National Poetry Month + May Bookish Updates!

Hello my fellow bookworms!

I hope you are all doing well. This past month was (technically still is) National Poetry Month and this upcoming month is Asian/Pacific Islander American Heritage Month! 

To celebrate poetry this month, I took part in a book circle for Joan Naviyuk Kane's most recent book of poetry, Dark Traffic. Ms. Kane is an American Inupiaq poet and novelist, whose work explores the experiences, perspectives, and identities of American Indigenous peoples. Having not been part of a book circle for a long while, I thought it was a fun, virtual experience. If you would like to have some insight on her poems, there is a video on YouTube from Poets House, which has Ms. Kane reading her poems from her various published works.

Here is some book related news and links for you to enjoy:

• If you are looking for books to read for May, try these links: PBS' list of children's books, Epic Reads' Young Adult List, and Penguin Random House's (Adult Book) List for books to celebrate Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month

• World Press Freedom Day is coming up this May 3rd! UNESCO is the leading UN agency for education and is hosting a "Journalism under Digital Siege" conference in honor of World Press Freedom Day, that you can join online (click here for more information). As UNESCO states, May 3rd "acts as a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom and is also a day of reflection among media professionals about issues of press freedom and professional ethics. Just as importantly, World Press Freedom Day is a day of support for media which are targets for the restraint, or abolition, of press freedom. It is also a day of remembrance for those journalists who lost their lives in pursuit of a story" (UNESCO, 2022).
  

• A little late in passing on the information, but if you are currently working on either a horror/thriller or crime/mystery novel and have the first chapter already written, you can submit it for possible publication and a cash prize from Uncharted! See more details here.

• More and more institutions are banning books deemed unfit for our youth today. Institutions such as the New York Public Library (NYPL) is making it an initiative to provide copies of the banned books to all who request them - free of wait times and fines! The NYPL stands by the right to read freely, and you can too, by reading into their initiative here. 

• If you live in the Toronto area, Happily Ever After Books, a bookstore for romantics, will be popping up over the Toronto region throughout the year! If you visit, let me know how it is. Otherwise, you can visit them online, too!

•  If you are into Bram Stoker's Dracula, you can meet up with other enthusiasts at the Whitby Abbey in Whitby, England on May 25, 2022. According to CNN, everyone joining will attempt to beat the record to have the largest gathering of people dressed as vampires. Why this date? It celebrates the 125 anniversary of Dracula, of course!
  

Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels

I have some book-related plans coming up for the summer, but I will post about it after more details are finalized. What are your plans for this spring/summer? Are there any new books you are looking forward to or are on your To Be Read list? Let me know in the comments! :)

Happy Reading!

April Showers Bring May Flowers?

Or snow. Lots of snow. Let's hope May really does bring lots of flowers! :)

(c) Thought Catalog, Pixels.com

Hello world! What books have you been reading lately?

I've been a bit busy with work and have been going back and forth between reading fast items (i.e. graphic novels) and slowly reading actual novels. Makes me wish that one of the "Short Story Stations" that the company Short Edition created were close to me! These machines are basically vending machines that randomly print out short stories for your commute - based on the length (of your trip) you input! One of these lovely machines is now offered at London's Canary Wharf. I know where I am visiting when I go to London. I would like to try and read all the stories offered! If you are interested in more of the story, please visit the Smithsonian's article here.

In other news...

Have you heard the tea on #CopyPasteCris? The story goes that Brazilian "author" Cristiane Serruya has a tendency to take pieces of books she likes and Frankenstein them together to "create" a novel of her own. Although, if it is not your words, it is really not your own work, now is it? If you cannot get away with it in high school, why do you think you can in the real world? Many different authors and readers have been keeping tabs on Cris, have reported her, and repeatedly called her out. Cris blames the ghostwriters she states she hires to help her write the books for the copying and pasting of good writing, but if the tally is over 40 authors plagiarized and people are now using your name as a meme online, I think I would stop while I was ahead, don't you? Nope, Cris continues to borrow from works she likes, to the point where people are using the hashtag to call her out and even compare the original works to the plagiarized works! The best part of all this? Besides being caught and called out repeatedly on this, Nora Roberts (whose works have been copied multiple times by Cris) is now suing her. Other authors have praised Nora and now we are all eager to see how this plays out. It's not nice to steal, but it is nice to see some justice being served.

