National Book Lover’s Day is August 9, 2023!
This is an unofficial day to take time to celebrate literature and the written word. There are a number of ways to celebrate, such as trying out a genre you’ve never read before, like audiobooks or graphic novels, or challenging yourself to read from lists of female, LGBTQ, or multicultural authors.
Another way to celebrate this fantastic holiday is to address those stacks of books sitting on your bedside table to be read. Digital piles count, too. Book lovers, we know you have this “to be read” pile because we have them too.
In fact, there’s a Japanese phrase used to describe these “to be read” stacks all book lovers have in common, including Teaching Channel’s Curriculum and Instruction team. Tsundoku 積読 is the Japanese word for the stack of books you’ve purchased but haven’t yet read, according to the Cambridge Dictionary.
It seems that our team is really really good at this practice.
These tsundoku stacks exist because we don’t want to miss out on a fantastic read. If someone recommends a book, or you hear about someone else’s experience reading, you’re lent their copy, you try for the waitlist at the library, or you buy the book. It matters not the length of your book queue. You just have to have the book. Immediately.
There’s nothing like sharing an amazing book with others. We have books we hold dear because they’ve had an impact on who we are, from when we first learned to read to books that move us today. Sharing is caring, especially when it comes to books.
Happy Book Lovers Day!
Share pics of your tsundoku practice on our Instagram page @teachingchannel, with the hashtag #mytsundokustack