14 People Who May Love Books More Than You Do

Loving books is not a competition. There’s no such thing as a bookworm grand prix. But then again, it’s hard not to notice that some people are bigger bookworms than others or are expressing their love of books in ways that other people might find a little bit too out there. From creating elaborate reading corners and having tattoos of books to building bookshelves that spell “worm” and simply having a lot of books on a to-read list, people celebrate their love of books in many different, creative ways. We’ve found fourteen people from all around the Internet whose love of books might inspire you to add some oomph to your bookishness.

1 Line your walls with book-themed wallpapers!

This is what I'm currently reading. It is really good so far and I'm at page 151. I really want to find out what happens! #bookstagram #bookworm #books #book #read #reader #reading

A photo posted by @leavemewithbooks on Aug 7, 2016 at 2:13am PDT

2Do you have so many books you can’t even tell how many books you have?

3When bookishness is your number one criterion for picking a soulmate.

I just want someone who's willing to spend hours with me in a bookstore and is willing to put up with me fangirling over books & comics help

— angelica (@PixelatedAngel_) August 7, 2016

4Admit it, you like that bookshelf.

5The perfect hiding spot.

6Like you never wanted to take a whole bookstore home with you.

7Get them while they’re young!

Future Bookworm Onsie

Customize in 188 styles and/or colors! https://t.co/rpsK0uWbE3 #ihsnet #homeschool pic.twitter.com/YR2j4RqVSP

— iHomeschool Network (@iHomeschoolNet) August 7, 2016

8The importance of being honest with oneself.

Am I a sensible bookworm who collects #books calmly and doesn't overwhelm self?

No.

But do I try to be?!?!?!

Also no.#bookwormproblems

— Cait (@PaperFury) August 4, 2016

9If left untreated, to-read piles will grow to be three bookshelves large.

I remember when my tbr pile only consisted of 3 books and not 3 shelves ??✨

A photo posted by Audrey (@audreysbooknook) on Jul 19, 2016 at 3:19am PDT

10DIY + being a bookworm = a great bookshelf.

11Do you measure the amount of books you have by how close you are to arranging them into a heart?

A WORK IN PROGRESS #bookstagram pic.twitter.com/AeMcAJ5XWf

— An/jill/ica Schuyler (@booknerd_jill) August 5, 2016

12Planning will get you a long way in life. It doesn’t hurt your bibliophilic ambitions, either.

13The point where you can teach others how to be a bookworm. Spreading the joy!

Comment from discussion Any tips on becoming a bookworm?.

14Just so you can carry some books with you always.

Are you a bibliophile? Show us your love by commenting and sharing your photos with us on social media. Remember to tag your post with #BookLove.

Brand Imposters: 7 Funniest Misspelled Product Knock-Offs

One of the best things about language is its malleability. You can switch around a few letters, relocate a comma, or replace a pronoun, and you’ve suddenly changed the meaning of a sentence. The same principle applies to product logos. A small change can make a big — and hilarious — difference. Here is a short list of some side-splittingly funny product knock-offs from around the world.

Sunbucks Coffee

Realistically, the name Sunbucks makes more sense for a coffee shop than Starbucks, right? After all, more people drink coffee in the morning than they do at night. Sunbucks in China serves up coffee under a logo like Starbucks, but instead of the goddess Siren as their logo, they use a crazy-looking dog.

As if Sunbucks isn’t enough, Bucksstar is another Starbucks knock-off in the Middle Kingdom.

KicKer Candy Bars

“Give me a break. Break me off a piece of that KicKer bar.” KicKer bars are basically KitKats; they’re chocolately deliciousness draped over thin, crispy wafers. Of course, the name “KicKer” might make the candy sound more like a punishment — or a cocktail — than a sugary treat, but, hey, why not just go with it?

