Let's Take a Moment

Hello fellow bookworms!

I hope you are all safe and healthy. 2020 has been a crazy and traumatic year. We are going through a pandemic, have murder hornets flying around, 17 year old cicadas digging up from under the ground, had a brush with UFO's, have had a devastating fire in Australia, and much more.

This month I would like to give coverage to those who normally do not receive it. As many people and institutions have been saying this past week, we cannot change the past, but we can change the future. We can learn from our mistakes and help fight systematic racism. We can push for a better, more inclusive, community. This is a time to listen, and a time for change.

Please take a look at these books, videos, podcasts, and links to help brush up on your anti-racism, encourage your acceptance and inclusion, give voice to people of color, and also give voice to those in celebration of Pride Month. This is not an inclusive list, but it is a start:

• Antiracist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi, illustrated by Ashley Lukashevsky

• The Day Your Begin by  Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Rafael Lope

• The Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña, illustrated by Christian Robinson

• Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

• How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

• The Lies We Tell Ourselves by  Robin Talley

• Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo

• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

• All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson 

• Something Happened in Our Town: A Child's Story about Racial Injustice by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, and Ann Hazzard, illustrated by Jennifer Zivoin

• The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Rafael López

• Passage West by Rishi Reddi

• American as Paneer Pie by Supriya Kelkar 

• Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia  

• This Is One Way to Dance by Sejal Shah

• American Harvest by Marie Mutsuki Mockett
  

• The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

• Let's Talk About Love by Claire Kann

• Music From Another World by Robin Talley

• Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

• Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

• Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker

• The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

• Wow, No Thank You. Essays by Samantha Irby

• The Weight of the Stars by K. Ancrum 

• The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar

• Romancing the Inventor by Gail Carriger (I really love this author, give her books a try! Also, check out her social media accounts, there are a lot of fun links and extras she likes to share!)

• All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens throughout the Ages by Saundra Mitchell

• I'll Be the One by Lyla Lee
  

• Zakiya is a molecular biologist and Titi is a materials scientist and engineer. Together they create Dope Labs, a podcast tackling science and trending topics in a fun fashion. These two intelligent women bring on experts and have transcripts of their shows for those of you who like to read while you listen.

• HEY YA! is a young adult book podcast that touches on the topics of the day. There have been quite a few podcasts on queer books, as well as a recent one on anti-racism. 

• Penguin Teen has a thread of black BookTubers you should be following - check them out here! 

• Warner Brothers is sponsoring a free showing of the film Just Mercy online. 

• If you are looking to donate, Sarah Kamya has begun a fundraiser project titled the Little Free Diverse Library Project, where she purchases books by Black authors and from Black-owned bookstores, when possible. She has been flooding the Little Free Libraries in her hometown of Arlington, Massachusetts, neighboring communities, as well as sending books to her friends to add to their communities. What a great idea to share such wonderful books! You can help by sending her books to share here.

• The Anti-Racist Starter Pack: 40 TV Series, Documentaries, Movies, TED Talks, and Books to Add to Your List by Brea Baker of Parade

• Looking for books about racism? Experts suggest these must-read titles for adults and kids by Anika Reed and Hannah Yasharoff of USA Today

• Anti-Racism Graphic Novels Reading & Resources List by Charles Brownstein of Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF)

• The National Museum of African American History & Culture's resources on Talking About Race

• An Anti-Racist Reading List: 20 Highly Rated Non-Fiction Books by Black Authors by Sharon of Goodreads

• Black-Owned Bookstores to Support Now by Publishers Weekly Staff 

• 23 Phenomenal Young Adult Books by Black Authors from the First Half of 2020 by Farrah Penn of Buzzfeed

• 11 Children's Books to Teach Your Kids About Racism and Discrimination by Joi-Marie McKenzie of Essence Magazine

• Book Riot's list of 31 Queer Books With Happy Endings (because who doesn't love a happy ending?!)

• 6 Must-Read Memoirs by LGBTQ+ Authors by Sharon Van Meter of Get Literary

• 13 Necessary Queer Literary Classics For Every Bookshelf by Rosalind Jana of Vogue

• 12 Young Adult Novels to Read on Trans Day of Visibility by Dahlia Adler of Buzzfeed

• Inkyard Press is hosting a giveaway filled with  a stack of LGBTQ+ books! Try your luck here.

