Adult summer reading challenge
This summer, choose your own path with the Adult Summer Reading Challenge. Whether you're looking to explore something new or unwind with a great book, there's a challenge waiting for you.
Registration opens Monday, July 13. You can register online, or at any desk in the library.
Complete challenges and enter the prize draw
You can choose exploration-related challenges or relaxation-related challenges … or both! Fill in a paper challenge slip or submit online to track your progress each time you finish a book or activity. Then, mark it off on your checklist with your challenge stickers. Each challenge earns one entry into our prize draws. Bonus entries are available by tagging #NVCLSRC and sharing photos of your challenge journey! Prizes include gift cards, activity passes, book swag, and more. More info on prizes to come!
Submit a challenge starting July 13
Challenges in the "Explore" path
- Take a photo of your library card on a hike and tag #NVCLSRC
- Read a book by a North Shore author
- Borrow a book about a skill you would like to learn
- Check out a hiking or birdwatching packpack
- Read a banned or challenged book
- Plant seeds from the seed library
- Read a book by an Indigenous author
- Attend a free community movie or music event
- Borrow a travel guide about a place you would like to go
- Read a previous book club suggestion
- Learn a new creative skill via library programming or take-home kits
- Watch a film or read a book recommended from our Instagram
- Create a poem, sketch, or piece of writing, and share it with a friend (or library staff!)
- Play a game at or from the library (boardgame, videogame, crossword, etc.)
- Find the Library Book Bike at a community event
- Read a book that has been translated into English
- Create a playlist inspired by your favourite book
- Take a book to the beach or a local park
- Read a book published the year you were born
- Share a reading spot on the North Shore Reads map
Challenges in the "Unwind" path
- Ask a library staff member for a recommendation; read that book!
- Read a banned or challenged book
- Borrow a book about a skill you would like to learn
- Read a book by an Indigenous author
- Borrow a travel guide about a place you would like to go
- Read a book by a North Shore author
- Read a book published the year you were born
- Read a previous book club suggestion
- Read a book that has been translated into English
- Read a magazine in the library
- Read a book featuring a 2SLGBTQIA+ main character
- Re-read your favourite book
- Read a summer-themed book
- Play a game at or from the library (boardgame, videogame, crossword, etc.)
- Borrow a cookbook and try a new recipe
- Read a graphic novel
- Read a book with a beautiful cover
- Read a book less than 250 pages
- Read a friend’s favourite book
- Share a reading spot on the North Shore Re
Challenge tips & resources
Need a little inspiration? These resources can help you complete some of this year's challenges:
Share a reading spot on the North Shore Reads map
Help us build a community map of the North Shore's best reading spots! Whether it's a favourite beach, park bench, café, or quiet viewpoint, we'd love to see where you enjoy reading. You can add your spot to our Google map, or add it to the physical North Shore Reads map at the library.
How to add your reading spot to the Google map
- Sign in to your Google account
- Open the North Shore Reads map.
- Sign in to your Google account when prompted.
- Select Add Marker (the map pin icon).
- Click on your reading spot to place the marker.
- Give your location a short title (e.g. Lonsdale Quay patio).
- Add a brief note about why you love reading there (optional)
- Click Save.
Please only add places that are open to the public, avoid sharing personal information, and keep descriptions friendly and respectful. If you're sharing a photo elsewhere, remember to use #NVCLSRC so we can see your adventures! Thank you for helping fellow readers discover great places to enjoy a book this summer.
Need a book for a Reading Challenge?
Need some help deciding on a book to read? Browse our Summer Reading Challenge book lists:
The Sideways Life of Denny Voss
A Novel
Careless People
A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism
When Women Talk
Volume 2, Defying Social Expectations : 10 Remarkable Women Share Stories of Purpose, Tenacity, and Breaking Boundaries
The Doomsday Flight
A Forgotten Canadian Story
Listen to your Animals
They Know More Than You Think
Better Next Year
An Anthology of Christmas Epiphanies
The Emboldened Patient
Reclaiming your Power
Miracle at the Border
A True Inspirational Story About Beating the Odds
What Fish Are Saying
Strange Sounds in the Ocean
Investable!
When Pandemic Risk Meets Speculative Finance : A Cautionary Tale
Examining Room
Within the Walls of the Opioid Crisis
West Vancouver Stories
The Wellness Edition
Journeys to the Nearby
A Gardener Discovers the Gentle Art of Untravelling
Dirty Little War
A Crime Novel
Child Sex Trafficking in Canada
And How to Stop It
When A Tree Falls
Nurse Logs and Their Incredible Forest Power
Decode the Deck
Find your Path to Clarity and Purposeful Living
Leaving Paradise
A Tale of Love and Psychosis
Celebrities Who Have Met Me
A Child of the Lost Empire
Las ciencias económicas toman la palabra
diálogos en un mundo cambiante
Discover the Eternal You!
Travel the Path Toward God Consciousness
Untying the Knot
Protecting your Emotional and Financial Health During Divorce
Power of A Pen
A Collection of Reverse Poems
Erika's Tales
Stories for Children
Monsters of the Underworld
A Collection of Monsters for 5th Edition
The First $100K
Your Guide to Financial Independence
How to Adopt A Village in Africa
A Story of Joy, Pain, and Purpose
The Everyday Leader
Inner Mystery, Outer Impact
Phonedemic
The Unrelenting Loss of Humanity's Ability to Truly Connect
Beyond the Wall
A Novel
Jonny Appleseed
A Novel
Small Joys
A Novel
Immaculate Conception
A Novel
Simplicity
A Novel
Paradise Rot
A Novel
Cleat Cute
A Novel
Young Mungo
A Novel
Flowers for Algernon
Student Edition
The Satanic Verses
A Novel
This Thing Between Us
A Novel
The Vegetarian
A Novel
Comfort Me With Apples
More Adventures at the Table
Bearskin Diary
A Novel
We Survived the Night
An Indigenous Reckoning
Small Ceremonies
A Novel
Hole in the Sky
A Novel
Project 562
Changing the Way We See Native America
A Minor Chorus
A Novel
A History of My Brief Body
A Memoir
Moon of the Crusted Snow
A Novel
And Then She Fell
A Novel
Never Whistle at Night
An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology
We Do Not Part
A Novel
The Master and Margarita
A Novel
Earthlings
A Novel
A Man Called Ove
A Novel
Fever Dream
A Novel
Sweet Bean Paste
The International Bestseller
Zorba the Greek
The Saint's Life of Alexis Zorba
Lore Olympus
Volume 1
Locke & Key (2008), Volume 1
Welcome to Lovecraft
Hyperbole and A Half
Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened
Chainsaw Man
Volume 1, Dog and Chainsaw
Feeding Ghosts
A Graphic Memoir
Take your library card on a hike
Need ideas for where to go? Browse this list of North Shore hikes, from easy waterfront walks to mountain adventures — and don't forget to snap a photo of your library card!
Attend a free community movie or concert
Find City Library's book bike
The book bike pops up at community events throughout the summer. See where it's headed next!
Learn a new creative skill
Try something new through the library, such as:
Browse upcoming programs and available kits.
Staff picks on Instagram
Check out our Instagram channel for book and movie recommendations from library staff.
Plant seeds from the seed library
Visit our seed library to borrow seeds and learn more about growing flowers, herbs, and vegetables at home.
