World Book Night in RVA

Setting off bookish love bombs on World Book Night.

April 25, 2014; 8:13 AM • by Shannon Nemer

In the world of book blogging, World Book Night is a holiday akin to Christmas or New Year’s Eve. One night a year across the United States and UK, givers set out with books donated by selected authors to share with people in their communities. I spent the date last year watching my Twitter and Instagram streams blow up with bookish love bombs and knew I had to take part as a giver this time around.

After settling on Cheryl Strayed’s Wild, a memoir by one of my favorite writers, and picking up my box of books from Fountain Bookstore, I decided to spend my night handing out books in my own neighborhood, Church Hill. But first, I borrowed an idea from another blogger and left a copy for my mail person with a note thanking her for the great book mail and apologizing for my dog’s daily barking.

On April 23rd, I headed out with my husband and dog for support, but sharing ended up being much easier than I expected. From the first smile and “Sure!” I was off and had emptied my bag of 20 books in just over an hour of walking–including stops at Anthony’s on the Hill, Chimborazo Park, Libby Hill Park, and both neighborhood Little Free Libraries. Along the way I chatted with people about World Book Night, Cheryl Strayed, and reading in general; everything you need for a perfect evening.

We’re lucky to have access to amazing bookstores and libraries¹ here in Richmond, but sometimes having a book placed in your hands is just the motivation you need to get reading or try out a new genre. The expressions I saw when I offered the books were full of such excitement and awe that this is something I’m already looking forward to taking part in next year. If you think you might be interested in participating in 2015’s World Book Night, you can sign up to receive notifications when applications go live through the official World Book Night website.