#The Jax Stacks Reading Challenge is Back!

We've got 16 new categories - along with some great book recommendations to get you started. Start with the categories that interest you most and see how far you get!

If you read just one book this year, you're a Jax Stacks reader! To officially complete the challenge, read at least 12 books from 12 of the categories listed below. If you need help keeping track, pick up a Jax Stacks Reading Challenge bookmark - available at your local library. If you complete the challenge before December 31, 2024: Snap a picture of your completed bookmark and send it to jplprograms@coj.net to claim a prize!

More recommendations will be posted each month. So, be sure to check back often!

#New to Jax Stacks?

Click here to learn more about the Jacksonville Public Library's year-round reading challenge for adults!

1. A book by a 2024 Lit Chat author

Lit Chat Interviews and Author Talks bring authors from far and near to talk with you about their books and writing process (as well as some delightful tangents)! Check out the events calendar to find all the authors coming this year and then, grab a book by one of them to read!

• 1000 Words: A Writer's Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round by Jami Attenberg
• Miracle by Karen S. Chow
• Mr. Jimmy from Around the Way by Jeffrey Blount
• Pucking Around by Emily Rath

2. A book with an eye-catching cover

Some covers just call to you from the shelf, whether they’re beautiful, trendy, weird, or all of the above. Pick one up and read it!

• When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill
• The Lost Apothecary: A Novel by Sarah Penner
• Same Bed Different Dreams by Ed Park
• Hum by Jamaal May

3. A book published the year you were born

Celebrate your birthday with a book the same age as you and see which one of you has aged better.

• Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (1990)
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (1960)
• Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine (1997)
• Akira Volume 1 by Katsuhiro Otomo (1984)

4. A book you read as a child

Revisit your childhood favorite or give a second chance to a book you didn’t like the first time around.

• Holes by Louis Sachar
• Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
• The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

5. A book of poetry, essays, or short stories

Short on time? Check out a collection of shorter works! Read one in a waiting room or during breakfast. Or you can binge them all in one sitting, we won’t judge! It might just be your new favorite format!

• Congratulations! The Best Is Over by R. Eric Thomas
• Heads of the Colored People by Nafissa Thompson-Spires
• Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur
• Exhalation by Ted Chiang

6. A book read by a Library Book Club in 2024

Our Library Book Clubs read widely and bring together great folks for conversation and community. Check out our events calendar to see what’s coming up and pick out a book to read from the list. Then, go ahead and join us at a meeting to share your opinions!

• The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
• Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
• All That's Dead by Stuart MacBride

7. A sci-fi or alternate history book set in Asia

Take your reading to another continent, the future, and even another universe with this category!

• The Memory Police, written by Yoko Ogawa, translated by Stephen Snyder
• Karma of the Sun by Brandon Ying Kit Boey
• She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
• The Many Deaths of Laila Starr by Ram V

8. A book with an LGBTQIA+ protagonist

Representation matters! See yourself or a loved one reflected in the pages of a book! From romance to mystery to a classic coming-of-age tale, this category has a plethora of titles to offer.

• The Thirty Names of Night by Zeyn Joukhadar
• One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
• Real Life by Brandon Taylor
• Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers

9. A nonfiction graphic novel or comic

A picture is worth a thousand words. From memoirs to humor writing to academic topics, learn something new with fabulous illustrations.

• Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh
• Maus I and II by Art Spiegelman
• Pinball: A Graphic History of the Silver Ball by Jon Chad

10. A Pulitzer Prize-winning book

With categories including fiction, drama, history, biography, memoir, poetry, and nonfiction, you’re sure to find a book you’ll love somewhere in the 107 years' worth of prizes that have been awarded.

• American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin
• All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
• The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich
• Encounters at the End of the World: A History of the Mandan People by Elizabeth A. Fen

11. A book by a Jacksonville author

Read local and check out a book by a Jacksonville author! You can support up-and-coming self-published authors in our Local Author Collection or one of the many nationally renowned authors who have called Jacksonville home. We're counting anyone who ever lived in Jacksonville (for a significant amount of time), whether they grew up here, moved here, or wrote a book here and then left.

• Scythe by Neal Shusterman
• Monument Road by Michael Wiley
• Milk Blood Heat: Stories by Dantiel Moniz
• Florida Woman by Deb Rogers

12. A book in translation, written in the 21st century

Whether it’s the latest Nordic noir, a popular new manga, or the hottest summer beach read, any book translated from one language to another counts!

• Convenience Store Woman, written by Sayaka Murata, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori
• The Dinner, written by Herman Koch, translated by Sam Garrett
• Your Second Life Begins When You Realize You Only Have One, written by Raphaelle Giordano, translated by Nick Caistor
• The Red-Haired Woman, written by Orhan Pamuk, translated by Ekin Oklap

13. A horror or dystopian novel

Classic or modern; scary, funny, or dread-inducing – pick a book that leaves you a little bit spooked! It doesn’t have to be gory or oppressive to count; anything that’s a bit existentially terrifying is a good fit.

• Never Whistle At Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology by Shane Hawk
• Tender Is the Flesh by Augustina Bazterrica
• Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky
• The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris

14. A cookbook

Switch up the dinner routine, explore a new culture, or maybe find your new favorite recipe! Everybody has to eat – why not have fun with it? We have A LOT of cookbooks at the Library. Start exploring!

• Let’s Make Dumplings!: A Comic Book Cookbook by Hugh Amano
• Cook This Book by Molly Baz
• The Don’t Panic Pantry Cookbook: Mostly Vegetarian Comfort Food That Happens to be Pretty Good for You by Noah Galuten
• Get Cooking by Mollie Katzen

15. A book by a debut author over 50

Creative inspiration comes at all ages! Check out an author who picked up the pen later in life!

• The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
• Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley
• Little Pink Slips by Sally Koslow
• A Good Family by A.H. Kim

16. A book based on mythology

Check out some new twists on ancient tales.

• The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
• The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
• Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
• The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

Get more book recommendations

1. Attend the Jax Stacks (Virtual) Book Club live on Zoom on the first Tuesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. Each meeting will focus on one or two different categories from the bookmark. Note: No specific book is required to be read for this book club. 
2. Read more of these "Jax Stacks Staff Picks" articles (posted on the Library's blog throughout the year) to see what your librarians are reading and recommending!
3. Sign up for The Book Hookup and get book recommendations related to several popular categories.
4. Track your progress and make recommendations on the Jax Stacks StoryGraph Challenge.
5. Add books to the group bookshelf on Goodreads!
6. Ask to join our Library U Facebook Group. 
7. Request a Personalized Booklist from your local book recommendation experts (librarians)!