Fiction

Let’s talk about kindness. There’s a lot of negativity being thrown around these days, and sometimes it’s hard to be empathetic and keep your head up. But, as the old adage says, it cost nothing to be kind. It’s not easy, I’m well aware--it takes courage to be kind in the face of everything the world may throw at you and, sometimes, we need a little help remembering how. So, here are a few titles, for the youngest all the way up to the oldest, to help us remember that, even when things seem insurmountable, a little bit of kindness can go a very long way. 

We’re into the heart of October now, and while next week we’ll have some not so spooky options for the younger crowd,  it’s now time to get to the truly spooky stuff—the books that will get your heart racing, palms sweating and mind whirring. I’ve got eight books for teens and eight for adults here, all terrifyingly creepy in their own way. From zombies to ghosts to monsters that go bump in the night, to the scariest thing of all: humanity, these recommendations are not for the faint of heart. Might want to sleep with a light on after these. 

Picture books can represent many things to many people: an introduction to reading, a portal to a different world, a bringer of nostalgia or simply a happy place. No matter what, when you crack open a picture book you're sucked into a different world-- one filled with raining meatballs, typing cows, dinosaurs going to bed and so many other amazing, heart warming, laugh out loud, creative journeys. And sometimes, those worlds are just shown to us, without any words at all, allowing each reader to create their own story, their own world, their own adventure. Here are 9 worldess picture books, just waiting to be opened and explored. 

Some days, we just want something sweet. Something delicious, easy to swallow and oh-so-good; something fulfilling in the best possible way. Well, it’s not always in ones best interest to have said sweet things just sitting around all the time, ready to be devoured. Sometimes, one must get their sweet fix somewhere else. For the sake of today’s blog, I’m suggesting: books. Books of all flavors and centers, but all with a bit of sweetness in their title. 

It’s hot out there folks. It’s the type of heat that makes you want to stay inside and not do much of anything at all, except maybe read a good book. Read a good book while sitting next to a fan, with the A/C on full blast, with a glass of iced tea next to you. Apparently, as I found out during my quick internet search before writing this blog, the term ‘dog days of summer’ can’t actually be used during any ole’ month, no matter how hot it is. The idiom is supposed to be used during the period of time when Sirius, the Dog Star and the brightest visible star from any part of Earth, rises at the same time as the sun: usually somewhere between July 3rd to August 11th.