Library Happenings

 

Hello my fellow bookworms!

I hope you had a relaxing weekend and Thanksgiving holiday (for those who celebrated)! 

I was able to finally make a trip out to a library that is currently hosting a pirate exhibit, in conjunction with the local children's museum! It was so cool! There were pirate maps for children to use to explore the different hands on exhibits, areas to play, climb, and dress up like a pirate, hidden treasure, pirate books, and more. It was a very interactive experience that eventually led to a prize once the map was completed! For teens, there was a separate map used to interact with the different areas of the library, so teens would know who to talk to for different reasons in the future (e.g., reference, teen librarian, etc.). The whole experience is free, so families can come and play, learn, and enjoy themselves at their local (or not) library. Mixed into the fun are true facts about pirates and local history, as well, and the whole set is decorated for the holidays, too! Check out  some of my photos below:

Photo by A.P., (c) 2023 Once Upon A Book Blog(ger)

While the exhibit is only hosted until early next year, I cannot wait to see what this library will do in the future, as well as what other libraries are doing for programming. I will definitely keep an eye out going forward!

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Here are some fun things to do this December:

• Simon Teen's Riveted Lit has a promotion for December, one where you can read a new Young Adult book per day! Check it out tomorrow here.
  

• Are you looking for a fun and free activity that will get you outdoors this month? The website Geocaching is hosting a challenge this month to race to find as many geocaches as you can! But hurry - the event ends on December 5th!
  

• If you know anyone who is legally blind and can read braille, the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (part of the Library of Congress) is giving out a free braille book per month as part of their Braille on Demand program. Participants must be registered as part of the National Library Service, but other than that, they can join this fun program that helps spread the joy of reading. 
  

• If you cannot find time to read, but enjoy listening to podcasts, there is a podcast called Overdue that will summarize books for you! Think of it as the audiobook version of Cliff Notes. (Or you can always listen to the actual book - that is always fun to do while cleaning or baking during the holidays!)

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I hope you all have a fun and safe holiday season ahead, filled with much reading! Let me know what you are reading - I have a list of books I cannot wait to get to after I finish my last homework assignments for the semester. :) 

Until next time! Happy Reading and Happy Holidays!

Wishing You a Happy New Year

Good Afternoon Bookworms,

I hope you had a very happy holiday season so far!

(c) OnceUponABookBlog(ger) 2020

How did you do with Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge for 2020? I can tell you that I should have read harder, as I read only 7 out of the 24 categories this year. This year was hard for me to read actual books. Audiobooks were fun, as well as comics and graphic novels. What time I usually spent in transit reading was not there this year. I also started reading then stopped reading a few books. There were many other things going on that made it harder to read, but I hope with the new year, I can get back into the swing of things and buckle down and just read! Here are my final categories, with the categories read in bold:

1. Read a YA nonfiction book
2. Read a retelling of a classic of the canon, fairytale, or myth by an author of color
1. Snow White, an Islamic Tale by Fawzia Gilani-Williams 
   
3. Read a mystery where the victim(s) is not a woman
1. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
4. Read a graphic memoir
1. Almost American Girl by Robin Ha
2. They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, and Harmony Becker 
3. Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh
5. Read a book about a natural disaster
6. Read a play by an author of color and/or queer author
7. Read a historical fiction novel not set in WWII
8. Read an audiobook of poetry
9. Read the LAST book in a series
1. The Fiercest Joy by Shana Abé 
2. Imagine Me by Tahereh Mafi
10. Read a book that takes place in a rural setting
11. Read a debut novel by a queer author
12. Read a memoir by someone from a religious tradition (or lack of religious tradition) that is not your own
13. Read a food book about a cuisine you’ve never tried before
14. Read a romance starring a single parent
15. Read a book about climate change
16. Read a doorstopper (over 500 pages) published after 1950, written by a woman
17. Read a sci-fi/fantasy novella (under 120 pages)
18. Read a picture book with a human main character from a marginalized community 
1. Last Stop on Market Street by Matt De La Peña
19. Read a book by or about a refugee
20. Read a middle grade book that doesn’t take place in the U.S. or the UK 
1. Melody Finch by Ian Boyd and Gary Luck
21. Read a book with a main character or protagonist with a disability (fiction or non)
1. The Aosawa Murders by Riku Onda  
2. Almond by Won-Pyung Song
22. Read a horror book published by an indie press
23. Read an edition of a literary magazine (digital or physical)
24. Read a book in any genre by a Native, First Nations, or Indigenous author

If you tried reading harder this year, let me know what your favorite book was this year! If not, let me know anyway! If you want to try Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge for 2021, you can do so by clicking the link. If you happen to finish the entire list, you can receive 30% off of an order at Out of Print!

Happy last day of 2020! This year has been one wild ride. There is much to look forward to this upcoming year. I hope that by this time next year, we may be able to see each other in person once more. May you fill the new year with new adventures, books, accomplishments, and learning!

