Lisa and I were sitting in the office working on things including sending out little letters to our Worldwide Reading Challenge participants that requested bookmarks and stickers. We sent letters to participants in in four states as well as several to participants in Nebraska. It was pretty exciting.

Now, we know that the numbers aren’t huge, but remember two things: first it’s only February and second, this humble idea started out with us thinking we’d challenge the people that live in our town. Our thought was, we live in a town of nearly 5,000 people. To accomplish getting 2,025 books read in 2025, we needed 169 of our residents to commit to reading 12 books this year. We also knew that Lisa, Devin, and I read more than the average bear so we’d be really helping that number out! The fact that it’s grown beyond our shop and our book clubs is incredible.

It's February 19th and this idea that started over the frustration caused by an Instagram post and grew during a conversation over coffee has thus resulted in the following:

·         People from Kansas, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Wyoming participating so far. (We’d love to see all 50 and beyond!)

·         Readers from as far out at Chadron and Bertrand reading and recording their books! We also have folks right here in Aurora and Hampton doing the same.

·         Our youngest recorded reader is 12 and our oldest is 78. (Sharing your age is optional.)

·         As of 2/18, we had we’ve had 75 books recorded by participants totaling 25,807 pages read! That’s an average of 345 pages per book.

The three of us that came up with this idea and our whole team that has helped build it, love reading. Some might say we’re dedicated to it. For years, our Core Management Team has had a book club. Before the end of 2024, we wrapped up reading “Traction” by Gino Wickman. We’re currently working on implementing the ideas and practices we learned through that book. Our next read will be "The Six Types of Working Genius” by Patrick Lencioni.

We read because learning is lifelong. There is a lot we know, but even more we don’t. We love discovering new ideas, new perspectives, and sometimes, it’s just nice to know we’re not alone in the trenches as we navigate the business world.

When we were discussing the plans to open Espressions: Coffee & Community, one of the first ideas we came up with was book clubs. Since our opening our clubs have read a lot of books. Some of these include:

·         The Arisen Worlds Series by Kay Kenyon

·         The Dangerous Damsels Series by India Holton

·         Once club started with "The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek" which led them to reading all but 2 of Kim Michele Richardson’s books because they took a break for the summer.

·         "The Last Blue" by Isla Morely

·         "The Artist’s Way" by Julia Cameron

·         "A Spell for Chameleon" by Piers Anthony

·         "The Chronicles of Narnia Series" by C.S. Lewis

·         And currently, we have 2 clubs reading the entire Harry Potter Series. They are currently on book three, "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban."

And the community that has been found in these clubs are beautiful. Our youngest member is 9 and our oldest, is well, young at heart! The conversations, mentorships, and friendships are the kind of community we dreamed about when opening this shop. It’s happened over books.

I guess this is why the Worldwide Reading Challenge was something we just had to do. We wanted to celebrate stories, the building of our imaginations, introducing us to new ideas, expanding our perspectives, and so much more. It breaks our hearts to think there are those who don’t know or haven’t experienced the joy that books bring. We wanted as many people to experience that. We wanted to build community. We also wanted school-aged kids to graduate having read well over 6 books and love it!

Before I sign off, one of the things we promised when we started this whole thing, was prizes! Our January Worldwide Reading Challenge winners are:

·         Nebraska: Carol Flores. She is getting a $10 gift card to Susan’s Books & Gifts in Aurora.

·         The World: Kerri Shakal. She is getting a $10 gift card to Dotters Books in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.

Also, for those of you looking to see what books have been read in the challenge so far, you can find that list here! If they are listed more than once, they were recorded by more than one reader. We hope you find some to add to your TBR list, we have!

To all of you who have joined the Worldwide Reading Challenge, thank you. Thank you for joining our community and for sharing your love of the written word, whether enjoyed via an e-reader, audio book, or a good ol’ fashioned book! We are so glad you are here.

Maile

Ps: You can record your books here!