Tag Archive | blogging

2013 can’t be nearly over – I still have books left!

Oct30

logo for @Bookish's 2014 TBR ChallengeWait – how did we get ten months through 2013 already?!?

Thanks to the TBR2013 Challenge on Bookish blog, I’ve been steadily catching up on my 2012 TBR shelves this year (click the TBR2012 tag in the right-hand column for posts about the 50+ pre-2013 books that I’ve recommended this year).

But every time I write up a recommendation for a 2012 book that means I’ve set aside a 2013 book… so I’m still behind, and my to-be-read and to-be-reviewed shelves never get smaller!

So I’m signing up with Bookish again for the TBR2014 Challenge so I’ll get these great 2013 books written up for you, even if it’s during 2014!

And, looking at the stacks of 2013 (and earlier!) books that I won’t have time to write up before year’s end, I am planning on hitting the 50+ mark again in 2014… does it never end??

Which 2012 or earlier books highlighted this year on BooksYALove have you read?
**kmm

Talking about #MGLit and blogging at KidLitCon!

Oct23

logo for KidLitosphere CentralYippee!

Charlotte’s proposal for a KidLitCon session on Middle Grade Books and Blogging was accepted, so she (Charlotte’s Library), Melissa Fox (BookNut), and I will be leading the discussion on Saturday, Nov. 9th in Austin.

Notice that I did NOT say that we’d be presenting the session – we want it to be a big discussion among the book bloggers, parents, authors, librarians, and publishers attending (of course, some of us wear more than one hat).

Middle grade books aren’t just YA books with younger characters, and middle grade readers span a wide range of emotional and social development, so figuring out which MGLit books are “great” or even “good” seems to be even more complex than making those decisions about books for teen readers.

We have a list of topics and questions for this session already started on Charlotte’s blog here, so please visit and add to it, even if you won’t be at KidLitCon. We’re hoping to record our discussion (fingers crossed on technology cooperating) so we can post a transcript at some point.

AND we’ll have a whole slew of MG books and ARCs to give away to session attendees = more books to read, review, and recommend!!

p.s. registration for KidLitCon 2013 ends tomorrow, Oct. 24th, so hop to it! See y’all in Austin!

**kmm

 

Famous Last Words, by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski (book review) – writing obits, deadpan humor

Aug30

book cover of Famous Last Words by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski published by Henry HoltVoted least likely to do something crazy.
Known around school as “Um, hi there?”
Quiet in private, boring in public.

Her party-hearty best friend thinks that’s what their yearbook will say about Samantha, who has indeed been pretty cautious in life – until she gets used to calling families of the dearly departed many times daily to verify obituary facts, then helps an investigative reporter on a stakeout.

The other interns include a well-connected dreamboat who’s no great writer and a drummer guy with a flair for words who shares obit duties and coffee runs with Sam. She wanted a job to improve her writing – why not wish for a little summer romance, too?

Snag a copy of Famous Last Words at your favorite local library or independent bookstore, cue up the playlist that Doktorski kept on repeat as she wrote it, and enjoy Sam’s most interesting summer yet.

And ponder Sam’s favorite question – if you were writing your obituary now, what would it say?
**kmm

Book info: Famous Last Words / Jennifer Salvato Doktorski. Christy Ottaviano Books (Henry Holt), 2013.  [author site]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Writing obituaries wasn’t what Samantha expected during her summer internship, but helping an ace  reporter’s investigation should be more interesting. And then there are some cute guy interns, too…

Sam knows she’s quiet (her best friend Shelby reminds her often), but the obit desk at the New Jersey paper is mighty dull. Thankfully she can swap duties with AJ, another summer intern who’s in a band and good company as they file articles. Tony is also an intern, but he’s too handsome (and too connected to the paper’s owner) to have to do such menial work.

Michael covers City Hall and is sure that the mayor’s up to no good, with cronies being paid for jobs that no one sees them doing. The mayor has bankrolled the new coffeehouse/bookstore in Sam’s area, so she visits often, trying to see the silent partner that Michael is investigating.

Sam and AJ are filling in and working longer hours as staffers take vacation. Her best friend feels abandoned, her parents and grandmother worry about her late hours, yet Sam feels like she’s part of something important.

How long can a print newspaper survive in this digital world?
How long can Sam put up with Tony’s slacking and Shelby’s hurt feelings?
What about AJ’s raised-eyebrow glances as they follow the mayor on surveillance?

Sam knows that any writer improves by writing – even obituaries. Check out Famous Last Words  to see how far this summer job will take her. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Thanks for the Shout-Out!

