Happy Wednesday!

Happy Wednesday my fellow bookworms!

 

Spring is in the air and new books are on their way! I have a fantastic book to review, but I am not done reading it yet, so please expect it soon. The book is called Hope City by Neil Perry Gordon, a historical fiction novel that has quite the adventure, including venturing into the goldfields of Alaska!

In the meantime, I have some fun book news for you:

• If you are an author, or aspiring author, of young adult works, you can pitch a book in the 2021 Book-Pitch Contest by Voyage, A Young Adult Literary Journal! You need a query letter, a synopsis of your story, a one-page sample, information about where you are in your story project to join, and a $20 (USD) reading fee per entry. A grand prize winner will win $2,000 (USD) plus a book mentorship with YA author Kylie Schachte (author of You're Next, mentorship is worth $2,500), and publication of your story 

• If  you are like me and miss traveling and visiting museums, the Louvre just released more than 480,000 works of art online to the public. You can search for specific art pieces, or just browse with some music in the background. You can always add sounds of people grumbling and taking photos if you really miss that museum experience!

• Has anyone been keeping up with all the new adaptions of books to movies/TV shows? I am excited for the new Netflix adaption of Shadow and Bone (releasing April 25th)! I did like the adaptation of Diana Wynne Jones' Earwig and the Witch, which is currently on HBO Max. I borrowed the audiobook from the library and am curious to see how close the adaptation is to the book. Being the last book Ms. Jones had written, I am a bit sad and hesitant to read it. But, I loved Howl's Moving Castle (another Studio Ghibli film!), so I cannot wait to dive in!
  

• Penguin Random House has a promotion right now, called Read to Sleep, that helps you find books to read yourself to sleep. The idea is to explore books that allow you to escape from the real world, to allow you to better relax and dose off to sleep. I have a hard time reading to sleep, since I usually just stay up til the early hours of the morning to finish the book at hand! They are also hosting a giveaway, so try your hand at winning a new mattress and 25 books of your choice!

Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels

I am sorry I don't have more to talk about this month! It has been a crazy time, as I have been trying to get vaccinated for COVID-19. I was lucky enough to receive my first of two doses this past week, which I am very happy and thankful for! I cannot wait until I can read in the forest, in a park, or on a beach again.

I hope you all stay safe. Until next time. Happy reading!

Escape with me!

Hello my fellow bookworms!

I've been trying to catch up on reading, but it is proving harder to do once confined. So, in order to boost my mood, I am trying other distractions in my time off from working from home. Here are a  few escapist links to try that I think are fun and engaging!

Photo by Gabriela Palai from Pexels

The Escape Game is hosting an online Field Trip escape the museum with the Smithsonian! I found this to be a fun adventure, and it is suitable for children. You are at the Smithsonian museum on a field trip and have lost your class! Navigate through the exhibits, find answers to clues, and figure out where your class is, so you can go back home on the bus!

The Peters Township Library, located in McMurray, Pennsylvania, created a digital Harry Potter escape room! Thank you to Sydney Krawiec, the creator of this fun online experience! :) 

If you are into the reboot of Carmen Sandiego, or are a fan from the old cartoon / game show / computer games, you will probably get a kick out of the Google (partnered with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) game Where on Google Earth is Carmen Sandiego? If you are playing by computer, you must play in Google Chrome, as the game platform is in Google Earth. You can also play via Android or iOS. After following a series of clues, traveling around the world, and learning some history, you can help ACME find Carmen and save the day!

Photo by Element5 Digital from Pexels

Woodwind & Brasswind are hosting daily live streams for musicians. You can take a look at their schedule here, but note that the times posted are EST. You can brush up on your music education or listen in for online concerts!

Photo by Felix Mittermeier from Pexels

Take a look at the night sky with Google and the National Park Service, which has a beautiful view of Bryce Canyon in Utah. See if you can find constellations, learn a bit about the heavens, and when you are done, you can continue exploring four other national parks.

If you are looking for more options for live streams of the Northern Lights, the beach, or wild animals, take a look at Explore.org's live cameras. With contributions from all over the world, you can see the Northern Lights in Canada, wildlife in Africa, bears in Alaska, eagles in Iowa, to puppies, kitties, aquariums, and more!

Photo by Element5 Digital from Pexels

The Young Adult Scavenger Hunt will begin on Tuesday! From Tuesday, March 31st through Sunday, April 5th, you can participate on one or multiple teams of young adult authors, read through their blogs, find out about new books, and enter in to win prizes! This year, all the prizes are digital, so if you win, there is no wait time to read your reward!

Happy escaping, happy reading, and stay healthy! :)

Happy 2020!

Hello Fellow Bookworms,

Can you believe we have reached another new year, another new decade? There were so many good books this past decade, and there are so many good books still to come!

Have you heard of Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge? The original post, posted in 2015, is continuing into its sixth year in 2020, with a list intended to challenge the way you read and guide you to read outside of your norm. As an added bonus, if you are able to complete the list before next December 31st, you can snag a 30% coupon off an order at Out of Print!

Want to try out the challenge with me? Here is the list:

1. Read a YA nonfiction book
2. Read a retelling of a classic of the canon, fairytale, or myth by an author of color
3. Read a mystery where the victim(s) is not a woman
4. Read a graphic memoir
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
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
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
21. Read a book with a main character or protagonist with a disability (fiction or non)
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

(c) Once Upon A Book Blog(ger) 2019

Did you end up completing any resolutions? I find it is really hard for me to continuously complete a task and must shake things up every now and again to keep the task interesting (i.e. workout more --> go outside, hike, bike, parkour, etc.). Thinking it over, while not keeping to what I originally wanted for myself in the beginning of this year, I think this year has brought much perspective that I can use in 2020.

Thank you all for staying with me and this blog, which was once a resolution of mine! I wish you all the very best for the upcoming year and upcoming decade! May you stay curious, stay kind, love yourself, love others, travel, and experience the world - whether it be in book form or not. As Walt Disney once said, "Keep moving forward."

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P.S. I am currently in between a middle school/young adult fantasy book and do not want to rush a review post, so look out for another book review soon! :)