Welcome to our inaugural Reading Challenge! We know many of these exist, but we still hope you'll consider participating in ours. It is open to all ages, and we have designed the categories to be appropriate for young readers as well as adults.

We are going to make things easy for you: To qualify for the end-of-year prize drawing for goodies like THoB gift cards and free books, all you have to do is read as many books as the median* American, selecting based on the categories below. How many books is this, you ask? It's FOUR! Just FOUR! For the over-achievers among us, you can get an extra entry for every multiple of four you read (they must be different categories)...so you can get up to three entries in the drawing if you read something from every category!

 

(1) A book by a This House of Books member-author

(2) A book with a spine that is your favorite color

(3) A graphic novel

(4) A poetry collection (chapbooks okay!)

(5) A book with “rabbit” in the title (to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit!)

(6) A book with a Billings connection

(7) A book on a “bestseller” or BookTok list

(8) A title published in 2023

(9) A book that has been made into a movie or TV show

(10) A book by an author from a country currently facing armed conflict

(11) A book in translation

(12) A book you chose based mainly on its cover

 

2022 Bestsellers

 

 

Adult Fiction:

1. All of You by Elisa Lorello

2. Hell and Back by Craig Johnson

3. The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford

4. Blind Faith by Alica Beckman (aka Leslie Budewitz)

5. And It Will Be A Beautiful Life by Craig Lancaster

5. Daughter of the Morning Star by Craig Johnson

6. The Stone Sister by Caroline Patterson

7. 20.12m by Arnolda Dufour Bowes

8. Let the Wild Grasses Grow by Kase Johnstun

8. The Last Green Valley by Mark Sullivan

8. The Wild Inside by Christine Carbo

9. The Prince of Infinite Space by Giano Cromley

10. Commendable Discretion by Juliana Hoolihan Clayton

 

 

Adult Nonfiction:

1. Walkable City by Jeff Speck

2. Strong Towns by Charles Marohn

3. Shameless by Nadia Bolz-Weber

4. Maid by Stephanie Land

5. Walkable City Rules by Jeff Speck

6. No Way: An American Tao Te Ching by David Romtvedt

7. Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

8. Was It Worth It? by Doug Peacock

9. Fifty-Six Counties by Russell Rowland

9. Fox and I by Catherine Raven

9. History of Montana in 101 Objects by the Montana Historical Society

9. Witches, Midwives, & Nurses by Barbara Ehrenreich & Deirdre English

10. The Meateater Fish and Game Cookbook by Steven Rinella
 

 

Children’s/Young Adult:

1. Elk Morning Counts His First Coup by Sabrena Half

2. Maybe by Kobi Yamada

3. Alone by Megan E. Freeman

4. Old MacDonald Had a Farm in Montana by Christopher Robbins

5. B Is for Bison by Greg Paprocki

6. The Double Life of Danny Day by Mike Thayer

7. Cinder Yeti by Precious McKenzie

8. Elk Morning at the Battle of Arrow Creek by Sabrena Half

9. Good Night Montana by Adam Gamble

10. I Do Not Like the Rotten Egg Scent in Yellowstone National Park by Penelope Kaye