Once the pancakes have been eaten tonight, Lent begins. Lent is a Christian tradition to give up a bad habit for six weeks before the Easter feast – but you can join in whatever your religious leaning, if you can find something you’re willing to give up…
Here’s an idea: keep doing the things you enjoy (like eating chocolate, reading too much and watching tv) and try giving up some of your bad reading habits instead.
Here’s our list of top 10 bad reading habits – you probably didn’t even realise you do some of these…
1 Judging a book by its cover... don’t do it! This Lent, go and pick out a book which has a cover that would usually put you off. You might be pleasantly surprised!
2 Unnecessary rereading – stop yourself from going back and reading what you’ve already read and understood! You’ll get to the exciting stuff more quickly – you can even try using a ruler to block out what you’ve read already.
3 Not looking up words you don’t understand– you can learn so much from books if you give them the chance. So while reading over Lent, make sure you look up those dictionary definitions!
4 Stop reading in low-light. Make sure to read in plenty of light this Lent – not to mention, you’re much less likely to fall asleep with the light left on if it’s bright.
5 Remember to renew your library books, or take them back if you’re finished with them. As much as we love libraries, noone likes a library fine. And it’ll give others a chance to read the books!
6 Folding over page corners– we all do it, but maybe find a book mark and use that instead over this Lent period. Then you’ll be able to keep your books in good condition so you can read them again and again!
7 Don’t stay in your comfort zone – why not read a book from a genre you wouldn’t usually pick up? Be it crime, fantasy or non–fiction, you could be missing out and not even know it!
8 Resist the temptation of reading the last page first – it takes away from the satisfaction of finishing the book! Try to read a book this Lent without skipping forward at all.
9 Avoid watching the film before reading the book – have you heard of an upcoming book–to–film adaptation of a book you’ve been meaning to read? Make sure you read the book over Lent so that the film doesn’t ruin it for you!
10 Not reading at all – why are you even here? Go and pick up a book! And of course join the Guardian children’s books site if you are under 18 and not a member. Open to under 18s all over the world.
Want to find out about some more things you could give up for lent? Check out the book Love Life Live Lent for ideas.