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!

April Rains...New Books!

Hello my fellow bookworms,

(c) 2022 Kristen Ciccarelli, St. Martin's Publishing Group

This past month has gone by too fast! And though the weather has been a bit crazy for me, going from warm 60 to 70 degree weather back down to the 30's with snow, there have been quite a few new books, shows, and movies coming out to keep us all occupied. 

I recently devoured the new book Edgewood by Kristen Ciccarelli. Wow, what a ride! This book is technically for young adults, but has older themes, along with fairies, magic, a witch, a curse, and romance. I really enjoyed reading this book, so much that I read it in under a day! It reminded me of the older fairy tales, the ones that teach a lesson and do not always end perfectly and happily (though this story has a happy ending). It was a fun, fresh breath of air for me, who has been reading schoolwork non-stop these past few months. Thank you spring break! :)

That said, I have a book of poetry that I will read before joining my school's book club session this month. We are reading Dark Traffic by Joan Naviyuk Kane. Once I dive into it, I'll be sure to mention my thoughts on the book in next month's post!

I did find some fun book links to share with you in the meantime:

• For those of you who are Jane Austen fans, particularly the 1995 BBC version of Pride and Prejudice, you can now visit Jane Austen's Home and get an up close viewing of Mr. Darcy's white shirt from the lake scene (you know the one!). There will be other pieces of clothing from Austen movies, as well. The exhibit, titled Jane Austen Undressed, will run until October 2, 2022. If you end up going, please share pictures of your visit! If you cannot make the in-person exhibit, they do offer a virtual online version of the exhibition to enjoy from home!

• Though this is technically not a book link, if you are feeling in need of a good scare, there is a YouTube channel that is currently posting free horror movies for your viewing. There are new movies uploaded weekly.
  

• If you have been following the Netflix series Bridgerton, you can celebrate your viewing with some tea inspired by the book series/show from Republic of Tea! They even have the books that inspired both season available for sale. 
  

• If you are interested in writing romance, Harlequin is offering scholarships to encourage more diverse voices in romance novels. 
  

• If you are in need of some inspiration, check out this inspiring talk about How To Let Your Light Shine Bright by Lisa Nichols, hosted by Goalcast! I was introduced to this talk, as well as quite a few other motivating videos, from my school's career center. You should also check out her books here!
  

What have you been reading lately? Let me know in the comments! 

Until next time, 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.  
  

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  (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!