"Go All In” with the Sutton Adult Reading Challenge!

2026 has been designated the National Year of Reading in England, to spark a nationwide push to reverse a long-term decline in reading for pleasure. 

Sutton has joined the National Literary Trust’s “Go all in” campaign to help encourage people to start reading via its own challenge. The Sutton Adult Reading Challenge is a year-long, low-pressure reading challenge for people aged 16+, designed to encourage reading for pleasure, discovery, and wellbeing.

The challenge

• Read and log 1 book to participate
• Read and log 6 books to complete the challenge
• Read up to 24 books if readers want to tackle every prompt
• Log 6 books by the end of the year to get entered into a free prize draw

Easy to take part

Finished books are logged using a quick online form. Reading can happen at any pace, and people can join at any point in the year.

Audio books also count in the Challenge. You don’t need a library card, and you can read your own books if you prefer - just make sure you log them!

There are ‘quick read’ books for adults with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

The benefits of reading

There are lots of benefits linked with reading:

• Reading for 10 minutes a day reduces stress, boosts mental wellbeing, improves focus and expands knowledge
• This small habit offers a daily escape that enhances empathy, increases vocabulary, and sharpens cognitive function

The Adult Reading Challenge gives a manageable and consistent way to build literacy skills and hopefully foster a love for reading. Our library data shows that more women than men are visiting our libraries more than men, so we really want more men to take up the Reading Challenge this year!

Find out more about the Challenge and start reading today!