Jutta Salovaara from Espoo completed Helmet libraries’ 50 book reading challenge in five weeks

From Espoo Talk about Salovaara is a real bookworm. You can’t say otherwise after hearing how long it took him to complete the Helmet reading challenge this year: Five weeks!

Capital region In a playful reading challenge organized by Helmet libraries read 50 books in one year. The challenge always starts at the beginning of the year.

Salovaara was already ready on February 8. How is that possible? Does he always walk around with a book in his hand?

“No, but I’m a really fast reader. When I read a book, I don’t read every word,” says Salovaara.

In the same breath, he also points out that he listened to a large part – about 40 – of the books included in the challenge.

“I am in such a job that I can listen to books during the working day. I do house cleaning. If the clients are at home, I only listen with the other earpiece and I am always ‘hearing’, and I never listen to both earpieces,” says Salovaara.

“While doing the reading challenge, I also listened in my free time while walking and cleaning. Otherwise, I normally don’t listen to audiobooks as much in my free time.”

Fire hazard says that he is always careful to start reading work on January 1st.

He did the same this year, even though the 50-item reading challenge list was published on December 17. The idea is to read books belonging to different categories. Each participant in the challenge can choose the books to read, as long as they meet the criteria required in the challenge.

This year, participants should read, among other things, a British classic, a travelogue, a romantic entertainment book, a Cozy crime detective story, a 400-500 page book, and works featuring a hockey player, a circus, and a robot.

Salovaara says that he always listens to audiobooks at at least 1.5 times the speed.

“It’s also really slow for me sometimes. My brain can’t focus on it.”

Salovaara has had to learn to listen to an audiobook.

“Before I started my own company, I worked in a kindergarten. I remember when I went to work on foot and when I got there I started listening to audiobooks. Nothing came of it, I didn’t know anything,” says Salovaara.

The commute took about fifteen minutes each way, and it was far too short for Salovaara.

“Listening to the audiobook initially required at least 30 minutes to be able to concentrate on the book. Then the world of the audiobook somehow came out better.”

Fire hazard set a new record this year when he completed the reading challenge even a few days faster than a year ago. However, he approaches the task playfully and only competes against himself.

Some people think that books should only be read, not listened to.

However, the rules of the reading challenge say that everyone can participate in their own style and draw up their own rules. According to the rules, books can also be read “in any format.”

The idea behind the very popular reading challenge is to increase the joy of reading, not the stress of reading. You don’t necessarily have to read all fifty books, and you won’t have time for all of them.

“It’s a bit the same as with exercise, every kilometer and every book is a plus.”

Helmet reading challenge has been organized since 2015.

It was invented by a librarian Riikka Utriainenwho was looking for a nice reading challenge for himself. In 2018, Utriainen told In an interview with HS that the challenge arose “spontaneously and on the spur of the moment”.

Jutta Salovaara says that she participates in the challenge because she will read a lot of different books.

“There are books from so many different categories. You will read many more non-fiction books, biographies or about wonderful subject areas. It’s nice to discover new authors and new genres.”

Participants in the challenge share book tips with each other on Facebook, among other things.

“It’s been wonderful to plan what books to read.”

Reading challenge has been a part of Salovaara’s routine for several years.

“Usually, the list is published only after Christmas in the days between or later, and it has been a kind of Christmas present for myself. It has been wonderful to plan which books to read and where,” says Salovaara.

“Especially in the first years, I read a lot of classics. I thought it was really nice.”

Even though the reading challenge has already been done, there is still more to read from Salovaara. There is enough to draw from the book tips given by others for the rest of the year.

“I’ve sometimes completed that challenge two or three times during the year. It doesn’t make any sense, but on the other hand, I read or listen anyway.”