2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge discussion

HRCYED - The Hardest Reading Challenge You'll Ever Do 2.0
Duration: July 7 (2025) - July 6 (2026)



Hello everyone!
Encouraged by TerryJane, I've decided to create this topic for everyone who might be already taking part or thinking about taking part in 📚HRCYED - The Hardest Reading Challenge You'll Ever Do 2.0📚.

HRCYED is a challenge created by a Youtube creator Qwordy. It has started in July (2025), on the creator's birthday, and will continue for a year until July (2026). Anyone can start it later, though, and continue for a year, as it is self-tracked challenge.

HRCYED is a reading challenge that's created to be virtually impossible to reach, as there are more than 100 prompts. It's purpose is to encourage readers to broaden their reading and simply have fun.

✨This is not an official challenge in this group, nor a challenge that I have created or that I would be leading.✨

However, I am doing this challenge myself, and I was thinking that it would be very nice to have a space where we could discuss the books we're reading for this challenge, exchange book recommendations, tips, or even track our own progress here, if we'd like. I would really love for anyone interested to join so we could have some reading fun together.

Below, I will put helpful information and links.
Happy reading!📖

Helpful information
HRCYED - The Hardest Reading Challenge You'll Ever Do 2.0

Duration: July 7 (2025) - July 6 (2026)

Creator: Qwordy

Here's an official video about the challenge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzS1f...

Website: https://hrcyed.my.canva.site/

Here you can download Google Spreadsheet to track your progress: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

Alternatively, if you'd like, feel free to reserve a comment here, in this topic, to track your own progress. To do that, just post a comment. You can always edit it as you need.

Some basic rules for this challenge are:
• no DNFs - you must complete a book for it to count towards your goals
• you can use a re-read for a prompt after you read 10 new books
• each book can be used for 2 different prompts (regardless of colour)
• to replace one prompt that you can't/don't want to do, you can read 5 indie/self published books that have less than 500 reviews, instead
• white prompts are non-changeable
• purple prompts are customizable

This is the official bingo board of the challenge:


Challenge is completed when all prompts are done, not when you get a bingo line.

Here are some questions to encourage discussion 😊

1. How/why did you decide to take part in this challenge?
2. What’s the hardest prompt or category in the HRCYED challenge for you so far, and how are you planning to tackle it?
3. How do you decide which books fit each prompt — do you plan everything in advance or go with the flow?
4. Have you discovered any surprising favorites (or disappointments) while working through the challenge?
5. How do you stay motivated during such a long reading challenge — any routines or accountability tricks?
6. Which prompt are you most excited about, and what book are you planning (or hoping) to read for it?

My answers 😇

1. I first saw someone else's video about them taking part in this challenge, and it seemed like a really big challenge. Whenever my ADHD brain sees something HUGE, it immediately thinks YES!!! I CAN DO IT ALL, so that's how I decided to take part, haha 😅

2. I think the hardest for me will be the creator's recommendations, as I am a huge mood reader and in general I do not like being told what to do, haha. But I guess if I treat it like recommendations from a friend and keep an open mind, I can do it.

3. I do have some books planned in advance, mainly ARCs I have already signed up to review, but for the most part I just see if the books I have read fit any of the prompts. I don't want to make it difficult for myself, as this is a very big challenge.

4. I really like the queer alphabet and disability representation. One of the best parts of this challenge for me is that it encourages to read broadly with the idea of open-mindedness and educating yourself.

5. I use the spreadsheet and it is very satisfying when I get to upload a book cover by a prompt and check it off. Other than that, I am just really easy going about this challenge, so I don't have specific tricks or routines.

6. I'm quite looking forward to reading through Spooky creature prompts right now, in autumn, to increase the spooky cozy mood.😊

I'm also doing this for the first year :)

1. I also saw someone else's video about it and I love both a reading challenge and a spreadsheet so this was right up my alley! I am a 100% completionest though and usually like to underestimate my challenges whereas this is a massive undertaking, so we'll see how I get on with it!

2. I think Award Season is going to be quite tricky because so many of the awards I read don't have entrants/semis/finalists/winners, often just nominees and winners so I don't really like the structure of that one.
I'm also slightly stuck on 'exotic pet'. I've read books with mythological exotic pets like hellhounds or dragons but as it's separate from spooky creatures I want to do it as a real life pet like a lizard or chinchilla!

