“One step at a time is all it takes to get you there.” - Emily Dickinson

Hello my fellow bookworms,

Last year was a busy year for me! I apologize for not being as frequent of a poster as I normally am. I am in between a review to post at the present, and have 2 additional books to review, as well. 

As for my book goals, I read, but not as much as I wanted to. My goal for this year is to read at least 50 books. I even created a fun Book Bingo to encourage myself to detox from both my phone and computer. Try it for yourself and let me know how it goes for you. Here is to stopping the doomscrolling this year! :)

Some bookish things to look forward to this year:

• If you are a writer and are looking to publish a teen romance novel, The Little Press is now introducing Baci Books, a Teen Romance Imprint! They are accepting submissions of previously self-published teen romance novels, so review the submission guidelines here. Good luck!

• This year we are celebrating the United States of America's 250th birthday! If you are interested in learning and reviewing White House History, you can explore their digital archives here. Also, check out your local library (or libraries) for events closer to July! 

• Speaking of good things, Andrew Carnegie championed the free public library movement during late 19th century. He donated $5,000 to libraries around the country to help them get on their feet to provide information and services to the public. According to the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Andrew Carnegie described libraries as "cradles of democracy that strengthen the democratic idea, the equality of the citizen, and the royalty of man" (Oct 2025). Since this is a special historical anniversary year, the Carnegie Corporation of New York is going to donate $10,000 to ALL Carnegie libraries across the United States! With this special gift, libraries both small and large will be able to better support their communities, foster civic participation, and best of all, bring people together. For more information, check out the Corporation's Press Release here. 

• The board game (and movie and book series) Clue is supposed to become a reality show on Netflix! I cannot wait to see how it plays out. Check out the article here from Deadline.

• David Baldacci funding a new initiative to address toxic political discourse. More details here through The Washington Post. 

• If you have kids or work with them, and want to spend more time outside, children can now become Junior Rangers online through the National Park Foundation. While the initiative is tied to specific national park sites, this allows children to engage through the science and sounds of the parks, whether it be through fossils, stars, trains, or more! Check out the National Park Foundation release here for more information. 

What do you look forward to this year? I cannot wait until true spring sets in. The false spring weather is great and I have enjoyed sitting on my porch and reading, but the mix of snow in between changes how I like to read (print book versus audiobook). I hope to do more this year, so if you have any questions or suggestions for me, please let me know! 

Until next time - happy reading! :)