Summer Feature: The Postcard Adventure

My regular followers know that I am an advocate of all things literacy, whether it may be reading, writing, or communicating in general.  What you may not know is that I have a passion for writing letters and postcards old-school style.  I even collected postcards from around the world at one time (though they are currently packed away in a box somewhere at the moment).

My regular followers may also know that we are in the midst of moving to another state once again, but this year is bringing another opportunity that I am greatly excited for ... ROAD TRIP!!  During the month of July, I will be loading my children up in the car and hitting the road on a little adventure, and I want you to join in on the journey!!

Throughout the summer, I will be collecting postcards and sending them to participants in my new summer feature:  The Postcard Adventure!  I have already begun collecting postcards from my adventures these past couple of months and I will only be adding to my stash after hitting the road.  As my kids write their own postcards to family and friends, I will be writing postcards to you!

FEATURE DETAILS

Who is eligible to participate?  Anyone!  I will make those in the US a priority because it is a lower cost, but I will try to send a few internationally as well!

Fill out the form below.  The form does request an email address as well as a mailing address.  The email address is if I have questions regarding your entry.  The mailing address is for me to obviously send you the postcard.  Your mailing address will ONLY be seen by my eyes and will be deleted after I close the feature (approximately August 2013).

Comment with more information.  Do you want me to send you a specific book recommendation?  Do you need some words of encouragement for a big event in your life?  Are you a fan or collector of quotes?  Are you specifically interested in a postcard from a certain area of our journey?  I will do my best to honor all special requests, but do reserve the right to not be perfect or to ignore those that are weird!

Possible featured states include Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, South Dakota, and/or Wyoming.

Share!  When you receive a postcard from me, please feel free to let me know!  Though this is not required, I would love to hear what you think about the postcard that I have chosen for you.  Feel free to share your thoughts or photos via comments in this post (it will be linked on the sidebar for ease of navigation) or by tagging me via my social media sites (Facebook, Google+, Instagram, Twitter).

Questions?  Email me at tiftalksbooks (at) gmail (dot) com.

Happy Travels!!

Monday Maunder: June 17, 2013

ON READING

Surprise, surprise!!  I am still reading Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell!!  I'm almost half done though, so that has to count for something!!

What are you reading?

ON BLOGGING

I finally wrapped up my tasks on Armchair BEA this last week!!  I also worked on a few tasks for Book Bloggers International.  Needless to say, I did not do much over here this last week, but I hope to change that this week.  Blogging will still be sparse until the beginning of August, but I will do what I can while I am mobile.

I have also been considering a Tumblr account.  I don't really want to add another thing to my list of things to do, but I thought it would be fun to also post my pictures from Instagram and to run in conjunction with my upcoming feature (being announced this week).  Before I sign up, however, I want to hear your thoughts.

Do you use Tumblr?  Why or why not?  Pros/cons?  How do you see if differently from other social media sites?

ON WRITING

Good news here!  I finally got all caught up on my freelance pieces this last week!!  As soon as I hear if and when they get published, I will keep you posted here!

My current freelance gig is locally-based, and I will be moving very soon to a completely different state.  I would love to explore more freelance options and plan to do so once I get settled.

Do you have any leads or recommendations on freelance opportunities?

ON LIFE

Let the chaos begin!!!  Two weeks from today, we will have moved into our new place and I will be hitting the road for a little trip with my kids.  Boxes are strewn around my house.  We are drastically down-sizing and getting rid of lots of furniture items.  I am ready for this new adventure to begin!!

I will finally be posting my new summer feature this week as well as finally posting my "plan" for the next year.  I really look forward to sharing these two pieces with you!!

How was your week?  Relaxing or chaotic?

Monday Maunder: June 10, 2013

It has been a while, so this one may be a bit on the longer side!  I apologize in advance!

ON READING

The last time I wrote a real Monday Maunder, I was reading Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke.  Today, I am still reading that chunkster and probably will be for at least another couple of weeks!

What have you been reading lately?  Any good ones to share?

ON BLOGGING

Though it has not appeared that I have been doing much on the blogging front, it is actually blogging that has kept me away for so long with Armchair BEA planning, organizing, running etc. for the last few weeks!  It was another great event and I am hoping to wrap up all the last minute details from my end this week.

Once I get things wrapped up, I really need to get some things scheduled because life is about to take over the driver's seat (read On Life for more info!).

Did you get to participate in Armchair BEA?  What was your favorite part?  Or, least favorite part?

ON WRITING

Writing has simply been non-existent these days.  I have pretty much resigned to the fact that my writing will not be back on schedule until August, but I do have a few things I need to accomplish in the next couple of weeks.  I will keep you posted on these as I accomplish them!

Do you find the summer months hard to write?

ON LIFE

Life has been chaos as usual!  Here are just a few highlights and comments from the last couple of weeks and beyond . . .

