Can You Read for 24 Hours? No? Neither Can I...

It's just not a readathon if conflicts don't arise.

This time it's the farmer's market and a barn party.

It's all good. I'll find a way to get in a bit of reading. Anyway.

Hour 1: 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? 

All my books about Italy.

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? 

Coffee. And Hershey's Kisses.

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. As much as I can.

And...we're...off!


Hours 2-8

Farmer's Market.

I did manage to get in the readathon challenge, a favorite read published from each year of the Readathon:

2007...Firegirl by Tony Abbott

2008...Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

2009...Life-Size Zoo: From Tiny Rodents to Gigantic Elephants, An Actual Size Animal Encyclopedia by Teruyuki Komiya

2010...Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand

2011...IQ84 by Haruki Murakami

2012...Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

2013...Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

2014...Letters of Note: An Eclectic Collection of Correspondence Deserving of a Wider Audience by Shaun Usher

2015...Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson

2016...Ghost by Jason Reynolds

2017...The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Hours 9-11

Started A Thousand Bells at Noon.

Hours 12-14 

Barn Party.

Hour 15-18

Finished Thousand Bells.

Started That Fine Italian Hand.

Hours 19-22

Slept.

Hours 23-24

Finished Fine Hand.

Closing Survey! 

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? I always fall asleep before midnight.
2. Tell us ALLLLL the books you read! Two: A Thousand Bells at Noon and That Fine Italian Hand.
3. Which books would you recommend to other Read-a-thoners? Picture books, graphic novels, audiobooks. All of these are great for times you feel you can't go on.
4. What’s a really rad thing we could do during the next Read-a-thon that would make you smile? I loved the idea of the pre-readathon challenge. Even though I didn't get to any of it. A collaborative photo of readathoners reading might be fun. Could we involve the schools somehow? T-shirts for those who make the 24 hours? I miss visiting blogs but maybe I'm missing out on Twitter.
5. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? Would you be interested in volunteering to help organize and prep? 100% likely. Yes, I'd like to help.

What did you think? Were you able to do Readathon this year? Have you participated in the past? Are you hoping to participate in the future?

Painted Rocks

For more wordless photos, go to Wordless Wednesday.

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads. To 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 Reads.

Baking Bread: Fiction, Nonfiction, and Everything In Between

My dad asked me, "When you retire, what are you going to do?"

Seriously? He thinks I'm going to be bored? Moi?

There are so many things I love to do in this life, and most of them, with my busy work schedule, I only can work on a few minutes here and there. One of the things I love to do is to bake bread. I also love to write blog posts about baking bread. 

And I love to read books about baking bread.


FICTION BOOKS ABOUT BAKING BREAD

MEMOIRS ABOUT BAKING BREAD

BAKING BREAD COOKBOOKS

BOOKS I WANT TO READ SOON ABOUT BAKING BREAD

Armchair Foodie Travel Books

All-Time Favorite Foodie Narratives

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

Scary Library Substitute Teachers and More

Here's my week...

Scary Library Substitute Teachers

My library assistant and I took off this week and left the library in the scary hands of these two ladies.  We don't know exactly what went on, but we heard reports that these two were pretty strict and didn't put up with any nonsense in the library. 

Italy in 2018

We are starting to make plans for our trip to Italy next summer with my wonderful husband, sister, and brother-in-law! We will celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. Any must-sees? Any books I should read before we go?

Cybils Nominations Close on October 15

Sunday, October 15th is the last day the Cybils will be accepting nominations from the general public. Anyone can nominate children's or young adult books published in the last twelve months. If you need ideas, take a look at Tiffa's post at The Picture Book Review. Nominate here.


What I Read This Week

I finished up three personal reads:

Charlotte Sometimes (1001 Children's Books You Must Read)

It's Easier Than You Think

Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century

Then I started digging into that huge stack of Cybils this week:

I don't know how I'm ever going to settle on 5-7 winners if the other 200 nominees are as good as these first eleven. Here are my reviews:

7 Ate 9

Welcome: A Mo Willems Guide to New Arrivals

All the Way to Havana

Professional Crocodile

The Antlered Ship

Cookiesaurus Rex

Lines

Circle, Triangle, Elephant: A Book of Shapes and Surprises

A Different Pond

Walk with Me

Wolf in the Snow

I got in a huge stack of new books this week, but I think I'll post those pictures next week. I need to get busy reading some more of my Cybils today, I think....

What was your week like? What are you reading now?

What is the Sunday Salon? Imagine 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.

Books with Fall Covers

I've got to find a little autumn wherever I can. No fall leaves here along the Gulf Coast of Texas. 

Still we talk about fall at school as if everyone experiences it, and so our children can at least experience it vicariously through wonderful fall books.

Here are a few of my favorites.

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

My Cybils Nominations, I Start to Read the Cybils, and My Busy Week

My 2017 Nominations

Board Books

Category description | Current nominations

Rapunzel (Once Upon a World)

Eligible

Early Chapter Books

Category description | Current nominations

Sprout Street Neighbors: Bon Voyage

Eligible

Easy Readers

Category description | Current nominations

Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! The Good for Nothing Button!

Eligible

Elementary Nonfiction

Category description | Current nominations

Stand Up and Sing!: Pete Seeger, Folk Music, and the Path to Justice

Eligible

Elementary/Middle-Grade Graphic Novels

Category description | Current nominations

The Pudding Problem (Lyttle Lies)

Eligible

Elementary/Middle-Grade Speculative Fiction

Category description | Current nominations

The Glass Town Game

Eligible

Fiction Picture Books

Category description | Current nominations

Roger Is Going Fishing

Eligible

Junior High Nonfiction

Category description | Current nominations

When the Sky Breaks: Hurricanes, Tornadoes, and the Worst Weather in the World (Smithsonian)

Eligible

Middle Grade Fiction

Category description | Current nominations

Karma Khullar\'s Mustache

Eligible

Middle-Grade Nonfiction

Category description | Current nominations

Kid Authors: True Tales of Childhood from Famous Writers (Kid Legends)

Eligible

Poetry

Category description | Current nominations

Forest World

Eligible

Senior High Nonfiction

Category description | Current nominations

Almost Adulting: All You Need to Know to Get It Together (Sort Of)

Eligible

Young Adult Fiction

Category description | Current nominations

The Hate U Give

Eligible

Young Adult Graphic Novels

Category description | Current nominations

The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir

Eligible

Young Adult Speculative Fiction

Category description | Current nominations

Warcross

Eligible

So there are my nominations.

You should be able to see the category descriptions for each of the fifteen categories of the Cybils Awards.

You should also be able to easily see which titles have already been nominated.

Then you can easily click here and nominate your own favorite children and young adult titles published in the last twelve months.






I START TO READ THE CYBILS

I've started reading the Cybils as I've been able to locate them. I've found and read 45 of the 104 books nominated so far. I plan to go back and review each of these during next weekend's 24-Hour Readathon.


MY BUSY WEEK

My summer Book-a-Day readers got to enjoy a private showing of Captain Underpants at the movie theater Saturday. Great fun!

My library assistant and I spent the week in Germany, home of many of our classic fairy tales.

After school meetings...four trips to the library to pick up Cybils nominees...dental appointment...a little yoga....Crazy busy week!

What was your week like? What are you reading now?

What is the Sunday Salon? Imagine 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.