HAPPY NEW YEAR & WELCOME BACK TO ANOTHER YEAR OF THE ASIAN READING CHALLENGE! 🎋🍚💫
INTRODUCTION
I’m beyond excited to officially announce that the Year of the Asian Reading Challenge is back! I welcome you all to join my co-hosts CW, Vicky, Shealea, and me for another year of loving, celebrating, and boosting Asian authors, and Asian books. ✨
Stay in touch with us throughout the challenge:
- CW @ The Quiet Pond | twitter: @artfromafriend
- Vicky @ Vicky Who Reads | twitter: @vickycbooks
- Shealea @ Shut Up, Shealea | twitter: @bookshelfbitch
- & me! | twitter: @sprnklsofdreams

GUIDELINES
The aim of this challenge is to read as many books written by Asian authors as you can! These books can be backlist titles (i.e. released in 2019 or earlier), new releases, and ARCs. We welcome books of any genre, any format, and any length. Check out the levels we have made for this challenge (I drew them too!) and set your sights on a level you want to achieve.
In order for a book to count, you must start and finish it within 2020; the challenge will end on the 31st of December of this year. (This means that books started in 2019 and finished in 2020 do not count!) Likewise, any books started in 2020 and finished in 2021 do not count either.
We want this to be a relaxing and, above all else, fun challenge, so you can join in at any time in the year! The sign-up form will remain open until 2020 ends.
Follow us on Twitter (@YearOfTheAsian) for announcements, surprises, and more bookish fun. The official hashtag for this reading challenge is #YARC2020.

HOW TO JOIN
- Announce your intention to participate in YARC in any online platform (e.g. blog, Twitter, Goodreads) and create a progress tracker. Place the link to your progress tracker in our sign-up form below.
- If you’re a blogger, announce your participation via blog post, which will serve as your update post. Please make sure to link back to this sign-up post so that other people can join in, too!
- If you’re a reader without a blog, you can either create a Goodreads shelf that’s dedicated to the books for this challenge, or create a Twitter thread for tracking. Use the hashtag (#YARC2020) for the latter! Please make sure to link back to this sign-up post so that other people can join in, too!
- Select your target level and grab your badge! Display your badge on your blog, or share it on social media.
- Start reading and keep track of your progress!
- Share your updates on social media using the official hashtag: #YARC2020.

CHALLENGE LEVELS
Everyone who participates begins at the first challenge level, the Phillipine Tarsier. Each time you read the next tier of the challenge level, you move onto the next one! I had the pleasure of drawing the animals featured in the badges for each Challenge Level (and I wanted to get different animals from different parts of Asia!), and I hope you all like it!
Philippine tarsier: 1-10 books ⭐️ Indian cobra: 11-20 books ⭐️ Malayan tapir: 21-30 books
Giant panda: 31-40 books ⭐️ Asian elephant: 41-50 books ⭐️ Bengali tiger: 50+ books
And here are the cute badges you get to wear proudly, with each level you reach!

MORE CHALLENGE FUN
MONTHLY LINK-UPS & GIVEAWAY
[What is a monthly link-up? ‘A monthly link-up’ is essentially a way for you to share your participation and a way for us to keep track of who is participating!]
- Monthly link-ups will be posted by Shealea on the 2nd day of every month and will close on the 15th day of the next month (e.g. the January form will expire on February 15).
- For the monthly link-up, you can submit any of the following links:
- Your updated progress tracker (e.g. blog post, Goodreads shelf, Twitter thread).
- Your review of an Asian book that you read for that month. This could be a review on your blog, on Goodreads, on Amazon, or anywhere online. The review itself does not have to be elaborate; any length will do.
- Every link you submit is counted as an entry for the mysterious grand giveaway, which will be drawn once the year ends. (It’s mysterious because we’ll be revealing the prize later on. Be patient!)
MONTHLY PROMPTS & RECOMMENDATIONS
- We’ve prepared fun prompts for each month of the year!
- Take note that you are free to read whatever you want, but if you want to make this challenge a bit more difficult and exciting, then participate in these prompts.
- Because we are the kindest souls ever and we love talking about books written by Asian authors, we will pick three featured books based on the monthly prompts. These featured books will be included in the monthly link-up posts.
- CW, Vicky, and I will also post a list of recommendations every 1st day of the month to help you build up your TBR.
TWITTER CHATS
- We will be hosting a fun #YARC2020 Twitter chat in January, February, and then quarterly.
- The host for #YARC2020 is @YearOfTheAsian, so don’t forget to give us a follow on that account!
DAYS & DATES TO REMEMBER
Every first of the month: list of recommended books (for the monthly prompt)
Every second of the month: release of monthly link-up post
Every 15th of the month: closing of previous monthly link-up post
December 31, 2020: last day of the reading challenge
January 1, 2021: announcement and contacting of giveaway winner

Find my co-hosts’ YARC posts!