My house still has not sold.  I have pretty much accepted the very possibility that it will not sell before we move and I am currently okay with that.

The family attempted a little camping trip last week.  We were supposed to be gone three days, but came home early on day two because of an infestation of ticks.  When I say infestation, I mean more than 2 dozen of these little monsters burrowed into my family and the dog.  I've spent many days out in the woods and have never experienced it this bad.  It was not worth it to stay and torture my children with tick extraction for another 24 hours.

The countdown to our big move has begun!  We are less than three weeks away and we have a LOT of things left to do.  Thankfully, packing is not as stressful because we have already packed so many things before putting our house on the market.

Since the countdown has begun, we are also trying to experience certain sites of the city before we leave this place we have come to call home.  This makes our schedule even busier, especially combined with all the playdates and sleepovers we are trying to squeeze in for the kids.

Also in less than three weeks, I am taking my kids on a LONG road trip!  In fact, I have a fun interactive feature coming up in conjunction with this trip, so stay tuned for more information!

Last, but not least, my husband and I got to go to the movie theater and see two shows in less than a week -- Star Trek:  Into Darkness AND Iron Man 3!  Thoroughly enjoyed both of them!!

There has been much more going on, but I will not continue to bore you with those details!  I hope to be back later this week with a few more things.  Until then . . .

What have been your highlights over these past couple of weeks?

Armchair BEA: Non-Fiction

Design credit: Nina of Nina Reads

Today, I am sharing a handful of my favorite non-fiction books over on the Armchair BEA website, where you can link up your thoughts, opinions, favorites, and more!  As I mentioned over there, I do tend to gravitate to fiction, but nothing beats the effect on you after reading a really good non-fiction book.  It helps you to grow and expand your worldview in unimaginable ways, particularly when done in creative ways.  That is one thing that you will see as a recurring theme across the favorites that I share over there.

Be sure to visit the Armchair BEA Central website to check in on all the other great conversations happening this week in conjunction with Book Expo America!

What are your favorite non-fiction reads?  Why do you read non-fiction?

Armchair BEA: Tif's Tips

Design credit: Nina of Nina Reads

In honor of Armchair BEA this week, I am guest posting over at Book Bloggers International about my top three tips to surviving and enjoying this crazy week at home and online!  Click on over and read all about it!  Feel free to share your tips and strategies with me, too!

Armchair BEA: Allow Me To Introduce Myself!

Design credit: Nina of Nina Reads

Today kicks off Armchair BEA, an event that I am proud to be a part of from behind the scenes since its birth four years ago!  As in past years, the first day allows all participants to introduce themselves and begin networking with each other.  Without further ado, allow me to introduce myself.

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Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging? 

Hello! My name is Tif and I have been blogging here at Tif Talks Books since May 2007! At that time, many of my friends were blogging about their families. I did not feel comfortable about that, so I went with something that I did feel comfortable with -- BOOKS! Since then, I have been writing about books for the whole family and even have accumulated some additional blogging projects along the way. I am one of the co-founders and organizers of this awesome event, Armchair BEA as well as Book Bloggers International, a more recent project to connect book bloggers around the world!

Where in the world are you blogging from? Tell a random fact or something special about your current location. Feel free to share pictures.

I am currently blogging from Saint Louis, MO, a great literary hub of the Midwest! Unfortunately, I will be moving in exactly one month a tad north into Iowa for one year. From there, my family hopes to relocate back out to the Northwest where we are originally from.

Something special about STL . . . Our zoo is one of the best in the country and it is FREE!!!! This is one location that I am going to miss the most when we move, along with our amazing library systems. Here are a few pics for your enjoyment that I have previously shared from our trips to the zoo!

What are you currently reading, or what is your favorite book you have read so far in 2013? 

I am currently reading Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke. It is taking me a while since it is more than 1000 pages, but I am enjoying it so far! 

My favorite book that I have read so far this year is probably Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. I read it for DWJ March, hosted by Kristen at We Be Reading and absolutely fell in love with it! 

What literary location would you most like to visit? Why? 

Easy answer … Hogwarts! For those who do not know me, I am a HUGE Harry Potter fan! I would love to roam the halls of Hogwarts, see what appears for me in the Room of Requirement, have Professor Trelawney read my tea leaves, and see which wand would choose me! 

What is your favorite part about the book blogging community? 

The community. Since starting this blog, I have moved 2 times. I am moving again next month and then again in another year. With all the changes that have occurred, the book blogging community is one place that I can come back to again and again. I have known many of my loyal followers for longer than I have been in one place, so they and the rest of the community remains a constant for me that I do not necessarily have in my physical location.

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I hope that you have learned a little bit about me, whether you are a loyal follower or someone new to the site.  Please take a few minutes and introduce yourself in the comments section.  Feel free to post your introduction link and I will stop by and say hello as well!

Enjoy Armchair BEA!!

