2024 Adult Reading Challenge! March

Adults! Welcome to year 3 of our year-long reading challenge. Explore different genres, discover new authors and be entered to win prizes. To complete the challenge, read just one book in each category by midnight on December 31st, 2024. Earn bigger prizes by reading more!

To register, or to sign in, please click here.

March’s genre is College Town – focus on books that involve colleges, campuses, or college students. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

THE SECRET HISTORY by Donna Tartt

” Entertaining, evocative first novel; 12 weeks on PW ‘s bestseller list.” ~PW

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

MOO by Jane Smiley

“Effortlessly switching gears after the Pulitzer Prize-winning A Thousand Acres, Smiley delivers a surprising tour de force, a satire of university life that leaves no aspect of contemporary academia unscathed.” ~PW

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

ADMISSION by Jean Hanff Korelitz

“Korelitz’s fourth novel (after The White Rose) vividly brings to life the incredible stress borne by admissions workers. Readers will experience the challenge of the admissions process at an Ivy League school, where every applicant tends toward the extraordinary. This engaging and surprisingly suspenseful novel is highly recommended” ~LJ

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

THE INCENDIARIES by R.O. Kwon

“Written in dazzling, spare prose, Kwon’s debut tells the fractured story of three young people looking for something to believe in while attending the prestigious Edwards University.” ~PW

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

2024 Adult Reading Challenge! February

Adults! Welcome to year 3 of our year-long reading challenge. Explore different genres, discover new authors and be entered to win prizes. To complete the challenge, read just one book in each category by midnight on December 31st, 2024. Earn bigger prizes by reading more!

To register, or to sign in, please click here.

February’s genre is Authentic Voices – focus on Indigenous and BIPOC authors and topics. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE by Tayari Jones

“…Jones’ skillfully constructed narrative feels all too timely. It’s at once a powerful portrayal of marriage and a shrewd exploration of America’s justice system. ” ~BookPage Reviews

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

THE NIGHT WATCHMAN by Louise Erdrich

“National Book Award winner Erdrich once again calls upon her considerable storytelling skills to elucidate the struggles of generations of Native people to retain their cultural identity and their connection to the land.”~ Library Journal

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

CASTE: THE ORIGINS OF OUR DISCONTENTS by Isabel Wilkerson

“Similar to her previous book, the latest by Wilkerson is destined to become a classic, and is urgent, essential reading for all.” ~Library Journal

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

RUN ME TO EARTH by Paul Yoon

“Essential reading as Americans continue to grapple with its Asian adventure and for anyone interested in top-drawer literature.” ~Library Journal

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

 

New Year, New Challenge! Adult Reading Genre Book Challenge 2024

Adults! Welcome to year 3 of our year-long reading challenge. Explore different genres, discover new authors and be entered to win prizes. To complete the challenge, read just one book in each category by midnight on December 31st, 2024. Earn bigger prizes by reading more!

To register, or to sign in, please click here.

Let’s start the year with Award Winners – If it won an award somewhere, it counts! Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

THE HOUSEKEEPERS by Alex Hay

“This wonderfully inventive story paints an authentic portrait of London society in the early 1900s and is full of shocking secrets, suspense, hidden identities, flamboyant characters, and subtle humor; there’s even an unexpectedly satisfying ending. Fans of historical fiction, strong female characters, and twisty, pacy thrillers will love it.” ~Booklist

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

MAAME by Jessica George

“In this pitch-perfect debut, George captures the uncertainty, freedom, and anxiety of a London woman’s mid-20s.” Publisher’s Weekly

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

HUNGRY GHOSTS by Kevin Jared Hosein

“A highly recommended story of family and class divides that will break readers’ hearts.” ~ Library Journal

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

THE GOLDEN SPOON by Jessa Maxwell

“A delectable tour de force of baking and mayhem, Maxwell’s debut mystery is one to savor…With meticulous plotting and the grand backdrop of a country home, this is a thoroughly entertaining, well-crafted read.” ~Library Journal

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

 

2023 Adult Reading Challenge! September

DISCOVER DIFFERENT GENRES!    FIND NEW AUTHORS!    WIN PRIZES!    JOIN OUR EXPLORING GENRES BOOK CLUB!

