Hello again, friends! It’s Friday once more and that means it’s time for me to share some of my favourite pieces of content I found around the web this week. This week I read a few articles on language that I think you might find interesting as well as some news about book stores and paper supplies. So, word nerds and bibliophiles, you’re gonna like this one. Doggos and Puppers It’s no secret that pets are beloved on the internet. If you follow any internet communities in which dogs are a subject, you’ve likely seen words like “doggo,” “pupper” and “fluffer.” These words are all part of “DoggoLingo” or “doggo-speak,” a language trend formed around the love of dogs. NPR has the details of thi

You can almost smell the gingerbread, hear the holiday songs, and taste the hot chocolate. Christmas is quickly approaching. And we at Common Deer Press are excited for its' arrival. So to celebrate this time of year, we have chosen our top 15 books to buy your children and teens for Christmas. We hope you enjoy! The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg A young boy who wonders if he truly believes in Christmas finds his way on the Polar Express. This well-loved illustrated treat will entertain every reader. Rex by Cody B. Stewart, Adam Rocke, and Mark Rogers When eleven-year-old TJ finds a weird looking egg in the Florida Everglades after a tropical storm rips through, naturally he takes it h

SERGEANT MEGATRON 5000: TODAY I AM SUPER-THRILLED TO BE JOINED BY DETHBERT JONES. DETHBERT JONES: Thanks Sarge, I am super-thrilled to be here! SERGEANT MEGATRON 5000: ONLY ONE OF US CAN BE SUPER-THRILLED OR THE EMOTIONS WILL CANCEL EACH OTHER OUT. DETHBERT JONES: That's not how emotions work, but okay... I am super-smooshed to be here. Any better? SERGEANT MEGATRON 5000: SATISFACTORY. MY FIRST QUESTION IS THIS: WHAT CAME FIRST, THE CHICKENSNAIL OR THE EGG? DETHBERT JONES: That's an easy one. My dad created the only chickensnail in the known universe in his lab; so she came first. SERGEANT MEGATRON 5000: IF YOU COULD CREATE THE ULTIMATE HYBRID CREATURE, WHAT PARTS WOULD IT CONTAIN? DETHBERT

Hello all! Happy Friday! Now, I know it’s a big shopping weekend, so a lot of you will be out and about. But if ever you need a break from the business of stores and malls, I’ve got you covered. This week, I found some fascinating longer reads that I hope you’ll enjoy as much as I did. If you want something short and fun, don’t worry, I’ve got that too. Read on! Inclusive Language Among editing circles, inclusive language has been a growing topic of discussion. But it’s something everyone should know about. So what is it? And why is it important? Take a look at editor Sarah Grey’s post on inclusive language and inclusive editing for some insight. Alvin Irby and Barbershop Books Lit Hub has a

SERGEANT MEGATRON 5000: TODAY I AM JOINED BY FELLOW ROBOT, ANDI SOCIAL. WE ROBOTS NORMALLY COMMUNICATE USING BINARY CODE, BUT NON-ROBOTS WOULD FIND IT TOO DIFFICULT TO DECIPHER A LONG SERIES OF ONES AND NOUGHTS. ANDI SOCIAL: 10110011 SERGEANT MEGATRON 5000: HA HA HA! SO, FIRST QUESTION. WHY ARE YOU BEST FRIENDS WITH DETHBERT JONES, WHO IS A NON-ROBOT? ANDI SOCIAL: WE MET AT SCHOOL AND BONDED OVER A COMMON INTEREST IN ALGEBRA. I WAS INTERESTED IN GETTING ALL OF THE QUESTIONS CORRECT, AND HE WAS INTERESTED IN COPYING MY ANSWERS. AS WE INTERFACED MORE, WE BECAME AS CLOSE AS AN IRON BAR DOES TO AN ELECTROMAGNET. SERGEANT MEGATRON 5000: WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST SKILL? ANDI SOCIAL: EVER SINCE DETHBER

