Tales to Tomes June Selection

I am excited to announce our next read, our June selection for Tales to Tomes online book club.  With the number of selections this time around, we had quite an array of votes, but we do have a winner!

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Read the book and be sure to join in the book chat this month on Facebook, Twitter (using #tales2tomes), or the *NEW* option of theGoodreads Group!  And, don't hesitate to spread the word and share the group with your friends!  In addition to the usual thoughts while you are reading, thanks to feedback from my recent survey, I will be trying to pose leading questions to facilitate more discussion.  Since the majority of chatting takes place at the new Goodreads Group, that will probably be the place for most of the discussion.


Any questions, just ask!  I am now off to reserve my copy of the book at the library!

Sunday Synopsis: May 29, 2011

What an amazing week thanks to Armchair BEA!!!!  I was so excited to be a part of the planning for this event this year, and I am still in awe at the number of participants and sponsors that were on board.  I have been so crazy busy with all of the giveaways this past week though that I have not felt that I could possibly experience all of the posts that were linked up throughout the week.  I guess you could say that Armchair BEA is going to be moving into this coming week for me as I finally get the chance to visit some of the participant sites.  I know that I will not be able to visit all of them, but I am going to see what I can do to get to a good number.

I only participated in the first three days here at Tif Talks Books and I want to share a quick wrap-up of my posts for you here:

• Tif Talks Books:  Online & IRL
• The Best of 2011
• Meet Helen of Helen's Book Blog (Can anyone give anymore comment love to this one?  I was personally so impressed with Helen and I really want you to meet her!!)

The two days that I missed out on were Nurturing Relationships and Blogging About Blogging.  These are two of the days that I most interested in reading posts!  I think that as I come across some great posts, I am going to compile them here to share with all of you.  From some brief browsing, some great tips and suggestions are shared and I can't wait to read them in more detail.

A few random thoughts before I sign off for this week . . . 

• The Tales to Tomes Online Book Club selection(s) will be posted tomorrow!  You still have a short time to vote, so click on over if you haven't already!
• In all the craziness of this last week, I wanted to remind you to take my little survey and share your thoughts on Tif Talks Books.  It should take no more than 5 minutes to complete.  I want to hear more from my readers prior to posting my upcoming changes to the site.
• I am still reading Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare for this month's Tales to Tomes Online Book Club selection.  I am loving it and hope to finish it tomorrow and post a review by Tuesday!  I simply have not had a chance to read this week!

Okay, that's it for this Sunday!  Now, it's your turn . . . Did you participate in Armchair BEA this week?  What were some of your favorites of the week?  Will you be back next year?

Meet Helen of Helen's Book Blog!

The blog interviews for Armchair BEA is one of my favorite things to do during the week!  It is so much fun to meet book bloggers, to discover those who are just as passionate as myself about books.  The person I was hooked up with to interview this time around is Helen from Helen's Book Blog, and I am so excited that I have discovered her! Just read her interview and I know that you will want to follow along on her reading adventures.  I am now!!

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Tell me a little bit about yourself and your blog, Helen's Book Blog.

I live in Santa Barbara, CA and taught high school World History and American Government for 14 years before earning my Library Media Credential. I have been a high school Teacher Librarian for three years and am really enjoying the change. It's great to combine reading, books and technology with teaching. I started a book review blog when I took over the library so that our students could read reviews about books they may not have heard of. But, when I discovered memes and read-a-thons I realized that I didn't want to post all of that and personal information on a school blog so Helen's Book Blog was born.

I see that you are currently reading Blindness by Jose Saramago.  This is one of my favorite books!  What are your thoughts so far?  What are a few of your favorite books?

Oh, you caught me, I haven't started it yet! All I've heard is that it is a bit creepy (in a psychological way). Some of my favorite books are Barbara Kingsolver's Animal Dreams, Suzanne Collin's Hunger Games series, Shilpi Somaya Gowda's The Secret Daughter, and Mitali Perkins' Bamboo People.... Oh, I've got to stop because I could just keep listing wonderful books.

You mention on your blog that you love to travel.  What has been one of your favorite travel adventures?

I always love going to Britain since that's where all my family is (except my parents with whom I share a home). But one of my favorite adventures has to be when I went to Cambodia. After experiencing the horrors of the Khmer Rouge the people are still so happy, friendly, and at peace. The country is beautiful, especially the wats (temples) up in Siem Reap. I was really lucky to go there before many tourists did.

