December 11, 2020, 12:41pm
Some good holiday news: Costa Coffee and literacy charity The Reading Agency have teamed up to donate 100,000 books to groups hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In total, 50,000 book-and-coffee care packages will be donated to food banks, community hubs, hospitals and care facilities across the U.K—all prior to December 24, as this campaign is inspired by Jolabokaflod, the Icelandic tradition of exchanging books with loved ones on Christmas Eve! (I didn’t know about this tradition, and now I’m obsessed.) Each care package is comprised of “a range of festive treats,” one adult book, and one children’s book; the books in each package are all written by best-selling authors associated with the Costa Book Awards.
Said Karen Napier, CEO of The Reading Agency: “Books connect and transport us to other worlds, but not everyone can access them: this has been especially true in 2020, which has been so challenging for so many . . . Initiatives like this help our work towards giving every child and adult equal access to the joy of reading.” True, and laudable. Happy holidays!
[via The Bookseller]