Book a Day in May has come to a close, and I’m happy to announce that it was a huge success! To celebrate, I’m going to share my reading list, highlight a few favorites, and tell you what’s next for me on the reading challenge radar.
My Month of Reading
Reading every day, as you might imagine, makes a big difference in a lot of little ways. Here are a few things I learned in May:
- Splitting my reading time between one very short book and about a third of a longer one was a great rhythm for getting through longer library books. I was able to avoid challenge-induced stress because I didn’t force myself to finish a book every single day.
- I usually judge a book by its cover, but for this challenge I tried a handful just for the sake of reading something different. The thrill of discovering something new keeps a reading challenge fresh and exciting, especially if you get on a chain of good-book, good-book, good-book, great-book!
- Daily reading makes my imagination happier. All that good story juice in my brain makes me more excited about my own writing projects. Seeing stories told well makes me feel more motivated to make sure my stories are just as amazing.
- Sharing about the challenge on Twitter kept me motivated. I took daily pictures of my progress and wasn’t allowed to post them until I’d at least started reading the book.
My Book A Day List
(links will take you to Goodreads)
- Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman
- The Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop 💛
- The Fish in Room 11 by Heather Dyer
- Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson
- Wishes, Kisses, and Pigs by Betsy Hearne 💛
- Clementine by Sara Pennypacker
- The Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth
- Granny Torrelli Makes Soup by Sharon Creech 💛
- Baker’s Magic by Diane Zahler 💛
- The Great Cake Mystery by Alexander McCall Smith
- Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things by Lenore Look
- Dessert First by Hallie Durand
- The Wish by Gail Carson Levine
- The Power of Poppy Pendle by Natasha Lowe
- The League of Beastly Dreadfuls by Holly Grant 💛
- The Time Warp Trio: Knights of the Kitchen Table by Jon Scieszka
- Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath
- Clementine, Friend of the Week by Sara Pennypacker
- Dear America: So Far from Home by Barry Danenberg
- Falcon’s Egg by Luli Gray
- The Time Warp Trio: Your Mother was a Neanderthal by Jon Scieszka
- The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catling
- The Classy Crooks Club by Alison Cherry 💛
- Dear America: A Light in the Storm by Karen Hesse
- Clementine and the Family Meeting by Sara Pennypacker
- The Care and Feeding of a Pet Black Hole by Michelle Cuevas
- Love That Dog by Sharon Creech 💛
- Deltora Quest: The Forests of Silence by Emily Rodda
- Jeremy Bender vs. the Cupcake Cadets by Eric Luper 💛
- Deltora Quest: The Lake of Tears by Emily Rodda 💛
- The Time Warp Trio: The Not-So-Jolly Roger by Jon Scieszka
💛 = I REALLY liked it.
My Next Trick
I hate to break a good rhythm, so I’m jumping right into another challenge this June. Middle Grade Carousel is hosting a Summer Reading Bingo challenge, and I’m so excited to give it a shot. Anyone with me?
Question of the Day: What are your summer reading plans?
Good for you to finish 31 books in 31 days!
The June Bingo challenge looks like fun. I don’t know if I have time for it this month, but I’ll try. Maybe I can get five in a row somewhere on that card 😉
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Thank you! I enjoyed the challenge.
I’m really looking forward to trying for a Bingo, I hope you’ll give it a shot, too! It’s always fun to see how many different books can fill the same categories.
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There are some great titles in here – I just read Baker’s Magic and loved it! I need to find The Wish to add to my TBR 🙂
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Baker’s Magic was a lovely hidden gem for me last month. Definitely a new favorite.
The Wish diverges a bit from Gail Carson Levine’s usual writing style. It wasn’t my favorite, but I’d love to hear your thoughts after you’re done with it 💛
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