read WTF you want summer reading challenge
My day job is at a public library, so of course I've spent the last three months up to my eyeballs in summer program planning: sorting piles of little plastic prizes, finessing the instructions, training other staff on the language of badges, points, finishers, and activities.
The goal, with my library's program, is to encourage multimodal learning, by which I mean: you could finish the whole summer program by going to the park, learning/trying a new recipe, watching a movie adaptation of a book, making art, doing a favor for a neighbor, etc. — all good, valuable things — you could finish the summer program this way, and not read a single book!
The community really likes it, but I've realized that for me as a reader, that kind of diffusion of activities leaves me more scattered than satisfied.1
I want more focus. I want to do fewer things, for more time each, so at the end of a month or two, I can look back and feel like I’ve really done something.
The summer program at my childhood library was wonderfully simple: write down how many books you wanted to read in the summer; if you met your goal, you got a book and a coupon for a personal pan pizza. I would read 40 or 50 books in a summer, adding titles to my log every day.
So I've been thinking about what the grown-up version of that looks like. I take great joy in my various habit trackers, and since I am no longer finishing a book a day, I prefer the satisfaction of marking time rather than completion. If my goal is not just "reading as habit," but also "connect with other book lovers," then perhaps some bookish activities should also count…
And drumroll…
(some folks told me that their memories of summer reading involved required books and reports, which is the opposite of my ideal summer reading experience! No prescribed books here!)
When: June 1 - July 31, 2025
What: Set a goal for number of days you'd like to read/do a bookish activity. Color a square or give yourself a sticker for every day you read/do a bookish activity. You can download the tracker below!
Win: Hit your goal? Send a photo of your tracker to me, and I’ll mail you one of my favorite books (sorry, no personal pan pizza, but I'm doing my best!)
+better together: I am always better at following through when I can cheer for someone else (and brag for myself!) — plus I'm nosy and I will want to know what other people are reading! I'll send out a check-in at the end of June, but in the in-between, I'll be on Instagram and I’d love to hear how your summer reading goes.2
I hope you'll join me! Recruit a book loving friend to join, too!
Love,
p
Look At me! I am usually terrible at pattern recognition!
I’ll also post an IG-friendly version of the tracker in my highlights :)
This is such a fun idea!