I'm all about Halloween. The colors, the costumes, the candy ... all of it. And while there's no forgetting that this time of year is all about pumpkin spice any/everything, let's remember the power of the pumpkin –sans spice. Instead of spice, I prefer to pair my pumpkin with paint, glue, creativity and literary inspiration!

Here are some awesome book-inspired pumpkins, courtesy of – you guessed it – Pinterest!

Have a great All Hallows' Eve, everyone! Be safe, have fun and get spooky!

My favorite season is autumn, my favorite holiday is Halloween and one of my favorite authors is Ray Bradbury. What better way to celebrate this time of year by combining the three? 

I seem to find myself reading a lot of Bradbury as of late. Most people know the man for his highly acclaimed book, Fahrenheit 451, but I much prefer his lesser-known stories. Earlier this week I closed the last page of From the Dust Returned, and I immediately picked up The Halloween Tree – one of my favorite stories since I was a child.

I grew up watching the animated version of The Halloween Tree, and it was easily one of my most-played VHS tapes (after all, I watched and re-watched it no matter what time of year it was).

Despite being somewhat of a forgot work of Bradbury's, The Halloween Tree is what made him one of my favorite authors. His singsongy prose and seemingly endless sentences transport you to that "small town by a small river and a small lake in a small northern part of a Midwest state," mentioned in the book. His words make you feel like one of the youngsters dressed up in Halloween garb, running through the streets with a crisp, autumnal breeze lapping at your heels as you sprint from door to door, yelling "Trick or treat!"

Maybe one of the reasons I love Halloween the most, is because it feels like one big contradiction. It makes me feel more aware of the unknown, while somehow simultaneously exuding a sense of familiarity. I'm scared just as much as I'm comforted. I'm here, but I'm also there. 

And so goes the story of the children in The Halloween Tree. Will the gang find their beloved Pip before it's too late? Where will they find him? And when?

Yesterday was my first day of training as a library aide at the Community Library, and I couldn't have enjoyed it more. I learned how to check in books after they've been returned, as well as how to sort and shelf them. Tomorrow it looks like I'll be learning how to check materials out to patrons, and I'll get my first opportunity to prepare books for delivery to other branches of the Kenosha Public Library system.

But the best part of my first day working in a public library came at about 1:30 p.m. when a  group of 40 elementary school students walked in, decked out in their Halloween costumes. 

As I walked around the library returning books to their proper places on the shelves, I could hear the Head of Youth Services librarian engaging and entertaining those kids like there was nothing more important in the world – all by simply reading them a book.

Story Time wasn't just something these kids were forced to participate in. In fact, I wouldn't believe any of them if they said they'd rather be somewhere else. These children were hanging on the librarian's every word as they actively listened, asked questions, laughed, gasped, oohed and ahhed.

I remember when I was one of those kids (I would have probably been dressed as Jasmine from Aladdin). But if you asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up back then, my guess is I would have answered veterinarian or doctor. And as I witnessed those children at the library, I had to wonder how many of them would reading really grab. 

How many of those kids sitting in that room right at that moment would continue to find that same enjoyment in reading when they got to high school? What about college? Beyond? Who in that room will grow up to publish novels, illustrate books or be a best-selling author? Maybe none – but perhaps one. 

Not knowing it at the time, it was childhood moments like that Story Time which ultimately made me want to become a children's librarian. And I hope that when those kids are my age, whatever they choose to do will be – at least in some small way – shaped by that moment in the Twin Lakes Community Library. And I can say that I was a fly-on-the-wall observer, watching their dreams take root.

Maybe the most impressive thing about Spartz is his claim to be able to read 1,000 words per minute, according to the Chicago Tribune article:

'"Wherever your eyes are, you move the pen, line by line by line," he recommended. "It prevents regressions. It prevents your eyes from going back and rereading the same thing over and over again. It forces you to move forward."'

But Spartz acknowledges that the speed of his reading changes based on the type of book. When it comes to nonfiction, he relies on subheads and skimming, but with fiction books, he reads at a normal pace to follow the story like its author intended.

