2020 was a year of change and uncertainty for so many of us, and it’s never been more important to stay connected with others and look after your mental health and wellbeing.
Your local libraries are inviting you to read for pleasure and share your love of books by taking part in the Adur and Worthing Reading Challenge 2021.
Join us in making twelve reading resolutions that we hope will inspire you, challenge you and connect you to fellow readers in Worthing, Shoreham and surrounding areas.
You can join as an individual, a group or a family – however you choose to be involved, everyone is welcome.
Contact your local library for more information. Sign up there or below on our online form.
Public reads in January 
What have the public been reading for the challenge?
We've been collecting your reads on Facebook and have displayed some of our favourites here. Is your book featured below?
Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn
The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkein
The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
The English Patient - Michael Oondatje
The Truce - Primo Levi
Noughts & Crosses - Malorie Blackman
12 Years a Slave - Solomon Northup
Jurassic Park - Michael Crichton
The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkein
Doctor Sleep - Stephen King
The Notebook - Nicholas Sparks
The Miniaturist - Jessie Burton
On Chesil Beach - Ian McEwan
Normal People - Sally Rooney
The Stranger - Harlan Coben
The Green Mile - Stephen King
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis
Little Fires Everywhere - Celeste Ng
The Girl on the Train - Paula Hawkins
The Martian - Andy Weir
His Dark Materials - Phillip Pullman
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - John le Carre
Five Feet Apart - Rachel Lippincott
Death on the Nile - Agatha Christie
Emma - Jane Austen
If Only They Could Talk - James Herriot
Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery
Wonder Boys - Michael Chabon
The Duke & I - Julia Quinn
Shutter Island - Dennis Lehane
Our Social Media Challenge by Month January Challenge
A book that has been adapted into a film
February Challenge
A collection of short stories
March Challenge
A book set in another country
April Challenge
A book with a link to the seaside
May Challenge
A non-fiction book
June Challenge
A children’s classic
July Challenge
A debut novel
August Challenge
A book based on real people or events
September Challenge
A banned book
October Challenge
A book recommended by a friend or librarian
November Challenge
A prize-winning book
December Challenge:
A book published this century
WILDCARD
Substitute any month of the challenge with any book from your to-read list!
Recommended Reads Stuck for inspiration? Check out our recommended reads for each month of the challenge, chosen by West Sussex library staff!
All the books on our reading lists are available to reserve on our library catalogue.
If you want a more detailed recommendation, why not read some reviews of titles read by other challengers?
Further information Further information
You can join at any time, and don’t worry if you miss a month or join us later in the year. It’s the taking part that counts!
There are lots of ways to keep in touch with us:
- Join our dedicated Facebook group.
- Tweet us @WSCCLibraries using the hashtag #AWReadingChallenge
- Find lots of resources for book-lovers, including our dedicated reading challenge blog, by visiting our Love Reading page. We’ll be posting book lists and book reviews throughout the year, and everyone is invited to contribute!
Finally, we hope to get together in December 2021, either in person or digitally, to celebrate our year of shared reading. Sign up to the challenge to keep in touch!
February Reads Public Libraries and Other Stories – Ali Smith
Cartes Postales by Victoria Hislop
Fairy Tales From the Arabian Nights by E. Dixon
The Penguin Book of the Contemporary Short Story edited by Philip Hensher
Meet Mr Mulliner by P. G. Wodehouse
Grimm Tales for Young and Old by Philip Pullman
Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb
Dear NHS 100 Stories to Say Thank You edited by Adam Kay
A Cat, a Hat and a Piece of String by Joanne Harris
The Birds and other stories by Daphne Du Maurier
Twelve Days of Winter by Stuart MacBride
Reader I Married Him edited by Tracey Chevalier
The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Midwinter Murder by Agatha Christie
To Cut a Long Story Short by Jeffrey Archer
