In a reading rut? Want to broaden your book choices?
Join the EMPL Readers Services 2025 Reading Challenge.
The reading challenge is a chance to shake up your reading habits and to explore all that The Reader Services Department offers by completing reading and non-reading challenges throughout the year. Those who participate will be invited to a party in January of 2026 where there will be prizes, refreshments, a book buzz, and a chance to share the titles read during the year. The Basic Reading Challenge consists of twelve, one for each month of the year. Complete the challenge within that month and get entered to win a prize. Unsure you can read a book a month? Don’t worry, there is a lot of flexibility in the challenge so you can participate no matter how much you read. Feeling ambitious? Complete our Extra Reading Challenges and/or our non-reading Bonus Challenges and increase your chance at winning our Grand Prize. You may read whatever you want as long as it meets the challenges. Not sure of what to read? We will have suggestions for you all through the year and a discussion forum online where you can get ideas or share what you are reading. Participate either online or by submitting your completed challenges in person at the library. Program is open to all with a Nassau Library Card.
INSTRUCTIONS ON REGISTRATION
To complete a challenge, please submit the title and author of book you read, the date completed, how it fits the challenge and rate the book on a scale of 1 to 5 stars. For nonreading challenges tell us the date completed and how you fulfilled the challenge.
READING CHALLENGE GOODREADS PAGE – This is the place to discuss the reading challenges. You can recommend books, ask for suggestions or discuss the book you are reading for the challenge. If you are not a member of Goodreads you must create an account at goodreads.com . After joining, you will receive an e-mail asking you to verify your e-mail address – please do so by clicking the link provided. After you log into Goodreads, click on this link – EMPL Reading Challenge Page and select Join Group. You can also find our page by clicking on Community at the top of the Goodreads page. Select Groups and type EMPL in the seach box. Select EMPL Reader Services Reading Challenge 2025 and click Join Group.
These are the challenges for May and June.
June Challenge: Read a book by a LBGTQ+ author or starring a LBGTQ+ character.
Some Suggestions:
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel
Tin Man by Sarah Winman
Mazeltov by Eli Zuzovsky
The Guncle by Steven Rowley
For additional information, please call the Reader Services Department at 516-794-2570 ext. 1236.
On July 14 at 7:00 p.m., join us as Carol Hoenig and Jennifer Safrey discuss their latest works along with providing insight into the book publishing industry. Carol Hoenig’s latest novel is Before She Was a Finley. She is also the author of Without Grace, Of Little Faith and The Author’s Guide to Planning Book Events. She is President of Carol Hoenig Publishing Consultant, co-owner of On the Road Book Events and co-podcaster on Wildflowers Podcast: Books, Booze and Banter. Jennifer Safrey is a longtime freelance editor, as well as an adjunct professor at Emerson College, where she teaches a graduate course on romance novels. After Happily Ever is her seventh novel.This program is part of the Summer Reading Club; event tickets will be given to attendees.
