Want a great way to cut down on Netflix binges and catch up on all those books and ARCs you’ve been meaning to read, especially now that Kenny has shared some of the season’s top picks? Take the June Book Blast Challenge with me! The goal is 30 books in 30 days, apportioned however you like. (Here’s the Google Doc link: http://ow.ly/M07v300ChUQ.) As in the May’s Book-a-Day Challenge, all books in all genres count toward your total.
It’s amazing that even booksellers sometimes struggle to carve out hours to do this pleasurable thing that got them into the business in the first place. May’s challenge actually began on May 6th, so it will end up being a shorter time span. So far, I haven’t managed to read a full book each day — you know how schedules go — but I did manage to average a book each day by bulking up when I had more time.
Thanks to Ellie M., Betsy W., Kate B., Saraciea, and Josie for gamely joining me on the quest! So far, Kate B. has the most consistent showing of us all. Congratulations, Kate! Your reward is to choose any of the books on my May challenge list, and I’ll send it to you. Just email where you’d like me to send it: e bluemle at publish ers weekly dot com.
Here’s the list of books I read from May 6-May 26 (in alpha, not reading, order):
American Ace by Marilyn Nelson
Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson
Are We There Yet? by Dan Santat
Booked by Kwame Alexander
Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman
Burn Baby Burn by Meg Medina
City Shapes by Diana Murray and Bryan Collier
Flannery by Lisa Moore; Lucy by Randy Cecil
Ideas Are All Around by Philip C. Stead
Magnificent Mya Tibbs: Spirit Week Showdown by Crystal Allen
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Maya by Mahak Jain and Elly Mackay
More-igami by Dori Kleber and G. Brian Karas
One Day in the Eucalyptus Eucalyptus Tree by Daniel Bernstrom
One Today by Richard Blanco and Dav Pilkey
Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee
The Plan by Alison Paul & Barbara Lehman
Thank You and Good Night by Patrick McDonnell
Thunder Boy, Jr. by Sherman Alexie and Yuyi Morales
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk
You Can Fly: The Tuskegee Airmen by Carole Boston Weatherford
(I love that this list is bookended by two wonderful verse novels about the Tuskegee Airmen, released from different publishing companies within a couple of months of each other. Wild!)
If you’d like to join the June challenge, just follow the link and add your name! I guarantee that the challenge will absolutely have you reading more books —unless you’re the sort of person who rebels against even a challenge you willingly take on, which I sometimes can be, so I empathize. I will say this is a really fun challenge, and if you do join in, don’t worry about keeping up. Just post when you can. Please note: until June, the May sheet will be the first thing you see in the Google doc. You can find the June page by clicking on the June tab at the bottom of the worksheet page. It’s easier than I just made it sound.
And now I must sign off to get ready for this weekend’s big sale at the store. Oh, and to read another book!
Added my name!
Hooray!
Elizabeth…I’d **love** to be part of the June Challenge, but sadly the same thing that brought me to an abrupt cease-and-desist in May after roughly the first week is the fact that apparently (per a rather terse pop-up) my browser in its current setting cannot accommodate your spreadsheet. Not a problem for most folks, I’m sure, but I don’t know how to resize it to fit…as the pop-up suggests…and, quite frankly, techno-challenged as I am at 80, I’m afraid to try. NB: ‘If-it-ain’t-broke-don’t-fix-it’ department. For the record (since I keep a spreadsheet of my own), I’ve read 25 books so far this month. I LOVE the idea! I was SO INTERESTED in seeing your list! And I’ll be cheering you all on vicariously again in June.
Hi, Ellie. I’ll look into this. What browser are you using?
I use AOL and also Mozilla Firefox
Also, Ellie — You can email me your book titles, and I will happily add them to the spreadsheet for you!
Oh, Elizabeth that would be GREAT! I won’t bother you every day, but how about once a week? I really would like to participate. I’ll miss seeing everyone’s choices, but I trust you’ll post your list at the end of the month as you did here.
That sounds terrific, Ellie! I’ll update your spreadsheet as often as you send emails. : )