From now until February 2012, Birmingham Libraries are setting free 1,000 copies of Before I Go To Sleep by S J Watson for people to read, review and pass on to a friend in the Birmingham Big City Read.

For more info, follow the link to Birmingham’s Big City Read and grab a book while they’re still available (if they’ve not all gone yet). The folks behind this are Transworld Publishers, in partnership with The Reading Agency. The plan is to build up a discussion about the book over here.

This is an open letter from John Dolan, former Head of Libraries at Birmingham City Council, to Cllr. Mike Whitby, Leader of Birmingham City Council and Cabinet Member, Culture, copied to Randal Brew Cabinet Member, Finance and Ian Ward, opposition member for Culture.

Birmingham City Council’s library cuts: from world class city to mediocrity