Ding Dong!

Susanna Gregory kicked off the Big City Read with a clang.

Susanna Gregory, author of this year's Big City Read novel, got the chance to fulfil one of her ambitions today when she rang the Great Peter bell at the Minster.

 

Weighing in at ten and a half tonnes, pulling the bell rope was no mean feat. "It's the largest hand pull bell in the country," says Susanna, whose real name is Liz Cruwys, "so it took some doing! It was so fantastic to be able to ring the bell, as the bell ringers here are the best in the country, so it's a great honour." 

 

The bell ringing was part of the launch of the Big City Read initiative, which kicked off yesterday with an event at Explore York Library. The idea is that everyone in the city reads the same book - this time the rather appropriate Mystery in the Minster - and discusses what they thought about it. There are 5000 free copies available at libraries across the city from today, and each one has a unique code that can be entered into www.bookcrossing.com. Then, you can see where your copy has been before you picked it up, and what other readers who read your copy thought about it. You can also track the progress of your copy after it has left your hands.

 

That's not all, though: there are plenty of events going on that you can get involved with. From meeting authors to learning about potions and perfumes, enjoying the Yorkshire Medieval Festival and even Manga and Anime screenings, there's a Big City Read event to interest everyone.

Get involved - visit http://bigcityread.wordpress.com/ to find out more.

 

Psst... check out the photos below - Liz's friend Coop had a go at bell pulling too, and our Nic couldn't resist having a go!

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