Celebrating Books!

Whether it’s reading a book or buying one, September has a lot of literary days of celebration:

• September 6th - National Read a Book Day
• September 7th - National Buy a Book Day
• September 8th - International Literacy Day
• September 25th - National Comic Book Day
• Last week of September - Banned Books Week
• There is also a spattering of character-themed days and author birthdays to add to a wonderfully well-rounded bookish month. 

In my opinion, it makes more sense to have “National Buy a Book Day” first followed by “National Read a Book Day”, but there isn’t anything that says you can’t buy a book and read it on one day and not the other. Give yourself a little treat and buy a book and read them on both days! If anyone asks why you are purchasing more books, just tell them the holidays demand it.

Celebrating “National Read a Book Day” is as easy as it sounds. No purchase required, you can pull something from your own shelves or swing by the library and pick something up. There are thousands of books housed within our walls that are begging to be taken home and read! Why not give them a chance? And if you are on the go and don’t have time to stop in, give our e-collection a look on the Libby app. Below are some of my favorites:

Cleopatra’s Daughter by Michelle Moran
Gold Dust Woman: Stevie Nicks by Stephen Davis
The 71/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
Death by Shakespeare by Kathryn Harkup
The Deep by River Solomon
The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith
Stoker’s Manuscript by Royce Prouty
Mom Jeans and Other Mistakes by Alexa Martin
Among Thieves by M.J. Kuhn
The Women of Troy by Pat Barker
Dark Archives by Megan Rosenbloom

National Buy a Book Day: I really don’t need an extra reason to buy books, but I am always looking for an excuse. It can be a physical book, an ebook, a children's book, or a textbook…however you would like to contribute. Here is a short list of the ones that I keep trying to come up with a reason to purchase for my own personal collection: 

Lore Olympus Volume 4 by Rachel Smythe
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Fairies by Heather Fawcett
The Weaver and the Witch Queen by Genevieve Gornichec
Thick as Thieves by M.J. Kuhn
Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati
Beyond the Wand by Tom Felton (haha! Here it is again…if you read my posts regularly, you understand)
Babel by R.F. Kuang

International Literacy Day: celebrated on the 8th of September each year and is important for not only promoting literacy but remembering that for some, reading and writing is quite a bit harder than it is for others. There are a bunch of different ways to promote and celebrate literacy: you can attend literacy programs at the library, you can donate books to local schools or to any of the free little libraries around town (type in Cape Girardeau, MO to get a couple of locations), give and share books with friends and family, or get together and take turns reading passages out of the same book, join a book club, volunteer to tutor students in the area. There are lots of ways to help promote and practice literacy both in your own personal life and within our community that you don’t have to adhere to one day a year.