“There is no friend as loyal as a book.”
~ Ernest Hemingway
Do you love to read?
In January a group of us embarked on the inaugural Cauldrons and Cupcakes Reading Challenge.
Already we have read some fine books, and learned about new reading possibilities from our friends who have posted their own recommendations. My personal reading list is now long enough to get me through until next year, and it was a wonderful resource when it came to loading up on e-books and audio books before I went on holidays.
For those of you who are just joining us now let me explain the Challenge to you. It’s pretty easy!
It involves four simple steps:
- Read or otherwise consume a book each month. You might borrow a book from the library, or buy one. It might be gifted to you, or it might have been waiting for you in some pile beside the bed since who knows when… Or it could be an e-book, or an audio book. It can be any kind of book at all. A novel, a romance, crime, children’s or young adult’s, a non-fiction book like a memoir or a cookbook or a travel book. It could be a graphic novel. Or even a textbook.
- Post the name of the book you are currently reading here on the blog or over on our Cauldrons and Cupcakes Facebook or Instagram page. Feel free to suggest another book that you have already read and enjoyed. That way you’ll be adding to a list of books that we can all dip into and choose from. I love finding new reading recommendations!
- Download the Reading Challenge Bingo Sheet. Each month write the name of the book you have read in the corresponding square. If you read two books in one month it’s fine to allocate one to another month. Or add the extra book to your existing month. Then add a small amount of money to a jar for each book you read. It could be as little as ten cents per book. Here’s the Bingo Sheet for you to download – just click on this link: Book Reading Challenge Bingo Sheet Then start filling it in when you’ve read your first book.
- In December I am going to ask you to use the money you have saved to buy and donate a book to a charity for a Christmas gift OR donate the money to a literacy project or similar. (Even if you only saved ten cents each month $1 will buy you a decent second-hand book just about anywhere.) It will feel great to help someone else to experience the pleasure and comfort that reading brings. The world needs more readers. If you want to team up for this challenge that’s a great idea too!
For those of you who are already participating, I can’t wait to hear about your book recommendations! Pop them in the comments below.
But if you haven’t joined us yet, it’s not too late. And I’d love you to get your friends involved too, so please feel free to share this post far and wide.
On the first Saturday of every month, I’ll post an update here on the blog, and ask you what you are reading and if you have any recommendations to share.
All year we will practice kindness to ourselves by reading.
At year’s end we will pass some of that kindness on to someone else.
Do you want to join me?
Go ahead and write your name below, or pop over to Facebook and join me there.
Happy Reading!
Lots of love, Nicole ❤ xx
Hi Nicole, I just hope you are well recovering and send you energy and light 🙂
I have just finished Ghost Empire by Richard Fidler…a fascinating history of Constantinople. Very readable and absorbing. I studied ancient Roman history in high school, and my mother was born within a stone’s throw of Hadrian’s Wall in England, but I had scant knowledge of the goings on in the eastern Roman Empire.
I just finished listening to “A Man Called Ove” and “My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry” by Fredrik Backman. I absolutely LOVED A man called Ove. The second book was told in fairy tail fashion with a wonderful story to it but it might not appeal to everyone. I was pleasantly surprised by sticking with it.
I’m so here for this! I’m trying to get back into the reading groove and adjusting to ebooks at the same time. At the moment, I’m reading ‘A Charmed Life’ by Patricia Telesco, and I plan to re-read ‘American Gods’ by Neil Gaiman before I binge-watch the tv series.
Hi Nicole,
Would love to join. I am an avid reader and staunch supporter of the value of literacy projects so thank you for organising such a wonderful initiative. At the moment I am in Paris reading Nina George’s delightful tale ‘ The Little Breton Bistro’ .
I average about 3-6 books a month. I am currently reading book 3 & 4 in the “A Lin Coffin Mystery” series I read books 1,2 & 6 last week. The books are an easy read and well written. I bought and read “The Haunted Lighthouse” before I realized it was a book 6. I love light houses and Nantucket is someplace I want to visit some day!