Today on World Book Day, we are happy to celebrate the euphoria that comes with reading books. At AI Global Media we love to celebrate World Book Day and this year the employees of the company decided to mark this joyous occasion by sharing their favourite thing from a book, from book characters, quotes, to some beautiful poetry!
Sif Brookes: Favourite fictional character
Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones. “Mother Of Dragons. Mother Of Monsters. What Have I Unleashed Upon The World? I Am The Blood Of The Dragon. If They Are Monsters, So Am I.” Sif enjoyed the fact that in the books, the character has a captivating development going from a young woman thrusted into harsh, cruel and unforgiving circumstances to becoming the Mother of Dragons. She does also believe that the show butchered the development of this character, and we may have to agree that books are always superior to the adaptations.
Kaven Cooper: Favourite fictional character
Dr. Gonzo from Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas. “As your attorney, I advise you to drive at top speed, it’ll be a god damn miracle if we can get there before you turn into a wild animal.” Kaven has drawn that the moral of the story is to always listen to your lawyer!
Daniel Grubb: Favourite fictional character
Sam Gamgee from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. “It’s the job that’s never started as takes longest to finish.” Dan has chosen this quote to represent his favourite character since it the most relatable for many of us who have procrastinated at some point in our lives. Jobs / tasks / goals etc may seem daunting at first and some can even weigh you down, but until you start to actually work on them, you’re just prolonging things and preventing yourself from moving forwards. Push yourself, make a start, and each day you’ll be closer to the end than you were yesterday.
Jazmin Collins: Favourite quote
“Kid, you’ll move mountains.” – Oh, the Places You’ll Go! By Dr. Seuss. Jazmin loves this quote from this well-loved children’s book for how powerful the message is.
Sofi Bajor: Favourite poem
Sofi has shared with us her favourite poem that has had a huge influence on her during the time she went through spiritual growth.
Resolution of a Witch – From Hedge Witch by Rae Beth
May I be as the one who weaves the cloth
in a forest, deep hidden.
May I sit at the work, uninterrupted.
And may I remain an outcast if that is what it takes.
May I know the seasonal procession in my spirit and
in my body, celebrate cross quarters, solstices and equinoxes.
May each full moon find me looking upwards at trees
outlined on luminous sky.
May I hold wildflowers. May I cup them in my hand.
May I release them, unpicked,
to live on in abundance.
May my friends be of the kind who are at ease with silence.
May they and I be innocent of pretension.
May I be capable of gratitude. May I know
that I was given joy, like mother’s milk.
May I know this as my dog does, in her bones and blood.
May I speak the truth about happiness and pain
in songs that sound of the scent of rosemary,
as everyday and ancient, kitchen-herb strong.
May I not incline to self-righteousness or self-pity.
May I approach the high earthworks and the stone circles as fox or moth,
and disturb the place no more than that.
May my gaze be direct and my hand steady.
May my door be open to those who dwell outside wealth
and fame and privilege.
May those who have never walked barefoot never find the path
that leads to my door.
May they be lost in the labyrinthine journey.
May they turn back.
And may I sit beside the fire in winter
and see in the glowing logs what is to come,
yet never feel the need to warn or advise, unasked.
May I sit upon a plain wooden chair, in true contentment.
May the place where I live be as the forest.
May there be trackways where there are caves and pools
and trees and flowers, animals and birds,
all known to me and revered, loved.
Stan Kazovsky: Favourite quote
“Ignorance is hardly unusual, Miss Davar. The longer I live, the more I come to realize that it is the natural state of the human mind. There are many who will strive to defend its sanctity and then expect you to be impressed with their efforts.” Queen Jasnah Kholin, The Way of Kings, B. Sanderson.
Tony Garner: Favourite quotes and poem
“There should be no boundary to human endeavor.”
― Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time
“Be brave, be curious, be determined, overcome the odds. It can be done.”
― Stephen Hawking, Brief Answers to the Big Questions
“I will never be as brave as him—I’m not by nature a particularly courageous person—but he showed me that I could try. And that trying might turn out to be the most important part of courage.”
― Stephen Hawking, Brief Answers to the Big Questions
If by Rudyard Kipling
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!
Victoria Cotton: Favourite quote
“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.”— Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Victoria explains that the meaning is obvious but basically life is hard, it’s a challenge but we’re all trying to get through it the best way we can. A simple lesson to not be so hard on yourself.
