From the DP Pen

I love to read.  You probably guessed that already.  I have loved escaping into a story since I was a kid.  With a book, you can explor...

How did you do on your 2019 Reading Challenge?  It's not too late to set your 2020 Reading Challenge.

What is the Reading Challenge?

image credit: Gates Notes LLC

For many years now, Bill Gates, has been publishing a personal blog called GatesNotes.com.  In his blog, he shares his thoughts on health, education, and favorite books.  The latest post, 5 Books to enjoy this winter, he shares books to close out 2019.  All books are thought-provoking, touching topics like U.S. History, why humans sleep, parenting tips, and more.

Check out this video of his picks and read through his thoughts on the 5 books selected.

Last week I had the chance to attend a tech conference on my favorite content management system, CMS, Joomla!  It was an online around the world covering many helpful topics.  One of the sessions was, How Joomla Helped me Build a Site for Writers, Readers and Publishers by Robert Fairhead.  His website, tallandtrue.com.au, is a place to "Share and showcase your untold story — fiction, nonfiction and reviews — on Tall And True, an online magazine, blog and forum for writers, readers and publishers."

Mr. Fairhead, told the story of his writing dreams and how those dreams turned into the Tall and True website available today.  Now, becaue he was presenting at a tech conference, he shared more about the building of the site.  However, the greatest inpact was not the tech but the delivery.  Mr. Fairhead is a master storyteller, engaging the audience and holding onto us until he was done. I was not the only one who thought Mr. Fairhead would make a FANTASTIC audiobook narrator.

November 1st kicked off NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month.  The goal is to write a 50,000 words pf novel in one month with encouragement and support from fellow novel writers who are also taking on the challenge.  "NaNoWriMo is a nonprofit organization that supports writing fluency and education. "

If you ever thought of writing a novel, why not start now?  Sign-up is easy and you can track the progress of your new work. If you like to feel rewarded, there are badges along the way.  Connect with a local group, find a writing buddy and more.  This event has many sponsors and participants.  

The other day chatting with a friend, they were amazed at the number of books I read per week.  They asked how did I squeeze it in?  I read eBooks, magazines, and paperbacks - there are reading materials everywhere at home and at work.  I also listen to audiobooks.  With this combination, I get through 2-3 books a week covering mysteries, thrillers, non-fiction, and cooking books.  Bascially, I love to read.  (I love TV and Movies too, but we're talking about books in this post). During the day it is not uncommon for an audiobook to be playing while I work (and yes, I do take it all in).  I have my Kindle app on my phone or tablet to read while waiting on friends for dinner or in a line. I have books and magazines next to my favorite chair at home, where I sit with a mug of tea.

Your love of reading may not be as great as mine, but you can find time to read with these tips from one of my favorite magazine's Real Simple.  The title is so fitting, 8 Ways to Find More Time to Read, Even If You’re Super Busy.  

Image Credit: https://www.tonimorrisonsociety.org

I Will Always Remember Toni Morrison

Checking our Twitter today, I gasped as I saw the notice about the passing of Toni Morrison.  As a child, before I probably should have, I read Beloved.  I found it among my mom’s books.  I get my love of reading from my parents.  They read voraciously.  I used to help my mom lug bags of books from the library.  I’m not joking, bags, that my mom would read from cover to cover.  From time to time, I would “sneak” one or two out and read them. 

September is National Library Month and with our love of all things reading, it is the perfect excuse to tell you about our favorite library, the Arlington Heights Memorial Library.  This library is located approximately 26 miles northwest of Chicago, IL.  The Arlington Heights Memorial Library or AHML, according to its history, began in 1887. 

Everytime I visit I am amazed at what they have.  As a library that continually evolves to meet the needs of its patrons, this library has something for everyone, young to old. With the trend towards ebooks, audiobooks and such, the library offers lending solutions, as well the devices you might need.  If you want to disconnect and relax with a good book, satisfying your tactile needs, you can of course still do that.  

We Love Books!  Today celebrates escaping into a good story.  

Fun Fact: Johannes Gutenberg, an ex-goldsmith, invented the printing press and an oil-based ink in 1440.

The charity, World Book Day has the "mission to give every child and young person a book of their own". 

In celebration for every book purchased on the Penguin Random House site will donate $1 to Worldreader – a non-profit organization that champions digital reading in underserved communities.

Bill Gates, philanthropist and founder of Microsoft, released his list of books for 2018 that he thinks make great gifts.  In his post, Mr. Gates includes a 2-1/2 minute video where he shares with you a bit about why the book made his list. There are a couple on the list we're interested in picking up.  How about you?  Any of the books peek your interest? Tell in the comments.

Happy Reading!

President Obama lays out his top five summer reads

Did you miss the fall kick-off of The Great American Read?  You can catch up on PBS and even purchase the books.  

• Great American Read Shop
• Great American Read Fall Kick-off Preview
• Great American Read Show Page

The September 18th installment of The Great American Read took a look at how first-person narrative books, answer the question of "Who Am I?"  The episode features Barbara Bush, Junot Diaz, Jonathan Gilmore, Lauren Graham, John Green, Jenna Bush Hager, Barbara Heritage, S.E. Hinton, John Irving, Yahdon Israel, Devon Kennard, Diane Lane, George Lopez, Lisa Lucas, Armistead Maupin, Aline Brosh McKenna, Leland Melvin, Shanna Peeples, Joanna Rakoff, Jason Reynolds, Joshua Rothman, Parul Seghal, and Kevin Young.

Click here to see the featured books and additional content.   

Today, August 9th is National Book Lovers Day!  As you might imagine it is one of our favorite days of the year.  The whole point of DavonnePress was for us to have a way to share with others books and authors that we enjoy.  We read voraciously all types of books and are always interested in discovering what others are reading and writing.  Have you heard about The Great American Read?  It is an opportunity for you to vote for your favorite book from a list of 100.  The winner will be announced during a two-hour celebration of reading special hosted by Meredith Vieira. Click here to Vote for Your Favorite book and don't forget to share with everyone you know.  There are many types of books from George Orwell's 1984 to James Patterson's Alex Cross series.  There are multiple voting methods and voting hashtags are available to help you promote voting of YOUR favorite - all of them.  You can vote for once per day.

Here are some links to help you get started exploring and celebrating American's 100 best-loved novels based on national survey. Please keep in mind that the list of books are not endorsed by PBS nor by Davonne Press.  Happy Voting!

• Great American Read: https://www.pbs.org/the-great-american-read
• Vote for your favorite book: https://www.pbs.org/the-great-american-read/vote/
• Voting Methods: https://www.pbs.org/the-great-american-read/about/voting-methods/