"Passport to Everywhere" Winter Reading Challenge Begins January 15th

January is the perfect time to escape the cold and cozy up with a book, and the Mid-Continent Public Library (MCPL) is encouraging readers to do just that with its Winter Reading Challenge.

This year’s MCPL Winter Reading Challenge theme is “Passport to Everywhere.”

“We hope it encourages readers to explore wild and unfamiliar places from the comfort of their favorite chairs. Books can be fiction or nonfiction. My favorite books that feature settings are travel memoirs. These are descriptions of personal transformative journeys in which the setting has played a major role. Some of my favorite travel memoirs are: Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson, and Driving over Lemons by Chris Stewart,” Grain Valley Assistant Branch Manager Jodi Vogler said.

Grain Valley Branch Manager Peyton Jenkins also offers his top five travel related recommendations.

“In keeping with our Winter Challenge theme, these books all feature characters who take some kind of journey or trip,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins recommends the following books:

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler

Registration for the Winter Reading Challenge begins January 15 th on the MCPL website, www.mymcpl.org.

Everyone who completes the challenge by reading any five books between January 15 – March 15, 2019 will receive a special commemorative coffee mug with this year’s theme. Additionally, MCPL is offering participants the opportunity to win a Kansas City “stay-cation” package as well as a grand prize trip for two to the Dominican Republic.