2019 Reading Challenges: One for Kids and Teens and One for Adults!

As we are halfway through this first month of the new year, and as this blog is primarily about reading, it is high time we considered some 2019 reading challenges! 

We start with that of the “Redeemed Reader,” which introduced their 2019 version for teens and children last week (Jan.11). Here are a few lines from their introduction to it:

Our 2019 Reading Challenge for Kids and Teens is back and better than ever! This is year 3 for our annual reading challenge, and we’ve added some different components to extend your reading life.

We’ve also packaged the whole thing up into a handy pdf you can download and save to your computer. Printing just the pages you want and/or referencing it throughout the year will be easier than ever!

Why a Reading Challenge, or, Why do YOU Want to Join a Reading Challenge?

Perhaps the most important question is not, “Which challenge should I do?” but “WHY am I participating in a reading challenge in the first place?” (Or, why does your son or daughter want to participate?)

The point of the Redeemed Reader 2019 Reading Challenge is not to encourage you to simply read more books. After all, speed reading merely to check a title off of a list does nothing to enrich your actual life.

No, the point of our reading challenge is to encourage you to be more intentional with your reading life. Depending on the habits you already have in place, different sorts of challenges will be more or less beneficial for you. Most readers need some nudges to diversify our reading, and our reading challenges below are directly geared to that.

You may want to get the whole family involved with this one. There is much more found at the link below about the “hows” and “whys” of a reading challenge like this. And, of course, “RR” has plenty of book ideas for you to get started and to sustain your commitment to reading in 2019.

Then, for us adults, Tim Challies has once again issued his yearly book-reading challenge. As you may remember, he breaks his down into nice categories, to accommodate all types of readers – from the casual to the serious. Here is how that looks:

The 2019 Christian Reading Challenge is composed of 4 lists of books, which you are meant to move through progressively. You will need to determine a reading goal early in the year and set your pace accordingly.

• The Light Reader. This plan has 13 books which sets a pace of 1 book every 4 weeks.
• The Avid Reader. The Avid plan adds another 13 books which increases the pace to 1 book every 2 weeks.
• The Committed Reader. This plan adds a further 26 books, bringing the total to 52, or 1 book every week.
• The Obsessed Reader. The Obsessed plan doubles the total to 104 books which sets a demanding pace of 2 books every week.

And this is how he challenges us with this structure (pushes hard might be the better word – but that’s good!):

Begin with the Light plan, which includes suggestions for 13 books. Choose those books and read them in any order, checking them off as you complete them. When you have finished those 13, advance to the Avid plan. Use the criteria there to choose another 13 books and read them in any order. Then it’s time to move to the Committed plan with a further 26 books. When you have completed the Committed plan (that’s 52 books so far!), you are ready to brave the Obsessed plan with its 104 books. Be sure to set your goal at the beginning of the year so you can make sure you’re reading at the right pace.

All you need to do is download the list (or buy a printed version—see below), choose your first few books, and get going. Happy reading in 2019!

To which challenges I can only add – read on, my friends! Scour the bookstores (online and the “brick and mortar” ones) and find those special titles that interest you and that will grow your heart and soul and life! As we go through this year, we can share our good finds and good reads. And, yes, by all means enjoy your reading!

Source: 2019 Reading Challenge for Kids and Teens – Redeemed Reader