Goodreads Reading Challenge

Top off your to-read list with titles from the Goodreads Reading Challenge Collection. This broad Collection highlights both popular contemporary titles as well as classic picks with enduring appeal, empowering book lovers of all ages and tastes to find new recommendations and meet their reading goals.

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George Orwell
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Publication year 1949Genre Novel, FictionThemes Relationships: SiblingsTags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, British Literature

1984 (also published as Nineteen Eighty-Four: A Novel) was originally published in 1949. It was written by Indian-born English novelist and critic Eric Arthur Blair under the pen name George Orwell. Writing as Orwell, the author was known for social and political criticism in his work. He supported democratic socialism and opposed totalitarianism—political stances that come through in the themes of his most well-known works.Edition note: This novel is available in the public domain in... Read 1984 Summary


Publication year 2020Genre Novel, Fiction

American Dirt is a work of fiction by Jeanine Cummins published in 2020 by MacMillan Press. This guide refers to the first US edition. The controversial, cross-genre novel combines elements of a commercial thriller, literary fiction, suspense, and romance. The title refers to the land comprising the geopolitical entity that is the United States of America, and to the contempt undocumented migrants face both before and after crossing the US-Mexico border. While many critics initially... Read American Dirt Summary


Publication year 1945Genre Novel, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: CommunityTags Satire, History: European, Politics / Government, Philosophy, Animals, Post-War Era, Allegory / Fable / Parable, British Literature

Published in 1945, Animal Farm by George Orwell (1903-1950) achieved immediate success and remains one of Orwell’s most popular works. A political satire in the guise of a moving and whimsical animal fable, the novella is about a group of farm animals who overthrow their owner, Mr. Jones, and establish animal rule. Although the animals start out with high hopes for Animal Farm as a harmonious and just utopia where “all animals are equal” (19)... Read Animal Farm Summary


Publication year 2019Genre Novel, FictionThemes Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: The Past, Emotions/Behavior: GuiltTags Realistic Fiction

Publication year 2020Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Life/Time: The Future, Relationships: Teams, Relationships: FamilyTags Politics / Government, History: U.S., History: World

Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Society: Education

James Clear’s Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones is a guide to adopting good behaviors through incremental changes to your everyday routines. Avery first published the book in 2018, and this guide refers to the ebook edition. The book has unique pagination, with the page numbers beginning again at the start of each new chapter. Clear likely numbered his book this way because of his emphasis... Read Atomic Habits Summary


Publication year 2020Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Literature, Relationships: FamilyTags Romance

Publication year 2018Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionTags Gender / Feminism, Politics / Government, History: U.S., Women's Studies (Nonfiction)

Becoming is a memoir by Michelle Obama, the former First Lady of the United States from 2008-2016, originally published in 2018. In addition to describing her time in the White House, Obama details her upbringing, her education, her work in community outreach, and her relationship with former president Barack Obama, all of which contribute to the process of becoming the woman she is today. Becoming was the bestselling book of the year in 2018 and... Read Becoming Summary


Publication year 2020Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Race / Racism, Black Lives Matter

Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents is a 2020 historical and narrative nonfiction work about the nature of inequality in the United States, India, and Nazi Germany. Wilkerson is a writer and former journalist, best known for her work in the New York Times, for which she received a Pulitzer Prize. She achieved further acclaim with her 2010 work, The Warmth of Other Suns. Wilkerson has also taught journalism at many colleges and... Read Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents Summary


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Madeline Miller
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Publication year 2018Genre Novel, FictionThemes Identity: GenderTags Mythology, Gender / Feminism, History: European, Historical Fiction

Published in 2018, Circe retells the story of the eponymous Greek mythological figure. Although traditionally viewed as a heartless, savagely beautiful witch who lures sailors to their deaths, the Circe of Madeline Miller’s imagining is quite different. This Circe is a multidimensional, flawed, and empathetic character struggling to find meaning and worth in her immortal life. Through Miller’s detailed and honest first-person narrative, which takes place over thousands of years, the evil witch becomes relatable.The... Read Circe Summary


