Celebrate International Literacy Day

September is here, schools are back in session… what better time of year to celebrate literacy and the books we love? That’s probably why International Literacy Day is held on September 8th each year. To help you celebrate this week, we’ve gathered together some interesting book recommendations and reviews from Goodreads.com!

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

“It was my second time trying to read Murakami. The first book I tried to read was "Wind Up Bird Chronicle", which I could never finish. "Kafka on the Shore" though was extremely captivating, I couldn't put it down. Surreal would probably be a good way to describe it. The quote about the storm close to the beginning of the book was what got me interested in the book in the first place. It was fascinating who all of the characters turned out to be interconnected by the end of the book.” — Anya Vlasova

Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet by Charlie N. Holmberg

“I went into reading this book with only the vaguest idea of what it was about. Magical baked goods? Sounded like my kind of story. Whimsical, unusual, and compelling? Bring it on. And Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet definitely delivered all the above and more. What caught me off guard was the level of emotion I felt as I read. This book rubbed me raw in beautiful ways. I've read all of Holmberg's other books and despite already being at a high level, she leveled up with this one. I CRIED, people. I actually cried. And this is NOT a normal thing for me.

Not only is the story beautifully crafted and the world-building exquisite, the emotional authenticity was so powerful that while I immediately wanted to read the book again once I finished, I needed to recuperate for a few days before I could tackle it again. THAT is how you earn five stars. Wow.” — Kimberly VanderHorst

Chasing Fireflies by Taylor Dean

“I did not expect to love this book as much as I did. Being a bit of an introvert myself, I felt I could relate to Savannah. The fact that the story was in present tense pulled me from the story at times, but I quickly became enveloped by the story once again. This was a difficult book to put down. I loved the characters and story arc. I frequently wondered how things would turn out, and I was anxious to find out about things that were mentioned but not yet revealed. I liked Julian. And Dakota and Hunter were great as well. And I loved Pearl’s involvement in the story. In the end it all fit together quite perfectly. This is definitely a book I want to read again.” — Karen