#WeRead2020

I love reading. There is nothing quite like the joy of losing oneself in a series, of laughing and crying and being swept away by another world entirely, of closing a book knowing that I am more knowledgeable or feel more emotionally content. Be under no illusions, reader, I love reading.

But – and this is me being frightfully, painfully, vulnerably honest – I often don’t like to read…

Whether it be tiredness from work or the distraction of other forms of entertainment (Mrs B and I are partial to a bit of co-operative PS4!), reading simply is not the tonic I choose anywhere near as frequently as I would like.

Am I a fraud? Am I overdue a major re-brand? ‘Mr B Thinks He Should Read More But Doesn’t’ does not have a great ring to it! Hmm.

As a PGCE student a few years ago, I partook in a voluntary assignment (very uncharacteristic of me!) with Teresa Cremin, aiming at promoting reading for pleasure in schools. It was during this project that I first recognised a truth that had eluded me my whole reading life: reading is not only beneficial and enjoyable; it is also profoundly social. As a result of the project, Mr B Reads was born here and over on Twitter and my quandary above was (mostly) solved!

Over the course of 2017 and 2018 I took part in an ongoing Twitter hashtag thread, #52books2017(/18), not only helping me remain disciplined with my reading but also providing a platform to share reading with others. It is no exaggeration to say that this transformed my reading life. My knowledge of children’s literature has increased dramatically, I have ‘met’ a wide range of like-minded #readingteachers and authors (the latter culminating in a free school visit and my class contributing to an excellent children’s book trilogy!) and I enjoyed my most consistent two years of reading since absorbing the Horrible Histories books as a child!

Last year, I logged my reading differently, for a more individual purpose. #OperationBookshelf2019 sought to clear some of my overcrowded bookshelves (if there can be such a thing!) of books that had been patiently waiting to be read for some time. My review of the year blog will be available very soon if you are interested. I would recommend this approach if, like me, you acquire books more quickly than you read them!

Which brings us to the title of this post.

For all its benefits, I found that last year I missed the social element of reading. I will therefore be tagging my reading this year on Twitter using the hashtag #WeRead2020. I encourage you to set yourself a numerical target if it will help you, but certainly to join in and enjoy the reading community regardless. I currently have no plans for this to be a ‘mass movement’, though I will happily create a Goodreads group if enough are interested, but it will hopefully serve others in the same way as I hope it will serve me: to keep you disciplined in your pursuit of reading joy, and to enjoy the journey with others.