I had to chuckle when I read “On the naughty step” about the Scottish Premier League’s Reading Champions scheme (11 November).
But it did make me wonder why no one bothered to ask striker Darren Mackie what he does read, even if he doesn’t “read books”. This sort of scheme almost always seems to focus on books, which seems to always mean fiction.
I haven’t “read a book” since I took GCSE English and had to study the set texts. I can’t honestly remember what they were, but they definitely bored me to tears. Without “reading a book” since, I’ve managed to get a degree, become a teacher and generally do alright.
That’s not to say I haven’t read, though. I love reading - just not novels. Maybe the people who run this scheme should broaden their definition of “reading” before they recruit any more footballers.
Mark Smith, Science teacher, Essex.