Happy New Year’s Eve, friends! If one of your resolutions is to read more (or you just love to read in general!) you’ve come to the right place: Welcome to the 2020 Reading Challenge! I’m so excited you’re here. I’m a big-time goal-setter and resolution maker, and, in 2019, one of my goals was to read more. It might seem a little silly for an author to need to read more, but with writing and my design blog (Design Chic), family, a ridiculous travel schedule and, well, life, I wasn’t prioritizing one of my favorite hobbies as much as I should. And even when I was, it usually for reviews or blurbs that felt a little too much like work to really count as relaxing reading time. But I re-prioritized my reading life this year and loved every minute!
If you’re here, you probably know all the reasons you should read more, but, just in case:
- Reading reduces stress by up to 68% in just six minutes. That’s even more quickly than a hot cup of tea or listening to music (University of Sussex).
- Readers are more empathetic. (American Psychological Association)
- Reading may decrease dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease risk. Readers that read into their old age were found to have up to 30% less memory decline than non-readers. (Journal of Neurology)
- Want to raise a reader? Be a reader! Children whose parents read to them—and see their parents reading—are much more likely to choose to read for pleasure than those who don’t. (Scholastic)
If you want to read more, but 12 whole books this year seems daunting, don’t worry! This isn’t a one-size-fits-all reading challenge. Hate non-fiction? Skip it. Don’t want to read outside your favorite genre? You don’t have to. Can’t imagine reading a book in the same month your prepping to host 27 family members for Thanksgiving? By all means, roast, don’t read.
No matter how you choose to use this challenge, I’m glad you’re here and can’t wait to spend the next year learning what you love and expanding my own canon because of yours. Let’s get going!
2020 Reading Challenge Month-by-Month!
- January: Book Related to Your New Year’s Resolution
- February: Biography or Memoir
- March: Book in a Series
- April: Try an Audiobook
- May: Feels Like Falling! (Obviously… Then Join Us May 15 for a FB Live Discussion)
- June: Classic Beach Book
- July: Thriller So Scary You Have to Read on the Beach in Daylight
- August: Historical Fiction
- September: Book That Has Been in Your TBR Pile Forever
- October: New Release Impulse Buy
- November: One of Your Family Member’s Favorite Books
- December: Holiday-Themed Book
Stop by here the first Tuesday of every month, where I’ll announce what I’m reading and offer plenty of suggestions for books I love in each category. And, of course, I’ll want to hear what you’re reading, too! I can’t wait to spend this year reading with you!
I’m looking to the reading challenge. I love to read. My goal is 70 books.