2025 Yearly Reading Challenge

Do you feel that? It’s time for the 2025 B&N Book Challenge! Every year we give you the challenge and you go forth and pick the book. This year, we’re going to make it a little easier and give you two suggestions per week to help you meet the goal. 52 Books in 52 Weeks. Daunting? Sure! Impossible? Possibly! Fun? Absolutely. 

The truth about all book challenges is that it’s a challenge. There’s no grade at the end. No parade. Just satisfaction that you went to new worlds you haven’t gone to before.  

These books are merely a jumping off point to get you into the spirit of the thing. Peruse our website, go down rabbit holes of books and choose your own adventure. 

With that, go forth and conquer. What happens in the B&N Book Challenge, stays in the B&N Book Challenge.  

Week 1: Meditative

Siddhartha (Signature Classics)

Siddhartha (Signature Classics)

By Hermann Hesse

Paperback $9.99

Being Peace

Being Peace

By Thich Nhat Hanh
Foreword by Jack Kornfield , Jane Goodall

Paperback $18.95

Week 2: Adventurous

Long Live Evil

Long Live Evil

By Sarah Rees Brennan

Paperback $17.99 $19.99

Paperback $18.00

Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster

Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster

By Jon Krakauer

In Stock Online

Paperback $18.00

Week 3: Dystopian

Parable of the Sower

Parable of the Sower

By Octavia E. Butler

Paperback $16.99 $19.99

The Getaway

The Getaway

By Lamar Giles

Paperback $12.99

Week 4: Empowerment

Inner Excellence: Train Your Mind for Extraordinary Performance and the Best Possible Life

Inner Excellence: Train Your Mind for Extraordinary Performance and the Best Possible Life

By Jim Murphy

Paperback $16.99 $19.99

Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us

Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us

By Susan Magsamen , Ivy Ross

Paperback $17.00 $20.00

Week 5: Translated

Butter: A Novel of Food and Murder

Butter: A Novel of Food and Murder

By Asako Yuzuki
Translator Polly Barton

Paperback $19.99

We Do Not Part: A Novel

We Do Not Part: A Novel

By Han Kang
Translator e. yaewon , Paige Aniyah Morris

Hardcover $25.00 $28.00

Week 6: Poetry

A Bit Much: Poems

A Bit Much: Poems

By Lyndsay Rush

Paperback $18.00

Invisible Strings: 113 Poets Respond to the Songs of Taylor Swift

Invisible Strings: 113 Poets Respond to the Songs of Taylor Swift

Editor Kristie Frederick Daugherty

Hardcover $26.00

Week 7: Classic

The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale

The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale

By Art Spiegelman

Hardcover $35.00

Meditations (Signature Classics)

Meditations (Signature Classics)

By Marcus Aurelius

Paperback $9.99

Week 8: Banned

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

By Sherman Alexie

Paperback $17.99

Eleanor & Park: A Novel

Eleanor & Park: A Novel

By Rainbow Rowell

Paperback $15.00

Station Eleven

Station Eleven

By Emily St. John Mandel

Paperback $18.00

The Seed Keeper: A Novel

The Seed Keeper: A Novel

By Diane Wilson

Paperback $18.00

Week 10: Devastating

Sophie's Choice

Sophie's Choice

By William Styron

Paperback $19.00

The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars

By John Green

Paperback $14.99

Week 11: Memoir

What I Ate in One Year: (and related thoughts) (Signed Book)

What I Ate in One Year: (and related thoughts) (Signed Book)

By Stanley Tucci

Hardcover $35.00

Lovely One: A Memoir

Lovely One: A Memoir

By Ketanji Brown Jackson

Hardcover $35.00

Week 12: Award Winner

Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling (National Book Award Winner)

Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling (National Book Award Winner)

By Jason De León

Hardcover $27.00 $32.00

Sing, Unburied, Sing (National Book Award Winner)

Sing, Unburied, Sing (National Book Award Winner)

