MLC 2020 Reading Challenge

Are you ready for 2020? We sure are! We've been thinking about New Year resolutions as well as the books we're going to read this year, too. While not everyone who works in a library loves to read, a lot of us try to read at least a little to broaden our horizons, learn new things, and just relax. (Okay, okay, a lot of us love to read, too.) Our list of the books we loved reading in 2019 made for quite the eclectic hodgepodge of books. We noticed that even though there were thirteen contributors to our list of 52 books, certain patterns did emerge. We've created this 2020 Reading Challenge from the categories that suggested themselves to us. Drum roll, please!

January 2020
Read a picture book
Inspired by Nobody Likes a Goblin, What Do They Do With All That Poo?, and Sulwe

February 2020
Read a romance novel by an author of color
Inspired by This is How You Lose the Time War and The Kiss Quotient

March 2020
Read a book by a past or present Fay B. Kaigler Children's Book Festival author
Inspired by Julián is a Mermaid and The Day You Begin

April 2020
Read a book of poetry
Inspired by Gmorning, Gnight! and Deaf Republic

May 2020
Read a book about the immigrant experience
Inspired by Dreamers, The Best We Could Do, and Exit, West

June 2020
Read a book based on historical events
Inspired by The Guardians, The Great Believers, and The Ghost Map

July 2020
Listen to an audiobook
Inspired by Daisy Jones and the Six and Lincoln in the Bardo

August 2020
Read a book by a past or present Mississippi Book Festival panelist
Inspired by The Hate U Give, Furious Hours, and Souls of America

September 2020
Read a biography, memoir, or autobiography about a person of color
Inspired by Becoming, The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, and Malcolm X

October 2020
Read a book about one of your favorite hobbies
Inspired by The Book Lover's Anthology, Ariadne's Threads, and Clothing of the Ancient Latvians

November 2020
Read a book that was published at least 50 years ago (1970 and before)
Inspired by Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee and The Black Cauldron

December 2020
Read a manga or graphic novel
Inspired by My Brother's Husband, New Kid, Sanity & Tallulah, Hey, Kiddo, and On a Sunbeam

We'll be talking about possible books for each category in the Great Read Mississippi group on Facebook, as well as here on the blog and our social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Your local public library and our Bookmatch service are also great ways to find possible reads. We can't wait to read new books with you in 2020. Until next time, happy reading!