As part of World Book Night major events are taking place in Liverpool, London, Edinburgh and Cambridge as well as in libraries and bookshops all over the UK.
As a contribution to all that is going on today, I asked Mari Hannah, author of The Murder Wall, Settled Blood, and her recently publlshed third crime novel featuring DCI Kate Daniels, Deadly Deceit what she thinks about World Book Night and how she thinks it helps both readers and writers.
"Anything that spreads the love of reading and puts books into the hands of those who don't have access to them has to be a positive thing. Reading is good for you on so many levels. Books educate, take people to places they’ve never been, be that Manchester or the moon. They entertain: a good book not only engages the reader in a new world but it raises a series of questions. As a crime writer, this is the single most important consideration for me when I’m plotting a novel. I set up situations/pose questions that are very often not paid off or resolved until the end of the novel.
"Reading decreases isolation too, especially if the title is part of a series where the characters feel like old friends. It’s nice to lose yourself in a book and forget day-to-day problems . . .
"I know that reading is on the rise in this country but there are still a lot of work to do. Some homes don’t possess a single book and these are the people World Book Night aims to reach. In Newcastle the council are closing libraries – this is shortsighted in my view – so I feel that the mass giveaway of World Book Night is going to be even more important in years to come.
"Others take an alternative view, inviting those who can afford it to buy a book (any book) from their local bookseller and give it away in the spirit of World Book Night. I think that is a really good idea. I've never been an official "giver" myself but I'm looking forward to celebrating World Book Night as part of the Read Regional programme. My event is taking place at South Shields Library tonight at 6pm. No doubt I'll be up late and it'll be good fun."
Mari Hannah's books The Murder Wall (Kate Daniels)
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