Arm and Hatchet Baking Soda

You can use baking soda for all sorts of things; use it to clean your house, do your laundry, or brighten up your smile. Sure, you could go with the classic Arm and Hammer baking soda, but Arm and Hatchet sounds a little more powerful, doesn’t it? The products are the same, but the labels and the pictures are different. Arm and Hatchet’s logo features —you guessed it—a hand holding a small axe instead of a hammer.

ABCIDS Athletic Wear

Adidas is an icon in the sports world, so it makes sense that someone would try to capitalize on the brand’s popularity by creating products with a similar image and font but with a different brand name. Some claim that “ADIDAS” is an acronym for “All day I dream about sports.” ABCIDS, however, well…it kind of sounds like some sort of alphabet disease.

WuMart: The Wal-Mart of China

There’s no shortage of bargains in China, and you’ll find plenty of good prices at WuMart. It is the same sort of business as Wal-Mart; a range of items at low prices. However, the company logos are different. WuMart has more red and they don’t use a star. Their stores’ signs include an English translation that calls WuMart a hypermarket, whatever that is. What does the “Wu” in WuMart mean? The character they use literally means “object,” “thing,” or “matter.” Seems reasonable, right?

Goojje.com — Who Needs Google, Anyway?

The only way to use Google in China is via a VPN. Naturally, the solution is to create a knock-off version of Google known as Goojje. Sure, the scope of Goojje’s services don’t really compare to the company that served as the inspiration behind the copy, but you have to give Goojje’s creators credit for seeking to fill a consumer want.

S&M’s Chocolate Candies

While this product might sound like something that belongs in “Fifty Shades of Grey,” S&M’s are actually just a knock-off of good old M&M’s. Hopefully they taste better than their ill-thought-out name implies. Maybe they’re the perfect treat for date night!

Funny phrases and intentional misspellings make for some of the most laughable products out there. While you might never visit a WuMart or wake up with Sunbucks coffee, it is still amusing to know that shameless imitation is around to keep the entrepreneurial spirit alive. What are some of your favorite, funny product knock-offs?

These young grammar police don’t fool around. Would you join the force?

Smosh gets 100% credit for commitment. These grammar-loving cops don’t kid around!

How To Keep Your Kids Writing During Holiday Break

Writing is like falling in love. Those who really succeed at the endeavor are those who are willing to put their hearts out there and risk being rejected. As you can imagine, this can be a wonderful experience–or it can be agonizing. At least for adults.

For children, falling in love with writing is less dramatic. It’s about learning to tell their stories and committing to paper all of the make-believe worlds they have created. The agonizing part of the process is finding the discipline to keep on writing when they’d rather be doing something else. This is evident during winter break, when the lure of shopping or sledding may be stronger than that of writing.

So, what is the best way to encourage young writers to practice their craft this holiday season? Read on for some practical tips.

Fill your child’s life with stories. Read to your children every day from various types of books. Take turns reading the pages aloud, or read from books that are above their reading level. Tell your own stories at bedtime, and or even when you are on a long car trip or waiting in the doctor’s office. Talk to your children constantly about everything. By keeping them aware of the world around them, as well as other pieces of literature, you’ll expand their imagination (and vocabulary!) and teach them that when they write, the sky is the limit.

Celebrate your child’s writing. When your child brings you a piece of paper with scribbles on it and tells you it’s her name, you’re looking at the child’s earliest form of writing. If you appreciate the work that she does from a young age, she will continue to do it. Celebrate all forms of her writing and she will be filled with the confidence to keep writing–even if it is the holiday season.

Practice what you preach. If you want your child to continue to write over the holidays, make sure he sees you do the same. Any time you write something–whether it’s an email or a grocery list–invite him to help if it is appropriate. Addressing holiday cards is a great opportunity to include children in your writing activities during the holiday season.

Give your child the tools. The tools can be as simple as a writing surface and a container of chalk, pens, and markers. Just make sure she is comfortable and relaxed in her chosen space. Providing a comfortable space for writing helps children and adults alike, as it associates positive feelings with the act of putting pen to paper.

