The Ranch Librarian Reads: 2016 Reading Challenge

Earlier this month, I found saw this image floating around Facebook:

I usually keep a list of books I read each year, but I loved the idea of having a plan for what I am going to read this year.

And this challenge really hits on several areas of reading--new stuff, old stuff, classics, books you might not otherwise read...

So I've decided to take this 2016 reading challenge and make a strategy for what I am going to read.

And good grief, do I have a list!!!

A common librarian problem is just too many books to read.

You see all of them, everywhere around, and you want to read any and all of them.

I've created a list for this reading challenge, and throughout the year, as I read the books on this challenge, I plan to review them here on The Ranch Librarian for you to read what I think of them.

Take the 2016 Reading Challenge with me and make your own list of great books to read.



So here's my plan for the 2016 Reading Challenge:

A book published this year:

An Obvious Fact, the next Walt Longmire book by Craig Johnson. 

If you haven't read this absolutely incredible Wyoming series yet, DO IT! You won't regret it. Plus, the fabulous Netflix series Longmire is going strong and worth watching, if only to oogle the handsome Robert Taylor.  

A book you can finish in a day:

The Notebook, by Nicholas Sparks*

It's been years since I indulged in this fast read that is so much more meaningful than the movie. 

A book you've been meaning to read: 

The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss. 

My bestie, Ayme, and her hubby, Scott, adore this book. It's been on my to-read list forever, and 2016 is the year I get it done. 

A book recommended by your local librarian or bookseller:

Philomena, by Martin Sixsmith

Hubster and I watched a play called The Magdalene Whitewash at CWC (the local community college) a few years ago, and since then, I have been fascinated with the sad and sordid history of the Magdalene Laundries run by the Catholic church in Ireland. Philomena is based on the true story of one woman who is trying to find the baby that was taken from her. 

A book you should have read in school:

The Giver, by Lois Lowry.

I have no idea how I have never read this book. So I'm going for it. 

A book chosen for you by your spouse, partner, sibling, child, or BFF:

Big Magic, by Elizabeth Gilbert

Ayme bought this book for me for Christmas, and I am totally stoked to read it, because (a) it looks fantastic, and (b) the books Ayme picks for me are always amazing. 

A book published before you were born:

Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte

My Father-in-Law sent me a copy of Jane Steele earlier this year, and it's an adaptation of Jane Eyre, so I figure I had better read it first! 

A book that was banned at some point:

The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green.

I love John Green. I do. And I am amazed that this novel ever would have been banned.   

A book you previously abandoned:

11.22.63, by Stephen King

My father-in-law loved this book and recommended it when Hubster and I were first married. I picked it up via my kindle, and just struggled to get going in it. But I have become more and more interested in the history of the Kennedy family and the assassination, so I want to give this book another try. 

A book you own but have never read:

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs

This novel has been sitting in the to-read pile for a long time, but an upcoming movie of the novel made me realize that I needed to read this young adult novel soon! 

A book that intimidates you:

The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas

I am not sure if it's Dumas or the fact that the book so SO LONG, but I have always felt intimidated by the thought of reading this book. So I am going for it this year, since I am all about being BRAVE. 

A book you've already read at least once:

The Harry Potter Series, by JK Rowling

I haven't read the whole series for a few years now, and I feel it's time to give them another read, because they are just so wonderful.