Upcoming book giveaway will encourage literacy

January 19, 2012

“The Hunger Games” is one of 30 books being given away by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization with the hopes they’ll be given to others who don’t read that often.

It may sound too good to be true, but residents are being offered the chance to give away free books. The idea, according to organizers, is to offer books to people who might not read often.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, known as UNESCO, is sponsoring World Book Day and World Book Night on April 23.
The deadline to register to give away free books is Feb. 1.
UNESCO has a list of 30 books to choose from. To register, go to the World Book Night website, www.us.worldbooknight.org/, and indicate first, second and third choice titles from the list.
If selected, a book giver will receive 20 copies of the selected title to give out for free on World Book Night.
Lynne Almeida, owner of Spellbinder Books, said her store will be a pick-up point for book-givers. Spellbinder has also registered to be a book-giver. “We are working with the youth center Wunut Novi to co-host a free book party at their building on World Book Night,” she said.
Almeida said folks are welcome to join Spellbinder’s party or come up with an idea of their own.
She said people can go door-to-door, or set up an event at the hospital or senior homes and give the gift of words.
“Just remember, the idea of World Book Night is to pass free books along to people who, for whatever reason, might not read very often,” Almeida said.
“If you have any questions, check out the World Book Night website, or feel free to contact me at the store. As an avid reader, I think this is going to be really fun, and I hope you can join us,” Almeida said.
Available books include:
• “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian,” Sherman Alexie
• “Wintergirls” by Laurie Halse Anderson
• “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou
• “Friday Night Lights” by H.G. Bissinger
• “Kindred” by Octavia Butler
• ‘Ender’s Game” by Orson Scott Card
• “Little Bee” by Chris Cleave
• “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins
• “Blood Work” by Michael Connelly
• “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” by Junot Diaz
• “Because of Winn Dixie” by Kate DiCamillo
• “Zeitoun” by Dave Eggers
• “Peace Like a River” by Leif Enger
• “A Reliable Wife” by Robert Goolrick
• “Q is for Quarry” by Sue Grafton
• “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini
• “A Prayer for Owen Meany” by John Irving
• “The Stand” by Stephen King
• “The Poisonwood Bible” by Barbara Kingsolver
• “The History of Love” by Nicole Krauss
• “The Namesake” by Jhumpa Lahiri
• “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien
• “Bel Canto” by Ann Patchett
• “My Sister’s Keeper” by Jodi Picoult
• “Housekeeping” by Marilynne Robinson
• “Lovely Bones” by Alice Sebold
• “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot
• “Just Kids” by Patti Smith
• “The Glass Castle” by Jeannette Walls
• “The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak
UNESCO’s World Book Night is a non-profit founded by publishers, booksellers and many others in the book industry throughout the United States, the U.K. and the Republic of Ireland.
For more information, contact Almeida at (760) 873-4511.