“How did this become my life?” A very frustrated Amy asked herself eleven summers ago.
At the time, the primary emotion of my summer was resentment. I associated childhood summers with spaciousness, a bit of boredom, and reading. My adult summers felt the opposite—crowded, busy, and no leisurely reading. While there’s much I love about being an adult, I missed summer reading and decided something needed to change.
I also noticed that left to my own, I read the same kind of book over and over, always meaning to get to other types of books. I don’t make time to read outside of my familiar categories because I have work, responsibilities, and intentions that, it turns out, can be strong ruts in my reading leading me to the same watering holes. So, thank you one and all of joining in and during this challenge we all become more well-rounded readers!
Thus was born the Summer Reading Challenge 10 years ago. Happy Anniversary to us! If this is your first time joining the challenge, welcome. It’s if you’re tenth, welcome :). In honor of our ten anniversary, every Friday if we collectively read 10 hours, we’ll donate $100 to 10 different nonprofits! You can see the ten different nonprofits and when we will read for each here.
The Summer Reading Challenge will start on June 1 and run for ten weeks through August 8, 2025. To enter, read seven books from 30 plus categories and leave a comment at the end of the challenge with the books you read. That’s all. No entrance fee, no hassle, just fun.
What’s different?
- The categories were all submitted by you! (except for three)
- Special reading on Fridays to support 10 nonprofits. (read more here)
- Two categories related to the 10 year anniversary and the 10 nonprofits (fun, fun!)
What’s the same?
- Many categories will be similar because reading is reading. As mentioned above, you will notice a few new gems
- Choosing a penalty book within the first week of the challenge. A penalty book or category is one you declare to yourself I will read or be penalized. The last seven summers I’ve selected a penalty book and it’s been great (except for one disastrous pick I slogged through several years ago). My penalty book for 2025 was a Christmas present and I really want to read it, but I haven’t … yet :). by
- Like previous years, if you do not read your “penalty” book, you will subtract two books from your total.
- The joy of reading!
What’s in it for you?
- All who comment on a summary blog post that I’ll publish on August 8th will be entered to win one of ten $10 Amazon gift cards. You will have between August 12-16th to comment with the names of the books you read.
Drumroll . . . here are the categories!
- A book relating to gardens
- A book featuring forests in some way
- A book set in the Middle Ages (5th to the 15th century, Amy had to look up when the Middle Ages were 😊)
- A book set in a time period you wished you lived in
- A book set in your home state (or province or territory, whatever it’s called where you live)
- A book with main character with your name
- A book set in a cold location
- A book not in your “normal” genre
- A book set where you live
- A book set over many years (maybe different generations or just the span of a few years)
- A historical book (either fiction or non-fiction)
- A book that became a movie
- A book you recommend to others
- A book written from a point of view you don’t understand or like
- A book dealing with and healing from your past/generational curses and trauma in order to be better
- A book hanging over you that you want to make time to read/finish
- A poetry book
- Re-read a childhood favorite
- A memoir
- A book that has won an award
- A book that was self-published or not published by a traditional publisher
- A book for professional development (loosely defined)
- A book about books
- A book about a disaster (“I’ve been learning about the Titanic!” said the person who submitted this category :))
- A book recommended to you by a close friend
- A book recommended to you by a librarian or bookseller
- A book recommended to you by a child in your life
- A graphic novel
- A play
- An audiobook
A few categories special to Summer 2025
- A book published when the reader was 10 years old or a book from 2015
- A book related to one of the missions or focus of the 10 nonprofits we’re reading for on Fridays
Bonus: choose a Penalty Book in the first week of the challenge as a way to kick yourself in the pants. If you don’t read your penalty book you will subtract two (2) books from your grand total.
Download the 2025 Summer Reading Challenge
Download the 2025 Summer Reading Challenge, print it off, and track your progress. But most of all, have fun and read books you might not read in other times of the year!
My penalty book is by
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In short: Read seven books from June 1 to August 8, 2025.
Feel free to share this and invite anyone you know to join. Are you in? What books are you looking forward to reading during the challenge? I can’t wait to see what you’re reading on Fridays :).
Happy Reading, Amy
Amy
I’ve been waiting for this! Good to see some new categories.
Yay! I’m glad I’m not the only one who is excited :)!
Yay! So excited!
Me too :)!
Amy, there’s a typo in the Summer Reading Challenge banner.
Good catch! Thanks :) … and I’ve updated the banner!
The new categories are awesome! So excited.
It was fun to see what people suggested :)!
So many fun new categories this year! I can’t wait to find some exciting new reads through it! Also, I love the Friday challenge idea as well. So cool to be able to give through reading. Thanks Amy for continuing to inspire people to find joy in reading!