Ahead of World Book Day, Cities of London & Westminster MP, Nickie Aiken, secured a Parliamentary debate in Westminster Hall to celebrate the joy that is reading.
During the debate, Nickie highlighted her favourite novels including The Famous Five by Enid Blyton, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy, and The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood, as well as authors such as Pat Barker, Sebastian Faulks and Ian McEwan and of course world-renowned authors Virginia Woolf, Charles Dickens, the Bronte sisters, C.S. Lewis and J.K. Rowling.
With Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary Sherlock Holmes, Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway, and Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll, Nickie also drew attention to the Two Cities’ rich literacy history.
Nickie continued with the importance of everyone picking up a book and outlined how last year, World Book Day provided 50 million £1 book tokens across the UK to ensure children can pick up a book. An incredible number, which will make a huge difference.
Commenting after the debate, Nickie said,
"On World Book Day, it’s on us all to do what we can to encourage everyone, no matter their age, to pick up a book. Sometimes it really can be as simple as one book to change someone's entire life."
