Books Save Lives – Comic Relief

I have always held the belief that reading books and being exposed to literature vastly improves your life, whether its through improving your vocabulary to bringing a sense of escapsim. Reading can provide an escape from the harsh reality of the world, offering you a break from the everyday to experience something new and sometimes other-worldly.

With the up-coming Red Nose Day (or Comic Relief) event tonight I decided to dig out my copy of Harry Potter Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander (J.K.Rowling). This wonderfully interesting book, published in 2001, explores the different creatures that live in the Harry Potter universe. When I first bought this, I was too young to be fully invested, seeing it as a one time read, however now that i’m older I find there to be something whimsical about finding out more about the magical beings.

Now i’ve brought this book in particular, not becuase it helped pass a couple of hours I had to read, but because it is one example where books help those in need. Both this and another of Rowling’s books ‘Qudditch Through the Ages’ are licensed by the charity Comic Relief. Through this the charity can take 80% of the books’ sales and use it to help those in need, whether it is a child starving in Africa to helping provide shelter for those living on the streets here in England.

Although these quaint books may not seem worth the price to some, knowing that just by buying them, you’d be helping those that might not be able to help themselves makes it so worth it. Even if you don’t want to buy the books, it would still be great to use that money to donate to such a fantastic charity.