Sunday Synopsis: October 23, 2011

What a fabulous weekend I had!!  It all began yesterday, where I had the joy of participating in another local independent bookstore cruise.  I will be sharing all about my day later this week via the Walrus Report, complete with a whole slew of pictures!  As soon as I arrived home, I then headed right back out the door to attend a little Halloween carnival with my family.  Today, we picked out our pumpkins and then headed out to the zoo this evening for more Halloween fun!  Of course, that means I did not accomplish much the last couple of days and I am currently scrambling just to ensure that everything is ready for school and work tomorrow, but it was completely worth it!  I love this time of year and it is only just beginning!

On the reading front, I finished reading Deadline by Mira Grant.  I can't wait to share my thoughts on this one with you!  I started reading Bunnicula with my son and anticipate finishing that one this week.  I also began reading Hit List by Laurel K. Hamilton, my first experience with this author.

I will be traveling later this week, so I hope to get a lot of reading done.  The early part of the week, I have a number of things I need to get written, many of which I have deadlines for.  I am going to try to write ahead here for the site as well, but those with deadlines come first.  I already have a number of things written long hand, so it will all depend on if I can get them typed in time.

And, on a completely random note, I have been going through my TBR pile and am finally feeling like I should really be parting with a stack of books.  When the piles have begun to leak out of my closet and I no longer have room for just the books that I need to read ... my dear addiction then becomes the issue of the rest of my household!  With that said, what does it mean for you?  It means giveaways galore in the month of November!  Be watching for them!

That's it for this week!  Don't forget to share with me your reading plans for the week.  What are you currently reading?  What has been your favorite read for the RIP Challenge or the spooky season in general?

Walrus Report: A Night With Women's Fiction

Last week, I had the great pleasure to attend a panel of three local women's fiction authors:  Judy Merrill Larsen, Susan McBride, and Sharon Shinn.  These amazing women shared a wide array of information, from their book inspirations to what makes a good story and so much more!  Today, I share my experiences over on the Walrus Publishing website.  Click on over and read more about how these three authors inspired me to read more of their work as well as write more on my own personal projects!

Have you read any of the works by these three women?  If so, what did you think?

Coffee With Nathan Everett

Last month, I had the great pleasure to meet Nathan Everett for an afternoon coffee while he was passing through town on his new release tour for The Rubricant.  I first met Nathan this last spring during Armchair BEA.  He served as one of the sponsors for the event, and very generously shared free e-copies of his past works with our participants.  With kindness like that, how could I pass up the opportunity to meet him in person?!?

Within an hour's time, we shared blogging stories, chatted about how his book tour was going so far, and discussed writing in general.  I was able to pick his brain on how he has progressed in the writing and publishing world.  We conversed about cover designs, National Novel Writing Month, and what is to come for his career.

As we parted ways and I traveled home, my mind ventured to the perks of today's technology.  Thanks to the internet, authors and readers are connecting in a way that they have never before.  Social media is creating bridges that previously did not exist and the possibilities are expanding exponentially.  The really crazy thing is that Nathan must have been thinking along the very same lines because the very next day he wrote The Changing World of Book Marketing and the Rise of the Independent Book Blogger.  Being the published writer, Nathan added his eloquence and own experiential wisdom to the topic.

Thank you Nathan for the great conversation and the inspiration!  I look forward to the next chat, either online or in person!  In case you missed Nathan's special guest post, click on over and discover the secrets behind the ink on the pages you read!

How has social media helped to connect you in special ways?

Sunday Synopsis: October 16, 2011

Since only one hour remains in Sunday, I figured I better get writing for a quick weekly check-in!  As many of you could probably tell, not a whole lot was accomplished this past week here on the site.  I was swamped, working into the wee hours of the night much of the week.  The most exciting part was attending a panel on local women's fiction writers, which will be featured via the Walrus Report later this week.  Other than that, not a whole lot was accomplished on the reading or writing front.  Now that a bit of time has been cleared, I'm hoping to change that this week!  I have a stack of books to review, a stack of books to read, and I can't wait to dive into both!!

On the reading front, I am currently reading Deadline by Mira Grant as well as The Last Vampire by Christopher Pike (a re-read from my teen years!).  I am also excited to start reading Bunnicula tomorrow with my son!!  I'm not sure which book will be next in line after these ones, but I am sure I can find something!  What's on your reading agenda?

On the writing front, I am considering participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) in November.  I have seen the chatter about it over the last few years, have been encouraged by many to participate, but have not yet.  Any thoughts you would like to share with a possible newbie?

