National Buy a Book Day

TV and movies have taken over our lives these days. That’s not to say that watching certain TV shows or movies is a waste of our time—there are many well-made, thought-provoking things to be watched. And of course, thanks to Kindle, carrying even multiple books around at the same time has become infinitely easier and more practical. Still, however, it is a bit sad how the the old-fashioned art of reading a regular paper book seems to be slowly fading away into the past. It sometimes seems as though children today do not even know the scent of an old book, a book that has touched the lives of so many, and how wonderful it can be to settle down on the couch with such a book on a rainy day and disappear into the world it creates. National Buy a Book Day was created for the purpose of reminding people how much joy simple black print on a white background can bring when it awakens your imagination and transports you far away.

History of National Buy a Book Day

National Buy a Book Day was created in 2012 to educate people to the importance of books to our culture and civilization as a whole. It is inarguable that books have been one of the greatest contributors to the advancement of the human race, by moving the hearts of many over the ages, stimulating their imaginations and helping them see the world in an entirely different light. Books have also served the simple but vital purpose of passing knowledge down from generation to generation. The creators of National Buy a Book Day want nothing more than for people take a moment to truly appreciate books and their numerous roles in the human experience.

How to celebrate National Buy a Book Day

The best way to celebrate this day is to do what its creators meant for us to do—buy a book. National Buy a Book Day does not require for you to spend excessive amounts of money. All you have to do to enjoy it thoroughly is invest even a small amount of money in a book, either first- or second-hand and then soak up all of the knowledge and wisdom in it.

Especially if you haven’t read an actual book in a long time, you are sure to be pleasantly surprised at just how quickly a well-written booksdraws you in, making you as much a part of the story as the characters in it. And do not be fooled into thinking that the only books worth reading are ones written hundreds of years ago—there are many contemporary authors alive and active today that pen masterpieces each and every year.

Daniel Woodrell, for example, wrote the critically acclaimed and tremendously powerful novel “Winter’s Bone” that was later adapted into an equally acclaimed film starring Jennifer Lawrence. J.K. Rowling, author of the world-famous Harry Potter series, has been named one of the most influential women in Britain for her the amount of children and teenagers she got to fall in love with reading.

In other words, it doesn’t matter whether you like the classics or contemporary literature or whether you can afford to buy a brand new hardcover book or just a dog-eared softcover book from the local thrift shop—you can celebrate National Buy a Book Day anyway.