Courtesy Cuyahoga County Public Library
Cleveland bookworms, and aspiring bookworms, can start the year off with two reading challenges and the chance to win prizes. Both the 2023 Cleveland Reads Challenge and the Lit Cleveland Read Local Challenge are now open and accessible online with the goal of getting residents more involved and more literate.
The goal of Cleveland Reads Challenge "is for the entire city to collectively read one million books and/or one million minutes in 2023." Books of any genre, by any author, from any year are eligible. After signing up, readers log and keep track of their reading online to win prizes like gift cards or a nintendo switch, according to a news release.
"Reading is a passion of mine and it’s helped guide me through various stages of life. Books have influenced me emotionally, spiritually, and professionally and I hope Cleveland Reads brings that same love to all Clevelanders," Mayor Justin Bibb said in a release. "Boosting literacy is one way to improve outcomes in our community – from academic success to workforce development.”
Concurrently, local nonprofit Literary Cleveland is running a Read Local Challenge, focused on local authors and books with ties to the city. "Any book in any genre from any time by an author with a connection to Greater Cleveland" is eligible for the challenge and count for the Cleveland Reads Challenge as well.
In keeping with its local theme, a randomly selected reader will receive a free pizza of their choice from a local pizza shop of their choice every month.
Any interested Clevelanders unsure where to start can check out Cuyahoga County Public Library's most borrowed books of 2022, Scene's List of 42 books every Clevelander should read or winners of the locally-based 2022 Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards, which "recognize books that have made important contributions to our understanding of racism and human diversity."
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