The Sound of Madness Reading Challenge 2025 is here! Can you believe this is the fifth year already?! For the oldtimers, welcome back! For the newcomers, I hope you’ll have a lot of fun this year trying to fill out these music-based reading prompts as I had a lot of fun (and pain, so much pain) coming up with them.
As with previous years, I tried to pick songs that would allow me to include a wide selection of books, leave plenty of space for different interpretations, and not feature two songs by the same artist/band. On the whole, I’m super happy with this year’s results (although when I’m not? I’ve got excellent taste in music, thank you very much), and I can’t wait to share them with you all.
The rules are pretty simple: only books read in 2025 count, and you can join the challenge any time, so if you only discover it, say, in August, that’s fine, you can still play! Ideally, you can only use 1 book/prompt, but if you are less of an avid reader, then you can use 1 book for 2 prompts.
My aim with this challenge is just purely to have fun. As I didn’t pressure myself previously to fill it, I won’t do that this year either. I’ll read what I’ll read, then I will try to wiggle them into the prompts. I will also attempt to review as many of the books as I can, but…well. I’ll keep an update thread running on BlueSky, will update this post regularly (quarterly, as it were), and I also hope to create a lively channel for The Sound of Madness 2025 on my Discord server (if you are not part of it yet, but would like to join, please give me a shout!). Social media being what it is these days, that’s the best way to keep in touch with me, so please consider jumping on board! In 2024 I started a monthly newsletter, which is still going (the January edition will come, just…ugh…) so if you’d like to stay in the loop, I’d love it if you’d consider signing up HERE!
If you are on Storygraph, then there is The Sound of Madness Reading Challenge 2025 event for you to check your progress! JOIN HERE.
Please feel free to reach out if you need some ideas! I’m always happy to brainstorm.
Once again, everyone is welcome to join the fun. Feel free to shoot me a message so I can send you one of the cards below. We have two versions this year too. One is the usual list of prompts for those who’d like to add covers as they go, the other I’ll use for updates, so I can add the book titles and authors under the prompts for better visibility. This year I decided to rework it a bit so hopefully this will be more readable (and also give me more space).
All that being said, look at my glorious The Sound of Madness Reading Challenge cards for 2025:


Let’s get a closer look at them, shall we? I will have to let you know that I narrowed down a list of 184 songs to the final 25. And yes, I still made changes until the end, but I’m happy with the results.

NOTE: The interpretations for the prompts are my own. You are absolutely welcome to interpret the prompts however you wish! This should be fun and no one will come at you if you cheat a bit here and there 😉
All of the prompts are song titles, so I made a Spotify playlist which I’ll link below for extra fun 🙂 Make sure to check them out as I have a few personal favorites among them!
Strange Girl
Background: We had a year off without a Halestorm song, but now they are back. My favorite female-fronted rock band. Lzzy is basically my idol. Anyway. Strange Girl is from their 2022 album, Back from the Dead. Not one I listened to a lot, but hey, they are all good.
What the prompt is about: This prompt has quite a few options and has room for interpretations. Could be about a girl who is an outsider, a witch, a sorceress, a warrior, any female character that has something unique about her.
The book I picked:
Why:
Protector
Background: City Wolf is one of those musicians I got into in 2024, so I kind of had to feature him somehow. My pick fell on Protector from his self-titled debut EP from 2019.
What the prompt is about: Kind of self-explanatory. Every story needs a hero, a protector if you like. So read a story with one. It doesn’t have to be the MC or the main theme, it could be a side character protecting something/someone. It could be a book about someone who is waiting for a protector. Also could be about parent-child relationship.
The book I picked:
Why:
Adrenaline
Background: There is no Sound of Madness Reading Challenge without some bands making an appearance. And since I got the name from Shinedown, they practically have priority when it comes to prompt picking. This year it’s Adrenaline from their 2012 album, Amaryllis, which, for some reason is not up on Spotify. Huh.
