120 Adult Reading Challenge Prompts for 2024 (+ Free Printable)

These reading challenge prompts for adults are the perfect way to spice up your TBR list in 2023.

Are you up for the challenge? Which reading prompt will you take on first?

Have you ever fallen into a reading slump and can’t pull yourself out of it? Or maybe the overwhelm of deciding what to read keeps you from starting at all?

Trust me. I’ve been there.

With so many fantastic book options, it can feel nearly impossible to know where to start. It’s like full-on decision paralysis (book edition).

This yearly reading challenge checklist is here to keep you inspired and avoid that slump.

By giving you reading prompts to help choose your next book, you can rest assured that you’ll always know where to start your book hunt.

Additionally, the satisfaction of a physical reading challenge checklist printable to check off is a motivator in itself! (Nothing beats the gratification of crossing off a checklist.)

This 120 Adult Reading Challenge Prompts Checklist gives you tons of reading challenge ideas to take on this year!

What Are Reading Challenge Prompts?

Reading challenge prompts are simple challenges that give you a starting point for choosing a book.

The prompts are a great way to add an element of fun or excitement to your typical reading routine.

Most prompts will be centered around a book’s title, author, genre, or plot.

For example, a challenge may be to find a book that starts with the letter ‘A’. This would be a title-related prompt.

This book challenge checklist is filled with different ideas in each category and for all types of readers.

Why Start a Reading Challenge?

Not convinced that you’re ready to start a reading challenge? I hear ya, but hear me out.

There are a few reasons I love participating in reading challenges…

10 Reasons to Start a Reading Challenge

1. Takes away new-book decision paralysis/overwhelm.
2. Allows you to track your reading progress.
3. Inspires you to try new books/authors/genres.
4. Pushes you out of your reading comfort zone.
5. Makes completing a book more gratifying.
6. Keeps you motivated to keep reading.
7. Introduces you to new ways of reading.
8. Gives you a starting point for deciding on a new book.
9. Helps prevent a reading slump.
10. It’s just plain FUN!

How to Complete These 2023 Reading Challenge Prompts

Once you download the printable list of reading prompts and challenges (or create your own if you’re into that!), where do you begin?

There are a few different ways to complete this reading challenge checklist:

• Complete it in order
• Schedule X amount of books for each month
• Plan out your challenge order in advance (I recommend tracking this in your planner or phone!)
• Align the challenges with yearly events that feel related to the prompt (holidays, birthdays, summer, etc.)
• Use a random number generator to decide what challenge to do next
• Close your eyes and point to a spot on the list (then do that one!)
• Simply skip around as desired!

Now that you know the “what”, “why”, and “how” of these reading prompts, what do you say we jump into the list?

120+ Adult Reading Challenge Prompts for 2023

Find the perfect prompt for you related to each of the following categories: title, author, genre, appearance, and plot.

Title Book Challenge Prompts

Read a book that…

Read a book by a(n)…

1. Author that shares your first name
2. NewYorkTimes bestselling author
3. Author with your parent’s or sibling’s name
4. Author you’ve read and enjoyed before
5. Pseudonym author
6. Author duo (Did you know Christina Lauren is actually TWO people?)
7. Internet famous author
8. Friend/family favorite author
9. Under-30 author
10. Author from another country
11. Female author
12. Male author
13. Author you’ve never read before
14. Author with your same initials
15. Famous author
16. Author with your last name
17. GoodReads award-winning author
18. Author you previously disliked (second chance!)
19. Author from your home state
20. Classic author (check out this list of classic authors)

Genre Book Challenge Prompts

Read a book that is a…

1. Fantasy
2. Sci-Fi
3. Thriller
4. Memoir
5. Romance
6. Young Adult
7. Historical fiction
8. Poetry collection
9. Short story
10. Collection of essays or prose
11. Literary fiction
12. Self-help
13. Nonfiction
14. A classic
15. Mystery
16. Comedy
17. Play
18. Holiday romance
19. Crime
20. Murder Mystery

Appearance Book Challenge Prompts

Read a book that has…

1. A hardcover
2. A softcover
3. Over 400 pages
4. Under 200 pages
5. A map in the beginning
6. A pink cover
7. Images of people on the cover
8. A hand-drawn/sketch cover
9. An aesthetic cover
10. A photo of the author on the back cover
11. Images/illustrations in it
12. Orange font (Every Summer After anyone?)
13. A book on the cover
14. Flowers on the cover
15. A title that is written in cursive
16. An award on the cover (NYT bestseller, Oprah’s choice, etc.)
17. A sleeve cover
18. A fully neutral cover (black, white, gray, brown, gold, etc.)
19. Holiday-themed images on the cover
20. Over 30 chapters

Plot Book Challenge Prompts

Read a book with a(n)…

1. Friend-to-lovers romance
2. Unreliable narrator
3. Plot twist ending
4. Second chance romance
5. Sibling relationship
6. Strong mother/daughter bond
7. Mental health message
8. Plot about books/authors/writing/etc.
9. Summer setting
10. Winter setting
11. Small town setting
12. High school setting
13. College setting
14. Divorce storyline
15. Big city setting (New York, San Fransisco, Seattle, etc.)
16. WWII story
17. Childhood friends to adult lovers romance
18. Forced proximity romance
19. Grumpy/sunshine character match
20. Alternating timeline plot (ie. The Best of Me or Ugly Love)
21. Setting in a place you want to visit
22. Spicy romance (Tessa Bailey anyone?)
23. Holiday plot
24. Husband/wife thriller
25. Setting in the future

More Reading Challenges

1. 2022 bestseller
2. Oprah’s choice
3. A series
4. A classic novel you were assigned in school
5. NYT bestselling novel
6. Reese Witherspoon book club pick
7. A book that became a TV show
8. A book that became a movie
9. Rory Gilmore reading challenge book
10. A series connected to another book/series (ie. the Addicted and Calloway Sister series)
11. A book that has been on your shelf for years
12. Book to make you cry
13. Book to give you the creeps
14. Two-book series
15. A trilogy