#Indiecember Reading Challenge

A fellow indie author, Megan Tennant, put together a reading challenge for the month of December. Basically, the challenge is to read great indie books, write some reviews, and win prizes.

Yes, prizes! As of writing this, more than thirty authors have added their books and merch to the prize pool, and there's over $150 in cash prizes. (And if you want a free book right now make sure to read to the end.)

Participating is easy. All you need to do is post reviews this December for indie books you've read and haven't yet reviewed. The set up is a lot like Bingo--fill in a square for each review you post to get five in a row, or fill in as many squares as possible for each review and try to cover the entire grid. That's the basic idea, but check out the rules for all the details.

Book Recommendations

You don't need to read all the books this month, just post the reviews. However, if you haven't read a ton of indie titles, I've put together a list of books which will help you win the challenge.

Moonborn by D.F. Lovett
When Ishmael lands on the Moon to ghostwrite the autobiography of Adam Moonborn, first man born on the Moon, he learns the job is not as straightforward as it seemed. They soon embark on a mission to destroy all of the Moon’s rogue robots, whom Moonborn holds responsible for the death of his family and the impending downfall of civilization. A tale of hubris and redemption, The Moonborn reimagines Melville's Moby-Dick, on the Moon, in the future.

Stellar Detective Tales: The Hunt for the Living Shadow by Scott Markley
In the year 2073, Earth, suffering from overcrowding, energy shortages, and planetary disaster, sent 8 million people aboard a colony ship towards Proxima Beta, the nearest habitable planet. For 100 years this ship, the NEW YORK, better known to its inhabitants as ‘The NAWK’, has traveled in relative peace. But with 900 years to go, cracks are beginning to form in the perfect society. It is into the warm pot Detective Leslie Flynt finds himself thrust into the life of Officer Samuel Teegs, becoming a member of the thin blue line in a century he’s never even imagined.

Quality DNA by Beth Martin
In 2059, every person’s DNA is recorded in the Genome Database. Even though Annette’s perfect baby girl was the product of a one night stand, she knows the database will give her the name of the sexy stranger who fathered her child. Instead, her baby’s DNA matches that of a man she’s never met who died several years ago.

Irene works at the Social Department and is assigned Annette’s case. When more and more instances of births that don’t make sense and babies who shouldn’t exist cross her desk, she realizes there’s something deeper going on. Her investigation sucks her into a sinister organization with a single goal in mind.


Misguided matchmaking. Deranged medical experiments. Outright terrorism. All in the name of finding one elusive thing: Quality DNA.

Outliers by S.M. Pearce
Everybody knows that Earth is an uninhabitable wasteland. The last of humanity has lived on Mozaan--a healthy, domed chunk of land suspended above Earth--for almost two hundred years. Renee thought life on Mozaan was good. It had been, until the night they came.


Renee and her friends each have a strange ability--which they hadn't hid well enough to save them from the Takers. When Renee's life and family are destroyed, she and her friends must live in hiding if they want to survive. But, can they hide forever? The Takers are coming, and Renee is about to discover new, jarring truths about Mozaan, Earth, and herself.

Numbers Game by Rebecca Rode
In futuristic America, everyone wears a number. Treena's as ready for Rating Day as anyone can be—she's a top contender in Level Three school and has a highly-rated boyfriend. But when her number is announced, it shocks everyone.


To get her life and boyfriend back, Treena must go undercover and expose a military spy. Doesn’t sound too hard, except that someone wants her dead. And then there’s Vance, the mysterious soldier with a haunted past and gorgeous brown eyes. Together, they discover a dark numbers conspiracy, one that shatters the nation’s future. Treena must join up with Vance if she is to survive the dangerous game of numbers—and the terrible war that rages within her heart.

Free Books

I think this challenge is an excellent idea, but I know that asking people to purchase a bunch of indie books can cost a bit of money. So if you want to participate in the Indiecember Challenge and would like to read In the Lurch or Quality DNA, shoot me an email at BethMartinBooks@gmail.com and I'll send you a free eBook review copy of your choice.

I'd love to know if you're participating in the challenge, and don't forget to follow #Indiecember on Twitter and Instagram. If you need help writing your reviews, check out my guide on how to write a book review.