The media mogul also makes new employees read 20 books in 30 days to see how much information they can retain. Sure, this sounds tough, but it also sounds like a great work assignment! Am I right?

I'm not saying everyone should be reading four biographies a day (let alone 1,000 words per minute), but there's no denying that the foundation of this young man's success seems to be rooted in reading, like so many other successful men and women in this world.

Here's a phrase everyone is far too familiar with nowadays: budget cuts. And when it comes to libraries, funding issues have already started taking their toll. According to Gale publishing, schools are eliminating librarians, and college libraries receive less than three cents of every dollar spent on higher education. 

But thankfully, every coin has another side.

According to the Gale blog post, Why Libraries Matter, "Ninety-five percent of Americans believe that public libraries play an important role in helping people live more successful lives. Students who visit their college libraries even once a semester are much more likely to return to school the following semester than those who do not. According to the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, 'the vast majority of readers aged 16-29 have read a print book in the last year.' And 60 percent of Americans under the age of 30 have used a library within the last 12 months."

With these staggering statistics, it's hard to see why libraries' budgets are getting cut short – or, in some cases, eliminated all together. But thanks to Gale's new online library community, My Library Story, library workers and patrons are able to share their reasons for loving libraries. Perhaps more importantly, the website also allows library supporters to connect with stakeholders who are responsible for libraries' funding and thus, their future.

What's even more remarkable about this online community, is that for every post submitted, Gale is donating $1 to an advertising fund that will be used to promote libraries via mainstream media during National Library Week in April of 2015. 

Libraries of all kinds are fundamental to the well-being of the communities they serve, and I'm not saying that should exempt them from being challenged by the funding cuts plaguing many other organizations. But My Library Story is just what libraries need: an opportunity to strengthen their grassroots, innovate their marketing efforts and ultimately help prolong their services.

Please join me in sharing your library story to help libraries keep their doors (and books) open.

This week serves as the ninth annual National Friends of Libraries Week – a great time of the year to promote libraries in the community, raise awareness and promote membership! And whether you're a true library lover or just discovering all the possibilities a library can hold, I hope you can find some time in your busy week to visit your local library branch and show your appreciation. 

If you don't think an actual visit is possible for you this week (or even if you do), there's a great way you can show your support for public libraries online. Introducing Free for All: Inside the Public Library, a documentary currently being made about America's amazing public libraries and "the urgent need to keep them open, innovating and free for all." 

The two women behind the film, Dawn Logsdon and Lucie Faulknor, have launched a Kickstarter campaign to help raise the $75,000 needed to complete the filming and editing process of the film before it's interred release on PBS in 2016. Check out the video below to learn more about the documentary.

If you're interested in pledging money to this terrific project, please do so! There are plenty of cool incentives listed on the Free for All Kickstarter page to help sway you, including social media shout-outs, early access to the film, bookmarks, canvas tote bags and more.

All this week I'll be posting about the importance of local libraries and how people like you can help positively shape the institution's future. With many important political decisions being made about libraries on the horizon, now is the time to add your voice to the discussion.

It turns out I can't, but I did fairly well when I found this online quiz asking that very question. It turns out the quiz was a little bit harder than I thought it would be. Here's what it looks like:

Some of them seemed so easy! Even if you hadn't read the books, you could probably come up with the title from hearing the author's name in high school English class or watching Jeopardy! And then there are the ones that you know you should know, but just don't (maybe you should have taken more English classes). But then there are some where you just don't have the faintest clue. And – if you're anything like me – that means most of the books in the right hand column.

If you want to take the quiz too, here's where you should do it before I give away all the answers in sharing my results. Read ... set ... GO!

I gave up with just under three minutes left, mostly to stop myself from Googling the answers (don't act like you didn't think about it). Although a 58% would have gotten you an 'F' in any high school class, I'm pretty proud of it – especially considering the average score was just a 36%.

My challenge to you is to take the time to learn about some of these books, even if it's as simple as matching a title to an author (your Trivial Pursuit team during your next game night will thank me). But as someone who is a lover of classics, I'm making it my duty to read all of these books and the rest of the 54 of the *Top 100 list. After all, isn't it time to make your English teachers proud? (Hi Mr. Monday!)

