One of the best ways to motivate yourself to read “better” is with these fun reading challenges for adults, from a huge variety of themes bound to suit your needs.

A reading challenge is something you can do on your own or with others to meet your reading goals. Whether you want to read more, or differently, committing to a challenge can keep you going when life gets in the way. It can also help you decide what to read next.
When it comes to reading challenges for adults, I think it’s important to question what you are looking to get out of it at the end of the day: More pages? More diversity? A community of like-minded people?
It’s also important to PUSH yourself outside your comfort zone — it’s called a “challenge” for a reason!
Below are all the best reading challenges for adults you can join now (including The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge I host for fans of Gilmore Girls!)
Keep reading to find one or more that works best for YOU!
Fun Reading Challenges for Adults
GoodReads
PopSugar
The StoryGraph
Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge
Summer Reading Challenge
Read Around the World Challenge
Harry Potter Reading Challenge
Below are more details about the most popular reading challenges for adults mentioned above to help you decide which one or ones is best for you:
GoodReads Reading Challenge
GoodReads is the prevailing social media platform of the book world. Their reading challenge is best for those who want to track how many books they are reading in a particular year, and exactly which books they read.
This is my fifth year participating in this reading challenge, and I find it so motivating and easy to track my reads throughout the year. And, at the end of the year, they provide you with an overview of different statistics like how many pages you read, your shortest book, your longest book, your most popular book, your average rating, and more.
PopSugar Reading Challenge
The pop culture website PopSugar also hosts a popular reading challenge each year. Use their printable checklist to complete up to 50 unique prompts and/or join their groups on Facebook and/or GoodReads to participate.
Get book recommendations for the POPSUGAR Reading Challenge.
The StoryGraph Reading Challenge
The StoryGraph is a new online-based reading tracker and quasi-social media platform similar to that of GoodReads. A lot of people like it because it gives you detailed statistics about your reading habits. It also has an entire section devoted to users’ reading challenges you can upload on your own or join. Search keywords or browse categories like genre, geography, books written by Own Voices authors, and so many more.
Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge
Here at The Literary Lifestyle, each year I host the popular Rory Gilmore Book Club Reading Challenge. Each month, we utilize a general prompt, like “a classic book” or “a book adaptation” and then readers choose pick or picks for the prompt from the full list of 500+ books mentioned on the Gilmore Girls.
We share our reads and book reviews on Instagram @TheRoryGilmoreBookClub, and it’s a great, very engaged group of bookish Gilmore Girls fans. Head on over there and follow us to join! I specifically created easy prompts for the first few months so latecomers can catch up in no time.
Summer Reading Challenge
Each year, when Summer rolls around, a lot of Summer Reading Challenges start popping up.
To read three seasonal books of your choice this Summer, join my Summer Reading Challenge.
Read Around the World Challenge / Global Reading Challenge
Or, you can challenge yourself to read books from across the globe to inspire diverse reading, education, and even wanderlust. I created a world reading challenge post to track my own reading across the many countries of the world and, I have got to say, even as an avid reader, it’s shocking how FEW countries about which I have yet to read even one book.
One thing that’s especially great about this kind of reading challenge is that you can perform it over any amount of time, and you can perform it along with other challenges too.
My particular global reading challenge contains a master list of countries you can download and fill in as you read books from various countries.
(Note: I also have a Read Across America challenge post that may interest you.)
Harry Potter Reading Challenge
If you’re new to the Harry Potter book list, now just may be the time to grab a boxed set of the Harry Potter books and commit to reading these tremendously popular novels by the end of December, a very momentous time at Hogwarts school for wizards.
More Fun Reading Challenges for Adults
Below are tons more fun reading challenges for adults that I found across the web from various bloggers, websites, and podcasts. I love how specific they are, so that you can commit to something that really works for you.
Blogger and Website Reading Challenges for Adults
- #TBR Challenge 2023
- 2023 Beachcomber Mystery Reading Challenge
- 2023 Books in Translation Reading Challenge
- 2023 Build Your Library Reading Challenge
- 2023 Children’s Book Reading Challenge…for Adults!
- 2023 Classics Reading Challenge
- 2023 Diversify Your Reading Challenge
- 2023 Diversity Reading Challenge
- 2023 Diversity Reading Challenge
- 2023 Finishing the Series Reading Challenge
- 2023 Library Love Challenge
- 2023 Literary Escapes Challenge
- 2023 Monthly Key Word Reading Challenge
- 2023 Monthly Motif Reading Challenge
- 2023 Nonfiction Reader Challenge
- 2023 NoveList Reading Challenge
- 2023 Romance Book Reading Challenge with She Reads Romance Books
- 2023 Romance Reading Challenge
- 2023 Southern Literature Reading Challenge
- Adult SFF Backlist Books Challenge
- Around the World in 80 Books
- Around the World Reading Challenge 2023
- Barnes & Noble Reading Challenge
- Beyond The Bookends’ 2023 Reading Challenge
- Booklist Queen’s 2023 Reading Challenge
- BookRiot’s 2023 Read Harder Challenge
- Calendar of Crime Challenge
- Color Coded Reading Challenge
- COYER (Clear Out Your E-Reader) Challenge
- Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge
- Creativity Reading Challenge 2023
- Cruisin’ thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2023
- Epistolary Reading Challenge 2023
- Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2023
- Humor Reading Challenge 2023
- Libro.fm’s 2023 Audiobook Listening Challenge
- Memoir Reading Challenge 2023
- Mental Health Reading Challenge 2023
- Read Around The World Challenge
- Read It Again, Sam Challenge
- Read With Allison’s 2023 Reading Challenge
- Read Your Bookshelf Challenge
- Reading by the Numbers Challenge
- Roll to Read Challenge
- Romanceopoly Reading Challenge
- TBR Pile Challenge
- The 52 Book Club’s 2023 Reading Challenge
- The Book Girls’ Guide Decades Reading Challenge
- The Book Girls’ Guide Lifetime of Reading Challenge
- The Book Girls’ Guide Read Around the USA – 2023 States Reading Challenge
- The Book Girls’ Guide Read Around the World: Book Voyage Reading Challenge
- The Nerdy Bookworm 50 Books A Year Reading Challenge 2023
- The Purrfect Reading Challenge 2023
- Thrifty Thursday Challenge 2023
- Uncorked 2023 Reading Challenge
- Virtual Mount TBR Challenge
- What An Animal Reading Challenge 2023
Podcast Reading Challenges for Adults
Those are the most fun reading challenges for adults you can join today. Which one or ones will you commit to?
If you are a Gilmore Girls fan, be sure to join me @TheRoryGilmoreBookClub reading challenge by following on Instagram and tackling Rory’s reading list with us.
Niffer
Sunday 25th of December 2022
I create the Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge every year, which is aimed at having different levels depending on how quickly you read. Check it out:
http://gregoryroad.blogspot.com/2022/12/the-2023-pick-your-poison-reading.html
Amy @ A Novel Start
Tuesday 13th of December 2022
Thank you so much for this list! It really helped :)
Jules Buono
Tuesday 13th of December 2022
You're welcome!