Oh my love is like a red, red rose
That’s newly sprung in June;
Oh my love is like a brand new book
That’s in a waiting room
What? (I know. Hold on. I have a good reason for that atrocity.)
I’ve written about my love of books before.
I also have a few essays out there complaining about Valentine’s Day.
Red roses, puffy pink teddy bears, gaudy glitter-covered greeting cards, caramel chocolates, and the fact that this stupid day clearly brings out alliteration in full force. Along with the need to butcher perfectly beautiful poetry.
So February 14th is a wonderful holiday. Yes, I’ll say it again. Wonderful.
It’s International Book Giving Day.
It’s true! A glorious day dedicated to the love of reading and, in particular, sharing the love of reading by giving books away.
Know about this? Awesome. Get out there and spread the love.
Never heard of it? Check it out.
Here are a few ways to get involved, from a toppling pile of books donated to your local school or library to dropping a single book off at a hospital or waiting room. You can even give books from the comfort of your own home to the organizations listed here.
My family? Well…
My Sunday thoughts in 200 words or less.
What will you do for International Book Giving Day? Let me know—I’d love to hear some good book-giving stories.
If you share it on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or other social media, tag it: #bookgivingday
I posted this last year on February 14th which didn’t give people who hadn’t heard of this holiday time to plan so I’m re-posting this year to give you a little nudge, heads-up, or reminder that you’ve got a few days to give books. And here’s a PDF to download printable bookmarks to place inside those books you give. Seriously, give a bunch of books or leave just one in a waiting room somewhere. It’s all good.
The birds and books blog badge by Marianne Dubuc
The cute foxes bookplate by Karl Newson
The space cat & moon mouse blog badge by Ben Newman
Poetry Foundation {Robert Burns} The poem I ruthlessly butchered in the beginning of this post.
Lemon Shark 
I seem to have forgotten all about this, but now I want to give someone a book! I’ll get my thinking cap on. What a great blog. I hate Valentine’s Day! Totally taking this day on board
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We’ve been celebrating this for…four years now? ❤️ 📚 We love it. So much better than Valentine’s Day. Give a book! Have fun.
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What a fab idea to get away from the Valentine’s Day circus! Thank you
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I know… We love this day. It’s an awesome holiday. Books! ❤️📚
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I have read and cried over a brilliant one 📚💖
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A seriously neat idea
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It is. The kids get a book every year and we donate some, too. They love it. (I love it!)
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Must’ve missed your post last year, Sarah, but I didn’t know about this less cheesy incarnation of the 14th (apart from it being my non-dead maternal grandmother’s birthday, of course). As I regularly donating loads of books to my local libraries, I’m just wondering if this will count?
Yes I LIKED your rhyme!
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You have such a way with words. 😄 Happy Birthday to your non-dead maternal grandmother.
Yes, I think for sure your loads of book donations count. Why not? (Thanks for the poetry love…)
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Oops, you do know about the toddler who lives in my laptop and distorts my words don’t you? While she lived to a fairly old age, she’d probably be breaking a lot of records if she were non-dead, rather than long dead.
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Haha! 😂 Toddlers can be rather annoying at times.
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Book Giving Day is such a nice option for Valentines Day grinches, like me. I have a stack of my books that I’m dropping off at a homeless outreach center in the city. I actually can’t wait. BTW, I just finished your book. Beautiful, Sarah. I’ll get a review done today 🙂
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I’m a Valentine’s Day grinch, too. So, aside from loving the idea of giving books, it’s a nice alternative for me. (My kids have never celebrated Valentine’s Day. Eh… They’re happy. A book and a treat.) You know, whenever I go to the homeless shelter, I include a few books but usually don’t make a trip just for that. What a wonderful thing to do.
📚❤️ Happy Book Giving Day! ❤️📚
Aw, thank you. I’m thrilled beyond that you liked it. You made my whole day. Thank you!
(Scratch that…you made my whole week with that review. Wow. I’m kind of speechless. That is beautiful. Thank you so much.)
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You’re welcome. I was mesmerized by your writing. Not a single word out of place, great imagery, and vivid emotion. 🙂
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Geez, you’re going to make my cry. I am so grateful for your words. Thank you.
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I liked the cheesy verse – it worked for me; I get it; and so has my dentist. His waiting room looks like a library with a some comfy sofas, a few side chairs, floor lamps and the best part: a wall shelf full of fascinating books! And what a thoughtful and fabulous gesture to do on Valentine’s Day – giving a book from the heart. Love it!
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Hey, thanks for the love of my cheesy poem!
We’ve dropped off books to my dentist’s office. Apparently, mine needs to get some lessons from yours. I think the waiting room is full of old magazines.
Giving a book from the heart. Exactly. ❤️📚 We usually donate to local schools or daycares. And my kids get a book and a little treat every year.
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I recently donated three boxes of books to the folks at Standing Rock. After getting them approved by someone in the Native population, to winnow out any books that wouldn’t be appreciated or appropriate.
I’ll stick a few books in the Free Little Libraries around the neighborhood. Thanks for the heads-up!
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That is lovely, Diane. You are so very awesome.
And ‘Free Little Libraries’ are perfect. I wish we had some nearby. We usually drop them off at schools, day cares, or waiting rooms. Thanks for spreading the love of reading. Happy Book Giving Day, my friend. ❤️📚
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Great idea! Sorry to say I’d never heard of it!
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And now you have. 🙂 I can’t even remember how I first heard about it, honestly. But we’ve been celebrating for at least three years. So happy to introduce this lovely day to people. Happy International Book Giving Day! ❤️📚
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I’ve been happily celebrating national Ferris Wheel Day on the 14th for years, but I think you might just have replaced the placeholder on my calendar with this one. Fun!
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No way. 😂 You know, I see these things trending on Twitter: National Vanilla Bean Day, International Broccoli Lovers Day, National Pizza Toppings Day… I never know. But Ferris Wheel Day. Really? That’s hilarious. How, exactly, does one celebrate that? Perhaps we should all leave books on the Ferris Wheel. ?
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It’s like any other holiday – it has its ups and down. Duh dun dun da!
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That was bad. 😄 I love it.
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Reblogged this on Norah Colvin and commented:
Any day is a good day for sharing a love of books, but today is a special day for sharing the love. Thanks Sarah.
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Thank you! Happy International Book Giving Day! ❤️📚
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What a fun day! 🙂
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What an awesome post about a very special day. I saw a few posts pop up in my inbox alerting me to this day, but I’ve been busy and not had time to read them. Sadly I’m now a little late. I did give my niece a book today, though. I hope that counts. I have reblogged your lovely post and perfect poetry. Next year I will be better organised to share this date well in advance. It’s an awesome opportunity to make a difference to another’s life. I’m all for gifting books and have many packed up to give away at the moment.
I especially love the idea of leaving a book on a seat somewhere. I must do that sometime soon. Thanks for the reminder.
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That totally counts. Thank you so much for the reblog and spreading the word. Looking forward to many more Readilearn posts and whatever you have planned for next year.
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Thank you, Sarah. It was a great post. I’m sorry I was too late for it this year. Next year, I’ll be ready! 🙂
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Pingback: Lemon shark shares love on Feb 14 – Drawing on Words
Never heard of give a book day… what a great idea! 😊
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It is. 🙂 And it’s grown in the past few years. Wonderful day of giving books! ❤
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