LibraryAware

Beanstack can be accessed via the website or by downloading the Beanstack app
Once registered in Beanstack, either the Teen or Adult program level will be presented as an option to join, depending on your age
Registration is now open for the duration of the challenge, which concludes on Saturday, Dec. 18

Completion and Rewards

You can log your books as you go or report them all at once to complete the challenge
Beanstack allows you to add friends, 'compete' with your progress, and leave reviews!
Rewards are customized and not ordered until the challenge ends
The Extreme Reader staff team will be in touch with finishers regarding reward distribution in early 2022

We enthusiastically encourage our Extreme Readers to sign up and complete the 2021 Summer Reading Challenge via Beanstack. In addition to the benefits of becoming familiar with Beanstack, participants will get prizes for finishing and be entered in additional prize raffles. If you are already devouring books for Extreme Reader, those hours of reading will ALSO count for SRC; it's too easy!

Overbooked

The next Overbooked meetup is coming soon!

Please join us on Saturday, September 18, for a virtual Overbooked Meetup from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m.! If you would like to participate, please RSVP here.

You will receive a Zoom link one hour before the event. If you would like assistance setting up a Zoom account prior to the event or experience trouble accessing the event, please email our team at extremereader@tacomalibrary.org.

Did you miss the first meeting? Interested in the titles we discussed?

Check out our Overbooked booklist!

Book recs from the last Overbooked!

If you missed out on the last Overbooked event,

we've got you covered!

Our staff facilitators worked hard to record as many titles as possible that were discussed during the program. The titles have been compiled into a booklist,

along with a few of the categories they were recommended for listed in the notes.

Click on the book cover images below to access the booklist in the TPL catalog!

Extreme Reader Staff Profile: JC

¡Hola! My name is JC (pronouns: They/Them) and I am one of the newest members of the Extreme Reader team! Having the privilege of being a moderator and member of this year's challenge has been an absolute joy because of how much I am learning about what folks are currently reading and enjoying. If I had a superpower, it would probably be the ability to stop time so I could find a cozy nook somewhere and catch up with my reading list. Here are some neat things to know about me:

Besides being new to the Extreme Reader Challenge, I am also new to Tacoma Public Library! Currently, you can catch me at the Swasey Library (and sometimes Mottet!) where I work as an associate
Before the library, I worked in the world of harm-reduction specifically with HIV prevention and education within Spanish speaking communities
Pupusas are my favorite food in the world, and I have to say that Tacoma has some of the best pupuserias I've ever been to
Short story fiction is what you will most likely find on my bookshelf, although I also find myself also reading a lot of Young Adult fiction and Science Fiction
I'm a big video game nerd and along with books, gaming has really provided me with some fun and much needed escapism.

Enjoy a few of my personal recommendations below
for titles that fit the 2021 categories, linked to the TPL catalog:

A book where the characters save (or attempt to save) the world
Hope You Get This Message by Farah Naz Rishi

A book set on a mode of transportation
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, #1)

A book with a character who is older than you
American Gods by Neil Gaiman

A book written by an author that uses an initial(s) in their name
The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin

Check out the TPL Book of the Week!

Did you know that TPL features a 'Book of the Week' on our social media channel? These titles offer a broad representation of characters, stories, and authors

Find these posts through the library's social media channels by following hashtag #tplbookoftheweek to see the latest and greatest selections. The weekly post is also shared each week in the Extreme Reader Facebook group with a few categories that work for each title.

Here is a sampling from the last few weeks, click on the title for direct access to the TPL catalog for additional information and to place holds!

The Bookshop of Second Chances by Jackie Fraser
- "But on the drive back the sun comes out and I'm feeling quite positive. I'm feeling quite...positive. I wonder if I could live up here. Not forever, that doesn't seem realistic. But I could definitely stay up for the summer, couldn't I? "
- #21 A book with a book on the cover, #32 A book with an unlikely pair, and #41 A book written in the first person.
How to Argue with a Racist: What Our Genes Do (and Don't) Say About Human Difference by Adam Rutherford
- "When you have only ever experienced privilege, equality feels like oppression."
- Categories: #7 A book about social justice, #26 A book with a medical professional, and #36 A book with only words on the cover
Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart
- "Hating me will make it easier for her to forget me."
- #27 A book with a metallic cover, #32 A book with an unlikely pair #41 A book written in the first person
Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala
- "In typical Filipino fashion, my aunt expressed her love not through words of encouragement or affectionate embraces, but through food."
- #30 A book with a skull on the cover, #39 A book written by an author that uses an initial(s) in their name, and #41 A book written in the first person.
The Guncle by Steven Rowley
- "The books were easy to restack, but he pulled a few titles to donate, anyhow. Books should be an experience he thought, not a trophy for having read them. The ground is dry. My body just as warm as it was before. Like nothing every happened."
- #21 A book with a book on the cover and #37 A book with parents or parental figures in it.

Tacoma Public Library is Fine Free!

Kept a handful of materials you checked out for the challenge a bit too long?

Just needed a few extra days to finish up the perfect book for that hard-to-fill category?

Tacoma Public Library has now permanently eliminated overdue fine collection on late items. No need to sweat those overdue fines any longer!

Additionally, TPL will clear all overdue fines on patron accounts. TPL will also absorb fees from missing or damaged items that incurred a charge on Jan. 1, 2016, or earlier from patron accounts.

Other changes

TPL is implementing automatic renewals
- Any item that is checked out and not on hold for another patron will be automatically renewed once
- This applies to most items, with the exception of a small number of non-renewable materials, such as museum and Discover passes and Wi-Fi hotspots
Patrons can continue to borrow items until they have amassed $100 in fees
- Even if they have amassed more than $100 in fees, patrons can still use public computers and electronic resources
TPL will no longer charge a $1 replacement fee for library cards

Goodreads Group

Join Extreme Reader on Goodreads!

Want another way to celebrate and enjoy all things Extreme Reader? Join the dedicated Goodreads group to connect with other participants and get access to more recommendations than you'll know what to do with!

The Extreme Reader Goodreads group is run and moderated by program participants. Other than adding events and maybe popping in occasionally, the Extreme Reader team will be completely hands off.

You can access the group with the link below or by visiting www.Goodreads.com>Community>Groups>search for 'TPL Extreme Reader 2021' and request to join.

Extreme Reader 2021 Goodreads Group

Reading Resources

NoveList Plus
Find new books to read with this amazing database through TPL! Search for a favorite author or title, browse booklists, award lists, find title and author read alikes, or find the next book in a series. Fiction and Nonfiction books for all ages are included.

NextReads Newsletters
The NextReads email newsletter and outreach service delivers reading recommendations and library information by email.

Connect & Contact

Join fellow participants in the

TPL Extreme Reader 2021

group for book recommendations, fun conversation, and more!

Have a question about the challenge or a category? Reach out to the ER team at:

extremereader@tacomalibrary.org

Check out the Extreme Reader web page for all program details! tacomalibrary.org/extreme-reader

Tacoma Public Library
extremereader@tacomalibrary.org
253.280.2800
tacomalibrary.org