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#ReadICT Challenge Inspires Readers To Set A Goal And Explore New Books

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It’s a new year—thank goodness—and a great time to take stock of your reading habits and set new goals for what and how you’d like to read in 2021. One great way to do that is to join a reading challenge.

The Wichita Eagle and the Wichita Public Library have partnered for another year of the #ReadICT Challenge—a 12-month, 12-book challenge aimed at encouraging you to stretch your reading and explore new authors, genres and topics. Categories include: a book with a one-word title, a book about animals or pets, an untold story, a book about travel and a book recommended by someone you admire. For the complete list of categories, visit Kansas.com/books or the Wichita Library’s website.

One of the greatest things about the #ReadICT project is the active and passionate community of readers that has sprung up in a Facebook group devoted to the challenge. When the new challenge was announced last week, readers across our community scanned their shelves or their TBR lists (that’s “to be read,” incidentally) or searched library catalogs for books to match the categories. I like to start the year with a few possibilities, but then I like to see which way my reading mood takes me.

One of the categories this year is a title from the Kansas Notable Books list. The annual list recognizes outstanding books either written by Kansans or about a Kansas-related topic, and there are lots of choices. I’m planning to finally read The Good Lord Bird by James McBride, a novel about a young slave living in the Kansas Territory in 1856 who joins John Brown’s antislavery crusade.

Whether you like to pre-plan your reading or go with the flow, I hope you’ll consider joining this year’s challenge and our inspiring community of Wichita-area readers.

Follow Suzanne Perez on Twitter @SuzPerezICT.

Suzanne Perez is a longtime journalist covering education and general news for KMUW and the Kansas News Service. Suzanne reviews new books for KMUW and is the co-host with Beth Golay of the Books & Whatnot podcast. Follow her on Twitter @SuzPerezICT.