Tag Archive | blogging

Book Award List Time! (reflective)

Jan26

It’s nice when someone validates your choices and opinions, isn’t it? And when the someones are the noteworthy folks on the American Library Association’s many book awards committees, then it’s even nicer.

Several BooksYALove selections were tabbed on the 2012 award lists, which looked at books published in 2011 and late 2010. And, yes, some are now on bestseller lists, but were posted here well before sales popularity moved them there. You should be able to find them all at your local library or independent bookstore, but you may encounter a waiting list!

Beat the rush on future award books by reading them whenever something appealing to you is introduced on BooksYALove – no spoilers, I promise!

As I read YA books that deal with real-life issues during the “YA Saves Reading Challenge” hosted by TheBusyBibliophile blog, plus all the wonderful science fiction, fantasy, and historical fiction on the publishing horizon, I’m sure to find plenty of great young adult books beyond the bestsellers which will be included in future award lists – and you could see them here first!
**kmm

2012 Newbery Medal – Honor Book
Breaking Stalin’s Nose, written and illustrated by Eugene Yelchin – my recommendation

2012 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults – “Forbidden Romance” category
I Love Him to Pieces (My Boyfriend is a Monster #1) / by Evonne Tsang; art by Janina Gorrissen – my recommendation

YALSA 2012 Best Fiction for Young Adults
What Happened to Goodbye, by Sarah Dessen – my recommendation

Payback Time, by Carl Deuker – my recommendation

Ten Miles Past Normal, by Frances O’Roark Dowell – my recommendation

Icefall, by Matthew J. Kirby – my recommendation

Huntress, by Malinda Lo – my recommendation

Legend, by Marie Lu – my recommendation

Karma: a novel in verse, by Cathy Ostlere – my recommendation

This Thing Called the Future, by J.L. Powers – my recommendation

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs – my recommendation

Now is the Time for Running, by Michael Williams – my recommendation
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(thumbs up image courtesy of Mohamed Ibrahim via http://www.clker.com/clipart-29226.html)

Whose Internet is this, anyway? (reflective)

Jan18

If today (January 18, 2012) is “Internet Blackout Day” to protest SOPA/PIPA bills under consideration by the US Congress… then why am I still online? Why are you online, if you’re reading this post on the 18th?

Is it because we cannot go a single day or hour or minute without our entertainment and news and communication? Perhaps – but there are still movies and print newspapers and telephone calls that can fill those voids.

More likely, we’re online – now and any time – because we must share something. I mean that we are truly driven to share good news, bad news, cute kitten pictures, tidbits of information, and titles of books that someone else will just love; we are humans, and our culture of sharing is part of what makes us human.

To me, giving credit to the originator/creator/performer of a painting, a song, a book, a charming and witty sentence is a moral obligation, according to my upbringing and my education as a librarian. This was much easier when books and paintings were “one-off” and there was only one original with no easy way to copy it. Then along came the printing press, camera, tape recorder, photocopier and so on. Thank goodness for US copyright laws.

Yes, piracy of intellectual property is a real and growing problem. Yes, there do need to be legal ways to stop and punish intentional internet piracy. But I agree with many others that SOPA/PIPA is the wrong way to accomplish this.

This tweet today from Erin Bow (author of Plain Kate, which I recommend) puts it in perspective for me: “I’m an author; I make a living because of copyright, and piracy takes its toll. But SOPA would stop piracy by poisoning the ocean.” @ErinBowBooks

Google has started a petition to protest passage of SOPA (the House of Representatives version)/ PIPA (the Senate version); you can sign it here.

The bills are scheduled for Jan. 24th vote, so you have time to read them yourself (PIPA here, SOPA here) and contact your Representative and your Senators to help them understand that censoring the Internet through SOPA/PIPA will not stop piracy of intellectual property online.

If we do not speak out, how can we help our lawmakers decide?
**kmm

The Big Picture (reflective)

Jan16

Have you ever WORDLED? I used their free app to create the nifty word cloud here, using my initial blogpost about MotherReader and Lee Wind‘s annual Comment Challenge for kidlit bloggers, 2012 edition.

What fun it’s been to “meet” illustrators, authors, and book bloggers through the Challenge! Getting out of my “writing silo” where I see only my computer screen and the books that I’m recommending so that I interact more with the diverse and supportive kidlit community online – priceless!

Since BooksYALove is a fairly new blog, I’m grateful for new visitors (and new followers – yay!) who will help spread the word about the wonderful YA books from debut authors and smaller imprints that I’m discovering.

After all, I’m writing these recommendations (no spoilers ever! I promise) for YA readers… right book for the right reader!
**kmm

Reading beyond the box (reflective)

Jan5

A new year and a new challenge: Read and thoughtfully comment on 5 blog posts a day for 21 days…

Since it takes about 3 weeks to solidly acquire a new habit, MotherReader and Lee Wind have once again teamed up to help book bloggers get into the good habit of reading what other book bloggers are reading and writing about and (most importantly) joining in the conversation about the kidlit that makes us all so happy with their Comment Challenge 2012.

