Tag: world book night

Good morning!  Wednesday right?  Its been a pretty sweet week so far.  Last night, or yesterday I guess, was World Book Night… my second year participating, the second year in the United States.

My quest…..

to hand out 20 copies of John Green’s Looking for Alaska. 

My day began like this…

I stopped at the gas station to get a cup of ice (mmmm hmmmmmm…. that’s what I do….).  I was wearing the “I am a book giver” sticker and when I checked out the lady behind the counter said “Ok, I will ask, what is a book giver?”

Now… as much fun as it would have been right there to go all sci-fi YA dystopian on her, have my face fall off to reveal a creature that laughs high and shrill and screeches “It is a VIRUS!  And you are now one of us!”….

Instead I (Sheila, me… not virus monster) responded “I am so glad you asked!”  I explained what WBN was.

“Oh,” she said… “I am not much of a reader”.

Again… Virus monster wanted to jump up on the counter, green spittle flying everywhere and say in that same creepy shrill voice, “Oh…. but you are now my dear….. you are now!”

But alas, no, just Sheila said “That is perfect! That is what WGN is about, and you obviously have never read John Green!”   I shared with her about the book I had, which was in my purse and handed her a copy.

“I suppose I could give it a try.” she said.

“Touchdown!”  yelled Virus Monster raising his long finger nailed green hands high over his head in triumph.

“That’s great,” I said and went on my way to work.

😀

And so my day went like that.  I found a young boy in the library with his mom – no no no….  she was the reader, not he… and no no no I was not handing out my books at the library (kind of a cheat don’t you think?) – I was stopping there to pick up books I had reserved…. but I knew the mom, and her son was just along because he had to be. 

I talked to him about books and he received one from me too.

The rest was basic hand outs at Costco where I realized quickly my book choice of a YA read did not fit my clientele of 3:30 pm at Costco.  These people were busy moms or dads or the older generation who looked at me cautiously like I was going to bring out the Virus Monster again….

I should have taken my chances at pick up time at the high school.  😀

Anyway – as always it was fun and I am so honored to have been a part of it two years in a row!  Next year our library is hoping to have a bigger part in WBN and really make a presence in our community.

How about you – did you participate in WBN?  If so how did it go?  If not, did you see or know any givers in your area?

Good morning!  Would you believe that yesterday I drove home from St Cloud in a snow storm?  Well… I did.  This is truly the winter that will not quit.  Although… we are supposed to be in the 70’s this weekend so who knows.  😯

I was in St Cloud yesterday visiting the Mother Ship Barnes and Noble to pick up my World Book Night books.  As today is world book day I know I was pushing the deadline but last week was a whirlwind of activity and St Cloud is an hour away and I did not have those couple of hours that I needed to make the round trip. 

And now today… April 23rd, is World Book Night.  According to the statistics I read this morning on Shelf Awareness, more than 25,000 givers (like me!) will be out and about today handing out 500,000 free books to lite and non readers. We had 30 titles to choose from.  This year was a harder pick for me because I am not choosing the book that I most enjoyed out of this group (although I did enjoy my pick very much!) I was looking for the book that would pull in a non reader.  Last years choice was easier as Hunger Games was in the mix and with the movie having recently been released it was a book that had piqued people’s interest.

So…. what did I go with?

John Green’s looking for alaska.  Not my favorite by John Green, but still… it is John Green.   If given the choice, The Fault In Our Stars would have been the book I would have liked to have given out by him because John Green writes as awesome YA!  (Finished that one on audio last year on the 4th of July on the back of a motor cycle, tears running down my face….. yes… it was that awesome!)

So later today after work, I need to go to Costco, and then will be at the gym for Group Power so will work on giving books out in both places.  I may move on to the grocery store after that if I have any left.

Oh, and to the Lady I met last year at the bank who I tried to give a copy of Hunger Games and instead wanted to know if I had any copies of 50 Shades Of Gray…. even if that would have been a choice out of the 30, I still would not be handing that one out.  😀  You would have to find a different giver. 😛

Hope you all have a wonderful World Book Day and Night.  What a wonderful event and I am sooooo excited to be a part of it. 

 

Good morning!  *YAWN*

Monday was one of those crazy days I seem to find myself floundering in occasionally.  It was just BUSY.  I worked until 11:45 am yesterday, was at the gym and working out at 12:15, at 1:30 ran to the bank, the library, the post office, another bank, grocery store, and scraped in at 3 pm to meet up and help sort the IHN bedding and toys for when we serve the homeless. Right from there I went home at 4:30, started supper, made some phone calls about a meeting at my house tonight, sent out a couple emails, (barely looked at the blog), had a group meeting at 6:30 pm, came home from that at 8:20 pm, walked into my house talking with Connie about the banquet this Thursday that I am helping her with and my role – and at 9:00 pm hung up the phone just as my hubby was on his way to bed. 

*SIGH*

I really hate being that busy.

The good thing about yesterday though… probably the best thing – was it was World Book Night, the first one ever in the United States and I was thrilled and honored to be a part of it. 

 

As you can see from my above day, time was of the essence.  My original plan to hang outside the high school at 3:00 pm was not going to cut it with the commitments I had.  SO…. instead… I think an even better plan emerged…

I GAVE as I went about my day….

My first book was given to a guy I work with… I left it on his desk in the morning.  He had seen the movie, not a big reader….

My second book was on my way to the gym I stopped at a gas station to grab a banana.  One of the workers was outside, her job was to let everyone know the curbs had been freshly painted.  I went in, got the banana, on the way out I asked her if she was a reader, she said not a whole lot, and then I offered her a book.  I explained World Book Night and she lit up, got excited and said “Bless you!”  Which I thought was funny…. because after all, it is Hunger Games.  😛

My biggest brain child of the day was actually at the YMCA.  I prepped many books before I went in.  I blog about two things mainly, books and fitness.  I wondered if that was an unusual combination… are people who work out necessarily readers?  I dropped off two copies to the receptionists who were really excited once I explained.  I took a pile into my Group Power class and talked to the teachers asking if I could have a moment of the classes time to explain.  They also were thrilled and before my workout, I was able to give out many books. 

 

 

After that I gave a book to the lady ringing up my groceries, two on my way to help to with IHN, two more in the evening.  The only “no” I heard was at the bank, and that lady asked me if I had “Fifty Shades Of Grey”.  No…. I did not. 

 

I had a BLAST with World Book Night!  The only other person I knew doing it in my area was Angie, By Book Or By Crook.  I text her on my way home last night and she said she had so much fun!  She wished she would have had more books.

If you participated in any way with World Book Night, I hope you link your posts up to my World Book Night Link.  I am hoping to capture all our stories in one place and then I am going to make it a Page so people can look at it throughout the year…. as we anticipate next year.  😀

I have another busy day – work, and I need to take 5,000 flyers around to all the schools in the area.  AT 3 I am meeting college son for a late dinner/early supper (SSSQQQUUEEE!!!!), I have not seen him since January!  Then I have a meeting at our house tonight so home to prep for that. 

Later peeps!