A.T. Balsara’s novel The Great & the Small has officially been announced as a winner of a Literary Classics Top Honours Book Award! The Literary Classics International Book Awards recognize “contributions to the craft of writing, illustrating, and publishing exceptional literature for a youth audience.” Top Honours Award recipients were selected by a panel of judges seeking the foremost in literature. The Great & the Small has won gold in the upper middle grade category, earning the Eloquent Quill Book Award, which recognizes “distinguished fiction for a youth audience.” Literary Classics has also bestowed Balsara’s novel with its Seal of Approval. Its review states “Author A.T. Balsara is a

Hey! What’s up, everyone? It’s Emily back again to share what we’ve been reading from around the internet this week. We’ve been sharing a lot of fun stuff on our blog lately (did you see Monday’s post on treasure?), but here’s some other cool stuff you might like. Fairy Tales Author Amanda Leduc is the latest columnist for Open Book and she’s written a piece on fairy tales and disability that’s worth taking a look at. In it, she discusses the Little Mermaid and its promises and failures in the context of her childhood experiences with cerebral palsy. Deciding To Be an Author The Giller Award winner will be announced soon, so those of you interested in one of Canada’s biggest literary awards

“There comes a time in every rightly-constructed boy’s life when he has a raging desire to go somewhere and dig for hidden treasure.” - Mark Twain Celebrated author Mark Twain wasn’t kidding. I mean, who could ever say no to a treasure hunt? Now let’s up the stakes a notch—a PIRATE treasure hunt! Gold and silver coins, precious gems, exquisite jewelry—and the incredible stories of how those riches came to be in the possession of the raiders and rogues that once travelled the seas, pillaging and plundering to their hearts content. You see, these aren’t just tales of imaginative storytellers. Pirates were real. Flesh and bone. Blood and sinew. Men and women who lived by their own rules, with n

Hello again, all! This week the internet’s been abuzz with election news, and while it’s important to be informed, it’s always nice to fall back on some more casual reading. And I’ve got you covered on that front. Here’s what we’ve been reading Around the Web this week. Reading Apps Book Riot collected a list of apps to keep you reading wherever you are. If you haven’t tried reading on a mobile device, you should know it’s a great way to get more reading in when you’re on the go. And, some apps are free and give you opportunities to find new authors and preview new releases for free! Writers on Writing Here’s a post fitting for the end of the first full week of NaNoWriMo (hope you writers ar

SERGEANT MEGATRON 5000: TODAY I AM INVESTIGATING THE PERSONALITY OF DETHBERT'S FRIEND AND NEIGHBOUR, KILLIAN BROWN. THANK YOU FOR JOINING ME, KILLIAN. KILLIAN: Will this take long? I've got a protest march to organize. SERGEANT MEGATRON 5000: <CALCULATING> ALLOWING FOR THOUGHT PROCESSES, THIS INTERVIEW WILL TAKE APPROXIMATELY TWO MINUTES AND FIFTEEN SECONDS. SO KILLIAN, WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ANIMAL? KILLIAN: It's really hard to choose just one... but I do have a soft spot for Fluppies. It's their tiny hooves—they're sooo adorable! SERGEANT MEGATRON 5000: I AGREE, THEY ARE CRUSHINGLY CUTE. IF YOU COULD TRAVEL ANYWHERE IN THE MULTIVERSE FOR ONE DAY, WHERE WOULD YOU GO? KILLIAN: I'd quite like

Happy Friday and happy November, everyone! I hope those of you celebrating Halloween had a fantastic time and that those of you doing NaNoWriMo are off to a good start! As always, I have scoured the internet for interesting and fun stories to share. Read on to see what I found! Responding to the Letters in Frankenstein Frankenstein, which celebrates its 200th year of publication this year, is an epistolary novel. Though most of the text recounts Victor Frankenstein’s tale of creating a monster, it is actually told by Captain Robert Walton who is writing to his sister, Margaret. Alexandra Petri imagined Margaret's responses to the Frankenstein letters for the Washington post. These notes poke

The 2018 Literary Classics Book Award Finalists have been announced and A.T. Balsara’s young adult novel The Great & the Small is on the list! The Great & the Small and the other finalists were selected from submissions from around the world and represent “the foremost in literature in their respective categories.” The Literary Classics Book Awards aim to recognize contributions to the craft of writing, illustrating, and publishing exceptional literature for young audiences and are awarded yearly. Final awards will be announced on November 15, 2018. For the list of finalists, see the full press release.