Bloggiesta: Time for Some Spring Cleaning Around the Blog

It's time for some spring cleaning around my blog....It's Bloggiesta! 

What is Bloggiesta, you ask? Let's ask the Bloggiesta gurus themselves and see their answer:

           "Bloggiesta is a blogging marathon (sometimes over a weekend, sometimes four days and this time one week!) where we as bloggers gather together to help each other work on all sorts of blogging tasks, stuff that we often put off and avoid. Or stuff that we’re scared of trying. Or stuff that we haven’t had time for. But during Bloggiesta all that stuff suddenly becomes fun! There are others doing the same thing ! So, it becomes a party! Wait, no. It’s a FIESTA!"

There will be Mini-Challenges:

Organizing and Simplifying
Kassiah from Pretty Sassy Cool has a tutorial on Getting Organized with Trello.
Amanda from On a Book Bender challenges us to Simplify Blogging.
Brittany from Book Bumblings shows us how to Create a Blogging Schedule.
Belle from Ms. Bookish shows us how to Create a Treasure Trove of Blogging Ideas.
Andi from Estella’s Revenge has some ideas on how to Organize your Feed Reader.


Book Blogging
Lindsay from Nighttime Reading Center challenges us to Pin Your Author Interviews.
Stacy at The Novel Life shows us Eight Not-to-be Missed Podcasts.
Katie from Doing Dewey has a plan for tracking our Diversity Reading Goals.


Fun Stuff
Joy from Joy’s Book Blog teaches us How to Make Memes.
Jessica from The Bluestocking Society teaches us how to Create a Blog Style Guide.
Sheila from Book Journey teaches us all about Commenting and Following.
Suey from It’s All About Books has a Twitter Chat Tutorial.
Tif from Tif Talks Books challenges us to re-discover some Past Bloggiesta Mini Challenges.


Disqus Challenges
Shannon from River City Reading helps us to Improve our Disqus Experience.
Alysia from My Little Pocketbooks shows us how to Retrieve Lost Comments from Disqus.

There will be a Twitter chat party every day with a different theme:

• Monday March 23rd at 4:00 p.m. Eastern: PEOPLE: Giving and Getting Comments and Followers
• Tuesday March 24th 7 p.m. Eastern: E-PRESENCE: Social Media Savvy
• Wednesday March 25th at 12 p.m. noon Eastern:DISPLAY:  Side Bars and  Page Layout
• Thursday March 26th at 9 p.m. Eastern: REVIEWS and Other Content Ideas (guest hosted by Jessica from The Bluestocking Society)
• Friday March 27th at 9 p.m. Eastern: ORGANIZE: No Stress Allowed (guest hosted by Amanda from On a Book Bender)
• Saturday March 28th at 2:00 p.m. Eastern: Books and Reading (guest hosted by Rachel Noel from Purple Owl Reviews)
• Sunday March 29th at 3 p.m. Eastern: Feedback and Free for All

And, to get started, here's a nice to-do list you can use to plan your week (thank you, Suey!):

A Bloggiesta Master To Do List!

❏  write two reviews
❏  update link lists and archive lists
❏  update Goodreads reviews
❏  clean up labels/tags
❏  do two mini challenges
❏  change or fix one thing on your sidebar
❏  add a page (about me, contact, policy, etc)
❏  change one thing on your layout and/or look
❏  comment on other Bloggiesta partipants' blogs
❏  participate in at least one Twitter chat

What am I planning to work on? I hope to:

(1) Do one mini-challenge

(2) Tidy up my old posts

(3) Visit other Bloggiesta participants' blogs

(4) Participating in at least one Twitter chat 

So let's go! Let's bloggiesta!

Sulking through Spring Break

"No expectations. No disappointments." That's what they say. I should have listened and heeded.  I thought I ordered the books in plenty of time. A month early, I placed an order from an Amazon vendor headquartered in the UK for the seven books I hoped to read during my leisurely spring break.  Turns out, a month isn't enough time for books to get to the US from the UK. I waited and stewed and got more and more annoyed as the days passed and the books didn't arrive. I finally decided to quit waiting for the books I'd planned to read and make the delay an excuse to make a bookstore run.  And the books finally did show up. What the British mail system lacks in speed they make up for in presentation. Royal Mail, indeed. Because I spent so much time sulking, I actually read fewer books during my spring break than I do in a regular work week. But I did finish these excellent reads this week: What did you read over your break? Did you squander your spring break time? Let's hope not.

