Adults play BINGO, win prizes for library reading challenge

(Sentinel photo by Renee Nyhof) The Le Mars Public Library's Adult Winter Reading Challenge, which runs from Monday, Jan. 25 through March 28, presents a variety of genres for participants to read. To help readers find a particular genre, they can search for the colorful stickers on the spine of many books. [Click to enlarge]

BINGO: that's the name of the game for the second annual Adult Winter Reading Challenge, which begins Monday, Jan. 25 at the Le Mars Public Library.

The challenge, which ends on March 28, is open to ages 18 and older.

"We wanted to provide a challenge for people during the winter; we wanted to have them do something they don't normally do," said Sue Kroesche, Director of the Le Mars Public Library.

During the reading challenge, by reading five different choices of books and earning a BINGO, participants will win a prize.

Individual prizes will be awarded only for the first BINGO.

"The prizes are odds and ends -- they're fun little things like a coffee at Bellissimo Coffee Works or ice cream from the ice cream parlor," Kroesche said.

Yet, participants are encouraged to continue reading to achieve more BINGOs because, with each BINGO, their name will be placed into a drawing for three runner-up prizes and a grand prize to be awarded when the challenge ends in March.

Those prizes include items a meal at a restaurant, a "Winter goodies" basket and books.

BINGO cards can be picked up at the library's circulation desk or printed off the library website.

Genres covered on the BINGO card range from traditional genres such as romance and mystery to non-traditional genres such as cookbooks and recipies.

"Participants can even choose to read a cooking-related book, not just a cookbook," said Rosanne Hoss, Assistant Director. "There are several mystery novels that have cooking as their theme."

Many of those cooking-related mystery novels also have recipes in them said Kroesche.

"We covered a variety of genres to encourage people to read something they wouldn't normally read," said Kroesche. "We added receipts to the bingo card this year because we wanted to promote downtown businesses."

To put an X on the receipt box, all participants have to do is purchase something at a Le Mars business within the dates of the reading challenge and attach the receipt to their bingo card Kroesche explained.

If participants aren't quite sure what to read, Kroesche and the rest of the library staff have plenty of suggestions.

Reading the library blog to see what others say about the books is also recommened.

"We know adults have plenty to do so we wanted to make the challenge kind of easy and we want to help," Kroesche said. "We're hoping this challenge is simple because there aren't many things to read, and that adults can have some fun."