Join us for a fun book challenge throughout 2023! Sign up and keep track via Beanstack. If you’ve participated in any of our recent summer or winter reading challenges, you’re all set to go and don’t need to create a new account.

Visit Beanstack here.

September’s theme is: READ A CHALLENGED BOOK! Read any challenged/banned book or any classic you haven’t yet read. Here are a few titles to get you started:

The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country by Amanda Gorman

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

 

Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

2023 Adult Reading Challenge! May

DISCOVER DIFFERENT GENRES!    FIND NEW AUTHORS!    WIN PRIZES!    JOIN OUR EXPLORING GENRES BOOK CLUB!

Join us for a fun book challenge throughout 2023! Sign up and keep track via Beanstack. If you’ve participated in any of our recent summer or winter reading challenges, you’re all set to go and don’t need to create a new account.          Visit Beanstack here.

May’s theme is: MUSIC IN MAY! Read any book about music, bands, musicians or singers.. that you haven’t yet read. Here are a few titles to get you started:

We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix

STARRED REVIEW: “This is a fast-paced ride, firmly rooted in the pulp horror tradition, but with thought-provoking social criticism and a sense of fear that rises from the terrifying implication that we are all willing to sell our souls on the cheap. Hendrix’s darkest novel yet will leave readers begging for an encore.” ~Booklist

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

The Storyteller by Dave Grohl

“Paired with his sparkling wit, this humility is what makes Grohl’s soulful story a cut above typical rock memoirs. There isn’t a dull moment here.” ~PW

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

STARRED REVIEW: “Framed as a tell-all biography compiled through interviews and articles, Reid’s (The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, 2017) novel so resembles a memoir of a real band and conjures such true-to-life images of the seventies music scene that readers will think they’re listening to Fleetwood Mac or Led Zeppelin. Reid is unsurpassed in her ability to create complex characters working through emotions that will make your toes curl.” ~Booklist

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

 

2023 Adult Reading Challenge! March

DISCOVER DIFFERENT GENRES!    FIND NEW AUTHORS!    WIN PRIZES!    JOIN OUR EXPLORING GENRES BOOK CLUB!

Join us for a fun book challenge throughout 2023! Sign up and keep track via Beanstack. If you’ve participated in any of our recent summer or winter reading challenges, you’re all set to go and don’t need to create a new account.  Visit Beanstack here.

March’s theme is: Back to Nature. Read any book about nature, gardening, animals – your choice on how to explore nature that you haven’t yet read. Here are a few titles to get you started:

For an extended recommended list, please click here.

A New Year, a New Challenge!

DISCOVER DIFFERENT GENRES!    FIND NEW AUTHORS!    WIN PRIZES!    JOIN OUR EXPLORING GENRES BOOK CLUB!

Join us for a fun book challenge throughout 2023! Sign up and keep track via Beanstack. If you’ve participated in any of our recent summer or winter reading challenges, you’re all set to go and don’t                             need to create a new account.          Visit Beanstack here.

January’s theme is: BLAST FROM THE PAST! Read any historical fiction, history, or biography that you haven’t yet read. Here are a few titles to get you started:

THE ONLY WOMAN IN THE ROOM
By Marie Benedict

“Benedict paints a shining portrait of a complicated woman who knows the astonishing power of her beauty but longs to be recognized for her sharp intellect. Readers will be enthralled.” ~PW

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

THE NICKEL BOYS
By Colson Whitehead

“Inspired by horrific events that transpired at the real-life Dozier School for Boys, Whitehead’s brilliant examination of America’s history of violence is a stunning novel of impeccable language and startling insight.” ~PW

