• One million books reading goal set across five years nationwide
• Screen free reading campaign promotes calm focus and daily balance
• Offline activations bring communities together through shared reading moments
• Live counter tracks progress and builds collective reading momentum
Phones buzz, tabs multiply, attention spans shrink. Against that noisy backdrop, a quiet movement is about to turn pages instead of feeds. A Dubai based community bookstore is launching a nationwide reading challenge that asks a simple question. What happens when a country reads more and scrolls less?
Starting 1 February 2026, Bookends is rolling out the One Million Books Challenge, a five year cultural campaign built to encourage people across the UAE to collectively read one million books. The idea is straightforward and intentional. Less screen time, more story time, with reading positioned as a daily pleasure rather than a school task.
The campaign is designed as a practical digital detox that feels welcoming, not strict. There are no required apps, no complicated tracking tools, and no tech barriers. Readers log what they finish through in store and online touchpoints, and each completed title pushes a live public counter forward. One reader, one book, one step closer to a shared national goal.
What makes this initiative stand out is its offline first energy. Instead of loud challenges and quick trends, the program focuses on steady, human moments like these:
• Silent reading hours and phone free reading sessions
• Children’s read aloud corners and family story circles
• Community led reading gatherings across neighborhoods
• Extensions into schools, offices, and shared public spaces
The campaign also reflects a broader lifestyle shift many families are already exploring. More parents and professionals are actively looking for low pressure ways to improve focus, reduce digital overload, and create mindful routines. Reading fits naturally into that need. It is flexible, affordable, and deeply personal.
Bookends itself was founded by two entrepreneurial mothers who saw rising book costs and overflowing shelves as a solvable problem. Their solution grew into a reuse driven, access focused bookstore model that keeps reading within reach. This new challenge scales that same philosophy to a national level, turning individual reading habits into a shared cultural metric.
The long term plan includes milestone moments, community celebrations, and partner programs that keep momentum strong year after year. The message is clear and grounded. Progress does not always need speed. Sometimes it needs a chair, a quiet corner, and a good book.
The One Million Books Challenge opens this February and invites everyone to take part. Log your reads, show up for a session, and help move the counter forward, one finished book at a time.
Join the challenge in store and start logging your reads from launch week!
Instagram: @bookendsae
