Need to fill out your 2020 challenge form? Here it is! If you’ve already filled it out, no need to do it a second time. We’ll be in touch shortly about prizes. They arrived while we were away for Winter Break.
What is the Read Great Things Challenge?
The Read Great Things Challenge is a personal reading challenge sponsored by the Durham Tech Library that encourages folks to diversify and/or increase their reading goals by completing books throughout 2021 that fit into at least 10 of the following 12 categories:
- A short book
- A book about or set in space
- A book that will help with your self-care
- A microhistory [A book that focuses narrowly on one topic and its sociological relationship to the world or its impact.]
- A book about social justice or equity [check out our Watch, Read, Think, Engage series from last year for a big list of books about racial equity, many of which are in the Durham Tech collections]
- A book with a color in the title
- An “own voices” book [A term that denotes an author, underrepresented in the publishing world, who is writing or telling a story where they are representative of the main character or primary point-of-view. It began as a hashtag movement focusing on children’s and young adult literature, but is–at its core– about promoting diverse publishing practices. Can be fiction or nonfiction.]
- A book with pictures [Examples: a graphic novel, manga, children’s picture book, illustrated book, etc.]
- A book that takes place outside the continental United States
- A book about family
- Choose your own book category! Yup, pick your own category and you might just help create next year’s reading challenge categories.
- A book recommended by a Durham Tech Library staff member or on the Library blog [Our favorite category]
Our goal is to highlight a different category on this blog each month to help you out, but you can always ask a librarian for recommendations if you can’t think of a book to read for a certain category (which conveniently fills that final and most awesome category).
How do I participate in the Read Great Things Challenge?
It’s pretty simple –just start reading! You don’t have to sign up and you can start at any point in the year and read the books in any order you like. You will need to choose books that fit into at least 10 of the 12 categories by the end of Fall Semester (December 2021) to complete the challenge. All books must be finished during the 2021 calendar year.
What kind of book counts as a “great thing”?
All books count–hardcover, paperback, ebooks, audiobooks, graphic novels, comic books, library books, books you own, books you’ve borrowed… If it fits into one (or two) of the categories and you’ve read it/want to read it in 2021, that counts. We’re not here to judge or assign reading levels. Textbook or assigned reading for class can count, too, as long as you read the whole book.
Can I count a book for multiple categories?
One book can count for up to two categories, so if you read strategically, you can complete the challenge by only reading 5 books in total. Your time is valuable; feel free to multitask.
How do I win the challenge? (What do I win?)
To win and complete the challenge, you should finish books throughout 2021 that fit into at least 10 of the 12 listed categories and then fill out the online completion form or drop your paper form off at the Main Campus Library. In late December at the end of the Fall Semester, we’ll have bookish prizes available for those who bring their completed book list to the library or fill out the completion form.
You’ll also get a personal sense of satisfaction and bragging rights. (And who doesn’t love those?)
Do the books have to be from the Durham Tech Library?
Nope, but we’re glad to point you in the direction of one already in our collection. We have some great books just waiting to make it on your list.
View, download, or print a copy of the checklist and challenge guidelines: Read Great Things 2021 Challenge Checklist [pdf]
Want to read but time-limited? Participate in our Read Great Things 2021 SPRINT to finish three books between Sept. 1, 2021 and Dec. 31, 2021. Any books count!
More questions? Email library [at] durhamtech [dot] edu or Orange County Campus Librarian Meredith Lewis at lewisma [at] durhamtech [dot] edu.
