by Carolyn Thomas.
This month In Common books editor Carolyn Thomas celebrates World Book Night.
It’s World Book Night on 23 April – an annual celebration of reading for pleasure, honouring books, and the difference they make to our wellbeing.
Organised by The Reading Agency, a national charity that promotes reading, the whole country is invited to join the ‘reading hour’ between 7 and 8pm on 23 April by spending time with a good book. Members of the public are also being encouraged to buy a book for someone else, or gift a book of their own.
Additionally, the charity will distribute more than 68,000 books to organisations across the country for people who don’t regularly read for pleasure, or who have limited access to books. This year’s recipients include prisons, hospitals, food banks, youth centres, care homes and mental health groups.
Among the featured titles is actor David Harewood’s memoir Maybe I Don’t Belong Here; Isabel Hardman’s exploration of nature, exercise and mental health, The Natural Health Service; and Ravena Guron’s upcoming murder mystery for young adults, This Book Kills.
A selection of audiobooks is also available for the public to download for free from this month, including The Woman in the White Kimono by Ana Johns and One Body: A Retrospective by Catherine Simpson.
For more information visit worldbooknight.org
What’s on:
April
8th 1-2pm
Printed Books in the Digital Age
Join Jonathan Simons, founding editor of offline publishing house Analog Sea, in conversation with Jonathan Moreland of October Books, Portswood, to discuss what it’s like to be an offline only publisher in 2023 and how our relationship with online content can create a disconnect with the natural world.
October Books, 189 Portswood Rd, Southampton SO17 2NF
18th 7-8pm (over Zoom)
Bring Your Own Book
October Book’s online book club with a twist! What have you read this month? How did it make you feel? Would you recommend it to others? The session will run for around 1hr. Please register via Eventbrite for instructions to attend the zoom event.
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