There are holidays and observances every day of the month — so many reasons to celebrate!
I’m not saying there should be cake every day, but I’m not saying there shouldn’t be cake every day.
JULY CELEBRATIONS
National Anti-Boredom Month
Check out Bored and Brilliant : How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Productive and Creative Self by Manoush Zomorodi, or Barnacle is Bored, a picture book by Jonathan Fenske. Also? Your public library is always an antidote to boredom.
National Foreign Language Month
Check out a pair of online language learning “premium” resources available with your RPL library card. Rocket Languages is available through the generosity of the Library of Virginia. Use Transparent Languages to learn over 100 languages, including English for speakers of 25 languages. You will need your RPL library card to access these databases. Don’t have a library card? Find out how to get one here.
National Fireworks Safety Month
Check out Furious Thing a novel by Jenny Downham about simmering anger that threatens to erupt in fireworks. If you are thinking about setting off fireworks this Independence Day, check out this article from last year about what’s legal (and what’s not) in Richmond. Also, remember – many people, pets, and wildlife are affected badly by fireworks.
July 1st
National Postal Workers Day
Check out Neither Snow Nor Rain : a History of the United States Postal Service by Devin Leonard.
July 2nd
National I Forgot Day
Check out Forget Me Not, a compelling novel by Alexandra Oliva. Or perhaps A Day for Rememberin’ by Leah Henderson, children’s book about the first Memorial Day.
World UFO Day
Check out Nine Shiny Objects, a novel about UFOs by Brian Castleberry.
Halfway Point of 2021
Check out Halfway Home by Reuben Jonathan Miller, a nonfiction book about race, punishment, and the afterlife of mass inceration.
Stay Out of the Sun Day. Also, AC Appreciation Days (7/3-8/15) and the Dog Days of Summer (7/3-8/11) begin.
The city of Richmond has cooling stations open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Marshall Plaza building and the Southside Community Center. Through September. And, of course, all branches of the Richmond Public Library are open and cool.
July 3rd
Disobedience Day
Check out Unbecoming by Anuradha Kristina Bhagwati – a memoir of disobedience. Or Disobedience, novel about the universality of love and faith by Naomi Alderman.
Compliment Your Mirror Day
Check out The Mirror Man by Jane Gilmartin, about a cloning experiment – what could possibly go wrong? Or maybe The Mirror & the Light, historical fiction from Hilary Mantel
July 4th
Independence Day
Celebrate safely.
Rube Goldberg Day
Reuben Goldberg was a cartoonist made famous for his depictions of gadgets performing simple tasks in complicated, convoluted fashions. Check out The Page Turner, just one of the many (many!) videos of Rube Goldberg contraptions available on Youtube.
July 5th
all City of Richmond offices, including all branches of the Richmond Public Library, are closed in observance of the July 4th holiday.
July 6th
International Kissing Day
Check out Kisses and Croissants – a young adult novel by Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau, or Rissy, No Kissy – a picture book by Katey Howes.
July 7th
Tell the Truth Day
Check out The Conversation by Robert Livingstone – a book that shows how seeking and speaking the truth about racism can radically transform individuals and organizations.
July 8th
National Video Game Day
Check out The Chalk Artist – a novel by Allegra Goodman that brings together a street artist, a discontented teacher, a marketing shyster, and a video-game addict.
July 9th
National Motorcycle Day
Check out Virginia Motorcycle Operator Manual, available through the DMV online or as a .pdf document, or as a booklet that can be checked out from the library.
July 10th
Don’t Step on a Bee Day
Check out Bee People and the Bugs They Love – a nonfiction book about the symbiotic relationships between bees, flowers, and people by Frank Morton. Or The Music of Bees – a novel by Eileen Garvin.
July 11th
Cheer up the Lonely Day
Check out Cheer Up, Mr. Widdicome – an over-the-top satirical novel by James Evan.
World Population Day
Matej Gasper, designated as the 5 billionth human, was born July 11, 1987. The world population now stands at 7.8 billion and counting.
July 12th
Simplicity Day
Check out the booklist It’s Simple, Really – nonfiction books on finding simplicity in a crowded and chaotic world.
July 13th
Embrace Your Geekness Day
Check out The Domestic Geek’s Meals Made Easy – a a fresh, fuss-free approach to healthy cooking by Sara Lynn Cauchon. Or try Geek Love – a tender, sad, and deeply odd novel by Katherine Dunn about a family of “circus freaks”.
July 14th
Pandemonium Day
Check out Pandemonium – an eBook by Susanna Strom available through Hoopla. You will need your RPL library card. Don’t have a library card? Find out how to get one here.
July 15th
National Give Something away Day
Check out The World Gives Way – an eBook by Marissa Levien available through OverDrive. You will need your RPL library card. Don’t have a library card? Find out how to get one here.
July 16th
World Snake Day
The Virginia Herpetological Society has an online Snake ID Guide to help you identify local slitherers you might encounter. There’s also an app for that! Snakepedia is an Android snake ID app available from the Google Play store. iNaturalist is available from the Apple store. Then, just for fun, check out Snakes on the Job – a picture book by Kathyrn Dennis.