What score did you get? Share your results with me on Facebook or on Twitter using #TessaFoxReads.

If you grew up in the '90s and were a "PBS Kid" like me, I have no doubt that you were singing along to that entire video. I must admit, I shamelessly sing this song whenever I hear the words "library card," so you can only imagine how this fancy little diddy has been stuck in my head all day after getting my brand spankin' new Kenosha Public Library card! 

After weeks of getting settled into my new apartment in Kenosha, I can finally call myself an official resident – library card and all.

So what exactly did my card and I find on our first of many visits to the Northside Public Library? Some pretty amazing things:

I couldn't help but smile when I pulled into a nearly-full parking lot. Upon entering the automatic doors I saw people of all walks of life taking advantage of what the library has to offer. From the little boy staring curiously at a chess board to the a young man reserving a study room; from the two girls feverishly looking up books on the online catalog to the elderly man in a cap reading near a window ... just being in a public library surrounded by diverse books and people feels good somehow.

I limited myself to only renting two books from the library, because I'm already reading a few and own a couple others that I can't wait to dig into. I've been super into Ray Bradbury lately, so From the Dust Returned was a must. I also stayed on my Kerouac kick and rented The Haunted Life. 

But as I walked to the circulation desk, I saw the "Friends of the Library Book Sale" shelf, whose proceeds go to improving the library. With most books being just $1, I couldn't help but buy an armful:

You know I love libraries for a gazillion reasons, but one that I have yet to mention is their use of bulletin boards! Public libraries advertise so many events going on in the community. During my trip to the Northside Library I got a few ideas of upcoming things to do, including Saturday's Spooky Sprint and Fall Festival, a showing of a travel adventure series film about Budapest and Istanbul in November and, of course, this weekend's Friends of the Library Book Sale at Kenosha's Southwest Library, 7979 38th Ave. 

For a list of all Kenosha Public Library events, click here. I hope to see you at some of them!

Welcome to Day Three of Teen Read Week, a national adolescent literacy initiative created by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). This year marks the week's 16th year of encouraging teens to be regular readers and library users.

I know we all still yearn for the glory years of whiteheads, braces and awkward interactions with your middle school crush, but teens actually do have the upper hand with one thing: YOUNG ADULT FICTION.

I have no shame in reading YA, and you shouldn't either, because it's not just for teenagers. Sure, if you actually read it when you're a teen it's a bit more socially accepted and all your friends have probably read the book too so you can actually have really great book discussions while you mom is driving you to the mall before Tommy Prescott from next door calls you later to see if you want to go see that movie, right?

Joking aside, the teenage years are a great time to bridge the gap between children's books and that million-page adult stuff. With all the hormonal confusion, shutting out the rest of the world with a good book could be just want adolescents need to avoid some of the stress of growing up (or – if you're like so many of us out there – already being grown up).

I think the reason so many people love reading YA (myself included) is because it's a genre that's not afraid to take risks. Sure, there were a few years where every YA book seemed to be about vampires, and I think we're finally almost done with the here's-another-book-about-a-dystopian-future trap that authors have been so easily falling into (because hey, we know it sells). But I can't wait to see what's next for YA, because the genre has given us some pretty neat things already. I'm hoping for a new series with a particularly strong, positive body image message, personally.

With so many YA hits like Harry Potter, The Fault in Our Stars, If I Stay and The Hunger Games trilogy cashing in at the box office, you know that those wanna-be wizards, hopeless romantics and archery enthusiasts are picking up the books too – and that's all that matters.

The beauty about YA is it makes reading cool. At a time in a teen's life when being cool may be the biggest priority, that can serve as extra motivation to pick up a book and discover a new, lifelong hobby.

If you develop a strong enough passion for reading as a young adult, there's no way you're going to let the joys of reading slip away as you enter your older years. I mean, there may not be enough time to read for fun in college unless you forgo eating, sleeping and personal hygiene, but you'll graduate eventually. And when you do, those YA spectaculars will still be waiting for you. I know they were for me!