Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Voodoo Donuts (Redux)

You can't go to Austin, Texas and miss Voodoo Donuts. Thank goodness Lent hadn't arrived yet. There's nothing like Voodoo Donuts.









For more wordless photos, go to Wordless Wednesday.

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by West Metro Mommy ReadsTo 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.

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

Books I Loved but Will Never Re-Read

Why?

I was on a science fiction roll. I'm not any more.

          Ender's Game

I'm afraid a reread would disappoint me.

          The Secret History

I read it with a teacher who loved it. Which is probably the reason I remember it so fondly.

          The Glass Bead Game

I'm not sure I could read it a second time. It's daunting.

          The Gold Bug Variations




Should I go ahead with a reread anyway? Thoughts?







Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Each Tuesday That Artsy Reader Girl assigns a topic and then post her top ten list that fits that topic. You’re more than welcome to join her and create your own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. Feel free to put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you! Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.

Sunday, April 8, 2018

The Texas Library Association Conference: Amazing Wonderfulness Comes to an Abrupt End

Imagine this: Thousands of people, all of them either talking books or reading books or carrying books or looking for books. A beautiful place, acres and acres, with tables and boxes and shelves and stacks of brand-new, shiny books. People openly covet your "Read" t-shirts. People are envious of the author signatures you have obtained. You've discovered a brand new line of early literacy books and you can't wait to share the summer reading program at HEB with your coworkers back home. "Would you like this free book?" is a common question. You tote pounds of books home to share with your students and fellow teachers and patrons of our Little Libraries. There are authors everywhere, talking about their latest books, autographing books, giving away books.

It's Book Paradise. It's the Texas Library Association Conference.



You know it's paradise when the opening session speaker is Rick Steves. Did they ask Rick Steves to speak just for me? 


I was thrilled to see the latest Narwhal and Jelly book. My students will be, too.


It's only in paradise that you can snap a photo with Selena, right?


All the authors. Left to right and spiraling to the center: Dan Santat; Deborah Hopkinson; David Wiesner; Roxie Munroe; Jennifer L. Holm; Juana Martinez-Neal; A. C. Gaughen; Kenneth C. Davis; Jane Yolen; Christopher Paul Curtis; Kami Garcia; and Jen Bryant.

Where is your photo of all the lovely books you collected at TLA, I hear you ask. I apologize, but this photo of my jumbled bags of books is the best I can do:


Why? Well, this happened:


All good things must come to an end, and, unfortunately TLA came to an end for me with a literal bang, with a close encounter with a sidewalk. My left thumb tried to help, and I ended up spending my last hours in Dallas at Baylor University Hospital. It could always be worse; it was dislocated, and the bone shot through the skin, but nothing was broken. A sharp pop and the bone went right back into place, and now I'll spend time healing from bruising and stitches. Still, thank you, Fairmont Hotel driver, David, who saw me into the hospital, and district librarians who left the conference early to get me home.




What are you reading today? 




What is the Sunday SalonImagine 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.






Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Easter Beautiful




For more wordless photos, go to Wordless Wednesday.

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by West Metro Mommy ReadsTo 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.

Tuesday, April 3, 2018

Characters I Liked That Were In Books I Didn't

Most commonly, the reason I don't like a novel is because I don't like the characters. I can't stand Miss Hickory. Or Zazie from Zazie in the Metro. Geoffrey Firmin from Under the Volcano. I'm no fan of the Smurfs or My Little Pony or Barbie.

Here are some characters I liked better than the stories they found themselves in:


Nancy Drew



Gentle Ben



Pippo the Fool



Malala



Anna in Anna and the French Kiss



Jemima J



Doctor Doolittle



Dimple and Rishi



Santa (in the many, many terrible Christmas stories)



I love all the characters in the Janet Evanovich books. The stories? Meh.



Have you read any books in which you liked the characters better than their stories?





Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Each Tuesday That Artsy Reader Girl assigns a topic and then post her top ten list that fits that topic. You’re more than welcome to join her and create your own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. Feel free to put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you! Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.

