Open Book Chocolates

Handmade, Bean-to-Bar, Fair Trade Chocolate Bars | Literary-Inspired Flavors

Jane Eyre

Literary Holidays | October 2024

G. E. Gallas

Celebrate this month’s literary holidays with Open Book Chocolates!

Please Note: Our 2024 Kickstarter campaign ended on Wednesday, October 2nd. We are currently working on reopening our online store as soon as possible. In the meantime, our chocolate bars are available via Late Pledges on Kickstarter.

Learning Disabilities and Dyslexia Awareness Month

“October is Learning Disabilities Awareness Month — a time to recognize the more than 70 million people in the United States who have learning and thinking differences.”

Learn more by visiting the website for the National Center for Learning Disabilities.

Filipino American Month

“Filipino American History Month is observed in October every year to mark the anniversary of the first recorded evidence of Filipinos in America. Filipino Americans are the second-largest Asian-American community in the U.S., and are the third-largest racial group in California. Their contributions to our country are exemplary and their achievements are recognized and celebrated throughout this designated month.”

Here’s a selection of books written by Filipino-American authors:

National Book Month

“Started in 2003, National Book Month is a month-long celebration during October dedicated to books and reading.”

How to Celebrate National Book Month:

LGBTQIA+ History Month

“LGBT History Month is an annual month-long observance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history, and the history of the gay rights and related civil rights movements. It was founded in 1994 by Missouri high-school history teacher Rodney Wilson. LGBT History Month provides role models, builds community, and represents a civil rights statement about the contributions of the LGBTQ+ community.”

Mad Hatter Day | October 6th

“Mad Hatter Day celebrates the Hatter, a key character in Lewis Carol’s Alice in Wonderland.”

“The unofficial holiday was created in 1986 in Boulder Colorado by a group of computer technicians who were inspired by the Hatter and his antics in the epic fantasy novel.“

Open Book Chocolates is celebrating Mad Hatter Day with Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll and our matching chocolate bar.

Oscar Wilde’s Birthday | October 16th, 1854

“Humanity takes itself too seriously. It is the world's original sin. If the caveman had known how to laugh, history would have been different.“ —The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Open Book Chocolates is celebrating Oscar Wilde’s birthday with his novella The Picture of Dorian Gray and our matching chocolate bar.

Jane Eyre Publication Date | October 19th, 1847

“[Jane Eyre] was published under [Charlotte Brontë’s] pen name ‘Currer Bell’ on 19 October 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. of London.“

Frankenstein Friday | October 25th, 2024

Frankenstein Friday “…was created to celebrate Mary Shelley and her famous novel Frankenstein (also named The Modern Prometheus). Mary Shelley’s creation spawned an entire genre, countless movie adaptations, and widespread recognition, and from the spooky October month comes another fun celebration.“

Open Book Chocolates is celebrating Frankenstein Friday with Mary Shelley’s novel and our matching chocolate bar.

Books for Treats Day | Halloween | October 31st

“Books for Treats is a non-profit (501c3) movement that encourages you to give gently read children’s books at Halloween instead of candy.“

We believe trick-or-treaters will get a kick out of A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, starting with the first volume in the series.

Check out Open Book Chocolates’s profile on Bookshop.org!

Literary Holidays | August 2024

G. E. Gallas

Celebrate this month’s literary holidays with Open Book Chocolates!

Romance Awareness Month

Open Book Chocolates is celebrating Romance Awareness Month with some of our favorite romantic novels, like Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë.

Women in Translation Month

“WITMonth - aka Women in Translation Month - is an annual celebration of women writers from around the world, writing in languages other than English.”

Open Book Chocolates is celebrating Women in Translation Month with some of our favorite Japanese women writers translated into English.

Herman Melville’s Birthday | August 1st, 1819

“‘Look you, Doubloon, your zodiac here is the life of man in one round chapter; and now I'll read it off, straight out of the book.’” —Moby-Dick by Herman Melville

Purchase Moby-Dick by Herman Melville while supporting independent bookstores.

James Baldwin’s Birthday | August 2nd, 1924

“His mind was like the sea itself: troubled, and too deep for the bravest man's descent, throwing up now and again, for the naked eye to wonder at, treasure and debris long forgotten on the bottom—bones and jewels, fantastic shells, jelly that had once been flesh, pearls that had once been eyes. And he was at the mercy of this sea, hanging there with darkness all around him.“ —Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin

Purchase Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin while supporting independent bookstores.

National Book Lovers Day | August 9th

“Crack open your favorite book, visit a bookshop or library to find your next great read, and enjoy the relaxation and joy of being a reader and book lover.”

Every month, I select my current reads and favorite books, and put together a book list on Bookshop.org. Check out my list for August!

H. P. Lovecraft’s Birthday | August 20th, 1890

“It seemed to be a sort of monster, or symbol representing a monster, of a form which only a diseased fancy could conceive. If I say that my somewhat extravagant imagination yielded simultaneous pictures of an octopus, a dragon, and a human caricature, I shall not be unfaithful to the spirit of the thing. A pulpy, tentacled head surmounted a grotesque and scaly body with rudimentary wings; but it was the general outline of the whole which made it most shockingly frightful.” —The Call of Cthulhu by H. P. Lovecraft

Open Book Chocolates is celebrating H. P. Lovecraft’s birthday with The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories and our The Call of Cthulhu chocolate bar.

Ray Bradbury’s Birthday | August 22nd, 1920

“After all, when we had all the books we needed, we still insisted on finding the highest cliff to jump off. But we do need knowledge. And perhaps in a thousand years we might pick smaller cliffs to jump off.” —Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Purchase Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury while supporting independent bookstores.

Leo Tolstoy’s Birthday | August 28th, 1928

“In historical events great men — so-called — are but labels serving to give a name to the event, and like labels they have the least possible connection with the event itself. Every action of theirs, that seems to them an act of their own free will, is in an historical sense not free at all, but in bondage to the whole course of previous history, and predestined from all eternity.“ —War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

Purchase War and Peace and Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy while supporting independent bookstores.

Mary Shelley’s Birthday | August 30th, 1797

Frankenstein Day | August 30th

“The different accidents of life are not so changeable as the feelings of human nature. I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. For this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart.“ —Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Purchase Frankenstein by Mary Shelley while supporting independent bookstores.

Check out Open Book Chocolates’s profile on Bookshop.org!

Restocked: Jane Eyre, A Little Princess, The Picture of Dorian Gray, & One Thousand and One Nights

G. E. Gallas

Our Jane Eyre, A Little Princess, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and One Thousand and One Nights chocolate bars are now restocked in our online store:  openbookchocolates.com/shop!