Once you're a librarian...

You can never NOT be a librarian!

One of my New Year's Resolutions is to get back to reading.  Ok, so maybe not a resolution so much as an aim to return to normalcy.  I'm a bookworm (surprising in a librarian, right?) and yet haven't really been able to read over the last few years.  Grad school kinda dominated my recent reading, so I'm getting back on track and tackling the reading list that kept growing even as I was buried in articles for school.

To that end, I'm taking on some reading challenges!  Yes, more than one.  Because it's me.  But they are each different, and they'll all getting me reading, both things on my To-Read list, and some new stuff that might or might not be something I'd normally grab off the shelf.

So, here they are:

Goodreads has an annual reading challenge.  This is a straight quantity challenge - you set the number of books that you'd like to read, and log them with Goodreads as you begin and finish them.  It will track the books and let you know how many you've read and if you're on pace to reach your goal.  Goodreads is a free account, and there's an app as well, if you'd like to log on the go.  Goodreads is a pretty handy account to have, anyways, if you haven't looked into it.  I like it for this challenge, for tracking my reading, and for making notes for books to read in the future.  I also use it to tag ("shelve") books to possibly use in storytimes in the future.  I don't use it to catalog my home library; my LibraryThing account is still best for that. Goodreads doesn't let you log multiple editions of a single title, so it's a challenge to inventory my collection.  After all, I've got 4 copies of the Hobbit, among others...

Funny side story:

I was telling a friend here about Goodreads (she hadn't encountered it) and she saw my Currently Reading shelf. 

"You're reading seven books right now??" 

"Yeah..."

(Is that odd??)

Zach found a challenge from The Goodwill Librarian on Facebook, to read 26 books with these different characteristics - over 500 pages, written over 100 years ago or in the last year, etc.  It averages out to a book every two weeks.  I like challenges like this because it will stretch my reading.  When I read for escape or comfort, I tend to go to the same authors or genres.  Lists like this expand my reading.

Another "expanding" reading challenge is the one my childhood home library system is running this year: a reading marathon.  Yes, the pun was intended :)  The idea behind the marathon is to read 26.2 books in the year.  Again, that's a book every two weeks.  The 0.2 book allows you to start a book and abandon it if it turns out to be something that you reeeeeeally can't get through (no need to make yourself suffer, right?  It's supposed to be fun!).  They have an Extra Mile challenge too, keeping with the marathon theme.  The Extra Mile, like the Goodwill Librarian, gives you 26 types of books to read, different categories again, to push your repertoire, expand horizons, all that fun stuff.  For those of you from that area, the categories are pretty much the same as the Summer Reading Program Bingo.  Not that that's a bad thing - the same categories can still push you to read something new - but yes, they might sound familiar.  And some of the categories do overlap with the ones in the Goodwill Librarian's list, too, but not all of them.  And since my Goodreads goal is well above 26 books this year (I do work in a library, after all), I'll be able to check off items on both lists :)

Obviously being a librarian, I'm very pro-reading, pro-books and media.  Kinda comes with the territory.  There are tons of reading challenges out there - a quick Google search turns up dozens online.  You're sure to find one that meets your needs and interests.  Read all Jane Austen books in a year, read a certain number of banned books (check the ALA for lists of popularly challenged books), read from the BBC Big Read (over 10 years old now, but still a GREAT list), PopSugar has one, and dozens of blogs do too.  I like challenges like these because there are always new authors or new titles out there to try.  As much as I love rereading favorites ('visiting old friends'), it's always nice to read new ones too, maybe make some new favorites.