Max Riches: Favourite quote
“It was like being part of a wave of water,” she says. “A wave of spray from the ocean feels powerful, but it is only there for a moment, the sun dries the puddles and the water is gone. Then you feel maybe it never happened. That is how it was with us. The only wave that changes anything is a tsunami. You have to tear down the houses and destroy the land if you want to be sure no one will forget you.” from The Power by Naomi Alderman.
Sean Wilkins: Favourite quote
“You’re a Wizard Harry” from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, by J.K. Rowling.
Gabby Ellis: Favourite fictional character and quote
Gabby has shared her favourite quote, which happens to be said by Rubeus Hagrid from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: “I am what I am, an’ I’m not ashamed. ‘Never be ashamed,’ my ol’ dad used ter say, ‘there’s some who’ll hold it against you, but they’re not worth botherin’ with.’”
She explains that Hagrid is her favourite fictional character since Hagrid is described as twice as tall as an average man and three times as wide, but despite his intimidating appearance, he is shown throughout the entire series to be the most loving and caring character. As well as this Hagrid was so unashamedly himself, he is part of a society that shuns giants and the like, but he wears that part of his heritage like a badge of honour and doesn’t try to hide it away. He always tried to see the good in everything, even things most sane people would be terrified of like three headed dogs or giant spiders, Hagrid gave them names and treated them like family. Even if you take out how loyal he was, how loving he was and how proud he was of his background, he’s still the best character because he was a fiercely devoted pet parent and as a mother of 2 cats that is something Gabby relates to.
Ashley-Francis Privitera-Cox: Favourite fictional characters
Ash is a fan of the characters from Pride and Prejudice, but Elizabeth stands out as her favourite character due to her fearless and wild personality traits. Her favourite quote by Elizabeth is “Do not consider me now as an elegant female intending to plague you, but as a rational creature speaking the truth from her heart.”
She further explains that she loves the exchanges between Mr and Mrs Bennet as she feels her and her husband are similar to the couple. She finds them relatable and lovable for the same. She has shared her favourite exchange between the couple:
“Mr Bennet, how can you abuse your own children in such a way? You take delight in vexing me. You have no compassion for my poor nerves.
“You mistake me, my dear. I have a high respect for your nerves. They are my old friends. I have heard you mention them with consideration these last twenty years at least.”
Kieran Penrice: Favourite fictional character
Kieran is a huge fan of Sir Samuel Vimes from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series and recommends everyone to read the entire Discworld series, as they are hilarious, entertaining, exciting, and a brutal examination of the injustices of society.
“I assure you I will not kill you,” said Inigo.
“I know that,” said Vimes. “But will you try?”
― Terry Pratchett, The Fifth Elephant.
Haeri Jung: Favourite fictional character and quote
Kafka Tamura from Kafka on the Shore, by Haruki Murakami. “You can never put it back together like it was.”
Kathryn Hall: Favourite character and quote
Ebenezer Scrooge from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. “You may be an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of an underdone potato. There’s more of gravy than of grave about you, whatever you are!”
Rebecca Grewcock: Favourite book character and quote
Rebecca’s favourite book character is Owl from Winnie the Pooh due to his brainy characteristics. On the other hand, her favourite book quote is from the popular Harry Potter books: “Don’t let the muggles get you down.”
Holly Blackwood: Favourite quote
“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo…
“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Jane Henderson: Favourite quote
Hassan’s, “For you a thousand times over” The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.
Rebecca Scotland: Favourite author and book scenes
Rebecca is an avid fan of Matt Haig and has shared her favourite snippets from The Midnight Library.
“And even if you were a pawn – maybe we all are – then you should remember that a pawn is the most magical piece of all. It might look small and ordinary but it isn’t. A pawn is never just a pawn. A pawn is a queen-in-waiting. All you need to do is find a way to keep moving forward. One square after another. And you can get to the other side and unlock all kinds of power.”
“If you aim to be something you are not, you will always fail. Aim to be you. Aim to look and act and think like you. Aim to be the truest version of you. Embrace that you-ness. Endorse it. Love it. Work hard at it. And don’t give a second thought when people mock it or ridicule it. Most gossip is envy in disguise. Keep your head down. Keep your stamina. Keep swimming…”
Akeela Zahair: Favourite quote
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s this: We all want everything to be okay. We don’t even wish so much for fantastic or marvellous or outstanding. We will happily settle for okay, because most of the time, okay is enough.” – Every Day by David Levithan.