Aug8
Indian flower design by Dover Publications

(c) Dover Publications

In case you missed my Tweet a while back, here’s the link to my interview on Beth Fehlbaum’s blog as part of her Saturday Shout-Out series.

Thanks, Beth, for letting me share more about why I do what I do on BooksYALove!

**kmm

 

 

FTC, publishers, and me – expectations and requirements for book bloggers

Jul17
etching of woman's hand holding 5 old playing cards by Dover Publications

courtesy of Dover Publications

So, whose rules do I have to follow as I post book recommendations for y’all – the Library of Congress? the publishers? the authors?

Nope, the Federal Trade Commission! That’s right, the government agency that watches over advertisers so their promises don’t make you buy something bogus also has guidelines for social media so that consumers know when someone is Tweeting an advertisement or has been paid to review a product and so on.

There’s been some worry in the book blogging community about whether we’re notifying y’all properly as to how books land in our hands or if receiving free advance reader copies makes us unduly biased toward various titles.

And discussion goes round and round about what is the book blogger’s responsibility to the publisher or author who gave them the book…

Lately, I’ve seen reviewers splash an “FTC required disclaimer” on their book review (when there is no specific wording required by the FTC) or state that they received a book “in exchange for my fair and honest review” when most publishers don’t require that a review be written at all.

In fact, the graphic novel publisher First Second even blogged about that “in exchange” wording, saying that when they send out a book, they know that some folks will love it, some be on the fence, some even stop reading it because it’s not their thing, and that First Second would rather have a strong review (positive or negative) than one that says “this book is sort of okay.”

What does all this mean for BooksYALove readers?

While I’ve always noted whether I received the book I’m recommending from the publisher or have purchased it myself, I moved that disclaimer into the Book Info section so you know that before you read the full Book Talk which gives you the no-spoilers synopsis of the book. FTC guidelines satisfied, without bombarding you with lots of irrelevant text.

Of course, if I can’t give a book an A or B+ “grade” for its particular category (science fiction, adventure, etc.) and for fans of Young Adult books, then it never appears here at all. I don’t want you to waste your time or money on poorly written books when there are so many wonderful titles out there!

**kmm

Blogathon & TBR wrapup = busy month of June!

Jul1

The WordCount Blogathon I Did It 2013 participant badge
Whew! June just raced by, and we’re done with WordCount Blogathon for another year.

We had guest bloggers (hi, Alison!) and theme days for 5 favorites and haiku and word cloud  (I skipped the video day; it just wasn’t working out).

I found lots of interesting blogs to follow and tried to be supportive for those whose subjects aren’t on my current interest radar.

And I can’t wait to do it again next year! If you’re a blogger or want to start blogging, mark your calendar for the May sign-up for next year’s Blogathon. The community of support is great, and we keep sustaining one another through the next 11 months of blogging (although not posting every single day, thank goodness!).

Since I was concentrating on the many NetGalley electronic-format ARCs with upcoming expiration dates during Blogathon, I only recommended 3 books with publication dates of 2012 or earlier for the ongoing TBR2012 Challenge this month:

Ghost Knight,  by Cornelia Funke

Spy School,  by Stuart Gibbs

Stealing Kevin’s Heart,  by M. Scott Carter

So with my 46 TBR2012 titles read during the first five months of the year, that brings my total to 49, just under 2 “older” books a week recommended on BooksYALove… not too bad.

How’s your TBR shelf looking these days?
**kmm

WordCloud Day – I see a theme here…

Jun30

wordcloud of BooksYALove terms in heart shapeWordCount Blogathon 2013 is complete – 30 posts in 30 days, theme days, guest blogger, and all that good stuff.

For our final day is my favorite theme day: Word Cloud Day.

I just love Tagxedo – easy to use, lots of color and font choices, nifty shapes (and free)!

Many thanks to Michelle Rafter for starting Blogathon and to Jan Udlock for assisting this year.

I already have “Blogathon Sign-up” on my May 2014 calendar!

Did you add a favorite from this month’s recommendations on BooksYALove to your To-Be-Read shelf?
*kmm

ARCs, book reviewers, and maxed-out shelves (reflective) – facts, opinion, and a shared rant

Jun13
woman in green shirt reading newspaper

(c) ClipartHeaven.com

Have you ever wondered how those book reviews get into your local paper, national television shows, and blogs before  you can actually buy the book?

The answer is as simple as ARC – advance reader copies, also known as advance readers’ editions. proofs, “galleys” or F&Gs (for picture books).  Whether print or digital, these ARCs are essentially final drafts of the book, so they include typographical errors which will be corrected before the book goes to print, often have placeholders for spot art or illustrations, and frequently include the initials TK to indicate information that’s “to come” in the published book (no one seems to know why this isn’t TC).

