It's Monday!

What I Reviewed Last Week

Five Days at Memorial
Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital
by Sheri Fink

We know all about Katrina here. We live west of New Orleans and Katrina was an object lesson for us. 

I didn’t know all about Memorial Hospital...more

Social:

Why Our Brains are Wired to Connect

by Matthew D. Lieberman

Have you ever read a book about something you were deeply interested in and 
finished it and thought you somehow now knew 
less about something than when...more

The Wet and the Dry:   

A Drinker's Journey   

by Lawrence Osborne    

Osborne reveals on page one that he is a drinker. A big drinker. Possibly an alcoholic. And his people are also all big drinkers. Possibly alcoholics....more

The Tortoise & the Hare

by Jerry Pinkney

Nobody illustrates a story like Jerry Pinkney. Beautiful, life-like illustrations tell this old tale of the slow and steady tortoise that wins out in...more 

The Night Before Christmas
by Holly Hobbie

It’s a happy surprise to find that children’s book illustrator Holly Hobbie has taken on this classic poem. And it will be no surprise to you for me...more

The Very Fairy Princess:
Sparkles in the Snow
by Julie Andrews & Emma Walton Hamilton

I can already hear the peals of delight in my primary school library from my young patrons when they catch sight of this new Very Fairy Princess story...more

Marc Brown's 

Playtime Rhymes:
A Treasury for Families to Learn and Play Together

If I could, I would buy a copy of this book and give it to every new parent in my town. It’s exactly what parents need to sing and play little finger...more

The Smartest Kids in the World

by Amanda Ripley

Is this the best book I’ve read this year about education? Yes, it is. And I’ve read a lot of books this year about education. This one was best...more

Between Shades of Gray

by Ruta Sepetys  

(First of all, let me make one thing very, very clear….This is not that Shades of Gray. I can’t imagine a situation in which I would force myself to...more 

The XX Factor:

How the Rise of Working Women

Has Created a Far Less Equal World

It’s a depressing tale. You probably figured that out from the title, but perhaps you hoped it might be bleak but not unremittingly bleak. You would be...more

Mouse Bird Snake Wolf  

by David Almond

David Almond has yet to disappoint me. He is always writing new books that set my little brain to whirring. This new story is no exception. A thoughtful...more

    

Some Nerve:
Lessons Learned While Becoming Brave

by Patty Chang Anker

Anker is a scaredy cat. I thought I was a fearful person, but my small fears and anxieties are nothing when set against the enormous fears and...more

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. 

¡Vamos a Dewey's 24-Hour Read-a-Thon!

HOUR 24

Mini Challenges

A Readathon tradition! 

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?  HOUR 15 DID ME IN...I ADMIT IT...I DOZED OFF.
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? CHILDREN'S BOOKS ALWAYS WORK FOR ME. AS DO GRAPHIC NOVELS. SHORT BOOKS.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? NO SUGGESTIONS...PERFECT AS IT WAS.
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? LOVED THE CHALLENGES. LOVED THE CAMARADERIE. LOVED THE SUPPORT.
5. How many books did you read? 18. AND A HALF.
6. What were the names of the books you read? THE BOY WHO LOVED MATH; CAR GOES FAR; BINK & GOLLIE: BEST FRIENDS FOREVER; STARRING JULES (AS HERSELF); LOVE IS IN THE AIR; MONKEY AND ELEPHANT GET BETTER; THE MEANEST BIRTHDAY GIRL; JOE AND SPARKY GO TO SCHOOL; A BIG GUY TOOK MY BALL; PENNY AND HER MARBLE; CALVIN COCONUT: EXTRA FAMOUS; LULU AND THE DOG FROM THE SEA; LET'S DRAW HAPPY PEOPLE; VIOLET MACKEREL'S NATURAL HABITAT; THE LIFE OF TY; DODSWORTH IN TOKYO; MY HAPPY LIFE; KELSEY GREEN: READING QUEEN.
7. Which book did you enjoy most? ALL WERE EXCELLENT!
8. Which did you enjoy least? (SEE #7)
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? NA, BUT I'D LIKE TO TRY MY HAND AT CHEERLEADING ONE DAY.
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? 100%. I LOVED BEING READER/BLOGGER/HOST. VERY, VERY FUN.

HOUR 23

How could I resist building a tower of all the books I read during the Readathon?

With Kelsey Green, Reading Queen on top?

Well, I just couldn't resist.

Book Jenga!

("Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain....")

HOUR 22

I'm back.

I had a "little" nap.

I'm ready to get back into the saddle.

My Read Books stack (right)

looks decidedly better than my TBR (left).

Only three books left!

But what to choose? What to choose?!

HOUR 15

Soooo sleepy.

Time for a little rest.

Maybe I can take a little nap

and then pop back for more Readathan in a bit....

HOUR 12

Just finished a perfect book for a Readathon!

Mid-Event Survey

1) How are you doing? Sleepy? Are your eyes tired?
TIRED. YES. YES.
2) What have you finished reading?
LOTS OF BOOKS. LOTS OF LITTLE BOOKS. 
3) What is your favorite read so far?
SINCE I'M READING CYBILS NOMINEES, I'LL LEAVE THAT QUESTION UNANSWERED.
4) What about your favorite snacks?
YEP. BEN & JERRY'S COFFEE HEATH BAR CRUNCH ICE CREAM.
5) Have you found any new blogs through the readathon? If so, give them some love!
SO MANY NEW BLOGS I CAN'T LIST THEM ALL!

READ ON, EVERYONE!

HOUR 8-11

I will be here, but not here for the next four hours.

I will be hosting the Readathon.

In Prime Time.

Whew. Hope I don't make any big boo-boos.