Last, but not least, I am excited to be participating in another independent bookstore cruise on Saturday!!  I will get to meet more local authors, visit with a few of my personal favorites, and discover more indies in my area.  I am so excited and hope to be posting a few different things via Twitter and Facebook throughout the day.  Be sure to tune in!

I wish you a wonderful week and many happy readings!!

WANTED: Fall/Halloween/Thanksgiving Book Recommendations

Well, hello!  It is good to be back!  This past week has brought lots of work, literally!  I've been working every night this week and simply have not had a lot of time for writing.  I am so glad to be at least writing this little post tonight, not only to receive a few recommendations from you, but also to say hello!

HELLO READERS!!

Now, on to the recommendations portion of this post!  I am now the woman in charge of doing my parent teacher organization newsletter, and I have decided to start a little section focusing on reading with your child, complete with book recommendations from classics to new releases.  I am very excited about this and cannot wait to begin sharing my love for books!  However, since I am not an expert, I would love your help!  I am currently looking for your personal recommendations for favorite books, featuring Fall, Halloween, and/or Thanksgiving, and focused on the elementary school crowd.

What books would you recommend?  Any favorites for the season?

Sunday Synopsis: October 9, 2011

Have you ever had one of those weeks filled with so much, but completely unproductive?  That was my week!  After missing work all week a couple of weeks ago, I returned to piles of tasks and an exploding inbox.  On top of it all, the beginning of the week brought about a roller coaster of emotions ... one of my close cousins welcomed a first child and the next day, I received the news that another had very unexpectedly left this world.  I found myself struggling with wanting to celebrate, but also mourning from afar, being unable to travel to the services this weekend.  Needless to say, I was left with a week that did not result in a lot of writing and even less reading!

This week, I am hoping for a much more productive week as I begin to get back into the usual routine of work and life.  Thankfully, my health is even better and I am continuing to heal more and more every day.  And, with the rest of the news that surprised me this week ... it has helped me to appreciate all those that I love even more and tell them more often!

In fact, it has made me realize just how important my blogging friends have been to me!  I have been writing here for more than four years, and these past four years have brought a multitude of challenges and difficult times.  This has been a great outlet for me, and your comments and words of encouragement mean more to me than you will ever realize.  For that, I thank you!  THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

On a less serious note, I'm hoping to step back up my reading this week with Deadline by Mira Grant, the sequel to my recent read of Feed.  Nothing like some crazy, flesh-eating zombies to get me back to "normal!"

Have you shared your love and thanks with those close to you today?  And, for a less heavy discussion question, what will you be reading this week?  

The Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black

The Spiderwick Chronicles is a five book series where Black and DiTerlizzi share the story of the Grace children.  It was these three children, two brothers and a sister, that have come across a secret book about faeries.  They have shared this book with the authors as well as their adventures as a cautionary tale and a warning.

When I first saw these books years ago, I picked up the first simply due to the look.  The binding was unique - small, the size of a mass market paperback, but with a sturdy hardcover binding.  The pages themselves had antiqued edges.  And, after a quick flip through the book, I discovered the most adorable black and white sketches.  I had to give this book a try!

The story itself is a precious one.  You have three innocent children that end up in an unexpected situation, fighting beasts of all sizes, and you know -- saving the world!  It is a simple read, enhanced by the illustrations that originally hooked my interest.  Though the story does feature some darker scenes (as one would typically expect when battling beasts), they are not too dark or worrisome, even for the feint of heart.

I have not yet seen the film based on the series, but I do look forward to viewing it in the future.  Afterall, one can never be too prepared and the visuals of the techniques outlined in the book may prove to be handy!  For those of you also interested in preparing yourselves and heeding the warning of the Grace children, the five books in the series include:

• The Field Guide
• The Seeing Stone
• Lucinda's Secret
• The Ironwood Tree
• The Wrath of Mulgarath

Have you been educated by The Chronicles?  What did you gather from it?

Walrus Report: Give Me Some Mo

Today over on the Walrus Publishing website, I feature a favorite children's author in our home!  Many of you have heard of this man called Mo Willems, but can you guess which books I choose to feature?  Comment here and take your guess, then click on over and share your personal family faves by this author!

