Jana LynchOver the last few weeks, I’ve written about why it’s important to read, how you can find time to read, and even provided you with a comprehensive (yet not exclusive) list of important and life-changing books to read.
If you can’t tell, I think books are pretty important. So I’m challenging you, in 2017, to up your reading game.
You can do it by setting a goal for the total amount of books you want to read. (If you use Goodreads, it makes it incredibly easy to track.) You can do it by committing to reading one book outside of your preferred genre. You can do it by reading every single day — don’t break the chain.
Or, if you want, you can do it by joining our first ever Adulting.tv Reading Challenge 2017!
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What’s the Adulting.tv Reading Challenge?
The Adulting.tv Reading Challenge, or ARC2017, is a year-long challenge designed to encourage Adulting readers to read more books.
Rather than give you specific books to read because a) this isn’t school and b) we’re all adults who can make our own choices, we’re giving you a list of topics and suggestions.
Here are the topics.
JANUARY: A book about politics or current events
FEBRUARY: A memoir
MARCH: A finance book
APRIL: A translated book
MAY: A classic book
JUNE: A banned book
JULY: A book written before 1950
AUGUST: A book of short stories or essays
SEPTEMBER: A book about a historical event
OCTOBER: A book over 500 pages
NOVEMBER: A book under 150 pages
DECEMBER: A self-improvement book
You do not have to read the books in the order the topics are listed. The month names are here just to guide you, if you choose. You can start with the one you want to read the most and work your way down. You can start with the one that you’re least looking forward to reading and work your way up. You can start randomly in the middle. Doesn’t matter at all. There’s no right or wrong way to do this. And, you can start any time!
How you pick your books is up to you. There are plenty of lists you can browse, you can crowdsource options, you can tweet me (@saysjana) and I’ll be happy to give you a suggestion or two, or you can ask a librarian. Anything you want. It’s your choice.
If you want to combine a couple of the categories into one book, you can. For instance, you can use Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends & Influence People for May or July. Or you can use Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for April or October. It’s okay. We’re flexible!
Join the Adulting.tv Reading Challenge!
You can absolutely do this challenge on your own without checking in with us. We’re not going to come after you if you don’t. But part of the fun is talking to other participants so if you want to do that, here’s what you do:
First, review the topics and make a list of what you plan to read. Please note that these selections are not set in stone, you can change them any time you want, and, if you find yourself hating your selection, stop reading it! Life is too short to read books you don’t enjoy. Then pick something else for that category.
Also, you do not have to buy any books. You can use the library, borrow from a friend, read what’s on your shelf, or any other economical way you can think of to find books.
We picked 12 so you’re only reading one book a month. If you regularly read more than that, add one of these to your rotation. If you’re not a regular reader, this is a good place to start. (In fact, the average person only reads about 10 books a year so this puts you above average.)
Second, share your list! Share it on Instagram or Twitter or whatever social media makes you happy. Make sure to use the #adultingreads hashtag so we can find you.
Third, join the #Adulting Community on Facebook. About once a month, we’ll post a question asking how you guys are progressing through the challenge.
We want to know about the book you’ve read and how you like them. The monthly book discussion is a great way to engage with your fellow readers and maybe get some ideas for future reads. We’ll even have prizes throughout the year within these discussions..
Fourth, read the books!
That’s all there is to it.
Remember, this is a challenge, not a competition. We want you to read harder, smarter, and more often. It doesn’t matter who gets through their list first or if you’re the last one across the finish line. Or even if you don’t complete your list. All that matters is that you’re reading.
P.S. I still haven’t finished my list but when I do, I’ll be sharing it with the #Adulting Community on Facebook so make sure you join us!
Editor’s note: Feel free to share this using the graphic below to spread the word about the Adulting.tv Reading Challenge. If you’re a blogger, look for the badge at the top of this article. You are free to use the badge on your own website. Share a post about what you are reading!
Thanks for spearheading this project, Jana!
I’m in! I already finished January before reading this post. Haha. It was meant to be.
I just finished “Here I Am” by Jonathan Safran Foer. I think that qualifies as “politics or current events.”
In other words, I’m in.
Welcome to the challenge!