I have often reflected upon the reasons that I and others around me read. In my role, as English Hub Lead, I am surrounded by like-minded people who love reading and aim to inspire an encourage others to read, but what about the reluctant readers? Does the term ‘reading for pleasure’ put them off reading even further?

‘Pleasure’ can be described as a feeling of happiness, enjoyment or satisfaction, but that does not mean that every text we choose to read we enjoy, it doesn’t mean that every book we immerse ourselves in leaves us beaming with delight. At times, we may seek a text with humour and happiness, and I do love a cheesy, feel-good romance every now and again, however that is not always the case. I often look for novels with an unexpected twist or a gripping mystery. I have been known to have a tear rolling down my cheek or gasp in shock at what I have just read and neither of these times convey ‘pleasure’.

A three year study by Wilheim (2016), found that teenage readers categorised their ‘reading for pleasure in 5 areas:

• Immersive pleasure of play

This refers to the feeling of being completely captivated by a book, one that you can’t possible put down. You tell yourself, just one more chapter at 1am and you are fully lost in what is being read.

• Intellectual pleasure

This one refers to when a reader chooses narratives linked to current issues of interest, whether in your own life or the wider world. The purpose is to learn more and help with navigating or solving problems that the reader would like to know more about.

• Social pleasure

BookTok is the perfect example of reading for social pleasure. Reading for social pleasure refers to reading to feel part of a community or readers, connecting to others through reading. I was in a book shop a few months back and heard a group of teenage girls standing by a table display animatedly sharing which books they have read and enjoyed and discussing the ones they hope to read over the next few months, offering to share out amongst the group so they can talk about it after. That is the definition of reading for social pleasure.

• The pleasure of functional work

This category refers to choosing to read for knowledge… to learn, think and act in different way and using reading as a tool to help further improve a skill such as writing.

• The pleasure of inner work

The final term refers to how some readers use texts to learn more about themselves. The texts that spark pleasure of inner work are those where the reader can imagine themselves in different situations and cosider how they might approach the situation, considering possible options for outcomes.

After reading these categories, I gained a better understanding regarding the concept behind ‘reading for pleasure’ but it is still useful to reflect upon how we convey reading for pleasure to the children and young people in our settings and how can we, as educators, help to motivate pupils to read, for whatever reasons they wish to read.