It’s Friday and that means it’s time for another Let’s Talk Bookish post! This week, we’ll be talking about reading challenges. I’m sorry this post is later than it should be, but I just had no energy to write it earlier this week. So, let’s take a look into my thoughts on reading challenges, do I love or hate them?

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme that was originally created and hosted by Rukky @ Eternity Books starting in August 2019, and was then cohosted by Dani @ Literary Lion from May 2020 to March 2022. Since April 2022, this meme is hosted by , Aria @ Book Nook Bits and since February 2025, Dini @ DiniPandaReads is the co-host. Let’s Talk Bookish is a meme where participants discuss certain topics, share their opinions, and share their love by visiting each other’s posts.

Prompts: What do you think of reading challenges—do they motivate you or do they feel restrictive and end up making reading feel like a chore? Are there any challenges you participate in yearly? What reading challenges are you joining in 2025?

Reading challenges, the most dreading time of the year. At the start of the year, it’s time to make up our minds on whether we will take part in them or leave them alone. In my early blogging years, I wanted to take part in literally everything possible, so that also means reading challenges. However, I found myself stressed by them. Not by the number of books I set myself to read, but by the categories of such challenges. Many of them are really hard and if I devote my time to something, I want to do it right. So, when the end of the year draws nearer, and I find out I haven’t ticked off multiple categories, reading is giving me stress and starts to feel like a chore. I feel like I lack inspiration for many categories and although I want to read outside my comfort zone every now and then, it must be at my own pace and on my own terms and conditions. Not to be able to complete a reading challenge by any means. I’m moreover a huge mood reader, so if I need to read a certain book in order to complete a category and therefore the reading challenge which I don’t like at all, I’m most likely hitting a reading slump which makes completing said challenge even harder. It’s a vicious circle in the end.

For this reason, I’m not a fan of reading challenges and I haven’t taken part in them for the past few years. The only challenge I set is a number of books to read, but I only do this for the end of the year stats. I set the bar low for myself and put a number I will easily manage. These end of the year stats. Those are a great reflection on what books (moods, genres etc.) you have read, as you might have forgotten in December what books you have read in January. For the past 2 years (2024 and 2025) my reading goal is set to 50. I still did the pages and hours goal on The Storygraph last year, but that one is so tough! I have no insight in what’s ideal for such goals, I always set something which is probably too high or too low. Before, I had a much higher reading goal, but pressure, reading slump… You see the vicious circle yet again, right? Fifty is a very reasonable and manageable amount, even though I know I’ll hit this number quite early in the year already.

My overall opinion on reading challenges is that they are generally not for me. If you enjoy them and they work for you, fine! You do you. But for me they don’t, and I only set a reading goal for the end of the year stats.

What are your thoughts on reading challenges? Do you love them? Hate them? Do they eventually challenge you or do they make reading feel like a chore?