3. I go with the flow to some extent because I'm reading what I'm interested in at the time, or because it's an ARC or got my hold from the library etc. but for some prompts I'm definitely having to plan in advance because I know I wouldn't fill them otherwise! (Like specific words for the quote)

4. Plenty! I like the range of options :)

5. I am also a spreadsheet-motivated person so that helps. But also I just look at it one month at a time, rather than thinking too much about the whole year.

6. I am looking forward to completing the Queer Alphabet, particularly finding books with intersex and ace/aro rep to read. I read a lot of queer fiction so all the other categories I've already read multiple options since July, but there's a noticeable gap there that I'm happy to fill!

The spreadsheet gave me heart palpitations just looking at it! And I'm a spreadsheet geek. So, of course, why shouldn't I try it? I'll respond to the questions later.
link to my spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

Janine wrote: "I'm also doing this for the first year :)

1. I also saw someone else's video about it and I love both a reading challenge and a spreadsheet so this was right up my alley! I am a 100% completiones..."

I’m also secretly hoping to complete it 😁🙈 But I was thinking if I do not complete it until next year July, I’ll probably just extend it to the end of the year 2026 for myself. I know it’s probably considered cheating but I am doing this challenge for myself, so, really, I’m open to adjusting it.

For awards, I’ve decided to just go with the Booker prize (I think she even recommends it in the google sheet) for exactly that reason - it has nominees etc.
At first I was thinking to use one of Lithuanian awards, as one of my personal reading goals this year is also to read more in my own mother tongue again. But I was also struggling to find entrants, semis and winners listed, so yeah, just had to pivot and make it easier for myself.

Please share what book you end up reading for the exotic pet! Also what you’ll be reading for intersex.

How is your progress so far?🙂

GailW wrote: "The spreadsheet gave me heart palpitations just looking at it! And I'm a spreadsheet geek. So, of course, why shouldn't I try it? I'll respond to the questions later.
link to my spreadsheet: https:..."

GailW, I found your comment so funny and relatable 😁 This challenge is a big undertaking for sure, but that’s why it’s so exciting, isn't it?

I was curious to take a look at your spreadsheet but it says I need permission. Can you maybe share a read-only link, would that help?

Here's my google sheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

I found a helpful video on how to share a link and still have it so that other people could only view it. Unfortunately, it only works from desktop computer/pc, I've tried sharing like this from my iPad and it didn't work. Here's the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUAAm...

Also, what quotes did you chose for the personal quote challenge? I'm struggling to make up my mind with that one, because all the quotes and sayings I like most are pretty long, and I don't want to make it so difficult for myself, haha.

LinaVer wrote: "GailW wrote: "The spreadsheet gave me heart palpitations just looking at it! And I'm a spreadsheet geek. So, of course, why shouldn't I try it? I'll respond to the questions later.
link to my sprea..."

The video was perfect - thanks! I think I have it opened now as view only for anyone with the link. Can you try again and let me know? To be honest I have done nothing more than make a copy of the file. I'm having some health issues right now and am working at about 20% capacity.

GailW wrote: "LinaVer wrote: "GailW wrote: "The spreadsheet gave me heart palpitations just looking at it! And I'm a spreadsheet geek. So, of course, why shouldn't I try it? I'll respond to the questions later.
..."

Yes, it works now and I had a great time looking around your google sheet, inspiring! Congratulations on already finishing some of the boxes/challenges in the bingo board. Seems to me you might be well on your way to finishing the whole challenge 🤩

LinaVer wrote: "How is your progress so far?🙂"

Good thank you! July and August were bumper reading months for me so it gave me a good kickstart. I've completed three of the smaller challenges - subgenre of choice, disability rep and become the avatar :)

I think it's going to get harder as more of the easier prompts get filled up though. I love your idea of extending the challenge to complete if needed. That would totally work for me as well. Like you said, this challenge is for me so I'm open to adjusting it too!

For the personal quote challenge I went with one from Peter Pan for childhood nostalgia - "Second star to the right and straight on 'til morning." I felt it wasn't too long, and was words that should be easy enough to find in book titles. A lot of quotes I thought of had words that I couldn't imagine being in a book title!

GailW wrote: "The spreadsheet gave me heart palpitations just looking at it! And I'm a spreadsheet geek. So, of course, why shouldn't I try it? I'll respond to the questions later.
link to my spreadsheet: https:..."

