Writing Stories and Celebrating Poetry

Hi my fellow bookworms,

Happy Spring!

This month I spent much time writing. It has been a while since I pushed myself to do so (with school over and whatnot), and though while the writing was instructive, it was the most creative writing I have accomplished in a while. I am prepping to host a memoir workshop this upcoming month, based upon the Story Circle Network's Older Women's Legacies initiative. I made a complete revision of the workbook that was used previously. It was hard, since I have a couple returning members, but I wanted this experience to be special and new for them. After much research, thinking, writing, and rewriting, I am happy with this new workbook. I hope this next month will be full of heartfelt writing and memories.

March honors many holidays and celebrations, but one I wanted to bring a focus to is Women's History Month. One of the blogs I read promoted this calendar featuring different books for each day in March, celebrating different women in history, written by women. I have not yet read these titles, but the one I want to is the book titled Let's Call Her Barbie by Renee Rosen. Find out more information about the books on Janis Robinson Daly's blog here. 

(c) Janis Robinson Daly, 2026

You can always use this opportunity to check off the squares on your bingo card (featured in my January blog post), or to check off your Read Harder list from Book Riot. :) 

Goodreads also has finally unveiled their DNF option, or "Did Not Finish" option. I just categorized a book on my Goodreads shelf as DNF and tagged it, so I will hopefully read it again when I have a moment! I feel like I started and stopped quite a few books this past winter, but haven't updated my public profile. I am aiming to read for fun for at least 20 minutes a day and will hopefully bring you some lovely new reviews soon! 

Speaking of books to read, there is a list of free fantasy novels for your Kindle! Check out the blog, Stuff With Fantasy, for your ecopies today. I believe you will have until the end of the day on Monday to download your chosen novels.

Continuing with my earlier conversation about celebrations...

(c) Once Upon A Book Blog(ger) 2026

April honors many different celebrations, including Deaf History Month, Earth Day, April Fool's Day, Arab American Heritage Month, National Poetry Month, National Scrabble Day, International Dance Day, and of course, religious observances, such as Easter and Passover. One of my coworkers is creating a display for our library observing National Poetry Month. She will be displaying artwork titled "blackout poetry." Blackout poetry is a form of poetry in which you take a page from a printed book (we are using discarded books that are now going to be upcycled), black out most of the page using a permanent marker, and create a poem based on the text present. Some who are more artistically inclined can draw pictures to help further the poem's meaning, others create more profound messages, but it is aimed to help overcome writer's block and unleash your creative spirit. I created my own! :) ^ See here ^

Last year I did my own display for April and National Poetry Month using "Pocket Poems," or poems you can fit into your pocket for on-the-go reading and inspiration. I also had a section were visitors could submit their own poems for display. While I am not a great poet, I love the elegance and rhythmic language and the imagery each poem evokes. 

Would you write a blackout poem? If you do, or just want to write a regular one, or even share a poem already in existence, please do so here! 

Until next month...Happy Reading! :)

Happy New Year! Happy Lunar New Year!

 Hello my fellow bookworms,

Happy New Year and Happy Lunar New Year! This Lunar New Year is the Year of the Snake. According to the NBC News, beginning on January 29th (which is also National Puzzle Day!), this year is about renewal, regeneration, letting go of the past (whether it is anger, lost love, etc.), and start a new beginning. This year is about growth, creativity, and positive transformation - so be sure to clean your home, decorate with red to add good luck, and celebrate with your family and friends (Google).

Photo by RDNE Stock project from Pexels

I hope you have been enjoying the winter weather so far! It has been a mix of warm and cold weather with us, and I am definitely enjoying the warmer part! We already had our first snow, but we have been having a lot of rain, so luckily I have a good stack of books to read ready to go!

February marks the beginning of Black History Month! Libraries all over the United States have some really cool events planned. DC Public Library is hosting "Historically Black Phrases Live!" LA County Library is hosting many different book discussion and live music events. New York Public Library is hosting an innovative Book Design Workshop with Blk + Brwn Book Designers, in which patrons can learn book binding basics! If I lived closer, I would totally go to this event!

