Each prompt has two difficulties - easy and hard, where the hard prompt adds an extra layer of challenge. [Tamaranth adds: I did this in hard mode.]
Additionally, there are three challenge levels, which include optional restrictions to encourage you to read a wider variety of books!
☑ Challenge Level 1: Each book can only be used for one prompt.
☑ Challenge Level 2: Each author can only be used once - you cannot use multiple books by the same author across multiple prompts.
☑ Challenge Level 3: No rereads allowed.
1. Mysterious Architecture
EASY: Read a book with unusual and mysterious structures. For example, ruins with unknown origins, buildings with impossible features (bigger on the inside, appearing/disappearing rooms), buildings made of unknown and/or extremely unusual materials.
HARD: the structures (or at least the weird parts) must not be made by humans. For example: mysterious ruins suspected to be of alien origin. Houses with rooms that mysteriously appear or disappear, possibly controlled by supernatural forces. Houses carved out of trees by fairies. As long as it is suspected or implied the structure(s) are not of human origin, it counts!
2. Predicting the Future
EASY: Read a book that includes knowledge of or prediction of future events. For example: prophecies, time travel shenanigans, tarot card readings, prophetic dreams.
HARD: The prediction ends up not happening, is a made up prediction, or ends up being true but very misleading.
The Song of Achilles by Madeleine Miller (prophecy about 'the best of the Greeks')
3. Dark Objects
EASY: Read a book with a powerful object or objects that play a significant role in the story. It should be one of the main drivers of the plot, conflict, or resolution of the book. The object/objects must be rare, they can not be an easily obtainable item within the world.
HARD: The object itself is speculative in nature, and evil in origin or in use. For example, a cursed sword, haunted doll, an alien artifact used for nefarious purposes.
The Scandalous Letters of V and J by Felicia Davin (a cursed necklace used to control others)
4. Genre Exploration
EASY: Read a book that blends two or more genres together, where at least one of the genres is one you do not frequently read.
HARD: Both genres must be speculative - Horror/Fantasy, SciFi/Fantasy, Horror/Dystopian, Fantasy/Historical Fiction, etc. If you commonly read many of the speculative fiction genres, you can choose to instead read a book that blends at least 3 different genres together. The book must still be speculative and must still meet the EASY prompt. For example, Contemporary/Literary/Horror, Fantasy/Historical/Romance.
A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians by H.G. Parry (Historical / Fantasy / Political Thriller)
5. Making Waves
EASY: Read a book where a body of water plays a notable role in the story in some way. This could be tied to the setting, plot, or world building elements of the story.
HARD: The water must be directly tied to the speculative element(s) of the story. For example, a haunted lake, an ocean-covered alien planet, a lagoon filled with mermaids.
And The Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness
6. Up Close and Personal
EASY: Read a character-focused book with only a single POV character. Prologues, epilogues, or short interlude chapters can be from other POVs. It can be marked as ”A Mix” of character and plot on StoryGraph as long as the main character’s thoughts, feelings, and/or growth are a major part of the book.
HARD: The main character interacts with no more than 5 on-page, named characters. For this, any prologue/epilogue/interlude chapters from other POVs are not counted towards the limit. Flashbacks do not count towards the limit. Only characters that interact with the protagonist during the “present” time count, and they must be named (or have an alias/nickname).
The Last Dragoners of Bowbazar by Indra Das
7. Embracing Evil
EASY: Read a book where one (or more) of the POV characters is a bad person. They can be a morally gray character, or can grow as a character, but must commit objectively bad act(s) at some point in the book. These can be violent or non violent.
HARD: The character does not grow as a person - at the end of the book they are still the same or worse than at the beginning.
8. Short Stories
EASY: Read a short story collection or anthology. Most or all of the stories in the collection should be speculative.
HARD: The short story collection is by an author you’ve already read before. If you read an anthology, at least one story must be by an author you’ve already read.
The Touch of the Sea by Steve Berman (includes a story by Chaz Brenchley)
9. STEM
EASY: Read a book that is about characters researching, experimenting on, or exploring something for scientific or scholarly purposes.
HARD: Read a book that is NOT a science fiction book.
Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher (protagonist experiments with poisons to identify what has been used)
10. New Releases, New Reads
EASY: Read a 2025 release. Translated works count as long as the translation in your language is published in 2025.
HARD: Read a book by a new-to-you author.
The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson
11. Old School
EASY: Read a book that was published 15+ years ago.
HARD: The publish date should be within 5 years of your birth year.
