New year, new you! The new year is a time for reflection and reinvigoration. What better way to do that than to cozy up with great new books this winter? Join #WinterRead2021 and get reading.

Your challenge? Click on the "Challenge Yourself" badge and set your goal for how much you wish to read between January 1 and March 31. You can pick any number of books between 1 and 10.

What then? Then, log each book you read! You can read new books or old favorites. Don't know what to read? Check out our Adult Book Lists, Teen Book Lists, Tween Book Lists, and our Children's Book Lists on Goodreads. When the number of books you've logged meets the number of books you challenged yourself to read, mark the date you met your reading goal to complete the challenge.

Prizes? Everyone who completes the challenge by March 31 - either on Beanstack or by filling out a paper form - will get a surprise book pick! This is a free book to keep, randomly selected from our stash of new and gently used donated books. These will be pulled at the end of the challenge then wrapped up to add to the mystery. All eligible participants will be notified when prize books are available for pickup in early April. Prizes must be picked up and cannot be mailed.

Who participates? Our current reading challenge is for school aged kids in kindergarten through grade 5, teens in grades 6 through 12, and adults! (Looking for something for younger children? Ask about our new, ongoing 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten challenge.)

How do I participate? You can either participate online or in person - we ask that you just pick one or the other so we don't double count you!

• Online: register for a Beanstack account by visiting ventresslibrary.beanstack.org. If you already have one, simply login to your existing account and sign up for the current challenge. You can also download the Beanstack app. Please note that while one person may sign up their entire family with one login, you must toggle between each person's reader account to register and log books for their challenge. 
• In Person: We have take home sheets at the library. Pick one up during in person hours or give us a call during curbside pickup and we will bring one out to you. Or print your own: Kids Challenge | Teen Challenge | Adult Challenge. Fill it out and return it by March 31! 

Happy reading!