World Book Night 2014

I have to admit  I was slightly, slightly put off by this annual event which started a few years ago, simply  because its title includes the word 'night'.

Being a prolific sleeper (I have to have at least 8-9 hours' sleep a night otherwise heads roll - usually  mine)  I was torn between my love of books -versus- my love of sleep.  So I tried to ignore the World Book Night's first few forays, believing that I'd be complete rubbish at it and wouldn't even be awake to carry out any allotted 'duties' this task entailed.

Until a couple of years ago when a colleague did something completely unexpected and handed me a copy of Meg Rossoff's "How I live Now" and I was stunned into what a simple exercise the World Book Night truly is.  And that I was being given one of the books during daylight hours only made me happier.  I know, I know - how small is my brain?  I don't  think I'd realised how to work the 'FAQ' links back then - that's MY excuse anyhow. :(

Delighted doesn't begin to describe how it felt being handed this book.  This brilliant book, which I'd already read courtesy of my daughter who'd read it at school and passed it to me; it's one of those stories that sends shivers, makes the senses spike and heightens both the sunshine and the shadows of the world we live in, will always live in. If you haven't read it then please do; you'll be SO glad you did.

I took the book, of course I did, and then I passed it straight onto a other colleague who hadn't read it and who was equally delighted.

Can you think of a better way to encourage somebody to read a book - especially if they're not known to read very much - than to give them one you've already read, enjoyed and can 'sell' the story to?

I can't.

And the only (I'm reluctant to say 'drawback' because this really isn't one, or it's so insignificant that it shouldn't be) downside (*insert suitable replacement word*) to becoming a 'Giver' on World Book Night is that you have to pick your allotted box of books up from whichever point you decide to have them delivered to (Waterstones/Smiths/other pickup points I believe).

The 20 books on the list this year are here: BOOK LIST and the date, as usual is 23rd April.

I've picked 'The Humans' by Matt Haig - I read this a couple of months back and loved it.
'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas' by John Boyne - which still brings a lump to my throat.
and 'Getting Rid of Matthew' by Jane Fallon which I read years ago and I still remember the delight it gave me.

Which ones will YOU choose?

The Morning After the World Book Night Before...

This is how the World Book Night official website describes this magical evening of sharing the love for all things written:

World Book Night is a celebration of reading and books which sees tens of thousands of passionate volunteers gift books in their communities to share their love of reading.

In 2012 World Book Night will be celebrated in the UK, Ireland, Germany and USA on April 23.

In the UK, 20,000 passionate readers will gift 24 copies of one of their favourite books to encourage those who don't regularly read to fall in love with reading. In addition World Book Night will be giving a further 620,000 books over the course of the year directly to the hardest to reach readers through prisons, care homes, hospitals, sheltered housing, homeless shelters, libraries and through other partner charities.

However, having grown up being told that “you don’t get anything for nothing”, I confess that when I heard about this last year I was unpleasantly confused and a little bit scared… did this mean altruistic aliens had landed, hadn’t made the headlines and everyone but me had lost their brains and bodies to little green men without my knowledge? (My answer to anything worrying - never the butler, always the alien.)

And although I understood it a little bit more after last year’s event, it wasn’t until this morning that I fully appreciated what a truly tremendous exercise this giving and passing around of words actually IS.

One of the teachers at work had subscribed to this year’s venture and the expression of bewilderment and joy on my colleague’s face when she was handed Meg Rosoff’s ‘How I Live Now’ will remain with me for a while. It just goes to show how much we doubt anything handed to us in gift.  She held it, turned it over, queried the giver and almost handed it back until I confirmed that yes, this is what happens on World Book Night.

This is how it works:

25 titles are specially chosen and printed in World Book Night editions. Givers apply for a particular book (they get a first, second and third choice) which they must commit to gift to those who don't regularly read, to share and spread their love of reading. Givers collect their books from their local bookshops and libraries, putting the very heart of our reading communities at the very heart of World Book Night.

It is difficult to quantify the value of reading on people’s lives, especially given the shocking statistics in the UK that outlines that one person in six struggles to read and write. Poor skills compromise health and well-being, confidence and employability. World Book Night’s charitable mission is to advance the education of the public by assisting in the promotion of literacy and the celebration of books and reading by creating unique moments which focus attention on adult literacy. By focusing on the enjoyment and engagement of reading we aim to reach and inspire those who have never discovered the value or pleasure of reading.

Thanks to my colleague telling me she’d applied to take part, I knew that my daughter had read this particular Meg Rosoff book and so unearthed it and spent a lovely few nights curled up with it like a new best friend.  It was an utter joy and a book I could re-read over and over.  I couldn’t recommend it highly enough.

These are the books on the 2012 list:

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

The Player of Games by Iain M Banks

Sleepyhead by Mark Billingham

Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

The Take by Martina Cole

Harlequin by Bernard Cornwell

Someone Like You by Roald Dahl

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Room by Emma Donoghue

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

Misery by Stephen King

The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Small Island by Andrea Levy

Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O’Farrell

The Damned Utd by David Peace

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

Touching the Void by Joe Simpson

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

And I LOVE the reason that World Book Day happens on 23^rd April:

April 23 is a symbolic date for world literature. It is both the birth and death day of Shakespeare, as well as the death day of Cervantes, the great Spanish novelist. It is in their honour that UNESCO appointed it the international day of the book and that we choose it to celebrate World Book Night. April 23rd also marks the city of Barcelona's celebration of St George's Day. St George is the patron saint of Catalonia as well as England and traditionally, to celebrate this day, Spanish gentlemen gave their ladies roses and the ladies returned the favour with a book. Considering the rich literary history of this day, it seemed more than fitting that April 23rd should be chosen as the day of celebrating reading and the giving of books!

Did YOU get involved this year? Which book did you give away, or which book WILL YOU be giving away next year?

Ahhh…. books (you wouldn’t get this with those Kindle thingies).