Did you know that April is Arab American Heritage Month? In honor of this occasion, I have compiled a list of books written by Arab and Arab American Authors. While you are picking out your books, you can also check out the links below to learn more about this heritage month and how it is celebrated across the country. Scroll down to dig through the list of books.

For a bit of fun, I thought I'd look up books that feature solar eclipses. It turns out that solar eclipses have often been used as harbingers of doom or metaphors for destruction as in the example of Moby Dick by Herman Melville. This largely draws on historical, cultural, and religious interpretations of this natural event. Scientific studies of today tend to downplay the dangers of a solar eclipse, but before our current technologies could predict approaching solar eclipses, they were unexpected and often frightening or spiritual events. These mentalities live on in various aspects of cultures spiritualities, and storytelling, including literature. Below, I have assembled a list of books which feature solar eclipses. Enjoy!

It's generally advisable for professionals of all kinds to dedicate time to professional development. Professional development can help you stay up-to-date with best practices, current events and subject matter in your field, new discoveries or techniques, or can simply be a space in which you are able to improve your craft and become the best professional you can be. The same is true for writers. Writers commonly study their craft by practicing the written word, by reading voraciously, by connecting with other writers through writing groups, conferences, and the like, by connecting with readers through reading clubs, social media and other venues, by taking classes, reading writing blogs, and more.

Underground Bookshelf is a platform that celebrates diverse literature, its authors, and the communities they honor. Our latest series of resource articles pull together free or inexpensive tools that writers (both amateur and veteran) might benefit from. This is also a great opportunity to remind you that I'm always looking for writers to highlight on this platform. If you are interested in sharing your short story, poem, or other work through this website, let me know by emailing me at contact.undergroundbookshelf@gmail.com.

It can be hard to find a book by an indie author at a brick-and-mortar bookstore. Similarly, it can be hard for indie authors to get their books stocked on shelves at bookstores. While a variety of online platforms have helped to democratize reading and writing for many people, some barriers still remain. Storytelling social platforms are another way that people who are passionate about reading and writing further democratize storytelling by adding a social aspect. On these platforms, amateur, indie, and professional writers come together. Anyone can publish their own original work, read other people's work, and build connections over their shared interests. Last week, I shared ten platforms of this nature. You can find that list HERE. This week, I've compiled a list of eleven more platforms that do the same thing. Scroll down to learn about these additional platforms.

It can be hard to find a book by an indie author at a brick-and-mortar bookstore. Similarly, it can be hard for indie authors to get their books stocked on shelves at bookstores. While a variety of online platforms have helped to democratize reading and writing for many people, some barriers still remain. Storytelling social platforms are another way that people who are passionate about reading and writing further democratize storytelling by adding a social aspect. On these platforms, amateur, indie, and professional writers come together. Anyone can publish their own original work, read other people's work, and build connections over their shared interests. Below, I've compiled a list of platforms that combine reading and writing with social media. Scroll down to learn more.

If you're visiting Underground Bookshelf, there's a good chance you like to read. Reading can quickly become an expensive hobby and not everyone has the money or space to curate the beautiful bookshelves that many booktokers like to promote. Some influencers have encouraged book lovers to purchase books from Amazon and return them after reading them as a "hack" for reading "free" books. I would never recommend this method. Firstly, this method hurts authors (especially indie authors) who think they have made a sale, but end up owing Amazon at the end of the month. Secondly, there are plenty of ways to read on a budget that don't actively hurt writers. Check out the list curated below to find 10 new ways to access the books you crave!

January 27th is recognized by the United Nations as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This date was chosen because it is the anniversary of the day that prisoners at Auschwitz-Birkenau were liberated. This remembrance day is intended to honor the victims of the Holocaust as well as support educational programming designed to prevent genocides and Nazi ideology. In honor of this occasion, we have assembled a list of 10 Jewish authors who write for a wide variety of ages and interests. While Jewish Europeans were the primary targets of Nazi Germany, other minorities, such as the Roma and Sinti ethnic groups, LGBT+ individuals, people with disabilities, and others were also targeted. Visit the websites linked below to learn more about this remembrance day, and the history of the Holocaust.

Middle grade books are among the targets of book bans and challenges, particularly in classrooms and school libraries. Often, parents are concerned with their children engaging with topics of race, sexual orientation, and gender identity, but there are many more reasons why a book may be removed from shelves. These bans make it difficult for young readers to connect with diversity and inclusion through literature, and more. In today's article, we share a list of ten banned or challenged books for middle grade readers and where you can find them.

Winter months in the northern hemisphere is filled with holidays celebrated by people of many cultures and religions. Christmas tends to get the most attention in the United States and arguments have frequently arisen pertaining to holiday greetings like Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, and Happy Holidays. In this article, we share a book for as many winter holidays as we could find. It's probably not comprehensive, but it's a start at recognizing how many different holidays exist around this time of year. If you know of another holiday that isn't represented on this list, let us know so that we can add it to a future article.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities is observed each year on December 3rd. Initiated by the United Nations in 1992, this observance is built on the foundational belief that disability inclusion is a vital part of protecting human rights and creating a sustainable future for everyone. The United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy was launched in 2019 as a way of approaching all work done by the UN in a way that is inclusive of the disability community. According to the United Nations, roughly one billion people currently live with a disability. 80% of people with disabilities live in a developing country and 10% of children have a disability. Learn more about the United Nations and it's work in favor of disability justice and equity by clicking the links below. Scroll down to find 10 books written by people with disabilities. To see what other people are saying about International Day of Persons with Disabilities, follow the hashtag, #IDPWD.

Celebrated on December 1st, this year's World AIDS Day theme is "Remember and Commit." First celebrated in 1988, this day is a reminder that people all over the world continue to struggle with HIV. This day also recognizes the effort to end the stigma faced by people who have tested HIV-positive. The list below consists of authors who lived with HIV. Some became well-known for their HIV advocacy, while others were writers who happened to also have HIV. Learn more about World AIDS Day by following the #WorldAIDSDay hashtag or by visiting HIV.gov.