I see that you are a part of two book groups.  Will you share some detail about the group(s), including format, how discussions are lead, demographics, etc.?  What have been some of your groups' favorite reads?

My first book group started in 1991 and is now all women. We meet once a month for pizza, salad and discussion. Whoever hosts chooses the next book, which is usually contemporary fiction. I'll confess that we often talk about life as much if not more than the books! It is too difficult for me to name favorites since we all have our own.

My second group has been going for just two years and is made up of moms who have kids at the same elementary school. We usually read non-fiction and find ourselves reading books that trigger great discussions (Mornings in Jenin, Little Princes). We meet every 6 weeks.

If you were given a choice between the following items, which would you choose?  Fiction or Non-Fiction?  Adult or YA?  Pride and Prejudice or Anne of Green Gables?  Harry Potter or Twilight?  Dr. Seuss or Mo Willems?  Jodi Picoult or Stephen King?  Bookmarks or Dog-Ears?  Ebook or Physical Book?  Hardcover or Paperback?

Let's see... this is difficult! Fiction, YA (but maybe adult, sorry can't choose on this one), Anne of Green Gables, Harry Potter, Dr. Seuss, Jodi Picoult, bookmarks (of course!), physical books, and hardcover


If you had to choose just one book to recommend to all my readers, which one would it be and why?

Just one book? That's cruel! I am going to cheat and choose two books. For an adult book I choose Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver because it has great characters, culture, and story. It's one of the only books I've re-read. For YA I choose Mark Haddon's The Incident of the Dog at Midnight. Recently I've recommended it to about 30 students and all but one loved it (and most were boys!)

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In case you need a reminder, you can click here to visit Helen's Book Blog!  And, when you visit, be sure to say thank you as she is one of the sponsors for Armchair BEA!

The Best of 2011

Tuesday of Armchair BEA is devoted to linking up giveaways and sharing the "Best of 2011."

The giveaway is sadly not going to be happening here this week because I am the one running all of the giveaways over on the Armchair BEA Central site.  If you have not yet checked out that list, click on over right now.  I think I'm a bit busy with those for now!

However, I can bring you a "Best of 2011" ... in my own unique way!  I have not yet read enough 2011 releases to determine what I think will be the best; however, I can tell you that there are two releases that I currently have in my hands that I cannot wait to break open and jump into their adventures.

The Bird Sisters by Rebecca Rasmussen

In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson

Maybe my excitement was created by the authors themselves when I saw them this past month.  Maybe my enthusiasm for these books is more a result of the stories themselves.  Or, more likely, it is a combination of both!

What books would you give the award of "The Best of 2011?"  OR  What book(s) are you most looking forward to releasing in 2011?

Tif Talks Books: Online & IRL

Good Monday Morning, 

and Welcome to Armchair BEA Week!

For the kick-off of Armchair BEA, I would like to introduce myself, but I'm going to do it in comparison form!  Hopefully, this works!

Online:  I'm known as Tif, a book blogger!

IRL:  Most people know me as Tiffany, but I prefer Tif (with only one f).  I'm an avid reader, mother of 2, wife, advocate, and employee of higher education.

Online:  I use an avatar that I created.

IRL:  This is the real me.  (Does my avatar do me justice?)

Online:  I'm a bookworm and literacy advocate.

IRL:  I'm still a bookworm, but am an advocate on many fronts, literacy and books being just one of them.

Online:  I read just about everything.

IRL:  I still read just about everything and can be found doing it just about anywhere.

Online Random Fact:  This week I will be celebrating my 4 year blogiversary!

IRL Random Fact:  I am fascinated with bags ... totes, purses, etc. ... but the one condition before I will buy it is that a book must fit into it!

Online Features:  I host the Fairy Tale Challenge here as well as the Tales to Tomes Online Book Club.

IRL Features:  I host nothing but a barbecue every so often, but my hubby does the grilling!

That's me, in comparison!  Did I miss anything that you are just dying to know?!?

Sunday Synopsis: May 22, 2011

I am barely squeaking in on Sunday here!  I've been so busy compiling posts and giveaway information for Armchair BEA that I have not had a chance to compile everything for my own site for the week yet!  Yikes!  No worries!  I will eventually get my Armchair BEA posts up, but it may be a bit later in the day tomorrow.  I'm losing my energy fast and my bed is calling my name as I write this!

