2025 marks the 10th anniversary of the Great Reading Challenge! The Great Reading Challenge (GRC) is a year-long reading challenge open to adults 18+ who have a Carnegie-Stout Public Library card.
To complete the challenge, you need to read at least 12 books (or 78 hrs./4680 min.) by the end of the year. The challenge of the GRC is to read books that fit one of the many categories in the GRC Book Log. Also look for “Reading Roulette” announcements each month. If you read a book that fits that month’s Reading Roulette category, it will count as two books (or double the minutes) in your reading log! Reading Roulette Categories
To join the Great Reading Challenge, sign up using the form below, sign up on the Beanstack app, or sign up in person at the Reference or Recommendations desk.
Download the 2025 Great Reading Challenge Information Packet and Log
Thank you for your continued participation in the Great Reading Challenge! We help keep Dubuque reading. If you have any comments or questions, feel free to email the GRC creator Librarian Angie at ajohnson@carnegiestout.org.
GRC READING LEVELS
If you choose to track books read in 2025:
- BRONZE LEVEL = 12-29 books
- SILVER LEVEL = 30-49 books
- GOLD LEVEL = 50-69 books
- PLATINUM LEVEL = 70-89 books
- DIAMOND LEVEL = 90-199 books
- GRC CHAMPION ALL-STAR = 200+ books
If you choose to track minutes read in 2025:
- BRONZE LEVEL = at least 78 hrs. (4680 min.)
- SILVER LEVEL = 156 hrs. (9360 min.)
- GOLD LEVEL = 208 hrs. (12,480 min.)
- PLATINUM LEVEL = 260 hrs. (15,600 min.)
- DIAMOND LEVEL = 312 hrs. (18,720 min.)
- GRC CHAMPION ALL-STAR = 728 hrs. (43,680 min.)
2025 Reading Roulette Categories
January: Read a New Book
Read a book that has been published in the last six months and it will count as two books read (or twice the amount of minutes) for the challenge.
February: Valentine’s Day Symbolism ❤️
Read a book with Valentine’s Day symbolism in February and it will count as two books read for the Challenge! Examples: a book with hearts, flowers, or the color pink/red on the cover; a book by an author with the last name Hart, Heart, or Valentine. Feel free to be creative in your interpretation. Find suggestions here.
March: Synonyms of March
This month’s category is a play on the word “march.” So books with a movement word in the title, like walk, run, march, skip, jump, drive, etc., will count as two books read for the Challenge.
April: Calendar Names
Read a book with an author or character whose name includes a calendar month (e.g. August Wilson, Jo March, etc.). Complete this reading roulette category and it will count as two books read for the Challenge.
May: AAPI Month
Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month by reading a book written by an AAPI author or about AAPI characters. If you read a book that fits this category in May, it will count as two books read for the Challenge!
- Join us on the Beanstack app for this and more reading challenges!
- Find reading recommendations from C-SPL Readers of the Month.
- See new titles available for check out.