The Library Conference, aka Paradise on Earth

I wasn't sure I was going to make it to the Texas Library Association Conference at all this year. Parts of Houston were hit by fourteen inches of rain early in the week. Would I even be able to drive in?

It looked pretty bad. Not only were there lakes of water around the convention center, but TLA was right in the middle of a huge remodeling project at George R. Brown. Roads closed because of high water. Wading through puddles to get inside. Cranes and jackhammers all over the exhibit hall floor. I sighed.

But once I actually arrived, I began to get into the spirit of a library conference.

There were the usual people in strange costumes. I'm still not sure what Santa was doing there.

A very clever monkey.

 Authors, authors, authors.

The skies cleared up enough for the 29th Annual Fun Run. I took away first place in the walking division.

I got to meet two of my heroes, Teri Lesesne and Donalyn ("The Book Whisperer") Miller. Oh my. They know everything about how to get kids to read and they've published the books to share their ideas. Take a look when you get a moment:  I've Got Research. Yes, I Do. I've Got Research. How About You? (I'm just saying. It ain't leveled books and it ain't worksheets, folks. It pretty much can be described in a single phrase: Let kids loose in a library.)

Did a little laughter yoga.

 I got free copies of books on my wish list.

 Lots of free books from my wish list.

I got my picture taken with celebrities.

And (she says excitedly) I got to read an ARC of the final book in my favorite trilogy that won't be out in print until October. We Found a Hat! (sigh of happiness)

Woo hoo! What a conference!

Child Book Characters Who'd Make For (Wonderfully) Vexatious Adults

A list of child book characters and the qualities they possess that might make for an onerous adulthood.

Henry Huggins
Impulsivity

Pippi Longstocking
Spontaneity

Madeline
Intimidation

Tom Sawyer
Lack of work ethic

Winnie-the-Pooh
Simplicity

Fancy Nancy
Creativity, unbound

The Pigeon
Argumentative nature

Tacky the Penguin
Disregard of peer pressure

Little Red Riding Hood
Inability to see danger

No, David
Mischievous spirit

Still, I refuse to condemn these child book characters to a problematic adulthood. Who knows? Perhaps these character traits will serve them well. Could be refreshing, even.  :-)

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.

In Which I Finish the Perfect Book for Arbor Day, and Twelve Other Good Books

Thank you, Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon, for my numbers this week. 

Can you guess which book I started and finished on Arbor Day? Quite happily, I might add.

What I Read Last Week cover title author review Lab Girl Jahren, Hope Clue 1. Happy, exuberant state. Clue 2. Read 290 pages in one sitting. Clue 3. Desire to tell everyone about book. Clue 4. No interest in picking up another...more Tell Me Three Things Buxbaum, Julie  Jessie suddenly finds herself moved from her hometown in Chicago to LA. Her mother died and her father has unexpectedly remarried someone he met online ...more Sunset City: A Novel Ginsburg, Melissa Noir doesn't (apparently) mean what it once did. I was expecting mystery and I was expecting dark. I got mystery and I got dark. But not just dark. Black...more Pagan's Crusade (Pagan Chronicles, #1) Jinks, Catherine Pagan Kidrouk turns to the Templar Knights for work as a squire. He's had some trouble and needs their protection. He goes to work for Lord Roland, ...more Somewhere Among Donwerth-Chikamatsu, Annie Ema doesn't fit. She's always felt like she didn't belong anywhere---not in her father's Japanese world or her mother's American world. Now she has a ...more Gertie's Leap to Greatness Beasley, Kate Gertie wants to become the greatest fifth grader in the universe. And she's got a plan to obtain greatness. She's got the support of two wonderful...more Inspector Flytrap and The Big Deal Mysteries Angleberger, Tom  A Venus flytrap (yes, a plant) that solves mysteries with the help of his assistant, a goat. Inspector Flytrap overcomes the obstacles of being a plant...more I'll Wait, Mr. Panda Antony, Steve  Picture books. They make my little heart go pitter-patter with joy. Good picture books, that is. Please, Mr. Panda makes my little heart go swish-swis ...more Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! We Are Growing! Willems, Mo I could clear my entire primary library of every book except Elephant and Piggie and children would still learn to read. Or so I sometimes think. I would...more Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! The Cookie Fiasco Willems, Mo I've been crying out, "We need more Elephant-and-Piggie-ish books!" I've been crying out loudly. Someone has heard my cries. Someone has written this...more The Violet Hour: Great Writers at the End Roiphe, Katie I don't worry about death. I don't think about death. I don't care about death. Nevertheless, this book is a brilliant book. Whether you care about...more Paris: An Inspiring Tour of the City's Creative Heart McCulloch, Janelle I can ask one simple question and your answer will tell me if you will like this book. Here goes: Do you like Paris? If you answer yes, you will like it ...more Old Age: A Beginner's Guide Kinsley, Michael You can reframe your fifties as the new forties. You can pile on the hair color and Botox and all of the other magical transformative potions. Neverth ...more Luckiest Girl Alive Knoll, Jessica This book confirms it: Your high school years, for most of us, are not the best years of your life. For Ani, these years were soul-crushing, and, worse...more

What Arrived Last Week Another busy week at my mailbox:

           

I'm still floating from finishing Lab Girl yesterday.

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.

Open Sign on a Bookstore

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 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

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 Co-hosting at Dewey's 24-Hour-Readathon! 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 Which hour was most daunting for you? I fell asleep at 9. 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. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next season? I missed having cheerleaders visit my blog. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? It was easy to co-host. How many books did you read? 4 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 Which book did you enjoy most? The Violet Hour Which did you enjoy least? NA 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.

Bonus at a Mexican Food Restaurant

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 Rea