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Reading Rumble - Team Beavers

A friendly challenge between Beaver, Fayette, and Greater Allegheny students, staff, faculty, and friends to see which campus can collectively log the most "reads" duing the 24/25 academic year. "Reads" include books, ebooks, audiobooks, your favorite fan

Reading Rumble logo featuring beaver, firefly, and alligator mascots

Leader Board

Libby by OverDrive for "Fun" eBooks and Audiobooks

Looking for CD format? See the "Finding Books" tab for tips on locating audiobooks on CD in our catalog.

More About (Mostly Academic) eBooks at Penn State

What if Penn State doesn't have the book I want?


We'll borrow it from another library for you if you want! Simply fill out an Interlibrary Loan book request, and we'll email you when it has arrived. Your wait may be about one week, but requests often arrive sooner.

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 Reading Rumble promotes the celebration of reading on our campuses. Specifically, reading for fun! with the added flair of competition.

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! 

Want to learn more about it? Here are some articles to check out!

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
  • magazines and newspapers
  • 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 t-shirt for any students who sign up by Friday, September 27! Faculty and staff, we have a tote bag for you!
    • 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! Finishing a read and submitting a reading log adds a book to the Campus Reading Goal.
    • Review and Rate Your Reads
      After you log your read, leave a review and rating on our new Reading Rumble Reviews wall. You can also rate and comment on what others have reviewed. Maybe you'll interest or inspire someone else!
  • Join Reading Challenge Events or Organize Your Own
    Have an idea for an event? Contact us! Watch for upcoming events in your email and on the Events page.

What's the "Reading Rumble"?

The 2024-2025 Reading Rumble is a fierce but friendly competition between readers at Penn State Beaver, Fayette, and Greater Allegheny to see which campus can log the most "reads." Join us! Any reads you complete count toward our campus total.

Beaver Reading Goal: 200 titles by December 15, 2024

We challenge the Penn State Beaver community to read 200 titles by the end of the Fall semester! When you complete a read and submit a Reading Log and Review, we'll cheer your progress and count that title toward the campus total.