It's Monday!

What I Got in the Mail Last Week

Red Knit Cap Girl to the Rescue

by Naoko Stoop

Lady Catherine, the Earl,

and the Real Downton Abbey

by the Countess of Carnarvon

The O. Henry Prize Stories:

The Best Stories of the Year 2013

edited by Laura Furman

What I Read Last Week

I read and read and read TransAtlantic and Americanah last week and I'm happy to say that I finished both of them. Happy day. Now I'll be all set to see the two authors when they do a joint reading on Monday, November 18th. 

TransAtlantic  

by Colum McCann

Americanah

by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Tomorrow, When the War Began (Audio)  

by John Marsden

What are you reading this week?

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia at The Printed Page. We share books that we found in our mailboxes last week.  

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! As part of this weekly meme Book Journey loves to encourage you all to go and visit the others participating in this meme. 

The Texas Book Festival!

It's October, so it must be time again for the Texas Book Festival!

Where to go first?

Let's start the weekend off right by bookcrossing a couple of dozen books.

Talent's everywhere at the Texas Book Festival.

Intriguing book title.

You can put a lot of books in this HEB cart.

Have to make a stop at the Cooking Tent.

Hey Cupcake!

Music Tent is always fabulous.

Several children-read-to-dogs programs.

Lots of student book clubs.

Author/illustrator Chris Raschka.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid van.

What a lineup! And that's just the first day!

Marisol McDonald author Monica Brown.

Author Elizabeth Suneby demonstrates what it's like to wear a burka

as she talks about her book Razia's Ray of Hope.

What the Texas Book Festival is really all about.

Long lines for R. L. Stine.

R. L. Stine...He just looks scary, I think.

The beautiful Texas Capitol.

I see this woman every year.

Does she live at the Capitol?

What is her story?

The One and Only Ivan's Katherine Applegate.

A full house for Katherine Applegate.

Admit it. You covet this dress, don't you?

Author Kate Hosford talks about infinity.

Authors Jon Scieszka and Mac Barnett (tutu)

reveal the 2013-14 Bluebonnet nominees.

 Met authors Gordon Korman and Jon Agee in the author escort area.

My author-to-escort, Adam Rex. 

Didn't actually need an escort,

so I brought him a nice veggie lunch and water.

End of a long, happy weekend.

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

Ready for Another Day at the Library

For more wordless photos,

go to Wordless Wednesday.

The Scariest Book Covers

The Scariest Book Covers

I've Ever Had in My School Library

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

Scary Stories 3

These books are scary. Even for grownups.

Ghosts Along the Brazos

Catherine Munson Foster, a librarian at the public library, came to my elementary school when I was little and scared all of us to death, telling these very scary stories that take place in the county where I live.

Goosebumps

 These scary covers make the book. 

(Incidentally, I saw R. L. Stine at the Texas Book Festival yesterday. 

His books have sold more than four hundred million copies. 

Astonishing. Astonishing that so many people want to be scared to death.

And Stine revealed at the festival that none of his books scare him! Imagine.)

That's enough of the scary covers. I'm pretty sure that just looking at these is going to give me bad dreams. 

What scary book covers have you seen?

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.

Yes, It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

What I Read Last Week

I finished seventeen books last week.

Yes, seventeen.

(I really don't want to say any more. That sounds so impressive. "Yes, I finished seventeen books last week." I feel compelled to be honest, however, and state while I did, indeed, finish seventeen books last week, that all seventeen were Cybils Easy Readers/Short Chapter Books. That does take a bit of the luster off, doesn't it?)

What I'm Reading Now

I'm trying very hard to read TransAtlantic and Americanah before I go to see the authors in Houston on November 18th. I'm a third of the way into TA and about halfway into A. Let's just pray that no Birthday Books arrive (November is my Birthday Month) that draw me away from my goal.

TransAtlantic  

by Colum McCann

Americanah

by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

What are you reading this week?

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia at The Printed Page. We share books that we found in our mailboxes last week.  

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! As part of this weekly meme Book Journey loves to encourage you all to go and visit the others participating in this meme. 

Peculiar Character Names

Peculiar Character Names

I'm a name geek. I've always loved to think about names for dogs and cats and people and characters in stories I'm writing. My mom and I spent one of our best days making pickles, but most of that time was spent thinking of names for our pickles. (The pickles themselves weren't that tasty, frankly, but did they ever have some great names?!)

Here are some of my favorite peculiar character names.

Atticus, Scout, Boo, Dill, Jem

(To Kill a Mockingbird)

Katniss, Peeta, Prim

(The Hunger Games)

Rhett, Scarlett, Mammy, Prissy 

(Gone With the Wind)

Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler 

(From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler)

Pippi Longstocking 

(Pippi Longstocking)

Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, Severus Snape

(Harry Potter books)

Pip,  Ebenezer Scrooge, Uriah Heep , Abel Magwitch, 

Wilkins Micawber, Charity Pecksniff, Wackford Squeers

(Various Charles Dickens novels)

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 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 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.