And there will be prizes for folks who register their 100 comments in 21 days (with 1 day off, just in case), too! We’ll be checking in with Lee on Wednesdays to update our totals and get a bit of encouragement along the way.

So, a new year, new blogs to read, new books to discover – onward…
**kmm

My Life Undecided (fiction)

Nov25

Welcome to Fun Friday (for us) as Brooklyn is not having any fun anymore –
grounded by her parents forever,
shunned by her so-called friends at school,
performing community service to make up for her stupid decisions…

Why not let others decide everything for her for a while? As her blog readers’ choices lead her through experiencing a macrobiotic diet, getting bruised up at rugby tryouts, and being unexpectedly good at debate, Brooklyn has a chance to be herself instead of society-queen Shayne’s primped and painted sidekick.

And you can visit http://mylifeundecided.com/ – yes, Brooklyn’s blog – right now if YOU want blog readers to help YOU make a choice! But remember that there are some decisions that you really have to make for yourself…
**kmm

Book info: My Life Undecided / Jessica Brody. Farrar Straus & Giroux Books for Young Readers, 2011. [author’s website] [publisher site] [book trailer]

Recommendation: Brooklyn didn’t think throwing that party in her mom’s new model home was a bad idea – she just didn’t think at all. Firetrucks, underage drinking, destruction of property – she’s lucky that her parents found a lawyer who got her off with community service. Helping clear the debris of the burned-down model home fits her dumb offense, but 200 hours volunteering in a Denver nursing home? Auggghhhh….

In desperation, Brook decides to anonymously blog about it all – and let her blog readers vote on what she should do next. After all, when was the last time that she made a good decision on her own?

Before the fire, Shayne directed every fashion and makeup choice, since they were both at the top of Parker High’s social ladder – now she snubs her at school. Her older sister Isabelle is perfect at everything. And 10 years after she fell into an abandoned mineshaft as a toddler and was rescued, she’s still recognized as “Baby Brooklyn.”

Eleven people vote in her first poll, and Brook is relieved to go with the majority choice of The Grapes of Wrath for English class. At the nursing home after school, she’s assigned to read to Mrs. Moody, who adores the Choose Your Own Adventure books. Maybe letting others make her decisions will be better after all!

Since she’s letting her blog readers vote on every choice, soon she finds herself trying out for rugby and debate, going to a diner instead of a swanky club opening, and becoming part of a hostage situation (well, she chose that minimart herself). When her blog goes viral, she suddenly has 800,000 readers telling her what to do about the overnight debate trip and which guy to date!

What’s up with Mrs. Moody and that collection of kids’ books? Should Brooklyn decide on her own about going to the Winter Formal? Wait, is Shayne really apologizing for snubbing her?

Brooklyn has to discover some answers for herself in this hilarious, timely, and oh-too-true teen novel. (One of 5,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com) Review copy courtesy of the publisher.

Tag! (reflective)

Nov21

Hmm… what’s the trend?
Recent themes of books recommended here?
Top tags and noteworthy notes?

Wordclouds can give a graphical look at patterns in information.
Try Tagxedo or Wordle to make your own free wordcloud of a passage from a favorite book, your Facebook posts, Twitter feed –
do you see any patterns that surprise you?

And watch for upcoming books on BooksYALove – with familiar subjects and new horizons for us to explore together.

Which recently recommended book intrigues you most?
**kmm

Time to wander (reflective)

Sep13

Technology seems mighty essential to us these days, but sometimes unplugging is the right thing to do.

The internet access that I hoped to have during our travels through the American West began to vanish as the mountains grew higher and the distances between towns grew longer.

Yellowstone National Park was wonderful, as we watched Old Faithful and other geysers erupt, hiked to waterfalls, and celebrated the forest’s recovery from the huge wildfires of 1988. Elk? yep. Bison? in abundance! but no online access as we camped above quiet Lewis Lake.

Relaxing and enjoying the scenery will be the norm for a while as we travel places that Kelsa went (will go?) in Trickster’s Girl, through the lava-strewn wild country of Craters of the Moon National Monument, just down the road from the 50 (yes, fifty) nuclear reactors of the Idaho National Laboratories…

So it’s on to Seattle for the Kidlitcon bloggers’ convention this weekend, with Scott Westerfeld as keynoter (yay!), then time to tour the Oregon coast (hmm… where Maddie will chafe under the restrictions of DigitalSchool in the future of Awaken) and amazing national parks in several states (hello, Redwoods! hi, Crater Lake! nice to see you, Bryce Canyon!).

It might be a while before I can get new books posted here, but never fear! BooksYALove has lots of outstanding books beyond the bestsellers coming your way!
**kmm

Insanewiches, by Adrian Fiorino (book review) – super sandwiches, creative cooking fun

Aug26

Fun Friday and ready to make your lunchbox the envy of everyone at the table with Insanewiches, an amazing album of edible art that you can make at home.

Wildly inventive sandwich artist Fiorino brings us clear instructions on how to design and construct A+ sandwiches from teeny Cutecumber ‘Wich to gigantic Quadruple Down. Grab your edible ink markers and amaze your lunch buddies with your own Insanewich.

