
As 2021 comes to an end and people are thinking about 2022 (and praying it is a better year), readers are planning out their reading lists.
2021 marked the first year of our reading challenge. As a reward (not that reading so many amazing stories isn’t reward enough) I said I would purchase a print copy for the winner and mail it to them. Well, at this time, there was only one. Sherry Carsten of Michigan!🎉
Sherry said, “The challenge pulled me out of my reading slump. I read books I never would have and enjoyed many of them.”
I asked her what her favorites for the challenge were and she said, “I loved The Paris Dressmaker, The Ones We Leave Behind, & Nicholas Sparks’ Every Breath… but I think the Francine Rivers Redeeming Love is my favorite. With I Know Why The Crawdads Sing coming in toward the top as well.”
She made some amazing choices.
Congratulations 🎊
Here is what the 2021 Reading Challenge was…

On to a new year
Many wanted to do the challenge again this year so, I asked readers over on our Facebook group for some suggestions for 2022. They came up with a fantastic list.
Here is your…
2022 Back Porch Reading Challenge
January – Book set in your own state
February – Book recommend it to you by a friend
March – Book with a mode of transportation on the cover.
April – Book set in a place where you’d like to visit
May – Book with 5+ words in the title
June – Book set during WW1, WW2, or another “world event”
July – Book by a new-to-you author
August – Book you put on your TBR list a long time ago.
September – Book from a genre you have not read
October – Book that takes place in the spring
November – Book that is a literary classic
December – Book that is based in a different country than the one you live in.

The “rules”
If you Will be actively taking part in this, please email me at melissa@melissawardwell.com with each months completion.
At the end of 2022, I will take a tally of who completed the challenge and select a winner. I will send that winner a book of their choice as long as it is in the continental United States. (I’ll figure something out for those that live outside of the USA)
I hope you have fun with this and it helps you out of what ever reading slump you might be in.