Read Books, Win Prizes All Year Long with the DMPL Reading Challenge!

Maybe you’ve got a New Year’s Resolution this year to read more books, or expand your reading horizons beyond your go-to genres. And why not accomplish those goals while earning a chance to win prizes just for reading books, AND join other readers all over Greater Des Moines (DSM) in book clubs and online discussion groups?

Interested? Of course, you are!

Then sign up now for the Des Moines Public Library’s 2022 DMPL Reading Challenge! All you have to do is read a book from 12 of our 18 selected genres and categories over the course of the calendar year. Read books in any order, as quickly or slowly as you want, and track your progress online. Even if you missed a few months, you can sign up at any time and still be eligible for monthly and grand prizes.

The 18 categories are as follows:

• Book by a 2022 Authors Visiting in Des Moines (AViD) speaker series author
• Recommendation from a DMPL Book Chat librarian
• Literary classic
• Winner or finalist (any year) for the National Book Award for nonfiction
• Historical fiction NOT set during World War II Memoir by a BIPOC author (Black, Indigenous, People of Color)
• LGBTQIA+ author
• New York Times #1 bestseller
• Nontraditional format (graphic novel, epistolary, etc.)
• Something you’ve always wanted to read but never did
• Family saga
• YA or middle-grade book
• Book about books
• Book made into a movie or TV series
• Anti-racism (nonfiction)
• Book chosen for its cover design
• Banned or challenged book
• Wild card! (a book of your choice)

We know some of our super readers finish the challenge quickly, so this year we’ve added a monthly bonus category to keep up with voracious reading appetites. Readers that complete all 12 bonus categories by the end of the year will receive an exclusive piece of library swag.

Info on bonus categories, official rules and instructions for signing up can be found at dmpl.org/reading-challenge.

Connect With Other Readers

The reading challenge is also a great chance to connect with other readers! For the first time, we’re hosting a monthly Virtual DMPL Reading Challenge book club on Zoom throughout 2022. We’re selecting a book each month that fulfills one of the categories. Discuss books with other people and stay on track to complete the challenge! Check out dmpl.org/events for more information. And of course, don’t forget to sign up for our DMPL Reading Challenge groups on Goodreads and Facebook to discuss what you’re reading.

Sign Up Now

Readers can register on our website at dmpl.org/reading-challenge. If you need suggestions or ideas for the categories, our librarians have you covered on the Reading Challenge page on our website. The Des Moines Public Library is also now on Tiktok! Follow @desmoinespubliclibrary for fun videos on book suggestions, read-a-like book picks and much more!

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