By day, collection development librarian in Southern Indiana. By night, blogger extraordinaire.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
#48HBC Halfway Update
Well, I'm a little over halfway through my 48-hour period and going strong. I've read/blogged for 12 hours of the past 24 and it should be no problem for me to read and blog for over 8 hours today. So far, I've finished 3 books and I'm partway through two others. I've also logged a little bit of audiobook time (listening to The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom, read by Orlagh Cassidy and Bahni Turpin) I still have some great books on my pile and I have through 7am tomorrow to read, read, read! I have to work Monday morning, so I don't think I'll stay up into the night.
Also, Boyfriend has been unofficially participating in the challenge with me. I picked out a stack of books that I thought he might like and so far he's read:
Pedro and Me by Judd Winick
Laika by Nick Abadzis
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld (I've got to get him the sequel... he was bummed I didn't have it here for him!)
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
Bad Island by Doug TenNapel
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (another one he was bummed I didn't have the sequel!)
and
The Gospel According to Larry by Janet Tashjian
And on that note, I'm off for some more reading! If you're doing the challenge, go, go, go! You can do it!
Saturday, June 9, 2012
#48HBC: Laugh With the Moon
Finished:
Laugh With the Moon by Shana Burg. Perfect for armchair travelers, this solid middle-grade novel tells the story of 13-year-old Clare who is forced to spend two months in Malawi while her father works for the Global Health Project after the death of Clare's mother. A spot-on 13-year-old character and rich details of the Malawian bush village and culture are highlights of this book for me. Full review to come.
48-Hour Book Challenge Update:
Time spent reading/blogging: Just about 11 hours
Books completed: 3 (and part of The Letter Q; I'm reading that one in pieces when I need a break from longer narratives because as a collection of letters, it's quite easy to pick up and put down)
Pages read: 703 (plus some of The Letter Q, which I'll add to the count once I've finished it)
I think some nonfiction next... I'm on track to meet my time goal. I had a Cherry Coke Zero about 2 hours ago, so I should be up for some time tonight... Hmm... ;)
#48HBC: Temple Grandin
Finished:
Temple Grandin: How the Girl Who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World by Sy Montgomery. You may think you know about Temple Grandin, but this approachable biography feels like sitting down and hearing about her life and her life's work making the world a better place for animals. Great formatting and accessible writing make this a treat of a biography. If you like biographies or are interested in autism or animal rights, don't miss this one! Longer review to come.
48-Hour Book Challenge Update:
Time spent reading/blogging: 6 hours
Books completed: 2
Pages read: 458
#48HBC: See You at Harry's
Finished:
See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles. A touching story of family, especially the relationships between siblings. Author Jo Knowles is not afraid to delve into Big Life Things while keeping the book middle-grade appropriate. Put this one on your Newbery radars, people. Full review to come later.
48-Hour Book Challenge Update:
Time spent reading/blogging: 4 hours
Books completed: 1
Pages read: 310
How's the Challenge going for you??
Let the #48hbc Reading Begin!
Good morning, all. My time for the 48-Hour Book Challenge will officially run from 7am Saturday to 7am Monday. I've got my stack of books:
And a notebook for keeping track of time and plenty of snacks stocked up. I think I've got a nice mix of fiction and nonfiction, middle grade and YA.
I've already made a $25 donation to Reading is Fundamental. It would be cool to donate a certain amount per hour, but I've got this head cold lingering and I'm just not sure how much I'm going to be able to do this weekend. My goal is to read/blog for at least 20 hours, but we shall see. I won't be posting full reviews this weekend, but aiming to write some reviews to be scheduled throughout the next couple of weeks.
I'll be tweeting and trying my best to visit lots of blogs and leave encouraging comments. Remember to follow #48hbc!
And on that note, let the reading begin!
| Plus more on my Kindle! |
I've already made a $25 donation to Reading is Fundamental. It would be cool to donate a certain amount per hour, but I've got this head cold lingering and I'm just not sure how much I'm going to be able to do this weekend. My goal is to read/blog for at least 20 hours, but we shall see. I won't be posting full reviews this weekend, but aiming to write some reviews to be scheduled throughout the next couple of weeks.
