benjamin dreyer

International Book Giving Day

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International Book Giving Day Website

I kept always two books in my pocket, one to read, one to write in.

Robert Louis Stevenson

Books are a uniquely portable magic.

Stephen King

Books I Would Give to Everyone:

  • The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland by Jim DeFede
  • The Magic Tunnel by Caroline D. Emerson

Reading is a form of prayer, a guided meditation that briefly makes us believe we’re someone else.

George Saunders

Others Recommendations:

  • WRITING: Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style from the Copy Chief of Random House by Benjamin Dreyer
  • On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
  • POLITICS: Accidental Presidents: Eight Men Who Changed America by Jared Cohen
  • MEMOIR: Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
  • Life’s That Way by Jim Beaver
  • SPIRITUAL: A Year with Thomas Merton: Daily Meditations from His Journals by Thomas Merton
  • A Walk with the Saints by James Martin, SJ
  • POETRY: Hailstones and Halibut Bones: Adventures in Poetry and Color by Mary O’Neill, John Wallner, illustrator
  • FICTION: Here be Dragons by Sharon Kay Penman

The whole world opened to me when I learned to read.

Mary McLeod Bethune

I love the solitude of reading. I love the deep dive into someone else’s story, the delicious ache of a last page.

Naomi Shihab Nye

Download and color your bookmark today!

International Book Giving Day Bookmark. Permission to use. One per person. (c)2023Download

Back to School Resources

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I saved the following quotation from Stephen King for a future writing post, but I think it’s also quite appropriate for Back to School as well.

The scariest moment is always just before you start. After that, things can only get better.

Stephen King

The very first resource I would recommend is Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style . I have the e-book on my Kindle and it is worth every penny whichever way you choose to purchase it. I’m waiting with bated breath for the next edition from Benjamin Dreyer. I have gotten through this year by daily tearing off the pages of his Day-to-Day Calendar.

Hat tip to Mr. Dreyer himself for most of these recommendations. The first two are my own.

Is today a holiday? It could be National Cheeseburger Day. Find out here: National Day Archives

What’s another word for…? Synonyms would be the bane of my existence without this site: Thesaurus

When was the sunrise on September 15, 1938? Was that a Saturday? Find out here: Time and Date

Mr. Dreyer’s Go-To Dictionary: Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition

Webster’s Third New International Dictionary

M-W Online

@MerriamWebster on Twitter

The Free Dictionary (online)