World Book Night 2016: What is the annual celebration of reading all about?

Book-loving volunteers will give out hundreds of thousands of free books around the UK and Ireland for World Book Night, to share their love of reading with people who don't read regularly or own books. Events will be taking place across Britain on Saturday 23 April, with a flagship event at the British Library in London.

What is World Book Night?

World Book Night, now run by the charity The Reading Agency, is an annual celebration of books and reading. Volunteers hand out thousands of free books in their communities to share their love of reading with people, who for whatever reason, do not own books or read for pleasure. Individuals and institutions can apply to receive a set of books to give away.

Since it began in 2011, World Book Night has created an extraordinary group of 56,000 volunteers, giving books away to over 2.25 million people. The day falls on 23 April, Shakespeare's birthday and this year, the 400<sup>th anniversary of his death.

A mix of books are selected to include different genres and fiction and non-fiction.

Jonathan Coe, author of World Book Night 2016 title The Rotters' Club, said: "I'm delighted to be part of World Book Night 2016. Reading is the best possible way to foster imagination, empathy and mutual understanding, and never have those qualities been more needed than at the present time."

What events are taking place?

The flagship World Book Night 2016 event will take place at the British Library with appearances from authors and actors. You can book your ticket here. This year, the event will celebrate Shakespeare's themes and language by linking the titles on the 2016 list with the Bard of Avon's plays. You can find an event in your local area using this link.