20 Ideas for Reading Goals: Fun, Creative Reading Goal Ideas!

Books help us cultivate what matters most. They help us learn. They help us grow. They expose us to new ideas, people, and places. They bring us joy and help us connect to others. They teach us about the past, equip us for our lives today, and inspire us to dream about the future.

And they're just plain FUN! For readers, there are few greater pleasures than sinking into a fascinating nonfiction book or a spellbinding novel. Most of us don't need more than a stack of library holds to keep turning the page. 

However—we do love a good goal around here. While a standard reading goal like reading a certain number of books per year or a reading habit like clocking a certain number of minutes per day gets the job done, we love the idea of getting creative with our reading goals!

In this blog post, we've rounded up 20+ ideas for fun, creative reading goals, perfect to add to your PowerSheets® goal planner or reading journal. We hope they bring delight to your reading life this year!

20 Ideas for Fun, Creative Reading Goals

1. Read classics and watch the movie adaptations

While classic novels can feel intimidating, they contain some of the most thrilling plots, memorable characters, and stunning language available to us as readers—and are well worth your time! To make them feel like a lighter lift, follow each book with a screening of its movie adaptation. Or—controversial opinion!—watch the movie first! Familiarity with the plot and characters can help antiquated language go down easier.

The Great Gatsby, Little Women, Les Miserables, and Pride & Prejudice are all good places to start! 

2. Re-read childhood favorites

Some of the best literature in the world was written for children. Whether you revisit books you loved when you were younger or seek out children's classics you missed the first time around, this goal is a great way to get back into a reading habit if you've been in a rut.

To start, try the Chronicles of Narnia, Ella Enchanted, the Harry Potter series, Anne of Green Gables, anything by Marguerite Henry, anything by Roald Dahl—or whatever your favorite was as a child!

3. Read your shelves

Challenge yourself to explore the books in your own backyard—er, on your bookshelf—instead of buying anything new this year. 

If you're like many of us, you have plenty of books you've never read in your own home: gifts from friends, random grabs from a thrift store or book swap, books added to the household by your partner. Spend the year reading through this collection instead of buying anything new or checking titles out of the library. You never know what you'll discover!

4. Read recommendations from loved ones

A reading goal that will expose you to new things and connect you with the people you love? Yes, please!

For this goal, try asking friends and relatives to recommend one of their favorite books you've never read, and knock one off each month (or on whatever cadence feels right to you!).

This goal was inspired by a recent conversation with my own Dad. I asked him to name books he'd like his grandchildren to read at some point, and he rattled off many titles—none of which I'd ever read! (Yikes!) I'd love to try this goal myself.

5. Host one-off book clubs

If the long-term commitment of a book club doesn't feel right for this stage of life, considering hosting a series of mini, private, one-off book clubs. Ask a friend or loved one to read a book alongside you (maybe one per quarter) and then get together to discuss it. I did this a few years ago with a newish friend and Justin Whitmel Early's Habits of the Household, and it was a delight! Having a book to discuss brought us into new conversational territory and helped us go deeper than we might have otherwise in a newer friendship.

6. Write a short review for each book

If you struggle to remember what you read once you close the page, challenge yourself to write a short review of each book you finish this year! (It must be said, Cultivate's reading journal is perfect for this.)

Nothing fancy needed—just jot down a few lines about the book's plot, characters, or your favorite takeaways and assign it a star rating (one through five!).

7. Go a year without paying for a book

While we are happily in support of paying authors for their work, some of us need to hold back on purchases for budgetary or physical space reasons. In that case, try challenging yourself to go a year (or the time horizon of your choice) without buying any new reads. Instead, frequent the library, figure out the Libby app, or trade with friends! 

8. Read an author's canon

Is there an author you love? Commit to reading every single one of their books! Not only will you earn a Most Devoted Fan award but you'll have a unique opportunity to watch their work evolve over time. Authors to consider for this challenge: Kristin Hannah, Katherine Center, J. K. Rowling, C.S. Lewis.

9. Read seasonally

A particularly delightful challenge: matching your books to the seasons outside! There's lots of latitude with how to interpret this one (as there are with all of these), but we're picturing homey, cozy reads in fall; coastal and sun-drenched books in the summer; books bursting with new life in the spring; and chilly, fireplace-centric reads in winter. 

10. Read alongside your kids

Are your kids old enough to read independently? Commit to reading the books they're reading! Whether it's a chapter book series your elementary-school daughter loves and presses into your hand (that's me!), your son's assigned reading in high school, or the new novel your mid-twenties daughter raves about, reading alongside our loved ones is a sweet way to draw closer together.

Cultivator Becky agrees: "My college-age daughter was taking a Jane Austen class in college and I re-read all the Austen novels with her!"

11. Read the alphabet

Here's a reading challenge that allows for plenty of flexibility: reading books (in order!) that start with each letter of the alphabet. We'll go first: Atomic Habits, Better Than Before, The Common Rule...

12. Read around the world

Choose a book set in a different country for each month of the year. This challenge is an incredible opportunity to introduce yourself to different authors, genres, and worldviews—one of the best parts of reading!

13. Read a book set in each state

Love the idea of a geographic goal but want to stay a little closer to home? Read a book set in each of the 50 United States! The only snag? You'll probably want to visit each one afterward...

14. Read a biography of each president

An opportunity to learn an incredible amount of history, reading a biography of each president of the United States is a worthy endeavor for any citizen of our country. There have been 45 presidents so far, so this goal will keep you busy for awhile. (I can't recommend David McCullough's presidential biographies enough!)

15. Take the Extreme Book Nerd Challenge

Oddly enough, this program of the Idaho Falls Public Library has become something of an internet sensation! Use their 50 challenges (think: a book set in a capital city, a book picked because of the cover, a job title in the book title) to complete a varied and eventful year of reading. There are even prizes for finishers!

16. Re-read a favorite series

Whether from your childhood or from later in life, indulge in the pleasure of re-reading an old favorite series—an experience akin to slipping on your coziest clothes! Team Cultivate favorites for this goal include the Harry Potter series, the Chronicles of Narnia, the Mitford series, FInlay Donovan, Inspector Gamache, Outlander, Beartown, Pillars of the Earth, Red Rising, and Little House on the Prairie.

17. Try a new genre

Set a goal to give a new genre a go. Poetry and graphic novels are great options here (and if you need a guide to poetry, try this blog post!).

18. Read Newbery Medal winners

The John Newbery Medal is given annually to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. There are now over 100 years of Medal winners, so ticking them all off would keep you busy for some time. Find them all here!

19. Keep a commonplace book

Here's a reading-related goal: start a commonplace book and commit to recording something in it from each of your reads this year.

What is a commonplace book? It's simply a journal in which you record information, quotes, and ideas from other people or sources. You never know what might spark an idea, help you make an unexpected connection, or come in handy later!

20. Pre-plan one fiction and one nonfiction book per month

This has been my preferred reading challenge for the last few years! At the beginning of the year, I assign one fiction and one nonfiction book to each month and then attempt to read them in order. I like that it forces me to review and prioritize my (very long) TBR list, and helps me have a more balanced year of reading. I never stick to the plan perfectly, but it's still a delight!

Have you ever tackled a creative reading goal? Do any of these strike your fancy? Let us know in the comments!