This month my local library service has launched a reading challenge for adults that has me intrigued. Now, I've always struggled with reading books because I have to - prize winners and the latest "best-thing-since-... " tend to pass me by until all the hype dies down and unlike many librarians I've never felt comfortable with joining a reading group for personal reading although I've helped launch and pick books for many in my time and know they bring a lot of joy and satisfaction to many people.
It's probably my own control freak tendencies kicking in but I also tend to think - so many books, so little time, why force yourself to finish something just because? Having said that, contrary creature that I am, I do like a recommendation, a "have you tried" or an "I like this and thought it might appeal". In fact some of my favourite reads of the year have come via your blogs, twitter recommendations and the like - so thank you to everyone who takes the time to list what they've read, review it or even just add a picture of their bookshelves to their posts.
So what's intriguing about this challenge? It doesn't give you a list of specific books but of themes or starting points - a book set somewhere you have never been, a book you've lied about reading, a book that starts with a crime and so on for 25 different possibilities including the super-odd, a book the cat would approve of! As a down-side it looks like a lot of the chatty activity will be going on on Facebook and I don't play with Facebook but they have a blog and twitter too. So, as I seem to be reading a lot anyway at the moment I think I'm going to have a play. I'll keep track on here using the label "Library reading challenge 2019"and post links to anything shared on their site that I think others might like.
Watch this space....
There's a summer reading challenge in Suffolk for children every year but I've never heard of an adult challenge before......hope you find some new ideas for reading.........wonder if you will get a certificate at the end like the children do in Suffolk!
ReplyDeleteYep Warwickshire have always done something for the kids too and occasionally have experimented with similar things for adults too
ReplyDeleteI am dyslexic and find choosing books really difficult and tend to stick to an author I have heard of or a genre I am comfortable ie historical but I like you have recently been using recommendations from blogs that I have read. Most recently I have finished 'Sing me Home' which I really enjoyed. I look forward to reading about the books you choose. Jane
ReplyDeleteHi Jane, I'm glad you are finding new books to enjoy too and now I'm off to find out more about "Sing me home" so thank you!
DeleteHi Jane - is the author Annie Wilkinson?
Deletesorry I can't remember (my dyslexia has the side effect that I struggle to remember names) but if one of the main is called Zoe and there is a list of song titles to go the each chapter that's the one.
DeleteJust had a thought and googled it the author is Jodi Picoult. Happy reading.
Brilliant thank you
DeleteIt sounds like an interesting way to choose books. I'm in a reading group, but I only joined after checking that it wasn't going to be highbrow. It's more a social get together! Having done an English degree I only read for pleasure nowadays. Arilx
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