The Big Read is a long-running campaign at Durham Book Festival which celebrates the joy of reading.
Each year, thousands of books are gifted to people from across County Durham, inviting them to read for pleasure and be part of a shared moment for the county.
Working in partnership with Durham’s library service, Durham Book Festival distributes free copies to schools, Durham University, branch libraries, community centres, food banks, prisons, and businesses around the County each year. We also work with targeted groups to provide shared reading sessions. During the festival we host a special Big Read event with the chosen author, and you can watch some of these filmed events for free below.
Previous Big Read titles have included Northern Lights by Philip Pullman, The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters, Written in Blood, a specially commissioned Vera short story by Ann Cleeves and My Name is Why by Lemn Sissay.
