I know all of the buzz right now is the lead up to the 200th birthday of Charles Dickens. But not too far down the road is the birthday of William Shakespeare on April 23rd. Not that it’s a big anniversary year for Shakespeare but April 23rd also happens to be World Book Night (not a coincidence).
So, it’s January – why think about April? It is important to be thinking World Book Night now because there’s still time to apply to be chosen to hand out books! World Book Night is an event that began last year in the UK and Ireland that will also be celebrated for the first time in the U.S. this year. What happens is a number of popular titles in several categories are chosen by the World Book Night committee every year and then from about middle to the end of January people interested in handing out free books to encourage minimal and non-readers to pick up a book by giving them a free one.
This year there are over 30 paperback titles to choose from and I have signed up to give out Little Bee or On the Other Hand, the title it was originally published as in the UK, by Chris Cleave. You too can scope out the selection and sign up to spread the joy of reading by visiting http://www.us.worldbooknight.org/wbn2012-the-books/see-all-30-books
I hope I’ll be out on April 23rd handing out books, but whether I am or not I would love to hear if you do and what title you were giving away!
N.B. The title of this post is a riff on a line from Prospero in Shakespeare's The Tempest Act I, Scene ii
