George Lucas created this magical franchise with the first film back in 1977 and it operates now as a huge enterprise!
While most people think of the movies when they think about Star Wars, many novels have been written about all the creative characters and stories. Enjoy a few minutes and read one of the many Star Wars books or comics out there!
Happy reading! May the 4th be with you!
Happy Read Across America Day!
Launched in 1998 by the National Education Association (NEA), Read Across America is the nation’s largest celebration of reading.
Share with your littles and enjoy Author Kelly Starling Lyons read her book, Tiara’s Hat Parade, aloud by clicking here for the video.
Happy reading today!
Twenty years ago, I had my very first date with my man. ❤️
For this date, he took me out for coffee at Borders in Chicago near our apartments at the time.
It seems fitting now that our relationship started surrounded by tons of others stories. Stories filled with adventures, plot twists, characters, and love. Stories of inspiration, history, and magic.
I have loved each moment of our story over these years and I can’t wait for our future chapters.
Cheers to starting our special story 20 years ago! ❤️
“A day without a friend is like a pot without a single drop of honey left inside.” ~ Winnie the Pooh
Winnie the Pooh Day was created to celebrate the creator’s birthday, A.A. Milne. Milne was born on this day in 1882 in London, England. Milne brought this adorable, honey-loving, bear to life in his writings in a collection of books first published in 1926.
Milne’s lovable Pooh Bear is a fictional bear inspired by a black bear named Winnie who lived at the London Zoo during World War I. The author’s son, Christopher Robin, would visit the bear often at the zoo and named his own teddy bear after her.
Milne created other characters in these books, Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga, and Roo, after his son’s other stuffed animals.
I so remember enjoying Winne the Pooh as a young girl and love seeing my own children enjoy these lovable characters.
Winnie the Pooh continues today to inspire and entertain many fans throughout the world.
To celebrate this fun day, go and enjoy a Winne the Pooh book, enjoy some honey, snuggle one of your stuffed animals, host a picnic, draw your house in the woods, or even bounce around the room a bit.
“It never hurts to keep looking for sunshine.” ~ Winnie the Pooh
When the box arrived from the shop, Books and Books @ The Studios of Key West, I couldn’t wait to open it!
Yes, it had books in it. But, not just any books.
I opened the box carefully. I’m pretty sure that I eeped or yelped a bit.
I took the books out. Three books looked back up at me. I ordered two books for my daughter and one for me.
I slowly opened the book for me first.
The little girl in me glowed after seeing this page! Growing up, I loved reading Judy Blume books! Her writing and topics created a movement. The characters stay with you over time. She has also inspired me as a writer.
I can’t wait to share that inspiration and these two books below with my daughter.
A great way to end 2020!
Thank you to Judy Blume and to Books and Books @ The Studios of Key West!
It’s hard to believe that in the year 2020, people still try to ban books in schools, libraries, and bookstores. Yet, it still happens today.
The American Library Association (ALA) launched Banned Books Week in 1982 to celebrate the freedom to read and highlighting the value of free and open access to information. ALA publishes the lists to draw attention to literary censorship, but ALA officials stress that the annual report provides only a snapshot of book challenges, with ALA acknowledging that most challenges go unreported. In 2019, ALA reported a 17% increase in the number of challenges to library, school, and university materials and services—with an uptick in the number of challenged books that included or addressed LGBTQ+ content.
Here is full list of the top 100 most challenged and banned books of the last decade (2010-2019):
To celebrate this week, add some of these books to reading your list! As the theme of this week says, “Censorship is a dead end. Find your freedom to read!”
Guess what today is? It’s National Read a Book Day! Woo hoo!
Go grab your current book of choice and enjoy a few moments of escape, silence, and enjoyment!
I plan on enjoying some time reading outside. Cheers to Read a Book Day! 📚
Racism, violence, and hate have no place in our world. Black lives do matter. And silence is not an option.
Take the opportunity to learn more and get a better understanding of the institutionalized and systematic racism in our country. Here are a few books listed below to check out.
Books:
We can also support those organizations who are working to end social injustice. Click on their names to learn more about several organizations working hard on this front. Consider supporting them both financially and with your voice. Many other organizations exist as I just listed a few here and not in any order.
Organizations:
You can do many things such as sign petitions, text and call legislators, donate to these organizations, educate yourself, donate supplies, protest in person or virtually, and more. And vote.
“The defining question is whether the discrimination is creating equity or inequity. If discrimination is creating equity, then it is antiracist. If discrimination is creating inequity, then it is racist.”
― How to Be an Antiracist
“It is the custom of every good mother after her children are asleep to rummage in their minds and put things straight for next morning, repacking into their proper places the many articles that have wandered during the day. If you could keep awake (but of course you can’t) you would see your own mother doing this, and you would find it very interesting to watch her. It is quite like tidying up drawers. You would see her on her knees, I expect, lingering humorously over some of your contents, wondering where on earth you had picked this thing up, making discoveries sweet and not so sweet, pressing this to her cheek as if it were as nice as a kitten, and hurriedly stowing that out of sight. When you wake in the morning, the naughtinesses and evil passions with which you went to bed have been folded up small and placed at the bottom of your mind; and on the top, beautifully aired, are spread out prettier thoughts, ready for you to put on.”
― J. M. Barrie, The Adventures of Peter Pan
Mothers exist all over children’s literature as well quotes about them. Enjoy this one particular quote above from The Adventures of Peter Pan to celebrate this Scottish author’s birthday yesterday.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there (and even to the fictional ones)!
George Lucas created this magical franchise with the first film back in 1977 and it operates now as a huge enterprise!
While most people think of the movies when they think about Star Wars, many novels have been written about all the creative characters and stories. Enjoy a few minutes and read one of the many Star Wars books or comics out there!
Happy reading!
May the 4th be with you!