Equipment and tools needed? Cataloged.
Best breadstuffs for intricate cut-out shapes? Listed.
Hunger-inducing color photos for each Insanewich? Absolutely!

If anyone can make a better sandwich than the Cordless Mousewich with USB Cheesestick or popular Rubik’s Cubewich, it’ll be Fiorino!
Be sure to check the Insanewiches blog for new recipes, contests, and other funny stuff.
**kmm

Book info: Insanewiches / Adrian Fiorino. St. Martins Griffin, 2011 [author’s website] [publisher website] [book trailer] [Review copy and cover image courtesy of publisher]

My Book Talk: If the sandwiches in your life are boring, square, or blah, you need Insanewiches! No ho-hum PBJs in this collection of yummy toteables created for breakfast, party time, dessert, and even lunchboxes.

Try breakfast on a stick with Pancake Popwiches or open wide, wide, wider for the amazingly tall morning stack-up entitled The Breakfast Club (sandwich artist Fiorino advises that you eat no more than these per day – it’s that big!).

Take a “Don’t Eat Like a Bird” sandwich featuring a two-tone bread birdhouse shape in your lunchbox or assemble a sad, sad Flatbread Fred with delectable vegetable eyes and nose for a quick lunch at home.

Get adventurous with an East Meets Westdog (sushi + hotdog!) or the Cold Cut Cage Match (complete with wrestling arena on top!). King Me with the ham and cheese checkerboard, try to lift the Sumo Sandwich, or go all out with a Crazy Canuck Sandwich – dinner will never be the same again… Satisfy your sweet tooth with a dessert-worthy Banana Splitwich, a clever Coffee ‘n’ Cakewich, or The Curious Carrot Cake Sandwich.

With 101 ideas for amazing, crazy Insanewiches to choose from, you’ll always have the tastiest plate in town, plus well-explained food-assembly techniques for making your own sandwich dreams a reality.

Read around the world (reflective)

Jul31

We’ve circled the globe during July and the Ultimate Blog Challenge, highlighting books set in many countries (and eras).

The Grassland Trilogy reaches back beyond written history, showing the courage of young people trying to Escape the Mask, see Beneath the Mask, and go Beyond the Mask.

Cate of the Lost Colony traveled from the glittering court of Queen Elizabeth I to the desolate sand dunes of Roanoke in the New World, and Plain Kate, driven from her home by superstition, must search for answers down the river, into the mists.

Esty’s Gold took us from famine-stricken Ireland to the Australian goldfields in the 1880s, while The Reformed Vampire Support Group sticks together in today’s Sydney.

Online gamers in China, India, Singapore and the US are fighting For the Win and a fair chance at life.

Annexed and Briar Rose brought us perspectives on the Holocaust – the Netherlands, Germany, Poland – so many bitter sorrows, so many untold tales.

Modern-day Paris hides decades-old secrets in Die For Me, while in Montreal, Mira just wants her own today in Pieces of Me.

And we’ve just begun the Rivers of Time trilogy, as Lia and Gabi go back to 14th century Tuscany in Waterfall.

Oh, the photo up there? That’s me aboard the wooden sailing ship Southern Swan in Sydney Harbour in the 21st century. Ready for more great books in August?
**kmm

Fun Friday!

Jul1

Welcome to Funny Friday, kicking off a long holiday weekend in the USA and the Ultimate Blog Challenge (31 posts in 31 days!) all in one fell swoop!

Sneak peak at titles rumored to be on board for future Fun Fridays: The Red Blazer Girls in The Ring of Rocamadour and also The Vanishing Violin, crafty fun At Home With Handmade Books, and a little undead versus living battle in graphic novel Ghostopolis.

Be sure that you’ve asked your local library or indie bookstore for these recent BooksYALove fun favorites (click title for full recommendation):

Astronaut Academy: Zero Gravity, by Dave Roman – school in space, dinosaur racing, spies = a graphic novel series with a great future!

I Love Him to Pieces (My Boyfriend is a Monster #1), by Evonne Tsang; art by Janina Gorrissen – Baseball, egg-babies, flirting, and a zombie plague! This graphic novel is set in St. Petersburg (be careful on your way to the beach this weekend!) and is first in a series.

Smile, by Raina Telgemeier – yes, you can live through braces, junior high, and high school to come out smiling on the other side! Autobiographical graphic novel with heart.

Cinderella: Ninja Warrior, by Maureen McGowan – choose-your-own-adventure meets fairy tale in this kicking twist on the classic (ninjas! magic! secrets! the worst evil stepmother ever!); first in series.

Kat, Incorrigible, by Stephanie Burgis – mix the straightlaced traditions of Regency England with some irrepressible magic and you’ll find Kat in the middle of it, trying to ‘save’ her siblings from their unhappy futures. Spunky Kat also has to deal with a stick-tight magic mirror, a too-proper stepmother, and a daring bandit on the woods road…

Fish, by Gregory Mone – Pirates, treasure-hunters stealing from pirates, maps and puzzles, and a pirate-to-be who refuses to fight anyone! Such a cast of characters, such a prize – if they can keep it!

Have a fun Friday, and happy reading!
**kmm