Just a couple of notes before my sleep wins out . . .

Armchair BEA is going to be awesome!  You can check out a mini interview, featuring myself and my fellow team members, right here!  If you ever wondered which author(s) I would invite to dinner and what we would have to eat, all you have to do is click on over!

Tomorrow for the kick off for the big event, I will be sharing another quick introduction to Tif Talks Books.  I have decided to try something a little different for my post, so I'm excited to see what everyone thinks!

Last, but not least, last week I shared that I will be making some changes to Tif Talks Books.  Before I finalize the details, I have decided to survey my readers to determine what you are liking here.  Take a few minutes to complete the following survey, and then see you all tomorrow for Armchair BEA!

What is Armchair BEA?

The last few weeks, I have been talking a lot about Armchair BEA, and I have come to realize that not all of my readers may know what this event is!  So, let's do a quick FAQ!

What is Armchair BEA?

Armchair BEA was created in 2010 by a group of five individuals who were bummed to be missing Book Expo of America (BEA) in New York City.  This group decided that with today's technology, we could still experience BEA from the comfort of our own homes ... and Armchair BEA was created!

I was one of the original founders, and this is one of the events that I am most proud of being a part of!  This year, we have expanded our Armchair Team and I have listed this team for you below.  Be sure to check out these awesome folks, and be watching Armchair BEA Central for brief interviews featuring all of them!

Danielle (the1stDaughter) of There's A Book (original founder)

Michelle of That's What She Read (original founder)

Amy of My Friend Amy (new team member)

Pam of Bookalicio.us (new team member)

Chris of Chrisbookarama (new team member)

Chris of Book Dads (new team member)

Emily of Emily's Reading Room (original founder)

Florinda of 3 R's Blog (original founder)

Brent of the Naughty Book Kitties (publicity team)

Katie of Mundie Moms (publicity team)

What happens during the week of Armchair BEA?


A variety of things are happening next week in honor of the event!  I am talking guest posts from our own team, authors, publishers, and more.  We will have vlogs from our own on-site correspondents and many surprise videos coming your way.  We will have daily posts for you to contribute to.  We will have blogger interviews.  We will have two different Twitter parties.  And, we will have LOTS and LOTS of giveaways!  For more information, I recommend that you view the recently published agenda.

I haven't signed up.  Is there still time for me to get involved?

YES!  Simply click on over to the Participant Registration Form, subscribe to the blog, and follow @ArmchairBEA AND #ArmchairBEA on Twitter to get the latest and greatest news and updates.  Begin planning your posts now if you have a blog of your own.  And, for my own shameless plug, be sure to do the same for all things Tif Talks Books to see what I have to say here as well (though I am posting multiple times over on the Central Site as well!).

What was this site again?

In case you missed it in any of the above questions via the links, here is the direct address to all things Armchair BEA:  www.armchairbea.com.

I have more questions.  How do I get them answered?

Post them in the comments!  I will answer any and all questions for you!

See you at Armchair BEA!!!

Vote for the Tales to Tomes June Selection!

With the chaos of the week, I have discovered that I forgot to post the list of books for our next possible Tales to Tomes read!  Oops!  No need to stretch it out any longer.  Group members have spoken and you can find the current list of choices (with links to Google Books descriptions) listed below:

Juliet by Anne Fortier

Reckless by Cornelia Funke

Feed (Newsflesh Trilogy, Book 1) by Mira Grant

Looking For Alaska by John Green

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green

The Island by Elin Hilderbrand

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Wake (WWW Trilogy, Book 1) by Robert J. Sawyer

The Necromancer by Michael Scott

Still Missing by Chevy Stevens

Leviathan by Scott Westerfield

Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

Special Note: I was going to narrow these titles down a bit, but I am going to use your votes to narrow it down for future votes. If you wish to ensure that a title makes it into future votes, please be sure to list it in the second question on the form below.

Deadline: Sunday, May 29th
Announcement: Monday, May 30th

Sunday Synopsis: May 15, 2011

It's late ... very late! ... so this is going to be a very quick synopsis this week!  I didn't get a thing written on the blog this week, but I did feel that it was productive nonetheless.  Here is a quick overview of the week ...

Armchair BEA is quickly approaching, so I have been working on a number of projects for that!  I even got my interview swap assignment this weekend and have contacted my assigned blogger!  I am so excited for this event!  I even hope to have a post up this week with even more details about it and what is to come next week from it!

