Being a writer almost guarantees that you’re a reader, too. Reading for a writer is often a great way to give your back-brain time to figure out What Happens Next, and reading can provide inspiration for both technique and plot. Plus, it’s fun, even if finding the time to read (and write) can be a challenge. Maybe you’ve already started a 2017 Writing Challenge; a reading challenge might be the perfect companion (or help you kickstart your writing for 2017). You still have time to join one of the 2017 Reading Challenges.
If you’re looking for something that’s manageable and fun, but still a challenge, consider the AW Book Club forum’s 2017 AW Reading Challenge, which challenges you to pick twelve categories from a list and read twelve books in 2017 with a goal of reading some books that challenge you. There’s lots of support to cheer you on, suggest what you should read next, and discuss the books you’ve read.
The 2017 Bookish Reading Challenge includes a monthly prompt designed to kill your TBR stack. “At the start of each challenge, we’ll post a list of recommendations from our own TBR piles to inspire you. But if you hit a month where the challenge doesn’t apply to you, we dare you to pick up a book from your TBR pile that breaks you out of your reading comfort zone.” You can see the Bookish month-by-month challenge prompts here.
GoodReads.com is offering the Goodreads 2017 Reading Challenge, a very flexible challenge; you pick the books you want to read and how many, and GoodReads will help track your reading for the year, letting you know how many you’ve read, and whether or not you’re on track or falling behind your goal for the year (or zooming ahead).
The 2017 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge offers 40 book selection prompts to help diversify and expand your reading 2017, with a goal of reading 40 books, but there’s an “advanced” prompt category with twelve additional books, for a total of 52 books in 2017 (yep that’s a book a week). There’s a printable file you can download to help you track your books, there’s an active GoodReads group for lots of community support (and reading suggestions). The book suggestions range from “A book with a cat on the cover” to “a book by an author who uses a pseudonym.”
The Sirens Conference emphasizes women and fantasy literature, and they have their own Sirens Reading Challenge. The challenge requires you to read 25 books in all, with specific books being drawn from the GOH at this years conference, books related to the theme of the conference and and specific categories, with a lot of options. The goal is to read 25 books by October 1, and score a bragging button for your Sirens profile. There’s a Sirens Challenge GoodReads group for support and discussion of the books you’re reading.
If those reading challenges don’t tempt you, you can always design your own, or pick one from this list of challenges or this list of reading challenges.
Let us know in the comments what you’re reading or hoping to read in 2017—and how you juggle your reading and writing time.
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