July 17th
National Lottery Day
Check out The Lottery by Shirley Jackson. The title is also available as a Google book. Or, perhaps you’d prefer Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” : the Authorized Graphic Adaptation by Miles Hyman. Maybe you’d like a biography instead. If so, try Shirley Jackson: a Rather Haunted Life – a biography by Ruth Franklin.
July 18th
World Listening Day
Check out a pair of adult nonfiction books: The Listening Path: the Creative Art of Attention by Julia Cameron, and You’re Not Listening: What You’re Missing and Why it Matters by Kate Murphy.
July 19th
Get out of the Doghouse Day
Check out Izzy in the Doghouse, a juvenile eBook by Caroline Adderson, available through Hoopla. You will need your RPL library card. Don’t have a library card? Find out how to get one here.
July 20th
National Moon Day / Space Exploration Day
Check out The Mission : or, How a Disciple of Carl Sagan, an Ex-motocross Racer, a Texas Tea Party Congressman, the World’s Worst Typewriter Saleswoman, California Mountain People, and an Anonymous NASA Functionary Went to War with Mars, Survived an Insurgency at Saturn, Traded Blows with Washington, and Stole a Ride on an Alabama Moon Rocket to Send a Space Robot to Jupiter in Search of the Second Garden of Eden at the Bottom of an Alien Ocean Inside of an Ice World called Europa (a True Story) by David W. Brown, a book about a NASA deep-space mission – with a most excellent (albeit lengthy) subtitle. Then try Apollo’s Legacy by Roger Launius – just one of many books the library owns on the moon landings.
July 21st
National Junk Food Day
Check out Animal, Vegetable, Junk – a history of food, from sustainable to suicidal by Mark Bittman. Also available as an eBook through OverDrive. You will need your RPL library card. Don’t have a library card? Find out how to get one here.
July 22nd
Spoonerism Day
Check out Runny Babbit Returns – a picture book of “spoonerisms” by Shel Silverstein.
National Hammock Day
Check out Hammock House – Africa Caribe music by Joaquin Joe Claussell, available through Hoopla. You will need your RPL library card. Don’t have a library card? Find out how to get one here.
July 23rd
Hot Enough For Ya Day
Check out Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat – a book about mastering the art of good cooking by Samin Nosrat. Also available as an eBook through OverDrive. You will need your RPL library card. Don’t have a library card? Find out how to get one here.
July 24th
National Day of the Cowboy
Check out these RPL cowboy booklists – so many flavors of cowboy fiction!
Always Drink Upstream From the Herd
“The Real West” – cowboy fiction bringing history to life
Don’t Squat With Your Spurs On
genre mash-up: westerns plus: horror, fantasy, science fiction, and more!
Go Where There is No Path and Leave a Trail
Fiction with classic “Old West” themes
He’s a Cowboy, Ain’t He?
Western romance: historical, contemporary, and more
Too Much Tumbleweed in Their Blood to Settle Down
Contemporary fiction with classic western themes, settings, or characters
July 25th
Aunties Day
Check out Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto. Also available as an eBook through OverDrive. You will need your RPL library card. Don’t have a library card? Find out how to get one here.
July 26th
National All or Nothing Day
Check out All or Nothing, an eBook by Ashley Ludwig available through Hoopla. You will need your RPL library card. Don’t have a library card? Find out how to get one here.
July 27th
National Scotch Day and Bagpipe Appreciation Day
Check out the directory of Virginia distilleries from The Distillery Trail. Then take a look (and a listen) to the website of Greater Richmond Pipes & Drums – the largest competition and performance bagpipe and drum band in Virginia.
July 28th
National Hamburger Day
Check out Franchise by Marcia Chatelain – a book about the “golden arches” in black America, or Drive-Thru Dreams by Adam Chandler – a journey through the heart of America’s fast-food kingdom.
July 29th
National Lipstick Day
Check out Red Lipstick, an eBook by Rachel Felder that celebrates and explores the enduring power and allure of the world’s most iconic lip shade. You will need your RPL library card. Don’t have a library card? Find out how to get one here.
July 30th
International Day of Friendship
Check out Big Friendship – a look at how we keep each close, from the creators and hosts of the podcast “Call Your Girlfriend”. Or maybe Friendship by Lydia Denworth – a book about the evolution, biology, and extraordinary power of life’s fundamental bond.
July 31st
Talk in an Elevator Day
Check out Elevator Pitch – a heart-pounding thriller from Linwood Barclay, or The Intuitionist – Colson Whitehead’s first novel, about two very different elevator inspectors.
Be sure to peruse the RPL Online Resources page for access to digital books, movies, music, magazines and so much more. You will need your Richmond Public Library card to access this premium content. Don’t have a library card? Find out how to get one here.
Stuck in a reading rut? Looking to read outside your comfort zone? If you want hand-crafted reading suggestions, check out The Bookologist – a bespoke readers advisory service for adults, teens, and kids.
If online learning is your jam, RPL has even more to offer! Check out the Online Resources page for plenty of online learning resources, from the award-winning art and craft video classes of CreativeBug, to Universal Class where you can learn anything. Learn a foreign language with Rocket Languages or Transparent Language. Whatever your interest, your Richmond Public Library card is your ticket to eLearning. Don’t have a library card? Find out how to get one here.