What the prompt is about: This is going to be a fun one. Read a book that gives you that bit of adrenaline rush, you know, when you just keep turning the pages because you have to know what’s going to happen next. You can also pick a book where the characters do something that gives them adrenaline – fighting, racing, jumping from places, etc.
The book I picked:
Why:
I Run This Jungle
Background: Technically, I shouldn’t pick this song as I’m always trying not to feature the same musician/band feature twice, but this is a collaboration so we are bending the rules a bit. Plus I Run This Jungle is another song I got into in 2024 and I wanted to have it. My challenge, my rules, my friends. So this song is by Tone Assassin and City Wolf.
What the prompt is about: The obvious choice here would be a book set in a jungle or at least a forest. But it can be about a crime lord or someone running a gang, that kind of thing.
The book I picked:
Why:
Should Have Known Better
Background: Huh. I can’t quite believe I never picked a Hinder song before, but it’s better late than never. They are one of those bands from the 2000’s/2010’s when I fell in love with rock and roll. I stopped listening to them when the lead singer left the band. Should Have Known Better is from Welcome to the Freakshow, the last album Austin Winkler recorded with them. Not my favorite album from them, but it’s a good one.
What the prompt is about: For this prompt I’m thinking about a book with a character who makes the same mistakes, or makes a decision/action despite, well, knowing better.
The book I picked:
Why:
Dancing on Our Graves
Background: I had a VOILÁ song before, it’s a band a recently discovered and fell in love with. Anyway. This year I’m picking Dancing on Our Graves from them, which sounds a bit morbid, but hey, we are in an Asylum, deal with it.
What the prompt is about: This is going to be our spooky prompt! Anything goes from horror to zombies and ghosts, etc. If it includes graves, all the better. If you take it less literally, then it can be about someone whose vengeance was successful.
The book I picked:
Why:
Home
Background: There is no Sound of Madness without Breaking Benjamin either. This year my pick is Home from their 2002 album, Saturate. Which also happens to be their debut one. Good news for me, they are still active, and a new album is coming in 2025!
What the prompt is about: For those to whom it’s not blatantly obvious, the prompt is about (surprise!) home. It can be a book that’s set in the MC’s hometown, it can be about finding a home, etc.
The book I picked:
Why:
Own My Mind
Background: Maneskin is also a band I found in recent years when they won Eurovision – deservedly (for a change). My choice this year is Own My Mind from their 2023 album, RUSH!.
What the prompt is about: I think this prompt can prove to be a bit of a bitch, but hey, where would be the fun otherwise? So for own my mind, I’m thinking about a couple of things. It can be about a character who tries to control someone else’s mind, it could be about a character who knows their own mind – making decisions or it could be a book with mental health representation or even LGBTQ-themes.
The book I picked:
Why:
New Kings
Background: Sleeping Wolf is one of those bands that pop up on my Spotify playlists often these days. But I never really pay them a lot of attention. Apparently, I do like some of their songs though. New Kings is from their 20217 self-titled EP.
What the prompt is about: We can’t have a card without a royalty prompt, so here we go. Anything goes that includes kings, queens, kingdoms, and wannabe rulers.
The book I picked:
Why:
Blue Side of the Sky
Background: I had no idea who Sofia Carson was until I watched Purple Hearts on Netflix. And yes, I know it’s a cheesy AF movie, but I love the music in it. So I picked Blue Side of the Sky off the soundtrack.
What the prompt is about: The most obvious choice for this prompt would be a book that has blue on its cover. It could also be about a character who always sees the blue side of the sky in their endless optimism or a character who finds a happy ending.
The book I picked:
Why:
How Much is the Fish?
Background: Not going to lie, this is one of my favorite prompts this year. There was a time in my youth when I liked listening to Scooter. Actually, I still pick some of my favorites up every once in a while. How Much is the Fish? isn’t necessarily one of them, but it’s super fun as a prompt title. And to make you feel old too, I’ll let you know that the album, No Time to Chill was released in 1998. There, you are welcome.
