To the Shelves!

Attention, adult consumers of the written word. The Kansas City Public Library has a challenge for you: Read five books by March 13! Do it and you’ll get a free coffee mug and be entered in a drawing for a Nook e-reader. Plus, you’ll probably expand your mind or something by soaking up some stories the old-fashioned way, instead of vegging out in front of the TV all winter. The theme of this year’s Adult Winter Reading Program is “Altered States,” a notion explored in such classics as William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, Cormac McCarthy’s The Road and Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle. Whatever you read, jot down the titles and turn in your official reading log (available online or at a branch location) to a friendly librarian by March 13. To get the most out of this communal experience, leaf through some of the library’s recommended reads. Also: Hit up some of the related discussions, film screenings and author events happening over the next couple of months. See kclibrary.org/reading2011 for complete details.— Crystal K. Wiebe

Jan. 10-March 13, 2011