Tag: Reading Challenge

Want a reading challenge for 2017?

Throughout 2016 I’ve enjoyed participating in the reading challenge issued by the Mint Hill Branch of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Library. The year is quickly drawing to a close. I have not yet fully met the challenge, but I have four days left.

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I designed the following reading challenge for 2017:

  1. A book of poetry
  2. A Sci-Fi book
  3. A nonfiction book
  4. Books by 12 authors I’ve never read
  5. A novel set in each of the seven continents
  6. A novel by a North Carolina author
  7. A novel set in North Carolina
  8. Re-read a favorite book
  9. A book written in the 1700s
  10. A book written in the 1800s
  11. A book written in the 1900s
  12. A biography, autobiography, or memoir
  13. A book about a religion other than my own
  14. A book that might change my mind
  15. A book just for fun
  16. A book that will teach me a new skill
  17. A book that was originally written in a language other than English
  18. A book written in Spanish (a language I haven’t studied since 1973)
  19. A book published in 1953 (the year I was born)
  20. A book that is the first in a series I haven’t read any of before
  21. The second book in a series of which I’ve read the first book
  22. A book written by an author I’ve met
  23. A book of short stories
  24. A book published in 2017
  25. A book about the craft of writing historical fiction
  26. A Nobel Prize winner
  27. A political thriller
  28. A sequel to a book I’ve read

 2017 – My Goal and Objective

I used to set a goal of reading a book every week, but in 2017 I’m going for quality and variety instead of volume. My goal isn’t to check off every category. My reading goal is to expand into areas and subjects I might not normally consider. My personal objective in 2017 is to become less judgmental. I think reaching my reading challenge goal will enable me to accomplish my objective. It will, no doubt, be an objective I will never fully attain. I am a work in progress.

Join me for the 2017 reading challenge I’ve planned or design one of your own.  Tell your friends about my blog and my reading challenge. Let’s get some conversations going about the books we’re all reading!

Everyone in the world does not have equal access to books so, now more than ever, it is incumbent upon those of us blessed to live in free societies and those of us blessed to live in countries with free public libraries and/or the financial means to have access to books to make the most of that privilege.

Until my next blog post, I hope you have a good book to read. If you’re a writer, I hope you have productive writing time.

Janet

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How’s that 2016 reading challenge working for you?

On March 11 I blogged about the 2016 Reading Challenge offered by the Mint Hill Branch of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Library. I had already checked off three of the 19 categories and was optimistic about meeting the challenge of reading books from at least 12 categories this calendar year. Enter bronchitis, vertigo, shingles in my right eye, and now post-herpetic neuralgia from my eyelid to the top of my head. 2016 will be half over in a few days, and I have only checked off five categories.

To refresh your memory, here are the 19 categories from the Mint Hill Library:

A book that became a movie;
A book published in 2015;
A book with a number in the title;
A nonfiction book;
A Pulitzer prize winning book;
A book more than a hundred years old;
A book that might scare you;
A book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit;
A book set in the future;
A book written by an author with your same initials;
A banned book;
A book from your childhood;
A book with a color in the title;
A book based on a true story;
A popular author’s first book;
A book set in a different country;
A funny book;
A mystery or thriller; and
A book with a one-word title.

I hope your reading thus far this year has far exceeded mine. With my vision returning to normal, it’s time for me to play catch-up!

Please feel free to leave a comment about the books you’ve been reading and if you find a reading challenge helpful or interesting.

Thank you for your patience while I have been ill and unable to blog on a regular basis. Look for my blog on Fridays. That’s my plan for a while.

Reading challenges

Some public library systems or branch libraries within larger systems issue reading challenges to encourage diversity in reading. A branch of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library that I frequent, the Mint Hill Public Library, has issued such a challenge for 2016.

The library in Mint Hill invites patrons to “Celebrate 2016 by reading 12 different kinds of books.” Bookmarks are provided listing 19 kinds of books from which to choose 12 types.

I enjoyed selecting the 12 kinds of books I wanted to make a conscious effort to read this year to satisfy the requirements for meeting this challenge. No matter where you live, you might enjoy participating in this exercise. It will be a good way to make yourself read some books (or at least one!) that you might not have otherwise chosen.

Here are the 19 categories of books in the Mint Hill Public Library Reading Challenge:

A book that became a movie;
a book published in 2015;
A book with a number in the title;
A nonfiction book;
a Pulitzer prize winning book;
A book more than a hundred years old;
A book that might scare you;
A book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit;
A book set in the future;
A book written by an author with your same initials;
A banned book;
A book from your childhood;
A book with a color in the title;
A book based on a true story;
A popular author’s first book;
A book set in a different country;
A funny book;
A mystery or thriller; and
A book with a one-word title.

How many of the 19 will you read in 2016? I’ve already checked off three categories — a book with a number in the title, a book with a color in the title, and a nonfiction book. I invite you to join me in this reading challenge.