In Reference to Murder

Happy Independence Day!

A Happy New Year of Reading to You!

Merry Bookmas to All!

Happy Birthday

Fifteen years ago today, I published my first blog post here at In Reference to Murder. It's hard to believe it's been that long. There are plenty of times I've wondered if it was all worth it, and plenty of times I've considered ending it, but here we are. I hope I've been able to promote fellow authors and the crime fiction and crime drama communities in some small fashion. As Raymond Chandler said, "Don't ever write anything you don't like yourself and if you do like it, don't take anyone's advice about changing it. They just don't know."

Give the Gift of Literacy

Literacy programs have always been near and dear to my heart, and the holiday season is a great time to think about the fantastic work literacy organizations do in helping produce lifelong readers among young people. Being able to read isn't just important for the sheer joy of it; reading is important for success in education, which in turn is important in the job world and for career advancement and success. Studies have shown that people who struggle with reading are more likely to drop out of high school, to end up in the criminal justice system, and to live in poverty. Other studies also show that reading helps reduce stress, prevents cognitive decline, and helps make people more compassionate.

So this holiday season, why not consider the gift of literacy to give youngsters a positive leg up in life? There are several organizations that are working hard in this area, but here are three of the most notable:

First Book, the children’s literacy organization, has launched a holiday campaign called Give a Million. From now through Dec. 31, every $1 donated will provide one new book to a child in need. Since its founding in 1992, First Book has distributed more than 200 million books. But as the organization notes, the need is still great since 60 percent of underserved children still don’t own a single book. First Book won the Library of Congress’s $150,000 David M. Rubenstein Prize in recognition of its "outstanding and measurable contribution to increasing literacy." 

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is dedicated to inspiring a love of reading by gifting books each month to children from birth to age five, free of charge, through funding shared by Dolly and local community partners in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and Republic of Ireland. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a book gifting program that mails free, high-quality books to children from birth to age five, no matter their family’s income. Together, Dolly Parton and her book gifting organization have received honors and awards for their dedication to enriching the lives of children everywhere, including the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, Best Practices award from the Library of Congress Literacy Awards and recognition in Reading Psychology. In 2018 the organization's 100th million book was dedicated to the Library of Congress (it's since gone on to give away over 150 million globally).

Reading Is Fundamental is committed to a literate America by inspiring a passion for reading among all children, providing quality content to make an impact, and engaging communities in the solution to give every child the fundamentals for success. As the nation’s largest children’s literacy non-profit, Reading Is Fundamental maximizes every contribution to ensure all children have the ability to read and succeed. RIF believes every child deserves an opportunity to own books, learn how to read, and obtain the fundamental building blocks to achieve their highest potential. Throughout its 55-year history, Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) has been a champion of racial justice and equity through literacy. RIF adds, "During this time of national unrest, we join with many others to lean in and accelerate our commitment through our Race, Equity, and Inclusion initiative to leverage the power of books for positive impact and change."

Happy Thanksgiving

Support Your Indies!

Today is Independent Bookstore Day in the U.S., postponed from its previously scheduled date of April 25. Sponsored by the American Booksellers Association, some 600+ stores around the country are planning on participating in the event, which will this year be taking place mostly virtually, although some stores will have limited on-site events. Like many businesses, these indie bookstores have been largely limping along during the pandemic, with many seeing sales drop by as much as 30-60%. So this is a perfect way to help show your support during these difficult times.

Many of the mystery-themed bookstores are planning on joining in the festivities, with some sample features to include Mysterious Galaxy, which is participating in a Virtual San Diego Book Crawl, where you can win pins, prints, totes, and t-shirts by spending money in participating stores; Murder by the Book in Houston is featuring a conversation between James Lee Burke and Stephen King on YouTube; The Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale will have two virtual chats, Sophie Hannah discussing The Killings at Kingfisher Hill and Alex Pavesi discussing The Eighth Detective from 1-2 pm, and also Susanna Kearsley, C.S. Harris, Anna Lee Huber, and Christine Trent discussing the anthology, The Deadly Hours, from 2-3; and Madison, Wisconsin's Mystery to Me is celebrating the day by reopening to in-store customers as well as offering exclusive merchandise and a few special surprises.

But you can support your local indie bookstore just by ordering books (and not just today). For a listing of stores participating in Independent Bookstore Day, follow this link; for a listing of all indie bookstores, click here; and if you'd like to support Black-owned bookstores, here's a helpful list.

Happy Books-Giving

 

Happy Fourth!

Happy New Year!