Last year
on Boxing Day, I suggested we adapt the Icelandic tradition of Jólabókaflóð and
give each other books on this day (http://schatjesshelves.blogspot.ca/2015/12/adopt-icelandic-jolabokaflo-and-make-it.html). Iceland is certainly a reader-friendly country. It has nearly a 100% literacy rate and publishes more books per capita than any other country. At least 90 percent of the people read just
for pleasure, and the gift most requested by children at Christmas is a book. It is a country I hope to visit in the
not-too-distant future.
There is a
second country that is very reader-friendly.
On St. Nicholas Day earlier this month, Croatians and visitors were
given the gift of reading. The following
announcement was made: “Croatia, what is
now an open digital library, is the first country in the world that is truly a
Free Reading Zone . . . [because] the top 100,000 digital books from all over
the world are available to you to read for free, anywhere within the Croatian
borders and without membership cards or special codes. Croatian citizens and
those traveling within Croatia can read a plethora of books from around the
world, in various languages including Croatian” (http://www.total-croatia-news.com/lifestyle/15133-croatia-is-the-first-country-in-the-world-to-become-a-free-reading-zone).
Information
about the initiative, named Croatia Reads, includes the statement that
publishers and authors are paid for reads, thanks to funding by government
agencies and private donors.
This type
of program troubles me a bit since I’m a lover of libraries and bookstores, and
I worry about the financial support authors will actually receive. That being said, I think I’ll put a visit to Croatia
on my to-do list.
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