Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Open Sign on a Bookstore



For more wordless photos, go to Wordless Wednesday.

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by West Metro Mommy ReadsTo participate in Saturday Snapshot: post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken and then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky at West Metro Mommy Rea

My Top Bookworm Delights





My Little Free Library



Watching kids read in my library



A book festival



Accumulating books


Reading books aloud



A library conference



Favorite books



Meeting favorite authors



A day to just read



Saturday, April 23, 2016

It's Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon! ¡Vamos a Leer!






It's my...GULP!...seventeenth time doing a read-a-thon. 

I definitely know the routine. I've cleared my slate for most of the day. I've accumulated a huge stack of possible reads. I have some yummy snacks. 

Ready? Set? Let's read!



Hour 0: Opening Meme

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? 
I'm here in Alvin, Texas, 
between Houston and Galveston.

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? 


Here are the 275 books I obtained free
from the library conference last week.
I don't think I have to worry 
about not having enough to read.

I'm especially excited about
Tell Me Three Things and Side Effects May Vary. 
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? 
Coffee.
4) Tell us a little something about yourself! 
School librarian. Reader. Blogger. 
I love to read happiness books, travel stories, 
literary fiction and nonfiction, and children's books.

5) What’s one thing you’ll do different today? 
Read. And read. And read.



Hours 1-2
Books read so far: 1
Titles read: The Violet Hour: Great Writers at the End
Snacks consumed: 1 cup of coffee
Currently reading: Gertie's Leap to Greatness


Hours 3-7
(Took off a few hours to help my d-i-l with a project.)




Hours 8-11
Books read so far: 3
Titles read: The Violet Hour: Great Writers at the End
Gertie's Leap to Greatness
Somewhere Among by Annie Donwerth-Chikamatsu
Snacks consumed: 1 cup of coffee,
15 Hershey's Kisses
Currently reading: Tell Me Three Things


Hours 12-13


Mid-Event Survey:

1. What are you reading right now? Inspector Flytrap by Tom Angleberger
2. How many books have you read so far? 3
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? Tell Me Three Things
4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? Yes, but it's okay. It's all good.
5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? It's been very, very quiet here at my blog. Twitter is can't-keep-up-off-the-map.

Hour 14
Finished Inspector Flytrap.

Hour 15-24
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

End of Event Survey
  1. Which hour was most daunting for you? I fell asleep at 9.
  2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? Children's chapter books, graphic novels, travel books, picture books.
  3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next season? I missed having cheerleaders visit my blog.
  4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? It was easy to co-host.
  5. How many books did you read? 4
  6. What were the names of the books you read? The Violet Hour: Great Writers at the End, Gertie's Leap to Greatness, Somewhere Among by Annie Donwerth-Chikamatsu, Inspector Flytrap
  7. Which book did you enjoy most? The Violet Hour
  8. Which did you enjoy least? NA
  9. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? Very likely. I may take any role.




Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Bonus at a Mexican Food Restaurant



For more wordless photos, go to Wordless Wednesday.

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by West Metro Mommy ReadsTo participate in Saturday Snapshot: post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken and then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky at West Metro Mommy Rea

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Books That Make Me Laugh

I don't read enough funny books. Maybe it's my Scottish heritage, but I tend to take life much, much too seriously. And that's sad. In many ways. 

If you are like me, please, for the sake of your mental health, set aside War and Peace now and then, and pick up one of these (mostly children's) books:







Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
King Bidgood's in the Bathtub by Don and Audrey Wood
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems






The Incredible Adventures of Professor Branestawm by Norman Hunter
The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett
How to Be Perfect: Poems by Ron Padgett
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll






A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare
Life With the Lid Off by Nicola Hodgkinson
Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott







Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
A Kiss for Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik






Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar
Shrek by William Steig
The Adventures of Treehorn by Florence Parry Heide







The BFG by Roald Dahl 
Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary
The Case of the One-Eyed Killer Stud Horse by John R. Erickson







Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin
More Bears by Kenn Nesbitt
The Princess and the Pig by Jonathan Emmett








 The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne







Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
We Are in a Book: Elephant & Piggie #13 by Mo Willems







 Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
One for the Money by Janet Evanovich






Percy Jackson's Greek Gods by Rick Riordan
Homer Price by Robert McCloskey
A Prairie Home Companion Pretty Good Joke Book 







I bet you have suggestions for me today. Please share them. We all need some humor in our reading. Thanks.




Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!


Each week we will post a new Top Ten list that one of our bloggers here at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Sunday, April 17, 2016

Peace, Love, and Book-ed to the Max


I spent the last six days feelin' groovy at the Scholastic Book Fair at my school library. Peace, love, and books! Even though the sky was overcast, it didn't rain at the carnival yesterday and we managed to sell $2,000 worth of peace, love, and books in four hours. 

I was pretty groovy (that's me on the right in the brown vest).






Next week I'll spend at the Texas Library Association Annual Conference in Houston. There we will be reminding ourselves that Open Libraries mean Open Opportunities. Library Tech Day is Tuesday. Tuesday evening will be the opening of the exhibit hall. Let the book haul begin! Wednesday night is the evening 5K run/walk. I've taken home one second place medal and two firsts. We'll see how it goes walking in Discovery Green at night. Sounds quite fun. The author lineup is wonderful, of course, and I hope to learn more about Makerspaces and the 2016 Texas 2x2 Books and all the exciting new ways to encourage reading and learning. Love TLA!





Finally, I want to remind you about a book-ish event we can all participate in. It's Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-thon. I have read along with Dewey's Read-a-thon, twice a year, since I first became a blogger in June of 2008. That's...let me see...whew...well, I can't even figure out how many times I've joined in! Let's just say...a lot.

There are games. Chances to win prizes. Visiting other bloggers. Snacks. And, of course, reading. 

Happily, I will be a co-host again this year, for hours 12 (the critical halfway point) and 13. Hope you'll stop by and say hello.

Want to sign up? It's not too late. Head over here and get your name on the list.

Don't think you can make twenty-four hours? Let me tell you a secret. I've only read for the full twenty-four hours one time. It's okay. You do what you can. If you need a little more convincing, take a look at this post from 2010: Read-a-thon or Read-a-thon Lite?






What are you reading today?!






What is the Sunday SalonImagine some university library's vast reading room. It's filled with people--students and faculty and strangers who've wandered in. They're seated at great oaken desks, books piled all around them,and they're all feverishly reading and jotting notes in their leather-bound journals as they go. Later they'll mill around the open dictionaries and compare their thoughts on the afternoon's literary intake....That's what happens at the Sunday Salon, except it's all virtual. Every Sunday the bloggers participating in that week's Salon get together--at their separate desks, in their own particular time zones--and read. And blog about their reading. And comment on one another's blogs. Think of it as an informal, weekly, mini read-a-thon, an excuse to put aside one's earthly responsibilities and fall into a good book. Click here to join the Salon.

The Sunday Post is a meme hosted by Kimba at Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share news and recap the past week.

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia at The Printed Page. We share books that we found in our mailboxes last week.  It is now being hosted here.

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews in which you can share the books you've acquired.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week…. and anything in between!  This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from! I love being a part of this and I hope you do too! It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is now being hosted at The Book Date.