2026 Reading Challenge
Share and discuss books for this year’s Challenge during our monthly (hybrid) groups.
When
Meets first Friday of every month
10:00–11:00 am
in the Bowsprit Room on the Library’s Second Level or via Zoom,
How to join
Email ncinnater@clamsnet.org
About
Our 2026 Reading Challenge allows you to read books you choose while expanding your horizons. Discuss your choices, have fun, and win prizes! Participants will be able to discuss their progress on Facebook, by email, and/or via a monthly hybrid meet-up.
Signing up qualifies you for a prize upon completion at the end of the year
Hybrid in-person/Zoom meetings continue on the first Friday of each month throughout the year
Read 12 books in 12 months in the following categories:
• A book whose title is a directive or a question
• A book of short stories
• A book about a war you know nothing about – fiction or non-fiction
• A book of magical realism
• A book set in a place you would never live in a million years – fiction or non-fiction
• A book that’s someone else’s comfort read
• A book by an author featured at the Provincetown Book Festival, 2025 or 2026
• A book that’s the basis for a great movie or mini-series
• A novel about transformation -- normal or paranormal
• Biography or autobiography of a U.S. President or First Lady -- OR major civil rights or feminist leader
• A YA (young adult) novel
• Winner of any major literary award in any year (National Book Award, Pulitzer, Booker Prize,
Nobel Prize for Literature, Hugo Award, Edgar Award, etc.)
BONUS if you read at least 3 books from the Challenge list that are also by one of these classic authors:
Maya Angelou
James Baldwin
Octavia Butler
Louise Erdich
Zora Neale Hurston
Kazuo Ishiguro
James Joyce
Ursula K. Le Guin
Gabriel García Márquez
Toni Morrison
Haruki Murakami
William Shakespeare
John Steinbeck
Bram Stoker
Leo Tolstoy
Mark Twain
Edith Wharton
Virginia Woolf
2025 Reading Challenge Categories:
• A book by a debut author (that is, an author who recently published their first book),
• A book with water on the cover
• A book that suggests another art form for you to experience (music, visual art, dance, etc.)
• A non-fiction or history book
• A radical, shocking, or culture-affecting book from the 20th century (Some examples are: Looking for Mr. Goodbar, I’m Ok, You’re Ok, The Feminine Mystique, Roots, etc.)
• A book about a disaster
• A book to atone for reading a really bad book (artistically, politically, racially, etc. E.g., reading a book by Toni Morrison to atone for reading Gone with the Wind.)
• A book with a theme of hopefulness
• A locked-room mystery (a sub-genre in which the murder takes place in a room locked from the inside -- seemingly impossible)
• A book featured at the 2024 or 2025 Provincetown Book Festival (see provincetownbookfestival.org)
• A spy novel
• A seasonal book, e.g., a book about winter, spring, summer or fall, especially read at that time2024 Reading Challenge Categories
2024 Reading Challenge Categories:
• A Nobel Prize winner.
• An American classic- a book with a great reputation published at least 50 years ago.
• A book set in a time or place you’d like to live your next life (includes time travel).
• A book by a person with a disability. The book does not have to be about a person with a disability.
• A book written by an ancient author, or about an ancient culture.
• A book about Climate Change, fiction or non-fiction.
• A book about animals or a particular species.
• A book you loved & want to re-read, or a book you hated, to see if you feel differently.
• A book you picked up at a little free library or other free book source.
• A book inspired by another book you read.
• A book from the “Staff Picks” section of a library or bookstore.
• A well-reviewed book in your favorite genre.
2023 Challenge Categories: