Slice of Life Tuesday- The Gift of Giving Books







I have always derived immense pleasure from giving books as gifts. It has evolved as a habit of a lifetime. Special occasions such as birthdays and Christmases set me to searching for books to match my target reader. 

Matching a particular book to a reader is a challenge, I enthusiastically accept. Establishing strong connections between the reader and the words I unearth, drives my search; brings me joy. For this reason, the time spent book browsing for suitable titles, never fails to deliver immense pleasure. This time in bookshops is time well spent. 

The outcome of all this exploring remains uncertain, but the act of giving possesses such untold potential for any one book I find to work its magic upon its reader.

The strike rate will never be perfect. I remain undeterred. Some books only reach a select number of hearts. Not all books possess the power to be transformative. That's okay. You give and you hope. You give with the highest hopes. You give- that's what matters.

I also give books away to students I meet in the various schools I visit.

Sometimes, I give copies of my own books, and sometimes I give away books I purchase from second hand bookshops. It is gratifying to provide the books with a ‘second’ chance to work their magic on a reader, particularly an impressionable, yet ravenous reader. Literary treasures deserve to be read; not sit on a shelf at the back of a shop gathering dust. There is so much literary treasure out there deserving of rediscovery.

I spread a selection of books on the classroom floor and invite selected students to choose a book that appeals. The delight in their eyes when making a selection, coupled with the sense of  disbelief that the book they are holding is theirs to keep, serves to remind me how very precious books remain. It is especially so for children who are often coming from homes where books may be a rare commodity.

I occasionally leave copies of books in cafes- a gift to an unseen reader. I place an inscription inside, inviting the recipient to either read it, then pass it on, or place it in the hands of a reader they believe will savour the words.

The inner joy derived from giving books as gifts remains boundless. It sustains me.

‘For it is in giving that we receive.’
 Francis of Assisi



Comments

  1. onathought.com22 May 2018 at 14:33

    I want to do this more! I have often thought it would be fun to bring a few copies of Dog's Purpose to the Dog Park and see if someone would pick it up to read! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Unknown22 May 2018 at 18:36

    I was once given a book by a long time college friend and as of the moment, I still haven't finished it. The title is Small Graces. I wonder why if she carefully chose it to suit my personality as her friend. Hence, I intend to finish it. Thank you for me reminding me of the importance of reading and sharing. This gives me a new perspective especially leaving some at cafe and providing to students. That's so great! I will do the same, giving books to friends. One thing stops me, if they will like it as present or not. Anyways, keep on promoting reading.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alan j Wright23 May 2018 at 16:33

      Good for you Alex. Give it a try and see how good it makes you feel. Thanks for the feedback.

      Delete
  3. Dogtrax22 May 2018 at 19:36

    Love this:

    "The inner joy derived from giving books as gifts remains boundless. It sustains me."

    yes yes yes

    Kevin

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alan j Wright23 May 2018 at 16:35

      Thanks Kevin. I feel I am preaching to the converted here. Glad you liked it though.

      Delete
  4. Alice Nine23 May 2018 at 00:55

    Oh,oh! Your closing thought resonates with me: "The inner joy derived from giving books as gifts remains boundless. It sustains me." The first gift I gave my husband (we were dating) was a book. It was the first time anyone had given him a book as a gift. I also feel "inner joy" when I share about a book or read a book or passage to others.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alan j Wright23 May 2018 at 16:37

      Thanks Alice. What a great memory of gifting you and your husband share. May your inner joy continue.

