Literature haven officially launched

Are you an avid reader? Do you yearn for an escape that can only be found between the covers of a book?

In October 2014, Haseena and Shameema Patel dreamed of opening a book exchange club, where bookworms could break away from the chains of technology and daily routines to find solace in the pages of a book.

From putting their idea on paper, to collecting books and finding a location, the long awaited Leave No Girl Behind International (LNGBI) Book Exchange Club was officially opened on Saturday morning.

The club is situated inside Favourites Office National.

Mohsin Ameen from Favourties Office National said he had followed the sisters’ dream of establishing the book exchange club through local media.

“As the store dealt with literature and education, I thought it would be a good opportunity to get involved. The store is also a good venue,” he said.

Haseena was delighted that the club had finally opened.

“It is very exciting and over the past few months we have had a lot of people inquiring about it. It is finally here after months in the making. The book exchange would not be possible without the help and support of the Newcastle community. We are so grateful for all the support in so many different ways. The book exchange is the pledge we as an organisation (LNGBI) made for Bubbles Beyond Borders 2015 – empowerment through reading.”

Shameema was just a ecstatic about the launch of the club.

“We need to thank Mohsin for helping us, as it is exciting to be able to have a vision and make it happen,” she said.

Haseena and Shameema had initially come up with the idea of a book exchange club to resurrect a passion for reading, while opening people’s minds to new ideas.

There are no costs involved in joining the club. All that is required is to bring a book, exchange it for another book of your choice, and once you have read it, you can exchange it.