| A book with an important tree: The Devil Three Times by Rickey Fayne | A Western | A book about a journey made with a non-car form of transportation (train, bus, boat, plane, walking, horse, etc.) | A book with a one-word title: Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson | A book by an author you’ve never read before with at least 10 published books: My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante |
| Pick and read a book off of a friend’s shelf without their input | A book about or inspired by a real crime: The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis | A book first translated into English in the last five years | A book with a queer protagonist: Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune | A science fiction/speculative fiction book: The well of ascension by Brandon Sanderson |
| A book by an author you’ve disliked/been underwhelmed by before but want to give another chance: Summer by Edith Wharton | A book on the NYT’s 100 Best Books of the 21st Century list | FREE SPACE (Any book): Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell | A book about a specific/niche subculture: You Were Born for This by Chani Nicholas | Read a book with a book club (or make a one-off book club and read a book with a friend): Bear by Julia Phillips |
| A book with no chapter breaks | A book with a time of day in the title (day, night, morning, dawn, dusk, etc.) | A book a friend wants you to read: Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney | 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 | A book about books | A book with a ghost in it: The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson | A book with a movie or tv adaptation that you’ve already seen | A novel by a poet |