Happy Halloween and National Book Month Bookworms!

Happy Halloween my fellow bookworms!

I hope that wherever you are, you are having fun and are safe, enjoying the holiday and all it has to offer. 

Photo by Kaboompics.com from Pexels

I am at that point in school where I am almost finished! I hope to go back to book reviews soon. :)

Happy National Book Month, too! October is the month that promotes the importance of reading, writing, and literature - although you probably celebrate this all year long, anyway!

In the meantime, I would like to share some book news with you:

• LibraryTok is a community of librarian creators who utilize the social media platform in order to show behind the scenes of what happens at the library. How cool is that?! 

• Banned Books week has passed in September, but October 19th was Freedom to Read Day of Action. It was one more day to tell our local government to stop censorship and to help back libraries all over the United States. 
• Even though that day has passed, as well, you can still celebrate the joy of reading in many other ways! Check out these really cool nail artists, as seen on the nail polish newsletter from Holo Taco, and their book nail art!



(c) Holo Taco & @silieol_nails, 2024



(c) Holo Taco & @nailswithmemaw, 2024



(c) Holo Taco & @0716shivi, 2024

• Other ways you can help your local libraries include:
• Get a library card 
• And use it!
• Talk to your friends and family
• Use your library! 
• There are so many events to attend and items to check out, go see what is new!
• Join your Friends of the Library Organization 
• A non-profit organization that helps your local library with book sales and funding programs!
• Donate to your local library
• Volunteer at your local library
• a.k.a. donate your time!
• Use social media to spread awareness of book banning and censorship, in addition to talking about how great your library is!

• Some cool, new adaptations are in the works, including:
• Meg Cabot's Princess Diaries will get a third movie
• A Netflix Pride and Prejudice series
• Frieda McFadden's The Housemaid will have a movie adaptation
• Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart will have a television adaptation
• Rebecca F. Kuang's Yellowface has been optioned for a series adaptation

• Pizza Hut gave out 1 million free pizzas to readers to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Book It! Program. I loved this program as a child! I am so happy that it continues to bring happiness to other children (and free pizza, too)!

• With the U.S. election day on the horizon, you may feel overwhelmed. A great escape is to look for geocaches! Geocaching is an outdoor treasure hunt that uses a GPS or app on your phone to find hidden containers called "geocaches." You can even hide one yourself! Check out this nifty blog post by Cache Advance to see how geocaching can help you find a little relief from everyday stress. 

That is all I have for now. This year has gone by very quickly and busily. What is something you look forward to next month? I look forward to new movies and the beautiful fall weather.

Until next time bookworms! Happy Reading!

Happy Halloween Bookworms!

Photo by Olia Danilevich from PexelsPhoto by olia danilevich: https://www.pexels.com/photo/halloween-cookies-5471990/Photo by olia danilevich: https://www.pexels.com/photo/halloween-cookies-5471990/

Happy Halloween my fellow bookworms!

Hope you are keeping warm and not stuck in the snow, like I was today! This past month was a blur of activity, so this will be a short post this round. Here is some book news for you:

• November is NaNoWriMo! Short for National Novel Writing Month, authors and aspiring authors are challenging themselves to write an entire novel this month. There are many events you can check out, including at your local library, where you can meet others challenging themselves and sit and write together! It is an inspiring movement, and while this year is a bit crazy for me, I hope to be a part of the movement next year! If you are interested in more information, please check out the official NaNoWriMo website.

• Although Banned Books Week is over, you can still be part of the movement by talking to your local politicians and utilizing and advocating your local library. You can also check out the New York Public Library's Banned Books for All campaign for teens, where you can find a toolkit, events, and access to challenged books to read for free!
  

• 

  Photo by cottonbro studio from Pexels
  

  The National Book Award Finalists were announced for 2023. As mentioned on the National
  Book Foundation website:
• "Publishers submitted a total of 1,931 books for this year’s National Book Awards: 496 in Fiction, 638 in Nonfiction, 295 in Poetry, 154 in Translated Literature, and 348 in Young People’s Literature. Judges’ decisions are made independently of the National Book Foundation staff and Board of Directors, and deliberations are strictly confidential."
• The winners will be announced on November 15th! 
  

• What have you been reading lately? Bookshop.org released their list of the Best Books of 2023. I'm sure there will be many more lists before the end of the year, but if you want to squeeze some more reading in before then, this could help re-jump start your list!
   

