Summer Reading “Challenge”

I was hit yesterday by these facts: my cable bill was due, I have to hope my car payment will get mailed on time for the beginning of next week, and rent is due in four short days. Oh, and in a couple of weeks I’ll have to start regularly paying back my student loans, rather than just paying a little here and there. To make an already long story short, it hit me that June is coming to an end and July is just around the corner. Please pass by slower, July.

Anyway, I’ve been plugging along with my ever lengthening reading wish list, and while I’m enjoying what I’m reading (Primarily Yes, Please, and the recent edition of Glimmer Train Stories), I also don’t want to fall into a lull after I’m finished and wonder what to read next. So I’ve come up with a solution that I am very excited about.

I came across a list from Penguin Books USA called “80 Years of Best Sellers,” and it’s so neat and list-like, I had to print it out and hang it up on my wall. I also hung a copy up on a bulletin board in my office at work, you know, for fun. I decided that I would challenge myself to get through every book on the list by the 23rd of September, or the Autumnal Equinox. This is the technical end of summer, and by choosing that as the end date, I’m only a week behind because the Summer Solstice occurred on the 21st.

I will admit, I have read a few of the books on this list, so I do have that advantage. There are fiction and nonfiction titles listed, as well as thrillers and poetry. I’m excited to set aside time for books I’ve been wanting to read, as well as for books that I’ve never heard of. I will be using library resources to obtain these tomes, and in the chance that I absolutely cannot get through one of them, I have a backup list. It’s Oprah’s “42 Amazing Beach Reads You Won’t Be Able to Put Down,” and many of these titles are also ones I’ve been looking forward to opening and devouring.

So this is my challenge. I’ve provided links so you can join me in this endeavor, or to use if you’re looking for something new to read. I’ll be posting about my progress – weekly, to start – and feel free to share yours with me. Stay tuned, and happy reading!