I keep getting the feeling that each new year will be the year that I finally finish the entire challenge and I don’t. This time, I’ll just say that I hope it’s 2023. We’ll see.
I know lots of people have complaints about the prompts and I kind of agree with the lack of creativity. I mean there are over 10 repeated book prompts from previous years’ challenges. But, not having strange and new challenges will help me pick books that I already own. I might just order 4 books. The rest will be from my own collection or from one of my siblings.
‘Book #…’ will show the order in which I read each book (#1 being the first book I read this year).
1. A book you meant to read in 2022
Book #14
I remember reading the first 4 pages last year and then not feeling in the mood for it so I’m glad I got a chance to read it this year as part of my first country (Kuwait) in reading around the world. The Picture of Dorian Gray and Anne of Avonlea were also other books that I really wanted to read in 2022.
Other prompts it could work for: A book you bought from an independent bookstore, A book by a first-time author, A book about a forbidden romance, A book your friend recommended, A book about divorce (a little bit)
2. A book you bought from an independent bookstore
Book #13
I bought this book and the one above from a bookstore (Ewan) that sadly went out of business as a gift for my mom. I also considered re-reading Station Eleven which I bought from Posman Books located in a cool place called Ponce City Market in Atlanta, Georgia. Another option was The Professor, a classic that I got from a small bookstore on Rainbow Street here in Amman, Jordan.
Other prompts it could work for: A book by a first-time author, A book your friend recommended
3. A book about a vacation
Book #7
As soon as I read ‘vacation’ I thought: “It’s a good thing that I bought One Night on the Island on Kindle.”
To give myself more options. I also considered reading Book Lovers, The Unhoneymooners, or A Room with a View.
Other prompts it could work for: A book you meant to read in 2022
4. A book by a first-time author
Book #15
I’ve never even heard of Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir before but I chose this book in my visit to Iceland through books and I’m currently taking my time reading a 2nd book by her. I also had Frankly in Love, My Sister the Serial Killer, and The Silent Patient on my list for this prompt.
Other prompts it could work for: A book with a color in the title
5. A book with mystical creatures
Book #6
I had to reread this book so I could watch the movie (which I didn’t btw) and to be honest I couldn’t find ANY prompt to fit The BFG in but this one so from now on giants are lovely mythical beings 🙂
I was hoping to read Eragon, Dracula (re-read), The Lightning Thief, The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, The Forbidden Romance (re-read), or A Midsummer’s Night Dream.
Other prompts it could work for: None.
6. A book about a forbidden romance
7. A book with “Girl” in the title
8. A celebrity memoir
9. A book with a color in the title
10. A romance with a fat lead
11. A book about or set in Hollywood
Book #16
I thought that Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was the only book in our house that’s set in Hollywood but upon looking at the suggested titles for this prompt I was glad to see The Holiday Swap since I had already bought it on Kindle.
Other prompts it could work for: A book by a first-time author (2 authors in this case)
12. A book published in spring 2023
13. A book published the year you were born
Book #11
Can you believe that of all of the books owned by my brother, sister, and me this was the only one published in 1990? My brother had randomly bought it from the book fair one year.
Other prompts it could work for: A book by a first-time author, A book where the main character’s name is in the title, A book set in the decade you were born, A book with alliteration in the title
14. A modern retelling of a classic
15. A book with a song lyric as its title
Book #5
Between books 4 and 5 I’ve started two books but since I haven’t finished them yet I’m considering this as my fifth read.
I had chosen either The One That Got Away by Victoria Alexander, Liz Carlyle, Eloisa James, and Cathy Maxwell because I like Katy Perry’s song. Or Say You’ll Remember Me by Katie McGarry which I bought on Kindle not knowing anything about it and then I remembered the lyric in Taylor Swift’s song Wildest Dreams. However, I was suddenly in the mood to read this, and after reading it I couldn’t find an empty prompt to fit it in so I searched for a song with the same title as the book and found this: In the Kingdom of Dreams sung by Ian Felice. I didn’t like the song that much but hey it fits…
Other prompts it could work for: A historical-fiction book, A book about a forbidden romance (maybe??)
