This time of the year is one of my most favorite times of the year. No, not because of the holidays, though I do love the holidays, but because it’s new planner time and…
READING CHALLENGE TIME!
If you’re anything like me, you’re currently scrambling to finish whatever 2019 reading challenges you signed up for. I hit my Goodreads challenge a while back. I set a goal for 60 books, and right now I’m sitting at 73, so I’m good there. But on my Read Wide challenge (a challenge I’ve created and done for the last few years), I’m ONE book away. So I plan to take care of that category this week.
I’ve really enjoyed doing the Read Wide challenge this year, and it definitely challenged me to try some things I normally wouldn’t pick up. Like as much as love non-fiction audiobooks, I had yet to listen to a fiction audiobook all the way through, so I had added that to my challenge this year. I ended up listening to Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes on audio, and the narration was great. It’s the second book in the YOU series, and I had watched the show, so the narrator (Joe) sounded very similar to the actor playing that part. So it felt familiar and easy to listen to. However, I think I’m just not a fiction audiobook listener. I read much faster than I can listen. I love non-fiction on audio, but I think that’s because it feels like a really long podcast.
But this challenge definitely makes me pick up things I normally wouldn’t naturally gravitate toward, and I discover great reads I would’ve missed. It also helps keep me creatively fresh. There’s nothing wrong with liking what you like, and reading what you want to read, but I do think we can get into reading ruts—when everything starts to sound the same. So, I’ll be doing this challenge again this year.
What I like about this challenge is that you can make it your own. What my chart looks like doesn’t have to be what your chart looks like. If you hate horror, swap it out for something else. If you only want to read widely in romance, make a bunch of romance subgenre categories. Play around with it. I’ll have a blank, downloadable chart below that you can use to make your list.
So, why should you join this challenge and what does it entail?
Why Read Widely?
So first, before we get into the nitty gritty of the challenge, why should you give it a try?
You will discover new genres to love or re-discover old favorites you used to love.
For instance, I loved reading horror when I was a teenager. I drifted away from it sometime in college—though I did take an awesome Vampires in Literature course my sophomore year. This year I had both horror and YA horror on my chart, and I rediscovered how much I love a good scary book.
You will read things that will confirm that a genre or format is not for you, and you can stop worrying about missing out on those books.
This doesn’t sound like a positive thing, but it really is. I had mystery on my list this year. This is a popular genre, and often the blurbs sound good to me, but I’ve discovered that in a “whodunit”, I really don’t care much who did it. If a mystery is part of a true crime read or part of a suspense read with a lot of tension, I’m into it. But if it’s a straight-up mystery novel, it doesn’t hold my interest. Now I know to pass those by.
You will give new authors a chance.
It’s easy to stick with the authors we know (and as an author, I highly encourage that! lol) but there are a lot of authors out there that we can add to our list. We’re never going to discover them if we don’t step outside our normal reading zone. This year I discovered Taylor Adams (Horror/suspense), H.K. Choi (YA), Casey McQuiston (romance), Leigh Bardugo (paranormal), along with others.
You will diversify your reading.
I always strive to read more diversely, but that focus can slip through the cracks if I’m not paying attention. So my column focused on diversity has helped me be more deliberate about seeking out POC authors and books that feature main characters who are POC, LGTBQ+, and/or neurodiverse.
If you’re a writer, it will feed your creativity.
Reading widely is important for my writing. It puts fresh fuel in the engine. The reason why my books are often a little outside the norm in the romance genre like The Ones Who Got Away series is because I read from all different areas. I pull ideas and inspiration from all these different genres, which I think keeps things fresh (for me and hopefully also for my readers.) If I’m only reading in my own genre, my books will start to sound like everyone else’s.
It’s fun
If you’re a person who loves to check off a to do list or complete a challenge, this is just straight up fun. It feels like a game, and there’s so much satisfaction when you get to color in those boxes. : )
My 2020 Challenge
How to Set Up Your Challenge
Pick your comfort zone columns
First, you need to know that this is a personalized challenge. What my version of reading widely is may be very different from yours. So first, make sure you’re giving yourself your favorites. For instance, romance is my primary reading genre, and I also read a lot of YA and non-fiction, so I have three entire columns dedicated to those things and their subgenres. If you’re a big mystery reader, you may dedicate a column to that and beneath list: cozy mystery, noir, historical mystery, etc. This is about reading widely but not to the exclusion of reading the things you love most.
Pick your more challenging columns
Even under your comfort columns, there may be some challenging subcategories, but pick at least a column or two that are going to make you stretch. For me, that’s the non-romance genre fiction column. Usually, I also have a column labeled “General Fiction”, but this year I’m changing it up and have included a “Format” column instead, where instead of the genre, I’m using a variety of formats/lengths. You can get creative with the subcategories (lots of suggestions below). They don’t have to be “official” subgenres that the library would list. Like in my Genre Fiction column, you’ll see “classic of its genre”—whatever genre that may be.
