Wednesday, April 23, is World Book Night, an annual celebration dedicated to spreading the love of reading, person to person. One night a year, tens of thousands of people go out into their communities and give half a million free World Book Night paperbacks to light and non-readers.
Each year, 30-35 books are chosen by an independent panel of librarians and booksellers. The authors of the books waive their royalties and the publishers agree to pay the costs of producing the specially-printed World Book Night U.S. editions. Bookstores and libraries sign up to be community host locations for the volunteer book givers.
Givers pick up their books in the week before World Book Night. On April 23, they give their books to those who don’t regularly read and/or people who don’t normally have access to printed books, for reasons of means or geography.
The 2014 books include Joseph Heller’s Catch-22, Rebecca Lee’s Bobcat & Other Stories, and Michael Pollan’s The Botany of Desire. For a complete list, click here.
Many bookstores in North Carolina are getting in on the action, including:
- Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill
- Malaprop’s Bookstore, Asheville
- Pomegranate Books, Wilmington
- Quail Ridge Books & Music, Raleigh
For a complete list of events, click here.
Why April 23? It’s William Shakespeare’s birthday, of course!