The 2019 KWL Reading Challenge

By Joni Di Placido

Hello bibliophiles! We’ve put together a challenge for anyone looking to embark on a reading adventure and explore new genres and authors in 2019! There are some great recommendations from last year’s list and we’re excited to share our challenge prompts for the year ahead.

The goal is to read one book for every numbered prompt, and to complete as many prompts as possible over the year. Audiobooks count, and we always want your audio recommendations!

If you want to play, follow us on Twitter or Instagram and tag us, using the hashtag #KWLreads! You can also join in the conversation to discuss what you’re reading in our Goodreads group.

If you prefer to take things offline, download our printable PDF so that you can check off books as you read them.

Happy reading!

1. A book from the Canada Reads longlist
2. A book recommended by your local librarian
3. A book about mental health
4. A book that has been challenged/banned
5. One of Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club picks
6. A popular Young Adult read
7. The last book in a series
8. A book that has been translated
9. A book with a robot as a character
10. A book that grew from a podcast OR was recommended on a podcast
11. A book by a Nobel-Prize-winning author
12. Re-read a book you loved as a child
13. A book that you bought at an independent bookstore
14. A detective story
15. A book by an author who practices a different religion to yours (if you are not religious, any religious author)
16. A book published in the year you were born
17. A book you have been wanting/meaning to read for years
18. A book one of your favourite musicians/artists recommends
19. A book written by an author twice your age (or half your age)
20. A book about your business or craft
21. A post-colonial novel
22. A book with multiple narrators/told from multiple perspectives
23. A work of fiction written by someone well-known, but not for writing
24. A book published in 2019
25. A book by a living author who was born in Sub-Saharan Africa
26. A book that will be made into a 2019 movie or television series
27. A book by an Aboriginal author
28. A book with a one-word title
29. A book written by a refugee
30. A book cherished by a relative
31. #OwnVoice: A book where the author and character share a similar identity (eg. Black woman writing a story about a Black woman)
32. A steampunk novel
33. A Pulitzer prize-winning novel
34. A classic novel (pre. 1900)
35. A book of short stories or essays
36. A book with a food in the title
37. A book of poetry
38. A book of magical realism
39. A book of folk stories/mythology, or a retelling of a myth or folk story
40. A fictional retelling of a historical event
41. A book that takes place in a Caribbean country
42. A book by an Italian author
43. A book set in a European country in the first half of the 20th century
44. A high-fantasy book not set in a pseudo-European world
45. A book about sexuality or gender identity
46. A middle-grade book (aimed at readers under 12)
47. An epistolary book
48. A cookbook (try a new recipe!)
49. Something from Bill Gates’ reading list
50. A book published by small press