January News + Happy Lunar New Year!

Happy January, my fellow bookworms!

I hope you all had a happy holiday season. Am I the only one who is happy to finally see pink and red colors in the stores? While I do miss the colors of the holiday lights on neighbors' homes, I am happy the stress of the season is finally over.

I have some book links for you:

• Ever wonder what time it is and want a book quote at the same time? No? Well, there is a fun literature clock made by Johs Enevoldsen, inspired by Jaap Meijers and The Guardian. This clock is an online website that tells you the time in quotes! Check it out for yourself - it changes based on the time, so you could go a whole day and see new quotes!
  

• Since I am learning about archives, here is a link to a musical archive "time traveling" website called Radiooooo (2013), where you can choose a country, year, and song pace (slow, fast, "weird," or a combination of the three) to match a song to your preference. 
  

• If you live in the United States, you will notice a set of new quarters on the market. Twenty new designs will be issued over the next four years, featuring notable women in the United States, such as Maya Angelou (the first new quarter) and Wilma Mankiller, the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. Check out more details and specifications, if you are into collecting coins, on the United States Mint website here. 
  

• February 1st is the lunar new year. It is also the year of the tiger! If you want to read books to celebrate the new year, Penguin House Publishers has a list of some fun reads here. 
  

• The American Library Association has released their Youth Media Awards for 2022. Check out their list here and let me know if you have read any of the winners (book or author)! 
  

• Check out this cute article from KTVB7, a news station in Idaho, who mentions an 8 year old Boise resident who snuck a book onto his library's shelf, and now it is available officially for check out!
  

• Have you played the latest word game, Wordle? Try and figure out the word in 6 tries or less, by guessing words and rearranging letters as necessary. I have been able to guess the word in about 4 to 5 tries. What is your best score? Let me know in the comments!

Photo by Expect Best from Pexels

Happy Lunar New Year! Until next time, stay safe and happy reading! :)

Happy Autumn Bookworms!

Hello my fellow bookworms!

Happy autumn, leaves changing, coffee and tea drinking, and sweater weather! It is the best time to read a book and enjoy the cooler air with a good cup of coffee (or tea, whichever is your preference).

I am in the middle of a really good book and will soon post a review! Want to know what it is about? Hint: Australia. Ecosystems. Animals. :)

In the meantime, it is a good time to talk about Banned Books Week. Typically held on the last week of September, this year's Banned Books Week is this week (September 27th through October 3rd)! The American Library Association (ALA) created Banned Books Week in 1982, as a response to the challenges books received in libraries, schools, and bookstores. Today, Banned Books Week brings together everyone in the book community to support the freedom to find and express ideas, no matter how unpopular the ideas may be. This year's theme is "Censorship is a dead end. Find your freedom to read!" If you are interested in more, or are curious what events are being held virtually, you can take a look at the Banned Books Week website here. Or, if you want to join in the fun and read a banned and/or challenged book, the ALA has posted a list for the most challenged books for the past decade, 2010-2019.

(c) American Library Association

As a bonus perk to end the week, the ALA is hosting a free watch party for Scary Stories Documentary, based on the series Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz. Join the Facebook event here and join in the fun this Friday, October 2, 2020! The event is limited to the first 100 viewers, so if you can't access the link, you can always watch the documentary through Amazon Prime, Tubi (free with ads), or by DVD through your local library.

If you are looking for a new movie-based-on-a-book to binge watch, may I suggest Netflix's adaptation of Enola Holmes? Based off of Nancy Springer's mystery series, Enola Holmes is based off of the first book in the series, The Case of the Missing Marquess. With such a great cast and story line, I am hoping Netflix continues the series!

As always, I like to promote access to your public library, and with that, you need a library card! September is also the month for signing up for a library card, as hosted by the ALA. This year, DC's Wonder Woman is making this her mission as Library Card Sign-up Month Honorary Chair. As Wonder Woman says (and the ALA), "Lasso a library card and find your super power!" If you are a librarian or help out with your local library, you can take part in promotional items on the ALA's website here.

In additional news, yesterday marked the first day of the YA Scavenger Hunt, an online scavenger hunt encouraging you to visit different young adult authors, read about new books, enter in contests for free books, and have fun. If you are an author and want to join in the fun, you can email the organizer and be a part of the next hunt!

I hope everyone is safe and healthy. Until next post!

B_nn_d B__ks?

It is that period of time between September 24 and September 30. Have you guessed it? 

It is Banned Books Week! 

Image from American Library Association Press Kit

The display at one of my local libraries to celebrate the awareness this week!

It is the time of the year that we can reflect and celebrate our access to information, why it is important, and to challenge those who challenge the right to read certain titles! Censorship is harmful to everyone, and books (and other media) continue to be banned and challenged even to today. Thanks to those who stand up and speak out for the freedom to read and enjoy such works, we have Banned Books week, an event that celebrates our freedom to read!

So why have certain books been challenged in the past? Some of the reasons have been due to gender roles, violence, religious viewpoints, racism, drugs, political viewpoints, LGBT, and inaccuracy. Who challenges the books? The two largest groups have been the people who buy and read them and also the parents of those who the books may influence (31% and 42%, respectively). 

The breakdown: 

Statistics and information per the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom.

Here is a short list of books that are a) controversial, b) banned, or c) have been banned (you may have read a few of these in the past!):

• The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
• On the Bright Side, I'm Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God: Further Confessions by Georgia Nicolson by Louise Rennison
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
• The Color Purple by Alice Walker
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
  
• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald 
• Animal Farm by George Orwell
• A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
• Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
• The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
• The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
• I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
• The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
• Carrie by Stephen King
• The Fighting Ground by Avi
• James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
• Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
• A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
• The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe

Are any of them surprising? Even if something is offensive/bad/insensitive, it is good to read and see another viewpoint. You may not agree with it, but you can see why and how others think the way they do. Others may not agree with your viewpoint, either! It is an avenue for all of us to come together and learn from each other. 

The American Library Association has a lovely description of intellectual freedom that I would like to share with you (to the left), and also ask you:

"Why is the freedom to read important to YOU?" 

Be sure to celebrate your freedom and right to read with a good book this week! (I'll be reading Edgar Allan Poe!)