I'll be tweeting and trying my best to visit lots of blogs and leave encouraging comments. Remember to follow #48hbc!
And on that note, let the reading begin!
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Oh Those Evening Storytimes...
This summer, I decided to offer a weekly evening storytime. I'll be honest and tell you that I have a love-hate relationship with evening programs. I want our working parents to be able to attend programs and for a lot of families that means offering something in the evenings or on weekends. We get many requests for these programs, but they are usually very poorly attended. I love seeing our families who do attend, but I miss the energy that the larger crowds at our daytime programs provide.
In an effort to attract a larger crowd, I'm offering "Milk & Cookies Storytime" and serving a snack of milk and cookies after the stories. The stories are a mixed bag of my favorites, interspersed with music, felt stories, rhymes, and other activities. I advertised it as a family storytime for ages 3-7. We're holding it on Mondays at 7:00 and it lasts about 30 minutes.
We had our first session this week and I only had six kids. They were six GREAT kids and they loved the books and we had a good time... but it was not the turnout I was hoping for. Part of the problem might be that I am not requiring registration. For some reason, our families tend to do better with registered programs, perhaps because we do a reminder call for them.
But this is what I did (and I'm just crossing my fingers that attendance picks up throughout the summer!):
Opening Song: "Jump Up, Turn Around" by Jim Gill - This opening song was the perfect amount of movement and has very clear instructions, which was important for my small crowd. Being in a smaller group puts more of a spotlight on each kid, so some of them were pretty shy with free dancing, but having a song that told them exactly what to do was a hit. I'll be using this as our opening song for the rest of the summer.
Book: Where's My Teddy? by Jez Alborough.
Book: Below by Nina Crews. This one was definitely a hit and we talked about imagination and pretend play. I love the photo illustrations and I think the kids were really amused that Jack's toy is named "Guy".
Music Break!: "The Freeze" by Greg & Steve. Some of the kids went crazy with dancing to this one and they all loved to freeze, but I think some of the quieter kids needed a little more direction or I should have passed out scarves to dance with or something. Next week, I'll choose something a little more structured.
Felt Story: The Most Wonderful Egg in the World by Helme Heine. This is one of my favorites. It's been a long time since I actually did a felt story with a plot and I forgot how much I love it.
Book: Hunky Dory Ate It by Katie Evans. I thought it was fitting that we end with a story about eating since we were about to have our snack.
After the last story, I brought out the milk and cookies and we had our snack. I had done a milk and cookies storytime over winter break and I learned that it's best to serve all the food after stories are done. Kids are inevitably going to spill something and it's completely distracting if they spill while you're trying to read. Pour small glasses of milk. Tell everyone to start with two cookies (or whatever is reasonable, considering your crowd and your supply). Moms and dads are willing to help pass things out, pour milk, distribute items, etc., so if you need an extra set of hands, ask for it!
Each week I'll be choosing more of my favorite books to share with the kids, so it's sure to be a fun summer indeed!
Labels:
programs,
storytime,
summer reading club
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Locusts
Two weeks down and just about eight more weeks to go... We had just under 1400 kids and 350 teens sign up for Summer Reading Club in the first two weeks (those numbers are as of Saturday, June 2). I shoot for at least 2000 kids over the whole summer and it's typical for the greatest number of registrations to happen during the first few weeks. I haven't kept good records about how many kids signed up on each day for past years, but it FEELS like we have more kids signed up now than we did this time last year.
Our quiet little Children's Room is now pleasantly (occasionally not-so-pleasantly) full every day. We keep a notebook logging the questions we're asked and normally we use one side of a page each day (and the pages aren't even full), but lately our notebook looks like this:
Basically, it looks like the opposite of our bookshelves, which look like this:
Our quiet little Children's Room is now pleasantly (occasionally not-so-pleasantly) full every day. We keep a notebook logging the questions we're asked and normally we use one side of a page each day (and the pages aren't even full), but lately our notebook looks like this:
Basically, it looks like the opposite of our bookshelves, which look like this:
I say this with love, but the shelves look like book locusts have come through.... ;)
We're starting our programs this week, so I'll have a full report about that next week. I was a little afraid that our program registration lists were going to fill up within the first few days of registration being open, but that hasn't been the case. Of course, we love having full programs, but I hate having to turn people away. So far, they've been filling up steadily but not crazily...