Sunday, April 1, 2018

My Week in Books: The Texas 2x2 Tumble, The Great American Read, Plus Bella Figura

I still haven't finished a book (that's two weeks of no-books-finished, and it may be a record for me) but I did have a fabulous week in books.

THE TEXAS 2X2 TUMBLE COMPETITION



I had the joy of taking these three students to our district Texas 2x2 Tumble competition. Each student read and reread the twenty Texas 2x2 books and the team answered every question right in the competition, making a perfect score. In a tiebreaker, the teams were asked a final question and, while our team answered correctly, another team answered more correctly and was awarded the trophy. We had a fabulous time and were proud that we had done our best to prepare.


THE GREAT AMERICAN READ


I am terribly excited to hear about a new tv series. That is odd for me. I'm not a tv girl. But I can't wait to watch this show.
 Gabrielle Union, Jason Reynolds, George R.R. Martin, Wynton Marsalis, Morgan Freeman, Junot Díaz, Margaret Atwood and Many More Featured in the Series, As America Goes in Search of Its Best-Loved Book –

– Show Premieres Tuesday, May 22, 2018, 8:00-10:00 p.m. ET on PBS Stations Nationwide –

image001.jpg
Meredith Vieira.
Credit: Courtesy of Inky Dinky Worldwide, Inc.
ARLINGTON, VA; March 28, 2018 -- 
PBS announced today that television personality and journalist Meredith Vieira will host THE GREAT AMERICAN READ, a new eight-part television series launching on PBS stations with a two-hour special event on Tuesday, May 22, 2018 at 8:00 p.m. In THE GREAT AMERICAN READ, Vieira will take viewers on a journey across the country to uncover the nation’s 100 most-loved novels, the people who love them and their authors.

Many key authors, celebrities and notable figures in the entertainment, sports, news and literary worlds will join Vieira in lending their voices and passion to THE GREAT AMERICAN READ. Margaret Atwood, Jenna and Barbara Bush, Chelsea Clinton, Junot Díaz, Morgan Freeman, Lauren Graham, John Green, Gayle King, George R. R. Martin, Shaquille O’Neal, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jason Reynolds, Gabrielle Union, Ming-Na Wen and many others will share their personal stories and connections to their favorite titles throughout the series.

Following the two-hour launch event of THE GREAT AMERICAN READ, and throughout the summer, viewers will be encouraged to read and engage in the conversation by participating in local events, and by visiting the interactive website and voting for their favorite book on the list atpbs.org/greatamericanread. The series will return in September with a recap and additional themed episodes exploring the nominated books, leading up to the reveal of “America’s Best-Loved Novel” on Tuesday, October 23.

To complement THE GREAT AMERICAN READ, PBS KIDS will host PBS KIDS READ as part of an annual summer learning initiative for children ages 2-8 and their families. PBS KIDS READ will encourage reading and related activities through a variety of resources for children and parents, including social media engagement, digital games and tools, and downloadable activities. In addition, PBS member stations across the country will host literacy and learning events in local communities throughout the summer months.

WHAT ARRIVED THIS WEEK



 Bella Figura: How to Live, Love and Eat the Italian Way
Sass, Smarts, and Stilettos: How Italian Women Make the Ordinary Extraordinary
Paris in a Weekend with Two Kids
Hazelnut Days by Emmanuel Bourdier and Zau
Marwan's Journey by Patricia de Arias and Laura Borras
The Favorite by S. V. Berlin

TEXAS LIBRARY ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE

I'm off to Dallas on Tuesday for the Texas Library Association Conference. How many books will I bring back from the conference?



What are you reading today? 




What is the Sunday SalonImagine 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.


Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Two Grandmas and Their Grandbaby Color Easter Eggs




For more wordless photos, go to Wordless Wednesday.

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by West Metro Mommy ReadsTo 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.

