So, after seemingly weeks on my part of banging on about it, tonight was World Book Night.
Myself and 19,999 other givers handed out one million books as part of the event, which was created to inspire people to turn back to books and to start reading again in a society that is focused on so many other things nowadays. My book choice was Fingersmith by Sarah Waters, which I read years ago and utterly adored.
I was helped tonight by my mum and dad, my brother and my pal Katie. Because I didn't want to just throw books to strangers at random only for them to end up in a bin or left at the bus stop (the book, not the stranger), we decided to go the York Theatre Royal and hand them out before the evening performance. The idea was that people who go to the theatre would be the sort of people who would appreciate being given an incredible book to read. It went really, really well. People tend to be quite suspicious when you try and give them something - as if they can't quite believe that you aren't trying to sell them something - but everyone who received a copy seemed to be really pleased, and if that's you, do say hello and let me know what you think of the book. I promise you it is more excellent than it might at first seem.
I took a few photos over the evening and I want to say thank you to anyone who let me take their picture. Also a big thank you to my parents, my brother and Katie, because there is no way that I could have carried 48 books into York and distributed them without their help. Finally, a HUGE thanks to World Book Night for letting me be a small, but I like to think vital, part of the event.
Myself and 19,999 other givers handed out one million books as part of the event, which was created to inspire people to turn back to books and to start reading again in a society that is focused on so many other things nowadays. My book choice was Fingersmith by Sarah Waters, which I read years ago and utterly adored.
I was helped tonight by my mum and dad, my brother and my pal Katie. Because I didn't want to just throw books to strangers at random only for them to end up in a bin or left at the bus stop (the book, not the stranger), we decided to go the York Theatre Royal and hand them out before the evening performance. The idea was that people who go to the theatre would be the sort of people who would appreciate being given an incredible book to read. It went really, really well. People tend to be quite suspicious when you try and give them something - as if they can't quite believe that you aren't trying to sell them something - but everyone who received a copy seemed to be really pleased, and if that's you, do say hello and let me know what you think of the book. I promise you it is more excellent than it might at first seem.
I took a few photos over the evening and I want to say thank you to anyone who let me take their picture. Also a big thank you to my parents, my brother and Katie, because there is no way that I could have carried 48 books into York and distributed them without their help. Finally, a HUGE thanks to World Book Night for letting me be a small, but I like to think vital, part of the event.
I also want to announce the winners of my giveaway for some of you lot to win a copy of Fingersmith. Unfortunately I am only going to be able to give two copies away (most of the people who entered live overseas and I am a poor student, thus cannot afford to be posting four books to Australia). I numbered each email and used an internet random number generator thing (properly high tech, I know) and the winners are:
Beth at www.bethan-no-y.blogspot.com/
and
Anisha at http://livelifedeeply.net/
Incidentally, two of my favourite blogs (Ani, I think, actually has my brain in her head, and Beth writes about literature in a far more beautiful and eloquent way than I ever can). I've emailed you both, so send me your addresses and I'll get the books posted out to you asap. Congratulations!
Of course, the whole point of World Book Night wasn't just to give out free books. It was to promote writers and to promote reading and to promote the bookshop industry. I must shamefully admit to being one of the main perpetrators of the Amazon takeover, but we really must all start going to libraries and to proper book shops and start supporting the real literature industry. Hopefully World Book Night will have brought this to more people's attention. It certainly brought it to mine.
And, obviously, free stuff is always cool.
Beth at www.bethan-no-y.blogspot.com/
and
Anisha at http://livelifedeeply.net/
Incidentally, two of my favourite blogs (Ani, I think, actually has my brain in her head, and Beth writes about literature in a far more beautiful and eloquent way than I ever can). I've emailed you both, so send me your addresses and I'll get the books posted out to you asap. Congratulations!
Of course, the whole point of World Book Night wasn't just to give out free books. It was to promote writers and to promote reading and to promote the bookshop industry. I must shamefully admit to being one of the main perpetrators of the Amazon takeover, but we really must all start going to libraries and to proper book shops and start supporting the real literature industry. Hopefully World Book Night will have brought this to more people's attention. It certainly brought it to mine.
And, obviously, free stuff is always cool.
This is such a great project!
ReplyDeleteI really don't understand how people would rather read a digitalised copy of a book. There's nothing better than walking through the long rows of shelves at the library - so much wisdom collected in one place!
And yay for winning :))
Well done you! I adored Fingersmith when I read it a few years back, I hope everyone you gave it to enjoys it equally! I also am guilty of buying on Amazon sometimes.. but I'll never, ever be buying a Kindle, that's for sure! x
ReplyDeleteomg and you love sarah waters, i'm rss feeding right NOW.
ReplyDelete