by McKelle, Day-Riverside Branch Reading seems at first glance to be the perfect socially-distant activity. We use reading not just as a means to educate ourselves, or to “explore other worlds” and suchlike, but to literally keep our distance from others. And though curling up in a corner with a book seems like an obvious, natural act, reading alone and in silence is a relatively recent phenomenon. Back in the day, reading was more commonly done aloud and in groups. Sometimes the best way to enjoy books is with other people, especially if it’s something you’re passionate about. If you’re a person who likes to share your love of reading with others, here are some resources to help you connect with the book community online! Goodreads (both an app and a website) is the world’s largest community for reviewing and recommending books. 90 million people around the world use Goodreads to find new books, track their reading, and attempt to meet people with similar tastes. For almost 15 years, it has been the dominant platform for readers to rate books and find recommendations. You can chat with people on forums, comment on reviews, and even join book challenges and book clubs, all from the comfort of your own reading nook. Social media is a great way to connect to the book community and share your love of reading. The three most commonly used platforms are YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok: BookTube, Bookstagram, and BookTok, respectively. If you love talking about books more than writing about them, maybe starting a BookTube channel is for you. If you have a great eye for aesthetics and great covers, maybe you can connect with readers through Bookstagram posts. Or maybe you’re good at relating books to trends and BookTok would be a source of laughs and fun for you and other readers. Check out these review videos that our SLCPL Teen Librarians have made! Online book events are often free (if you don’t want to purchase the book) and let you hang out with some of your favorite authors virtually. Many book festivals, like YALLWEST/YALLFEST, post their panels on YouTube for free to watch. Additionally, your favorite local bookstore might have events for you to attend as well. Check out these happenings going on in SLC! But the best thing about virtual book events, is that you can attend any of them around the world. The best way is to look up your favorite authors online and see if they’ve listed any events you can tune in for. Finally, if talking books with strangers doesn’t sound like fun to you, why not start a virtual book club with you and your friends? Platforms like Google Meet, Discord, Zoom, and Skype make it easy to have online discussions with friends from the comfort of your own home. You can tailor your book club to be exactly what you want and cheer each other on as you read. You can also join one of our existing tween and teen book clubs. To find them, check out our events page. Whether you are part of a book community or reading alone, books are a great way to let you escape from the stress of the year and find joy.
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by Yoli, Marmalade Branch If you haven't heard yet about our newest book club, now's your chance! The Tween LGBTQ+ Book Club meets virtually, hosted by librarians from Sweet Branch and Marmalade Branch libraries. This book club is an inclusive, safe, monthly hangout for LGBTQ+ youth and allies. The club meets on the 3rd Tuesday of the month at 4:30pm. Tweens and Teens are welcome. Our next meeting is December 15. Join us here. We know what you are thinking. “I’m already tired of Zoom school, I’m not really sure I want to read more books.” Well, we totally understand that! That’s why we have put together a care package (you can request here) that includes a craft and treat, plus a copy of the book or graphic novel you will get to keep! (while supplies last). We hope to spread some light and cheer during these difficult pandemic times. We think there will be some great conversations sparked by the contents of the care package. A conversation might go something like this: Person 1: Okay, so what did you think about the Box of Boogers (candy)? What are these librarians thinking! Person 2: Uh...I was skeptical at first, but sour candy is my jam, so I ate them. Not bad. What did you make with your perler beads? Person 1: I made Garnet from Steven Universe. Person 2: I made Peridot! Person 3: I made a rainbow and made it into a pin! Person 2: Eek! Show me! Oh cool! What did you do with your string of lights? Person 1: I wrapped them inside a mason jar. Person 3: Okay, if you were a tea dragon, what kind of tea dragon would you be? Person 2: Definitely a peppermint Tea Dragon, since peppermint is my favorite tea. Person 3: I like this Hibiscus because it is chonk. Super cuuuuute! Person 1: Okay, what did you notice about the LGBTQ representation in this book? Person 2: There was soooo much representation. Let’s discuss. At its heart, this club is about promoting reading, and affirming LGBTQ+ identities. I know that reading books about characters that I personally identify with has been such a positive experience for me, and I also enjoy reading books about people who are different from me. I love that The City Library has such a good selection of books written by LGBTQ+ authors. We built this reading list for the club and it will be updated constantly. I hope to see you at the next club meeting! Thanks for reading! by Stephanie C., Main Library You may not know this, but Utah is home to a lot of Young Adult authors. Did you know that authors Ally Condie, Brandon Sanderson, Dan Wells, and Mackenzi Lee all live here? They do! And there are so many more! A pretty great perk of living in Salt Lake City is that just about every month there is a young adult author hosting a book launch, signing, or reading. In some cases the events require a paid ticket, but many events are free. If you like hearing authors speak, the King's English Bookshop hosts several author events throughout the year, and they haven't stopped just because of the pandemic. Their next exciting virtual event is tomorrow night, with YA author Yamile Saied Méndez! Yamile also lives in Utah and has just released the Young Adult book Furia. You can hear all about Furia by watching this review video by Yoli from the Marmalade Branch. To attend the virtual event, visit the event page on the King's English website and click the registration link in red. Yamile will be in conversation with another YA author, Ann Dee Ellis, author of The End or Something Like That and other books. You can request a library copy of Furia from the City Library catalog by clicking here. by Maddie, Main Library Watch this video for a quick tutorial on how to make your own zine at home with only paper, scissors, and markers. Want to read some zines? Did you know that The City Library has one of the largest zine collections west of the Mississippi? Oh yeah. We've been collecting zines from around the country, and the world, since the 1990s, and have over 6,000 items. You can even search for them in the library catalog. Just do a keyword search for "zines." You'll even be able to place them on hold and come check them out. Rad. You can also read some teen-made zines online in our Teen Squad collection. Look for the Mental Health Books Zine, and Learning About Social Equality Through Literature. If you'd like us to print a free copy for you, or help you print your own zines, see this page for more details. A zine festival? Did you know that The City Library has hosted an Alternative Press Festival every year for the last 11 years? Zine makers and other independent artists gather to share their creations, sell art, and talk about zines. Visit our Alt Press Fest archive to see posters, read interviews, and see art from past year's festivals. This year's festival is happening virtually in October, but there will still be ways to get involved and take home some awesome local art. Don't miss the Teen Zine Reading on October 17th at 2pm, featuring local teen zine makers. Whether you’re a beginner or have your own zine series, we’d love to have you join! It will be a drop-in event, so no registration is required. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram for event links and latest details on this year's festival.
Thanks for reading and have fun making art! This Saturday, August 8th, The City Library's Sweet Branch Teen Squad is presenting a one-night book club event to discuss the intense One of Us is Lying by author Karen M. McManus. If you've read the book, or are just curious, don't miss this teen-only event at 4pm on August 8th. Click here for the full event details. More about the book:
We hope to see you on Saturday, but if you can't make it, let us know in the comments what you thought of the book. No spoilers please! |
AuthorsBlog posts are written by our Teen Librarians and, in some cases, teens like you. Visit your About page to learn more about our Teen Librarians. Archives
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