Read All About It: Mayor Siscoe Launching an Annual Reading Challenge

St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe and the St. Catharines Public Library (SCPL) are teaming up for an annual, year-round reading challenge, to help people of all ages fall in love with reading, beginning January 1^st, 2024.

“I am a lifelong reader and I firmly believe that readers are leaders. The importance of reading cannot go unnoticed. It gets your mind working across different areas, boosts communication skills, diversifies our knowledge set, enhances creativity, and most importantly – entertains!” said Mayor Siscoe.

"As readers ourselves, we know it can be difficult to branch out of your usual reading patterns," said Melissa Broere, Programming Librarian, SCPL. "The Mayor's Book Club can give readers that gentle push to expand their horizons and expose themselves to different points of view, writing styles, and genres."

For the challenge, there is a different category from January to December. All you have to do is read a book that fits into each topic on the Mayor’s categories to complete the Mayor’s Reading Challenge. That's 12 books total, and only one book a month. You may share your progress with the Mayor, St. Catharines Public Library, and other readers by posting photos on Instagram with the hashtag #ReadSTC and tagging @matsiscoe and @stcatharineslibrary. Mayor Siscoe will also post his monthly picks on Instagram to give readers suggestions for each category (listed below.)

"Many families use the library as a resource for early literacy but lose the routine as their children grow up. The Mayor's Book Club will be a great way for adults to reconnect with the library and rediscover the fun of reading," said Broere.

At the end of the year, the Mayor’s Office will open a draw for a grand prize package. Any individual who successfully completes the challenge is eligible to participate. To enter, simply submit your reading lists to readstc@stcatharines.ca before December 31st, 2024. If you decide to join later, there's no need to worry. Every month you take part in the challenge, you earn an entry for a chance to win the grand prize. Additionally, if you mention both the Mayor and the library on social media each month, along with a photo of your book and the hashtag #ReadSTC, you'll receive extra entries in the grand prize draw.

Brochures about the challenge are available at each library branch, and at the Mayor’s Office on the Third Floor of City Hall. 

For questions, please contact: readstc@stcatharines.ca.

Categories

January: A book based solely on the cover/title

February: A book about a family or family life

March: A book that is over 500 pages or under 200 pages

April: The first book in a series

May: A book by a BIPOC author or set in a different country

June: A book with a LGBTQ+ author or main character

July: A book by an author living in or from Ontario

August: A book from a library display or social media post

September: A book with an animal on the cover

October: A book in a different format than usual (e-book, audio, etc.)

November: A book that is 10+ years old

December: A book that has a colour in the title