Template Update

I love the Kidlitosphere! Thanks so much to The Bookworm's Booklist for posting ideas to update your blog for new bloggers here. Down in the left sidebar she links to a few changes you can make. I've always wanted a nice three column layout. So I went to her link for Tips for New Bloggers. They've listed a variety of changes you can make - depending on your current template. I used the Three Column Thisaway changes. It was so EASY!! I can't thank them enough. Here is a link to the specific changes I made. Check out their right sidebar for more ideas. Hooray! Hooray! I love it!

Newbery and Printz Award

Today was the big day - the ALA announced their Annual Media Award winners.

I always check to see if I've purchased the Printz award winner, the Newbery, and one or two Alex Award winners. I'm ashamed to say that out of all the books awarded medals - we only have one - The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks by E. Lockhart which was pretty awesome!


So tomorrow I will put in a purchase order for:

• Jellicoe Road by Mellina Marchetta - Printz Award
• Nation by Terry Pratchett - Printz Honor book
• Octavian Nothing, Volume II - Printz Honor
• The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman - Newbery
• The Underneath by Kathi Appelt - Newbery Honor
• The Savvy by Ingrid Law - Newbery Honor
• After Tupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson - Newbery Honor

I'm especially psyched about the Newberys because I'm doing a special 6th grade book club this year and it will be awesome if I can use these books. 6th is my hardest grade to choose books for. I'll read these right away and see what's what. I'm going to look at Nation for 7th grade. It looks like a good girl/boy book.

30 Day Challenge - Week 3

Goal - Eat more veggies/fruit especially veggies

I had a really good week. My only bad day was Tuesday. I was pretty much glued to the inauguration and didn't stay on my schedule. The rest of the days were pretty awesome. Eating more fruits and vegetables actually make me eat less of the bad stuff (I usually snack on chocolate!). I just hope I can keep this up. It's slightly more expensive to have the good stuff!

I have incorporated a salad into dinner every night and my daughter and I both enjoy that!

6 Good days!!!

In My Mailbox - Week of January 25th

I found this idea on Story Siren's blog here. Each week (if possible) you post about books you've bought/borrowed/received etc. You then link to others and they can link to yours. I'm going to try this out.

Books I bought:
Of course, I'm trying NOT to buy so many books. I haven't bought any in awhile but I will have some coming later this week! Check back next week for cover stories.


Books I borrowed:



This is Diamond Willow by Helen Frost. It might be a Newbery contender and I thought I'd read it before the awards are announced on Monday, January 26th.

Books I received:



In Mike We Trust by P.E. Ryan. I received this from HarperTeen on Twitter. They also giveaway books on Myspace and Facebook. You agree to post a review and then email it to them. Great program.

In Mike We Trust is the story of Garth after his dad dies. His uncle, Mike, comes to visit and Garth feels like he can get on with his own life now. Soon Uncle Mike has Garth questioning his values though. I look forward to reading this one. It sounds like a modern-day Hamlet, sort of a teen version of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. I'll tell you about it soon!

Not much this week. Which is ok by me!! I still have some library books to read.

What's in your mailbox?

Blog Focus

Hmm...I've been reading a lot of blogs lately, mostly ones that focus on reviewing books. My hope has been to learn how to review books in order to do them better because I'm not very good at it. I wanted YA book reviews to be my focus. This would be a great fit with the job I have now.


But that's not the job I want. I want to be a book buyer/seller. Ultimately, I want to own a teen-centered bookstore hangout. I would be in charge of the buying and promoting the books. I enjoy matching people with books.


My favorite sentence starters are "Ooh, you need to read..." or "OMG, hang on, I have just the book for you...". I actually keep books in my office, waiting for the perfect student to come along so that I can get the joy of giving it to them.


My next favorite thing is discussing books with people, even if we disagree! I just get so jazzed up! Of course, if I gave you the book and you loved it...Oh.My.Word. so freakin' sweet!


How do I work that into a blog? I work full-time. I have 3 more classes to take. I will be running three book clubs. I have to find an internship. Can you have a blog without readers? How do people get readers?


Many questions to ask myself...stay tuned.

Book Discussion Groups

Starting book discussion groups at school next month. Different books for each grade. Students will get to choose books except for the first one, which I picked. Here are my choices:

8th grade

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

7th grade

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

6th grade

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

I'm a little nervous about the 8th grade pick because I haven't read the book yet. The reviews have been great thouhg. I'll have it read by next week and hopefully won't have too many regrets!

30 Day Challenge Weekly Check In

Goal: 5 or more fruits and veggies per day.
Week - January 12 - January 18


This week was the hardest. We had two snow/cold days on Thursday and Friday, so no school. Also, eating more fruits/veggies has side effects I had not anticipated. I was fine until Friday when I became a little stir crazy and bored and didn't want to eat the same selections ONE MORE DAY! I ended up only having one fruit that day but ventured out in the cold weather and bought more fruit to add to the mix.


All in all: 5 good days - 2 bad.

Book Goals - Part 5

I've found that I need a lot more practice at book reviews. So I've been reading a variety of blogs and review magazines so that I can practice. My former reviews sound terrible, even if I liked the book! So I will read more reviews of the books after I try to write my own. This will help me to see what I'm missing and what I can do better.

Here are some blogs I like:
YA Books and More
The Reading Zone
Guys Lit Wire
YA Author's Cafe
Boys Blogging Books
The Shady Glade
Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Not Your Mother's Book Club
Book Club Girl
Emily Reads
Readergirlz - much more than reviewers, they focus on books with strong, female leads and they help you to run a book club by listing invite, food, and music ideas as well as additional books to read if you liked the monthly selection.

I also realized that book blogs are only a very small part of the blogs I read in google. I read blogs by authors, agents, bookstore owners, and librarians. I've rearranged my tabs to better reflect this separation so that I can focus on the reviewers. Of course, many blogs do more than one thing so these are just my demarcatiions.

Skim by Mariko Tamiki

Kimberly Cameron, aka Skim, is a high school student trying to make sense of what's happening this year. She thinks she wants to be Wiccan so she visits a "circle" with her friend Lisa. She feels like an outcast and the only person who understands her is Ms. Archer, whom everyone else feels is weird. Lisa and Ms. Archer help Skim get through the year, each in her own way.

I thought Skim was enjoyable and felt the writing and pictures went well together. Due to mature themes, I would recommend this one for high school and above.

Library Score!

I scored at the library today. 2 adult books, 4 YA books, 2 MG books, and 2 Graphic Novels. It was so awesome! Here's what's on the reading list:

• The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
• Dogface by Jeff Garigliano
• What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell
• Big Fat Manifesto by Susan Vaught
• Impossible by Nancy Werlin
• Does my Head Look Big In This by Randa Abdel-Fattah
• Alcatraz and the Scrivener's Bones by Brandon Sanderson
• The Graveyard by Neil Gaiman
• Skim by Mariko Tomaki
• Into the Volcano by Don Wood

I am so excited. I don't even know which to start with. Probably Impossible because that might be on the Printz list. I do hope Little Brother gets the award though. Every student I've given it to has praised it. I found both Graveyard and Into the Volcano in the Children's section which surprised me. I'll do the Gaiman next to see if he'll be up for the Newbery.

I'm not that hot about the awards though after I read the White Darkness, last year's Printz. I had a hard time finishing that book and no matter how I try to promote, it doesn't get a good review. Anywho, award programs are a post for a different day.