Skip to Main Content

Beaver Reading Challenge

Challenging Penn State Beaver students, staff, faculty, and friends to collectively read 150 books, ebooks, audiobooks, your favorite fanfiction, podcasts, or fall down a rabbit hole researching an interesting topic.

Beaver Reading Challenge books and beaver logo

Are you on Goodreads? Join the Beaver Reading Challenge on Goodreads to connect with the Beaver community between in-person events. 

A Note on Privacy

To see what you share with others on Goodreads, go to your Account Settings to review your privacy settings. You can join the group and still only share your profile with friends or share your profile with Goodreads members and let others explore what you've been reading and your reviews. It's up to you!

Goodreads: Track Your Books and Reading Progress

There are many ways you can keep track of which books you've read and want to read, and even track your progress while reading a book. Goodreads is one popular site, with both app and website options. Adding a book and tracking your progress can help provide motivation to keep working toward your reading goal! 

About the Challenge - Welcome!

The Beaver Reading Challenge promotes the celebration of reading on our campus. Specifically, reading for fun!

Reading to learn is important, and we support that, too! But research shows there are many benefits of reading, including:

  • stress-reduction
  • improved mood
  • better sleep
    • especially when substituting screens emitting blue light with a paper book, audiobook, or e-ink e-reader
  • building vocabulary, writing skills, and critical thinking
  • improved focus, concentration, memory, and empathy

The school year can stressful, but reading even for a few minutes can help you relax and provide a mental escape, which may even help you learn better! 

You Belong Here

We hope to grow a community of readers. It doesn't matter what you like to read or how fast you read. If you like to read or want to rediscover a love for reading or just want to try something new... you belong here!

"A book is a dream that you hold in your hand." - Neil Gaiman

What Counts as "Reading" and "Books"?

Reading includes engaging with paper/print, digital, or audio formats

Books -- for our purposes -- usually tell a story (fiction or non-fiction) in long-form, but may be short. Formats may include:

  • "typical" books (print, ebooks, audiobooks)
  • graphic novels and comic books
  • fanfiction
  • podcasts
  • magazine or newspaper
  • the collection of things you read or listen to as you fall down a rabbit hole while researching an interesting topic

No expectations or judgments! What you enjoy reading and choose to read is entirely up to you. While there are benefits to reading the greatest works of our time, there are many stories to choose from. Some are critically acclaimed, some are fan favorites and impossible to put down, and others might just speak to you. Read what you like, or ask for recommendations if you're unsure what to read next (see the "Reading Recommendations" button on the left).

About the Challenge

We would love to hear about what you are reading or what you enjoy reading, and find a place where we can all talk about the joy of "books"! 

  • Set a Personal Goal
    Challenge yourself! Create a personal reading goal and enter it on the "sign up" page. Free tote bag for everyone who signs up!
    • Examples: I will...
      • read for at least 20 minutes each day
      • read at least 10 pages each day
      • read 1 unassigned book this semester
      • read at least 1 book per month
      • read a biography
      • read a book on new topic
      • try reading a graphic novel
      • try reading a book from a different genre than I usually read
  • Track and Report Your Progress
    Tracking your progress toward your goal helps you stay on course and see your progress. Submit a reading log when you complete a read to share your progress toward your goal and receive a small prize to celebrate! Finishing a read and submitting a reading log adds a Beaver Book to the Campus Reading Goal.
    • Rate and Review Your Reads
      We'll share your ratings and reviews. Maybe you'll interest or inspire someone else!
  • Join Reading Challenge Events or Organize Your Own
    Have an idea for an event? Contact us! List of events coming soon.

What's the "Read" to 150? 

Campus Reading Goal: 150 titles by December 15, 2023

We challenge Penn State Beaver, all together, to read 150 titles by the end of the semester! When you complete a read and submit a Reading Log and Review, we'll count that title toward the campus total.