World Book Night

[TheFifthElement]

If you live in the UK or Ireland you need to know about this.

On Saturday 5th March 2011 the organisers of World Book Night will give away 1 million books. The books are selected from a list of 25 titles, and will be distributed by an army of 20,000 volunteers. You can register to be a volunteer, and read more about it, on their website. Link below.

http://www.worldbooknight.org/

I'd love to be a volunteer. How about you?

[kasie]

I'd love to be a volunteer but I can't decide which book I'd want to promote - or, put it this way, I can't think of twenty people who would like the same book! I've already promoted one or two (or three or four....) of the titles to sceptical friends. In this book shop desert, however, I'm sure we would qualify for a Book Giver or two.

The Culture Show ran an introductory item on the project this week.

[TheFifthElement]

Hi kasie, I think the idea is to promote books to people who wouldn't normally read those books so it doesn't really matter if you can't think of enough people. Each volunteer gets 48 copies of the book, and they're asking you to try and distribute them to places they wouldn't normally get to. So, for example, I'm proposing to distribute some of them to the retirement village close to where I live and the rest around the village to houses numbered 5 (as it's the 5th March). It's a bit random, but that's the idea. I chose Cloud Atlas. One of my favourite books ever, and a book I think everyone should read :D It was a tough call though. I was tempted by many of the titles, especially poetry as few people seem to read poetry these days. I'd have picked Seamus. I'm not a great fan of Duffy. Oh I wish I'd picked Seamus now!

[kiki1982]

Yes, lovely initiative actually. You have to write on the webite why you would like to hand out that particular book and why you are passionate about it.

Do not live in the UK, though, but maybe my father-in-law will get one and then my hubby and I can have it (because we're the only one who read, so we get all the books, crap or non-crap) :D.

Only hope that there is one in Green Street Green/Orpington handing out ;).

[Lokasenna]

This is a rather nice scheme - if I think I'll have time, I might sign up for this.

That said, there are some very odd choices on the list of books, and I haven't even heard of some of them...

[papayahed]

That's a pretty cool idea. If they did it in the states I'd definately participate.

[qimissung]

What a brilliant idea! I wish we'd do that here. Of the books on that particular list I would choose "The Curious Incident of thDog in the Nighttime." Great book. Great idea.

[TheFifthElement]

Yeay I got picked! Anyone else gifting on 05th March?

[OrphanPip]

Seeing Yann Martel's name on the list reminded me of a somewhat related endeavor. Martel sent a book every 2 week to the Prime Minister, with a short essay discussing the book. The PM never responded to him.

http://www.whatisstephenharperreading.ca/