I have had quite the run of bookish events lately, with the latest being this week with Erik Larson ... only the author of my all-time favorite non-fiction book, The Devil in the White City.  He was a wonderful speaker, and his new book, In the Garden of Beasts sounds absolutely fascinating.  Can't wait to read it!

I'm debating some changes here on the blog with a slight curve in my focus.  As I sort through the details, I will post here once I make the decision.  Be watching for it!

Last, but not least, I am starting Clockwork Angel for Tales to Tomes Online Book Club tonight!  I am so excited for this read!  If you would like to join in, please do!  Click on over with the link above and it will give you the details of where you can join in the conversation!

Hope everyone has a great week and here's to actually getting some writing down this week here on the blog!

Sunday Synopsis: May 8, 2011

Happy Mother's Day!!!

I know that the greeting is a bit late considering I'm getting this thing posted only minutes away from Monday (at least on my time), but I just wanted to share my thoughts with all my fellow moms out there!

Now, on to the week in review . . . I had a bit of time off this past week, so instead of doing much writing here, I ended up spending some great (and much needed!) time with my husband and kids!  I also had a great book-ish week and cannot wait to share all of it with you via posts over the next couple of weeks!  In fact, here are a few highlights . . .

I have accumulated a number of books over the last couple of weeks, from contest winnings to Scholastic Book Fairs and much more!

I actually volunteered at my son's Scholastic Book Fair on one of my vacation days!  I had a blast seeing what the kids were buying and I even got a little bonus insight as my son's class had their library visit while I was there!  It was so much fun!!!

The biggest highlight of the week was yesterday . . . a bus cruise visiting local independent bookstores in my surrounding area!  I'm talking eight packed hours of book talk, surrounded by book lovers, author signings, and even a lunch, where I sat with the brain behind a new publishing company!  I came home with a stack of signed books and a ton of swag, filling two tote bags full!  And, most importantly, I found some true jewels that I will be returning to in the future!  Nothing beats supporting local indie bookstores!!

Now, I am staying up way too late and dreading the return to work tomorrow.  I had such a great time with my family with shopping trips, a trip to the movies with my hubby (we saw Thor!), a concert featuring my son, a picnic with my daughter, and finishing up with a family trip to the zoo!  I didn't get near enough done on the projects around the house, but I do not regret it!  I had some really precious time with the most important things in life!  I will be reminding myself of this all week long as I sit in my office and prepare for the onslaught of finals week and new student orientations!

How was your week?  Have I missed any big news during my absence this week?

Tales to Tomes: Announcing the May Read!

I am so excited to announce the selection for our May Tales to Tomes Online Book Club discussion!!  You all spoke and the answer was overwhelmingly . . .

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Read the book and be sure to join in the book chat this month on Facebook, Twitter (using #tales2tomes), or the *NEW* option of the Goodreads Group!  And, don't hesitate to spread the word and share the group with your friends!

For those wondering what I meant by overwhelming, here is a quick glimpse at the numbers of the vote!

Sunday Synopsis: May 1, 2011

Welcome to May!!!  I cannot believe that May is already here!  Where has the time gone?!?  I didn't get the reading done that I was hoping for.  I didn't get the writing I was hoping for.  And, if I'm going along with the goals that I set for myself at the beginning of the year . . . I didn't get much exercise in either!  I really need to get on those goals!  I am really hoping that I can get myself turned around from here on out!  (Keep your fingers cross for me though because I may still need a little extra!)


With all this in mind, I think the great place to start is to check out where I currently stand for my challenges.  I have not checked in for a while and I think now is a good time!

1. The Stephen King/Richard Bachman Challenge (Perpetual)
2. 2011 Graphic Novels Challenge (5 of 3-10 Books)
3. Off The Shelf Challenge (6 of 30 Books)
4. Young Readers Challenge (6 of 12 Books)
5. Take A Chance Challenge 3 (0 of 3 Books)
6. 2011 Young Adult Reading Challenge (7 of 50 Books)
7. The Dewey Decimal Challenge (0 of 4 Books)
8. 100+ Reading Challenge of 2011 (14 of 100 Books)
9. Fairy Tale Challenge  (0 of 12 Books/Movies)

I have some work to do!  Thankfully, I have some time off this week to hopefully catch up on all three of my goals!

Now, I am going to sign off as President Obama is speaking and I need to listen . . .