Community-Wide Reading Program Begins in Pickaway County

CIRCLEVILLE – One Book, One Community – Pickaway County is pleased to announce the 2020 reading theme is the power of reading. For this year’s One Book, One Community challenge, we want to celebrate ways that reading lets us explore the world, motivates us to action, provides an escape, and so much more. Many people have their own One Book, which can represent so much more to them than the title and words. In 2020 we want to let you share the passion you have for your One Book with the rest of our community.

To celebrate of the power of books, community members are encouraged to post 1-3 minute videos about a book that has influenced their life or that represents a personal passion. Some community members may want to describe their book, while others may want to share how or why their book matters to them. The format of your One Book talk is not as important as the meaning behind your selection.

To share your video on social media, use the hashtag #onebookpickaway. You may also visit the Pickaway County Library for help recording or posting your video. If you are not interested in social media, you may submit your One Book story in writing to the Pickaway County Library to share with the community.

This year’s One Book, One Community reading program coincides with the Pickaway County Library’s Winter Reading Challenge (see below for more information) for adults which runs January 15 through March 15.

The Winter Reading Challenge is available through the online tool Beanstack, where you will find 20 suggested reading prompts to help you discover your new favorite book.

To kick off a celebration of One Book, the library has selected Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury to represent the library’s commitment to a world where information is open and available for all. Fahrenheit 451 is a classic novel about a society that burns books to prevent dangerous thinking and individuality. Author Ray Bradbury once said, “You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.”

Print, digital and audio copies of Fahrenheit 451 are available through the Pickaway County Library, including the Younkin Branch in Ashville and the Bookmobile.

Previous One Book, One Community titles were “Being Mortal” by Atul Gawande, MD; “Dreamland” by Sam Quinones; “Blue Zones” by Dan Buettner; and “Wonder” by R.J. Palacio. More than 1,000 community members have participated in Pickaway County’s One Book, One Community.

Watch for additional information on the Facebook page One Book One Community – Pickaway County.

Winter Reading Challenge at Pickaway County Library

For the first time, the Pickaway County Library is offering a winter reading challenge for adults.

Adults are asked to read or listen to books from at least 10 of the 20 prompts in the challenge. Tracking your progress is done on the Beanstack reading app.

Some prompt examples are to read a book written by someone you admire or a book published in the year you were born.

Library staff can assist with finding titles that fit the prompts and with using Beanstack.

The challenge runs from January 15 through March 15 for ages 18 to 118.