Celebrate Read a Book Day with Reluctant Reader Recommendations

Posted on 06 Sep 2016 by Anna Scott
What you should be doing on Read a Book Day is fairly self-explanatory, but what if you don’t feel like reading a book? Or maybe you want to encourage one of your children to find one they might enjoy but they’re not quite so enthusiastic? Getting reluctant readers to discover the joys of books can be a tricky tightrope to walk – you don’t want to put them off reading completely, but do try and subtly push them in the direction of some of these titles and you might find them converted in no time at all…

 

Children’s Books


Dork Diaries: Puppy LoveSometimes all it takes is one book to hook them in, the one title that they find they can’t put down and then you’ve got a reader for life. But it’s also important that you don’t make a reading a chore for them, something that they think they have to do rather than something they can enjoy. As with all these recommendations, everyone loves different things about different books and it may take some time for them to find the thing they love, but be patient. When it comes to children’s books, it may seem like an obvious choice but the Dr. Seuss books are universally loved for a very good reason. Their creative use of language is often a winner with kids of all ages, both when you’re reading to them or they’re reading themselves. Other titles you might want to try for slightly older kids include the Horrid Henry series by Francesca Simon, the Tom Gates books by L. Pichon and Dork Diaries by Rachel Renee Russell.

 

 

Young Adults


We Were LiarsYoung adult books, or YA as they’re now commonly known, may be written with teenagers in mind but anyone can enjoy them and thanks to lots of great stories and successful film adaptations, many adults do too. However, it’s tricky to pick out a select few books when narrowing down recommendations, because like we mentioned earlier, people take different things from different books – some get hooked by strong characters, some by fast-paced plot, some by setting. One starting point for a reluctant teen reader could be going with the original title that one of their favourite films is based on – for example, The Hunger Games or Harry Potter – or perhaps start with a subject that they’re interested in such as sports-based title. Of course, you could also go with bestsellers and some recent titles to make an impact include We Were Liars by E. Lockhart and Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein.

 

 

Adult Reads


The Best British Short Stories 2016As with YA, what someone might enjoy can vary enormously, but don’t feel like it has to be limited to fiction titles. If you or someone you know is stuck for something to read, why not try an autobiography of someone they admire, or something short and fast-paced like a thriller or a mystery? Another option is a short story anthology. We often don’t have the time to sit down with a huge volume and get lost in a story, but gripping reads don’t have to long. The Best British Short Stories anthology is released every year with new writing, or you could try short stories featuring classic characters such as Sherlock Holmes: The Short Stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. As with the young adult recommendations, you could use a TV or film adaptation as a starting point (although knowing the ending already might spoil the fun somewhat), or the YA category itself can act as an excellent introduction for reluctant adult readers.

 

If you want to pick out a select few titles this Read a Book Day, The Book People promo codes, Waterstones discount vouchers and White Horse Book promotional codes can offer a huge amount of choice and savings for both kids’ and adult reads. So try a few of our suggestions, or pick out some of your own – there’s really no right or wrong answer when it comes to book recommendations. It’s just a matter of finding what works for you.

Discount Promo Codes Blog