Something really cool that the Chicago Public Library is doing is hosting tours of the Pullman National Historical Park Museum. Pullman National Historical Park is a part of the United States' National Parks Foundation, designated in 2015, and the first one in Chicago. In middle school, I had chosen the Pullman estate as a topic for a history project, and thought it to be fascinating and unfair. The town of Pullman became one of creating Pullman cars (a type of railroad car), factories, homes, and basically a ploy that trapped workers in the area. Workers would have their pay deducted if they lived in the town of Pullman. There were many issues with how the workers were being paid, which led to the Pullman Strike of 1894, to which George Pullman was criticized for his policies and experimentation of how he ran his company, town, and factory workers, and the Supreme Court ultimately ordered the Pullman Company to sell its non-industrial land holdings (no more controlling the workers!). The success of the company came back to fruition under the leadership of its next president, Robert Todd Lincoln. I had pictures and postcards from my time visiting the area, but if you happen to visit, please share what you learn / your photos!

There a lot of books, music, and movies that you can consume and learn from this upcoming month. I recently learned there is an audiobook of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous speeches and sermons, which would be a pretty neat experience to hear! If you are not sure what you would want to read/listen/watch, here are some options:

• Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• Beloved by Toni Morrison
• Blacktop Wasteland by S. A. Cosby
• By the Book by Jasmine Guillory
• Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
• Coming to America
• The Color Purple by Alice Walker
• A Dash of Salt and Pepper by Kosoko Jackson
• The Deep by Rivers Solomon
• Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley
• Go Tell It On The Mountain by James Baldwin
• Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead
• The Hate U Give
• Honey and Spice by Bolu Babalola
• Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
• Just Mercy
• Martin Luther King, Jr.: The Essential Box
• The Memory Librarian by Janelle Monae
• Moonlight
• Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave
• One Night in Miami
• Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
• Real Men Knit by K. M. Jackson
• Run by John Lewis
• The Unspoken by Ian K. Smith
• The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
• The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates 
• You Should See Me in a Crown  by Leah Johnson 

I know this blog post is a mesh of different ideas, but I finally graduated and I feel I am now back into the groove of blogging again. I would like to leave you with some fun links before I sign off:

• Temptations (the cat treats brand) released a series of fabulously purrfect reads featuring cats as the main characters. Check them out here!

• Book Riot released their annual Read Harder Challenge! I hope to finally tackle some of these fun book challenges this year, now that I do not have to read my homework anymore! :)

• Starbucks partnered with Oprah and is hosting a book club. The one for December featured Claire Keegan's Small Things Like These. It is a short book covering heavy topics, one that was gifted to me by a friend, so I hope to catch up on my reading and read it. The latest title is A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle. 

• Goodreads hosted their Goodreads Choice Awards last year, of which you can now see the winners, voted on by readers like you! A few of the currently nominated books that I want to read include:
• James by Percival Everett
• The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava
• A Touch of Chaos by Scarlett St. Clair (the last in a series!)
• Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier
• The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
• Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino

I wish you all the best this year! Happy early Valentine's Day! I hope you make time for yourself and treat yourself to a good cup of coffee/tea/hot chocolate and a good book. 

Photo by freestocks.org from Pexels

Happy Reading! :)

Happy New Year('s Eve)!

Hello my fellow bookworms, 

(c) Once Upon A Book Blog(ger) 2023

Wishing you a safe and happy New Year's Eve! May your year ahead be filled with many good books!

What are your book resolutions this year? This past year I read 48 books, for a total of 11,750 pages read. For 2024, I am going to keep my "Read 25 Books" resolution. I am going to aim to read a difficult book and a classic book. By the end of this year, I hope to be able to go back to reading in full force! :)

 

Here are my top 5 books from this year (in no particular order - this was a hard list for me this year!):

• An Elderly Lady Is Up To No Good by Helene Tursten
• Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon & Shana Knizhnik
• These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan
• Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
• Give Me A Sign by Anna Sortino
  

Here are 5 books I look forward to in 2024 (also in no particular order):

• A Touch of Chaos by Scarlett St. Clair
• Bride by Ali Hazelwood
• How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin
• A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur
• The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley
  

Here is some good book news for your new year:

• If you read my blog post from last month, Goodreads has announced their Goodreads Choice Awards for 2023! Did any of the books you voted for make the final cut?
  