Reviewers know that these things will all get fixed before the public reads the book; we just skip around and over the glitches so we can read the story or text and be able to write our review/recommendation for the audience that we address. Publishers are hoping that our reviews will create enough “buzz” to spur sales of the book and make up for the high cost of print ARCs.

What happens to print ARCs after reviewers read them should be crystal-clear, as every ARC I’ve ever held says plainly “uncorrected proof – NOT FOR SALE” or some variation of those terms.

It infuriates me when anyone sells ARCs on eBay or anywhere else, as this (1) violates the terms that allowed that person to acquire the ARC, (2) takes revenue away from the authors and their publishers since the ARC buyer probably won’t purchase the finished book, and -worse- (3) puts an imperfect copy of the author’s work into a reader’s hands when that person is unlikely to realize what an ARC is and why it’s not “a real book.” I’m not alone in ranting about this – see Afewmorepages’ post here as she collects several blog posts about not selling ARCs.

Of course, that means I cannot donate print ARCs to Goodwill, Salvation Army, or other charitable group which sells items (reselling is still reselling), nor can they go into a library’s collection unless the ARC is purposely there for comparison with the finished book (maybe in a university library to support a publishing degree program?). As selective as I am in requesting ARCs which fit into BooksYALove’s stated goals – young adult books beyond bestsellers, especially by debut authors and smaller presses – I still have lots and lots of ARCs.

What to do with ARCs and still do the right thing? Simplest yet hardest thing to do is just “pulp” them by tearing apart and putting the ARC into the recycling bin (“but…” I sniffle, “it still is a book…”), just as I would any misprint paper.

Thankfully, some publishers have begun including this wording in their ARCs: “After the publication date of this book , please consider thoughtfully donating this ARC to a juvenile detention facilty, shelter or other youth program” – THAT is a win-win-win scenario! Kids who’d otherwise have no access at all to books can get books to keep; the books don’t wind up as landfill fodder; the authors’ works are enjoyed and read and re-read by their target audience.

So where are my ARCs going? For sure, the upcoming fall collection by HEB grocery stores for their Read 3 program, which I discovered at the Texas Library Association annual conference last year. I’m also checking with area agencies that serve at-risk youth.  Everyone will win… and my bookshelves will be happy!

Where would you send ARCs in your area?
**kmm

Clipart image of woman reading newspaper (c)ClipartHeaven.com

My Fave Five apps for bloggers and readers (plus a bonus app or two)

Jun5
cartoon of billiard ball 5 by ClassroomClipart.com

(c)ClassroomClipart.com

Today’s WordCount Blogathon theme is Five Favorite Apps.

My hands-down favorite is 30/30 for iOs and Android (didn’t find it for Windows phone yet). This timer program allows me to set up alerts for a sequence of tasks – as long as the blocks are under 60 minutes – and sounds an alarm when it’s time to switch to next task. I can pause a timed task, add or subtract time, move off the list for now, all on the fly.  Add in the ability to create and save multiple sequences, and you have a truly useful app that’s FREE.

I use  30/30 to schedule in stretch breaks, remind myself to check email and Twitter on a regular-but-not-constant basis, and so on. Rewarding myself with a 15-minute block of gameplay satisfies my need for some non-writing time while keeping me from getting so engrossed in the game that I ‘forget’ to get back to work. Super-super-super for ensuring that I’m not sitting still in front of computer for hours at a go.

Finding BufferApp was delightful. I use the free version to pre-schedule tweets at times when more of my followers are on Twitter, which lets me write the perfect tweet about a new blog post, put it in a scheduled slot on BufferApp, and not have to worry about remembering to tweet as soon as that post goes live. Recent enhancements let me Buffer retweets directly from Twitter, rather than having to copy-paste. Also available for iOs and Android, it works with Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. You can have up to 10 tweets buffered at a time with the free version, more with paid subscription.

Next is Dropbox (free for computers, iOs, Android, Windows Phone) which gives me access to my saved Dropbox files from nearly anywhere. As I routinely move between several computers in multiple locations, I save essential documents (optical prescriptions, frequent flyer numbers, book reviews) into Dropbox so I don’t have to remember which hard drive they’re on. It’s also great as photo/video downloader and repository, as I don’t have to locate cables to directly download phone photos to my computer.

Number four is a catchall of apps, since I haven’t yet bought a dedicated eReader because the eReader format wars haven’t shown any clear winner. I use the free Kindle and Nook apps on my phone (and desktop and laptop and netbook) to access those eBook types. Many publishers provide ARCs (advance reader copies) to reviewers in Adobe Digital Editions format, so that’s on all my computers, too. Adobe doesn’t have ADE for iOs yet, and user reviews of phone apps which claim to read ePub and ADE format are uniformly dissatisfied with those alternatives; hope Adobe has their own reader app available soon.

