Those visiting Harrogate town centre this week may have noticed a mysterious trail of books peeping out from various locations.
These were planted by The Book Fairies, an open organisation that hides pre-loved books for people to discover and read, and then leave somewhere else once finished.
The Book Fairies is a worldwide organisation that has its own Harrogate group.
On Thursday, the fairies hid brand-new copies of Jill Mansell’s And Now You’re Back to promote its recent release. They could be found in the town centre, Spenceley Gardens and near the library.
If you found a copy, be sure to read it and then hide it in another location for the next person to find.
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The Book Fairies project started on International Women’s Day in 2017 and has an estimated 13,000 people sharing books worldwide.
The only thing people need to do to get involved is buy the official stickers from its website and begin sharing their pre-loved novels.
Prominent figures such as Harry Potter star Emma Watson and the Duchess of Cambridge have taken part, hiding their own books for people to find.
Emma Watson leaving copies of Little Women. Credit: The Book Fairies
Harrogate fairy Amandine said;
“Book Fairies Harrogate started in February 2019 after I found a book left by another fairy on the Stray. Since then we’ve hidden hundreds of books in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon.
“One of the cutest stories is the one where a lady found a book for her granddaughter, who was just born. Then 15 months later, that little girl’s mum found another book for her!
“We received amazing responses from finders every week and it’s always great to see people (and especially little ones!) being so happy to have found a book.”
The group is hoping to expand across the world, with its book stickers now available in nine languages.
For its LGBTQ+ Pride event launching tomorrow, fairies in Harrogate will be hiding 30 books with exclusive Pride stickers for residents to find and enjoy.
For more information on The Book Fairies Harrogate, follow the official Instagram page.