By Jesmyn Ward

Paperback $18.00

Week 13: Avoided

The MANIAC

The MANIAC

By Benjamín Labatut

Paperback $18.00

Wicked Collector's Edition: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

Wicked Collector's Edition: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

By Gregory Maguire

Hardcover $40.00

Week 14: STEM

Lessons in Chemistry (B&N Exclusive Edition)

Lessons in Chemistry (B&N Exclusive Edition)

By Bonnie Garmus

Paperback $19.00

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

By Neil deGrasse Tyson

Hardcover $18.95

Week 15: Historical

Roots: The Saga of an American Family

Roots: The Saga of an American Family

By Alex Haley

Paperback $22.99

When Women Ran Fifth Avenue: Glamour and Power at the Dawn of American Fashion

When Women Ran Fifth Avenue: Glamour and Power at the Dawn of American Fashion

By Julie Satow

Hardcover $32.50

Week 16: Young Adult

Don't Let the Forest In (Barnes & Noble YA Book Club Edition)

Don't Let the Forest In (Barnes & Noble YA Book Club Edition)

By CG Drews

Hardcover $19.99

Twenty-Four Seconds from Now . . .: A LOVE Story (Coretta Scott King Award Winner)

Twenty-Four Seconds from Now . . .: A LOVE Story (Coretta Scott King Award Winner)

By Jason Reynolds

Hardcover $19.99

Week 17: Medieval

Lady Macbeth: A Novel

Lady Macbeth: A Novel

By Ava Reid

Hardcover $28.99

The Name of the Rose

The Name of the Rose

By Umberto Eco
Translator William Weaver , Richard Dixon

Paperback $19.99

Week 18: Investigative

Everything Is Tuberculosis (Signed Edition): The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection

Everything Is Tuberculosis (Signed Edition): The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection

By John Green

Hardcover $23.00 $28.00

In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad Series #1)

In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad Series #1)

By Tana French

Paperback $19.00

Week 19: Fantasy

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vol. 1

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vol. 1

By Kanehito Yamada
Illustrator Tsukasa Abe

Paperback $11.99

How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying

How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying

By Django Wexler

Paperback $19.99

Week 20: Humanities

The Message

The Message

By Ta-Nehisi Coates

Hardcover $27.00 $30.00

Reasons Not to Worry: How to Be Stoic in Chaotic Times

Reasons Not to Worry: How to Be Stoic in Chaotic Times

By Brigid Delaney

Paperback $16.99 $18.99

Week 21: Fierce

Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orïsha Series #1)

Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orïsha Series #1)

By Tomi Adeyemi

Paperback $12.99 $14.99

The Red Tent – 20th Anniversary Edition: A Novel

The Red Tent – 20th Anniversary Edition: A Novel

By Anita Diamant

Paperback $19.00

Week 22: Contemporary

All Fours

All Fours

By Miranda July

Hardcover $26.00 $29.00

Queenie

Queenie

By Candice Carty-Williams

Paperback $18.99

Week 23: Narrative

Invisible Man

Invisible Man

By Ralph Ellison

Paperback $17.00

Open Water

Open Water

By Caleb Azumah Nelson

Paperback $17.00

Week 24: Massive

Mark Twain (Signed Book)

Mark Twain (Signed Book)

By Ron Chernow

Hardcover $45.00

The Priory of the Orange Tree

The Priory of the Orange Tree

By Samantha Shannon

Paperback $20.00

The Covenant of Water (Oprah's Book Club)

The Covenant of Water (Oprah's Book Club)

By Abraham Verghese

Hardcover $32.00

Les Miserables: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)

Les Miserables: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)

By Victor Hugo
Translator Christine Donougher
Noted by Christine Donougher
Introduction Robert Tombs
Illustrator Jillian Tamaki

