It’s that time of the year again! Time for the Bob on Books 2025 Reading Challenge. For those who know me, you know that my reading challenges are not about the number of books or pages read. You don’t need a spreadsheet or a book app to do this challenge. For this year, my reading challenge focuses around reading deeply. In an age of web browsing, surfing from hyperlink to hyperlink, and push notifications on your smartphone, much of our reading is hurried, distractive, and often so broken up that we lose an author’s train of thought or the plotline of a story. The challenges here focus on developing our ability to read with attentiveness, to truly enjoy the gift of a good book, allowing it deeply into our lives

A word on the challenge. There are no awards for completion. The way you complete each challenge is up to you. Sometimes, by completing one challenge, you may find you’ve completed another. And you are welcome to choose to do some challenges and not others. We’re adults here (although I think the challenges are suitable for children as well). The point is for all of us to grow in our capacity to engage with and enjoy the books we choose. So, here are the challenges.

Twelve Challenges

Read a book with all screens elsewhere. Many of us live with our phones/tablets/computers/TVs. Push notifications, texts, new emails are all distractions. Try reading one book away from all these, even for 30 minutes at a sitting. For this, don’t read a book on a device with a screen unless it is a dedicated e-reader with no other apps or notifications. The book I read:_____________________________________

Read a book wide awake. When we are tired we have a more difficult time absorbing what we read. Falling asleep mid-sentence makes following an argument or plot harder. Read something when you are most wakeful. Choose something that keeps your attention. Wasn’t that fun? (BTW, if you can’t read without dozing, you might need help getting more sleep–lack of sleep has all kinds of health impacts!). The book I read:______________________________________________

Read a book slowly. Some books can’t be read quickly but are worth reading. Works of religion and philosophy, history, some fiction and others are worth slowing down to read well. You might take notes or outline. Reading books with complex sentences aloud can help. The book I read: __________________________

Read a book of poetry. Read a collection from a poet you like or an anthology, if you are new to poetry. Poetry invites us to pay attention to words rather than let them flow over us. Take time to read and re-read. If you want, you can use this challenge to fulfill the previous one! The book of poetry I read: __________________________

Re-read a book that has been meaningful to you at some point in your life. Good books often grow as we do. We see things because of life experiences we did not ten, twenty, or more years ago. If you are ambitious, re-read one fiction and one non-fiction book. The book I read:______________________________

Read a book published before 1900. C.S. Lewis famously counselled that we ought to read one old book for every new one. People writing from another time often see things differently than we, for better or worse. Reflecting on that difference can be valuable. Unlike Lewis, I’m only suggest you read one old book for the year! This may be another one for which you accomplish several challenges. The old book I read:___________________________________

Choose an author you like and try to read as much of what they’ve written as you can. You could focus on this challenge for a month or all year. As we do we see recurring ideas or themes, notice writing styles, how their thought developed, etc. And isn’t it fun to become something of an “expert” on your favorite author? The author I read:____________________________________

Choose a subject to read up on. This can be anything from AI to zookeeping! The key is that it interests you. It can be fun to go deeper into something we find intriguing. A Google search or a conversation with your librarian or bookseller can get you started. Try to read several books if you can. The subject you chose:___________________________________________

Read one book “against the grain.” Choose one book you are pretty sure you will not agree with. Feel free to argue with the book in your head or in notes. But I would also suggest asking yourself how the writer reaches such different conclusions from you and what the appeal of this writer is for intended readers. The book I read:______________________________________

Read one book written by someone of a different generation than yours. If you are a Boomer, read a Gen Z writer or a Millennial. Each generation has to confront the human condition but does so in different ways. Might we learn from each other? The writer of a different generation I read:_______________________

Read a translated work. This is a good way to ensure reading works from a different cultural/ethnic perspective. Anything from Tolstoy to Murakami counts! The translated work I read:_______________________

Read a book to nourish your inner life. Regardless of what we believe, we need works to enrich our interior lives. In one sense, most books do that. You could choose a sacred text, a devotional work, or even a biography or memoir of someone you admire. The book I read:__________________________

I’ve been reading for sixty-five years. I don’t think I’ve exhausted what it means to be a good reader, one who reads deeply and attentively. I want to grow as that kind of reader this year. These challenges reflect the ways I hope to challenge myself toward that end. I hope you will use these challenges as you find them helpful. And remember, you are welcome to use the same book to meet more than one challenge! Have fun, and let me know how it goes.