Rocannon's World by Ursula K. Le Guin (published 1966)
12. Amazing Animals
EASY: Read a book where animals play a notable role in the story. This could be an animal companion, a mythical beast, or a vicious creature harassing the locals. Fictional creatures are allowed as long as they are more beast-like than humanoid.
HARD: The animal(s) should have unusually high intelligence. For example, they could be talking animals, creatures with genetically enhanced intelligence, or creatures possessed by a higher power. As long as they show higher than normal intelligence, it counts.
The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz
13. Random Results
EASY: Randomly generate a number between 1-6. Read a book with that many words in the title.
HARD: Randomly generate a number between 3-25. Read a book with that many letters in the title.
A Line You Have Traced by Roisin Dunnett (18 letters)
14. Pretty Pictures
EASY: Read a book with a cover you like.
HARD: The book must also contain one or more illustrations within the book itself. This can include maps, mini illustrations above chapter titles, or full page illustrations. You could also read a graphic novel/manga/etc.
Moira's Pen by Megan Whalen Turner
15. Stories Retold
EASY: Read a book that is a retelling of an older book, play, or poem. The original must be a work of written fiction. If the book you read is heavily inspired by a work instead of a true retelling, that counts as well.
HARD: You must have read the original work the retelling is based on. For plays, it counts if you have seen the play.
The Lost Books of The Odyssey by Zachary Mason
16. Face your Fears
EASY: Read a book featuring things people stereotypically find frightening. For example: spiders, snakes, heights, claustrophobic spaces, the dark, needles, blood. These do not have to play a major role in the overall story, but must play a significant role in a least one scene in the book. This does not need to be a horror book.
HARD: Read a book with one of these elements that you personally find creepy/scary. If you don’t find any of these scary, you can instead read a horror book featuring any of those elements.
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones (mortally injured zombie animals)
17. New Growth
EASY: Read a book featuring plant life as an important part of the story. This could include stories set in a wilderness type setting, or stories where plants play some role in the plot, world building, or conflict.
HARD: The plant life must be speculative in some way. For example, a plant with magical properties or a sentient plant creature.
The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
18. After the End of the World
EASY: Read a book that takes place after an apocalypse or other catastrophic event.
HARD: The characters in the book should not know they are living in a post-apocalyptic world. A book where this is told or implied to the reader will count towards the prompt even if the characters in the book do not learn this information. The catastrophic event can be forgotten or could be unknown due to misinformation or a coverup. As long as the truth of the catastrophic event has been obscured in some way and the majority of characters do not know the truth, it can count.
19. Timeless
EASY: Read a book that includes multiple timelines that are far apart (multiple decades apart or longer - not just a few years apart). Flashbacks can count, as does time travel.
HARD: The book should include a non-POV character who is present in both timelines (or 2+ of the timelines if there are more than 2 timelines). The character can be a person, creature, or other entity, as long as it is explicitly stated or implied it is the same being.
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (Gore is present in both timelines)
20. Recommended Read
EASY: Read a book that is recommended to you. You can get the recommendation from someone you know or you can take a recommendation from social media or even a review as long as there is a specific recommendation mentioned that appeals to your tastes (ex. “I recommend this for readers who like ____”).
HARD: Discuss the book you read with someone. You can discuss with the person you got the recommendation from, participate in a book club, or even just write a review of the book.
21. Seriously Long Series
EASY: Read a book that is part of a series that has a minimum of 3 books.
HARD: The book should be part of a series with 5 or more books.
The Masquerades of Spring by Ben Aaronovitch (part of Rivers of London, which is currently 15 novels and novellas. plus graphic novels ...)
22. Classic Creatures
EASY: Read a book that features one or more classic fantasy or supernatural creatures or monsters. For example: werewolves, vampires, ghosts, mermaids, dragons, unicorns, aliens, zombies, etc. If the author has a unique take on a classic creature, that still counts.
HARD: The creature/monster is portrayed on the cover of the book. This can be an actual image of the creature, or something that clearly represents the creature (ex. For vampire the cover might have fangs or blood on the cover).
A Language of Dragons by S.F. Williamson
23. Translated Works
EASY: Read a book that has been translated from another language you do not speak.
HARD: The author should live in a country that is in a different hemisphere as you.
Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon by Mizuki Tsujimura
24. Back to School
EASY: Read a book that takes place primarily at a school or other academic building (library, research laboratory).
HARD: The main character (or one of the main characters, if multi-POV) is NOT a student.
The Incandescent by Emily Tesh (narrator is a teacher)
25. 5 Stars
EASY: Read a book that you rate 5 stars.
HARD: The book is by an author you’ve never read from before.
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