Tag: Louisa May Alcott

National Read A Book Day is observed annually on September 6th. On August 9th, we all celebrated National Book Lovers Day. While these bookish days may seem similar, National Read a Book Day invites us ALL to grab a book we might enjoy and spend the day reading.

Don’t keep it to yourself. Share the experience! Read aloud either to children or to grandparents. Read to your pets or to your stuffed animals and plants.

Reading improves memory and concentration as well as reduces stress. Older adults who spend time reading show a slower cognitive decline and tend to participate in more mentally stimulating activities over their lifetime. Books are an inexpensive entertainment, educational tool and time machine too!

A Great way to enjoy reading even more are these:

International Book Giving Day
Library Shelfie Day
Library Lovers Day
National Tolkien Reading Day
National Tell A Fairytale Day
World Book Day
Books to Read
Read Across America
National Read A Book Day
National Library Lovers Month
Read an Ebook Day
World Poetry Day
National Write Your Story Day
Children’s Book Day
D.E.A.R. Drop Everything and Read
National Talk Like Shakespeare Day
Paperback Book Day
National Coloring Book Day
National Library Card Sign Up Month

Featured Books

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott – Set during the Civil War, Little Women follows the life of the March family. Loosely based on Alcott’s life, she cast herself as talented the Jo March.

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens – David Copperfield tells the story of a young boy’s life as he struggles to become a writer. From an abusive start and many trials, the author relays the memories of his life.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling – The 7th book in the Harry Potter series brings Harry, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger back to Hogwarts for a final standoff with Voldemort and his Deatheaters.

Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George – This is the story of nine-year-old Miyax and her transition from an Inuit culture to an American one in San Francisco.

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls – Loved by generations, this classic story tells of the bond between a boy and his dog in the Ozarks.

The Three Muskateers by Alexander Dumas When young d’Artagnan travels to Paris to join the ranks of the Musketeers, he soon finds himself challenged to three duels with Athos, Porthos and Aramis. However, the foursome is abruptly attacked by the evil Cardinal Richelieu’s guards, and d’Artagnan fights alongside them, proving his skills with a sword and his honour. The three Musketeers enfold d’Artagnan into their ranks, and what follows is a swashbuckling tale full of intrigue, friendship and revenge.

HOW TO OBSERVE #ReadABookDay

Sit back, relax and read a book. Whether you prefer to escape into the world of fiction or learn something new, celebrate with your favorite books. Visit the library or the local book store. Pick up a new book or read an old favorite. Explore the past in history books and memoirs or dive into the mean of terrific poetry. Read aloud to a child or give them a new book. Share the stories you’re reading using #ReadABookDay to post on social media.

If you need any suggestions or just looking for something new these are some of my favorite authors.

Julia Quinn
Diana Galbaldon
Suzanne Brockmann
Sherrilyn McQueen (a.k.a Kenyon)
Lisa Kleypas
J.M. Madden
Suzanne Enoch

James Patterson
Patricia Cornwell
David Balducci
Janet Evanovich

Steven King
John Grisham
Dean Koontz
J D Robb
Michael Connelly
Agatha Christie
Tolkien
George R. R. Martin
Harper Lee

National Women’s History Month in March annually encourages us to honor the women who came before us and fought for equality among all races and genders.

“Of all the evils for which man has made himself responsible, none is so degrading, so shocking or so brutal as his abuse of the better half of humanity; the female sex.” -Mahatma Gandhi

While America is full of influential women today, hundreds of women came before them, paving the way. Women’s History Month serves as a way to not only remember them but keep carrying their torch onward. There’s still work to do. During the month, International Women’s Day also celebrates the achievements of women from the past and present.

Pioneering Women from History

In the 1800s, Sojourner Truth was an abolitionist and women’s rights activist who was born into slavery and escaped with her infant daughter. She later became known for her “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech regarding racial inequalities in the year 1851 at an Ohio Women’s Rights Convention.
Louisa May Alcott worked in the mid-1800s to support her family and their financial difficulties, while she was just a young girl. She wrote one of the most famous novels in American history, “Little Women.”
Susan B. Anthony played a massive role in the women’s suffrage movement in 1878 when she and her friends presented an amendment to Congress that, if passed, would give women the right to vote. In 1920 it was ratified as the 19th amendment.
In the mid-1900s, Marguerite Higgins was a reporter and war correspondent for the New York Herald Tribune during WWII, The Korean War, and the Vietnam War. She was the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for Foreign Correspondence.
Coretta Scott King played a crucial role in keeping alive the legacy of her husband, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., after his death. She started the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in 1968 after he was assassinated.
Rosa Parks was one of the most famous, influential women of the civil rights movement. In 1955, she refused to give up her seat in the “colored section” of a bus to a white man and got charged with civil disobedience. Today, she’s widely known as the “mother of the freedom movement.”
Sandra Day O’Connor is the only woman on this list who is still alive today. She is a lawyer, a celebrated judge, and was the first female justice on the Supreme Court from 1981-2006.

The list goes on, and we could have you reading about strong, brave, powerful, and influential women for hours. These women and thousands more played prominent roles in getting women to where they are today.

“The emancipation of woman will only be possible when woman can take part in production on a large, social scale, and domestic work no longer claims anything but an insignificant amount of her time.” -Friedrich Engels

NATIONAL WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH HISTORY

National Women’s History Month was established in 1987 as a way to celebrate women across the nation and their efforts to make the country, and world, a better place for women of all ages and races.

HOW TO OBSERVE #WomensHistoryMonth

Take the time to learn more about women’s history this month. If you do, chances are it’ll help you truly understand and appreciate the strength and determination of women across the country over hundreds of years. Use # NationalWomen’s HistoryMonth or #WomensHistoryMonth to post on social media and show the world how you are celebrating! If you’re a teacher or professor, take some time this month to teach your students about women’s history. To this day, some people still don’t fully understand the leaps and bounds women have made in the United States.

“I raise up my voice- not so I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard…we cannot succeed when half of us are held back.” -Malala Yousafzai

In 1777, all states passed a law that took away women’s rights to vote. In 1855, a black woman who was a slave was declared property with no right to defend herself against her master’s act of rape. By 1900, every state had passed legislation based on New York’s Married Women’s Property Act. This granted married women some control over their property and earnings. In 1947, the U.S. Supreme Court stated that women are equally qualified with men to serve on juries. Now, women can do so much more than being able to own their own property and serve on a jury. Women can vote, and women have voices, all thanks to those who fought for equality. Do your own research to learn about the rest in honor of National Women’s History Month!