Twelve in 12 in 2011 Challenge

12/14/2010

We're ready to rock the books in 2011!

My name is Robin and along with my real life BFF Amy, we're going to be your hostesses for the next twelve months and see how it goes and how much interest we can generate.

Twelve in 12 was started with a very simple goal: to get more people to read books.

Obviously, there are people out there reading for the final Harry Potter or the Twilight Saga to be such a success. There were lines of people waiting hours and hours to get their hands on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Harry Potter has a fame that lately has been devoted to things such as American Idol. Twilight has surpassed Harry Potter.

Harry Potter & Twilight have gotten lots and lots of people reading. However, it shouldn’t end with those books. While browsing a chat about books I saw a statement that said most Americans will not read one book a year. Not one? How can that be?

I had to find some more reliable statistics. Surely, most people read at least one book a year right? This is what I came across:

- One-third of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives. Many do not even graduate from high school. - 58% of the US adult population never reads another book after high school. - 42% of college graduates never read another book. - 80% of US families did not buy or read a book last year. - 70% of US adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years. - 57% of new books are not read to completion.

This has to change. Upon seeing those statistics, my heart nearly broke. 80% of families in the US did not buy or read a book? I think the world would end if our family wasn’t able to make it to the bookstore once a month at the very least.

How to get more people to read though? The statistics come from a publishing site. Obviously publishers want more books to have the success of Harry Potter & Twilight. Libraries, book associations, and schools around the country are always trying to get more people to read.

So what could I do? The answer to the problem came in one of those moments of accidental genius. While discussing the issue with a friend, I made the statement “everyone should have to read one book a month for a year”.

That was the birth of Twelve in 12. A challenge to read twelve books- one a month for a year. The challenge starts on January 1, 2011, and will run until December 31, 2011.

It’s a simple idea, with a simple goal: Get more people to read.

If you wish to join the Twelve in 12 in 2011 challenge, simply post a note on this entry to let us know you will be participating. We will bookmark you as a favorite, and don't forget to bookmark us, too.

Please bear with us, since we are new to running the Twelve in 12. If you have any questions, suggestions or comments, we're open to them. We want to make this literary experience a great one for everybody who participates.

Be on the lookout for an entry on January 1, 2011, to kick things off in the new year!!

Happy reading!
Literarily yours, Robin & Amy