Until next time - Happy Reading! :)

Happy Halloween! =^. .^=

Photo by Lucie Liz from Pexels

Happy Halloween my fellow bookworms!

Where has the time gone? It seems that October has flown by in the blink of an eye, and amongst all the fun fall festivities comes November and the time change! If you are in the U.S., be sure to remember to set your clocks back an hour next Sunday. (I could use the extra hour this week!)

I want to share some book tips, news, and links with you:

• Looking for a fun, yet creepy, game to play to celebrate the spooky season and get a fun book recommendation? Try the Tor/Forge Blog game Escape the Haunted Library! Can you get all the endings and recommendations? (Tip: It may be helpful to use a pen and paper to write down the codes!)
  

• Take a look at the Smithsonian's Things That Scare Us online exhibit for some spooky collection items that you can go visit in person.
  

• Uncharted Magazine is once again hosting a contest to publish a novel written by aspiring authors! Submit your novel by tomorrow (deadline is October 31st) and see if your writing becomes the next Uncharted novel! Click on the link for more details and submission information.
  

• Harlequin is hosting a mentorship program for aspiring romance writers! Interested? Check out the details here. Set a timer, because applications open on January 1, 2023!
  

• Did you know that librarians like to use Booklist to help choose the newest books? There may be a patron-version of the magazine at your local library, free for you to view! (I know there is at mine!)
  

• If you like to take notes while reading, but hate writing in the margins of your pages, Post-It came out with transparent Post-It Notes!
  

• NaNoWriMo is almost upon us! "NaNoWriMo" stands for "National Novel Writing Month" when writers challenge themselves to write an entire novel in one month. Many libraries are participating by hosting places for people to sit down and write with others. If that is not your cup of tea, Book Riot has some treats to inspire you to participate!
  

• Amongst all the book bans taking place, you can take part in preventing this in your area by establishing a Book Sanctuary. The Chicago Public Library has a website hosted with information and how you can take part in this call to action! 

 I will be wearing my Halloween costume to my local library tomorrow. What are you guys wearing and reading to celebrate? Let me know in the comments!

I hope you all have a fun, safe, and spooky Halloween day! Happy reading!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! (c) Once Upon A Book Blog(ger)

Happy Halloween my fellow bookworms!

I hope you have been able to enjoy in all the fun fall festivities and new books that are out! I wanted to mention that I will be going back to school, so I will be busy starting next year, and I am not sure on how often I can do book reviews. I will continue to post monthly and try to add new book news or information I find out for you to read.

 That said, I do have some bookish news for you:

• This past month was  Latinx and Hispanic Heritage Month. If you would like some book recommendations celebrating Latinx and Hispanic authors, Penguin Random House has a book list titled I Am La Cultura.

• The original Poohsticks Bridge, from A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh books is up for auction. If you really love
  Winnie the Pooh, you can fulfill a childhood dream of booking a stay at the Bearbnb, or Winnie the Pooh's tree house. If it were not so far away, I would book my vacation today!
  

• All of the winter holiday items are already in the stores or making their way in. If you want to start your holiday shopping early, Barnes & Noble recently released their Best Books of the Year 2021 list.
  

• If you haven't been able to visit a museum or see some autumn-themed art, the Smithsonian has an online "Autumn Views" exhibition for you.
  

• Google has released a virtual tour titled "Walk the Great Wall [of China]," a fun new online feature mixing culture and technology. You can view beautiful photos of the Great Wall, read up on the history, and even "hike" the wall in 360 degrees.
  

• How cool is this Ikea setup? It would be fun to have a similar set up at home, but it did make browsing new furniture more fun. 

(c) Once Upon A Book Blog(ger)

(c) Once Upon A Book Blog(ger)

• There is a young adult novel that inspired Hayao Miyazaki to come out of retirement. He will be creating a film about his favorite childhood book, How Do You Live? by Yoshino Genzaburo. You can now read it, as it has been translated into English, and is available for purchase from bookstores, Amazon, wherever you buy books from! The movie is slated for release in 2023. You can read an article with more information from Publishers Weekly here.

• Another new movie coming out based on a young adult novel is based on the series Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. I have read the series and read the graphic novels. I am very interested to see how the film turns out, and whether or not there will be sequels! Yahoo News has information on the cast and more.

I will have more news next month. This month went by way too fast!  I have a few books on my to-read plate, including: No Words by Meg Cabot, Lakesedgeby Lyndall Clipstone, Once Upon A Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber, and The Raven Heir by Stephanie Burgis. Let me know what you guys are reading in the comments!

