Reading Challenge for 2022

Try our  Reading Challenge. Stretch your reading comfort zone by selecting books in 25 different categories provided below. Try some of the searches you can run in NoveList Plus to find books you may never have found otherwise, then the title will have link to automatically search Christchurch City Libraries catalogue.

The categories cover a variety of genres, age levels, and formats to give you direction but also provide flexibility. You can commit to the beginning level (12 books) or go for the advanced level (24 books). Try NoveList Plus to find some books you might not have thought about reading, try some challenges below by finding books in NoveList or from our catalogue.

Here is the 2022 Reading Challenge:

1. A gothic novel. 
2. A true crime book about a heist, a cult, or an unsolved crime.  
3. Listen to an audiobook that is less than six hours long. 
4. Read a book set around a holiday other than Christmas. 
5. A novel set in New Zealand
6. Read a book by a nonbinary author. (NoveList tip: Search AG nonbinary) 
7. Features a time travel or slime slip
8. Where the main events take place during a wedding, reunion, or funeral. 
9.  Read an eBook
10.  A book that has won an award. 
11.  A picture book that is a Storytime Standout. (NoveList tip: Search GN storytime standout) 
12.  A celebrity book club selection. (NoveList tip: Search MM book club) 
13.  Has a one-word title
14. A Selector Pick.
15. A book with one of the following appeals: funny, amusing, darkly humorous, or sardonic. (Using the NoveList Appeal mix)
16. Read a book in translation. 
17. Graphic novel with black and white illustrations. (NoveList tip: Search IC black-and-white) 
18. Read a romance novel whose main character has a chronic illness or physical disability.  
19. A biography or memoir by an indigenous author. 
20. A book based on a real person or historical event. 
21. Read an Afrofuturism or Afrofantasy novel (NoveList tip: Search GN Afrofuturism OR GN Afrofantasy)
22. Read a book by an Māori author. 
23. A genre you've never read before.
24. A book that has been adapted into a television show. (NoveList tip: Search GN books to TV)
25. Has a green cover

Need help searching for books? We’ve added some NoveList tips below, but you can also look through some of the other resources we have available for you: 

• Field Code Searching 
• Using NoveList Content 
• NoveList Search Strategies  
• Using NoveList’s Story Elements