Whether it's been a while since you've read, or if you read a lot, the Salt Lake County Library offers its Winter Reading challenge as a way to open those books. 

“Reading helps people to build daily reading goals and reinforce new reading habits,” Public Relations Coordinator for Salt Lake County Library Marissa Hodges said. 

The reading goal can be small, whatever is attainable for you. The challenge for the readers is to complete your goal for twenty days in the month of January or February. When readers have finished their goal of twenty days of reading then you take your reading record back to the library and receive a prize. At the end of the challenge everyone gets a free book. The library has partnered with Real Salt Lake this year. Everyone will get a 50% off ticket offer to a Real Salt Lake or Utah Royals game.

There is a good turnout for the challenge, said Hodges. They have 18 branches system wide, with the challenge happening at all of the branches.

“We definitely have thousands of participants. This program helps with cognitive functions and mental health,” Hodges said. When getting started on the reading challenge people usually set big reading goals for their New Year Resolutions. 

This challenge is an annual tradition for the library, modeled after the nationwide Summer Reading Challenge; they make it a shorter version for the winter reading. 

“Having a challenge is a great incentive for people. You’ll make goals where you want to read more but what will propel you to read more is to make a goal and have something waiting for you at the finish line,” Hodges said. 

You can set goals for as easy or hard as you want to. You can read 10 minutes a day or read a page a day. “The nice thing about the challenge is it’s adaptable and accessible for all abilities,” Hodges said. 

Just for signing up for the challenge you get a $5 fine waiver. If you have any late fees, the $5 can be used to pay for library fines, then you can check out as many books as you want. 

“People have a lot of fun with the challenge and it helps them discover new books they've never read before, or pick up something they enjoyed reading as a child, and they rediscover what they can read again,” Hodges said. 

People can read what they are interested in, it doesn’t have to be a novel. It can be a magazine, a good article on your phone or iPad or audio books, it all counts as reading.

“This challenge is totally doable for anyone, even if it’s 10 minutes a day,” Hodges said. 

If you feel intimidated or you don’t know where to start your reading journey, the librarians are there to help, they will help you with your interests.  You can pick up a paper reading record at any branch of the Salt Lake County Library system, or you can sign up to track your progress online using the Beanstack app. Find out more information at saltlakecountylibrary.org.