| A book with an important tree: A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon | A Western | A book about a journey made with a non-car form of transportation (train, bus, boat, plane, walking, horse, etc.): Godkiller by Hannah Kaner | A book with a one-word title: Intimacies by Katie Kitamura | A book by an author you’ve never read before with at least 10 published books: Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky |
| Pick and read a book off of a friend’s shelf without their input | A book about or inspired by a real crime | A book first translated into English in the last five years | A book with a queer protagonist: Captive Prince by C. S. Pacat | A science fiction/speculative fiction book: The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain by Sofia Samatar |
| A book by an author you’ve disliked/been underwhelmed by before but want to give another chance | A book on the NYT’s 100 Best Books of the 21st Century list: Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin | FREE SPACE (Any book): The Autobiography of Malcom X by MALCOM X | A book about a specific/niche subculture | Read a book with a book club (or make a one-off book club and read a book with a friend): I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman |
| A book with no chapter breaks | A book with a time of day in the title (day, night, morning, dawn, dusk, etc.): Thief of Night by Holly Black | A book a friend wants you to read: Don't Believe It by Charlie Donlea | A book on Time’s The 100 Must Read Books of 2024 list | A non-fiction book published in 2025 |
| A book translated from a language spoken by your ancestors: Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk | A book about books: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin | A book with a ghost in it: Cinder House by Freya Marske | A book with a movie or tv adaptation that you’ve already seen: Slow Horses by Mick Herron | A novel by a poet |