Reading

 

From the time I learned to read -- in Miss Eisenberg's first grade class (See Dick run!) -- I was hooked. Reading was my main escape occupation as a child and that never let up. I'm usually a fast reader, and my retention isn't what it could be. But whatever.

A couple of years ago a good friend whom I've never met  in real life -- isn't the internet wonderful? -- invited me to join an on-line group that was designed to broaden one's reading. On January 1, the group's leader posts a dozen categories and participants are free to choose a book that fits in each. The categories are loosely defined and we're free to interpret them as we see fit. The idea isn't to nitpick or overly specify; the idea is to read things we ordinarily wouldn't pick.

I confess that I don't use audio books. When one is on the list, my work-around is to go to my library and peruse the offerings that fit the specification and then go get the print version. Other than that, I'm pretty respectful of what our leader has suggested.

This year's categories are delightful and I'm pleased that many of them overlap with other reading I need to do in 2025 and I've tentatively planned most of my selections. This morning I thought to share them with you. It looks as though the early part of the year will knock out a lot of them!

2025 Page Turner Challenge

*Official	Black Woods, Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey
Book published in 1925	Bread Givers by Anzia Yezierska (This will be my choice for my book club when my turn comes up in June.)
Book with chapter titles	The Music of Bees by Eileen Marvin (Ann's Book Club choice to read for 2/3/25)
Pulitzer Prize winner	Night Watch by Jayne Ann Phillips
Book on someone else’s bookshelf	Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich (on Betsy’s shelf, to read for discussion at Circle on February 24)
A love story	States of Emergency by Chris Knapp (currently struggling my way through the 300 pages)
Reread a book you once loved	SO many possibilities!
A book with illustrations	Late Migrations by Margaret Renkl (for Aging Gracefully discussion on March 2)
Book by an author who shares your name	Daily Meditations by Nancy Stevens!
A trilogy	No selection yet, just wondering who will be brave enough to list Fifty Shades of . . . .
A book by an author with initials in their pen name	Possibilities: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_literary_initials
**Immersion read a book of choice	Hmmmm . . .

*Official. Each year there is one book on the list that all of the participants read.

**Immersion reading -- something I'd not heard of before -- means reading a print copy of a book while listening to the audio version. We all know how this will go for me!