World Book Night is almost here!

Hello! Renee here again. I told you I'd be back. Muwahaha! *cough cough* Moving on...

So, this evening I will be writing to you about something you may already know about. It's called World Book Night. If you're unfamiliar with World Book Night, this post should fill you in a bit. If you are familiar with World Book Night, read on anyway. You might learn something.

World Book Night (from here on abbreviated WBN) is an event all about spreading the love of reading. Booksellers, librarians, authors, publishers and thousands of volunteers come together to make this event possible.

WBN was first concieved back in 2010 at London's Book Industry Conference. Their hope was that the night of book-giving would encourage more adults to read. Because let's be honest, a lot of us probably don't read as much as we want to...or should (you know who you are).

The first WBN was celebrated in the UK and Ireland in 2011. In 2012, the USA and Germany also participated.

And now, here we are in 2013 and WBN is still going strong. Last year nearly 80,000 people handed out over 2.5 million books in four different countries. Here's hoping 2013 will find even more people going out into their communities and gifting books to light or reluctant readers as well as those that just don't have the money to spend on their own books.

You may be asking yourself, "Why is WBN so important?" or maybe even, "Why is reading so important?" Well, the WBN site has this to say:

"Why does World Book Night exist? Reading for pleasure improves literacy, actively engaging emerging readers in their desire to read. Reading changes lives, improves employability, social interaction, enfranchisement, and can have a positive effect on mental health and happiness. Book readers are more likely to participate in positive activities such as volunteering, attending cultural events, and even physical exercise.
Or more simply put, books are fun—and they can be life-changing."

A question you are probably less likely to be asking yourself is, "Why is WBN always on April 23rd?" Turns out there are a couple reasons. April 23rd is the UNESCO International Day of the Book (who knew?) as well as Shakespeare's birthday (he's so old!). Kinda makes April 23rd the perfect day, dontcha think?

Yours truly will be hanging out in Old Town Square around lunchtime handing out copies of John Green's Looking for Alaska (a fantastic read for teens and adults alike). Stop by and say hi if you're in the neighborhood. This is my first year as a Giver and I am very excited!

There will also be a little meet-and-greet for Givers and booklovers alike being hosted at the store on Monday, April 15th. The event will run from 6pm-7pm. Tea and snacks will provided and there might even be an activity...maybe. Givers can also pick up their books if we've gotten them in. So come on by and nerd out with us about books! It's sure to be a good time.

One last thing before I go. I am starting a Tumblr account for the bookstore. Some of you might not know what Tumblr is but I like to describe it as a Facebook/Instagram hybrid...kinda. Basically it will be a place where I post funny book related pictures, interesting book related articles...yeah. www.oldfirehousebooks.tumblr.com.

That is all for this evening. Until next time!

Cheers,

~Ren

P.S I feel obligated to tell you I got most of this information from the WBN site. Go check it out! www.worldbooknight.org