Libraries in New Mexico

Okay, call me book nerd, call me geeky, call me whatever you will, but one of my favorite things to do on vacation is to visit local libraries.

Last summer we visited New Mexico. I visited three libraries. All of them were amazing.

Taos Public Library

 Santa Fe Public Library

Glenwood Public Library

Everything Book-ish: Readathon...Cybils...Texas Book Festival

DEWEY'S 24-HOUR READATHON

Good grief! How can Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon be ten years old? Crazy. 

I participated in my first readathon in 2008. I might have missed one. If I do the math, it sounds like I have participated in nineteen readathons! Oh dear. More math...19 x 24 hours?...Oh my! That's 456 hours of straight reading. 

I've had lots of memorable readathons. I had a baby shower to attend during one of the readathons and I got trapped at the shower by flood water. And of course I had no Internet access. And I was supposed to post my first Mini-Challenge. (It all worked out.)

Another time an ice storm came in and knocked out our Internet. (We have wacky weather here in Texas.)

I've created Mini-Challenges. I've co-hosted. I've often used the readathon as a springboard for my Cybils reading. Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon was the first blogging event I participated in, and it made me love blogging and the blogging community.

Can you tell I love the readathon?

Hashtag? Why, yes! #30DaysofReadathon OR #readathon if you’d prefer because easy.

2017 CYBILS JUDGES TO BE ANNOUNCED

Tomorrow. Stay tuned.

2017 CYBILS NOMINEES ACCEPTED

Soon. Stay tuned.

2017 TEXAS BOOK FESTIVAL

Sometimes everything aligns perfectly in the universe. This year, in successive (not, happily, overlapping) weekends, will be Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon (Oct. 21), my granddaughter's 2nd birthday (October 28), and the Texas Book Festival (Nov. 3 and 4). So many great authors. Can't wait.

What are you reading today?

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 at the Antique Show

Books I Just Might Read This Fall (if I Ever Finish Reading the Books I Planned to Read This Summer)

Here are nine books I just might read this fall...if I ever finish reading the books I planned to read last summer....

Autumn by Karl Ove Knausgaard

"This beautifully illustrated book is a personal encyclopaedia on everything from chewing gum to the stars. Through close observation of the objects and phenomena around him, Knausgaard shows us how vast, unknowable and wondrous the world is." (Aug. 22)

Dinner at the Center of the Earth by Nathan Englander

Dinner at the Center of the Earth is "...a political thriller that unfolds in the highly charged territory of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and pivots on the complex relationship between a secret prisoner and his guard." (Sept. 5)

George & Lizzie by Nancy Pearl

"George and Lizzie is an intimate story of new and past loves, the scars of childhood, and an imperfect marriage at its defining moments." (Sept. 5)

The House of Unexpected Sisters by Alexander Smith McCall

"Precious Ramotswe learns valuable lessons about first impressions and forgiveness in this latest installment of the beloved and best-selling No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series." (Nov. 7)

Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan

"Manhattan Beach is a deft, dazzling, propulsive exploration of a transformative moment in the lives and identities of women and men, of America and the world." (Oct. 3)

Radical Happiness: Moments of Collective Joy by Lynne Segal
In an age of increasing individualism, we have never been more alone and miserable. But what if the true nature of happiness can only be found in others? (Nov. 7)

Coming to My Senses: The Making of a Counterculture Cook by Alice Waters
"The long-awaited memoir from cultural icon and culinary standard bearer Alice Waters recalls the circuitous road and tumultuous times leading to the opening of what is arguably America's most influential restaurant." (Sept. 5)

Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-first Century by Jessica Bruder
"Bruder tells a compelling, eye-opening tale of the dark underbelly of the American economy―one that foreshadows the precarious future that may await many more of us." (Sept. 19)

Sisters by Lily Tuck
"In her singular new novel Sisters, Tuck gives a very different portrait of marital life, exposing the intricacies and scandals of a new marriage sprung from betrayal." (Sept. 5)





What do you hope to read this fall...if, of course, you ever finish reading the books you planned to read this summer?






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

Back to School...for the Second Time

When you go to bed at eight o'clock in the evening for two nights in a row...you know you are beat. Yes, school has started back for us teachers and school librarians (that's me) and principals and students. Again. This year, because of Hurricane Harvey, we started back to school in August, took off a week for our very-wet visitor, and started back again in September. Last week was my first complete week of school, and that, along with two parent orientation late nights at school, and, boy-oh-boy, I am one tired puppy.

I did manage to read two ARCs I brought home from BookExpo this week:

Forest Dark is two stories with two narrators; the paths of the narrators never cross. (I kept waiting. You kind of expect that, don't you?) Both narrators are at crossroads in their lives. The story of the rich old man was very compelling, as we follow him during his later years, abruptly, inexplicably, divorcing after a long marriage, giving away all his possessions, and moving to Israel. The second story is that of a well-respected writer who has writer's block and tries to remedy it by heading to Israel. 

