Taking on a reading challenge is a fun way to broaden your reading selection and therefore your knowledge base.

Homestead on the Range is happy to announce our first annual reading challenge. We would like to challenge to you commit to finishing 12 books before the end of the year (about one a month).

The theme for our first reading challenge is the Chisholm Trail, in recognition of the 150th anniversary of this cattle trail. The categories for this challenge reflect a variety of cattle-, horse-, and history-related topics.

To complete the challenge, you must read at least one book from each category:

1. A book about Kansas in the 1800s.
2. A book about horse or cattle breeds.
3. A book about Western horsemanship.
4. A book about cattle care written in the 1800s.
5. A book about the Spanish conquistadors.
6. A book about an event or time period foundational to the Chisholm Trail.
7. A book about the modern cattle industry.
8. A book about working cattle with dogs.
9. A book about livestock behavior or handling.
10. A book about a place or places relevant to the Chisholm Trail.
11. A book about mustangs.
12. A book about an event that ended the Chisholm Trail.

A few guidelines:

• Books in electronic format count.
• Both fiction and nonfiction books count.
• You can read the books in any order.
• Books cannot be counted twice, even if they fit into more than one category.

If you need help, subscribe to On the Range, our free country living newsletter. The last issue of every month will contain a hint for one of the categories.

Let us know what you’re reading!  We’d love to hear from you!

Helpful Resource

The Homestead Bookshelf
Looking for a good book?  Start here.