Welcome to the What to Read Next Podcast. So excited to be back. And today we're toppling your TBR with Spring Reading Challenge. If you wanna be one of those persons who wanna gamify your reading, this is a challenge for you. There are three prompts they're easy to follow, and you get to just add new books to your TBR. So Victoria is our guest today, and she's sharing three reading prompts are perfect for seasonal readings. So now let's get to the recommendations.

now we're going to get into a spring reading challenge. Okay, so I know annual reading challenges are a really big thing, but I love doing a good Seasonal reading challenge. So the goal with the spring reading challenge is to provide a seasonal challenge with a few prompts, nothing crazy, but if you're a voracious reader, then I invite you to double up, triple up and just do all the things with the prompts. But before I get into the prompts for the spring reading challenge, I do want to share with you the spring reading guide. So the 2025 spring reading guide is here this year. I selected 27 books across. Eight categories, and they're all organized in the guide. And speaking of seasonal living, you'll also find fun, seasonal spring things to do as well. I also shared a spring themed recipe. And of course, we're going to get into the spring challenge that I also shared on Substack. So if you're interested in a spring reading guide, then visit Substack. So bibliolifestyle. substack. com. You can also just type in spring reading guide. It will take you to the landing page and direct you straight to the post on Substack as well, or you can just go straight to Substack. I have a link in the video's description, but the spring reading guide is lots of fun. And I think you'll find some great new book recommendations in there as well, but let's get into the spring reading challenge. So the spring reading challenge this year has three prompts, because again, I want it to be light, easy, and breezy. And it's perfect for readers who Want to gamify their reading a little bit, but also be intentional. Maybe pull books that they already have existing on their shelves, whatever it might be. I hope the spring reading challenge provides some inspiration. So prompt one is a book with a pastel colored cover. Now I know we're told not to judge a book by its cover. Okay. But I'm going to encourage you this time around to do just that. I think pastels are just iconically. Also very Easter, which by the way, happy Lent to those who celebrate also Ramadan and anything else I'm forgetting. Happy, happy, happy, whatever you're celebrating, but I think pastels are also perfect. So I want to share with you the gong call abroad. I think this is a very pastel looking color. We also have the love hypothesis, which has pastels too. And then we have a taste for love. Which also has a really cute pastel cover. So again, that is for prompt one. You can take those recommendations or you just go straight to your shelf to find some books. Now, the second prompt is a story about personal growth or new beginnings, which I think is another classic spring theme, new beginnings, new starts, just. Fresh renewal, all that good stuff. I have a list on Substack, which are books to help you get ready for spring, which hit all those themes. So you can get that list again, over on Substack that is free. So get it now before the post gets archived, but I wanted to share some additional books. So Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine. That is one that would fit that theme. Also Elizabeth Gilbert's Big Magic. I think you'd also find some interest there. One of the books I shared on the sub stack list I wanted to share here, and it's the bookshop of second chances, which again, from the title already, it's telling you second chances, which is again, a big theme, I think for spring. So it's not always just new, but renewal and, starting over and just beginning again, fresh. I think spring is a great time for that, especially if you've fallen off the bandwagon. With your new year goals, perfect time to start again and get going. Now, the third prompt is read a memoir by someone from a different culture from you. Okay. Now this can mean different things. Because what is different for me is not necessarily different for you. So get creative with this prompt, but I wanted to share some books that two are completely different from me. Actually all three of them are very different from me, but they present different perspectives. It might be similar to yours. But again, just pick something that is different. So a memoir that really blew my mind was Crying in H Mart. I did recommend this in the summer reading guide. Yeah, this one came out. So highly recommend a book I've been meaning to read for a long, long time. And I remember going to the friends of the library books. sale and they had a copy and I was like, okay, yes, this is the sign. I didn't buy it. I didn't borrow it from the library, but here it is. And I'm shopping for books. So I purchased it. I am Malala. It really is very, very powerful. So highly recommend this as well. And then also Trevor Noah, born a crime. Very well done. Highly recommend as a book that is giving you, insight into someone's life that is completely different. So those are the three prompts for the spring reading challenge. Prompt one, read a book with a pastel colored cover. Prompt two, a story about personal growth or new beginnings. Or prompt three, a memoir from a memoir by someone from a different culture. So here's the thing again, if you're a voracious reader and you just read books like this, then I recommend maybe doubling the books. So instead of you reading three books, you read six, maybe two books from each prompt. If you read even more and faster, then throw that in as well. The goal with the spring reading challenge is we're reading through the months of March, April, and May. So you have three months, you can do a book a month per prompt. Whatever suits you. This is just to kind of give you some ideas on how you can approach it. Again, if you're a fast reader, you can read all three in one month. So whatever works for you, I encourage you to kind of make the challenge your own and also don't pressure yourself because at the end of the day, we're reading for fun. We're not reading for work. We're not reading for school. So I want you to pick Books that suit you and where you are right now and what you need and what you're looking for. And again, if you haven't already, go to Substack to get the spring reading guide. You'll also find some pastel colored covers in there. Books from people who are different from you. Not only nonfiction, you can also read fiction and also books with themes of renewal and new beginnings. So, those are my recommendations. I love the fact that I get to shop with my own. Yes! I'm like, this is pastel. It fits into a greeting prompt. Yes, I love a pastel. So fun. I actually, I'm excited that you recommended Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert because like it's not something that I would have thought about or I'm like, that is such a great book. I love that book. It's such a great book for this time of year. Yeah, I think so. I think it will help folks. It's just, it's inspiring. Not for nothing. You'll take something away from it. That is fun. Yeah. After I read that book, I remember I was a big paper planner at the time and in my little habit tracker for the week, I was literally like tracking Big Magic for the day. Like every single day. A friend of mine actually picked up my planner one day and she's does Big Magic mean like you had sex? No, it's from a book. That is so funny, that is so funny. Oh my gosh. Well if you're just joining us let me know your thoughts in the comments, okay? If you're watching Replay, Replay Crew, we'd love to hear from you as well. But also, if you just, just, just came in, we are talking about spring reading, we're providing spring reading inspiration. Francesca talks about spring reading tropes and shared some recommendations. I talked more about a spring reading challenge and sharing three fun, three fun prompts and providing some recommendations for you.

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