Week 10- Tips and Tricks for Completing the Challenge

[Joanna]

While never named in the book, Mary Shelley once referred to her monster in Frankenstein by the name of Adam. This was a reference to the Biblical first man.

The word "book" is derived from this Old English word that also means "document or charter." Take a guess here.

March is here which means we are two months into our challenge. How is everyone doing? Are you meeting your goals?

This week, we're going to talk about tips and tricks for completing the challenge. Not everything will work for everyone, but below are what helps me.

Please add your tips and tricks to this thread!

1. Remember, this is for fun! The purpose of the challenge is to stretch in your reading but also to have fun while doing so. Don't stress out if you fall behind. Don't stress out if you realize you won't make the goals. The important part is that you read some good books, had fun, and tried.

2. Take time every day to read. We get so caught up in our busy lives that sometimes we forget to take some time to read. Whether your lunch break, in the morning when you get up, in the evening before bed, or some time in between- set aside time for your books.

3. Remember audiobooks count, too! Long commute to work? Going on a road trip? Running a bunch of errands? Listen to an audiobook. The library offers multiple avenues for e-audiobooks (ask me about them) or grab a good old fashioned book on cd.

4. If the book doesn't grab you, stop reading it. I suffer from this- once I start a book, I feel obligated to finish it. But I shouldn't have to. If the book you are reading isn't holding your interest, set it aside and read something else.

5. Break the book down. I do this a lot and sometimes it works; sometimes it causes stress. I look at the book I want to read and take the number of pages and divide by 7 days. That way I know how much I need to read per day to finish by the end of the week. It gives me a tangible goal.

6. Always carry a book with you. You never know when you will have free time so always carry a book with you. It's worked wonders for me, especially when I get caught in unexpected traffic (which happens all the time here in Hampton Roads).

I also found this article about 13 Tricks to Help You Read More which actually has most of what I've listed above.

Tell us your tips and tricks!

[Lyn]

books on CD,makes a sink full of dishes disappear with little effort,also same goes for a weeks worth of ironing.It makes the crochet hook fly through stitches when doing charity hats and scarves,okay It wasn't until recently that I stopping reading a book that wasn't moving along or catching my interest.this is a household that every single one of us has traveling book on the run

[Ingrid]

I always have a book with me. If I have to wait in a doctor's office, a little early picking the children up from sports, if the bridge is up...if I have a book it doesn't bother me to wait.

[Kayzee]

Ingrid wrote: "I always have a book with me. If I have to wait in a doctor's office, a little early picking the children up from sports, if the bridge is up...if I have a book it doesn't bother me to wait."

I'm the same. I tend to always have one in my purse and one in my car. I've also been putting tip #5 into practice these past months and I think it really helps.