Wake Reads Together

Back by popular demand, Wake Reads Together, a community-wide reading program, is set to begin its third year, but first, it needs the help of Wake County citizens.

The program, which encourages everyone in Wake County to read the same book at the same time and then come back together to discuss it, will soon take reading recommendations from the public for the 2005 program. From September 1-15, citizens can submit book titles to be considered for this year's program at any Wake County Public Library or online at www.wakegov.com/readstogether. Library staff will select five titles from these suggestions. Between October 11-31, citizens can vote for their favorite title among the five, and in January 2005, Libraries will announce the selected title, and reading and discussion of the new Wake Reads Together selection will begin.

"This is a great opportunity to bring our community together with a shared interest and to promote a love for reading at the same time, setting a good example for our children," Commissioners' Chair Kenn Gardner said. "We have experienced great success with this initiative in its first two years, and I can't wait to see which book is picked this year!"

Wake County Public Libraries has offered Wake Reads Together for the past two years. County residents selected Ray Bradbury's science fiction classic Fahrenheit 451 in 2003, and last year's choice was Lewis Nordan's award-winning book Wolf Whistle. Each year County residents have read the book and participated in book discussions and programs throughout the campaign.

To get involved or for more information, contact any Wake County Library branch for details and check out the Wake County Public Libraries web page, www.wakegov.com/readstogether, for program updates.