Sugar Creek Library will close at 7p.m. on July 2 for maintenance and re-open at 9a.m. on July 3.

All Library locations and book drops will be closed on July 4.  

Mecklenburg Library logo
Translate site
Mecklenburg Library logo
Translate site
Reading challenge

Start your year with a reading challenge

January 10, 2019

It’s that time again: the new year. That means new goals, new resolutions, a new you. As you dust off those sneakers and that yoga mat, envisioning this new healthier, fitter, more powerful (insert your own adjective) version of you, don’t forget to revamp your reading goals, too.

Each new year Goodreads asks members to pledge their annual Reading Challenge, the number of books they intend to read in the upcoming year. Whether you’re a Goodreads member or not, what are your reading goals for this year? Will you strive for a reasonable 12, just one book a month? Or will you take on a larger challenge and go for one a week, 52 book in a year?

To help get you started, here are some unique challenges designed to guide you through your 2019 reading journey:

  • Keep it simple with an A-to-Z Challenge: Read a book whose title or author starts with every letter of the alphabet. For example: A – The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho or The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. With 26 letters, this challenge will give you two weeks per book.
  • Regularly read mysteries? Think outside of your go-to genre by reading An Assortment of Genres this year.
  • Don’t care to branch out? Then try setting a number and reading new books within your favorite genre or your favorite topic. Start with these lists of Mysteries/True Crime titles, of books about Global Issues, of Non-Fiction titles, or Banned Books and add in your own.
  • Pack your suitcase and read a book from every country around the world. Or, try reading a book from each state in the U.S.!
  • Lastly, for those serious readers, try a list designed to make you hunt for a variety of books, including some very specific qualifiers, like you’ll find in the 52 Books in 52 Weeks challenge or the 2019 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge.

No matter what kind of reading challenge you set for yourself this year, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is here to support you. If or when all those other resolutions fall away, we’ll be here to settle you in on the couch with a good book. Happy new year!