And that's how the first two weeks have been going. Have you started your Summer Reading or summer programs yet? How's it going?
Labels:
summer reading club
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
#48HBC is coming...!
I've been working on getting my pile together for this weekend's 48-Hour Book Challenge! I've got some great books in the TBR pile and I'm excited to make time to read and blog this weekend. Honestly, I feel like between work and lots of social events lately, I haven't been inspired to blog or review books lately, but I'm hoping that this weekend's festivities will help me get back on track.
Here's the pile I'm starting with and I'm hoping to add a few more books to it this week.
I'm not aiming to read ALL of these books, but I like to have lots of choices on hand. I've got some galleys from NetGalley on my Kindle, too. I'm hoping to read at least five of these books and spend at least 20 hours reading and blogging this weekend. In previous years, I've posted all my reviews as I write them, but this year I'll be blogging snippets and scheduling reviews to post on later days.
The 48HBC is always a fun event, celebrating books with a great community of book lovers, so if you need an excuse to set aside an inordinate amount of reading time this weekend, I hope you'll join us!
I'll have an official kick-off post on Friday when I start my time, but until then I'd appreciate any other suggestion for new(ish) middle grade or YA fiction or nonfiction that I should track down and add to my pile! What are YOU looking forward to reading?
Monday, June 4, 2012
The Letter Q Giveaway
Part of my job (a huge part) is to make the library a safe and welcoming place for all people. And I want the kids and teens at my library to know that I value them for whoever they are. It is essential that we have books like The Letter Q: Queer Writers' Notes to Their Younger Selves on our shelves.
So, I'm very happy to announce that Scholastic is providing two copies of this book for me to give away!
About the book:
In this anthology, sixty-four award-winning authors and illustrators such as Michael Cunningham, Amy Bloom, Jacqueline, Woodson, Terrence McNally, Gregory Maguire, David Levithan, and Armistead Maupin, make imaginative journeys into their pasts, telling their younger selves what they would have liked to know then about their lives as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender people. Through stories, in pictures, with bracing honesty, these are words of love, messages of understanding, reasons to hold on for the better future ahead. They will tell you things about your favorite authors that you never knew before. And they will tell you about yourself.
To enter, just fill out this form (once!). You must be at least 13 years old to enter. This giveaway is open to US residents only. I will not share your information with anyone (except the two winners - I will send your mailing info to Scholastic) and all information will be deleted after the giveaway is over. Two winners will be drawn at random on Thursday, June 7.
The giveaway is now closed. Thanks to all who entered!
Labels:
glbt
Friday, June 1, 2012
AudioSynced: May Roundup
Yep, it's that time again! Time for your AudioSynced Roundup! June is Audiobook Month, so check out this post for some great audiobooks to check out for your summer road trips. If I missed your review or post about audiobooks this month, please leave me a link in comments and I'll update the roundup. If you didn't review or post about audiobooks this month, neverfear: Kelly at STACKED will host another roundup next month.
Want more audiobook reviews? Be sure to check out Audiobook Jukebox, a fabulous collection of audiobook reviews across the blogosphere.
Audiobook News and Posts
Becky at RA for All posts about narrator-author teams.
A whole host of interesting people are talking about their favorite audiobooks at The Awl.
Beth at Beth Fish Reads posted about fantasy and paranormal audiobooks this month.
John Schwartz has an essay in the New York Times about the importance of narrators in audiobook selection.
Children's/Middle Grade Audiobooks
Chomp by Carl Hiaasen, read by James Van Der Beek, reviewed by Beth at A Foodie Bibliophile in Wanderlust. Beth says, "James Van Der Beek is the narrator of the audiobook and while I was never a watcher of Dawson's Creek when I was a teenager, even I managed to swoon a little listening to his deep, inviting voice."
