"Leap, and the net will appear." - John Burroughs

Hello my fellow bookworms,

Photo by Tim Mossholder from Pexels

January has come and gone in a blink of an eye! This year, though, we celebrate February little longer, as it is a leap year. I thought John Burroughs' famous phrase was perfect to articulate some inspiration for this month, wherever you are. :)

What are some things to look forward to this month? There is so much! Here is a bit of it to get you started:

• February is Black History Month! The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) has chosen the theme this year to celebrate African Americans and the Arts. There are many great books to read, music to listen to, and TV shows and movies to watch. The American Writers Museum shared a wonderful list of books to start you off! They also include podcasts and program videos from the featured authors, which makes for a fun, interactive read. Many libraries are hosting in-house Black History Month events to celebrate, so be sure to check out your local library!

• February 7th is World Read Aloud Day! You can celebrate by joining Cardinal Press' event online and listen to a select number of children's authors read their books over Zoom. You can sign up and find out more information here!

• Happy Year of the Dragon! Lunar New Year begins on February 10th. This year is to bring you much good fortune if you can harness the dragon's most important quality: compassion. If you would like to read more about what the year could bring, check out NBC's article here. If you would like to celebrate with books and live in New York, Hatchette Book Group and Kundiman is hosting a Lunar New Year party with readings from renowned authors, book signings, and more. If you are not, they have a fabulous list of books to check out and read!

• 

  Photo by Saliha Sevim from PexelsPhoto by Saliha Sevim: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-with-cat-book-and-headphones-sitting-in-park-7651066/

  Want to listen to more audiobooks? I have been in an audiobook mood lately (helps with cleaning and puzzles!), just in time for the Audio Publishers Association's 2024 Audie Award Finalists! The Audie Awards recognize distinction in audiobooks and spoken-word entertainment. If you would like to learn more, check out the Audio Publishers Association's website here. 
• The Audiobook of the Year Finalists are:
• All Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby 
• Narrated by Adam Lazarre-White
  
• Inside Voice: My Obsession with How We Sound by Lake Bell 
• Narrated by Lake Bell
  
• Sing a Black Girl's Song by Ntozake Shange, edited by Imani Perry, foreword by Tarana Burke 
• Narrated by Alfre Woodward, D. Woods, Regina Taylor, Lynn Whitfield, Okwui Okpokwasili, Ifa Bayeza, Imani Perry, Robin Miles, Tarana Burke, and Savannah Shange
  
• Surrender by Bono 
• Narrated by Bono
  
• Tom Lake by Ann Patchett 
• Narrated by Meryl Streep

One more quote from the naturalist and nature essayist before I leave you today:

“I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see.”
― John Burroughs

Even though it is still winter, just note that each day is a little longer than the last, the sun is coming out more, and you have one extra day this month to read and visit friends. Go take a walk, read, enjoy time with both yourself, books, and others. 

Until next time, Happy Reading! :)

Happy New Year('s Eve)!

Hello my fellow bookworms, 

(c) Once Upon A Book Blog(ger) 2023

Wishing you a safe and happy New Year's Eve! May your year ahead be filled with many good books!

What are your book resolutions this year? This past year I read 48 books, for a total of 11,750 pages read. For 2024, I am going to keep my "Read 25 Books" resolution. I am going to aim to read a difficult book and a classic book. By the end of this year, I hope to be able to go back to reading in full force! :)

 

Here are my top 5 books from this year (in no particular order - this was a hard list for me this year!):

• An Elderly Lady Is Up To No Good by Helene Tursten
• Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon & Shana Knizhnik
• These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan
• Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
• Give Me A Sign by Anna Sortino
  

Here are 5 books I look forward to in 2024 (also in no particular order):

• A Touch of Chaos by Scarlett St. Clair
• Bride by Ali Hazelwood
• How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin
• A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur
• The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley
  

Here is some good book news for your new year:

• If you read my blog post from last month, Goodreads has announced their Goodreads Choice Awards for 2023! Did any of the books you voted for make the final cut?
  

• Cardinal Rule Press is looking for new realistic fiction books aimed at children, ages 4-11, that are representative, inclusive, and meaningful to publish! Picture book manuscripts can be up to 1,000 words and must be submitted as a PDF. Click here for more information.
  

• Book Riot has a reading log for their Read Harder Challenge that you can download and use to track your reading this year!
• If you want the actual list of challenges for 2024, check out the Read Harder Challenge here!
  

• There is a new bill introduced called the "Books Save Lives Act," that aims to counteract the book bans across the nation by classifying such bans as a federal civil rights violation. Check out the news article from HuffPost for more information.
  

• A nice act of kindness from James Patterson this winter, Mr. Patterson provided bonuses to 600 booksellers!

One more thing before the new year - did you know I have a Facebook page set up so you can now receive Facebook notifications when I post a new blog post? Check it out (and subscribe)!

Until next time - Happy Reading! Happy New Year! :)