Publication year 2021Genre Novel, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Identity: Race, Society: ImmigrationTags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Realistic Fiction, Race / Racism, Social Justice, Addiction / Substance Abuse, Black Lives Matter, American Literature

Publication year 2018Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Relationships: FathersTags Education, Poverty

Tara Westover’s 2018 memoir, Educated, tells the story of her journey to obtain an education. Westover is the youngest of seven children who grew up in the mountains of southwest Idaho in a radical Mormon family in the late 1980s and 1990s. From an early age, Westover knew that her family was not like other families because hers did not send the children to school, did not visit doctors’ offices or hospitals, and was not... Read Educated Summary


Publication year 2021Genre Novel, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Truth & LiesTags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Humor, Romance

Publication year 2008Genre Novel, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: FriendshipTags Realistic Fiction

Firefly Lane is a 2008 young adult novel by the New York Times best-selling American author Kristin Hannah, who has written more than 20 novels. Firefly Lane begins in 1974 and tells the story of two women whose 30-year friendship becomes the stabilizing force in their lives.Plot SummaryFirefly Lane tells the story of Kate and Tully, best friends since eighth grade, as they navigate life, love, and friendship. The narrative begins in the summer of... Read Firefly Lane Summary


Publication year 1990Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Mental Health, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: New AgeTags Psychology, Self Help, Health / Medicine, Religion / Spirituality

Publication year 2020Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Values/Ideas: Fame, Identity: MasculinityTags Arts / Culture, Philosophy

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Maggie O’Farrell
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Publication year 2020Genre Novel, FictionThemes Identity: Femininity, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Values/Ideas: Order & ChaosTags Historical Fiction, History: European, Gender / Feminism, Health / Medicine, Arts / Culture, British Literature, Elizabethan Era

Publication year 2023Genre Novel, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Natural World: Appearance & RealityTags Fantasy, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction

Publication year 2020Genre Novel, FictionTags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Fantasy, Action / Adventure

Publication year 2013Genre Novel, FictionThemes Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & BetrayalTags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Action / Adventure

I Am Pilgrim is a 2014 spy thriller by Terry Hayes. The work was his first novel and became a New York Times bestseller. He worked as a journalist before transitioning to writing for film and television. His major credits include Payback, Mad Max 2 (released as The Road Warrior in the US), and Dead Calm.Content Warning: This study guide and its source material discuss recreational drug use, death by suicide, depictions of torture, and... Read I Am Pilgrim Summary


Publication year 2020Genre Novel, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Fate, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Relationships: FriendshipTags Romance

Publication year 2021Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Society: ClassTags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Allegory / Fable / Parable, Class, Parenting, Science / Nature, Relationships, Futurism

Publication year 2020Genre Novel, FictionThemes Identity: Race, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Values/Ideas: Order & ChaosTags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Information Age, Race / Racism, Class, Black Lives Matter, American Literature

Rumaan Alam’s Leave the World Behind (2020) is a work of apocalyptic fiction that examines the relationship between race and class during an unspecified disaster that cuts off all communication, forcing two families together. The book uses omniscient narration and interpersonal conflict to heighten the fear of disconnection in the Information Age, treating the apocalypse as an event that happens on a human scale. Published to great acclaim, it has been longlisted for the National... Read Leave the World Behind Summary


Publication year 2017Genre Novel, FictionThemes Relationships: MothersTags Chinese Literature, Asian Literature

Little Fires Everywhere is a New York Times bestselling novel by Celeste Ng published in 2017. In the town of Shaker Heights, Ohio, Elena Richardson rents her family’s property on Winslow Road to Mia and Pearl Warren, a mother and daughter duo who inspire her sense of charity. Mia is an artist, and her lack of rootedness and intense focus on her art unnerve Mrs. Richardson, who lives an orderly life. Their lives become further... Read Little Fires Everywhere Summary


Publication year 2020Genre Novel, FictionThemes Identity: Gender, Society: ColonialismTags Gothic Literature, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction

Mexican Gothic is a feminist Gothic novel by Mexican writer Silvia Moreno-Garcia, who currently resides in Canada. Set in 1950s Mexico City and the burned-out mining town of El Triunfo, the novel is a horror-tinged thriller in which Noemí Taboada, a socialite with aspirations to become an anthropologist, goes to El Triunfo to rescue her cousin Catalina from the Doyles. The Doyles are an impoverished family of English silver barons who have united with a... Read Mexican Gothic Summary


Publication year 2022Genre Novel, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Identity: GenderTags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction

Publication year 2018Genre Novel, Fiction

Normal People is a novel by Sally Rooney, published by Faber & Faber in 2018. Rooney is also the author of the novel Conversations With Friends, and the winner of the 2017 Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award. Normal People is set in the author’s native Ireland. The two main characters are Connell Waldron, a boy from a lower-middle-class background, and Marianne Sheridan, who comes from a wealthy family. As disparate as their socioeconomic... Read Normal People Summary


Publication year 2021Genre Novel, FictionThemes Society: Community, Identity: Gender, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Western, Action / Adventure, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ, Gender / Feminism, Love / Sexuality, American Literature

Publication year 2020Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Values/Ideas: ArtTags Fantasy

Publication year 2020Genre Novel, FictionThemes Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Values/Ideas: Science & TechnologyTags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Technology, Arts / Culture, American Literature

Publication year 2012Genre Novel, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Power & GreedTags Fantasy, Magical Realism, Action / Adventure, Middle Eastern Literature

Shadow and Bone (2012) by Leigh Bardugo is a young adult fantasy adventure and romance novel. It is Bardugo’s debut novel and the first book in her Shadow and Bone trilogy, also called the Grisha trilogy. Inspired by 19th-century Tsarist Russia, Bardugo creates a darkly magical world characterized by strange armies, extreme wealth and poverty, and personifications of light and shadow. The novel was a New York Times best seller, a Los Angeles Times best... Read Shadow and Bone Summary


Publication year 2019Genre Novel, FictionThemes Relationships: Mothers

Such a Fun Age (2019) is a debut novel from Kiley Reid, published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons (an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC). The novel quickly garnered critical acclaim, including a NY Times Bestseller spot, and was a finalist for an NAACP Image Award in 2020.  Plot Summary Though it starts with Emira’s perspective, Such a Fun Age alternates almost evenly between Emira Tucker and Alix Chamberlain as it moves in a primarily chronological order... Read Such a Fun Age Summary


Publication year 2019Genre Novel, FictionTags Historical Fiction

The Dutch House is the eighth novel of Ann Patchett, an award-winning author of contemporary fiction. Published in 2019, the novel tells the story of what happens to Danny Conroy and his older sister Maeve Conroy when their stepmother, Andrea Smith, expels them from their sumptuous childhood home after the death of their father, Cyril Conroy. Set in the Dutch House—located in the outskirts of Philadelphia—and New York, the novel is literary fiction with fairy-tale... Read The Dutch House Summary


Publication year 2020Genre Novel, FictionThemes Natural World: Nurture v. Nature, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Equality, Society: Community, Identity: SexualityTags Fantasy

The House in the Cerulean Sea is a queer fantasy novel by TJ Klune, Lambda Award-winning author of The Extraordinaires and the Green Creek series. The House in the Cerulean Sea was published in March of 2020 and made the USA Today bestseller list. Klune is a queer author whose works often explore supernatural elements. Many mythological species feature in this novel, while other books focus on werewolves, ghosts, and the like. Klune’s work, and... Read The House in the Cerulean Sea Summary


Publication year 2020Genre Novel, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Identity: Gender, Life/Time: Mortality & DeathTags Fantasy, Gender / Feminism, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Religion / Spirituality, LGBTQ, Age of Enlightenment

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a historical fantasy novel by the American author V.E. Schwab published in 2020. It chronicles the story of Addie LaRue, an 18th-century Frenchwoman who gains eternal life through a bargain with a demonic entity. However, the deal comes at a great cost: Everybody who meets Addie immediately forgets her. A New York Times bestseller, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue received a 2020 Goodreads Choice Award nomination for... Read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue Summary


Publication year 2022Genre Novel, FictionThemes Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & BetrayalTags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction

