Feature: 5 Ways to Celebrate National Read A Book Day 2017

“I go back to the reading room, where I sink down in the sofa and into the world of The Arabian Nights. Slowly, like a movie fadeout, the real world evaporates. I'm alone, inside the world of the story. My favourite feeling in the world.”

― Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore

Ever since I was a little girl, my favorite way to lose track of time has been to read, and I know I'm not alone. I wish every day was National Read A Book Day (or that it was at least a holiday recognized by places of work), but especially those weekend days. I know we don't always get all the time we want to fall into a book, but I hope that on National Read A Book Day 2017, we all find a little bit of time to ourselves. As for me, I will read read read as much as I can during lunch (the rest of the day is mostly back-to-back meetings) then dive back in after work. Will I make it all the way through one book? I hope so!

Obviously, the first way to celebrate this day is to read a freakin book! Here are some books I'm currently trying to find the time to finish (I don't think I'll get through all of them, but a girl can try):

There are some other ways to celebrate the day, too, whether or not you're spending the day galloping through books of your own.

• Donate Books

You can take a load of ARCs to a local school or library, or even donate a book or two to your neighborhood's Little Lending Library (I recently found two in my own just driving around!).

• Read to Someone Else

My husband loves it when I read to him. Sometimes I read to him as he falls asleep, other times I read him my favorite passage from my current read. Take some time to share stories with the people close to you.

• Support Your Local Bookstore

Sure, Independent Bookstore Day is in April, but who's keeping you from another day of celebration? Go treat yourself to the new versions of The Grisha Trilogy or a new book tote or a bookish puzzle--whatever your heart desires and your wallet allows.

• Share Your Favorites

Take some time today to tell your friend about a book he or she would love, to tweet your recent top 5 books to an audience who needs some good recos, or write your own blog post to commemorate the day. Inspire other people to want to read.

How are you planning on celebrating National Read A Book Day 2017? Let me know below, and check out the links for some books that I read in one day!

"A book is a dream that you hold in your hand."

–Neil Gaiman