Books, Books and more Books

I'm in love, again.  I can't stop thinking about it, handling it and I take it to bed early, just to be alone with it.  I'm not having an illicit affair, it's the touch screen Kindle.  I wasn't really bothered about having an e-reader before I had one, but now I wouldn't go back.  Since the 15th June when it was given to me by J it's been difficult for anyone to tear me away from it.  I've read prolifically, all of the books below and downloaded many more - just tantalisingly 'there' waiting to be read.  If I had to choose three that I'd recommend from my recent read list I'd say Eye of the Needle, The Hunger Games (a children's book - G10 has now read and relished) and The Importance of Being Earnest.  A lot of the books are free, including many classics.

Lovely jubbly...

Eye of the Needle
Broadmoor Revealed: Victorian Crime and the Lunatic Asylum

Perfect Crime
The Picture of Dorian Gray

The Phoenix Conspiracy

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Black Beauty

What Katy Did

The Importance of Being Earnest

Catching Fire
The Hunger Games

Why do I love it? It's so very light. I can read in bed without the pages flopping about as I prop it up on a pillow. I never lose my page. Ever. I can look up words I don't know, at a touch. I can read free books. What is there not to like?

Now, tonight I'm going to the first evening of a book club (organised by our very own Preseli Mags.)  We are discussing The Time Traveler's Wife and horror of horror's I couldnt' download it onto the Kindle.  I know we have free copies from our World Book Night event, but I'm so obsessed I didn't think I could actually regress back to the paper version.  I did, I coped. Just.  I hope it's not too intellectual an evening, I read only for my own pleasure and almost as soon as I've finished a book I forget the detail. I've been promised it won't be, (any excuse for a social) but just in case I started reading it Monday and finished this morning - at least it'll be fresh in my mind :)

World Book Night

World Book Night, what is it?

An extract from worldbooknight.org explains it.

"... one million books will be given away by an army of passionate readers to members of the public across the UK and Ireland.

The book give-away will comprise 40,000 copies of each of the 25 carefully selected titles, to be given away by 20,000 ‘givers’, who will each distribute 48 copies of their chosen title to whomever they choose on World Book Night. The remaining books will be distributed by World Book Night itself in places that might otherwise be difficult to reach, such as prisons and hospitals."

Brand new books for adults - the list of titles of which I was not aware of before we ventured out.

Strangely I found I had connections with a few of the books being distributed:-

• A Fine Balance, this spring's read for an online book club I subscribe to.
• Stuart: A Life Backwards is also on the list. I just bought it from Amazon.
• Preseli Mags had given me the Life of Pi, right before we went to the World Book Night.

Quite a coincidence - these books floating around me within the last week, all three on the list.

Our local event was held at Narberth Museum Bookshop and we were invited to attend by Chris S Stephens.

Mags and I received brand new copies of Fingersmith, given away by Chris himself.  Daniel Sheen was also at the Bookshop and he was giving away Cloud Atlas. Mags has previously read both and told me they are fantastic, Cloud Atlas being one of her most loved reads. Can't wait to discover the magic for myself and Maggie has now been inspired by this celebration of adult books to read them again.

What is also pretty special is that each book we have been given has an identification number in it so you can register on the World Book Night website and see the journey the book has taken from Giver to Reader and so on (*).

The children could also choose a book each free - needless to say they couldn't choose but one.

Chris Stephens with the young readers.

I want to join in next year, as a giver. How special... incredible.

(*) Put your hand up quickly if you would like me to pass on my copy of Fingersmith or Cloud Atlas to yourself, once I have read.  First come first served.