Hello readers! It’s time for another Let’s Talk Bookish. I saw this last month that there is a new co-host starting this month, which is exciting! Make sure to check out the new hosts blog if you haven’t. As always, the hosts are linked below and their usernames are also in the thumbnails I use.
Don’t forget to check out my Let’s Talk Bookish Masterlist for more posts like this!
Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme that was originated by Eternity Books and is currently hosted by Book Nook Bits and Dinipandareads. The accompanying thumbnail was also designed by Book Nook Bits. Each Friday, bloggers craft posts where they engage in discussions centered around the designated topic for the week.
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?
Personally, I am quite a competitive person. But only with myself. I love keeping track of stats and things, tracking them over time, and trying to do better. I even started tracking my steps each month and I am trying to outdo myself every month.
So, reading challenges are so fun for me. I love finding new challenges of different kinds to try out. I love readathons because they challenge me to read books I wouldn’t otherwise have picked up, and I can do it with other people.
This is sort of why I started my Wheel of TBR. It’s a way to challenge myself to actually stick to my TBR. I always make a TBR, and I fully intend on sticking to it, but I never really do.
I did a 2025 Reading Challenges post, if you are interested in seeing it. So far, I am doing really well with it, and the other challenges I’ve started for myself. I am hoping to give you guys a 3 month update on all the TBRs and challenges I made for myself as the year goes by.
Reading Challenges can be hard, but I think that is what makes it fun, as long as they aren’t too hard. When challenging myself, I try to be realistic. If I make a challenge I know there isn’t any way I can reach, I’ll eventually just give up. I know at the end of the day, this is a hobby. Reading is a hobby for most of us. But I still love challenging myself to do better every year in different things. That is why I love reading goals as well.
I do participate, or at least I try to participate, in Buzzwordathon every year. I haven’t really done well in previous years, but in 2025, I am doing great! I did both prompts in January.
Other than that, the Goodreads Reading Challenge. Of course, I don’t try to put too much pressure on myself. I will change it throughout the year. I even made it 75 this year, but I’d honestly like to read double that. If I pass it, I’ll raise it.
Other than the reading challenges post, I did a 25 in 2025 post, a 2025 rereads post, series I want to finish, and a new release post for Winter. I’ve taken the time to put all of these books, plus my old ARCs I didn’t get to, and a few Buzzword/cover books into a spreadsheet.
I have a total of 54 books on there at the moment. It can go up for new releases that come out later in the year, or for new ARCs. In January, I read or DNF’d 5 books on the list!
Challenges should only be added to your life if they benefit you in some way. I hope no one is out here doing them out of pressure of everyone else doing them. I enjoy challenges and never let them stress me out too much. Life is way to short to be stressed out over things like that, when again, most of us are reading and blogging as a hobby and not a job.
What challenges are you doing in 2025?
This post was created by Allison Wolfe for www.allithebookgiraffe.com and is not permitted to be posted anywhere else.
Where to find me: https://linktr.ee/Allithebookgiraffe
Add this user on Goodreads for all your trigger warning needs: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/86920464-trigger-warning-database
Come save money on Fetch with me! Sign up w/ code DDMG5G & get 4,000 pts: https://referral.fetch.com/vvv3/referralsocial?code=DDMG5G. See you there!
Alli the Book Giraffe 
Leave a comment