Novelist Launches 8-Week Reading Plan to Rebuild Book Habits as Smartphones Erode Literacy
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 2
Novelist Launches 8-Week Reading Plan to Rebuild Book Habits as Smartphones Erode Literacy
2 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 2
Summary
An 8-week “couch to 5k” reading program is now running, with three tracks aimed at rebuilding daily book-reading habits from 20 minutes to 30 minutes plus longer sessions.
The novelist says smartphone scrolling has displaced sustained reading, framing the decline as an intellectual public-health problem rather than a personal failure.
A 2024 OECD report found literacy had declined or stagnated across most developed countries, and the article says some students now reach university unable to finish a whole book.
Early participants reported calmer mornings, less urge to check phones during films and renewed immersion in books within 2 or 3 days, while teachers have asked about adapting the idea for schools.