Beat the Backlist Reading Challenge

Do you have books on your to-read list that already released? Do you struggle to get to those backlist books with all the new releases each year? Do you enjoy relaxed reading challenges you can do at your own pace? Then it’s time to beat your backlist!

Started in 2017, Beat the Backlist is here to help you tackle all the books you keep meaning to read and still haven’t. No matter what you like to read, this challenge is here for it!

The 2024 challenge runs from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024

The rules are simple:

The book must have been published in 2023 or earlier.
You have to start and finish the book in 2024.
And that’s it!

Sharing on social media? Don’t forget the #BeatTheBacklist tag!

Any format, any genre. Re-reads count, you don’t have to own the book, and you can join at any time. Track your BTB reading separately or pair it with another reading challenge!

For those using the reading prompts, it’s one book per prompt.

join the discord group!

Chat about books, get ideas for prompts, and encourage each other on as we beat our backlist TBR!

join the discord group

Still need the 2023 graphics or tracker? Grab them at the bottom of the page!

There is no formal sign-up for Beat the Backlist. Whether you want to make a Goodreads shelf, declare your participation on social media, make a blog post, share an instagram story, or say nothing at all, you’re welcome to join in. My only request is if you do post about the challenge somewhere, please link back or tag one of my social accounts so others can find the challenge too! Share your updates with the tag #BeatTheBacklist!

Are you on the StoryGraph website?

StoryGraph is a great alternative to using Goodreads. One of the great functions is that you can track multiple Reading Challenges including Beat the Backlist!

join Beat the Backlist 2024 on StoryGraph

reading tracker spreadsheet

For readers who prefer to track their reading through a spreadsheet (as well as anyone who wants to track which books they’re using for the optional reading prompts), I’ve made a spreadsheet template for you!

grab the 2024 reading tracker spreadsheet!

This spreadsheet provides a place to track all the books you’re reading for the challenge. If you’re planning to try the reading prompts (below), you can mark which book counts for which prompt and it will also automatically track your progress through the prompts on the Prompt Tracker tab. Not doing the reading prompts? No worries! Just delete that column and the Prompt Tracker tab.

2024 reading prompts (optional)

The prompts for Beat the Backlist are entirely optional, but if you would like to use them, here is the list along with a copy you can copy/paste. You can also grab the graphics! Only one book per prompt!

Click the title blocks to expand the list!

reading prompts WITH explanations

fae or aliens (doesn’t matter which, just needs to include one of them in some way)
title contains a body of water (pick your favorite! lake? ocean? sea? river? etc.)
4-word title (not 3 words, not 5, only 4)
travel by ship (there is travel done on a ship. what kind of ship is up to you)
prominently features a desert (a desert is important to the plot in some way, whether your characters travel across it, it hides a secret, whatever fits the story)
retelling of a classic (pick your favorite classic and find a retelling or reimagining of it)
small town vs. big city (the characters are either living that small town or urban life, maybe both!)
queer AF (there’s no mistaking this cast of characters as anything else)
good vibes only (a book that makes you feel good or gives off that positive energy)
these woods hold secrets (it’s up to you and the characters to figure out what they’re hiding)
anything but a monarchy (literally any other form of government. just no monarchies)
published 100+ years ago (a perfect pairing with the retelling of a classic prompt)
walk through history (historical fiction, alternate history, a historian character, a historical tour of the town, get creative!)
door on the cover (windows are great but looking for a door here)
2023 debut novel (an author’s first published book released in 2023)
bird is the word (on the cover, in the title, a character’s pet, as long as it’s a (type of) bird)
writing about writing (a book about a writer/journalist/etc., written for writers, related to publishing, and so on)
live in infamy (about or inspired by an infamous figure in history (fictional history counts too))
blurbed by a fave author (one of your favorite authors has a little quote on the cover about how awesome the book is)
recommended via a newsletter or podcast (a book shared in a newsletter or podcast episode (any will do))
tickles your funny bone (a book that makes you laugh. a solid chuckle is acceptable too)
first in an unfinished series (the series may not be done but you’re going to read the first book anyway)
on your TBR 5+ years (we all have those books that have been waiting, let’s read one!)
coauthored or illustrated (either a book written by 2+ authors, or one that has illustrations)
share the love (love comes in all shapes and sizes, pick a book that features your favorite kind)
author last name starts with v (that’s v as in violin or villain)
it’s the end of the world as we know it (or at least it’s the end of the main character’s world)
STEM stan (either about or featuring a character who loves science, technology, engineering, and/or math)
we have so much in common (you share something in common with the main character)
between 300 and 400 pages (the Goldilocks of books, not too short, not too long)
an unexpected inheritance (a character finds themselves the new owners of something unexpected)
neon colored cover (looking for bright colors on this cover)
hotel, mansion, or castle (set in a very large home of some kind)
author and character share an initial (first or last name, doesn’t have to be both, as long as they share at least one initial)
character name is a color (challenge yourself to find an unusual color name)
let’s circle back to this (there is a circle. it’s somehow important to the story or even the cover design. many things can be a circle…)
name that tune (the book title is also a song title or lyrics. alternatively, a book prominently featuring music)
popular throwback (a backlist book that was popular in its day but you still haven’t read)
sweet or spicy (is it food? is it something else? you decide!)
3+ points of view (there are at least three different character perspectives )
coffeehouse reads (something you imagine reading in a coffeehouse, or has those vibes)
we all scream (for ice cream?) (horror or featuring ice cream in some way (maybe both?))
that’s not my name (featuring a character who’s mistaken as someone else)
dance the night away (whether the characters want to or not, there will be dancing!)
second chances (the main character gets another shot at something)
sibling showdown (what happens when siblings don’t get along and someone writes about it)
I was framed! (main character was framed for something they didn’t do)
anthology or omnibus edition (either a collection of short stories or other volumes, as long as they’re all bound up together)
released the 13th of any month (best start checking those release dates)
written by or about a (fictional) celebrity (celebrity can be used loosely here)
creature feature (monsters, strange beasts, very real creatures of our world, whichever makes you happy)
space – the final frontier (set in space, exploring space, escaping space. there’s just one requirement here…)