End of Summer

"I got that summertime, summertime sadness..." Yes, it is that time of the year again - end of summer, beginning of fall, school time, new book time! I have a few books to review and hope to do some reviewing this weekend. :)

Did anyone visit any neat places, maybe with a cool library or bookstore - or two? If you didn't, here are some fun facts that may influence your next travel plans:

• According to Travel and Leisure magazine, the Key West (Florida) is home to two hotels that provide waterproof books for guests to read poolside. The Gates Hotel and 24° North Hotel both have a library filled with classic novels that you can read to your hearts content, whether it be lounging in the sun or splashing around in the pool!
• A library of a different kind, Chicago, Illinois can now boast that it is home to The Chicago Tool Library, a volunteer-run space where area residents can rent out items that are not used all the time, but you may find yourself needing or wanting (i.e. pasta maker, screwdrivers, sewing machine, camera, etc.). The concept is not a novel one, but a good idea that is now spreading. Areas such as Ann Arbor, Michigan and Sacramento, California have such a system integrated into their public library system. We need all libraries to integrate this!
• Indianapolis, Indiana has a new way to promote reading: the Book Bike. The bookshelf on a bike is set up in places where residents (or anyone, really - no library card is needed!) can pick up a free book and get into a good story. Be quick, though, the Book Bike makes visits to events, such as farmers markets, and tends to run out of every book on hand! 
• The Free Library of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has book carts in parks called Libraries in the Park, so that children can read while enjoying the fresh air. I wish my library had something like this when I was little!

Philadelphia Library in the Park (c) Once Upon A Book Blog(ger)

If you cannot get out and about, but still want to be part of something, you should look into helping out the Library of Congress. According to the Smithsonian, the Library of Congress currently has a project where they are transcribing suffragist papers and need your help! How do you go about transcribing? Check out the By the People campaign, where you can read and help type what you can make out in the writings, tag writings (think Facebook), and even help review final transcriptions. You can create an account to always come back to where you last left off. You can be a part of history by helping to promote it!

So what have you bookworms been up to? Tell me something fun you did this summer in the comments! :)

Dog Days of Summer (Road Trip Wishlist)

Hello fellow readers out there! What have YOU been reading this summer? Let me know with the #currentlyreadingblog to have your book featured on my blog widget!

I have been reading books that have been popular with YA, including The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken in anticipation for the movie that came out earlier this month. I have been wanting to read Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan - the movie was beautiful! I am #108 on the waiting list, down from around 250 earlier this summer. The bookstores have been popular with it, yet I have not seen it in stock at one of my favorite haunts!

Since it is the end of summer, I figured I would give you guys a taste of a road trip without being on one. Here is a list of bookstores and libraries around the world that I would LOVE to visit, in no particular order:

Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson Building (c) Library of Congress, www.loc.gov

• Library of Congress, Washington D.C.
• A national monument that was established in 1800, when President John Adams signed a bill allowing for a library of books "for the use of Congress," the Library of Congress is a massive library that had to be replaced over the years due to fire and war. President Thomas Jefferson's offered his personal library (6,487 books!), which Congress purchased in 1815 to replace the previous collection. You can view President Jefferson's original library today, as it is on display as an exhibition. The Library is also home to the U.S. Copyright Office, an office that administers a national copyright system, the National Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, which offers the circulation of braille and audiobooks nationwide, and the Law Library of Congress, an international legal collection of law books. (www.loc.gov). If you are unable to visit the Library in person, I definitely recommend taking a tour online!

President John Adams' Stone Library (c) National Park Foundation, www.nationalparks.org

• The Stone Library at Adams National Historic Park, in Quincy, Massachusetts
• You can find this mini library in the middle of Adams National Historic Park! Built in 1870, the library was built to be fireproof, which is why it is also called The Stone Library. Approximately 10% of the volumes have originally belonged to the President, but the rest are a range of educational subjects you would find in libraries today. (www.nps.gov) If you cannot make it to this library location, the National Park Foundation offers an online tour of the property. 
 




Livraria Lello, (c) Ivo Rainha, Livraria Lello (https://www.livrarialello.pt)

• Livraria Lello Bookstore, Porto, Portugal
• Part of the intellectual upper-class of the society, brothers Jose and Antonio Lello opened the book establishment in 1881. It was later inaugurated as a bookstore in 1906, after the reconstruction by engineer Francisco Xavier Esteves. This bookstore is one of the oldest in the world, and features a mix of neo-gothic, art nouveau, and art deco design. From the outside, it looks like a medieval castle that was squashed into the business area! (www.livrarialello.pt) Fun fact: It believed by some to be an inspiration for J.K. Rowling to write Harry Potter (!). 

Rovaniemi City Library, (c) Alvar Aalto, Rovaniemi City Library (www.libraries.fi)

• Rovaniemi City Library, Rovaniemi, Finland
• Recommended by my architecture-genius friend (the same one who visited Seattle in a previous blog post), this library was constructed in 1965 by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. A pioneer of modern architecture and design, Alvar treated each building he worked on as a work of art. (www.alvaraalto.fi) The design is similar to an open book and showcases the books beautifully. (www.libraries.fi) If you are interested in Alvar Aalto's work, please visit the Alvar Aalto Foundation website.

• Seattle Central Library, Seattle, Washington
• I really want to see this library, after all, one of my closest friends has and shared with me the beautiful and crazy architecture both on the outside and inside. Please read my previous blog post for more information. 
 


• New York Public Library, New York, New York
• I love this library! Located on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, the main branch of the New York Public Library houses the famous Rose Main Reading Room, the original Winnie the Pooh stuffed animal set, and thousands of items to read, watch, or listen to, including research collections. Please read my previous blog post on it for more information. 

I have a few more bookstores and libraries that I want to visit and will share with you in the future! Do you have a bookstore or library that you want to visit that is not featured? If so, please share in the comments below!