Fall Reading Challenge 2025
A cozy challenge to help you fall back in love with reading this season
The Second Act is a weekly newsletter packed with obsessively-curated recommendations and ideas—let’s get to it!
There’s something about this time of year that makes me want to pretend I’m back in school, new notebooks, sharpened pencils, the smell of a library book tucked in my tote. Maybe it’s the Rory Gilmore in me, or maybe it’s just that I miss having a syllabus. Either way, I’m leaning into my inner overachiever and assigning myself the best kind of homework, a reading challenge!
If you’ve been in a reading slump lately, staring at your ever-growing TBR stack, or just craving something that’s yours this season, this is for you. Because sometimes, the best way to slow down is to carve out time for stories again.
I loved reading challenges as a kid. Tracking pages, earning gold stars, the promise of a prize at the end (book fair erasers, anyone?). So this season, I’m bringing it back, grown-up style. Think cozy sweaters, slow mornings, and the quiet satisfaction of finishing a book purely because you want to.
Welcome to The Second Act Fall Reading Challenge!
This one’s for anyone who wants to fall back in love with reading, or with their own company. The prompts are designed to spark joy, curiosity, and a little bit of nostalgia. You can play it simple and complete a row, or go full academic-core and fill the entire board. Either way, it’s your permission slip to romanticize reading again this fall. 🍂
How to Join the Fall Reading Challenge
The Fall Reading Challenge is built like a cozy little game. A bingo-style board filled with fall-inspired prompts to guide your reading.
Here’s the idea:
Each square on the board has a different reading prompt. Things like “Small Town Magic,” “Romance with Letters,” and “A Story with a Touch of Magic.”
As you read books that match the prompts, you fill in your squares.
You can play it however you like!
🍂 Classic Bingo: Aim for five in a row (across, down, or diagonal).
📚 Free-Read Style: Pick and choose any prompts that spark your interest.
✨ Overachiever Mode: Try to fill the entire board before November 30th.
There’s no right way to do it. The goal is to bring a lot of joy back into your reading routine.
Read at Your Own Pace
The challenge officially runs October through November 30th.
Mix physical, audio, and e-books, it all counts. There’s no pressure or deadlines, you can read one book, five, or fill the entire board. However you play, it’s about finding joy in the pages again. Most importantly, have fun, romanticize it.
Because reading isn’t about keeping up, it’s about slowing down. And maybe, rediscovering a little bit of that back-to-school magic we didn’t realize we missed.
Share the Cozy
Snap a photo of your current read or bingo progress, tag @daniellewraith, and use the hashtag #TheSecondActReadingChallenge so we can cheer each other on.
Fall Book Recommendations
I know book choices are personal, the right story finds you at the right time, but in case you’re looking for a few cozy, seasonal reads to kick things off, here are some favorites that pair perfectly with the challenge. Moody campuses, small towns, soft magic, and stories that feel like fall.
Because sometimes we all need a reason to slow down, to step away from the noise, and get lost in a story again. This isn’t about reading more, it’s about reading differently. You’ll rediscover your own rhythm, find comfort in old favorites, and maybe even check a few long-forgotten titles off your TBR.
This challenge is your invitation to slow down and fall back in love with reading again. Light a candle. Pour something warm. Pick a square that speaks to you and start turning pages.
Download your bingo board, then be sure to Subscribe so you don’t miss the weekly recaps, reader highlights, and new book suggestions.
Here’s to the stories that make fall feel like fall. 🍂
The Second Act is an entirely reader-supported publication. Click here to subscribe or gift a friend a subscription here (if a friend sent you this —tell them thanks!). Anything you want covered? Questions? Reply with a comment below! You can also find me on Instagram. Please come say hi!
Hi. How can we download bingo board ?
Ok sorry. But I don’t see it maybe because I am not a paid subscriber. Sorry