30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Summer Reading Challenges Aren't Just for Kids
Last June, a merry band of book lovers marched down Clement Street, a shopping district in San Francisco. Accompanied by a high school drum corps, they carried flags and chanted 'Books! Books! Books!' Summer had begun and it was time to get reading.
The parade marked the opening of an adults-only summer reading challenge held by Green Apple Books, a San Francisco bookstore founded in 1967, and Friends & Neighbors, a nearby community art space. Valerie Luu and Eric Lam, who started Friends & Neighbors in 2023, proposed the idea to the Green Apple store manager Eileen McCormick as an extension of their space's mission to foster connection — and as a way to bring 'sportslike enthusiasm' to reading.
Participants competed to read the most hours over the course of three months. They could also aim for bonus categories, such as reading books from 10 different genres, or complete a 30-hour mini challenge. By summer's end, 521 reading logs and mini challenges were returned, accounting for over 18,000 hours read. And to the top readers went the spoils, including a hand-knit trophy and gift cards to nearby businesses.
For decades, summer reading programs have helped keep children engaged while school's out. But in the last several years, more and more bookstores and literary organizations have expanded their challenges to adults, tapping into a passion for reading, a desire for community and a taste for nostalgia (and pizza). Some challenges focus on the number of books finished or minutes read; others use bingo cards to help participants diversify their reading habits with thematic (read a translated book) and situational (read outdoors) prompts.
Powell's Books in Portland, Ore., piloted an adult summer reading challenge two years ago after hearing from many customers who were jealous of their kids' contest, which they've run since 2013. After its success, the bookstore shifted to an all-ages, bingo-style challenge last year: More than 2,700 people finished, around 1,400 of whom were adults. Powell's is one of many independent bookstores around the country that have opened things up to grown-ups, said Bry Hoeg, who manages the store's City of Books location. 'If they weren't doing it already, they started within the last year.'
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