Write with your child. Invite your children to write a story with you. Encourage younger ones to draw illustrations for the story while you write, and then switch jobs. Making writing a way to spend quality time with your children will make them want to do it again and again.

In the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, it can be easy to forget about writing. However, by making some simple changes in your holiday routine, you can provide your child with the building blocks necessary to become a lifelong writer and storyteller.

How are you encouraging your children to write this holiday season? Share your tips with us.

To Correct or Not to Correct? How to Instill Strong Language Skills in Children

By Laura Wallis for The Stir by CafeMom

I come from a long line of English teachers on my mother’s side. I remember being corrected on my grammar pretty much as soon as I could speak—for my grandmother, my full grasp of the distinction between “bring” and “take” was as vital as covering my mouth when I yawned. Speaking and writing correctly was just good manners.

These days, though, the school of thought on correcting kids has relaxed somewhat. Even if you have the heart to correct your kids (see our previous post, “Too Cute To Correct”)—it isn’t necessarily the best thing to do. Here are a couple of reasons why and some suggestions on what you might do instead.

Correcting can actually disrupt learning

In the early years of writing, your child is absorbing a lot of information. Learning to tell a story, explaining who the major characters are, adding details and action, and expressing emotions are complicated tasks. I learned this lesson from my children’s kindergarten and first-grade teachers, who would remind us parents to let small things like spelling mistakes go when reviewing our kids’ early writing efforts.

Many teachers think that the creative or “temporary” spellings of words that our kids come up with are perfectly fine placeholders and help to keep kids on task. Focusing on the correct spelling of each word—and even on proper punctuation—can slow down all the heavy-duty thinking that goes into writing.

What to do instead of correct? Take cues from the teacher. What is the focus of the writing assignment? If it’s persuasive writing, look for an instance where your child made a good argument, and praise that. Same if she did a great job of adding descriptive detail in recounting a small moment. If a word from your child’s weekly sight-word spelling list appears, it’s okay to make sure that one is spelled correctly and review it if not. Otherwise, it might be better to let it go.

Correcting can discourage

Although some mistakes can be grating and hard to ignore, interrupting your child’s speech on the regular to say “Jimmy and I, dear, not Jimmy and ME” is a pretty good way to torpedo your kid’s confidence.

A friendlier, and maybe even more effective approach in the long run, is to take a page from the nursery school teachers’ playbook and model correct speech yourself. If your little one says “Daddy drived me to school” you can say “He drove you to school? Did you miss the bus?”

It’s just a nicer way to go, and if she hears it the right way often enough, eventually it’s sure to stick.

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Laura Wallis is a freelance writer and editor specializing in all things family, home, food, and health. She currently lives in New Jersey with her husband, two children, and dog—none of whom take grammar as seriously as they should. She writes for The Stir by CafeMom.

What’s your opinion about academic writing standards?

Academic writing is the epitome of formality and requires generally strict adherence to various style guides—usually a different standard for each subject. Should academic writing and English remain strict and formal, or is it time to relax the rules a bit?

Hot Off the Presses: New changes to the AP Stylebook

The Associated Press Stylebook is a guide for style and usage in written news reporting. Why do writers need a style guide? A style guide helps writers know what the rules are: whether the Oxford comma should be used or not, when to spell out numerals, how to capitalize the names of organizations, etc. Writers may use other style guides in different situations, including the Chicago Manual of Style and the American Medical Association Manual of Style. Each year, the AP Stylebook is updated to include new terms and popular word usages. Here are two interesting updates being made to this year’s Stylebook:

Social media terminology Social media users, rejoice! The terms “favorite” (used as a verb) and “meme” have been added to the AP Stylebook this year.

Global warming In the past, it’s been unclear whether journalists should use the term “global warming” or “climate change.” Now writers don’t have to choose because the AP has declared that the terms can be used interchangeably.

The AP bases its Stylebook updates on common usage of words so that the language writers use is accurate and makes sense to readers. What terminology do you think should be added to or clarified in the AP Stylebook? Share your thoughts in the comments!