“The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

Dr Seuss in “I Can Read With My Eyes Shut”

It is basically inherent to our jobs that we love communication in all its forms, especially brilliant communication which leaves a lasting mark. Day to day, this means copywriting for brochures, advertising and press releases, or designing websites which invite the browser to sample all the pages (not just the first).

I have always been an avid reader; even now my parents remark on how, when I was a child, they’d buy me a book on our Saturday morning trip to the shops, and I’d have finished it in the car by the time we got home. On holidays, I have to take a massive stack of them lest I run out (not such a problem now I’ve got my beloved Kindle). And then there’s that smell when you walk into a bookshop….is there anything like it??

As part of my obsession, I applied (and was accepted) to be a giver at the inaugural World Book Night in 2011. The book give-away comprised 40 000 copies of each of the 25 carefully selected titles, and were given away by 20,000 ‘givers’, who each distributed 48 copies of their chosen title to whomever they chose on World Book Night. The remaining books were distributed by World Book Night itself in places that might otherwise be difficult to reach, such as prisons and hospitals. The twenty-five titles were selected by a wide-ranging editorial committee, chaired by James Naughtie.

The 2012 campaign to find givers is now underway and, if you have a love of books, have a look at their website and think about applying: www.worldbooknight.org  It’s really easy, you get a load of books (hopefully one of your favourites), and most importantly, the opportunity to get more people reading. To whet your appetite, we did a quick straw poll in the office of what we’ve got on our bedside tables:

Katherine
Currently reading….  I’ve just read One Day which was suitable holiday-reading fodder, but thought the ending was a bit weak. Have had a John Grisham number since Christmas but I haven’t got past the first page yet!
Favourite book of all time?  Would it be weird to say the Oxford English Dictionary!? On a lighter note, at the moment I would have to answer that the whole Julia Donaldson range (Room on the Broom stands out) as I love reading it to my daughter. Silly voices at the ready!

Phil
Currently reading….  Nothing, I’m too busy! the nearest I get to any form of reading is a book on typography that I delve into every now and then.
Favourite book of all time?  Nearly nigh on impossible to answer because there are so many brilliant books but, as you’ve put me on the spot, the first that comes into my head is Lord of the Rings. Why? Suggest you read it and find out.

Zoe
Currently reading….  ‘My Last Duchess’ by Daisy Goodwin. Loving it.
Favourite book of all time? ‘Perfume’ by Patrick Suskind. Given to me by my GCSE English teacher, and was totally different to anything I’d ever read before. It’s been a favourite ever since.

Lara
Currently reading…. In between books at the moment. I did start on ‘Sense and Sensibility’ as I love Jane Austin and thought it’s about time I read another book of hers, but I’m afraid I haven’t got very far!
Favourite book of all time? I loved ‘Empress Orchid’ by Anchee Min – it’s a beautiful book to lose yourself in with the level of detail and an intricate love story within the Forbidden City.

Paul
Currently reading…. ‘The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest’ by Stieg Larsson. I’m finding it long……
Favourite book of all time? Probably ‘Silence of the Lambs’ by Thomas Harris just because I couldn’t put it down.  Red Dragon by him wasn’t bad either.

Victoria
Currently reading…. ‘The Best of Everything’ by Rona Jaffe. Thanks to Sali Hughes and Twitter for finding this one. Like Mad Men and Sex & the City rolled into one. I’m totally hooked.
Favourite book of all time? ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’ by Audrey Niffenegger. An amazingly thought out story, and one of the few books that has actually made me cry.