Tag Archives: reading challenge

Books

Library Thoughts: Challenge your Reading!

Thinking-07

We like to read books!

We like to talk about them too!!

(I mean – we’ve got two whole podcasts about them: a book group podcast Reading With Libraries and our quickie look at books in Book Bites.)

Yeah, that’s not a secret or anything. Hopefully most people who are in the library field like to read and talk about books.

 

But, you know.

Sometimes you just get into a rut, and there you are – reading the same things over and over again.

Oh, the happy hours I’ve spent listening to Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson series. I’ve listened to every book more than five times, I’m sure. I’ve listened while driving across town and across the country, walking, cleaning, hiking, flying – anything you can do while hearing sound. They are just great, and I look forward to re-listening to all of them again before the next book in the series comes out.

That’s great. But sometimes you want to try new things, to find new books, to reach out beyond just hearing about werewolf pack politics.

(I mean, I guess you do???)

 

One thing that has really helped me to find some cool new books is  doing challenges on Goodreads.  I’ve found so many fun challenges, and so many fun new books that I would not have sought out if not for the gentle push a challenge gives me – it’s great!

One of the most popular is the Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge hosted on Goodreads. They provide you with 40 prompts for the challenge, and ten additional “advanced challenge” prompts. You find a book that fits into the prompt, and read that one.

It’s easy! It’s fun! You find all kinds of new books!!

What kinds of books will you read? The diversity of book ideas available  is amazing!

Here are a few of the prompts for 2019:

  • A book made becoming a movie in 2019
  • A book that makes you nostalgic
  • A book written by a musician (fiction or nonfiction)
  • A book with at least one million ratings on Goodreads
  • A book with a plant in the title or on the cover
  • A reread of a favorite book
  • A book about a hobby
  • A book you meant to read in 2018
  • A book with POP, SUGAR, or CHALLENGE in the title
  • A book with an item of clothing or accessory on the cover
  • A book inspired by myth/legend/folklore
  • A book published posthumously

Are you already thinking about some books? Wondering where you would ever find those books??

Great!!

As for finding them – you can get all kinds of suggestions on the Goodreads page, or google a prompt and get rewarded with a ton of suggestions there!

You can record your books on the Goodreads page (you need a free account, if you are not already there), or just use a handy chart to track books yourself. Don’t want to make a handy chart? No worries! You can copy a nice one from any of a bunch of Goodreads members who have already made them. Click here.

This challenge has been going on for a few years – with new prompts each year. You can check out some of the past years here, and if you feel inspired to read any of those prompts: go for it!!

As with everything we do here, there are no right or wrong books. It’s just good to read. We don’t care about format, about re-reading, about reading above or below your usual level, or what you “should” be reading. (That last one makes me grit my teeth in annoyance, so definitely not that one!)We don’t care if you read 50 books, or two.

Just read books. Enjoy them. Share them with your community.

Books are good. Let’s read some together!

 

(If you want to follow my challenge, let me know and I’m happy to share my Google chart with you. Let’s read some fun books!!)

poster, Programs, School Media Specialist

High School Reading Challenge

New year, new reading challenge!

CMLE has set up a High School Reading Challenge for you to share with your high school students! On Goodreads, we have set up a challenge to read ten books (one for each month of the school year, and a bonus book). You can share this with your high school students, encouraging people to read for the fun of it or have a contest in your library to encourage the idea of competition. Feel free to give away little prizes for people who finish all ten, or giveaways for people who finish each of the ten categories!

You can use our flyer What are You reading__ CMLE High School reading challenge, or design one of your own to promote it.

Reading!

Books!

Having library fun!!

These are all good things!!!

One of your basic tasks is to promote reading, and the fun (or value) of reading books you enjoy. This is a chance for people to try out some books they will have fun reading, or books that they can try reading for their classes, or that will be useful to something they want to learn or to try.

Let’s go read!!!

Books, Training

Training Tips: High School Reading Challenge

What kinds of neat things are you trying in your library?

It’s a new school year, and we want to help you to try some new things, and to connect your resources with your community members!

CMLE has set up a High School Reading Challenge for you to share with your high school students! On Goodreads, we have set up a challenge to read ten books (one for each month of the school year, and a bonus book). You can share this with your high school students, encouraging people to read for the fun of it, or have a contest in your library to encourage the idea of competition. Feel free to give away little prizes for people who finish all ten, or giveaways for people who finish each of the ten categories!

You can use our flyer What are You reading__ CMLE High School reading challenge, or design one of your own to promote it.

Reading!

Books!

Having library fun!!

These are all good things!!!

One of your basic tasks is to promote reading, and the fun (or value) of reading books you enjoy. This is a chance for people to try out some books they will have fun reading, or books that they can try reading for their classes, or that will be useful to something they want to learn or to try.

Let’s go read!!!

Books, CMLE, Programs

Let’s read! Join a CMLE 2018 Goodreads book challenge!

check out this reader! he’s on top of his TBR pile of books! great work Carson!!

We love to read books!

You love to read books!

Let’s all read books this year!!

Building on people’s interest in the books we suggest in our Books And Beverages podcast, we have started two book challenges for everyone in 2018.

Here are a few FAQs you might ask:

Are these high-pressure, high-volume challenges?? NO!

  • One challenge will read 25 books (50 if you get ambitious); the other reads 30. If you don’t get them all? *shrug* Read what you enjoy!

Will everyone point and laugh at me if I read books about vampires or YA books instead of The Important Classics?? NO!

  • Actually – we’ll look forward to your recommendations! We like fun books here, and that can include anything that sounds fun to you, including important classics AND vampires.

I never know what to read next. Can I get some recommendations? YES!

  • We want this to be easy, so one book challenge actually follows our book group podcast topics; you can listen to the suggestions everyone gives, then read a fun book for yourself.

I’m pumped up and ready to read!! Where do I find these so-fun book challenges?

  • CMLE Reading Challenge: Read through our 25 reading prompts for an interesting year in discovery of ideas; read two of each for 50 chances to try more new things and to hear what people have to say in different ways.
  • CMLE Book Group Podcast Reading Challenge: We have a book group podcast, Books And Beverages, and each week we talk about a different genre. For this challenge, you can read a book from each of the first 30 genres we are discussing. If you need book suggestions, you can listen to the handy podcast episode for all kinds of ideas! Join our book group podcast here.