World Book Night 2013 - I'm a Giver!

I'm assuming if you've seen my paltry three posts on this blog, you'll realize I truly do love to read.  In fact, I love to read everything...I'm kind of addicted to knowledge and using my imagination.

So imagine my joy when I stumbled on a website last July.  It said that one night a year (April 23rd to be exact) people all around the world were gifted 20 copies of a book of their choosing to hand out to light-or-non readers in their area.  This amazing event is called World Book Night and it operates on spreading the gift of story around the world (this is not US-specific...in fact, I'm pretty sure it started in the UK).

Unfortunately I had missed last year's celebration, so I signed myself up for their newsletter and waited.  And waited.  And patiently waited until this January when they said that the application process to be a Giver was opened!  So I applied and chose my three selections from their pre-selected choices for 2013.

A week ago I got my congratulatory email stating I had been chosen as a giver, and I even received my 1st choice for what book I get to hand out - Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury!  They ask that you have read your choice - and I was very excited to see this on this list this year because when I had found out about WBN last July, I was actually reading it on my work trip to San Francisco.  So it was kind of a happy surprise to see it on the list.

As of right now I'm planning on giving copies of my book out to assisted living homes, homeless shelters...places where they don't really have the access to books.  I am a HUGE reader and every year I see books and reading slipping further from the public eye...even the 5 years between my younger sister and I have huge gaps as far as reading is concerned.  Technology is becoming "everything" now and while I do indeed own a kindle myself, I still support my local booksellers because there is nothing....NOTHING....that I love more than the smell and feel of a real book in my hands.

I also like to think I'm reading the right books when I see that most of my "to-read" list is actually on their lists from this year and last year!  It just makes me happy...it's the little things you know?

So I will update more as more happens, and I'm sure that there will be photos and stories a-plenty on the actual night (I'm planning to go with my co-worker Anne who was also chosen as a giver - she got The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho).