The Ultimate Stardew Valley Readathon: A Year in the Valley

In January 2025, I discovered a new to me reading challenge called A Year in the Valley. This challenge is based off the hit, cozy game, Stardew Valley.

I took one look at the prompts, goals, and rewards and immediately wanted to participate. Follow along as I journey through the world in 2025.

What is Stardew Valley?

Stardew Valley is a charming indie farming simulation game where you take on the role of a character who inherits a run-down farm from their grandfather in the small town of Pelican Town. Your goal is to restore the farm by growing crops, raising animals, mining resources, fishing, and crafting items.

The game also emphasizes building relationships with the town’s residents, participating in festivals, and uncovering secrets in the nearby caves. With its open-ended gameplay, you can pursue various activities at your own pace, making it a relaxing yet immersive experience. It’s beloved for its pixel-art style, cozy atmosphere, and endless replayability.

Learn more at the Stardew Valley website.

Who hosts A Year in the Valley?

While A Year in the Valley is unaffiliated with the Stardew Valley game, it does pull from the game's elements to create monthly reading challenges and one larger community challenge.

Hosted by Mayor Amelia and Farmer Jeremy, A Year in the Valley is considered, in my opinion, one of the best pop culture based reading challenges. While I participate in a few other more complex reading challenges, the beauty of A Year in the Valley is it's "intense" simplicity. I say "intense" because you don't have any month's off...but it's simple to understand and complete the challenges. The hosts have also added other challenges, such as Building a Snowman (sharing your favorite things) and Self-Care Prompts.

Mayor Amelia and Farmer Jeremy have also found creative ways to bring the game to life in this challenge.

How can I join A Year in the Valley?

To join the reading challenge, I suggest joining the official Discord server here. This is where you can find the latest challenge, updates, submit to receive your rewards, and more.

I am also creating the "reading" side of each challenge on StoryGraph. Anyone is welcome to join the challenges and I will update this post every time a new challenge is shared.

A Year in the Valley Graphics

If you enjoy reading journaling, one of the other participants, Subito22, has created graphics for each challenge. I will add them to this Google Drive once available. Feel free to download and use these throughout the year.

The Marginalia Writer