Celebrations and commemorations!

Over the years we’ve commemorated some really big anniversaries including the Centenary of the First World War with #warread, including specifically ANZAC Day, four hundred years since the death of William Shakespeare with #bardread (2016), and eight hundred years since the signing of the Magna Carta with #legalread (2015). Though not a landmark year, we also marked Human Rights Day in 2014.

For these “real world” events many books, films, and television shows featured in the discussions, mostly focused on non-fiction and biographical representations of these events along with opportunities to discover fictional interpretations of them as well. And the backdrop of events such as these and other key important events and issues has given many writers the opportunity to educate as well as share their fictional tales. And on a lighter note, Star Wars Day (May the 4th); the 200th anniversary of the publication of Frankenstein and birth of Emily Bronte; and the 20th anniversary of the publication of Harry Potter (yes, it has been that long already!) have also been featured and celebrated here.