world book day

Today – and I’ll be honest, it was news to me when I heard of it first – we’re celebrating World Book Day. Which is no bad thing. After all, any opportunity to celebrate the power of literature and the capacity of books to fire up the human imagination is an opportunity which should be seized with both hands. Whether you’re passionate about our history, an explanation of the workings of our planet, stories of human endeavour, tales which connect you to our world or which take you away from the humdrum routine of workday life, want to read about politics or popular culture, you’ll find what you’re looking for in a book.
It’s worth reminding you of that. And while we’re in the business of reminding, don’t forget that books are just made for an afternoon stretched out on the sofa, or a morning lazing in bed. They go well with coffee, beer, wine, pizza, and chocolate. Their screen doesn’t go dead just as the story reaches its climax. If you drop them in the bath you can dry them out on a radiator. And you can throw them at the cat without breaking the bank.*
At Ignite Books, we’ve decided to play our part by reducing the prices of some of our books to just £1.00. Only for the day, mind. Well done to the maths whizzkids amongst you who’ve realised this means you can buy one of our full-price books and a £1.00 special and get both of them for a bargain. An honourable ‘early bird’ mention also goes to the person who made their purchase at six minutes past midnight. Devotion beyond the call of duty.
We love books. We’re happy to be playing our part in getting them in front of people for them to enjoy. And we’re hoping against hope that the library cuts being made across the country, and the 50% cut in arts support in Newcastle announced this morning don’t mean that the opportunity to lose yourself in the wonder of books becomes a thing of the past, or a pleasure only for the wealthy. But those are arguments for another day.
Today, we’re patting ourselves on the back. Savouring the wonder of books. We hope you will too. Happy reading.
 
*not that we’re recommending this, naturally.