World Book Day: What publishers have lined up for your lockdown reading

From romantic anthologies to COVID-19-themed series, publishers have you covered

reading-book (File) Representational image

Test, Test, Test may be only mantra to find a way through the COVID 19 crisis, but across the world, publishers and incorrigible readers have found a formula for sanity: read, read, read.

On no other day of the year has this been more apparent than on the quietest World Book Day (April 23) in many years. As people in countries sit at home, publishers are trying to provide a dose of sanity just at a click of a button.

For those looking for love, Penguin Random House India has a book that comes hand-picked by India’s bestselling writer on love, Ravinder Singh.

You Are All I Need is an anthology of romantic stories of aspiring writers who were selected in PRH’s campaign #GetPublished which was a tie up with Romedy Now.

Bringing together new writers, this is the third time that Penguin has chosen to do a new writer anthology with Singh. There has not been any waning in the enthusiasm either in terms of people wanting to buy the book or those who want to read it. “There are writers who chose to write in the second time too,” he says. The last anthology with Penguin Random House, Tell Me A Story sold over 300,000 copies.

“Romance is an ever-green trend,” says Singh. “My first love story was about a boy who found love on a matrimonial site. That was 2006. In 2020, things have changed. Society has changed. Live in relationships are acceptable. Homosexuality is legal.”

From love to a story of hope. Mitch Albom, the man who made everyone weep with Tuesdays with Morrie has written a new book in the times of coronavirus. Titled Human Touch, it is set in the present and is available for anyone to read free on his website. Set in a small town in Michigan, Albom like always uses his fiction to talk about friendship, family and community. Bringing together diverse characters, the book revolves around a little boy named Moses, who doesn’t seem to catch the disease and is then kidnapped. Human Touch will be written one week at a time for approximately 8 weeks.

And for those who want a little more. There is plenty of virtual content to tune into. Bloomsbury India has a full day line up of writers who will talk about their books. From Bloomsbury Previews is a “reminder that wheels of the global economy and our day-to-day lives will turn again, hopefully sooner than later,” as Yogesh Sharma, Senior Vice President Sales & Marketing, Bloomsbury India put it. Or Harper Collins India, that is celebrating World Book Day by bringing your favourite authors to your screen. Today, boredom is at bay.

📣 The Week is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@TheWeekmagazine) and stay updated with the latest headlines