World Book Day

Today is World Book Day, currently trending as #worldbookday on Twitter.
I think it's a great day to celebrate all the great books and writers that are out there, and to remember what a valuable resource we have in our public libraries, especially when so many of them are under threat in the current economic climate.
The penny-pinching bureaucrats think that these places are a luxury in this day and age. I disagree. The value to be gained in terms of inspiring, informing and firing the curiosity of children (and adults) is incalculable. It cannot be measured on a balance sheet and a library will likely never turn a profit, but the long term benefits to a society, both financial and cultural, far outweigh the relatively minor monetary cost.
So, today (and every other day if it was up to me), celebrate the writers, the books, the libraries, the bookstores and the readers who all make this world a far better place than it would otherwise be.
Now stop reading this nonsense and go and read a book (it needn't even be mine, though I wouldn't object if it was)!

Since it is World Book Day and I want to encourage people to read as much as I can, my own literary offering is available for FREE from Smashwords today, where it is downloadable in formats compatible with all eReaders that I know of.
Just go here https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/99280 and enter the coupon code ZQ55W at checkout.