April: what’s a book that has been on your to-read pile for over 2 years? We all have at least one book (if not hundreds) that are basically collecting dust on our bookshelf, despite us consistently swearing we’ll get to it next time… only to have months and years go by without us cracking the cover. So, this April, grab that book and see if you’ll fall in love with an oldie. 

May: who else loves traveling? ✋Unfortunately, for whatever reason, it’s not always a feasible option… which is why I so often travel the world through books. During this May, take a trip around the world with a book set in a location you have always wanted to visit.

June: is there anything better than lounging pool-side, beach-side, or lake-side (is that even a word? We’ll just go with water-side) during the summer with a book in hand? For June, we’re challenging you to just pick a book – any length – that you’d feel happy and comfortable reading while in public, chilling by the water. Since this theme is mostly personal preference, Amber and I aren’t going to give you a list of ideas…. but we do expect to hear from y’all about what book you’ve picked!

July: can you believe the year is already halfway over? 😅 I don’t know how your New Year’s resolutions are going, but mine… yeah. Anyway, since we’re halfway through the year, Amber and I thought it was the perfect time to make mid-year resolutions (can we make that a thing?)… which is why we’re challenging you to read a book from the self-help genre! 

August: full disclosure, Amber and I have been tossing this idea around for ages and finally decided to do it simply because we’re both going to Taylor Swift’s concert in August… clearly we’re excited about it. So, to include y’all in our happiness, we thought a theme of reading a book inspired by a singer, band, song, or album would be a fun monthly theme.

September: I always think of school whenever this time of the year rolls around, despite that I haven’t been in school for over a year now. Anyway, whenever I think of school, memories of English class always follow close behind, which is why September’s challenge is reading a classic (or a book you should’ve read back in English, but didn’t).

October: of all of the months in the year, I feel like you’ve got to read a cozy or spooky book during this month, even if you’re not a mood reader! And there are so many good reads to pick from (yeah, we have a blog coming soon) – you can even read a book that you’ve read before and loved, so long as it’s a comfortable or spooky book you can read while sitting next to a roaring fire all wrapped up in a blanket… or, if you don’t have a fireplace, just find a roaring fireplace video on YouTube on your laptop and bundle up in a blanket on your bed with your book.

November: so, this challenge is a little different than we’ve different, compared to all of the previous monthly themes. This November, we’re challenging you to read a book from an author with a different perspective than yours. It can be a book from someone with a different cultural background, political affiliation, religious belief, nationality… whatever you want. You don’t have to agree with the author or their perspective by the end of the book, either; we just want you to pick a book that’ll expand your personal paradigm just a little. Oh, and we didn’t make a list for this, simply because, again, it’s up to your own personal preference.

December: why are there so many movies or tv shows that come out during the last quarter of the year? Maybe it’s because you’re spending time with the family…? Well, whatever the reason is, we challenge you to read a book that was, or is, being turned into a screen adaptation of some sort. We have a page with some of our favorite book-to-film adaptations, but there are plenty of books to choose from. You can even watch the screen adaptation when you’ve finished reading!