Paperback $27.00

Week 25: Comic

Big Dumb Eyes: Stories from a Simpler Mind

Big Dumb Eyes: Stories from a Simpler Mind

By Nate Bargatze

Hardcover $25.00 $30.00

Quietly Hostile

Quietly Hostile

By Samantha Irby

Paperback $17.00

Week 26: Beachy

Can't Get Enough

Can't Get Enough

By Kennedy Ryan

Paperback $17.99

Flirting Lessons

Flirting Lessons

By Jasmine Guillory

Paperback $19.00

Week 27: Prequel

Sunrise on the Reaping (B&N Exclusive Edition) (A Hunger Games Novel)

Sunrise on the Reaping (B&N Exclusive Edition) (A Hunger Games Novel)

By Suzanne Collins

Hardcover $27.99

Elphie: A Wicked Childhood (B&N Exclusive Edition)

Elphie: A Wicked Childhood (B&N Exclusive Edition)

By Gregory Maguire

Hardcover $27.00 $30.00

Week 28: Relaxing

The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World

The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World

By Robin Wall Kimmerer
Illustrator John Burgoyne

Hardcover $20.00

The House in the Cerulean Sea

The House in the Cerulean Sea

By TJ Klune

Paperback $18.99

Week 29: Glamorous

The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby

By F. Scott Fitzgerald

Paperback $17.00

Crazy Rich Asians (Crazy Rich Asians Trilogy #1)

Crazy Rich Asians (Crazy Rich Asians Trilogy #1)

By Kevin Kwan

Paperback $15.00 $18.00

Week 30: Graphic Novel

Under the Oak Tree: Volume 1 (The Comic)

Under the Oak Tree: Volume 1 (The Comic)

By Suji Kim
Illustrator P
Adapted by namu

Hardcover $29.99

A Guest in the House

A Guest in the House

By E.M. Carroll

Hardcover $27.99

Week 31: Romance

Is She Really Going Out with Him?

Is She Really Going Out with Him?

By Sophie Cousens

Paperback $19.00

Sounds Like Love (B&N Exclusive Edition)

Sounds Like Love (B&N Exclusive Edition)

By Ashley Poston

Paperback $16.00 $19.00

Week 32: True Crime

The Scientist and the Serial Killer: The Search for Houston's Lost Boys

The Scientist and the Serial Killer: The Search for Houston's Lost Boys

By Lise Olsen

Hardcover $32.00

The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession

The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession

By Michael Finkel

Hardcover $28.00

Week 33: Iconic

The Secret History

The Secret History

By Donna Tartt

Paperback $18.00

Paperback $17.00

Beloved (Pulitzer Prize Winner)

Beloved (Pulitzer Prize Winner)

By Toni Morrison

In Stock Online

Paperback $17.00

Week 34: Haunting

Ring (B&N Exclusive Edition) (Ring Series #1)

Ring (B&N Exclusive Edition) (Ring Series #1)

By Koji Suzuki

Paperback $16.95

She Is a Haunting

She Is a Haunting

By Trang Thanh Tran

Paperback $12.99

Week 35: Deceitful

One of Us Is Lying

One of Us Is Lying

By Karen M. McManus

Paperback $12.99

The Mayor of Casterbridge

The Mayor of Casterbridge

By Thomas Hardy
Editor Keith Wilson
Introduction Keith Wilson
Noted by Keith Wilson

Paperback $10.00

Week 36: Literary

Yellowface (Reese's Book Club Pick)

Yellowface (Reese's Book Club Pick)

By R. F. Kuang

Paperback $16.99 $18.99

Hell of a Book: National Book Award Winner: A Novel

Hell of a Book: National Book Award Winner: A Novel

By Jason Mott

Paperback $17.00

Week 37: Travel

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail

By Bill Bryson

Paperback $19.00

The Poisonwood Bible

The Poisonwood Bible

By Barbara Kingsolver

Paperback $19.99

Week 38: Epic

Lonesome Dove (Pulitzer Prize Winner)

Lonesome Dove (Pulitzer Prize Winner)