Since it is supposed to be spring (maybe it is by you, but I'm still being pelted with cold rain and snow!), I have been listening and reading up on cleaning tips. Marie Kondo's manga The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up is a very cutesy story that also inspires and shows you how to tidy up. It is a different mindset than what I am used to, but Marie has a cleaning style that makes you think about what is really important in your life. I do not recommend going crazy binge cleaning after watching one of her shows or reading one of her books. I heard there was a lot of regret earlier this year, when everyone was Marie Kondo-cleaning. I think the different styles of cleaning are all fun to learn about, especially minimalism (which I don't think I could ever do, my natural tendencies are not made for that lifestyle), and you should figure out a style that matches your lifestyle. I'm not sure what it is about these types of self-help and lifestyle books and videos, but they are so motivating!

Speaking of lifestyle, I am in love with the public library. Not specifically my public library, but all of them, in general. The one I really love and wish I could live close to is the New York Public Library. Not only do New Yorkers receive free access to all the cool and hip museums in New York with only their library card (why doesn't my city do this?!), but they also now have bookmobiles that will come and visit neighborhoods whose libraries are currently undergoing renovation. Considering my neighborhood library is currently under renovation, I am just a bit jealous and much more curious as to how many books can fit in the vehicle and how many books of each genre is in it. If you are interested in learning more about New York's latest library offering, you can see more information on their website here.

I shall leave you with a couple of things you can do for fun! You can see what the best-selling book was for the year you were born here, thanks to Wordery, your online bookshop. Or, in honor of Earth Day this month, you can read up on recycling tips on Recyclebank, an online resource that allows you to learn about the different recycling opportunities in your neighborhood, the processes through which different objects are recycled, upcycling crafts, how to properly recycle and compost, and more. You can even earn points while learning to receive a free magazine or two (bonus!).

Let me know what you think about this post, other book news, or books in general in the comments. Happy reading! :)

New York, New York!

This week I would like to feature the lovely New York Public Library (a.k.a. the NYPL), as featured in many movies and TV shows, such as Ghostbusters and Once Upon A Time. Of course, there are many libraries in New York (92 to be exact, located in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island - per the NYPL's website), but this is the BIG one! I love visiting here, as it has such beautiful architecture, history, and personality. It was also declared a national historical landmark and also a New York City landmark.

Original Winnie the Pooh set! (So cute!)

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. These collections include an original copy of the Declaration of Independence handwritten by Thomas Jefferson, Virginia Woolf's walking stick, and Maya Angelou's archives! (www.nypl.org, At A Glance fact sheet)

New York Public Library - Front View

The front of the main branch is impressive. It beckons you to come in and wander around, get lost in a book. Two lions guard the northern and southern entrances. Their names have changed over the years, but as of the 1930's, they are known as Patience and Fortitude, for "the qualities [Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia] felt New Yorkers would need to survive the economic depression." (www.nypl.org) These figures have been implemented as the library's mascots, as shown in the library's logo.

New York Public Library - Fifth Avenue Fountain

Here is fountain that is in front of the main entrance on Fifth Avenue. This fountain and its partner are the work of Frederick MacMonnies. Fun Fact: He created a piece titled American Monument that was a commissioned gift to the people of France in exchange for the Statue of Liberty! (www.nypl.org) The fountain was not on at the present, as it is currently undergoing restorations. It is a lot smaller than Once Upon A Time leads you to believe, but nonetheless, beautiful!

Rose Main Reading Room famed ceiling mural

Rose Main Reading Room (shhh, people at work)

The Rose Main Reading Room reopened in the Fall of 2016, so I was able to capture a few shoots of the beautiful restorations! The ceiling mural, bookshelves, and sitting room is a real life version of Belle's library from Beauty and the Beast! You are not allowed to take photos of the entire space, as people are actually studying, reading, and doing work, but there are sections allotted for tourists and library enthusiasts to take photos and marvel at the intricacy of the design.

Bookshelves to envy! So many books to discover!

What is your favorite library to explore or that you have visited? Let me know in the comments, or feel free to send me an email! 

As Taylor Swift sang, "Welcome to New York, it's been waiting for you!"

Current # of books read: 34
Currently reading: Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo