Celebrate National Book Lovers Day with Manatee Libraries
By Bethany Stevens, Library Assistant at Manatee County Downtown Central Library
Book lovers everywhere, rejoice! August 9th is National Book Lovers Day, a special holiday to celebrate all things literary. Here at Manatee Libraries we’ve come up with a few fun ways to get into the bookish spirit.
Discover a New Favorite…
Swing by your local library and borrow that highly recommended book that you haven’t yet had the chance to read.
If you need a book recommendation, NoveList Plus, free with your library card, is a website which gives recommendations based on books and authors you’ve previously enjoyed.
…Or Revisit an Old Friend
Missing Narnia? Wish you were walking the grounds of Pemberley with Mr. Darcy? Peruse the pages of an old favorite, and rediscover why you fell in love with it!
With so many new books to read, it’s easy to feel guilty for rereading a book instead of working on that long To Be Read list.
The right book to be reading, though, is always the one that captures your current imagination. Set aside any expectations you have for what you should be reading and allow yourself to read (or reread) what you truly enjoy.
Join a Book Club
Every book lover is familiar with the dreaded post-book existential crisis. After speeding through the latest page-turner, you close the cover and are left with one question: what now? Joining a book club is one of the best ways to fight that post-book ennui.
Manatee Libraries hosts a book club for every book lover. Here’s a sampling of some of our upcoming offerings:
- Aug 11: Island Time Book Club — Author Samantha Downing will be virtually joining us to discuss her book My Lovely Wife.
- Aug 25: Open Book Club — No assigned books, just come ready to chat about the book that you recently read or are currently reading!
- Sep 1: Books on Tap — A monthly book club held at 3 Keys Brewing & Eatery for ages 21 & up.
To register for an upcoming book club, visit the Manatee Libraries Program Calendar, accessible at mymanatee.org/library.
If formal book clubs aren’t your style, gather a few friends and start your own book club with our Book Club Kits. Each bag contains multiple copies of the book and can be borrowed for four weeks.
Download an E-book
With Overdrive and Hoopla, it’s easier than ever to enjoy a cozy read at home. Settle into your favorite chair and enjoy thousands of books, audiobooks, movies and music at your fingertips.
Access this vast selection of e-resources by downloading the free Hoopla Digital and Libby by Overdrive apps onto your mobile device and creating a free account with your Manatee library card. Further instructions are available on our website.
There are as many ways to celebrate National Book Lovers Day as there are books in the world. All reading levels and all formats are welcome, whether you prefer chapter books, audiobooks, graphic novels or fan fiction! The only prerequisite is an appreciation for the many ways that the written word can entertain, empower and enlighten.
Happy Reading!