Monday Maunder: May 27, 2013

I interrupt the usual programming of Monday Maunder this week to celebrate in Armchair BEA!  I have some posts scheduled this week for the event, but most of my time will be spent working behind-the-scenes for the event.

Enjoy the scheduled posts and I will be back to the usual scheduled programming next week!

Armchair BEA is Coming!!!!

Design credit: Nina of Nina Reads

Armchair BEA is coming!!  Armchair BEA is coming!!!  Armchair BEA is coming!!

Armchair BEA is coming next week, and I am so excited for this year's event!  Over the past few years, this event has brought the largest book event in the country, Book Expo America into the comfort of our own homes.  We have talked books and blogging, seen sneak peeks into the exhibits, and had the opportunity for hundreds of giveaways.  This year is going to be another great year, if not better thanks to the addition of dual daily topics -- one focusing on blogging and the other simply on the books we all love so much!!

If you have not yet had the chance to check out Armchair BEA, here are just a few links to help you get started . . . 

Registration:  Registration allows you to be eligible for the giveaways and gets you listed on our participant registry!

Giveaways:  We have had a HUGE response from our sponsors, both old and new, creating more than 250 giveaways for the week!

Agenda:  The agenda has been announced, complete with the daily topics for each day of the event!  I am really excited to see the contributions for these this year!!

Introductions:  The introduction questions were just announced earlier this week.  It is going to be a great way to network with both old and new-to-me blogs!

We also will have Twitter parties, daily reports from on-site correspondents, the winners of the new 2012 Armchair BEA awards, and so much more!!

FAQ:  If you want more information on the event as a whole, feel free to check out the FAQ page, created for this year's event!

Disclaimer:  I am one of the co-founders and organizers of this event!  If you have questions or comments about it, please do not hesitate to share!

(Late) Monday Maunder: May 20, 2013

As I write this, it is actually late on a Tuesday morning!  I am finally done with work, ready to move on to my new adventure and the first week out, I completely forget to write my usual weekly maunder.  What a way to start!!  I am going to be quite brief today because I will hopefully be sharing more details on a number of these things very soon ... maybe even later today.  So, read on and stay tuned . . .

ON READING

I am still reading Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clark.  In fact, I am only on page 134 of 1006 total pages.  Let's see how far I can get by next week.  Hopefully, I will make better progress now that I have more time on my hands.

What are you reading?

ON BLOGGING

In case you missed it, I am hosting two giveaways that close this week in honor of Children's Book Week!  Be sure to check them out and enter before the posted deadlines!

Little Skink's Tail by Janet Halfmann (5/22)

The Tree That Bear Climbed by Marianne Berkes (5/24)

Honestly, most of my time in the blogosphere is spent working on Armchair BEA tasks these days.  This is one of my favorite events of the year, though I may be biased since I am one of the founders and organizers of the event.  I will be posting more info on this one later this week.  It launches on Monday, May 27!

What is happening in your blogging world these days?

ON WRITING

Not much here this week, but I did get in a bit of journaling!

ON LIFE

I am done with work!!!  My house still has not sold, but I am done with work!!  What does this mean for me?  I will be posting all about my plans later this week as well!!

Tell me about the good happening in your life right now.

The Tree That Bear Climbed by Marianne Berkes & GIVEAWAY

Do you remember the childhood story, The House That Jack Built?  It's a story that builds upon itself, creating a rhythm that children cannot resist.  The concept and rhythm is just what Marianne Berkes brings us in her story, The Tree That Bear Climbed.  Let me give you a little peak . . .

These are the roots

that anchor the tree

that bear climbed.

This is the soil

that feeds the roots

that anchor the tree

that bear climbed.

This is the rain

that waters the soil

that feeds the roots

that anchor the tree

that bear climbed.

Berkes continues her tale, building both the tree and the story to the very top.  Readers learn the parts of the tree, starting with the roots and ending with a little surprise.  I also discovered that as I read the tale to my own children, they even began chanting the last lines to the story right along with me, making it a very fun and educational read-aloud.

The Tree That Bear Climbed is a book that is published by Sylvan Dell Publishing.  As with all of their books, you can find additional educational tips, resources, and activities to accompany this book both in the final pages as well as online.  I am excited to announce that thanks to Sylvan Dell Publishing, one of my readers will also receive a copy of this book to share with the children in their lives!!  See below for more details:

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

Open to US & Canada Residents ONLY.

Copy of The Tree That Bear Climbed by Marianne Berkes

Entries will close on Friday, May 24, 2013 at 12:00 Midnight CST.

To enter, complete the form below.

Winner will be emailed and announced here on the site.

Winner address information will be passed on to Sylvan Dell Publishing for mailing and will be used for no other solicitations.

Thank you to Sylvan Dell Publishing for the giveaway as well as for a review copy of The Tree That Bear Climbed by Marianne Berks!