It's been a busy week.
CYBILS NEWS
The judges have been chosen for the 2018 Cybils and the official announcement will be made on Tuesday. This is my third year as category chair of Fiction Picture Books and Board Books, and I had so many excellent people applying to be a judge that it was very hard to make a decision this year.
It won't be long and it will be time to nominate books for the Cybils. I've already started a spreadsheet of my favorite children and young adult books from last year. Anyone can nominate books, so I hope you will start thinking about the best books you read that were published between October 16, 2017 and October 15, 2018.
Here's the entire Cybils organizing team. I love the crazy photo of me, taken when I was working as a fortune teller at our school carnival. It looks like I've gazed into my crystal ball and I'm about to reveal the winners.
TEXAS MASTER NATURALIST INTERN
My husband and I have started our classes to become master naturalists. We will be learning about grasslands, forests, fish, insects, mammals, birds, snakes, and many other features and creatures native to our part of Texas. For the next ten weeks, we will spend Wednesday mornings in classes and Wednesday afternoons on field trips. I've just barely begun, but I already feel like I have learned so much.
OUR KITCHEN IS FINISHED
Happy news! Our kitchen is finished! I'll post some pictures soon.
I BEGIN THE GUIDEBOOK WITH JOY
Joy from Joy's Book Blog was looking for a few good men (and women) to join her this fall to complete a creative project. I decided it was a perfect way for me to segue into NaNoWriMo. And so I joined Joy this week for the first session with The Guidebook. The Guidebook is a six step process to work through many of the problems people typically confront as they work through a project. Joy's program also offers support and accountability. I begin The Guidebook with Joy with joy!
BOOKS I'VE READ LATELY AND AM READING NOW
Books have been pouring into my mailbox in the last few months, but I feel like I've been keeping up really well. Some books I've read and reviewed and enjoyed include:
And what am I reading now, you ask?
Just four books: The Good Neighbor by Maxwell King, Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver, An American Marriage: A Novel by Tayari Jones, and Damnation Island: Poor, Sick, Mad & Criminal in 19th-Century New York by Stacy Horn. I am loving all of these so far.
In fact, I think I will be off to read a little more on these right now.
How about you?
What have you been up to this week?
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.
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 hosted at The Book Date.
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 hosted at The Book Date.
Wow! You are really busy and taking advantage of your new amount of free time, right? Good for you! Hope this week goes well for you. The classes you and your husband are taking sound very interesting.
ReplyDeleteI like to be busy, as a rule, but I also like little spaces in my busy-ness. Retirement is perfect, I think.
DeleteWow! Lots of books you got! I need to check out the Cybils awards! Hope you have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteHere’s my Sunday Post!
Ronyell @ Rabbit Ears Book Blog and join in this week’s Book Photo Sundays and Cover Spotlight!
I hope you will think about books you'd like to nominate.
DeleteThe naturalist class sounds amazing!
ReplyDeleteIt is! Hands on, and with field trips...isn't that how most of us learn best?
DeleteMr. Rogers has his own book too. Cool. http://theglobaldig.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteYes, and I'm probably the world's biggest Mr. Rogers fan.
DeleteOh my goodness - you are a whirlwind, Deb! Best of luck in the naturalist classes, they sound wonderful:)).
ReplyDeleteIt's something I know very little about, so it is quite fun.
DeleteI love the way you're taking on retirement! Happy to have you aboard for The Guidebook and I'm excited to hear more about what you learn as you become a master naturalist.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Joy, for starting your program. I think it is going to put me into a good place for NaNoWriMo.
DeleteWhat a busy week! And the Cybils! How exciting :) I"m reading An American Marriage right now too - and really enjoying it. Hope you are too!
ReplyDeleteI'm just getting into it. I wanted to hold off until the author comes to Houston next spring, but she also seems to be coming to the Texas Book Festival in October, so I decided to go ahead and jump in.
DeleteYour classes sound like fun! Enjoy the Cybils, of course.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed An American Marriage.
Thanks for sharing, and for visiting my blog.
I can't wait for our first field trip on Wednesday. Maybe I will post some pictures....
DeleteI like the picture of you with the crystal ball. Looks like a fun day. The cover of Deadly Spider Bite freaks me out! I'm terrified of spiders! Happy reading and thanks for visiting my blog! :)
ReplyDeleteI had so much fun with my fortune teller booth. I must find a way to do that again.
DeleteSounds like you've had a terrific week! I am looking forward to the CYBILS season and can't wait to see all the books that get nominated.
ReplyDeleteI love seeing all the books that get nominated, too.
DeleteYou've been busy. I love that you are your husband are taking classes together. We keep talking about ballroom dancing lessons. Love the picture of your group and yay for the kitchen being done!!
ReplyDeleteWhoa! I can't imagine getting my husband to take ballroom dancing classes! Good luck on that.
DeleteHow did you first become aware of naturalist classes and what got you interested in them? What will happen after you complete the classes? Will you work at a nature center or a state park or something? Very, very interesting!!!!
ReplyDeleteHow did you first become aware of naturalist classes and what got you interested in them? What will happen after you complete the classes? Will you work at a nature center or a state park or something? Very, very interesting!!!!
ReplyDeleteWe have a friend who took the classes after he retired. My husband loves rocks and minerals and we are interested in creating a program to share his rocks and minerals with students.
DeleteThat's very cool.
DeleteMe I'm back with my SiFi again but I did reat a book called The Keeper of Lost Thinkgs by Ruth Hogan that my wife read and I really enjoyed. Think You would like it
ReplyDeleteI will look for it. Thank you, Bill!
DeleteHaha, I love your Cybils photo. Very fun. Good luck with your classes, and congrats on the kitchen! Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Sooo glad the kitchen is finished!
DeleteCongrats on getting the kitchen done! That has to be a relief. And An American Marriage sounds interesting. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteMy list!
Sounds like you are finding quite a variety of ways to keep active in retirement. You lost me at "snakes" though. I don't even like looking at pictures of them. Seeing them in the wild sends chills up my spine. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteThe weeks leading up to the Cybils always has me on edge (in a good way). Can't wait for tomorrow's announcements. My weekly updates
ReplyDeleteInteresting mix of reads.
ReplyDelete