11 months ago. For more info, check out my full post on starting a book journal here.

Don’t forget to share your favorite book choices in the comments below. I’ll be posting a book update each month in 2023 with my book selections. Feel free to comment on those posts instead. Links will be at the bottom of this page as posts are added at the end of each month.

It’s always so much fun to see what others are reading for each category. Spine & Leaf Books also has a Recommendations page where you can find more inspiration and great book lists!

Why Do a Book Challenge?

2022 was the first year I created a Book Challenge on Spine & Leaf Books (also because it was the first year the blog existed!).

But what I learned last year is that reading challenges and book challenges are so inspiring. I don’t think I would have read half as many books without the motivation of the challenge. It kept me accountable.

Also, there are always a few items on every list that are difficult to fulfill. I had never read murder mysteries until last year. And guess what? I read several more murder mysteries because I loved them so much! You’ll understand my inspiration for #32 now. Think of this book challenge as a way to broaden your horizons and try something new (#34).

Getting Started

Don’t be scared by the number 50.

It is definitely possible to achieve this in a single year. 50 books in 365 days is still a whopping 7.3 days to read each book or a massive 175 hours and 12 minutes.

There are plenty of books out there that can be read in less than 7 hours, so try for even 1 hour of reading per day. You’ll be knocking off items on the list in no time.

Just give this challenge your best effort and you’ll still be a success. Even if this challenge gets you to read one more book that you would have otherwise, that’s great!

If you’re really looking for a challenge this year, try completing the list twice. So, read 2 books for each category. Then you’ll be at an astonishing 100 books for the year.

Book Challenge 2023: Read 50 Books This Year!

Read a book…

1. you started but never finished
2. with an orange cover
3. based on a true story
4. from your local library
5. on a banned book list
6. longer than 400 pages
7. shorter than 200 pages
8. in a trilogy
9. with a title longer than 8 words
10. with a number in the title
11. that’s funny
12. about education
13. that takes place in outer space
14. of recipes
15. with the word ‘and’ in the title
16. by an author under 25 years old
17. set in the future
18. about happiness
19. with a flower on the cover
20. that’s bought used/second-hand
21. with an author as the main character
22. that has won an award
23. by your favorite author
24. about one of your hobbies
25. with non-human characters
26. with a summary on the back cover
27. with pictures
28. about an athlete
29. set in a country you have never visited
30. written more than 50 years ago
31. that’s historical fiction
32. by Agatha Christie
33. that was made into a TV series
34. written by a new-to-you author
35. you found on Goodreads
36. that you’ve read more than once
37. with a dragon
38. set around a holiday
39. to help you achieve a goal
40. written by a celebrity
41. from your least favorite genre
42. for a book club
43. someone else chooses for you
44. with a character who has an unusual name
45. mentioned in another book
46. with a ‘quest’ plot type
47. that makes you cry
48. about a STEM topic
49. with a plot twist
50. published in 2023

Good luck to everyone participating in the challenge!

Happy Reading 🙂

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Monthly Updates:

• January