Weekend Confetti Vol. 42

The National Book Month Edition

October 23, 2021

Welcome to Weekend Confetti!

Here you will find your weekly dose of interesting and merry miscellany that you didn’t know you needed to know.   I hope it adds some joy to your weekend!  Cheers!

October is National Book Month, lovely friends!!

Now for those of you who are new here, books are my jam. So a whole month dedicated to all things bookish is basically a little slice of heaven to me…or maybe just a cozy nook with a blanket, a cat, some coffee and a book. With no interruptions.

We’ll begin with some book related trivia…

Random Book Facts to impress your book- loving friends.

Some interesting reading & library trivia.

Iceland’s amazing tradition of Jolabokaflod. (Say that 3 times fast. I dare you.)

Because really, one month isn’t nearly enough, here is the list of Literary Holidays to add to your calendar, January to December.

Folks who love to read generally love the library (where they let you take the books for FREE! What?!)

The sweetest of all the libraries are the Little Free Libraries, where you can take a book/leave a book in your own neighborhood!

Like one of these adorable little library designs!

If you want to go a bit more grand, plan a visit to one of the most beautiful libraries around the world.

Or one of these right here at home.

When not in the library (where the books are free), the next best place is the bookstore.  Here’s a list of the Most Loved Bookstore in Every State.

And here is a list of literary landmarks to add to your bucket list.

Plus 10 fictional places we WISH we could visit.

Having a nice cozy home for all your precious books is important to every book-lover. And who doesn’t like to look at cool bookshelves?

What’s up with all the bookshelf styling that barely uses any actual books?! Here are some Shelf Styling Tips that actually use your books.

HOWEVER. I might make room on the bookshelf for one of these Miniature Book Nooks.

And you need a cozy place to do your reading. 50 Amazing Reading Nooks.

Obviously we read at home. But have you ever considered these other great places to read?

One of the never-ending questions in a bibliophile’s life is What Do I Read Next? (It comes around almost as often as What’s for Dinner? Ack.)

Try one of these sites for finding your next read: Gnooks, Whichbook, What Should I Read Next.

If you have ever wondered about the best places to buy books online (and don’t want to use Amazon), here is a list of reputable online bookstores to explore.

To keep track of your reading conquests (as well as your TBR list), there is no better place than Goodreads. (And you can follow me there, too!) Read real people’s reviews and search for new books. Love it!

Every serious reader needs a Reading Bucket List. It’s fun to look at what other people say are the greatest books of all time and choose your own. Here are a few lists to get you started.

The Ultimate Book Bucket List (compiled by Ask Reddit)

The Greatest Books of All Time (as voted by 125 famous authors

 Or perhaps a Reading Challenge is more your style.

Here is a master list of challenge ideas to try.

Or you could get really ambitious and take on The Rory Gilmore Reading List (my personal favorite).

Sometimes we need reading inspiration from somewhere else altogether.

Novels inspired by famous paintings.

Novels inspired by famous architecture.

And because even die-hard readers sometimes need a break: the best book-to-film adaptations.

We can’t say goodbye without a peek at shopping for lit lovers…

There are so many great places to find bookish gifts. But here are some of my personal favorite online literary themed shops. (Mom, are you reading this?)

Bas Bleu

Out of Print

The NY Public Library Shop

Litographs

Ideal Bookshelf

Or you can browse this pretty comprehensive list of gift ideas for book lovers. (Someone sign me up for that Fight Evil, Read Books tee.)

Some folks consider getting rid of books (a la Marie Kondo) or destroying books for art projects to be sacrilege. But the fact is that thousands and thousands of books are sent to landfills each year. (Not all books can be recycled easily. Check your local recycling policies.)

And let’s face it. There are some books that just need head off to that big library in the sky. (I’m looking at you, 1950’s aspic cookbooks.)  It’s okay to let go.

Besides, look at the cool art people have made out of books!

Here are 21 things you can make from old books.

And some everyday ways to recycle your old books.

I’m not gonna lie, y’all. I could go on and on with the book confetti.

People are so creative with the way books inspire them.  (Like REAL recipes from imaginary foods on CookFiction!!! What?!)

But I will end here. With this flowchart to help you decide what book to read right now, in Fall of 2021.

This week’s Kindness Intention: to send a treat to my neighborhood librarians, as a thank you for their hard work!

And here is some kindness I found out in the world to make you smile at the goodness of people. 

And lastly, we all know that books and cats go together. (Love the credits. LOL)

What is a Kindness Intention?

It is a way of keeping kindness more intentional in my own life by setting a weekly goal of kindness. And hopefully inspiring you to do something kind in your own world!

Happy Reading, Lovely Friends!