August Literary Holidays

August may have few nationally acknowledged holidays, but if you appreciate literature I’ve got a few things you can celebrate.

Kicking off the month we have National Book Lover’s Day taking place on August 9th. On this day celebrate by enjoying the smell of books, visit the library, drop literary references into casual speech, or just enjoy a favorite book.  Here are a couple book-themed books to help with the day:

Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi is the author’s memoir from her time in Iran when she started an underground book club with seven girls reading western books outlawed by the government.

Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine depicts an alternative history where the Great Library of Alexandria still exists and it is illegal to own books.

July Literary Holidays

Here’s a quick look at some of the literary holidays you can celebrate this month: Almanacs, paperbacks, and the Wizarding World!

Happy National Paperback Day!

The entire month of July is read an Almanac month. Providing a wealth of knowledge, they are typically published once a year. The most common almanacs are used for planting dates, tide tables, and celestial events. However, those listed below are a little bit different than your typical almanac.

ACT’s Until the Flood: Beyond the Theatre

policACT (A Contemporary Theatre) presents UNTIL THE FLOOD by Dael Orlandersmith from June 8 to July 8, 2018. UNTIL THE FLOOD focuses on the social unrest following the fatal police shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Librarians at Seattle Public Library created this list of books and films to enhance your experience of the show: ACT’s UNTIL THE FLOOD: Beyond the Theatre  

The names and places, unfortunately, are tragically familiar: Ferguson, Trayvon, Baltimore, Philando, Tamir, Baton Rouge, and Charles Kinsey— the list goes on. How can we take it in? What does it mean? How can we comprehend?

Obie Award winning and Pulitzer Prize finalist playwright Dael Orlandersmith is bringing her work, UNTIL THE FLOOD, to ACT, with her quest of understanding how we got here and what it signifies. Focusing on Ferguson, Missouri, and the death of unarmed 18-year old Michael Brown, the one-act drama uses eight composite characters from the area to explore issues of race, social unrest, and political power. The characters all are working to find their standpoint with racial matters in our society, but from a personal level, ranging from teenagers to seniors, and from anger to reflection.

Don’t be afraid of the dark: Thrilling Tales just for you!

For several years now, audiences have been flocking to our twice monthly lunch hour program Thrilling Tales: A Storytime for Grownups, and every so often someone tells us they wish there were an evening version of these readings. Well, it’s finally happening!

Staring on June 18, we’ll be sharing some of our favorite suspenseful tales in monthly readings at the Central Library. We’re calling it Thrilling Tales After Dark. Written by a variety of master storytellers such as Ray Bradbury, Shirley Jackson and Truman Capote, the stories range from wondrous to eerie to truly terrifying, and are drawn from the early years of Thrilling Tales. All readings run from 7-8 p.m., at the Central Library’s Microsoft Auditorium, finishing in just under an hour, and they are free. Take a look at what’s coming up:

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#BookBingoNW2018: Author (or character) with a disability*

Something special is happening in Seattle July 1 through the 6th: The USA Special Olympic Games! “More than 4,000 athletes and coaches representing 50 state Programs and the District of Columbia, along with the support of tens of thousands of volunteers and spectators, will compete in 14 Olympic-type team and individual sports.” –from Special Olympics USA.

Founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver

It’s also in it’s 50th year! Founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the Special Olympics movement has grown to more than 5.7 million athletes and Unified partners in 172 countries. With the support of more than 1 million coaches and volunteers, Special Olympics delivers 32 Olympic-type sports and over 108,000 games and competitions throughout the year.  In the United States, over 700 thousand athletes and Unified partners from 52 state Programs participate in sports offered at the national, regional, state, local and area levels. From Traditional (athletes with intellectual disabilities) to Unified Sports (athletes with and without disabilities competing together), Special Olympics offers activities every day of every year for people to get involved locally to globally. –from Special Olympics USA

In honor of that event Book Bingo this year features a square for a disabled author or disabled character. Here are a few title suggestions to complete that bingo square: