We love books. Story books, picture books, scary books and science books – we love them all, and the idea that there’s a month dedicated to indulging our reading habit? We’re totally here for it. And September is ‘Read a New Book Month’, so it’s as good an excuse as any to while away the hours slipping into some fiction.
But for somebody with literacy differences or dyslexia, something as simple as reading a new book might be filled with doubts and anxieties – it could seem like a big ask, especially in their leisure time, because the act of reading isn’t as simple as it is for their neurotypical peers. There are many people with dyslexia who love to read, certainly- but there are also some who might find the whole thing a little stressful.
People who have dyslexia can be supported in their reading with solutions from a Reading Support Toolkit – this includes anything from reading lines and custom bookmarks to tech-based supports like ReaderPens and text-to-speech browser extensions. And some people love to read together, too – having a reading companion is a wonderful way to share the reading experience and feel supported when tacking the world of words.
There’s also a whole world of publications out there that are designed to make the dyslexic reading experience a little bit easier too. These can range from books that are optimised on-page for people who struggle to read in traditional formats (with greater line spacing, coloured backing, sans-serif fonts and the like) to High/Low books that have been edited for readers who need writing appropriate to their age interests, but sometimes struggle with more complex language and sentence structures.
Simply put, there are a number of ways to make this September one where we can celebrate reading with everybody, and put reading at the heart of our autumnal to-do list. Who doesn’t fancy a dreamy Saturday morning sept sipping on a pumpkin-spiced something and lazing around with a good book? It’s a great way to unwind and it’s a great way to broaden your horizons, and it’s also a great way to ignore the fact that some stores are already putting up their Christmas displays, too.
But in 2021, it doesn’t have to be all about settling down with a new new book. Let's talk sustainability for a moment.
The amount of water needed to create a book can vary dependent on the type of paper used, the length of the book, the type of binding and even very simple things like printing in colour or black and white. But when one sheet of A4 paper can take up to eight gallons of water to create, things like that shiny new collector’s copy of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix can start looking a little bit iffy from a sustainability perspective. And many paper manufacturers across the world still use chlorine bleach to turn tree pulp into the familiar white paper we see when we open a book, which is problematic for the environment as it often finds its way into local water systems.
On a world scale, our paper use has quadrupled over the past 50 years – and during the pandemic, the volume of print book sales increased by well over 5%. This has meant that sometimes, the need for paper has exceeded the amount of paper available in dedicated plantations that are grown for paper use, and sadly this has meant that old-growth forests have been bought up and used to make paper- destroying a number of important habitats and ancient woodlands across the globe.
There, however, are a number of ways we can take a more sustainable approach to reading this Read a New Book month – and the first is reassess the word ‘new’! The second-hand book business is booming at the moment, and often it’s much cheaper to buy used copies than brand new ones – so it’s healthier for your pocket as well as the planet. There are hundreds of second-hand book merchants and re-sellers online available at the click of a mouse who specialise in different kinds of books, and if you know a name and a title, marketplace platforms like eBay can turn up some wonderful finds.
You can also join book circles, where people loan out the books that they’ve previously read and enjoyed - some people with literacy differences feel that they benefit from atmospheres where books are discussed as they're read, as it can help with comprehension and understanding of texts. You can also simply join a library, where thousands of books are available to read without the need for you to order fresh print copies – good libraries will have dedicated sections of books for readers with dyslexia or with different reading needs too. And you can also look for books printed on recycled paper, something that a lot of world publishing houses are currently experimenting with.
Many people, especially those with literacy differences, enjoy audiobooks. Although devices like eReaders and Kindles aren’t wholly sustainable and carbon-neutral, they do help to take the pressure off the paper industry. Many people also value the portable book form as it means it’s much easier to store and move around with, but unfortunately they’re not as easy to pass on to your friends and recycle, so there are pros and cons to the format.
There'a a lot to think about when it comes to books and sustainability - and sustainability in itself it's a double-edged sword in a year where independent new book retailers have been struggling the world over due to Covid-19 restrictions.
But this Read a New Book Month, we invite you to keep support and sustainability at the heart of your reading adventures where you can. We're focused on making sure that reading is something that everybody can enjoy, making it accessible, and also sure that that people will be able to enjoy it in years to come too.