A little unfinished business first–
Need to fill out your 2021 challenge form? Here it is!
Need to fill out your 2021 SPRINT form? We’ve got you– here it is!
If you’ve already filled it out, no need to do it a second time.
New year, new Read Great Things Challenge categories! 2022 marks the fifth year of our reading challenge and we’re excited to have you in our community of readers.
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 2022 that fit into at least 10 of the following 12 categories:
- A happy or hopeful book
- A book about the environment
- A book set in the place you were born or where your family is from
- A book about travel
- A book about the brain
- A book about community OR a community read
- A book with a number in the title
- An artsy book
- Blast from the past! Pick your favorite category from one of our past reading challenges– 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
- A book about a monster
- Genre fiction grab bag—pick one!: romance, horror, historical fiction, thriller, or mystery
- A book recommended by a Durham Tech Library staff member or on the Library blog
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). This post will be updated with links to category-specific book lists as they appear on the blog.
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 2022) to complete the challenge. All books must be finished during the 2022 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 finished reading it in 2022, 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. We aren’t judging. We want you to win.
How do I win the challenge? (And what do I win?)
To win and complete the challenge, you should finish books throughout 2022 that fit into at least 10 of the 12 listed categories and then fill out the online completion form (preferred) 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 2022 Challenge Checklist [pdf]
You can also join our Durham Tech Library Reading Group Team (via Microsoft Teams).
More questions? Email library @ durhamtech.edu or Meredith Lewis at lewisma @ durhamtech.edu.
