Today is all about action and appreciation and laughter as well! I love these quirky holidays (as I mentioned yesterday as well) for the ways we can use it to remind ourselves of things. Just Do It Day encourages us to take that first step—whether it’s tackling a goal, getting involved in our communities, or making our voices heard. At the same time, Compliment Someone Day reminds us of the power of kind words to uplift and inspire. Other events today include International Education Day (UNESCO) and Global Belly Laugh Day.

Whether it’s advocating for change, encouraging a friend, or simply spreading positivity, every little action adds up to something greater. Let’s celebrate progress, persistence, and positivity—all in one go!

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The Bookish Five: A Day to Just Do It All

Represent is another finalist in the Cybils Awards for this year in the high-school Non-fiction category.

(1 & 2) Book Beginnings and First Line Friday

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAY is hosted by Rose City Reader. What book are you happy about reading this week? Please share the opening sentence (or so) on BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAY! Add the link to your blog or social media post and visit other blogs to see what others are reading.

Happy Friday and welcome to the FIRST LINE FRIDAY, hosted by Reading is My Superpower! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line.

Four different first lines from the book Represent: A Note to Readers, the Prologue, Part I, and Chapter 1.

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3 Friday 56

THE FRIDAY 56 is now hosted by Anne at HeadFullofBooks. To play, open a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% on your e-reader). Find a sentence or two and post them, along with the book title and author. Then link up and visit others in the linky. 

4 Book Blogger Hop

The purpose of THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, and befriend other bloggers. THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is hosted by Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.  

 What books do you look to for inspiration at the start of the year or to motivate you to make positive changes in your life? 

I look for inspirational books anytime I feel the need for it, not necessarily at the start of the year.

5 Books for the 24th of January

• Brave New Words: How AI Will Revolutionize Education (and Why That’s a Good Thing) by Salman Khan (for it is International Education Day). I started reading this one a while ago but had to put it aside for other commitments. I will be getting back to it soon definitely. Totally admire Sal Khan as an educator and for all his initiatives towards the field. My family has used his youtube videos and KhanAcademy for years now.
• Any read by Edith Wharton for it is her birthday. I have had The House of Mirth for too long on my TBR as well as The Age of Innocence. I have only read a short story by her – Xingu (ages ago now). For those of you who have read Wharton’s books, which ones would you suggest I pick first?
• Pay someone a compliment today, for it is National Compliment Day. And you can easily Find Something Nice to Say with this book, or if you are panicking, then the Emergency Compliment book full of perforated pages of ready compliments is perfect for you! Also check out my post: A Little Encouragement Can Lead to Great Wonders
• Since it is Global Belly Laugh Day, it is the perfect time (well, anytime is, actually) to pick a humorous read or a joke book and LOL. I have read a few books in this Laugh-Out-Loud series and totally ROTFL! And if you want to know more about the benegits of laughter, then check out Jack Daly’s LAUGH OUT LOUD: Your Personal Prescription for the Best Medicine on Earth. And given that I am starting to see hearts everywhere, you can get this Valentine’s Day Edition joke book as a gift for someone you love (this is a kid’s book, btw, so works for all ages).
• Learn something new today about the quintessential American staple – peanut butter – with this book: Creamy and Crunchy: An Informal History of Peanut Butter, the All-American Food (for it is apparently National Peanut Butter Day as well!)

And Now, the End of This Post

Dear reader, have you read any of the featured/listed books? Any thoughts? Which one would you pick first to read or gift someone? Any recommendations for similar reads for me? How will you celebrate Just Do It Day? Follow a dream, take action, compliment someone, laugh out loud, or a little bit of everything?