Bookaholics Uniting Together to Spread Their Love

“The best things in life are free.”


As a voracious reader, I can completely agree. Sure, I admit that I spend a lot of money on books and related products… but there are libraries too for some of us. Also the emotion that comes from finishing a book is free-- the imagination and many wonderful characters we meet along the way. How some people I’ve met tell me “they don’t read” has always been beyond my comprehension. I can’t begin to fathom how an individual can live a life without reading, without enjoying that special book or group of characters to connect with.


What really has been a deep-rooted, heart-aching thought for a long time for me though has been the poverty stricken nations and children who don’t own books or libraries. There are children in our world who can’t read, or who don’t read due to the simple fact that there just aren’t books to be found for them. The power of reading hasn’t been met there-- the imaginative worlds like Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and Vampire Academy likely haven’t even been heard of-- and unlike some of the anti-readers I have met, these people are really wanting the access to reading.


Recently, I was approached by Brad Wirz and asked to do a blog post about his company project, Gone Reading. Honestly, I was a bit apprehensive at first and it took me a little time to figure out what all of it was exactly about, but now I’m sitting here typing this to tell you all that this is certainly a site that you want to look into if you’re a book lover and want to make some kind of difference in the reading world. Gone Reading International was founded to bring reading to places where it doesn’t exist. This is an important project because we want to spread the love of reading and keep literacy alive. Those who don’t have access should have a chance--they should get their Harry Potter and Katniss Everdeen and Rose Hathaway.


Gone Reading is a gift shop for readers and book lovers where you can purchase a variety of book-related products like t-shirts, hand bags, baby shirts, drink ware, and even pet gear! With slogans like “Take me to your reader” (that shows a funny alien holding a taser and book) and “Jane Austen for President! 2012”.
The awesome thing though? Gone Reading has pledged 100% of company profits to fund new reading libraries and other literacy projects in the developing world. So while you’re purchasing a cute gift for yourself or a friend, you’ll be a part of a wonderful contribution.


Gone Reading also donates to Read Global and Ethiopia Reads.




Normally I would not create an entire post of advertisement, and I don’t exactly feel this is advertisement but more of a need to spread the word about contributing to building more reading resources for the ones in need.


**Some other ideas to think about are sending books to our troops, random acts of kindness books, donating unwanted books to your local library, senior centers, or schools, and organizing your own charity events (perhaps a town read-a-thon somewhere with donations optional?). As a blogger myself, I’d like to try to host something sometime with a group.**


I want to thank Brad Wirz for contacting me and telling me about Gone Reading. :)


Also, in the list of links below, there is a link to the Gone Reading Blog-- be sure to check it out. It’s full of interesting stuff for readers and book lovers!

Gone Reading store:
http://www.cafepress.com/gonereadingstore



Gone Reading site:
http://gonereading.com/site/


Gone Reading Blog:
http://gonereading.com/site/blog/


Follow GoneReading on Twitter and Facebook:
@gonereading4evr
http://www.facebook.com/GoneReading




Thank you and happy reading to all!