Wish me luck and here's a little video of 

my meditation fountain in my absence....

HOUR 6...

MY READ-BOOK STACK

GROWS (SLIGHTLY) TALLER THAN 

MY TO-BE-READ STACK

HOUR 3...SNACK TIME

 I've finished three more books.

It's time for a snack, I think,

to celebrate.

Look what my wonderful husband got for me

to snack on during Readathon!

Not one, but TWO pints of Ben & Jerry's Coffee Heath Bar Crunch ice cream!

Hope you are having a great time, too!

HOUR 2...IN WHICH I READ 7 BOOKS IN ONE HOUR!

Wow! If I continue to read at this rate, 

this Readathon is going to be over for me in a snap.

(Okay, I see you are looking closely at those 7 books I finished last hour.

Yes, perhaps it is true that I chose some rather short books for this Readathon.

Yes, perhaps it is true that these are mostly books 

from the Cybils category I will be judging called "Easy Readers."

Yes, perhaps it is true that these are actually "Easy Readers" for children.

But, hey, I'm not just judging "Easy Readers;"

I'm also judging "Short Chapter Books." 

So you are going to see me reading some chapter books, too.

Yes, short ones.

Yes, short ones for children....

But I'm going to probably finish a record---for me---number of pages this Readathon!)

HOUR 1...SURVEY TIME

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?

Alvin, Texas.

Just south of Houston.

Or, as we say, "Just south of high pressure."

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?

My Happy Life.

One of the Cybils nominees.

Originally from New Zealand.

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?

Two pints of ice cream in the freezer.

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

Primary school librarian.

Book blogger for five years.

Puppeteer. Artist. Writer. Guitar player.

(I'm at approximately the same skill level for all of these...

slightly above zero.)

Happy person.

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? 

I've done so many readathons
that I can't even remember
how many I've done.
My plan today is to read a little and blog a little,
read a little and blog a little, and so on...all day.


AT THE STARTING GATE

My delightful Meditation Room? ¡Sí! 
Candle? ¡Sí! 
Relaxation fountain? ¡Sí! 
Reading music? ¡Sí! 

Comfy reading clothes? ¡Sí! 

Coffee? ¡Sí! 

Snacks? ¡Sí! 

Huge stack of books to read? ¡Sí! 

How about you? ¿Esta lista? Ready? 

What are we waiting for? ¡Vamos! Let's go!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

What Came in the Mail Last Week
(and What I'm Reading Now)

Five Days at Memorial
Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital
by Sheri Fink

Social:

Why Our Brains are Wired to Connect

by Matthew D. Lieberman

The Wet and the Dry:   

A Drinker's Journey   

by Lawrence Osborne    

The Tortoise & the Hare

by Jerry Pinkney

The Night Before Christmas
by Holly Hobbie

The Very Fairy Princess:
Sparkles in the Snow
by Julie Andrews & Emma Walton Hamilton

Marc Brown's 
Playtime Rhymes:
A Treasury for Families to Learn and Play Together

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. 

October is BOO-kish!

October is the most BOO-kish month. Look at all the upcoming events for October in the book world...

October is Dewey's 24-Hour Read-a-thon!

Dewey's 24-Hour Read-a-thon is coming next weekend!

Have you signed up?

It's not too late.

Contests and special fun events every hour.

Lots of opportunities to meet other bloggers.

And time to read those books you've been wanting to read!

I'll be hosting a shift once again this read-a-thon,

so I hope to see you there!

Don't think you have time to read for twenty-four hours?
Check out my tips for Read-a-Thon Lite!

Sign up now!

October is Cybils Nomination Time!

Do you have favorite children's and young adult books published this year?

You can nominate your favorites for the Cybils Award!

From now until October 15, you can nominate your favorite children's

and young adult books published this year in these categories:

• Book Apps
• Easy Readers/Short Chapter Books
• Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction
• Young Adult Speculative Fiction
• Fiction Picture Books
• Graphics
• Middle Grade Fiction
• Elementary & Middle-Grade Nonfiction
• Young Adult Nonfiction
• Poetry
• Young Adult Fiction
• 
  
• Happily, I'll be serving as a judge again this year.

I've already nominated some of my favorites.

Nominate your favorites now!

October is the Scholastic Book Fair!

Look what arrived in the mail today!

Yes, it's a Cleopatra costume.

I'll be Cleopatra during our library book fair in October.

Watch for photos to come!

October is the Texas Book Festival!

The Texas Book Festival is held October 26-27

on the grounds of and inside the Texas State Capitol.

I'm especially looking forward to hearing authors Mac Barnett,

Jon Scieszka, Bob Shea, Sherman Alexie, Gordon Korman,

Katherine Applegate, Jonathan Lethem, and Bob Staake this year.

I'll be serving as an author escort again this year.

Last year, I had the privilege to escort

children's book author and singer Jewel!

And, once again, I'll be bookcrossing lots and lots of great books

all around and inside the capitol building. 

Hope to see you there!

For more information about the 2013 festival, 

including a list of authors speaking

and a schedule,

click here.

For photos and little videos from past Texas Book Festivals...

2012 Texas Book Festival

2011 Texas Book Festival

2010 Texas Book Festival

2009 Texas Book Festival

2008 Texas Book Festival

Headed to the Antiques Fair

For more wordless photos,

go to Wordless Wednesday.

Book Turn-Offs

Book Turn-Offs...

In no particular order...

(Note:  And unbearable bad spelling...eek...sorry...

let's make that "sappiness," please.)

What annoys you in the book-ish world?

(Attempting to use text art to reply to the prompt...admittedly in a less-than-excellent way...wish I knew a great site to use...welcome your input, oh wise ones!)

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.