2024 Reading Challenge

With the new year approaching in less than a week, now's a great time to start planning resolutions for 2024. And what's a better resolution than challenging yourself to not only keep up on reading, but also to try branching out on the types of book you read?

All you have to do is follow along on social media! Each month, we'll post a new challenge, then at the end of the month you can share what you've read. Don't have social media? We have some coloring pages to keep track available at our libraries. Share with staff what you're reading whenever you stop in, we'd love to hear what you're trying and if you're enjoying!

Here is a peek at each monthly challenge:

Along with the theme of each month, we'll also give some suggestions. We will try to have some books on display at both Ida Rupp and Marblehead Peninsula Branch each month. Feel free to look around for other books you might enjoy that fit the theme.

A great way to find those is by searching on Novelist! Novelist is a database we have available on our website. To access it, you will have to go through our site. The link is available under the "Books, Media, and More" tab by clicking on "Explore What's Next." You can also find a link under "Resources A-Z" under the "Online Resources" tab.

Novelist has a wide variety of ways to search including keywords, genres, themes, and curated lists about a variety of topic. A great way to use Novelist is by finding read-alikes to your favorite books. Each book has a list of read-alikes on the righthand side of the page. If you click on "View All" you can see why the book is being recommended. Another great feature on each book page is the "Search for More" option at the bottom of the page. This gives you the option to break down what you love about that particular book; this can include the writing style, characters, and themes among other traits.

Another popular resource for finding books is Goodreads. They have curated lists that readers can add to and vote on. What Goodreads is most known for are the reader ratings and reviews. The reviews can be helpful if you're looking for specifics on why others like or don't like a particular book.

You can also use Common Sense Media for reader reviews. This is helpful if there is content you would like to avoid. It will break down if a book includes anything graphic or violent or if there's any strong language or substance use. The source is particularly great for parents wanting help to find appropriate books for their kids.

We hope to see some participation from all ages! We encourage parents to share not only what they're reading throughout the year, but what the kiddos are reading too. Let us know on social media or stop into the library to share your progress each month!