Welcome Gail! Lovely to have some others doing the challenge to chat to. You've made a great start already! Looks like you read a good amount of non-fiction and have finished that challenge already. That's one area I need to increase for me.

Janine wrote: "GailW wrote: "The spreadsheet gave me heart palpitations just looking at it! And I'm a spreadsheet geek. So, of course, why shouldn't I try it? I'll respond to the questions later.
link to my sprea..."

Thanks Janine! I didn't typically read a lot of non-fiction in the past, but I have been doing several challenges and monthly book reads in the groups I'm in that have driven me to read more of it.

I just had a major fallout on my spreadsheet!! 😢. I was working in it, trying to clean up some of the data on the tracker and I lost connection. I have lost all the data on the tracker below row 17!!!!
Thankfully I maintain an excel spreadsheet that I can get the basic data back in rather easily (book, author, rating, date read, country) but the other stuff will have to be hand entered. AGAIN!

None of the data was eliminated from the prompt tabs, so there's that saving grace. I think I might go read for awhile... or take a nap ...

Fuff... an almost-impossbile reading challenge? I'm in.

ETA: my spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

I'm going to start it as of June 4, which is my birthday! It'll take me some time to log all the books I've read since then.

I have signed up for it as well! I am new to reading challenges and I am completely a go with the flow reader, so this will be interesting. I have been meaning to broaden my reading horizons so I am looking forward to this.

Welcome Beth and Aved! So exciting to have more members joining the challenge and the discussion here 🤩

What a fun idea to start this challenge on your own birthday. Happy belated birthday, Beth.
Your spreadsheet is currently set to be viewed only by people with permission. If you set it to be shared with anyone, and that we could only view, not edit, it should open for us as well. Please see my comment above where I linked a helpful Youtube video that explains how to do it. 🙂

Aved, going with the flow is completely fine, and I think even the challenge creator encourages it herself. The most important is that we have fun with it. 📚😍

Janine wrote: "LinaVer wrote: "How is your progress so far?🙂"

Good thank you! July and August were bumper reading months for me so it gave me a good kickstart. I've completed three of the smaller challenges - su..."

Yes, I also think the sooner the smaller/easier challenges get done, the harder it will get. For some reason I am particularly dreading the 24 hour readathon, even though I’ve done readathons in this group now. I just don't think I can read several books in one day, unless they are super short or graphic novels. But then I also feel like cheating if I use something short, which is of course a trap I set for myself unnecessary 😆

I think I’ll also take inspiration from you and chose some nostalgic quote, maybe from Winnie the Pooh.

GailW wrote: "I just had a major fallout on my spreadsheet!! 😢. I was working in it, trying to clean up some of the data on the tracker and I lost connection. I have lost all the data on the tracker below row 17..."

I’m so sorry this happened to you, Gail!

GailW wrote: "I just had a major fallout on my spreadsheet!! 😢. I was working in it, trying to clean up some of the data on the tracker and I lost connection. I have lost all the data on the tracker below row 17..."

Gail, unless you've downloaded it to excel and been editing it offline, nothing is ever lost with google sheets! The benefit of google sheets is it tracks almost every edit you've made and is constantly auto saving. During one of the readathons on this group someone deleted a huge chunk of data and I was able to get it all back no problem. Find the clock with an arrow in the top right of your the sheet and click on that. That will show you a list of all the times you've edited it and a version for everytime. Click on one from before you accidentally deleted a bunch and you can choose to 'restore this version' or make a new copy based on that version.

Welcome Beth, good luck backfilling! It'll be fun to make lots of progress towards the challenge so quickly though.

And welcome Aved too!

Janine wrote: "GailW wrote: "I just had a major fallout on my spreadsheet!! 😢. I was working in it, trying to clean up some of the data on the tracker and I lost connection. I have lost all the data on the tracke..."

Thanks for the info Janine. I've spent decades working in excel and truly know very little about google docs. Unfortunately the the history function (which is likely really cool under other circumstances) didn't work for this issue because I didn't mistakenly delete anything. I received a message that stated "system disconnected" and when it came back many of the rows were missing. None of the historical versions were adequate because I was working on the file over a couple of days. So I did what I always do. I rebuilt the file in excel and then copy/pasted into the google doc. It should be fine going forward (fingers crossed!)

Oh that's a shame Gail, what a pain. Well done for rebuilding it! Hopefully things will go smoothly from now on.