George R.R. Martin's hometown library names room after him, city declares October 15 GRRM Day

It's that time of year where hearing a heartwarming story is extra nice, and today, we've got a special one for you. A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin has taken to his blog in a new post titled "A Day to Remember," where he talks all about one of the most recent and moving accolades in his life: a room has been named after him at his childhood local library in Bayonne, New Jersey. And the city has even declared an official "George R.R. Martin Day" to go along with it.

While he's lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico for quite a few years at this point, Martin is originally from Bayonne, where he lived from 1948 until he went off to Northwestern University in 1966. Today, Martin shared that the Bayonne Public Library recently renovated some of their facilities — including adding a new Popular Fiction room, which has been dubbed the George R.R. Martin Room for Popular Fiction. You can see pictures of Martin at the official ribbon cutting ceremony for the room in mid-October on his blog, as well as on the official Bayonne, NJ city website.

Martin begins the post by reminiscing about all the places he enjoyed frequenting in his youth in Bayonne, and while many of those haunts have since disappeared, the Bayonne Public Library remains. "I remember the library. I always will," he wrote. "And it would seem that the library remembers me. They have just completed some renovations, and did me the honor of naming one of the new rooms after me: the George R.R. Martin Room for Popular Fiction. To mark the occasion, they declared October 15 to be George R.R. Martin."

Martin delivered some remarks to commemorate the moment, which you can watch above.

George R.R. Martin is by far the biggest literary figure to come out of Bayonne, so it's wonderful to see him honored in this way at his local library. And in case you're curious about the details of "George R.R. Martin Day," that is now an official observed day in Bayonne, New Jersey. Bayonne Mayor James Davis presented Martin with a proclamation document that made it an official city holiday, which you can also see a picture of over on Martin's Not A Blog.

"That is… so cool, so… so…  well, words fail me," Martin wrote. "I have won a lot of awards over the course my career: Emmys and Golden Globes, Hugo Awards and Nebulas, Dragons and Bram Stokers, World Fantasy Awards, (I have lost a lot more, to be sure, but then that’s only fitting for a guy who helped found the Hugo Losers Club)… but I have never had a day before. Few have. After all, there are only 365 of them."

The new George R.R. Martin Room for Popular Fiction even has a big dragon mural on the wall, which is pretty fitting. Check it out:

Congratulations to Martin on this auspicious achievement! He's clearly done his hometown of Bayonne, New Jersey proud. If you're ever in the area, make sure to check out the library's new George R.R. Martin Room for Popular Fiction!

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