Reading Frenzy

MY READING THIS WEEK

You probably aren't going to believe this, but I read and reviewed 32 books last week. Yes, the Cybils reading frenzy has begun. We now have almost 150 nominations for best fiction picture book and board book, so I am a hot mess of approving nominations, trying to find nominated books at the libraries I frequent, picking books up from the libraries, reading nominated books, and reviewing books.

I am also trying to read a few more books I hope will inspire me my NaNoWriMo writing adventure that starts in about two weeks. And there is my regular grownup books, including my book club book, Bluebird Bluebird. I'm only a few chapters into Bluebird and our club meets Tuesday. Eek!

Here are some of the books I read and reviewed last week:

WHAT ELSE HAVE I BEEN DOING THIS WEEK?

I spent Thursday up on a deck three stories in the air in a remote part of the Bolivar Peninsula watching for birds of prey. There were a flock of us (sorry) there that day, as the weather finally cooled down here into the lower 80's, and the sun came out strong for the first time in four weeks. We counted over 600 falcons, hawks, vultures, and eagles for Hawk Watch, so it was a good day.

I spent Saturday at the KBR Kids Day in Houston teaching children to pet and hold alligators. Yes, that's right, alligators. I couldn't begin to count how many kids dared to pet the baby alligator I was holding, and I wish I knew how many kids were willing to hold the alligator. I don't know how many did, but it was a lot. 

Here's a photo from one of our Texas Master Naturalist group holding the alligator at the 2015 KBR Kids Day in Houston.

SOME THINGS YOU NEED TO DO NOW

Have you nominated? There are only two more days left for nominations from the public. Here's a link to the nomination form. Anyone can nominate a favorite children's or young adult book. Add this image to your blog once you have nominated.

Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon will be held on October 20, 2018. Sign up here.

How about you? 

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 hosted at The Book Date.

Critters

We are beginning week six as master naturalist interns, and so far we have been on field trips to learn about insects, plants, and reptiles.

We have now seen dragonflies, frogs, spiders, beetles, cranes, snakes, and many, many, many mosquitoes.

I think I expected these critters. I did not expect to see so many alligators. So far, I have seen nine alligators. I held three of them.

The gator in the photo looks small, but he is over six feet long.

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.

The Biggest Books I’ve Ever Read

If you know me, you probably know that I am a reader. 

You probably know that I read a lot of books. I can't remember a year when I read less than one hundred books.

Did you know that I have read many big books?

Now the truth is that I'm not a person who seeks out big books. I honestly prefer to read short books. 

But here's the odd thing: the big books I do read are very highly rated. Almost every big book I've ever read is a five star read.

What are the biggest books I've ever read? Well, let's ask Goodreads....


#10 on my list of Biggest Books I've Ever Read...Five Stars and an All-Time Favorite Book

Don Quixote

Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de

940 pp

I plan to reread Don Quixote in the next five years.




#9 on my list of Biggest Books I've Ever Read...Four Stars

4 3 2 1

Auster, Paul

941 pp

This was a fun idea for a book. A character is followed through four different possible lives.




#8 on my list of Biggest Books I've Ever Read...Five Stars and an All-Time Favorite Book

Lonesome Dove

McMurtry, Larry

945 pp

You haven't read Lonesome Dove? That's ridiculous. Put down whatever silliness you are currently reading and dig into this book.




#7 on my list of Biggest Books I've Ever Read...Five Stars

The Pillars of the Earth

Follett, Ken*

973 pp

A magnificent read.




#6 on my list of Biggest Books I've Ever Read...Five Stars and an All-Time Favorite Book

Gone with the Wind

Mitchell, Margaret

1,037 pp

A great novel.




#5 on my list of Biggest Books I've Ever Read...Five Stars

Hawaii

Michener, James A.

1,136 pp

I can remember being so proud of myself for reading this book when I was a young teen. I promptly went on to read all of Michener's other huge tomes.




#4 on my list of Biggest Books I've Ever Read...Four Stars

The Stand

King, Stephen *

1,153 pp

I admire the story, but it was just a bit too scary for me.




#3 on my list of Biggest Books I've Ever Read...Three Stars

Atlas Shrugged

Rand, Ayn

1,168 pp

You have to have one dud on your list. I never got emotionally caught up in this story; it felt too preachy for me.




#2 on my list of Biggest Books I've Ever Read...Five Stars and an All-Time Favorite Book

The Lord of the Rings (The Lord of the Rings, #1-3)

Tolkien, J.R.R.

1,216 pp

World-building magnifique!




#1 on my list of Biggest Books I've Ever Read...Four Stars

Les Misérables

Hugo, Victor

1,463 pp

I loved so much about this book, but it was just so danged long!

What are the longest books you have ever read?

Did you like them?

Are you a big book fan?

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.

The Cybils: It Begins

THE CYBILS: IT BEGINS

Nominations for the 2018 Cybils Awards are now open, and the Cybils rush has begun. I'm the chair of Fiction Picture Books and Board books and I'm a crazy woman, trying to carefully approve nominations (Is the book a fiction picture book or a board book? Was the book published between October 16, 2017 and October 15, 2018? Is the book widely available?) as they pour in. In just four days, we have already had over ninety nominations! 

