Shutterstock / PHOTOCREO Michal Bednarek©If your reading has started to feel stale, spice it up with a fun reading challenge in 2023.
Readers (and producers) of “The People’s Friend” love a good story – that much is obvious. So it’s painful to admit that sometimes we can fall into a dreaded reading slump. The books you choose aren’t captivating and the ones you finish feel lacklustre. It happens to us all.
Well, don’t despair. There’s a fun fix to this problem and it involves setting up a reading challenge for yourself. Here are a few different ways to reignite your passion for reading . . .
The Genre Hopper
All you need to do for this reading challenge is read one book from every genre. It could be that you’ve been reading the same genre for years. While it might be your favourite, it can start to feel like every book is the same.
I’m not just talking about crime, science fiction and fantasy when I say genre. Literary books can start to feel similar too as they will share similar storylines, tropes and characters.
Have a look for books that catch your attention in different genres and ask around. If you have a friend who loves magical realism, ask them which book they would recommend. Our book reviews and recommendations could help, too.
The World Traveller
This one is sure to add variety to your bookshelf. It’s easy to go along reading books published in the UK, the US and other English-speaking countries, but there are so many good stories to be found elsewhere, too.
It’s simple — make a list of countries and read books that are set in each place, or better, written by an author from that country.
You can easily make a theme. You could try reading a book from every European country, or every country in Asia, for example. If you don’t want to commit to too many books or don’t have that much time on your hands, your challenge could be to pick one book from every continent.
Fancy a mammoth challenge? Try reading a book from every country on the planet.
An offshoot of this challenge is to read a book from every county in the UK, or a book from every state in the US.
There are plenty of resources online to help you, and people like Ann Morgan who blazed the trail.
The Award Connoisseur
Are you the type of person that means to read winning books every year, but then another year slips by before you’ve even had the chance? This one’s for you.
For this reading challenge, concentrate on reading the books that have won awards, that people have raved about for years, but that you feel you missed out on.
You could choose one award like the Booker, the Women’s Prize for Fiction, the Walter Scott Prize or the Hugo, and read the back catalogue of winners. Or, mix it up and read the winning book from many different awards.
Either way, you’re sure to find some fantastic books and impress your fellow bookworms!
There are plenty more reading challenges to choose from — read a book set in every month of the year, read books from the year you were born, choose an author and read everything they’ve written. Whatever you decide, may your year be filled with fabulous books!
Abigail Phillips Abbie is the newest member of the fiction team at the "Friend." She loves how varied the role is - every day is different and there is always a new story to read. She is keen to work closely with established writers and discover new writers, too.
