#Succeedingatreading2022!

The printable includes:
One 8.5 by 11 inch
(21.59 by 27.94 cm)
full page bookshelves with prompts.

One page of two bookshelves each.
Each one has the prompts on one side and a blank bookshelf on the other side.

For each set of prompts there’s a sheet where each bookshelf
is 5.4 by 8.4 inches, 10.8 by 8.4 all together
(13.716 by 21.336 cm, 26.416 by 21.336 cm all together),

one where each bookshelf is 5 by 7.5 inches, 10 by 7.5 all together.
(12.7 by 19.05 cm, 25.4 by 19.05 cm all together),

and one where each bookshelf is 4.25 by 6.75 inches, 8.5 by 6.75 inches all together to fit in my notebook! ( 10.795 by 17.145, 10.795 by 21.59 cm all together)

Use these for planners/notebooks,
or use the bigger sheet for a notebook or to put on the wall.

There’s also a full page blank bookshelf
if you want to fill in the books you read on that.

36 books too much? Don’t worry, the challenge can work for you still!
I have the prompts broken down into four nine prompt challenges too!
You’ll find those in the printable as well, along with a blank 18 book shelf..

You have a few options.

Print out the full size sheet with the prompts
and color it in when you read a book with that prompt.

Or print out the sheet with the matching shelf on the other side.
When you read a book that matches the prompt,
color the prompt in and write the book title in the book that matches on the other shelf.

You can even color code them by what type of book it is!
I purposely left it simple so you could customize this any way you want!

(definitions adapted from this blogpost; original idea of windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors comes from Rudine Sims Bishop).

A mirror book is a book that reflects part of your identity, experience,
and or values/motivations back at you. You see yourself reflected in the book.

For example:
I am a parent. So reading a book about a mother would be a mirror book for me.

I love basketball and played it through high school and college. Basketball book? Mirror.

I stand up for indie bookstores. A book featuring a bookseller? Mirror.

A window book is a book that lets you look in on the identity, experience, and/or motivations of others. You get to look in and witness a different experience than your own, which helps build empathy and understanding.

For example:
I am white. Reading a joyful book starring a Black main character gives me a window into that experience.

I have never gone to a Lunar New Year Celebration. A book where the festival is celebrated? Window.

I have no intention of running a huge company like Amazon. A book about Jeff Bezos? Window.

You can get as specific as you want with these, or stay as vague as you want.
Remember, no one is going to tell you if a book counts or not, and you don’t have to prove anything.
My intention is not to force anyone to reveal something about their identity, experience, or values that they don’t want to; my intention is to get us thinking about the stories we read and realizing what a gift it is that we can both identify with characters who are like us and ones who have lives not like ours.

Finally, I acknowledge as a white, cisgender female, there are many MANY books for me to choose from where I can see myself reflected in the story. Though more and more books focused and centered on BIPOC are out and coming out, that number is nowhere near where it should be. We can all do our part to hype up and support great books by BIPOC creators. To learn more about the disparity in publishing, see this article.

You didn’t get to it. I get it. It’s okay. You have a whole year to make it up.

Anywhere you hear about this book online counts! It could be a review, a passing book cover, in the background on someone’s shelves. Get as creative as you’d like.

Just has to have had come out a year ago. That’s easy enough; there are LOTS of backlist books!

This is an unplanned read, something you are in the mood for so you pick it up. 

These are awesome and real books so enjoy!

You can interpret the “around” as you see fit. I’m going to try to find a protagonist within in window of two years older or younger than me.

Any kind of nonfiction counts. Get your learning on!

I don’t need to explain this, right? I mean, did anyone even click on this to open it?

Show a debut author some love.

A book you read quickly. This is one you have to be hopeful going into because you never know, right?

We’ve got HIGH HOPES. This can be a book you’ve seen hype for, people have recommended to you a lot, or simply one that you hope you are going to like a lot.

History, huh? Yes. Doesn’t have to be nonfiction, but has to feature history in some way. That could simply be historical fiction.

There are three of these, and they are blank for you to invent a prompt. Let’s see what you come up with! Could be as simple as: “book I really wanted to read”, and as complex as “Book where there’s a werewolf and the characters chat online before meeting in real life.” Whatever works.

From a real librarian if you’d like, a book you see at the library, a book featured in a blogpost by a librarian. Could even be a book recommended by a Little Free Library owner, because, technically, they ARE a librarian.

This is basically another freebie. Read another book from a genre you love? That’s easy!

There are three of these too. Think of these as the free space in Bingo. Literally any book counts for these. I told you I was making this easy for you!

As long as they are younger than you, it counts. Doesn’t matter how much younger!

What is a book sharer? Simply a person who shares about books. They could share about them on social media or in real life. You could read them share about books in a newsletter or in a newspaper or magazine article. Basically if a human shares about a book with you, you can use it for this prompt. Algorithms don’t count. I’m making the rule that the book sharers have to be human.

As long as they are older than you, it counts. Doesn’t matter how much older! .

This doesn’t mean that you have to buy the book; it just means you aren’t the first one to read it. Could be a library book, a book from a friend, a book you find at a Little Free Library, or, yes, ae book you buy used.

This is one you could plan on if you think the character is really cool before you read the book, or enter in the prompt after you finish reading. Like always, your choice!

A paperback book. If you read ebooks/listen to audiobooks, you can fill this space with a book that has been out for more than a year, since typically paperbacks come out about a year after the hardcover is published.

Doesn’t have to be a real place either, so fantasy counts!

A hardcover book. If you read ebooks/listen to audiobooks, you can fill this space with a book that has been out for less than a year, since typically paperbacks don’t come out until a year after the publication of the hardback.

Stretch your reading with this prompt. You can interpret a lot as you wish.

I find that nonfiction books are the best for this, but maybe you use this for a book you’ve been waiting for for a long time and want to savor. Your choice, as always.

You didn’t need to click this, you already know. If it’s an ebook/audiobook, this also applies. They still have covers.

A book that has been out for less than a year: a frontlist book if you remember that from a while ago!

So many options! Doesn’t have the be the first word; it can be anywhere! Even in the subtitle if that’s the book’s thing.

PSSST! Any book I recommend counts for this one, because I’m a bookseller! Shelftalkers (those adorable little notes by books that booksellers love) count, posts that promote books from your favorite indie bookstores online count, and if all else fails, head to indiebound.org and look for the indie next list to check out bookseller recs!

Use the hashtag #succeedingatreading2022 wherever you share about books.

I’ll be posting montly roundups of what I aim to read for the challenge on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and at the end of the month I’ll show what I actually accomplished as well.

I’m thinking I may do a post for each prompt at the end of the year and have people sound off as to what they read for it. I also may make a google form for people to give me feedback/say what they read so I can collect the total number of books read in the challenge. We’ll see!