As soon as I approve the nomination, I have to move to step two of the process for me: finding a copy of the book to read. That's where I shine. Around me, I am blessed to have so many amazing library systems, including my home library, the Brazoria County Library System, along with the Houston Public Library, the Harris County Library, the Friendswood Library, the Moore Library in Texas City, the Rosenberg Library in Galveston, and the Helen Hall Library in League City. A big thank you to all the wonderful librarians and library clerks who have helped me in the past and will be helping me in the near future with my mission.

Now I need to start reading the 39+ books I've already received from the libraries.

I have nominated a book for each category of the Cybils. Have you nominated? Here's a link to the nomination form. Anyone can nominate a favorite children's or young adult book. Add this image to your blog once you have nominated.




NANOWRIMO: READING FOR WRITING

I am gearing up for NaNoWriMo by reading for writing. And writing.

Are you planning to do NaNoWriMo this year?





DEWEY'S 24-HOUR READATHON

Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon will be held on October 20, 2018. Sign up here.

How about you? 

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 hosted at The Book Date.

Authors I’d Love to Meet

I've met authors. In fact, I collect authors.

But I'd like to do more than simply see them on a stage somewhere. I'd like to go drink coffee with them. Visit a bookstore with them. Walk in the park with them. Talk books with them. Learn how to write from them.

Maira Kalman is the author of The Principles of Uncertainty, Ooh-la-la (Max in Love), and Looking at Lincoln.
I met her briefly at the Texas Book Festival.

Richard Powers is the author of The Gold Bug Variations and The Overstory.
He is coming to Houston next spring.

Haruki Murakami is the author of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, IQ84, and Kafka on the Shore.
I have never met Murakami; I have never heard him speak.

Mo Willems is the author of Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus as well as the Elephant & Piggie series.
I have met Mo three times, one of which was at BookExpo where this photo was taken.
I never take my picture with authors, but I just couldn't help myself this time.

Amy Krouse Rosenthal is the author of Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life, Duck! Rabbit!, and Yes Day.
I have met Amy twice. This photo was taken at BookExpo in Chicago in 2016.
She passed away from ovarian cancer in 2017.

Kate DiCamillo is the author of Because of Winn-Dixie, Tale of Despereaux, as well as the author of the Bink & Golly and Mercy Watson series.
I heard Kate speak at the Texas Book Festival some years ago.
In this little video, she shares how she became an author.

Anne Lamott is the author of Bird by Bird, Operating Instructions, and Traveling Mercies.
Anne came to Houston several years ago and she will return to Houston later this month.

E. B. White is the author of One Man's Meat, Here is New York, and Charlotte's Web.
He passed away in 1985.

Basho is considered the greatest master of haiku.
He passed away in 1694.

Jason Reynolds is the author of Ghost and Long Way Down.
He is coming to Houston in November. 

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.

How Many Books Do You Have to Read to Call it a Good Week?

How many books do you have to read to call it a good week? One? Two? More? Does it make a difference if the books were good books?

No matter how you define it, anyone would agree last week was a good reading week for me. I finished four good books. Not only were they well written, but they gave me hope for the future. That is big for me in this dark world.

The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer

Damnation Island: Poor, Sick, Mad, and Criminal in 19th Century New York by Stacy Horn

The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers by Maxwell King 

Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver

Happy book-ish moments last week:

Georgia commented on a book review I posted at Goodreads: "Deb, I always read with eagerness your reviews. While I've just begun an outstanding book, after reading your reviews of Kingsolver and Wolitzer, I want to dash to the library and get started on the books today--in spite of writing assignments, three or four book reviews to write and other daily demands. I love your description of what you do when you are falling in love with a story--it's so real! Thanks for writing." 


And this from my friend, longtime writing teacher, Joyce Boatright:

How about you? 

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 hosted at The Book Date.

Our First Class as a Texas Master Naturalist Intern

My husband and I are learning to be Texas Master Naturalists.

Our first class was held last Wednesday at Brazos Bend State Park in Needville, Texas. We spent the morning in classes and spent the afternoon taking a nature walk through part of the park. The head naturalist at the park, David Heinicke, taught the classes and led the nature walk.

In the morning, we learn about frogs, lizards, snakes, turtles, and...wait...what is that in Dave's hand?

Yep. It's a baby alligator. 

It is estimated that there are more than 250 alligators over 6' long at Brazos Bend.

In the afternoon, we set off for our hike.

Dave stops often to take a close look at things.

He gives us time to ask questions and write field notes.

If you look carefully, you can see Dave has a golden silk spider crawling on his hand.

Dave tells us this spider, which is commonly called a banana spider, spins a yellow web. 

Birds can see yellow well, and thus avoid flying through its web, but insects can't.

A golden silk waiting for prey.

One of our clever naturalist interns spots this baby alligator, probably one of the babies that was hatched at the nature center this summer and released last week. Only 2 or 3 out of every 100 alligators that hatch survives into adulthood, Dave tells us.

Dave shares a spiny orb weaver, commonly called a crab spider, that has adapted to have a very hard shell.

Dave tells us about bald cypress trees, the viceroy butterfly, bark lice, yellow-billed cuckoos, resurrection fern, Spanish moss, red buckeyes, mustang grapes...I think he knows everything about our part of the world.

I end up with twelve pages of notes. I am learning so much.

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.