Enore Boelman sat down with her first book in January, and six months later she’s read 50 of them.
The 92-year-old Luverne woman is just one of a handful of Rock County Community Library patrons to finish the “50 States Challenge.”
“I didn’t know I would be able to finish before the end of the year, but once I got started, I got into it,” she said.
The Challenge requires patrons to read 50 books, each set in a different state. The books must be checked out from the Plum Creek Library System.
The Challenge began Jan. 1 and ends Dec. 31.
Rock County Librarian Calla Jarvie said she’s surprised patrons are finishing the challenge only halfway through the year. To be on pace to finish by the end of the year, 25 books, e-books or audio books should be finished.
“Everyone who completes the challenge will get a prize,” Jarvie said. “We’re just not sure what that is yet.”
Sheets to record the book selections by state are still available at the library.
“If you haven’t started, it’s not too late,” said Boelman, who read 50 large-print books that her daughter, Becky Sehr, brought her from the library.
“She really got into the challenge, often saying, ‘Get down there and get me my next book,’” Sehr said.
Boelman raised eight children on a farm and later opened a day care business. She then worked 20 years in the lunchroom at Luverne Public Schools.
She turned to reading once she retired in 2015.
“Her whole life she would like to read, but she didn’t have the time,” Sehr said.
The 50 States Challenge prompted Boelman, who prefers Christian fiction, to read other genres. She skipped over some authors’ offensive language, but finished all the books and later said she liked some books she wouldn’t have picked up otherwise.
For example, Boelman now reads mystery novels. “I couldn’t quit until I found out who did it,” she said. “I can see why people get hooked on reading mysteries.”
Now that she’s completed the 50 States Challenge, Boelman has moved on to the library’s summer reading program with a satisfied feeling.
“It makes me feel good. I’m glad I did it,” she said.