In the beginning...

When I graduated college there was this profound sense of bewilderment to realize that my time was my own again and that there was, in fact, something called "reading for fun".  As a child I always loved to read; some of my fondest memories feature moments hidden away in the library and staying up all night to read just one more chapter.  Admittedly, school squashed that for a while, but when I did finally come up for air, I found the stupidest "reading" list I could to teach myself how to love reading again.

One book no the list was "read a book with a number in the title" so I picked up Russia: A 1000-Year Chronicle of the Wild East.  Another was "read a book you picked out solely based on the cover art" which led me to read The Mathematician's Shiva as I was drawn in by the austere winter scene.  And so on.  I don't recall the full list of books or how many I read that year, but it sparked again that need to learn something new for knowledges sake and to escape away into other worlds.

It's been, admittedly, many years since then, but I find myself yet again uninspired by my reading.  As an individual who leans towards non-fiction, the reading can be arduous and while good, rarely ever makes it to the list of "that was a real page turner".  And so, I turn again to that silly little book challenge idea, this time coming up with my own to help give me that extra kick.  

1.  Read a book already on your shelf that you've just never gotten around to reading. 

2.  Read a book with a bird on the cover (no cheating and reading the summary!).

3.  Read a book with a one word title.

4.  Read something that you can (realistically) finish in a day.

5.  Read a book originally written in another language.

6.  Re-read a book that you only originally read because it was assigned reading from school.

7.  Read a book you were gifted.

8.  Give poetry a try!

9.  Read a memoir of someone still alive today.

10.  Read a book that is mostly orange.

11.  Read a book published the year you were born.

12.  Read a book that has a lot of bad reviews!!

13.  Finish reading a book that you've started, but never finished.

14.  Read a book with illustrations (bonus points if it's in color).

15.  Check another "classic book to read before you die" off your list.