By Larry McMurtry

Paperback $24.99

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War

By Max Brooks

Paperback $19.00

Week 39: Paranormal

The Summer Hikaru Died, Vol. 1

The Summer Hikaru Died, Vol. 1

By Mokumokuren
Translator Ajani Oloye

Paperback $15.00

Mister Magic: A Novel

Mister Magic: A Novel

By Kiersten White

Paperback $18.00

Week 40: Art

Hayao Miyazaki

Hayao Miyazaki

By Jessica Niebel
Text by Daniel Kothenschulte , Pete Docter
Artist Hayao Miyazaki
Foreword by Toshio Suzuki

Hardcover $55.00

Georgia O'Keeffe: To See Takes Time

Georgia O'Keeffe: To See Takes Time

Artist Georgia O'Keeffe
Editor Samantha Friedman
Text by Laura Neufeld

Hardcover $50.00

Week 41: Dark

Never Flinch: A Novel

Never Flinch: A Novel

By Stephen King

Hardcover $22.40 $32.00

I'm the Grim Reaper, Vol. 1

I'm the Grim Reaper, Vol. 1

By GRAVEWEAVER

Paperback $18.99

Week 42: Vampire

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil

By V. E. Schwab

Hardcover $20.99 $29.99

The Revenant Games (B&N Exclusive Edition)

The Revenant Games (B&N Exclusive Edition)

By Margie Fuston

Paperback $13.99

Week 43: Gothic

What Moves the Dead

What Moves the Dead

By T. Kingfisher

Paperback $14.99

Mexican Gothic

Mexican Gothic

By Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Paperback $17.00

Week 44: Thriller

Shutter

Shutter

By Ramona Emerson

Paperback $16.95

The Crash (B&N Exclusive Edition)

The Crash (B&N Exclusive Edition)

By Freida McFadden

Paperback $17.99

Week 45: Horror

Bury Your Gays

Bury Your Gays

By Chuck Tingle

eBook $13.99

They Bloom at Night (B&N Exclusive Edition)

They Bloom at Night (B&N Exclusive Edition)

By Trang Thanh Tran

Hardcover $17.99 $19.99

Week 46: High Fantasy

Gideon the Ninth (Locked Tomb Series #1)

Gideon the Ninth (Locked Tomb Series #1)

By Tamsyn Muir

Paperback $19.99

Snow Crash

Snow Crash

By Neal Stephenson

Paperback $20.00

Week 47: Celebrity Bio

Will

Will

By Will Smith
Editor Mark Manson

Hardcover $30.00

What in the World?!: A Southern Woman's Guide to Laughing at Life's Unexpected Curveballs and Beautiful Blessings

What in the World?!: A Southern Woman's Guide to Laughing at Life's Unexpected Curveballs and Beautiful Blessings

By Leanne Morgan

Hardcover $27.00

Week 48: Magical Realism

White Teeth

White Teeth

By Zadie Smith

Paperback $18.00

Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World

Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World

By Haruki Murakami

Paperback $18.00

Week 49: Family

Little Women (Signature Classics)

Little Women (Signature Classics)

By Louisa May Alcott

Paperback $10.99

Hardcover $28.00

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store (2023 B&N Book of the Year)

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store (2023 B&N Book of the Year)

By James McBride

In Stock Online

Hardcover $28.00

Week 50: Short Story Collection

Whatever Happened to Interracial Love: Stories

Whatever Happened to Interracial Love: Stories

By Kathleen Collins

Paperback $10.00

Waiting for the Long Night Moon: Stories

Waiting for the Long Night Moon: Stories

By Amanda Peters

Hardcover $24.00 $27.00

Week 51: Timeless

Never Let Me Go

Never Let Me Go

By Kazuo Ishiguro

Paperback $17.00

The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure

The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure

By William Goldman

Paperback $18.99

Week 52: Intended

Wolf Hall (Wolf Hall Trilogy #1) (Booker Prize Winner)

Wolf Hall (Wolf Hall Trilogy #1) (Booker Prize Winner)

By Hilary Mantel

Paperback $20.99

Laozi's Dao De Jing: A New Interpretation for a Transformative Time

Laozi's Dao De Jing: A New Interpretation for a Transformative Time

By Laozi , Ken Liu

Hardcover $24.00