Last year, my sister Charity and I came up with monthly reading challenges which we shared here on the blog. We both enjoyed these so much. We loved pushing ourselves to read new genres and being a bit more deliberate about our reading choices. We read many unread books from our shelves.
But we are reluctant to do monthly challenges in 2022. The next six months look very busy for both of us. Though we will certainly find time to read, we don't want the pressure of too many deadlines. Plus, last year we were reluctant to begin longer books because we didn't think we could complete them in a month.
So this year, we are going to do seasonal reading challenges. This will give us three months to complete the list, giving a bit more breathing room while still challenging us to complete some of the unread books on our TBR.
We hope that you will join us! Each season (spring, summer, fall) we will have eight challenges. Six of the challenges will be to read a book and two of the challenges will be a book-related activity. That means, if you read two books a month, you will be able to complete these challenges.
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Sisters' Spring Reading Challenge
1. Read a classic you think you should have read.
Is there a book that others talk about, but you have never read? Maybe Dicken's Tale of Two Cities or Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. We are defining a classic as a book written before 1970.
2. Read a verse novel or a book of free verse poetry.
April is Poetry Month. We both love verse novels, and if you've never tried this genre, you are in for a treat. Verse novels are short and easy to read, but can pack an emotional punch.
Some examples:
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga
3. Ask a friend to pick a book for you--and read it.
I get so many great book recommendations from friends. Here is an excuse to read a book one of them suggests.
4. Read a book that has siblings as the main characters.
This could be fiction or nonfiction--anything from a book on the Wright Brothers to the many middle-grade books that feature siblings.
5. Read a book about a less famous historical event.
You can define "less famous" however you wish. The book could be nonfiction or historical fiction. Some examples:
The Immortal life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner (Ellis Island)
Nory Ryan's Song by Patricia Reilly Giff (Irish Potato famine)
The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Pie Society by Annie Barrows (World War 2 on Guernsey Island)
6. Read a book that has an elderly person a main character.
They don't have to be the main character, but they should play an important role in the book.
For example:
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton
A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park
7. Read from a book before picking up your phone in the morning.
You could extend this challenge to see if you could read a book before picking up your phone every morning for a whole week. And maybe you'll begin a new habit of reading a book before checking your phone every morning!
8. Copy a poem (or write one) and hang it where you will see it.
This challenge is specifically for Poetry Month in April, but you can do it anytime.
Hope you have a fun spring season in books!