I’m always in the mood for a good reading challenge. The Oshkosh Public Library, my local library in Wisconsin, recently hosted an adult winter reading challenge that I participated in. It was super exciting to participate because I was able to visit inside the library for the first time in February! When I moved to Wisconsin, I was able to pick up books via curbside or borrow books online through services like OverDrive and Hoopla. Anyway, back to the challenge. This challenge worked a little differently than other reading challenges I participated in. Instead of following a list of prompts to fill with books, I had to read 1,000 minutes between January 4th, 2021, and February 28th, 2021. Once you hit certain time marks of reading, you received different stamps.

Here are the books I read for this challenge:

1. Holes by Louis Sacher
2. When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole
3. My Life as a Background Slytherin by Amy McGovern
4. Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
5. The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
6. The Knot Ultimate Wedding Planner & Organizer by Carley Roney
7. Fangirl, Vol. 1 Manga by Rainbow Rowell
8. The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James
9. Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks
10. The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
11. Ms. Marvel by G. Willow Wilson
12. Jade City by Fonda Lee 

At the end of the challenge, I read for 29 hours and 4 minutes, over an entire day! It was interesting to track how many minutes I’ve read rather than the number of pages. Tracking how much time I spent reading was more work than I expected it to be. It felt like more pressure to read based on timing rather than the books themselves. I don’t think I’ll be tracking my reading based on the number of hours I read again, but it was fun to participate. I’m I hope the Oshkosh Public Library hosts reading challenges for adults in the future.