What the prompt is about: A book that features the sea, a fisher (doesn’t have to be the main character), or it could be a book that features a market, or a deal.
The book I picked:
Why:
Mr. Vain
Background: I need to make a confession. When I started picking songs for this year’s reading challenge, I was half tempted to do a 90s-only version, but I just have too many new songs I loved last year and wanted to feature. But I still kept some of the 90s ones, like Mr. Vain by Culture Beat. I loved this song as a kid/teen. But I was today years old when I found out Culture Beat is a German band. Wow.
What the prompt is about: I can see this is probably going to be the prompt that will give a lot of us a headache. I’d say I’m sorry, but… I’m not. For this prompt pick a book that has a vain character, you know the one who thinks they are the shit. Alternatively, pick a book with a super fancy cover.
The book I picked:
Why:
Freed from Desire
Background: Another oldie but goodie from the late 90s. This song is from Gala’s debut album, which got pretty popular across Europe in 1997. It’s super catchy, if not too complicated.
What the prompt is about: As always, this is the joker spot. This is where absolutely anything goes you can’t fit into any other prompts. But if you want to do hard mode, then you can pick a book in which a character doesn’t want much to be happy. Or someone who got out of a bad relationship.
The book I picked:
Why:
I Think I Killed Rudolph
Background: Give That Wolf a Banana was hands down one of my alltime favorite prompts, so I decided that this year also needed a Subwoolfer song, and my choice fell on I Think I Killed Rudolph. You are welcome.
What the prompt is about: Let’s have a bit of fun with this one, shall we? You can read a book with humor, a holiday-themed book, or a book that turns tropes upside down. Alternatively, magical animals are also an option (though we’ll have a better fit for them), or a book with an accident that alters the story in some way.
The book I picked:
Why:
Miles Apart
Background: Poe the Passenger is one of my most recent discoveries, and I definitely will listen to them more. Naturally, I wanted to feature them on this list so I picked Miles Apart, from the Authenticate EP from 2018, which I think might be their debut one? Anyway. Worth checking out.
What the prompt is about: This prompt has some nice options to pick from: a character traveling between faraway places, two characters being far away from each other (either in time or place), two characters having very different personalities being miles apart, if you like.
The book I picked:
Why:
Sick Cycle Carousel
Background: I can’t even remember for how long I’ve known Lifehouse. It’s very likely they are among the first of my favorite bands, although I failed to keep up with them in recent years. But I still have fond memories of all of their early albums. I can’t fucking believe I never picked a song from them for the Sound of Madness. Sick Cycle Carousel is from their debut full length album, No Name Face from 2000 (JFC, I’m OLD).
What the prompt is about: This one might prove a bit difficult, but I trust in you, my friends. Not sure I can say that about myself, but I gave myself the power so I have to deal with the consequences too. Anyway. For this prompt I’m thinking a book with a character to whom wrong things keep happening. It can also be a book set in a circus/traveling troupe/etc. Doesn’t have to be a mean setting, but needs to appear.
The book I picked:
Why:
The Truth Is…
Background: I have an interesting relationship with Theory of a Deadman. They have some fun and catchy songs, they have a lot of typical rock songs, but they also have an absolutely amazing album, Wake Up Call from 2017. The Truth Is… one of their catchy ones, I’ve loved for a while now. It’s the title song of their 2011 album. Man, I need to go back and listen to that.
What the prompt is about: Truth can be a tricky thing, depending on who you ask. This prompt would be good for a mystery book (or any other genre, really) in which the truth is found, or if a book has a character who is pretty much a liar. Secrets, truths and the stories we tell ourselves are all game.
