Read 25 in 2025
Gretchen Rubin partnered with Bookshop.org, the online marketplace that supports indie bookstores, for her annual group challenge which, this year, is to read 25 minutes a day in 2025.
Webby Submission:
Gretchen Rubin and Bookshop.org team up to celebrate the joy and value of daily reading
Throughout the year Gretchen Rubin and Bookshop.org highlighted all the great ways to bring the joy of reading into your life with monthly resources, challenges, content, and tips to help people build the valuable habit of setting aside time to read every day.
Each year on the Happier with Gretchen Rubin podcast, Gretchen issues a challenge to herself and listeners. This yearly challenge started in 2020, with “Walk 20 in ‘20”: Walk for 20 minutes each day in 2020. Since then, thousands of people have joined the annual challenge as a practical, manageable way to boost happiness and build positive habits.
Research shows that reading is good for us: it benefits mental health, sharpens the brain, makes us more empathetic, helps us learn, and increases our tolerance for uncertainty. And most importantly, it’s fun! More reading for all in 2025!
12 monthly mini-challenges offer readers practical tips and inspiration to keep up their reading all year long
JANUARY CHALLENGE
Build a List of Books to Read
If you’re trying to build the habit of reading, it helps to have a list of books you’re eager to read. This series of daily SMS prompts encouraged participants to build a list of books to read throughout the year.
FEBRUARY CHALLENGE
Fall in Love with Your Next Novel Quiz
This fun quiz helped readers determine a type of novel fitted to their mood and taste, and provided some specific title recommendations to explore.
MARCH CHALLENGE
Women’s History Month Bingo
Gretchen Rubin and Bookshop.org teamed up on a fun way to celebrate women authors and help readers get more reading done. Can you get a bingo?
APRIL CHALLENGE
Golden Bookmark Sweepstakes Supporting Independent Bookseller Month
Bookshop.org hosted a Golden Bookmark Sweepstakes to celebrate their 5th Anniversary, and the grand prize was truly a book lover’s dream: free books for life, in the form of a $500 gift card every year!
Along with their sweepstakes entry, entrants could nominate their favorite independent bookstore for a chance to win a $500 donation courtesy of Bookshop.org.
MAY CHALLENGE
Build Your Summer Reading List
Crafted to help readers design their summer reading list, this series of daily prompts offered 7 ideas for finding great titles to enjoy wherever readers were spending the season—on the beach, in the backyard, and anywhere in between.
JUNE CHALLENGE
Read 25 Day
As part of the Read 25 in 2025 challenge, Gretchen Rubin and Bookshop.org hosted a nationwide gathering on Wednesday, June 25th, for a special 25-minute silent reading experience, followed by lively discussions about the books that captivated us.
182 independent bookstores participated across 42 states.
Press for the event was exclusively covered by People.
Participants tagged us on social with #Read25Day
JULY + AUGUST CHALLENGE
Summer Reading Challenge and the new Happier app Reading Tool
Gretchen Rubin joined Bookshop.org in their annual Summer Reading Challenge, which encouraged readers to read every day from July 15 to August 13.
This year, participants could also capture their daily reading using the brand new Summer Reading Challenge tool in the Happier™ app.
SEPTEMBER CHALLENGE
Fall in Love with Your Next Novel Quiz - Fall Edition
Updated with recommendations for the fall season, this popular quiz helped people find the next novel they should read.
OCTOBER CHALLENGE
Banned Book Bingo
Gretchen Rubin and Bookshop.org teamed up to create prompts celebrating banned books and designed to help readers get more reading done. Can you get a bingo?
NOVEMBER CHALLENGE
Best Books to Give as Gifts
Coming soon! Gretchen Rubin and the Bookshop.org team are asking for reader suggestions: What are your favorite books to give to others?
DECEMBER CHALLENGE
Celebrate Reading
Coming soon!
Stay tuned! We are gathering all the numbers and will update this section in November.
THE NUMBERS
Coming soon!
Coming soon!
Coming soon!