World Book Night 2014

World Book Night is an annual event where the reading agency gives away 1000's of books to people to start a love of reading. It has a set of volunteers that must prove they have the same values as WBN and give away 18 copies of their chosen book (out of 20 that they can choose).

I was picked as a donor which I was so happy about to give 18 copies of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. I was so happy because I love this book so much ever since I read it age 11.

I made all the labels myself. I'm pretty proud.


These are the parcels that are going out:

Where did my books go?
3 books went to people I knew.
2 books went to postmen by posting them in the letterboxes.

2 books went to my local station

3 books went to my station I travel to

1 book was left on a west city bus by a friend of mine

The remaining 7 books were distributed down the roads near my college, in bus shelters and letter boxes, in the baskets of bikes and in the oranges in Sainsburys. We left one on a car.

There was one in particular Nithya and I left on a table outside a pub. We looked behind us and a man started walking past it while looking at it. He then turned back and picked it up. It felt absolutely amazing.

Thank you so much World Book Night for the amazing opportunity. I hope I can do it next year. 

If you did find a WBN book today, I hope it starts a love of reading in you.

Access to stories

Today in chapel (yes I go to a cofe school) my maths teacher announced that we would be having a collection for a charity that donated books to Ethiopian schools because of the lack of books there. I've sort of been subconsciously thinking about this all day for various reasons.

I saw Rosianna's video about a month ago about donating all but 50 of her books to charity in which she said "I have always have access to stories." I don't know it's just daunted on me how lucky I am to have this access to books. I go to a school with a large library (most of it non fiction but I'll get on to this at another time), a local waterstones, a kindle and my parents who let me read whatever I want and support my love of reading. It just made me acutely aware of how much I get to read and I love that.

Secondly, I have an (unnamed) friend who is the sweetest who I am currently on a book lending spree with. I read The Gift by Lewis Hyde (reviews are coming) and this idea of the movement of gifts really struck me in regards to books. I just love circulating books like I read my friend Miranda's copy of When You Reach Me and her annotations just made the experience so much better. I felt like I was sharing something.

Thirdly, I am acutely aware that in a year and a half I will no longer live at home. When I leave home I will no longer have an income (babysitting) or my parents credit card details. I have been told that you are going to be a med student you won't have time for a job get a loan and I know at this point I will no longer have access to books and this will be probably the hardest thing to lose when I go to uni. But tis better to have loved and lost that have never loved at all. I am so grateful for my access to books.

I can't imagine living without books.

May access to books become worldwide and nationwide.

N.b. I am a world book day giver (more on this closer to the time) in regards to this which I am so excited by all brits can have access to stories.