Until next time! Stay spooky! :)

Happy Halloween!

(c) Ylanite Koppens, Pexels

Happy Halloween! Are you in an area where you have snow today? So cold and such odd weather! I remember Halloween always being cold, but I don't ever remember snow! One good thing is the fact that it is weather you can settle down with, read a good book, and drink a good cup of coffee (or tea). :)




I have a few more random book updates for you, which may be of interested if you like to travel:

• There is a Free Little Library in Mize, Mississippi is designed to look like Doctor Who's TARDIS. (How cute!)
• The Book Fairies strike again, this time in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, leaving free books for Banned Books Week - including copies of Harry Potter!
• The New York Public Library has again found an innovative way to have more people read. They have posted classic novels on Instagram for you to read for free. FULL novels. The project is called Insta Novels, makes it super easy to read on the run. You can read to your hearts content, but make sure you have a good internet source - no one likes unnecessary cliffhangers.
• Speaking of New York, although this is part of a fictional universe, if you are a fan of Marvel / Spiderman, take a moment to read The Daily Bugle, now online!
• Flotsam, California has a book vending machine for an elementary school. Students who show acts of kindness and are "caught in the act" are rewarded with special tokens to use for the book vending machine to buy a new book for themselves. We could use more of these around!
• Mark Twain's original signature was found in a cave in Hannibal, Missouri. You can visit the cave made popular by The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and see if you can spot where Sam Clemens signed his name, too.
• For those who love romance, but do not know what to read next, try this Book Finder book search by Smart Bitches. I have to say, it is pretty fun to see what comes up and what you have not read yet. ;) 
• For those who love those online book scavenger hunts, the New Adult Winter Scavenger Hunt will be here soon enough! The game will start again towards the end of December. What is "new adult"? It is the genre of books for the (rough) ages of 18-25, with topics that touch upon more mature topics than your typical young adult books and may contain sex scenes. Think books from authors such as Sarah J. Maas (i.e. A Court of Thorns and Roses).

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I also wanted to share some bonus photos from the graphic novel The Last Amazon, because so much work went into the project, I just want to share it with you, fellow readers! Just as a refresher from my last post, The Last Amazon is an indie graphic novel from Apotheosis Studios by author Jamison Stone, illustrator David Granjo, and supporting artist Carlos Cardona. You can buy a copy on their website here (it's currently on sale!).

The Last Amazon (c) Apotheosis Studios

The Last Amazon (c) Apotheosis Studios

The Last Amazon (c) Apotheosis Studios

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(c) Valeriia Miller, Pexels

I have a couple new books for children to review that look to be great presents for the holiday season. Keep a lookout for more to come!

Stay warm and stay safe today, whether it is trick or treating, going to a party, or just relaxing and watching a scary movie. Until next time!

Happy Halloween!

Photo courtesy of @rawpixel from Unsplash.com

Hello fellow bookworms!

Long time, no post. The fall season is upon us and this month I was preparing my costume for a Halloween parade. It took sewing, a lot of searching, some creativity, and some arts and crafts. Any guesses on my costume this year? I will give you a hint, she is also a bookworm, there is a rose, she will meet prince charming and she won't discover that it's him until Chapter 3!

Did you guess it?

Yes, this year I went as Belle! In full hoop skirt and full-of-ruffles satin dress. I have to admit, it was a bit harder to move than I thought it would be. But, it was fun to dress up. I had a hand-sewed cape (thank you mom!) and a hand-made Beauty and the Beast light-up bag! Are any of you dressing up this year? Send me a comment with your costume photos or costume ideas! :) 

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Here is some real life Halloween news for you: A scientist performing research with a team in Antarctica had a little too much time on his hands with his partner. Given that they were in a pretty remote area, it makes sense that the pair would pass the time reading books. However, one of the scientists liked to ruin the endings of the books before his partner could finish the story. (Rude.) This led to his partner becoming angry and stabbing his former friend! He is now in custody for attempted murder, while his partner is recovering and probably still ruining endings for others. See more of the story here, via New York Post.

Moral of the story: Spending a lot of time with people can lead to pent up emotions. Don't ruin the endings of books for others and refrain from hurting others who do!

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--> As for my book reviews, my inbox has been flooded with requests. If you sent me a request and I haven't gotten to it yet, I hope to soon!