The Other Half of My Heart by Sundee Frazier, read by Bahni Turpin, reviewed by me at Abby the Librarian. I said, "Bahni Turpin's excellent narration saved this book for me. I would have put it down right about the spot where Grandmother Johnson comes in, but Turpin so brought Grandmother Johnson to life for me that I was intrigued and kept listening."
Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham, read by Richard Thomas, reviewed by Amy at The Show Me Librarian. Amy says, "The five-hour audiobook makes for great listening on an otherwise uneventful car ride, perfect for summer travels."
YA Audiobooks
Sarah at Y.A. Love has flash reviews of three YA audiobooks: Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie; Beautiful Chaos; and Marcelo in the Real World.
Au Reviour, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber, read by Steven Boyer, reviewed by Beth at A Foodie Bibliophile in Wanderlust. Beth says, "Steven Boyer is the narrator of the audiobook and he does an amazing job of bringing the story to life."
Changeling by Philippa Gregory, read by Charlie Cox, reviewed by April at Good Books and Good Wine. April says, "This is probably not the first audiobook I’d recommend to virgin ears, but one that I’d recommend to experienced listeners going on a rainy drive."
The Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi, read by Joshua Swanson, reviewed by April at Good Books and Good Wine. April says, "At this point, friends, I am committed to continuing a series in audio if it’s narrated by Swanson - he’s got great range and knows how to keep the pace exciting and intense."
The Wake of the Lorelei Lee by L. A. Meyer, read by Katherine Kellgren, reviewed by Melissa at One Librarian's Book Reviews. Melissa says, "I once again must rave over the inimitable Katherine Kellgren, who does a fantastic job narrating the audiobook..."
Also reviewed by Lee at Reading with my ears. Lee says, "It’s likely I’d have thrown in the towel long ago were I reading these to myself, because a large part – dare I say, 99% – of the enjoyment here is due to narrator Kellgren. She throws herself into these novels with unflagging enthusiasm and her prodigious talents for storytelling, acting and singing."
When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle, read by Sarah Grace, reviewed by April at Good Books and Good Wine. April says, "I quite liked Sarah Grace’s soft and vulnerable voicing for the most part. However I was not a huge fan of her male voices and especially her performance of Rosaline’s potential love interest."
Adult Audiobooks
The Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye, read by Steven Boyer, reviewed by Lee at Reading with my ears. Lee says, "Steven Boyer, a narrator whose steady, unglamorous work didn't immediately bring him to mind as the reader for this book, does his usual fine job here."
Let's Pretend This Never Happened, written and read by Jenny Lawson, reviewed by Catie at The Readventurer. Catie says, "As a narrator, I thought she was engaging and she is a natural storyteller. The audiobook is absolutely conversational, in a way that I haven't experienced before but which I enjoyed. "
The September Society by Charles Finch, read by James Langton, reviewed by Lee at Reading with my ears. Lee says, "James Langton narrates the novel, and he knows exactly how to do it. He reads with a hint of effete diffidence, perfect for a well-bred Englishman solving the crimes of his social peers."
Still Alice, written and read by Lisa Genova, reviewed by Janssen at Everyday Reading. Janssen says, "I loved the audio version of this...; listening to it, rather than reading it on a page made me feel even more connected to Alice, like I was really in her head, experiencing the devastating loss of her abilities."
Sports from Hell by Rick Reilly, read by Mike Chamberlain, reviewed by Melissa at Book Nut. Melissa says, "It's a completely useless book -- there's really nothing of value in here, unless you want to impress people with your synonyms for vomit -- but it's entertaining. Or, at least, it tries very hard to be."
Unfamiliar Fishes, written and read by Sarah Vowell, reviewed by Lisa at Shelf-employed. Lisa says, "If you've never heard her quirky little voice before... you're likely to love it or hate it. I love it. Listen for yourself."
Labels:
audiobooks
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