National Book Lovers’ day is an unofficial holiday observed to encourage bibliophiles celebrate reading and literature, reading and learning! People are advised to put away their smartphones and every possible technological distraction and pick up a book or two, and read. Reading is a process, an ongoing activity. People say, there are not enough days in human life to finish the best writings that humanity presented – to read and enjoy, to read and learn.
Research studies have shown that reading can not only be entertaining, but can also have many health benefits. Reading helps reduce stress, keeps the brain sharp, and can help the sleeping disorders. Scientists have also found that those who read are much more likely to be empathic and understanding of others.
There is a book for everyone’s taste – from the scent of a rare first edition book found in an antique books collection, to a crisp, fresh book at the local bookstore. The very sight of a book can bring back memories of childhood reading, to enjoy a short story or a poem. The long books novels are bringing on the magic ability to lose yourself in a story so powerful that at the end it is like missing good friends. This is for the reader in everyone, the celebration of Book Lovers Day!
Started from carving on stone tablets, the book was designed to make portable the writings and drawings of those who could not carry around stone tablets. In the more modern age, printing capabilities (Thank you, Guttenberg!) made books cheaper, and easier to obtain. The printing press, the typewriter, and the computer all had an effect on the market of books. However, the upsurge in electronic devices that can be used for reading books – computers, tablets, and most cell phones now have the ability to access any small or big book, and to enjoy reading books not matter where you are, at any geographical location.
In order to truly appreciate Book Lovers Day, one must only find a story and read it. Maybe some wish to dive into the unknown with a good mystery, or see magic in a high fantasy setting, or be enthralled in a steamy romance. The individual genre of reading is not the big part of this ‘book lovers’ celebration, just that someone practices the reading
skills is important to any individual and to the society in whole. Maybe to visit our local University library is an order for this day. After all, public libraries existed even way back in the Middle Ages, but they didn’t really let many folks take books home. The librarians in those days chained books to shelves or desks in order to prevent theft of the carefully hand written tomes. Our academic Library staff will gladly help anyone to find a title to read, giving a brief explanation on what the book is about if they have read it, or giving it a little flip and reading about it quickly in the synopsis. Come and see what is going on at the Summer Reading a Thon at the Florida National University Library! Lucky us, we can read a book at home with a cup of tea or coffee, share a book meeting with friends or go to the library and make use of the wonderful pieces on those shelves. Just enjoy the reading, discover new books, and find a way to read during Book Lovers Summer Day celebration!
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen. The man who never reads lives only one.” (George R.R. Martin, A Dance with Dragons)
Books have stood as a testament to the spread of knowledge, the sharing of tales, and the expansion of the mind by recording and passing on these ideas down through a written medium. By writing down and replicating the thoughts, ideas, and imaginations of authors to fans, students, and philosophers: everywhere is a creative ability to share and expand personal thoughts by reading them. The first written word appeared in 3400 BC, and since these ancient times, people read.
While the first known tales were written on clay tablets, they are less than a modern book. The definition of what constitutes as a book has certainly changed over the years, covering everything from bark pages held together in a variety of styles, rolled pages of papyrus, and books more like those we are familiar with today. Today, we encourage to find time to read as many books as someone can, to live the many lives of the heroes, to learn new things, and the open the mind to new forms of knowledge.
Ida Tomshinsky, Library Director
Florida National University itomshinsky@fnu.ed