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Books Set In Another Country


I've been working on the Around the World in 80 Books Challenge for almost a decade. I've been trying to read books set in as many different countries around the world as possible. So far, here are the books I've read set in different countries. I hope to one day read a book from every country in the world. 

80/210


Africa (18)
The Good Husband of Zebra Drive by Alexander McCall Smith (Botswana)
Mango Elephants in the Sun by Susana Herrera (Cameroon)
Angry Wind by Jeffrey Tayler (Chad)
A Bend in the River by V. S. Naipaul (Democratic Republic of Congo)
The Yacoubian Building by Alaa Al Aswany (Egypt)
The Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu (Ethiopia)
Boundless Grace by Mary Hoffman (The Gambia)
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (Ghana)
The Camel Bookmobile by Masha Hamilton (Kenya)
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba (Malawi)
Glory in a Camel’s Eye by Jeffrey Tayler (Morocco)
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Nigeria)
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (Republic of the Congo)
We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families by Philip Gourevich (Rwanda)
A Hologram for the King by Dave Eggers (Saudi Arabia)
Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee (South Africa)
Dark Star Safari by Paul Theroux (Sudan)
When a Crocodile Eats the Sun by Peter Godwin (Zimbabwe) 

Antarctica (1)
Surviving Antarctica by Andrea White (Antarctica)

Asia (20)
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Afghanistan)
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck (China)
Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry (India)
Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (Indonesia)
The Septembers of Shiraz by Dalia Sofer (Iran)
Ten Thousand Lovers by Edeet Ravel (Israel)
Japanland by Karin Muller (Japan)
The Sex Lives of Cannibals by J. Maartin Troost (Kiribati)
A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park (Korea)
Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad (Malaysia)
The Vast Unknown: America's First Ascent of Everest (Nepal)
My Freedom Trip (North Korea)
Tasting the Sky by Ibtisam Barakat (Palestine)
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid (Pakistan)
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (Russia)
Zaatar Days, Henna Nights by Maliha Masood (Syria)
Heaven Lake by John Dalton (Taiwan)
Kim by Rudyard Kipling (Tajikistan)
Shadow of the Silk Road by Colin Thubron (Uzbekistan)
The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien (Vietnam)

Australia/South Pacific (6)
Tracks by Robyn Davidson (Australia)
Shooting the Boh by Tracy Johnson (Borneo)
Getting Stoned with Savages by J. Maarten Troost (Fuji)
The Naked Tourist by Lawrence Osborne (New Guinea) 
The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera (New Zealand)
An Evening Among Headhunters by Lawrence Millman (Tonga)

Europe (24)
Andorra by Peter Cameron (Andorra)
Dobry by Monica Shannon (Bulgaria)
Beowulf (Denmark)
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (England)
Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name by Vendela Vida (Finland)
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (France)
The Keep by Jennifer Egan (Germany)
My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell (Greece)
The White Stag by Kate Seredy (Hungary)
Independent People by Halldor Laxness (Iceland)
The Ginger Man by J.P. Donleavy (Ireland)
Italian Folktales collected by Italo Calvino (Italy)
The Greatest Skating Race by Louise Borden (Netherlands)
The Case of the Missing Books by Ian Sansom (Northern Ireland)
Dreamers by Knut Hamsun (Norway)
The Trumpeter of Krakow by Eric P. Kelly (Poland)
Blindness by José Saramago (Portugal)
One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson (Scotland)
The Hemingway Book Club of Kosovo by Paula Huntley (Serbia)
Spanish Lessons by Derek Lambert (Spain)
Astrid and Veronika by Linda Olsson (Sweden)
Heidi by Johanna Spyri (Switzerland)
Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling by Ross King (Vatican City)
A Child's Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas (Wales)
A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka (Ukraine)

North America (8)
Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat (Canada) 
All the Way to Havana by Margarita Engle (Cuba)
The Cay by Theodore Taylor (Curaçao)
Rainbow Weaver by Linda Elovitz Marshall (Guatemala) 
Madam Dread by Kathie Klarreich (Haiti)
Place Where the Sea Remembers by Sandra Benitez (Mexico)
A House for Mr. Biswas by V. S. Naipaul (Trinidad)
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (United States)

South America (6)
Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson (Brazil)
Portrait in Sepia by Isabel Allende (Chile)
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Columbia)
Bleaker House: Chasing My Novel to the End of the World (Faulkland Islands)
At the Tomb of the Inflatable Pig by John Gimlette
The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder (Peru)


Do you have any recommendations for countries I haven't visited yet?




Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Each Tuesday That Artsy Reader Girl assigns a topic and then post her top ten list that fits that topic. You’re more than welcome to join her and create your own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. Feel free to put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you! Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.

Sunday, March 25, 2018

My Week, in Books: Barnes and Noble Night, TLA, and an Upcoming Writing Class




Crazy, book-ish decisions I made last week....

I was beat, but I went to our school’s Barnes and Noble night. I came home with three book club books, three books about Italy, the 1001 Photographs book, and a book of mindful poetry. And helped our school raise a little money.

I talked to our librarian supervisor and I’m going to the Texas Library Association Conference in early April. Yes, it’s last minute, but I can’t wait to visit the queen of all library conferences one more time. I may bring home enough review books to last me through my entire retirement.


Easter-ish books have arrived....



Everybunny Count by Ellie Sandall
Here Comes the Easter Beagle by Charles M. Schulz
Let’s Hatch Chicks: Explore the Wonderful World of Chickens and Eggs by Lisa Steele and illustrated by Perry Taylor

I'll be reading and reviewing these this week.


Inprint Teachers-as-Writers....




I spent all day writing yesterday, and it was delightful. Inprint Houston features lots of wonderful writing workshops in Houston each year, and I was privileged to get to experience an intensive, one-day personal essay writing session. One of the things I want to do before the end of the year is to publish a few books written by students at our school, and next week I’ll share some editing tips with my classes.


The Readathon is coming....




Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon is coming for the gazillionth time on Saturday, April 28, 2018. The last readathon marked the tenth year of readathons, started by our amazing online friend, Dewey, who sadly passed away a year after starting the 'thon. Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon can always use prizes (Any authors out there? Publishers?) and hosts (It’s fun...I’ve hosted many times) and, of course, readers. I’ve already received messages from the Goodreads group about some practice pre-readathons and a scavenger hunt, so I hope you will join in, too.



What are you reading today? 


What is the Sunday SalonImagine 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.

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Susan Stevens Crummel: Author Extraordinaire

I passed on her five years ago. "Her books are too hard for my primary school students," I told the other librarians in my district when they urged me to host Susan Stevens Crummel at my school. 

Was I ever wrong?!

This year we librarians in my district were asked to each feature an author at our schools, and it's a lot of work to try to find an author who will fit into my schedule and fill out the necessary paperwork, as I request the books and prepare the students for her visit. This year I decided to go with an author who was already in our system, despite my worries about the difficulty of her books.

I'm so glad I went the easy route. Turns out her books are perfect for any age.

Susan Stevens Crummel, with her sister, author and illustrator Janet Stevens, is the author of award-winning children's books, Help Me, Mr. Mutt; The Great Fuzz Frenzy, And the Dish Ran Away With the Spoon; Cook-a-Doodle-Doo; The Little Red Pen and many more. 

Susan Stevens Crummel is magic with children. She shared her stories, talked about the writing process, used students to put on skits, and completely mesmerized the seven hundred PreK to second grade students at my school.






"You were a teacher?" I asked her, curious about the source of her magic. 

"Yes," she told me, "for more than thirty years." 

"Elementary school?" I asked, confident of the certainty of her positive response. 

"No," she said. "High school math!"

Susan Stevens Crummel is an author extraordinaire.



For more wordless photos, go to Wordless Wednesday.

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by West Metro Mommy ReadsTo 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.