The book I picked:
Why:
Beer Never Broke My Heart
Background: I absolutely have no idea how this song came to be on my liked songs playlist, but here we are. I wish I could say more about it, but Spotify only tells me that Beer Never Broke My Heart is a song by Luke Combs and that it’s from his 2019 album, What You See Is What You Get.
What the prompt is about: This could be either very difficult or very easy, depending on what kind of books you read. It needs to feature a tavern/pub or drinking, or a character who keeps running away from things, fearing that their heart might get broken.
The book I picked:
Why:
Our Song
Background: P!nk is one of my other favorite female singer next to Lzzy Hale so I often feature her songs as prompts. This year it’s Our Song‘s turn from her latest album, Trustfall. It’s not one I listen to a lot, but probably I need to change that.
What the prompt is about: This prompt is going to be both of our love and music prompt this year. So anything goes that includes either or both in any form.
The book I picked:
Why:
Chalk Outline
Background: Ah, Three Days Grace, another old time love of mine from my early rocker days. Chalk Outline is from their 2012 album, Transit of Venus which also was the last one where Adam Gontier led the band. One of the biggest news last year was that Adam returned to the band and they are fronting together with Matt Walst, who replaced him. I might once again listen to a new Three Days Grace album. I saw them once live after he left the band, and while I always liked his voice in My Darkest Days, TDG just never sounded good with him. Adam had way too big boots to fill, and their new songs just weren’t all that powerful to me.
What the prompt is about: Read a mystery book, or one about a murder. Alternatively, if we focus on the chalk bit of the title, then you can read a book that features art or an artist.
The book I picked:
Why:
Immortals
Background: Hoo boy, I had such a hard time with this one. I had two songs competing for this place, with similar themes, but while Immortals gives a broader spectrum of options, the other song was from a band I love and eventually missed out on being featured. I even considered a third option just to save me from choosing. I picked Immortals in the end because 1) the random picker said so and 2) Fall Out Boy was only featured once while Poets of the Fall already got 2 appearances (a criminally low number, I’ll have to rectify next year). So this seemed to be the fair option. Fall Out Boy is one of those bands that I’ve known for a while, have a couple of their songs I listen to, but I’m not particularly a die hard fan. Anyway, Immortals is on their 2015 album, American Beauty / American Psycho. One of their albums that I actually listened to a lot back when (JFC, every year these songs I pick make me realise how old I am).
What the prompt is about: This is our mythology/creatures prompt this year! Gods, monsters, creatures, anything that’s legendary, and optionally immortal is game. Don’t necessarily have to be, but at least they should be hard to kill.
The book I picked:
Why:
Mother Nature
Background: If you love heavier rock music, then you most definitely should check The HU out. They are a Mongolian band that mixes metal with traditional Mongolian throat singing. It’s amazing. I featured some of their songs before and I couldn’t help myself picking something from them again. My choice this year is Mother Nature from their 2022 album, Rumble of Thunder.
What the prompt is about: Anything that features nature in some way – animals, weather, plants, planets. The options are endless. If Mother Nature kicks some human ass, all the better.
The book I picked:
Why:
Words As Weapons
Background: Seether is also among my oldest favorite bands and I have a nice list of songs I could listen to anytime. Luckily, I got to see them once live, when they came to Budapest (even met them in person!!), which was definitely a bucket list item for me. My choice this time is a song I really love, Words As Weapons from their 2014 (fuck me sideways, it can’t be that long ago) album, Isolate and Medicate. Love that album. I still remember listening for the first time. Ah, memories.
What the prompt is about: Words can be just as lethal as a blade, if wielded well. And so, your task with this prompt is to find a book, where a character has some choice words that comes back to haunt them, or causes issues for the receiver in the long term. It can be something said without thinking, or deliberate (like manipulating someone, or tearing down their self-esteem). But this prompt could be for those of you who love fantasy with magic, and features a character who uses chants, rites, commands to wield magic or other powers.