Publication year 2022Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Power & GreedTags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction

Publication year 2021Genre Novel, FictionThemes Identity: Gender, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Historical Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Gender / Feminism

Publication year 2020Genre Novel, FictionThemes Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: The Past, Emotions/Behavior: FearTags Fantasy

Publication year 2021Genre Novel, FictionThemes Relationships: Mothers, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Relationships: MarriageTags Psychological Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction

Publication year 2023Genre Novel, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Identity: FemininityTags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Trauma / Abuse / Violence

Publication year 2021Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Identity: Mental Health, Values/Ideas: Trust & DoubtTags Psychological Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Mental Illness, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Relationships, British Literature

Publication year 2017Genre Novel, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: FameTags Historical Fiction

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a work of historical fiction by Taylor Jenkins Reid. The 2017 novel follows Monique, a journalist struggling to make a name for herself, after receiving an offer to interview the mysterious and reclusive 1960s Hollywood starlet Evelyn Hugo about fame, scandal, and love. The novel was nominated for the 2017 Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Historical Fiction.  Plot Summary Monique Grant is a struggling junior reporter at Vivant magazine... Read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo Summary


Publication year 2019Genre Novel, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Loyalty & BetrayalTags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction

The Silent Patient (2019) is a contemporary psychological thriller from author Alex Michaelides. It tells the story of Alicia, who killed her husband, Gabriel, six years earlier—and hasn’t spoken since. The bulk of the novel takes place in the present-day, narrated by Theo Faber, a forensic psychoanalyst who recently began working with Alicia at The Grove, the mental institute where she resides following Gabriel’s murder. The novel uses the epistolary technique, interspersing Theo’s narrative with... Read The Silent Patient Summary


Publication year 2011Genre Novel, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: FateTags Historical Fiction, LGBTQ, History: European

The Song of Achilles, author Madeline Miller’s bestselling novel, retells the events of Homer’s Iliad. Published in 2012, the book reimagines the relationship between ancient Greek Trojan war heroes Achilles and Patroclus. Narrated in the first person by Patroclus, the narrative explores themes central to ancient Greek mythology, notably the immutability of fate and the pursuit of glory.The novel begins with Patroclus narrating his birth and early childhood. Son of King Menoitius, the undersized and... Read The Song of Achilles Summary


Publication year 2020Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Shame & PrideTags Historical Fiction

The Vanishing Half, published in June 2020, is the second novel by author Brit Bennett. It became a New York Times bestseller and was selected as a Good Morning America Book Club Pick. The novel explores the themes of female family bonds and the Black experience in America. Bennett covered similar material in her debut novel, The Mothers (2016), which also became a New York Times bestseller. HBO has purchased the film rights to The... Read The Vanishing Half Summary


Publication year 2021Genre Novel, FictionThemes Life/Time: The Past, Society: ClassTags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Romance, Gothic Literature

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Glennon Doyle (Melton)
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Publication year 2020Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Identity: Gender, Identity: Sexuality, Identity: Femininity, Values/Ideas: Trust & DoubtTags Gender / Feminism, LGBTQ, Women's Studies (Nonfiction)

Published in 2020, Glennon Doyle’s Untamed is her third memoir. An accomplished writer, philanthropist, and activist, Doyle documents her lifelong journey of self-discovery and uses personal experiences to encourage women on their own respective journeys towards freedom. Through the intersections of gender, sexuality, religion, and race, Doyle unpacks the social conditioning that affects the lives of all humans, particularly women. Ultimately, Doyle offers a reflective guide to navigating life by looking internally and honoring one’s... Read Untamed Summary


Publication year 2018Genre Novel, FictionThemes Life/Time: Coming of AgeTags Realistic Fiction

Where the Crawdads Sing is the debut novel of Delia Owens. Published in 2018 by Putnam, her novel is a New York Times bestseller and a selection of Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine book club. Set in the marshes of coastal North Carolina from the 1940s to the 2000s, the novel is Southern literary fiction that tells the story of Kya, a little girl who comes of age alone after her family abandons her. In Part 1:... Read Where the Crawdads Sing Summary