Access to reading is so important, especially in the National Year of Reading. That’s why free little libraries and reading nooks have popped up all around the country. The premise is usually that you take a book and leave another – however, some people choose to just leave books that they’re finished with as an alternative to taking them to a charity shop.
Let’s be honest, many people are not in a position to spend £25 on a new release hardback, but if you are, and you want to give back to the community, you can just drop them off there. But when one person went to drop off books at train stations across the UK, it was with something completely different in mind.
They decided to load up their suitcase to leave copies of their own novel at “train stations around the UK,” and shared the steps that they took to make this a success – and a success it was, as they saw someone actually reading it later on.
They started their post on Reddit’s UK Books thread by writing: “Loaded my carry-on bag up with books and headed off to the UK for a little vacation. Signed and numbered my books and dispersed them randomly. Here is a summary…”
They explained that they started their morning off by giving a woman at a train station in Scotland a copy of their book, and then left more copies on a hotel bookshelf in Inverness. The author then gave another book to a cab driver in London, noting that they would’ve struggled to do anything in King’s Cross Station as Arsenal were in action that day, so it would’ve been tricky to manoeuvre through crowds.
They then left books in pubs, at bookshops, and in train stations as they continued their journey, going through Canterbury. The person then gave a tour guide their book at the Giant’s Causeway.
They penned: “Which led to the first time for me watching somebody read my book. On an Ireland tour on a bus. Sitting in the front row and tour guide is sitting below me, reading the book. Proud, kind of scary. He’s witnessing the journey I wrote in real time, in front of me.”
They then continued their journey, giving out more random copies, saying: “Although I never did just leave a book on a bench, the copies that I did manage to leave found their way into the right people at the right time. “Looks like I delivered 16 books altogether. Not a huge number, but maybe one or two of those books will find their calling”.
In the comments, someone wrote: “F****** love this – reminds me of when the book crossing was a thing. Used to work in hospitality, and we used to put our favs on the shelf with stickers and then track where they ended up and what people thought. Well done on getting published!”
Another said: “Thank you for your actions. I hope it gives some folk pleasure (as well as to yourself!)”
In fact, just this post generated more interest for the author, as someone said that they wanted to buy “a signed edition” of the book, as they were a collector of signed and first editions.
Would you read a book someone gave to you out of the blue? Let us know in the comments…