• Play Pride bingo with Pride Reads of 2020, with this nifty bingo board from Brittany Mitchell of HarperCollins

• Over 100 LGBTQ Authors Share the Books that Changed Their Lives by Michelle Hart of O The Oprah Magazine

Photo by ATC Comm Photo from Pexels

I hope you take some time out of your day to read something that conflicts with your views. There will always be recommendation lists, but you have to actually read the books to grow. Challenge yourself to feel and think in someone else's shoes and learn from the experience. Donate your time or money to a cause that is asking for a change. 

Step up and be a better you. 

Happy Almost Summer! (I have book links for you!)

Hello my fellow bookworms!

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Gift of Edward Hodgson Smart, 1907

This has been a crazy time so far, has it not? I have had a hard time falling back into my pattern of reading, which has been compared to Belle from Beauty and the Beast (always a book in my hand). If you find yourself at a lost to dive into a book, you are not alone. An article from Vox "Why it's so hard to read a book right now, explained by a neuroscientist," contains an interview with a neuroscientist that explains why a good portion of us are feeling this way. Journalist Constance Grady interviewed neuroscientist and psychologist Oliver J. Robinson, who is based at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London. The basic conclusion is that while there are many factors that are contributing to our state of mind right now, our higher level of anxiety is changing the way we think, adapting our brain function to a state that promotes harm avoidance. It is harder to concentrate and so, it becomes harder to read, enjoy hobbies, etc. The article is a quick and interesting read, if you are interested in the basic science of why we feel the way we feel right now.

On a lighter note, I have some book-related links to share with you!

• The Comics Relief Festival released the recorded sessions of the last event online and announced that the next Comics Relief Festival will take place on Saturday, June 6, 2020! Can't wait!

• BookExpo has gone online this year. From May 26 - 29, you can join them for free sessions, such as Author Breakfasts and Buzz Books. Find the outline of events here.

• BookCon is hosting a virtual event called BookColine, a virtual book convention on May 30 - 31, that will have author panels, trivia quizzes, ARC giveaways, and more! Check out the official website here. 

• Smithsonian Magazine has a "Books of the Week" post, see their picks here. Speaking of the Smithsonian, they are also offering an option for you to ask them questions! Try your chance to be featured with an inquisitive question about science, life, books, etc. here.

• Taco Bell has a literary magazine available for all to read. I never thought I would write or read those words together, but here we are! Visit Taco Bell's website for a chance to read fan stories and poems about the franchise in their first ever literary magazine, Taco Bell Quarterly, online here. Volume 2 is live as of February 2020!

• Barnes and Noble is hosting a short story contest for children, ages 6 - 12, that is running from April 27 through May 29. The winners will receive a signed book from one of my favorite authors, Gail Carson Levine! Parents and legal guardians can read more about the rules and guidelines here. Have fun!

• With the release of SCOOB!, the animated film, DC is offering the chance for fans to read Scooby Doo comics all summer!

• If you are looking for things to read and cannot check books out from your local library's website(s), OverDrive offers an Instant Digital Card to those who need one! Check out the OverDrive website for more information. Once you have a library card, you have access to so many digital platforms of information! These include OverDrive / Libby, Recorded Books / RB Digital, Flipster, Hoopla Digital, and more (depending on your library)! From audio books, to eBooks, to movies, to comics and graphic novels, there are a variety of options online that can allow you to leave your home, without actually leaving.

• If you are looking to support independent booksellers, look no more! If you cannot find a particular book in a bookstore close to you, try bookshop.org, a website that was created to help financially support local, independent bookstores. You can find specific stores on their map, or help contribute to an earnings pool that will be evenly distributed among independent bookstores. You can even sign up to be an affiliate if you are an author, website, magazine, a fellow booklover, etc.! If you are an affiliate, you will receive 10% commission on every sale and a matching 10% to independent bookstores. Check out their FAQs if you have questions!

• If you are looking for something new to read with your children, or are a child at heart, take a moment to read The Book of Hopes, a collection of stories, poems, essays, and pictures from more than 100 children's authors and illustrators. It is free to read online only at the present, with an anticipated published book in the fall by Bloomsbury Children's Books. 

I hope that you are all doing well and have found ways of reading among the anxiety. I myself have finally started reading again this past weekend. It was a pleasant feeling to be lost in a world that has nothing to do with a pandemic. I wish you all well and hope that with the warmer weather, we can all get lost in a book!

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Gift of William T. Evans, 1890