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

Magic of Storytelling: 658 Children, Mesmerized

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.

Books I Planned to Read Won't Be Reading Over Spring Break

I'd planned to spend spring break reading from my 1001 Children's Books You Must Read list. I oh-so-carefully ordered a whole slew of them from an Amazon-affiliated dealer located in the UK a month ago, and I've been eagerly awaiting them ever since.

They still haven't arrived.

Perhaps these are being delivered by hand from England?

I suppose that's what I get for ordering books that cost 1 penny plus $3.99 postage.

It puts a crimp into my plans. Sigh.

So here's my modified list of books I plan to read over spring break:

Fungus the Bogeyman by Raymond Briggs

Mind Your Own Business by Michael Rosen

Please Mrs. Butler by Allan Alhberg

Bilgewater by Jane Gardam

Worzel Gummidge by Barbara Todd

Family from One End Street by Eva Garnett

Tolkien's Gown and Other Stories of Great Authors and Rare Books

Middlemarch

To sum up:

No:

 Yes:

UPDATE:  Well, look what finally arrived! Have to admit that what the UK postal service lacks in speed they make up for in presentation. Royal Mail, indeed!

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.

And It's Spring Break

It was touch-and-go, but I made it: it's spring break. And I'm not positive, but I think that might be the sun out. Happy day! Plans for spring break: walking each morning, a couple of yoga classes, some drawing, taking some photos, some bike rides, preparing for Bloggiesta, lots of rest, and, of course, reading. For a crazy-busy week-before-spring-break, I got some serious reading done. I finished all of these: Now I'll head off to write some reviews. Sorry it's been a while since I've posted these. I promise to catch up   next week. P.S. My library assistant has been urging me to watch this since it started, around Christmastime, and last night I finally tried it out. Okay, yes. "You'd be surprised what you can learn at the library."

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

Tiny Azalea Bud

They usually bloom big in the middle of February. It's almost the middle of March, but I was filled with happiness when I saw this little azalea bud today. Finally!

Update: three days later.

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.

Good Books for Old Broads (Like Me)

I forget sometimes. Then a twenty-something man will "yes, ma'am" me and suddenly I remember once again that I'm fifty-eight.

I've spent a lot of years climbing up the mountain. When I finally arrived, I wished I'd spent more time enjoying the trip rather than focusing on the goal. It's a much more pleasant trip down, I'll say that.

People expect wisdom from us at this age, and we need to be able to deliver that.

Sometimes we have to set aside our copies of Hunger Games and pick up books that will inspire us to be bigger people. Here are a few I recommend:

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
A bit of a busybody in a small town.
And a retired teacher.

Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont by Elizabeth Taylor
Don't miss this one. Devastatingly poignant.

Emily, Alone by Stewart O'Nan

Miss Tizzy

Not everything is gloom and doom.

The Seven Sisters by Margaret Drabble

A woman starts over late in life.

The Stone Angel by Margaret Lawrence

At ninety, a woman tells the story of her life.

Woman: An Intimate Geography

You might want to know a bit about the terrain.

Florence Gordon

Blunt. That's the word for Florence at seventy-five. 

Who better to drag along on this trip than Anna Quindlen and Anne Lamott?

And, my favorite, Mrs. Bridge.

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.

It's Monday: Depleted

It's the week of the book fair, and, if I've ever felt book-ed out, it might be this week.

It doesn't help that I've had a nasty lingering cold all week.

"A book, not a toy," was the refrain I heard from parents to their kids, "A book, not a toy." The powerful draw of a single Lego figure, encased in plastic, in the front of a $24.99 behemoth. A necklace, in front of a pinkish tween book. A row of stickers in the back of another Barbie book. Frozen book-from-movie selling out long before the latest Mo Willems. Passing over the fabulous $1.99 discount book for a pen that might work for a week.

I did my best, my mighty book warrior friends. But I think I'm down for the count.

On the other hand, I seemed to want nothing more, after a long day tirelessly, relentlessly, futilely cheering for books, than a hearty read each evening. I downed books like after-dinner mints.

Here's what I finished:

The new Jerry Pinkney, along with One Witch at a Time and I Love You, Blankie, all arrived and were subsequently read this week. The Kitchen House was a real novel, shared by a wonderful volunteer/book lover at the book fair this week. Of course, Weird But True and Secret Guide to Paris were both purchases from said book fair.

No reviews yet, but coming soon, I promise. When I get rested up. And well.










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

My First Opera (With a Bit of Origami)

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.