Reading Ahead - Why Take The Six Book Challenge?

How many things do you read in a day?

It’s an odd question. Yet, think about it.

Every time you glance at your phone or scroll through Facebook, check your emails at work or flick through a textbook in class – even when you’re waiting at the bus stop or doctor’s surgery, browsing the rails at H&M or ordering your morning latte – words are everywhere. And they want your attention. And they won’t go away.

In fact, in this digital age, we need reading more than ever. We’re more likely to be looking at, and taking in, more written communication than ever before – and far more likely to write something ourselves. What if we did start counting everything we read each day – and thought about how much we actually read just for the sheer enjoyment of it?

Nowadays, if we want to enter an imaginary world it’s a click away. Netflix, boxset binges, MMORPGs, YouTube…Done.
But let’s think about this.

Our most popular entertainment is based on books; Game of Thrones, The Hobbit, The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, 50 Shades of Grey… And even with all the pouty emoting, pretty costumes and moody montages with swelling power chords, you still can’t have the same depth or range of experience - of immersion in those worlds - as offered by the original books. Want to know what your favourite characters are thinking? Check. Want to find out more about that brief hint of backstory? Check. Want to understand more about how it really feels to fall in love or fight dragons or lose everything in a poignant, incisive statement? Check (and let's not forget that inspirational, bookish quotes that strike a chord with readers are frequently shared by millions online.)

So maybe set yourself a target. How about something easy – like, read six things. Not just books, but short stories, magazines, Buzzfeed lists, blog posts, holiday brochures, graphic novels… you get the idea. Give yourself a bit of time, a couple of months even. Sounds do-able right? Maybe even – gasp – fun?

That’s the Reading Ahead Challenge. Dare you take it?

(From Autumn 2015, the Learning Resource Centre at Yeovil College will be running the Reading Ahead scheme, formerly known as the 6 Book Challenge. For more information, visit one of our Library Helpdesks.)

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