By Amy Gillentine

Hey, let’s talk about reading. It’s National Reading Month!

Discussion rages on social media: Does listening to audiobooks count as reading? As the experts, Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) is here to say: Yes! All reading counts – books, audiobooks, eBooks, anime, comic books, magazines, and newspapers. It doesn’t matter HOW someone is reading – they are still absorbing information.

Some of us less traditional readers read it all: audiobooks in the car, eBooks through Libby or Hoopla, and physical books checked out from the library. We’ll read a newspaper online (you can too, with your library card), pick up a magazine while waiting at the doctor or read on our phones while waiting in line at the grocery store or pharmacy. We’ll listen to audiobooks on our way to and from work, to visit family on long car trips, or even while cleaning the house.

It’s all reading. And it’s all important.

So, here’s our challenge to you: During National Reading Month, find a way to read that’s new to you or that’s convenient, so you continue the reading habit. Reading opens doors to other worlds, provides different perspectives, and helps people understand the world around them. Through reading, historic events are placed in context, fantasy worlds are unveiled, and social issues are explored in new ways.

Here are some of our ideas:

• Join a book group. There are several at PPLD locations, or if you want to bring your own friends, check out a book club kit and meet in one of our spaces.
• Download an audiobook and listen while you drive to work, clean the house, work out at the gym, or during a long hike. You may even get more steps in once you get involved in the story!
• Read an eBook. Reading on a tablet is easier for some, and if you have an app on your phone, books become light and portable.
• Visit a PPLD location! Find out what the library has to offer – and bring a friend. You can check out books, get help starting your book group, and learn about makerspaces, studio spaces, classes, programs, and events.
• Do your own book swap. PPLD holds book swaps during the year, so you can always bring your gently used books to one of our events. But you can also get your friends together and exchange books. Share your favorites or try a new genre.
• Make a point to read with your family. Reading together is one way to foster literacy early – and that pays big gains in the future. Choose a book, take turns reading out loud, or decide on some silent reading time. You can also choose a book to read together – and then watch the movie. Compare plot points and decide which was better: the book or the film.

While March is the month set aside to read together, picking up the reading habit will enrich your life, exercise your brain, and open new worlds and new perspectives. Warning: Reading can be addictive, so be sure to get a Library card to save money!