Up for the Challenge

As long as you’re not asking me to run more than three miles or spend more than an hour pulling weeds, I’m generally up for a challenge.

That’s why my interest piqued when, at the start of the year, the Mercer County Library System introduced the 2023 Reading Challenge.

The idea is to read 25 books over the course of the year, with one book falling into each of the established 24 categories, plus one bonus category in the challenge.

Some of the categories might seem easier than others to accomplish, such as reading a book on the New York Times Bestsellers list or a book published this year. But others, such as a book of poetry or the health, fitness or self-help category are tougher - at least for me.

To me, one of the best aspects of the Reading Challenge is it takes you out of your comfort zone and helps you discover new genres you might not otherwise read. Normally I would not think about picking up a book of poetry or a graphic novel, but thanks to the challenge I’ve done both. There are also some quirky categories as well, such as a book with a color in the name, a book that’s a guilty pleasure, and a book with a one word title.

Over the past couple of years, many of the books that I have been reading have been from one of the two book clubs I currently take part in - the MCLS Tuesday Book Club, which is held on Facebook, and the Sports Book Group that is held at the Hopewell Branch. These book groups have helped me check off several categories in the challenge, including the color in a name category (Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley), the set in 1900s category (Fast Girls by Elise Hooper), the based on a real person category (Path Lit by Lightning by David Maraniss), and the author from a country or culture not your own (A Deadly Divide by Ausma Zehanat Khan).

The other books I generally find myself reading are by authors featured on our Behind the Books podcast. I was able to check off that category with Amanda Flower’s Dead End Detective, and also took care of the published-this-year category with City Under One Roof by Iris Yamashita. 

The reading challenge strikes to the core of one of the things I truly believe when it comes to reading, which is that as long as you are reading something, it is a good thing. Often parents come into the library with young readers who are drawn to specific books. And while it might seem like they’re reading the same sort of books over and over, the important thing is they are reading. 

Another interesting aspect of the challenge is when you have to decide what to read next. Do I want a book that helps me check off another category? Or do I just read what I planned to read next despite the fact that I’ve already checked off those categories. I’ve found myself reading quite a few books lately that don’t fit into a category that I have open. So, while I am still reading, it is hurting my chances of completing the challenge by the end of the year.

By early July I had managed to finish 14 of the 25 categories, while getting started with books in two other categories. Some of my remaining categories are going to be, for lack of a better word, a challenge. I still need to come up with books that check off the book about nature, science or technology category, as well as the book that you should have read in school category. On this one I’ll be looking for some clarification, since by school does it mean when I was younger or can we count our college years?

Details of the 2023 Reading Challenge are available on the library website at https://mcl.org/events/2023-reading-challenge/ There you will find a list of the 24 categories in the challenge as well as a list of authors who have appeared on the Behind the Books podcast, which is the bonus 25th category. In addition, there is a link to the Personalized Picks page where, through our Reader’s Advisory service, you can get some help finding a book to read. There is also a link that takes you to the Behind the Books podcast - you can scroll through the episodes and discover some authors you’d like to try while also learning a bit more about our wonderful staff at MCLS.

So, even though we are into the second half of the year, it is not too late to take the challenge. Print out a sheet and get started checking off those categories. I’d be interested to know what categories people find to be the toughest to accomplish, while also hearing if there are any new authors or types of books you’ve discovered because of taking part in the challenge. Feel free to leave a comment in the comment section and maybe your suggestions will help get me to the finish line!

Bob N. - Hopewell