Reading Summer 2024

Changes to Next Summer's Plan

I went over the summer reading ideas with a friend tonight and had some great ideas for changes to make to next summer's reading challenge.

1) Fewer book-reading items: I think I had so many reading items in reaction to the library's lack of reading items. 

2) Instead of a bingo set up, have levels. So, if someone accomplishes 1 item, they're at the first level. If the complete 3, they're at the next level, etc. I'll have to think about this and see how to fine-tune it.

Changes to Activities and Set-Up

I realized that with over 10 book-reading options in my last post, there was little likelihood of anyone younger than 18 years old actually completing all 25 tasks.

Instead of a bingo set up, I think it would be worthwhile to have a tiered system. That way, we can still have a way of tracking who gets tickets (and how many), but people don't have to do all the super hard things to get a bingo.

Tier One:

1) Set a goal for yourself for this challenge

2) Read a book of the Bible and meditate on one passage

3) Besides the Bible, make a list of the 5 most influential books you've read and write a paragraph about why they impacted you

4) Check out a book from the library

5) Find a comfy spot and read for 30 minutes at the library

Tier Two:

6) Read one book that you've been meaning to read or was recommended to you

7) Watch a movie based on a book

8) Read a graphic novel or children's book

9) Visit a local bookstore

10) Listen to a podcast episode about a book, work of literature, or author

Tier 3: 

11) Attend a book discussion (or 15-minute bookish conversation)

12) Read or watch one of Shakespeare's plays

13) Read a chapter book less than 150 pages

14) Listen to an audiobook

15) Read an essay

Tier 4:

16) Read a book published in the last 18 months

17) Library scavenger hunt (to tour the library)

18) Read from a magazine or journal publication for 15 minutes

19) Reread a book

20) Read for 30 minutes inside a local coffee shop

Tier 5:

21) Memorize a poem that is at least 12 lines long

22) Read a book to someone else (can be a picture book)

23) Read a book-length auto/bio/hagiography

24) Make a recipe of a food from a story

25) Write down 10 quotes from the books/content that you read over the time of this challenge

I could see there being potential for alternatives; for example, we could just let people pick 5 things and for every 5 items they complete, they get a ticket. However, I don't love this idea because it could allow people to breeze through a few levels without really pushing themselves to read much at all! And that would make moot the idea of a summer reading challenge. 

There are still 10 book-reading activities, but I tried to make them manageable and provide options (3-6 of them could end up being very short books, indeed). I know that it probably is really overwhelming to look at this list and think about what it would take to do all 25, but I think it's important to have actual reading activities in a summer reading challenge. I would also say, in the spirit of keeping this a challenge, no double dipping (except, of course, in the case of reading things at places, etc...that makes sense).

I want people to read widely, but I also want people to read quality works. If a participant thinks they're going to be reading all books that just aren't good for them, that would be a discussion we can have...but it's also good to read outside our preferences. I think I'll work on having really good descriptions and/or resources and/or recommendations available.

It would be important to get the information out early so that people can plan, too. I could possibly see that, for people who wanted to try to get the whole challenge completed, maybe we say they can start reading ONE book early, maybe May 15th or so. The idea is to have three whole months (or in the case of over-achievers, 3.5 months) to attempt this challenge.