Sunday Synopsis: October 2, 2011

And, I'm back!  Finally!  Remember, last week when I mentioned that I was sick?  Well, it just got worse and worse, putting me completely out of commission this last week!  I am not back to 100% yet, but I am doing much better and back to writing and reading as usual!!  The sad part is that I missed the most of Banned Books Week, but I have decided to post one more little thing about it later this week just simply because I can!


In the meantime, I really have nothing else to report except that I cannot believe that it is already October!  The year is quickly getting away from me and my reading goals are really not being met as I had hoped.  However, on a positive note, I am writing a much higher percentage of reviews this year than I did last year!  Now, I just have to see what kind of reading I can finish from here!


Since I really have nothing left to report this week, I am going to leave you with my latest challenge updates.  Enjoy!

• The Stephen King/Richard Bachman Challenge (Perpetual)
• 2011 Graphic Novels Challenge (8 of 3-10 Books)
• Off The Shelf Challenge (7 of 30 Books) 
• Young Readers Challenge (9 of 12 Books)
• Take A Chance Challenge 3 (1 of 3 Books)
• 2011 Young Adult Reading Challenge (11 of 50 Books)
• The Dewey Decimal Challenge (3 of 4 Books)
• 100+ Reading Challenge of 2011 (34 of 100 Books)
• Fairy Tale Challenge  (2 of 12 Books/Movies)

What was your favorite part of Banned Books Week?  Share your favorite links and clue me in to what I missed!

Banned Book: The Diary of Anne Frank

Today I am writing this review on behalf of Banned Books Week and in particular, in conjunction with Sheila over at Book Journey in celebration of our right to read whatever it is we please.  I had planned a multitude of other things to appear this week, but unfortunately, sickness has prevented that.  I will try to post at least one of these before the end of the week for your reading pleasure, however.

In honor of Banned Books Week, I decided to pick up the book The Diary of Anne Frank.  For those that have not heard of this book before (and I truly believe you would be in the minority here!), this is a true diary of a young Jewish girl that went into hiding with her family during World War II, in the height of Hitler's Nazi regime.  For more than two years, they hid away in safety and avoided the concentration camps while literally life around them was destroyed.  However, before they could experience the "after the war" world that they all imagined, they were discovered and sent off to their death.  The only living member of the family was Anne's father, who graciously has allowed Anne's story to be shared with the millions that need to hear it.  This is a story that cannot and should not be forgotten.

I have read The Diary of Anne Frank a couple of times before, both in my earlier years.  When I first read the book, I was astounded at what someone my age had experienced and made me appreciate even more the things I did have in life.  My little worries of living life in a small town and dealing with high school drama was nothing compared to Anne's life in hiding.  Granted, I also could relate to her on many levels being a teen myself at the time of my earlier reads.  On the other hand, on this re-read, I gathered a multitude of other emotions from the read.  Since my first readings, I have read and researched the Holocaust and Hitler, gathering many more facts since my younger years.  Combining my increased knowledge on the topic as well as now being a parent myself, I now view the book in a different light.  I still am humbled at what Anne and her family had to live like in hiding; however, I read the book thinking about what Anne's parents have done to keep the family and their children safe.  Knowing that as hard as they tried and the outcome that resulted, made this re-read much more difficult.  I saw foreshadowing and irony in entries that were never purposefully written in.  In essence, the book proved to be a more difficult read this time, but not one that is any less important.

I feel this book is very important for everyone to read.  Though due to the graphic conversation that could result after completing the book, I do not believe it is one that should be simply read.  It is one that needs to be discussed and processed.  Though it is an easy read, it is not necessarily easy for one to fully comprehend and a discussion may be necessary after its completion.  I do NOT believe it should be challenged or banned in any way, but others have disagreed.  In fact, according to an article in the Washington Post in January 2010, a school in Virginia recently removed a version of this book due to sexually explicit content and themes of homosexuality.  Over the last few decades, ALA has recorded six different challenges to the book for this same reason or because it was "a real downer."  Even today, this book proves to be a controversial one, and it should be!  We cannot ignore the history of our world and this book ... this short-lived life of Anne Frank ... is proof of that.  We must always remember!


As I mentioned above, this article is written in conjunction with Book Journey Banned Books Week.  Be sure to pick up all the clues from Saturday, September 24th to TODAY (Saturday), October 1st and leave a comment on each of the participating blogs to be eligible to win the prize package.  Participating blogs are posted daily at Book Journey (http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/).  Good luck and have fun!

And, your clue is . . .

Have you read The Diary of Anne Frank?  What have been your thoughts, particularly when considering past versus present?  What books have you read for Banned Books Week 2011?