      Delete
  5. Readingteachsu23 May 2018 at 09:26

    Love everything about this.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular With Other Visitors

Writing Opposite Poems

Image
 O pp o s ite  P oem s In his book, ' How To Write Poetry,'  Paul Janeczko presents the idea of opposite poems. Paul suggests they could also be referred to as antonym poems. This is wordplay and it's fun to try. Here are some examples Paul provides to help us see very clearly how these short little poems work. I think the opposite of chair Is sitting down with nothing there What is the opposite of kind? A goat that butts you from behind Paul Janeczko You will  notice the poems are written in rhyming couplets. They can be extended so long as you remember to write in couplets. Paul shows us how this is done. What is the opposite of new? Stale gum that's hard to chew A hot-dog roll as hard as rock Or a soiled and smelly forgotten sock You might notice that some of Paul's opposite Poems begin with a question. The remainder of the poem answer the question posed. Opposite poems are a challenge, but it is a challenge worth trying. Not eve...
Read more

Writing About Reading - Reading Reflection Journals:

Image
UPDATED February 2022 Writing in response to literature can be a great way for students to organize their thoughts, explore what they think, and generate ideas. One of the strengths of writing in journals is that it allows students to capture all of those great ideas that generally float off into the air during the discussion.  Journal writing can also become drudgery if students are asked to write too often, given little choice or inspiration in what to write, or if they simply don't have anything to say. While some students eagerly share their impressions about selections they have read in class discussions, others are less comfortable and keep their thoughts to themselves. In an effort to encourage all students to think more about what they read and confidently share their observations and opinions, some teachers are turning to the reading reflection journal and are gaining insights they never anticipated.  The Value of Reflection Journals   Journals assist teachers...
Read more

Learning How to 'Zoom In' When Writing

Image
It is important for young writers to understand that not all parts of a story are equal. There are parts through which a writer moves quickly, and important parts where the writer slows down and lingers a while. This is where the writer might intensify the action or reveal the character’s reactions in greater detail. Young writers need to know that this is a deliberate strategy on the part of the author. The author consciously zooms in. The writer uses a magnifying glass to view a part of the story more closely; to focus on a moment and to slow down time. When an important part of the story is enlarged upon, it   is a signal to the reader, that this part of the story is important. The strategy of ‘zooming in’ goes by many names: ‘exploding a moment’ ‘magnifying a moment’, ‘hotspot’ ‘snapshot’, ‘adding detail’ or ‘slowing the action.’  What ever the name, the idea is the same. The author writes in a way that expands a significant part of the story with the intentio...
Read more

Slice Of Life Story-The Trials Of A Left Handed Writer

Image
Amazingly I learnt to write using my left hand. An achievement against the prevailing beliefs of the day. My very first teacher saw it as her mission in life to ‘fix’ the poor, wretched little boy suffering from what she clearly diagnosed as left handed disease. She must have thought, 'This child must be re formatted! If he remains left handed he will be forever condemned to writing in a scrawl that no one will be able to read. Ugly hand, ugly hand.' ...They tried to say it couldn't be done, it mustn't be done. They took the pencil out of my left hand and placed it in my right hand. It felt unnatural. It felt weird. It was not right. More to the point it was not left. I was not about to conform. At least they didn't try tying my hand behind my back. Watch me I said. I may be an oddball, left handed scribbler but I am a determined oddball. I mean how boring would the world be if everyone wrote with their right hand? So I dug my toes in –and my hands to...
Read more

Exploring Themes in Poetry With Emerging Writers

Image
There is so much more to poetry than haiku and acrostics. Yet, so many young poets never get to experience the rich breadth of poetry beyond these highly structured forms. Why? Primarily, it’s about their teachers comfort levels with poetry. We often teach to what we know, meaning that being adventurous and taking young poets into new realms is not part of the poetic landscape for many. This sells young poets and poetry itself short. Last week I had the pleasure to again work with a group of young poets from Derrimut Primary School grade 5/6 in Melbourne’s west. We have been exploring patterns and repetition in poetry. We have explored personification as a literary device to develop the writing of poetry. We delved into the idea of writing through a mask to provide inanimate and animate entities with a voice. They told stories in words from their own perspective. On this occasion we again went to the edges and began to explore poetry through themes. We discussed a range ...
Read more