My fifth app helps me keep up with all the wonderful blogs I follow. When Google announced they were discontinuing GoogleReader this summer, I joined the mad dash to find a good substitute. After trying a few, I’ve settled on feedly as my preferred blog-reader and have happily changed my 30/30 task name. With a robust ‘back-end’ to harvest the blogs you subscribe to, it’s time to say hello feedly and sayonara GR!

And the bonus apps for everyone are Sun Wise from the EPA (all smartphone platforms) which gives you the current UV Index for any zipcode and Charity Miles which donates money to your choice of several charitable causes for every mile that you walk, run, or bike while you have the app activated. That’s right – you give the physical effort and someone else donates the funds! Among their current charities are Wounded Warrior Project, The Nature Conservancy, Autism Speaks, and StandUp2Cancer. Their initial $1 million pool pays out 25 cents per mile walked or run and 10 cents per mile biked to the charity you’ve selected. So download this app for iOs or Android, then get out there and move!

What apps do you use to keep your life/work/fun/relationships balance successfully juggled?
**kmm

Armchair BEA! Book bloggers wishing we were there…

May28
sketch of stacked books typewriter person reading from 1clipart.com

(c) 1Clipart.com

The biggest US book event of the year starts now in NYC, and I am among the many book-fans not attending BookExpo America… sigh.

But, hark! There in the blogosphere… it’s Armchair BEA, a chance for book bloggers not thronging Javits Center to gather together virtually and celebrate our love of books and blogging!

First things, first – introductions:

Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging?
I learned to read when I was so little that I can’t remember ever not being able to read – and I’ve always loved reading a wide range of genres and subjects. In fact, being a non-specialist is why I became a librarian, back in the olden days of mainframes and card catalogs.

A few years ago, my husband’s out-of-state job transfer gave me the chance to ‘retire’ early from school library (the retirement checks will catch up in a few years), and I found myself with time to finally read and read. When Barb Langridge asked for guest reviewers for her website www.abookandahug.com where kids search for books themselves, I sent in a sample…and the rest is history! Barb always reminded me that my recommendations belonged to me and encouraged me to share them, so when I heard about WordCount Blogathon 2011 – blogging every single day for a month – I decided to leap in.

Thankfully, my choice of blog name was available, I had a built-in community of supportive bloggers for that first month, and I found my niche recommending young adult books beyond best-sellers. Because of Blogathon, I also got onto Twitter, where I can hear from authors, bloggers, and everyone else (love it).

This year, Blogathon starts June 1 (you still have time to sign up!). I still contribute many recommendations to www.abookandahug.com, too (over 340, at last count).

Where in the world are you blogging from? Tell a random fact or something special about your current location.
Now in a different location for husband’s work – we stay in an RV park during the week, home to E. Texas most weekends. If you drive straight south on road from RV park, you get to the free Lynchburg Ferry which has been running since 1822! After crossing the river, you come to the San Jacinto Monument and the Battleship Texas.

Have you previously participated in Armchair BEA? If you have not previously participated, what drew you to the event?
This is my first year for Armchair BEA. For the past couple of years, I’ve just pouted when all the tweets and blog reports came in from BEA. It sounds like the Texas Library Association conference exhibit hall on steroids, and that would be some kinda huge!

I really like the chance for interaction and community in what can be such a solitary pursuit. It’s just me and 2 sleeping cats here writing reviews with content enhancements, week in and week out.

What are you currently reading, or what is your favorite book you have read so far in 2013?
Oh, gosh, ask an easier question, like favorite book this week! I read very, very fast (so my summer #bookaday challenge should be easy), but really take time to craft recommendations with no spoilers.

Since I concentrate on smaller presses and debut authors, finding the gems among them is so cool. Two very different books by M. Scott Carter are recent reads that I’ll recommend during June so Blogathonners see them: Stealing Kevin’s Heart  and The Immortal Von B.  (both from The Roadrunner Press). Laurie Plissner’s Screwed from Merit Press made me cry; it’s so good, but no easy answers.

Tell us one non-book-related thing that everyone reading your blog may not know about you.photo of couple in traditional Chinese wedding clothes (c) Katy Manck
My husband and I celebrated our 25th anniversary while he was building the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, so we had a traditional Chinese wedding ceremony as our rededication! The wedding planners said they’d never heard of a Western couple doing that before. Lion-dog dancers, acrobats, being carried in a palanquin, erhu and flute music – quite the experience!

Onward, Armchairers!
**kmm

Clipart of reader with books and typewriter copyrighted by and courtesy of 1clipart.com