SIGN UP FORM
Link to sign-up form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdxUokksRduIByuxtg951cfZjg_81srImp3qV3gH0xdTvAOYA
We can’t wait to have another great year with you all! Keep an eye out for this month’s book recommendation post on my blog soon! 💛💛
Have you signed up for #YARC2020? (There’s only one acceptable answer, okay.)
Any books you already have in mind for this year’s challenge?
Which level are you aiming for? 🌟
Bloglovin’ – Goodreads – Instagram – Tumblr – Twitter
LILY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU’RE BACK! You’ve been very missed! I hope you are doing well! I didn’t partake in this last year, so i think I might give it a try this year 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
JENNA, HI! 💗
You’re so sweet, I can only whole-heartedly return the sentiment 🥺 And I’m so happy you’ll be joining us this year! Do you have a level in mind? 🙂
Wishing you a Happy 2020 ✨🥳
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m thinking the first level, simply because my goal is 40 books this year and I already have a list of books I want to get to this year 🙂
LikeLike
I didn’t take part in this last year but it looks amazing!! I can’t wait to take part this year!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ahh yay, so happy to have you join us this year, Kerys!! Which level are you aiming for? 🙂
Happy 2020 to you ✨💜
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m aiming for the Indian cobra level! it seems reasonable since I don’t normally read many Asian books!
LikeLike
I joined in with YARC in 2019, but I need to actually check-up on how many books I managed in the end…then I will join for 2020 too! So glad that it will be running again this year!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You can join in anytime, and I’m super excited to see which books you read for last year’s challenge, Christina! 🙂
I’m super glad that we’re back as well, and excited to have you with us again!! 💗
I hope you’re having a wonderful new year 🥳
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, this is cool! I look forward to seeing the recommendations ❤ 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much, Norrie! ☺️
Wishing you the happiest of new years 🎉✨
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yay, I’m so excited to see this post!! I regretted not participating last year, so I think I’m going to do so this year- I really can’t wait, this is amazing.☺️💛
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ahh yay, I’m so, so happy you’re partaking in the challenge this year, Olivia! 💗 I can’t wait to scream about Asian books together 🥺🥺
LikeLiked by 1 person
So excited for this!! I didn’t join last year but this time I will! I decided to go with tarsier (starting small!)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Uhhh a quick question? Do the books that count for the challenge have Asian MCs? I’m currently binging a series by an Asian author with a white MC…haha, it totally makes sense anyway if not!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ooh which book series is it? And yes, all books written by Asian authors count 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa! I heard it used to be popular!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m so happy to hear that, so excited you’re joining the challenge, Miri 🥰
Looking forward to seeing you ace the challenge, and display the tarsier badge, hehe. ✨
LikeLiked by 1 person
I admire and respect your passion doing this SO much, it’s amazing, I really love it!! ❤️✨
Hope you have an incredible 2020, love 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s so sweet of you, Sofii! 🥺✨ Thank you so much, wishing you the same 💜💜
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh this sounds amazing! Love the super cute illustrations you did! And one I kinda wanna teach at least level two to get the cute Kobra 🐍😅💛
I’m really looking forward to all the recommendations!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you ahh that’s so kind of you! The illustrations were done by my lovely co-host CW! She’s incredible. 🥺💛
Can’t wait to share the recommendations with you, and see which books you’ll choose to slay the challenge. 🥰
LikeLike
I’m really so excited for this! I didn’t quite reach my goal last year, but I’m looking forward to trying again in 2020!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ahh Kat!! 🧡 No matter what your goal was, every single book you read for this challenge is one to be proud of! ☺️
I hope you have a wonderful 2020, and I’m excited to face this challenge with you again. ✨✨
LikeLiked by 1 person
So excited that this is back again!!! I had a lot of fun with it last year and you know I always love reading Asian books 😎 Love you always!! 💕
LikeLiked by 1 person
Me too! 🥺 I’m so happy you enjoyed participating last year, and I can’t wait to buddy read books with you again this year! 💖💖
Love you long time, b!!! 💕💕
LikeLike
So happy to see you on my feed again, I hope you’re doing well! 🥰 I’m also VERY excited that YARC is back, I cannot wait to join in again and prepare my TBR for the year 💕 I think I’m aiming for the Indian cobra again like last year 🐍
