World Book Night Titles Announced!

I have only mentioned it briefly before this, but April 23, 2012 is World Book Night.  From their official website:

World Book Night is an annual celebration designed to spread a love of reading and books. To be held in the U.S. as well as the U.K. and Ireland on April 23, 2012. It will see tens of thousands of people go out into their communities to spread the joy and love of reading by giving out free World Book Night paperbacks.

Yesterday, the organizers released the 30 books that will be offered for giveaway in the United States.  They are (in alphabetical by author):

• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
• Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson (Speak)
• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (Ballantine)
• Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger (Da Capo)
• Kindred by Octavia E. Butler (Beacon Press)
• Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card (Tor)
• Little Bee by Chris Cleave (Simon & Schuster)
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic)
• Blood Work by Michael Connelly (Grand Central)
• The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz (Riverhead); a Spanish-language edition, La breve y maravillosa vida de Óscar Wao (Vintage Espanol), will also be made available.
• Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick)
• Zeitoun by Dave Eggers (Vintage)
• Peace Like a River by Leif Enger (Grove Atlantic)
• A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick (Algonquin)
• Q Is for Quarry by Sue Grafton (Berkley)
• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead)
• A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving (Ballantine)
• The Stand by Stephen King (Anchor)
• The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (Perennial)
• The History of Love by Nicole Krauss (W.W. Norton)
• The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri (Mariner)
• The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien (Mariner)
• Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (Perennial)
• My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult (Atria)
• Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson (Picador)
• The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (Back Bay)
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (Broadway)
• Just Kids by Patti Smith (Ecco)
• The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (Scribner)
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Knopf Books for Young Readers)

Click here to read more about how the books were chosen.

Readers of RA for All, it is time for us to unite! I would love for you all to participate in some way.   Anyone can sign up to be a book giver.  If you work at a library or school, the organizers ask that you simply note that in your comments field.  Click here to start the process.  You will be allowed to choose your top three titles and will have to explain why you want to be a part of the this wonderful event.  But honestly, if you chose to read RA for All, that explanation should be easy for you.

I just signed the BPL up to be a giver.  Please join us in this wonderful global event to celebrate the power of reading.  They are trying to get 500,000 people signed up to give away a million free books by February 1, and all you have to do it click here to be a part of it all.

I have started a new tag, "world book night" under which I will be compiling any news about this event in the coming months.