16. A book where the main character’s name is in the title
17. A book with a love triangle
18. A book that’s been banned or challenged in any state in 2022
19. A book that fulfills your favorite prompt from a past challenge
(2016 – A book plus its prequel)
Book #9
I really wanted to read the sequel Love from Mecca to Medina last year but I never got the chance. When I found this prompt in the 2016 list I knew it would be great to reread the prequel (Love from A to Z) and read the second book in this duology.
Other prompts it could work for: A book by a first-time author
Book #
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Other prompts it could work for: A
20. A book becoming a TV series or movie in 2023
21. A book set in the decade you were born
22. A book with a queer lead
Book #2
I wanted something that’s not focused on a queer lead. Nimona was suggested in the list on Goodreads so I picked it because it’s a graphic novel so at least I’ll enjoy the illustrations. I borrowed it from my brother.
Other prompts it could work for: A book by a first-time author, A book with mythical creatures, A book where the main character’s name is in the title, A book becoming a TV series or movie in 2023
23. A book with a map
24. A book with a rabbit on the cover
25. A book with just text on the cover
26. The shortest book (by pages) on your TBR list
Book #1
I was going to pick one of the many Penguin English Library books that oddly have the same page number (128 pages). I had many titles to choose from: Animal Farm, The 39 Steps, The Island of Doctor Moreau, Heart of Darkness, Passing, The Time Machine, and At the Mountains of Madness. Then I remembered that I had bought this play from the book fair and it turned out to be the shortest with 112 pages.
Other prompts it could work for: A book by a first-time author, A book with a color in the title, A book about a family, A historical-fiction book.
27. A #BookTok recommendation
28. A book you bought secondhand
29. A book your friend recommended
Book #3
Last year, before the book fair in the fall, I asked my sister’s sister-in-law for some Arabic novels that she would recommend I buy from the book fair and she recommended this series. I read the first one the same month I got them so that’s why I’m counting the second book here.
Other prompts it could work for: A book you meant to read in 2022
30. A book that’s on a celebrity book-club list
31. A book about a family
32. A book that comes out in the second half of 2023
Book #10
Of the suggested titles on Goodreads, this was the only novel that had me interested so I was over the moon when I saw the Kindle version available in my country.
Other prompts it could work for: A book by a first-time author, A book with a song lyric as its title
33. A book about an athlete/sport
34. A historical-fiction book
35. A book about divorce
36. A book you think your best friend would like
37. A book you should have read in high school
38. A book you read more than 10 years ago
39. A book you wish you could read for the first time again
40. A book by an author with the same initials as you
Advanced
41. A book written during NaNoWriMo
42. A book based on a popular movie
Book #8
I had many options to choose from (Dead Poet’s Society, The Beast Within, Tale as Old as Time, Far from Agrabah, Straight On Till Morning, Reflection, Part of Your World, So This is Love, Unbirthday, and this book). Ultimately, I chose Mother Knows Best because I like Mother Gothel as a villain and Tangled is such a sweet movie.
Other prompts it could work for: A book by a first-time author
43. A book that takes place entirely in one day
44. A book that was self-published
45. A book that started out as fan fiction
Book #4
This might be my least favorite prompt for this year. I’m not so big on fan fiction. From the suggested list on Goodreads, I was only interested in The Love Hypothesis and The Dead Romantics but I really didn’t wanna buy yet another book. Luckily, someone added this to the list and it’s one that I’ve read before – more than once – so I reread it again. Though, I don’t know the back story of how Austenland was written as fan fiction.
Other prompts it could work for: A book about a vacation, A book you bought secondhand
46. A book with a pet character
Book #12
I had 3 options to choose from: Marley & Me, The 101 Dalmatians, and Love Your Life. I own 4 unread Kinsella books so I went with her work when I read that a dog plays a big role in the story.
Other prompts it could work for: A book with a song lyric as its title
47. A book about a holiday that’s not Christmas
48. A book that features two languages
49. The longest book (by pages) on your TBR list
50. A book with alliteration in the title
Ruba's Book Corner 