Books & Reading Trivia by @JoanReeves #RomanceGems

Gee, I hope I got it right today.

The last time I thought I saw a date without a post, I mistakenly published something on Karen Whiddon's day.

I pleaded insanity and threw myself on the mercy of the court. *LOL*

This morning, I quickly put together a post because I didn't want to send you into the weekend without a Romance Gems post.

For your entertainment—or at least I hope it entertains you—I offer...

Book Trivia: Things You May Not Know

1. The longest sentence ever printed is 823 words, and it's from Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. In today's world, that's a chapter in many books.

2. There’s a word for loving the smell of old books. You walk into a vintage bookstore, and that scent hits your nose.

That smell is created by dust and other particulates in the book’s life. It’s called Bibliosmia. Don’t ask me who invented the word.

3. Authors' names didn’t used to be printed on the covers of their books. The covers of the first printed books were considered artworks, and they were covered in drawings, leather and even gold—so much so that there wasn’t a place for the author’s name.

4. The first book ever written using a typewriter was The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain.

5. President Theodore Roosevelt is said to have read one book every day.

6. The three most read books in the world? The Holy Bible, Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung, and a Harry Potter book (don’t know which one).

7. Icelandic people read more than anyone. (What else would you do in such a cold climate?)

8. Illiteracy is still a huge problem throughout the world. One in five adults around the world can’t read or write, with the highest rates in South and West Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

In the United States, 43% of adults are functionally illiterate. There are many organizations that tackle this problem globally and within our country. In the U.S., Reading Is Fundamental is one.

In Canada, 40% are considered to have low literacy skills. You can donate to ABC Life Literacy for Canada.

Internationally, there's Book Aid International.

Think about adopting a literacy organization and donating either or both of your time and money. In fact, think of it as growing the book reading audience.

9. The country with the highest literacy rate is Russia. (Surprised?)

Have you got your book entertainment for the weekend? The Authors of Romance Gems have lots of books available. We even offer some free books.

Check out the Free Books page to see a few of them. Wishing you a happy reading weekend!

Be sure and enter our September Giveaway: Back to School? Back to YOU! We have some great prizes with the Grand Prize of an Echo Dot with Alexa or $25.00 Amazon Gift Card. Good luck everyone! Enter often and please tell your friends.

September Rafflecopter Opens at midnight, Sept. 4.