Reading Challenge 2022

This year, Toronto Public Library invites you to read widely and discover new books, authors and genres. Read or listen to 12 books in 12 categories from January to December to complete the 2022 Reading Challenge.

• Reading Challenge form
• How to participate
• The Challenge
• The Advanced Challenge
• What other participants are reading
• Join the Facebook group
• Reading Challenge programs at library branches
• Past Reading Challenges
• Rules & FAQ

Reading Challenge Form

Download the fillable, printable Reading Challenge form (PDF), or view the categories below.

Download the Form

If you've completed the Reading Challenge and want to enter the prize draw, fill out this online survey by the end of 2022.

How to Participate

1. Read widely. Try books you wouldn’t normally read, in any format you like, and interpret the categories as broadly as you’d like.
2. Track your reading. You can use the Borrowing History or Saved Lists features in Your Account, or any other method that works for you.
3. Connect with other readers. Join the discussion on Facebook, or attend a Reading Challenge event.
4. Win prizes. Share your booklist at the end of 2022 to be entered into a random draw for a prize pack.

The Challenge

Read or listen to 12 books in 12 categories in 12 months.

We'll be posting recommendations for each category over the course of the year in the order they're listed here:

Categories

• A book about time
• A book by an author from Toronto
• A book about family
• A book of poetry
• A book about a refugee experience
• An illustrated book by an Indigenous creator
• A book about mental health
• A book by a trans or non-binary* author
• A book about a city
• A coming-of-age story by a BIPOC† author
• A book about magic
• A book you read just because

The Advanced Challenge

Up for more? Read or listen to 14 more books to complete the Advanced Challenge.

• A book about art
• A book in the public domain‡
• A book about solitude
• A book written by a journalist
• A book about a season
• A book written under a pen name
• A book about an issue that is important to you
• A book with a colour in the title
• A book about a library worker
• A book that is a retelling of another story
• A book about someone who is not alive
• A book that takes place in a single day
• A book with “two” in the title (for 2022!)
• A book published this year

^* Trans, or transgender, is a term for someone whose gender identity is different from their gender designated at birth. Authors who are trans or non-binary may use other terms to describe their gender, such as agender, genderqueer, genderfluid and more.
^† BIPOC stands for Black, Indigenous and People of Colour.
^‡ A book is in public domain when the copyright has expired. In Canada, copyright expires on a book 50 years after the death of the last living author of the work.

Join the Facebook Group

Share reading recommendations with fellow readers.

Upcoming Events

• Reading Challenge Online Book Discussion

  Wed Oct 19, 2022 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
  Location: Online

  Join us for another Reading Challenge-themed discussion all about books! Our hosts, Jen and Myrna will be talking about a book about a refugee experience and a book with "two" in the title. They'll be sharing their recommende...

• Reading Challenge Online Book Discussion

  Thu Nov 17, 2022 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
  Location: Online

  Join us for another Reading Challenge-themed discussion all about books! Our hosts, Kasey and Lucas will be talking about the an illustrated book by an Indigenous creator and a book about art. They'll be sharing their recomme...

• Reading Challenge Online Book Discussion

  Wed Dec 21, 2022 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
  Location: Online

  Join us for another Reading Challenge-themed discussion all about books! Our hosts, Nalini and Jen will be talking about a book published this year. They'll be sharing their recommended books and asking for yours. Follow alon...

All Reading Challenge Events