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

THE ADDRESS
By Fiona Davis

“Davis (The Dollhouse) has folded together two historical eras in this breezy historical novel that jumps between Gilded Age and Reagan-era New York City. ” ~PW

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

AMERICAN MIDNIGHT
By Adam Hochschild

“Meticulously researched, fluidly written, and frequently enraging, this is a timely reminder of the “vigilant respect for civil rights and Constitutional safeguards” needed to protect democracy and forestall authoritarianism.” ~PW

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

THE REVOLUTIONARY: SAMUEL ADAMS
By Stacy Schiff

“Fast-paced and enlightening, this is a must-read for colonial history buffs. ” ~PW

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

 

2022 Adult Reading Challenge! December

DISCOVER DIFFERENT GENRES!    FIND NEW AUTHORS!    WIN PRIZES!

Join us for a fun book challenge throughout 2022! Sign up and keep track via Beanstack. If you’ve participated in any of our recent summer or winter reading challenges, you’re all set to go and don’t need to create a new account.

Visit Beanstack here.

Our theme for December is: DYSFUNCTION JUNCTION. Read any family drama or personal memoir that you haven’t yet read. Here are a few titles to get you started:

SEVEN DAYS OF US
By Francesca Hornak

“Hornak lets each member of the dysfunctional Birch ensemble narrate in turn, so the reader gains a full picture of the family dynamics. Alternately tender and razor-sharp, Seven Days of Us will resonate with anyone who regresses the minute they step inside their childhood home.” ~Booklist

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

THE LESS PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT US
By Axton Betz-Hamilton

” A poignant and fascinating exploration of identity theft. This book will appeal to those with an interest in family-centered memoirs and crime.” ~LJ

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

THE FAMILY PLOT
By Megan Collins

“This is an entertaining as well as chilling tale of family secrets, lies, and primordial fears.” ~PW

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

 

2022 Adult Reading Challenge! November

DISCOVER DIFFERENT GENRES!    FIND NEW AUTHORS!    WIN PRIZES!

Join us for a fun book challenge throughout 2022! Sign up and keep track via Beanstack. If you’ve participated in any of our recent summer or winter reading challenges, you’re all set to go and don’t need to create a new account.

Visit Beanstack here.

Our theme for November is: GOOD EATS. Read any cookbook, chef memoir, food history, or basically anything yum, that you haven’t yet read. Here are a few titles to get you started:

GROUNDS FOR MURDER
By Tara Lush

“Lana’s voyage of self-discovery, along with her new-agey father, quirky hire Erica, and feisty puppy Stanley, portend future fun for readers.” ~ PW

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

RODNEY SCOTT’S WORLD OF BBQ: EVERY DAY IS A GOOD DAY: A COOKBOOK
By Rodney Scott

“Scott’s intensely flavorful recipes and masterful grill techniques are exceptional. This fired-up collection does not disappoint.” ~PW

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

 

2022 Adult Reading Challenge! September

DISCOVER DIFFERENT GENRES!    FIND NEW AUTHORS!    WIN PRIZES!

Join us for a fun book challenge throughout 2022! Sign up and keep track via Beanstack. If you’ve participated in any of our recent summer or winter reading challenges, you’re all set to go and don’t need to create a new account.

Visit Beanstack here.

Our theme for September is: READ A BANNED BOOK. Read any banned book or any classic that you haven’t yet read. Here are a few titles to get you started:

BEARTOWN
By Fredrik Backman

“[It’s] Backman’s rich characters that steal the show, and his deft handling of tragedy and its effects on an insular town. While the story is dark at times, love, sacrifice, and the bonds of friendship and family shine through ultimately offering hope and even redemption.”  ~Publishers Weekly

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

READY PLAYER ONE
By Ernest Cline

“Gorgeously geeky, superbly entertaining, this really is a spectacularly successful debut.”    ~Daily Mail (UK)

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
By Harper Lee

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

MAUS: A SURVIVOR’S TALE
By Art Spiegelman

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.