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Until next year! :)

Second Chance Sam: King of the Junkyard and Carol's Quest for Courage

Happy last day of November! Happy Thanksgiving! Happy (belated) black Friday! Happy holidays to everyone out there! 

Today I bring you two reviews from an author I had reviewed before: JoAnn Sky. For those who have not read the previous review (see here), Ms. Sky combines her love of books and rescue pups together to bring stories for children in her Santa's Dog series and also the new Second-Chance Sam, King of the Junkyard. A portion of the proceeds from these books goes towards Dogs & Books, an organization that supports animal rescue causes. Please check them out! Along with the books mentioned, the website also has dog related gifts for sale, which is great if you want to support a cause and give out something really neat for the holidays! (There is also a holiday promotion happening until December 14th, if you want a good gift and a discount!)

(c) Dogs and Books, JoAnn Sky, John Tatulli

Second-Chance Sam, King of the Junkyard is by JoAnn Sky and illustrated by John Tatulli. Please see below for their bios. This book is a super cute rhyming story for children. It teaches children about the older dogs who are sometimes not chosen at rescue shelters. But, luckily for our story, little Sam finally finds a home. This short story will definitely warm your heart and entertain your children. The writing is perfect and the illustrations are very colorful. I recommend this book for children 4 years and older.

(This book is so cute, my mom who is a preschool teacher is most likely going to swipe my advanced copy! :) )

(c) Dogs and Books, JoAnn Sky, Ed Koehler

Carol's Quest for Courage is also by JoAnn Sky, illustrated by Ed Koehler. This book is the sequel/second in the Santa's Dog series for children. Carol is a dog who loves to sing, leaves the North Pole on a quest to find a place to sing her heart out. Along the way, she meets a girl named Aly and finds a home where she can sing with her new family. A very colorful and lively book for Christmas, this story has more words than Second Chance Sam and is recommended for children around 5 years and older.

Please give these books a read, especially if you love dogs and/or have children! You will not be disappointed! If you are curious to learn more about the author or the illustrators, please check them out below. 

I hope you have a wonderful weekend and I will write again in December!  

(c) JoAnn Sky

About the author, JoAnn Sky (visit her website here):
JoAnn Sky is an award-winning author and two-time Golden Heart® finalist who writes children’s stories as well as young adult and adult contemporary romance. She’s combined her love of books and dogs in both her award-winning SANTA’S DOG series and SECOND CHANCE SAM series. She hopes you enjoy reading it as much as she has enjoyed creating it. Originally from the Midwest, JoAnn currently lives in northern Nevada with her family and three crazy rescue dogs.

(c) John Tatulli

About the Illustrator, John Tatulli (visit his website here):

John Tatulli is an American born Illustrator who could always draw.  He spent hours on end with his headphones on drawing whatever came to mind.  At a young age he specialized in Pen & Ink over pencil sketches mostly.  As he got older his work progressed into his love for Children's book art. Now his passion is creating emotionally striking illustrations and kid friendly artwork hoping one day to illustrate some of the original stories his Dad used to tell him before bed. When he isn't drawing and creating he is a family man who is happily married to his wife of 12 years.  They have a great Dog named Sasha and are on a mission to adopt their first child.  John is an avid Air soft player, enjoys disc golf and spends quiet time reading.

(c) Ed Koehler

About the Illustrator, Ed Koehler (visit his website here):
Ed Koehler is an illustrator specializing in fun, lively art for children's books and other products. His work has been published around the world and has received numerous awards. His expertise is in Christian publishing but his work extends to general interest, editorial, and cross-generational books and materials. He has designed and illustrated projects as varied as multi-media stage sets, environmental graphics for a large church youth center, and smart board Sunday School curriculum. He is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators and the St. Louis Artists Guild.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas to all those who celebrate and a very Happy Holidays to those who celebrate otherwise! Best wishes for you and your family for a happy and healthy holiday season.

Alice in Wonderland Zoolights, (c) Once Upon A Book Blog(ger)

'Tis the season for grabbing your favorite coffee or tea and picking up a good book and just relaaaaaaax. The best part of the season is when all is said and done, and you have a few moments to yourself to just unwind.

The Last Bookstore, Photo by V.P.

That said, I hope to have one or two reviews done after the holidays are finished with this week. In the meantime, please enjoy the photos from a friend of mine who recently visited The Last Bookstore, a really cool book and record store out in Los Angeles!

Tunnel of Books, The Last Bookstore, Photo by V.P.

Home to the most artistic book displays, back-to-back events, and a great selection of books, The Last Bookstore is a must if you are ever in the LA area. They buy, sell, and trade, so you will always find something new in stock. They also have a yarn shop and art gallery above the store that will add to your visit experience. If you are interested in learning more, please visit this independent bookstore online at their website here.

Books and books, The Last Bookstore, Photo by V.P.

Happy reading! Let me know what's on your holiday reading list in the comments. :)

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas to all - thank you for visiting my blog! Happy Holidays!

I will write again soon for the new year. :)