• Cardinal Rule Press is looking for new realistic fiction books aimed at children, ages 4-11, that are representative, inclusive, and meaningful to publish! Picture book manuscripts can be up to 1,000 words and must be submitted as a PDF. Click here for more information.
  

• Book Riot has a reading log for their Read Harder Challenge that you can download and use to track your reading this year!
• If you want the actual list of challenges for 2024, check out the Read Harder Challenge here!
  

• There is a new bill introduced called the "Books Save Lives Act," that aims to counteract the book bans across the nation by classifying such bans as a federal civil rights violation. Check out the news article from HuffPost for more information.
  

• A nice act of kindness from James Patterson this winter, Mr. Patterson provided bonuses to 600 booksellers!

One more thing before the new year - did you know I have a Facebook page set up so you can now receive Facebook notifications when I post a new blog post? Check it out (and subscribe)!

Until next time - Happy Reading! Happy New Year! :)

Best of the Best Book Lists

Photo by Ioana Motoc from PexelsPhoto by Ioana Motoc: https://www.pexels.com/photo/sill-life-with-gingerbread-red-berries-and-old-books-lying-on-a-windowsill-19149211/

Hello my fellow bookworms!

How did the time go by so fast? We just had falling leavings and changing colors, and suddenly, SNOW. Ah! I am not ready for it, yet. At least, there are quite a few new cozy reads out to keep you company during the cold season?

Today I have some award winning and best of the year book lists for you!

• The National Book Awards
• According to the National Book Foundation's website:

"The National Book Awards were established in 1950 to celebrate the best writing in America. Since 1989, they have been overseen by the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to celebrate the best literature published in the United States, expand its audience, and ensure that books have a prominent place in our culture. Although other categories have been recognized in the past, the Awards currently honors the best Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature published each year."

• The winners for this year are:
• Fiction: Blackouts by Justin Torres
• Nonfiction: The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History by Ned Blackhawk
• Poetry: from unincorporated territory [åmot] by Craig Santos Perez
• Translated Literature: The Words That Remain by Stenio Gardel, Bruna Dantas Lobato
  
• Young People's Literature: A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat
  
• If you check out the award website, you can also see the finalists and various Longlists!
  

• The 2023 Booker Prize

According to The Booker Prizes website:


The Booker Prize is the leading literary award in the English speaking world, and has brought recognition, reward and readership to outstanding fiction for over five decades

Each year, the prize is awarded to what is, in the opinion of the judges, the best sustained work of fiction written in English and published in the UK and Ireland. It is a prize that transforms the winner’s career.

• The winner of the 2023 Booker Prize this year is: Prophet Songby Paul Lynch
• Check out the Booker Prize website to see the both the Shortlist and Longlist of book nominations!
   
• New York Times' 100 Notable Books of 2023
  

• Time's Best Books 2023 
  

• Book Riot's Best Books of 2023
• Check out their selections in science fiction, romance, nonfiction, mystery/thriller, horror, fiction, fantasy, comics, and children's books!

• Goodreads Choice Awards - you can still vote in these for about 2 more days! Check Goodreads in about a week or so to see the final results.
  

I am currently working on a project in my neighborhood that details the top 25 books the community has read. I was surprised by the amount of manga that made the list! I was not surprised that Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus was the #1 book, though! What was your favorite book this year? I still have some time left, so I will leave my choice until next time. ;)

Happy Reading!

What A Year - Happy New Year!

Photo by Jill Wellington from Pexels

Hello my fellow bookworms!

What a year it has been. I cannot believe today is the last day of 2022 - it feels like it just started! This year for me has been full of many, many changes. Some positive, others not, but overall, it was full of personal growth and I am definitely in a better place than I was last year.

Where to begin? Last year I aimed to read 25 books for the new year, as I am now in school (again). I was able to meet this goal, and I hope to do this again next year! My new job requires more reading, and hopefully I can challenge myself to read more outside of my preferred genres, so it is a good goal to keep all around. :) 

My books this year included a book for a formal book discussion (The Maid by Nita Prose) and a creepy recommended comic book series (Locke & Key by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez). The longest book was Crave by Tracy Wolff, totaling 592 pages! My average book length was 212 pages and my average star rating on Goodreads was 4.3 out of 5 stars. Here are my top 7 books from this year, in no particular order:

• The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea by Axie Oh
  
• Becoming Alpha by Aileen Erin
• Across the Desert by Dusti Bowling
• The Upside of Falling by Alex Light
• Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder by Valerie Burns
  
• The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller
• Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
  

Other goals I would like to achieve include participating in some sort of research for my degree / school, continue with my courses (and maybe even doing more than my current pace!), starting up a workout regimen, cut down on my materialistic spending (have to stop spending money on those unneeded purchases, including too much coffee!), and to perhaps open up an Etsy shop. This past month I hosted a craft class at my work with perler beads and had fun learning about the things I could do beyond the basics, including some book-related themes. If I can make it work, I will post the link for you guys to take a look!

Photo by Markus Winkler from Pexels

I would also like to brush up on my computer skills and learn new things, especially with the upgrades to Windows and everything else that keeps on updating. I just learned that Microsoft has a free "coding" program for those interested, called Microsoft MakeCode, which is a good start to understanding how code actually works and can be a basis for learning actual code! I hope to learn more coding for the upcoming makerspace that my local library is going to have this upcoming year. I cannot wait!

What are your goals for the upcoming year? Share them with me in the comments!

Before I leave you, I want to remind you to unite against book banning and support your local libraries and make a simple change by checking out this video here from author Dav Pilkey, creator of Captain Underpants!

Happy New Year and happy reading! :)

Happy All The Holidays!

Hello my fellow bookworms,

Happy Holidays to you and yours! We've entered that end-of-the-year holiday period, and can I say, I am already tired of the Christmas music that started the day after Halloween? It started so early this year! I suppose they are making up for last year, but I wish there was a break now and again.

Photo from BiljaST from Pixabay

That said, there are quite a few fun holiday-inspired links I have for you to view!

• If you are out and about buying books from an independent bookstore, you can receive a free audiobook from Libro.fm if you spend $15! This deal is until tomorrow (November 30th), but a free audiobook can be a fun book to listen to this winter season!
  

• Barnes & Noble has released signed editions of new books out for their Black Friday special this year. Check it out here and see if you want (or need) any for your own collection!
  

• Goodreads has opened voting for their Choice Awards 2021. If you missed the opening round, which ended yesterday, never fear, for the final round starts tomorrow. Vote now or forever hold your peace - until next year, that is.
  

• New York Times has released their list of 100 Notable Books of 2021. How many have you read? Amazon also has their list of the Best Books of the Year up. I will admit, while I have seen quite a few of these books listed, recommended, and on my to-read list, I have not read a single one (yet). I miss reading and have been very busy lately, but hope to catch up on reading during the upcoming holiday season! :)
  

• There are quite a few lists that recommend gifts for bookworms, but one new trend I have noticed in the recommendations is books with sprayed edges. These are so pretty! I have not seen them in stores, but they are up on Etsy for purchase. Take a look at this beautiful rendition of Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim (which I highly recommend!) There are even signed sprayed editions available on Etsy, such as this one of Defy the Night by Bridgid Kemmerer. Check them out before they're sold out!
  

• NOVL has some fun book quizzes for you to try out. Find out which badass YA heroine you are or find book recommendations based on how you like your potatoes. There are more quizzes here, if you are interested!

• Learn about a woman named Alicia Tapia, who rides a bicycle around her city, passing out books through her mobile bike library, Bibliobicicleta, in this story from the SF Gate. It is very inspiring! I may look into trying this for my city, as well!
  

• If the holiday season has made you feel like you are wasting wrapping paper, etc., take a look at Recyclebank's recommendations for audiobooks on sustainability. Recyclebank is a fun website that teaches you about recycling and even provides insight to recycling in your local area. (This is not sponsored - this is a recommendation from me, a person who likes to recycle when she can, just sharing a favorite website!)
  

• Out of Print is having a Cyber Monday sale (as is the rest of the world), but who else has nifty book-related items to buy? Etsy is another great place to shop for book-themed items!
  

• Netflix and Starbucks has teamed up for a new show that talks about book-to-screen adaptations. Hosted by Uzo Aduba, "But Have You Read the Book" is a show that brings stars and authors to the show, where they join the host at a Starbucks, and sit down for a cup of coffee and have a conversation about books and their adaptations. I have not watched it yet, but it debuted on Netflix on November 16th. If any of you have watched it, please let me know how it is!

Photo by Elf-Moondance from Pixabay

I have a new book to read and review. I have not gotten to it yet, but hopefully I can soon! This next year will be interesting, as I will be reading more textbooks than books for fun. I am excited for the holidays and days off, so I can rest and hopefully catch up on my reading! What are you guys excited for? Let me know in the comments.

Until next time - stay safe and happy reading!

Those End-of-Summer Days

Hello my fellow bookworms!

This summer has been flying by way too fast! Has it been the same for you? I feel like I haven't had a chance to just sit down and read a book, just fly from work to school application research and back!

I have not yet had the chance to sit down and read/write a review, so please take a look at the following bookish links I thought you would like to see:

• Peacock is going to have a Pride & Prejudice-themed dating show! They are taking applications for those interested, so test out your luck here! Maybe you'll find your Mr. Darcy!
  

• Harlequin is hosting a promotion with Postable where you can send out free cards to your friends! You can choose from romantic cards or happy birthday wishes. They send out pretty quick, too! 

  

  (c) 2021 Once Upon A Book Blog(ger)
  

  
  

• I love my local library, don't you? They have the cutest decorations and displays, along with the newest books!
  

• Have you gone on a summer vacation yet? Or are you one of the many where a vacation never seems to quite happen? Penguin House Books has a list of books to bring you on a summer adventure right from your own home/backyard. Barnes & Noble has a list of summer books, as well, to bring you outdoor adventures or new hobbies to explore. 
  

• If you have been following me long enough, I wrote my own post on traveling the United States with books! Goodreads has their own list of books from each state for this year, if you are interested.  
  

• 

  (c) 2021 Once Upon A Book Blog(ger)
  

  I also love random book sales when visiting large cities. It is so refreshing to see literature capturing all those who pass by, as well as those enthralled in the literature purchased!
  

• Everyone's lovable bear is getting a prequel! Winnie the Pooh has an authorized prequel called Once There Was A Bear, to be written by Jane Riordan, and illustrated by Mark Burgess. It will be in the style of the original author A. A. Milne. I was lucky enough to see the original Winnie the Pooh characters at the New York Public Library, which you can see here on my past blog post!
  

What have you been up to this summer? Have you been able to read any of the books you set out to read, or are you behind, as I am? I have quite a pile built up, so I hope in the upcoming month I can sit down and enjoy some "me" time! :)

 Current # of books read (out of my 50 book goal for the year): 19

Until next time - stay safe, enjoy the dog days of summer, and happy reading!

New Year, New Goals

Happy New Year 2018!

I hope everyone's year ahead will be filled with many great books, unless you are a writer, then both great books and plot lines!

If you do not know yet, my little blog has been published to the "Book Blogger List," a nifty website that allows authors and bloggers to come together via a blog directory. It has many great blogs listed and I am honored to be a part of the team! I can only hope that my posts are entertaining enough to help you find something you may be interested in reading. If you ever have any suggestions or questions, please do not hesitate to ask--comments are always greatly appreciated.

That said, a new year calls for new resolutions. Last year, my goal was to read 100 books. I tried to not count any manga or short stories, but it was tricky since Goodreads counts these towards your overall book count! From my own summarization, I read a total of 50 books, but according to Goodreads, the count came to a total of....*drumroll please* 79 books!


I never thought Goodreads could be as addictive and fun as it has come to be this past year. If you are interested in signing up for an account, you can do so here. You can even keep a private profile if you do not want to share statistics or use the account as a social media outlet. I like that Goodreads counts your books for you--with the option of showing how long you read each book/by rating/by year/etc. (so many statistics!). It also allows you to read and post reviews, join online book discussions and communities, sign up for chances to win Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) books, provide inspirational quotes, give book suggestions based on past books read, provides author biographies, and even allows you to "follow" authors to see when they release new material (or even see what they like to read)!

Anyway...as you can see I am quite the fan! But, even if you do not join in the fun, I implore you to set a goal of your own this year, whether it be in books, learning a new language, visiting some place you have never been before, or trying something new. Life is an adventure, and you only learn by doing! Even if sometimes, it is through the eyes of another person. :)

Let me know one of your New Year's resolutions below in the comments!