Don’t put things in it the chart that you know you hate
This is not about torturing yourself. If you already know you don’t like epic historical fiction, it’s okay not to put it on there. This shouldn’t feel like homework. I encourage you to put things that you may not normally try but that you’re open to liking.
Make a bonus column for fun/silly categories
I have suggestions below but get creative. You want some easy wins and categories that many different types of books could fit into so that it’s not too restrictive.
Add a diversity column
I keep this simple. I list “Author” and “Main character” to mark books that were written by an author in an underrepresented category or that feature a main character who is. But I list categories below if you want to get more detailed with this column.
Print out your list or draw your own into your reading journal like I do.
You can use my template or you can just make your own with a simple square stencil, some colorful pens/pencils, and a notebook. If you want a printable reading journal, I have a free one with my newsletter sign up. I also have a post on how to make your own journal if that’s your jam.
Choose your own rules.
Will you let one book count for more than one category? That’s up to you. It’s your challenge!
You don’t need as many categories under each column I have.
If you’re someone who reads 20 books a year, this chart is going to be too much. Choose fewer boxes under each column or less columns. I read around 70-75 books a year, so this chart having 42 still leaves me room for reading whatever outside of the challenge. Give yourself flexibility.
Category Ideas
Here are some ideas for what to put in the columns. You can select subgenres, formats, fun made-up categories. Don’t limit yourself. This is your challenge and needs to be personal to your tastes. Have a good time with it!
Genres/Subgenres:
Romance
· Contemporary
· Erotic
· Dark
· Romantic suspense
· Paranormal/Urban Fantasy
· Historical
· Romantic Comedy
· Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Speculative
· Dystopian
· Mystery
· Inspirational/Christian
· LGBTQ
· Gothic
· Old School/Retro (Romance from 70s-90s)
Young Adult
· Romance
· Contemporary
· Suspense/Thriller
· Horror
· Paranormal/Urban Fantasy
· Historical
· Romantic Comedy
· Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Speculative
· Dystopian
· Mystery
· Inspirational/Christian
· LGBTQ
· Old School/Retro (YA from the 70s-90s)
Genre Fiction:
Contemporary
Women’s Fiction
Suspense
Mystery
Cozy Mystery
Hard-Boiled Detective/Noir
Horror
Gothic
Paranormal
Urban Fantasy
High Fantasy
Dystopian
Sci-Fi/Speculative
Graphic Novel/Comic
Steampunk
Historical fiction
Action/Adventure
Erotica
Time Travel
Middle Grade (and all its subgenres)
Picture Book
Inspirational/Religious
Non-Fiction:
Memoir/Biography
True Crime
Humor
Travel
Self-Improvement
Business
Productivity
Home
Health
Cookbook/Food
On Writing (or whatever your field is)
Entertainment (about music, movies, tv, celebrity memoirs, etc.)
Science
History
Politics
Essay Collection
Parenting
Social Issues
General Fiction:
Literary Fiction
Classics
Book Club Fiction
Short Stories
Contemporary
Historical
Family Saga
Diverse Reads:
Book by POC Author
POC Main Character
Book by LGTBQ Author
LGTBQ Main Character
Book with characters whose religion is different from yours
Book in translation
Book by an author from another country
Book with a neurodiverse character
Format:
Short Story
Anthology
Doorstop (500+ pages)
Novella
Serial
Audiobook
Translated
Trilogy
Ebook
Hardcover
Paperback
Library Book
Indie Published
Small Press
Traditionally Published
Creative Categories:
Made Into A Movie or TV Show
Award-Winning
Banned Book
Re-read From Childhood
Debut Author
First in Series
Book From Your Birth Year
Loved By Others
Second Chance on a DNF (did not finish)
Road Trip Story
Set Outside of the U.S./UK/Canada
Book That Intimidates You
Written By the Opposite Sex
Retro Read (published before a certain year)
Three in a Row of a Series
Book You Should’ve Read in School
Favorite Author You Haven’t Read Lately
Legendary Author I’ve Never Read
Book I’ve Owned for 3+ Years
Book Club Pick/Book of the Month Club selection
Podcast Recommendation
Recommendation from a Friend
Recommendation from a Book Blogger/
Bookstagrammer/BookTube
Recommendation from Another Author
Book I Bought for the Cover
Airport Book
Huge Bestseller
Book about Books
Book about Food
Book about TV or Movies
Beach Read
Book That Made Me Cry
Book that Made Me Laugh
Classic of a genre
Found at the Used Bookstore
Book I Received as a Gift
Holiday-themed
Book by a Local Author
Download Your Chart and Get Started!
Blank Read Wide grid (word format)
My Read Wide Challenge if you don’t want to do your own categories (PDF)
Also, as I mentioned above, if you need a printable reading journal, I offer one for free when you sign up for my newsletter. You can easily add the chart as a page.
Let me know if you decide to join in. Happy reading!