I found Krauss to be a deeply wise writer; I kept marking passages I loved throughout the book. I enjoyed the narrative of the old man, but I never felt deeply caught up in the writer's tale. The last third of the book was a bit of a struggle for me to get through. 

Ultimately, I both liked and disliked this book. Maybe I'll resolve my issues with the lack of interconnectivity of the stories and my lack of affection for the writer's story on Monday night when I hear the author speak in Houston. I hope so.

I have loved everything A. J. Jacobs has written so far, and I'm happy to say that I loved his new book, It's All Relative, too. Jacobs takes on huge personal projects in his writing. This time, he takes on genealogy. He does all the DNA tests, and researches his family members from the past, and decides to put on a huge family reunion. Everything he does makes me laugh, and laugh out loud, and it takes something good to have me laughing out loud. It's All Relative is something good.

At the library this week, we got to visit with zee amazing Dr. Buks. She shared some pretty awful books with the children at my primary school. I think our students will think twice about putting a banana into their backpacks with their library books. 

Thanks to my librarian idol, Travis Jonker, and his marvelous blog, 100 Scope Notes, I've got some fun new reads to share next week with our students. I can't wait to see what they think about these.

What are you reading today?

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.

SaveSave

The 200 Happiest Words in Literature

Hurricane Harvey has been gone a little over a week, but I am still finding myself in need of some happy zing. Here's a photo of the Goodreads quote that came up on my blog during the hurricane: 

And here's a list of the 200 happiest words in literature. Just reading these makes me feel a little lighter.

Laughter, happiness, love, happy, laughed, laugh, laughing, excellent, laughs, joy, successful, win, rainbow, smile, won, pleasure, smiled, rainbows, winning, celebration, enjoyed, healthy, music, celebrating, congratulations, weekend, celebrate, comedy, jokes, rich, victory, Christmas, free, friendship, fun, holidays, loved, loves, loving, beach, hahaha, kissing, sunshine, delicious, friends, funny, outstanding, paradise, sweetest, vacation, butterflies, freedom, flower, great, sunlight, sweetheart, sweetness, award, chocolate, hahahaha, heaven, peace, splendid, success, enjoying, kissed, attraction, celebrated, hero, hugs, positive, sun, birthday, blessed, fantastic, winner, delight, beauty, butterfly, entertainment, funniest, honesty, sky, smiles, succeed, wonderful, glorious, kisses, promotion, family, gift, humor, romantic, cupcakes, festival, hahahahaha, honour, relax, weekends, angel, b-day, bonus, brilliant, diamonds, holiday, lucky, mother, super, amazing, angels, enjoy, friend, friendly, mother’s, profit, finest, bday, champion, grandmother, haha, kiss, kitten, miracle, mom, sweet, blessings, bright, cutest, entertaining, excited, excitement, joke, millionaire, prize, succeeded, successfully, winners, shines, awesome, genius, achievement, cake, cheers, exciting, goodness, hug, income, party, puppy, smiling, song, succeeding, tasty, victories, achieved, billion, cakes, easier, flowers, gifts, gold, merry, families, handsome, lovers, affection, candy, cute, diamond, earnings, interesting, peacefully, praise, relaxing, roses, Saturdays, faithful, heavens, cherish, comfort, congrats, cupcake, earn, extraordinary, glory, hilarious, moonlight, optimistic, peaceful, romance, feast, attractive, glad, grandma, internet, pleasant, profits, smart.

These are from an article in the July 12, 2016 issue of The Atlantic.

They also listed the 100 unhappiest words. Click the link if you are interested in those. I'm going to wait for a nice sunny day next summer.

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.

Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme where we share new (to us) words

that we’ve encountered in our reading.

If you want to play along, grab the button,

write a post and come back and add your link to Mr. Linky at Bermuda Onion!

The First Books I Had on My Bookshelf

The very first book I remember having on my bookshelf. I remember reading it over and over. 

"Do you like my hat?" 

"I do not like your hat." 

"Goodbye." 

"Goodbye."

 My mom was a huge fan of the I Can Read it By Myself Beginner Book Club. I had all of these.

Little Golden Books were the only books I ever bought with my own money. They were on sale at the  drugstore in my town for 29 cents in 1962. I bought lots of these.

My mom had loved Nancy Drew mysteries when she was a girl, so she started buying me Bobbsey Twins mysteries when I was in first grade. I would always get several of these each Christmas.

Golden Books started selling inexpensive copies of old chapter books when I was in primary school. I was able to buy some of these with my allowance.

My mom subscribed me to the Weekly Reader Children's Book Club when I was in elementary school. I remember being mystified at stories like It's Like This, Cat and Berries Goodman in which children lived in apartments rather than houses.

I was in fourth or fifth grade when our teacher started handing out Scholastic Book Club brochures each month. I couldn't wait to buy a book or two for 50 cents each. It seemed to take forever for the books to actually come in. A Wrinkle in Time was my all-time favorite from Scholastic.

 Are any of these familiar to you? What were the first books you had on your bookshelf?

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!