The book I picked:
Why:
Hey Brother
Background: So, funny story. When I put together the initial list of prompts, I originally picked Hey Brother by Jakob Samuel – I’m not entirely sure how that song found its way onto my liked songs playlist, but anyway. Then I went to look the song up for a bit of a background info and got reminded that Avicii had a song titled exactly the same. A song, I’m definitely more familiar with (funnily enough). Since electronic music isn’t my jam, there are like, 2 songs I know from him: this, and Wake Me Up (then again, who doesn’t know that song?). Netflix recently released a documentary about Tim’s life (haven’t watched it yet, planning to), so it feels a nobrainer that I decided to go with Avicii instead – not that it really matters, except if you want to listen to the playlist (see the link above in the post). Plus, I think the lyrics fit better with the theme I had in mind for this prompt. Hey Brother was released on his 2013 album, True.
What the prompt is about: To state the obvious, this prompt is about bonds, be it between brothers, friends, sisters, other family members, a tight group of adventurers, you name it.
The book I picked:
Why:
Viszlát nyár (Summer Gone)
Background: One of my biggest music-related regrets is that I never went to see AWS live while their original singer, Örs Siklósi was alive. He died a almost 4 years ago now, very suddenly, and I’m still kicking myself over it, even though I’ve never been a die hard fan of the band. I suspect they got my attention the same time they got a lot of other people’s – when they entered into the Hungarian elimination for Eurovision. Surprisingly (wasn’t expecting heavy metal to get that far) they won the national round so they got to the big stage and did well with Viszlát nyár in 2018. There is an English version, but I’m going to include the Hungarian one in the playlist. The song was part of their 2018 album, Fekete Részem (My Black Part) which I listened to a lot, even though heavy metal is a bit out of my comfort zone. But this guy has such a powerful voice. I don’t often feature Hungarian songs as prompts, but I was bound to pick this one sooner or later.
What the prompt is about: On the surface, this is a simple one – pick a book with a summer theme. But on the other hand, this song was written by Örs in memory of his father. So this song is about losses, about letting go, about grief, about pain. So you can pick a book with themes along those lines as well.
The book I picked:
Why:

And that concludes our list of prompts! It ended up as nicely eclectic as my tastes are. I admit I’m super proud of how it turned out.
I hope you’ll join me for a book and music-filled year and will have just as much fun as I had while coming up with it all! Let me know if you’d like to join and which of these prompts are your favorites!

Throughout the year I follow my progress on BlueSky with somewhat regular updates. You can check it all out HERE (link coming later, sorry).
STRANGE GIRL | PROTECTOR | ADRENALINE | I RUN THIS JUNGLE | SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER |
DANCING ON OUR GRAVES | HOME | OWN MY MIND | NEW KINGS | BLUE SIDE OF THE SKY |
HOW MUCH IS THE FISH? | MR. VAIN | FREED FROM DESIRE | I THINK I KILLED RUDOLPH | MILES APART |
SICK CYCLE CAROUSEL | THE TRUTH IS... | BEER NEVER BROKE MY HEART | OUR SONG | CHALK OUTLINE |
IMMORTALS | MOTHER NATURE | WORDS AS WEAPONS | HEY BROTHER | VISZLÁT NYÁR (SUMMER GONE) |
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So excited to join in this year since I’ve been including music into my blog a decent amount too! Also, added you on Blue Sky since I recently joined and hoping to use it this year. The prompts are SO good!! I know 2 songs which is funny because I know and like SO many of the bands in this list, but the songs you picked aren’t ones I’m familiar with so I am BUZZING to discover new songs and artists through this challenge this year! 🖤🎉
Yes! Welcome aboard! And I followed you back now! I’m using it more as well since Twitter went to die. Sad. Anyway. Glad you are liking the prompts and songs! I was just saying on my Discord server today that I’ve got impeccable taste in music and was happy with my final choices 😁😁 Let me know if you need any of the featured cards for your own updates. I can email them over or something. Feel free to message me either here or BlueSky 😊