LikeLiked by 1 person
Aww I’m glad to be back again, thank you so much, Caro! ☺️☺️
And yay, I can’t wait to see which books you’ll read, you totally got this!! 💕
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m so glad you guys are bringing it back this year! Last year I participated, and somehow passing what I hoped to reach for by the end of the year. I’ll be participating in this once again.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s amazing, and I’m so happy you’re joining us again, Lori! Best of luck, and happy reading! ☺️✨
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] @ Sprinkles of Dreams | Twitter: […]
LikeLike
[…] The goal of this readathon is to read as many books my Asian authors as possible. Each month, the hosts will give some reading prompts for a more challenging readathon, or you can just try and read whatever you want! I’m aiming for at least 30 which would give me the Malayan Tapir award! Though the Asian Elephant badge is so adorable I really want to try for that one… If you’d like to join, check out the readathon Twitter page (@YearOfTheAsian) to get all the details! Or, you can check out any of the blogs above to see all the sign up info (e.g. Sprinkles of Dreams sign up post). […]
LikeLike
This looks so so soo lovely! This is my first year hearing about this challenge, and it just looks amazing. I’d love to participate! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much, Charis! 🙂
I’m looking forward to seeing your progress, and I’m super excited you’re joining us!! ✨
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m participating for the first time this year! I have zero expectations, but I’m hoping for a cobra (she looks very cute and it seems an achievable goal)!! ^^
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ahh yay, so excited for you, Marta!! You got this ☺️
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] signed up for the “Year of the Asian Reading Challenge 2020“! I’m at the Tapir level (21-30 books) which might be a bit of a stretch, but tapirs […]
LikeLike
[…] really diving into reading more by Asian authors! That’s why I’m participating in the Year of the Asian Reading Challenge 2020. I’m aiming for the Indian Cobra but I have quite a few books on my Kindle and physical shelf […]
LikeLike
[…] challenge, so I’m very excited to join again!! You can find out more info about YARC2020 here or here or here or here! (I recommend checking out all 4 blogs because they’re all fantastic.) This year […]
LikeLike
[…] my main bookish goals this year is to also read diversely I thought it’d be perfect to join The Year of the Asian 2020 Reading Challenge to hold myself accountable! #YARC is hosted by CW @ The Quiet Pond, Vicky @ Vicky Who Reads, […]
LikeLike
Ahh Lily!! Hi! I’ve missed you so much! ❤ It's great to see that you and the other ladies are hosting another year of the asian reading challenge! Although I wasn't quite able to reach my goal last year, I'm hoping to join again this year! I might aim for reaching the Philippine tarsier or Indian cobra since I'm not sure how much I'll be able to read this year, with Dental Hygiene school starting.
I hope you're having an amazing 2020 so far, love! ❤
LikeLike
[…] books can be backlist titles (i.e. released in 2019 or earlier), new releases, and ARCs. Check out Lily’s post for further information about the […]
LikeLike
I’m so excited for this! Participating in YARC last year did so much to get me reading more diversely, and I can’t wait to do so again this year.
LikeLike
[…] Click here to learn more about this challenge & join in! […]
LikeLike
[…] to take part in the Year of The Asian Reading Challenge hosted by these 4 lovely ladies: Lily @ Sprinkles of Dreams, CW @ The Quiet Pond, Vicky @ Vicky Who Reads, and Shealea @ Shut Up, Shealea. Check out Lily and […]
LikeLike
[…] Challenge, hosted again by CW at The Quiet Pond (who also made all of the lovely graphics), Lily at Sprinkles of Dreams, Shealea at Shut up Shealea, and Vicky at Vicky Who […]
LikeLike
[…] ⭐️ Sprinkles of Dreams | Year of the Asian Reading Challenge #YARC2020 // Welcome & Introduction […]
LikeLike
[…] YARC 2020 […]
LikeLike
[…] of my fave blogs are Sprinkles of Dreams | The Orangutan Librarian | Bookmark Your Thoughts | Drizzle and Hurricane books | Whimsy Pages | […]
LikeLike
[…] have much debated joining reading challenges and readathons, such as the pondathon and the year of the asian reading challenge. And I had decided not to, even after seeing the countless sign ups for this. I thought that I […]
LikeLike
[…] YARC 2020 […]
LikeLike
[…] @ sprinklesofdreams | twitter: […]
LikeLike
[…] reading challenge is hosted by lily, cw, vicky, and shealea. the goal is to read as many books by asian authors as you can this year. […]
LikeLike
[…] Who Reads, as a teenager and has championed diverse voices ever since. She’s a co-host of the Year of Asian Reading Challenge and an avid […]
LikeLike
oh nooooo!!! this seems so fun!! but its already november – so i dont think it makes sense to join now 🥺🥺 its almost 2021 though, so hopefully i can join then 🙂 happy reading, and stay safe ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person