When I was a kid, summer meant the end of school and the beginning of warm afternoons spent at the local branch library. While I kind of missed school (yeah, I was *that* kid), I loved the time I got to spend in the library, a converted house just a few blocks away.
I thought the librarian, Ms. Cook, had the best job ever and was thrilled when I was finally allowed to read books from the grown-up section. While some kids had to be forced to read, I wasn’t one of them. Rather than trying to get me to read, my parents were more likely to be telling me to “put down that book and go outside and play.” When I did go outside, I could often be found nestled up in the tree in the front yard – reading a book, of course.
One of my favorite parts of summer-at-the-library was the annual reading challenge. It was intended to be a way to encourage non-readers to read but I – being just the slightest bit competitive – loved seeing my reading log filled with gold stars as I read my way through book after book.
Those summer days spent in the library may be long gone, but that doesn’t mean an end to summer reading challenges.
Just the other day I saw a post in my newsfeed about the Ripped Bodice’s Summer Reading Bingo. Each of the 25 squares on the bingo-card has a different story criteria on it. Dragons, kilts, road trip, and cowboys are just a few of the possibilities. There may not be any gold stars involved, but it sounds like a way to add a little fun to the reading process and maybe provide a nudge to pick a new book or two that you might not have considered before.
For those who might want some book suggestions and/or those who want to participate with other readers, there is a discussion group on GoodReads.
I’m in! I’m going to go through my TBR pile and see how many of the criteria I can match. I’m certain I have a book featuring kilts somewhere in there.
So how about you? Are you up for a reading challenge?
Eight Ladies Writing 
I saw this, too! And I love the idea. But while I have a ton of stuff on my TBR pile, I’m not sure I could ever hit the bingo, since some of these tropes I’m not now and never will be fond of. (Cowboys? Not for me.) And is there even one epistolary romance novel? I’d like to see it. But it sure does sound like fun to find them all. I bet Ripped Bodice has some ideas!
I was a little hazy on what some of the categories would include. I’m not a cowboy-story fan myself, so I think I’ll “re-imagine” that square as a “story that involves a character with a hat” – LOL.
Hats! What a great idea. I can definitely do hats.
LOL! I love the way you bend rules! OK, so if cowboy means “character with a hat”, then maybe prom means “any historical with a floofy dress”. At least in my proms, we all looked like characters out of the 1830s.
OH! You know what would be super-fun? Knocking out a series of short stories that gets one a bingo . . . . I have to go to Tokyo this weekend (seeing off my eldest and son-in-law, visiting my youngest, and seeing old friends who happen to be in the Tokyo vicinity this weekend), but after that, I should buckle down and have a week of short story marathons . . . .
Lovely inspiration, this post!
If you have a broad idea of romance, Sorcery and Cecelia, or the Enchanted Chocolate Pot is an epistolary novel that involves getting married (especially in the sequels?). Mostly historical paranormal. (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64207.Sorcery_Cecelia). I am sure there’s an email romance out there, too. Hmmm.
I think I could get a bingo in the “G” row . . . already have Sassy Grandparent. I’m planning on reading a book about a roadtrip if Kindle Japan lets me get the book. I like dragons, and love show business. Prom? Maybe I could re-read Carrie, which is not romance, but is definitely summer reading. I’m not crazy about reading about proms, either those that go well, or those that fail spectacularly.
Oh, I can totally do cowboys! Giddy-up!
What fun! I enjoy lots of these categories, and some would steer me into uncharted waters (that I’ve been meaning to wade into). Thanks, Elizabeth!
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How’d your summer reading go? I am catching up with the sprints and checking to see if I missed any points between. LOL, while I read lots more this summer than I did last summer, I think I only checked off “roadtrip” — multiple countries only count if Canadian romance with parents from China work. I did write about Tarot (-:. So, there’s that. It was a very inspirational bingo board, and I printed it off and stuck it in my computer case.