deilibri

World Book Night is almost here. Don’t know what this is or confusing it with World Book Day? Well you’re not alone. According to my local book store ‘it finished weeks ago’ — no that’s the one where kids dress up as their favourite character, but don’t read books!

Well next week, Wednesday 23 April, is definitely World Book Night brought to us courtesy of The Reading Agency. It began in 2011, but was moved to this date to coincide with UNESCO International Day of the Book and, probably, the birth and death date of William Shakespeare.

This year The Reading Agency has released 6 Quick Reads — short books and great stories by bestselling authors, written in an accessible and easy to read style. They’re a valuable tool for boosting reading skills, confidence and engagement in learning, and have led to thousands of adults reading, completing and enjoying a book for the first time.

Just to add to my own huge pile of ‘reads’ I’ve completed two of the titles: Leila Aboulela’s A New Year and Fiona Cummins A Boy Called Saul.

Leila’s story follows the recently widowed Suad as she begins to try and transform her life. Family support turns to family grievances — a theme that must be echoed across the nation and familiar to many tv viewers. Will the kids rally round, or leave her to stew on her own?

I wasn’t sure about A Boy Called Saul until I read the opening line: ‘Saul Anguish hated the police.’ Now I was hooked — as I’m supposed to be. How can you ignore someone with the name Anguish or even a police office called Storm.

These are both less than 115 pages, so easily digested in one sitting. I’ve another four to go so I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, check out the site for more info.

NB: My local library has the biggest selection of Quick Reads I’ve ever seen, housed in a separate bookcase. They haven’t heard of WBN either!