One of the worst things about being an adult is that you’re no longer eligible for the summer reading challenges at your local library. I looked forward to this all year as a kid. You get to record how many hours you read, and when you reach a certain amount (usually 10, 20, and 30), you get to pick out a prize…which is often another book! This was a dream come true for little bookish me.
Then I turned 18 and suddenly was bumped into the “adult” summer reading program…where they no longer gave you books as a prize, just an entry into a drawing for a gift card or something. Now, this may make me sound like a dragon collecting books for its hoard. (Which is entirely accurate.) But I miss the fun challenge of reading all day long, filling out those circles, and getting to pick out a new book as a reward. Adults just don’t do summer reading in the same way. So I was beyond excited when I discovered a group that DOES do fun summer reading for adults!
I present to you…Indie Fantasy Addicts. Click the photo!
It’s a Facebook group, so you do need a FB account to join. This group is literally the only reason I haven’t deleted my Facebook. It’s so worth it. If you aren’t familiar, “indie” means independently- or self-published. These books sometimes get a bad rap because technically anybody can self-publish a book. But there are a ton of really awesome indie books that are just as high quality as traditionally published ones, and this group is filled with passionate, voracious readers who will cheerfully recommend your next read (and your next five hundred).
The other cool thing about Indie Fantasy Addicts is that there are lots of indie authors in the group, too. I love interacting with authors, and all of them are incredibly friendly. They’re all readers, too, which is great to see. It’s a really friendly and exciting atmosphere.
As for the summer reading aspect…the challenge just started! It goes from June 21 to September 22. All you have to do is read an indie fantasy book. It can be epic fantasy, dark fantasy, urban fantasy, romance-heavy, you name the subgenre, as long as it’s indie. Then you post a short review to the group. You can join a team for extra fun. There are lots of chances to win prizes such as ebooks and even signed books. In fact, I went and gathered my collection of winnings from the past two challenges in this group, which you can see in the photo.
This was pretty much just a fangirl ramble, which is what I do best. But I really do encourage you to check out this group if you’re itching for a summer reading challenge…or even if you just want a fun group of readers to interact with!