In January, I signed up for POPSUGAR’s 2015 Reading Challenge to read 50 books that matched the criteria listed below. I read way more than 50 books but I didn’t finish the challenge. Here’s why:

• In 2015, I read a lot more Non-fiction than usual but only 3 of my NF reads counted towards this challenge.
• Sometimes, it’s a struggle to find a book that interests me that satisfies a category. I know the point is to expand my reading horizons but I rather wait to find a book that I really want to read. 

I completed these categories:

1. A book with more than 500 pages – Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn 555 pages
2. A book that became a movie – Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave 260 
3. A book published this year Superlife by Darin Olien published February 2015
4. A book with a number in the title – Five Days Left by Julie Lawson Timmer  
5. A book written by someone under 30 – The Girls Guide to Love and Supper Clubs by Dana Bate
6. A funny book – Two Across by Jeff Bartsch
7. A book by a female author –  Saving Grace by Jane Green
8. A mystery or thriller – The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins 
9. A book with a one-word title – Reunion by Hannah Pattered
10. A book of short stories – One More Thing by B.J. Novak
11. A book set in a different country – The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty 394 pages (set in Australia) 
12. A nonfiction book – The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
13. A popular author’s first book – Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty 
14. A book from an author you love that you haven’t read yet -The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty 
15. A book a friend recommended – Landline by Rainbow Rowell. 308 pages. Recommended by a blogger friend 
16. A Pulitzer Prize-winning book – One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
17. A book based on a true story – I suck at girls by Justin Halpern 
18. A book at the bottom of your to-read list – I Take You by Eliza Kennedy 
19. A book that scares you – Who Do You Love by Jennifer Weiner 
20. A book based entirely on its cover – Mosquitoland by David Arnold
21. A memoir – Why Not Me by Mindy Kaling 
22. A book you can finish in a day – Skinny Habits: 6 Secrets of Thin People by Bob Harper 
23. A book with antonyms in the title – Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty 
24. A book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit Finding Paris by Joy Preble 
25. A book that came out the year you were born – Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
26. A book with bad reviews Overexposed by Susan Shapiro
27. A trilogy – Jenny Han’s Summer 
28. A book with a love triangle – What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty 
29. A book set in high school – To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han 
30. A book with a color in the title – Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick 
31. A book that made you cry – This Book Will Save Your Life by A.M. Homes 
32. A book with magic – Season of the Dragonflies by Sarah Creech
33. A book by an author you’ve never read before – The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini 
34. A book that takes place in your hometown – My Father’s Wives by Mike Greenberg 
35. A book that was originally written in a different language – Adultery by Paulo Coelho, originally written in Portuguese
36. A book set during Christmas – The Look of Love by Sarah Jio
37. A book written by an author with your same initials – A Long Time Gone by Karen White 
38. A play – Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

I did not complete these categories:

1. A book your mom loves
2. A book more than 100 years old – I’m still reading A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
3. A book you were supposed to read in school but didn’t
4. A book from your childhood
5. A book set in the future
6. A graphic novel
7. A book you own but have never read
8. A classic romance
9. A book with nonhuman characters
10. A banned book
11. A book based on or turned into a TV series
12. A book you started but never finished

All in all, I completed 38 of the 50 categories although I read about 75 books in total this year, some that I probably wouldn’t have stuck with except for this challenge. I’m definitely trying the 2016 reading challenge.

What about you? What are your plans for reading more widely in 2016?