OMG! Mo Willems
Rush right off to Horn Book and read what Mo Willems has to say about books. He is so dead on, so right, and says it all so well in “Why Books? — The Zena Sutherland Lecture”
The points he makes about the importance of the reader in the meaning of a book puts into words why I, the most addicted reader in the world with the highest reading scores at every school I ever went to, did not like taking literature classes. I almost never got the same things out of a book that the teachers said were there. I didn’t look for the symbolism — I’ve always looked for the heart in a story. I know that I’m not the target reading audience for Willems’ books but by golly they speak to me, too, and I’m going to keep on reading them.
I loved when he wrote “What if the thing that makes books great, that makes them essential, is that books need us? They’re simple. You invest in them and become part of them. You contribute.” That may be the bottom line in why a like a particular book or not. When a book has invited me in, when it has pulled something out of me and made me create something, even if it is just a picture or a smell or a sound or texture or taste in my head, it has made me part of it. Even though I read books every day, think about books every day, and write about books every day, this little lecture from Mo Willems turned on a lightbulb that let me see more clearly that what makes me love books is being invited in to share in the creation of the story.
Early October 2011
"The Language of This Land"
The inaugural conference of the Western Colorado Writers' Forum starts Friday, October 9th. Some sessions still have room and they are offering single session registrion rates this week. Check it out! http://www.westerncoloradowriters.org/annual-conference-11/
September 2011
Western Colorado Writers' Forum
Registration is now open for The Language of This Land, the first annual writers' conference of the Western Colorado Writers' Forum. An amazing variety of programs are being offered. The banquet speaker is Leslie Marmon Silko. I'm signed up!
Three Great New Books of the Week
The Hum and the Shiver
by Alex Bledsoe
Bronwyn Hyatt, a former wild child, returns to her rural Tennessee home to a hero's welcome. Terrible things happened to her in Iraq but she took down more than enough enemy soldiers to make her a hero. She has the black hair, sharp features, and musical affinity of her people, the Tufa. Nobody really seems to know exactly what the Tufa are. They were in those hills before white folks came. There is death brewing for the Hyatt family, multiple portents promise it and different characters assume they are aimed at different members of the family. The Tufa are an interesting culture and living so long in the area have experienced lots of intermarriage to outside groups but full blood and "first daughters" are prized. A new Methodist pastor is in the area looking to drum up a congregation but the Tufas don't do church. Bronwyn's ex-boyfriend provides a sinister edge as one waits for him to do something awful. The best fantasy has enough truth and real life in it to make it live, and this does. It is low key but compelling. Bronwyn seemed to think more with her gonads than her heart or head which did give her a masculine personality that did not necessarily ring true, but, on the whole it is a memorable and enjoyable read.
contemporary, fantasy, speculative-fiction,
The Girl of Fire and Thorns
by Rae Carson
Elisa is a princess, a big, fat, princess who bears the god stone, an honor, or burden that strikes only one person in the world in a generation. She is surprised to be suddenly married off to a neighboring king in exchange for her father promising to send forces to help stem an invading army. Her older sister is heir to their father's throne and Elisa has never been really involved in politics or governing. En route to her new homeland they are attacked and she saves her husband by killing an attacker but one of her beloved attendants is killed. Arriving in her husband's kingdom, she finds their marriage is being kept a secret. She is treated as an honored guest and becomes part of a council of five advising the king. Despite being embarrassed at court and not acknowledged as the new queen, Elisa makes the best of the situation, taking her young step-son under her wing and teaching him important discipline. Kidnapped and forced to travel through the desert, she undergoes enormous changes physically, emotionally, and politically. Over time her views change radically and she starts to take a leadership role in fighting for the desert people against the invading horde. I loved the atypical heroine who used intelligence and strategy to fight what seems insurmountable odds and who is open to friendship and love but puts her beliefs first. The desert landscape and the Hispanic flavor add richness to a thoroughly compelling story.
speculative-fiction, science-fiction, fantasy, teen,
Tankborn
by Karen Sandler
Science fiction is definitely experiencing a renaissance. Kayla and Mishalla are GENs, Genetically Engineered Non-humans, best friends who know that when they reach fifteen they will probably never see each other again. After things on Earth fell apart, a colony of settlers moved to another planet. They instituted a strict caste system based on those who funded the migration and the people who indentured themselves to go. Several decades before the story starts, The Infinite(the GENs' deity) inspired a trio of prophets to create the GENs to do the work that had been done by low-borns and infused them with animal DNA to enhance the skills they would use in working. Mishalla has been sent off to care for low-born orphans but they keep disappearing, taken away in the night. Kayla, who has extremely strong arms is sent to care for an elderly trueborn man who strangely enough has a tattoo similar to the tattooed dataports on the GENs cheeks. Sandler deftly weaves strands of race, privilege, politics, greed, and romance into a fascinating culture. The young protagonists are very real and exhibit great strength of character. Another book that I enjoyed that used tattoos to signify caste was The Diary of Pelly D by L J Adlington. (Strangely enough, the German title for The Diary of Pelly D wasGen Tattoo.
issues, speculative-fiction, teen,
Dragon*Con Report
Labor Day weekend is heaven in Atlanta for fans of SF, Fantasy, & Paranormal as the 25th annual Dragon*Con brings scores of thousands of people to the downtown area, hundreds in elaborate costumes. I've been hanging out in the YA Track (they invited me and have a spectacular slate of panels & programs) and the writers' track.
As a major fan girl of writers, being here is like being in a candy store. Last night I was on a panel with Bonnie Kunzel (Fluent in Fantasy: The Next Generation), Susan Fichtelberg (Encountering Enchantment), Jana Oliver (Demon Trapper's Daughter), and David Macinnis Gill (Black Hole Sun and Soul Enchilada) discussing dystopian YA fiction. Great audience participation with lots of intelligent questions and insightful comments. Kudos to Bev Kodak for putting this together. Soul Enchilada and Demon Trapper's Daughter are a couple of my favorite books but still, I was impressed by how erudite and thoughtful both authors are.
After it was over I stayed in the room for the "Vampires vs. Faeries" event which was a riot! Rachel Caine, author of The Morganville Vampires series is so funny and quick witted. I do have a copy of Bite Club on my nightstand at home that I will read as soon as I get back. If it is half as witty as the author is, it is bound to be a terrific read. The panel was delightful. The audience was totally involved. Mayhem was narrowly avoided as the two passionate sides squared off.
I also got to spend some time with a longtime favorite author, Carole Nelson Douglas, who I first read long ago when she wrote a fantasy series I fell in love with and who writes the delightful Midnight Louie series (love it and I don't even particularly like cats). Her other series include the Irene Adler Holmseian series and the Delilah Street paranormal series.
I was hanging out at the back of the Writers' Track room talking with the folks at BelleBridge books and met Deborah Smith who is one of my all-time favorite authors of womens' fiction. While standing there I also got to visit very briefly with Rebecca Moesta. She and her husband, Kevin J. Anderson were presenting their excellent program "Things I Wish Some Pro Had Told Me."
And, just to let you know. I'm available to present workshops, programs, and booktalks on popular fiction and working with teens and books. Bonnie Kunzel, Susan Fichtelberg, and I frequently present together so please contact us if you need a speaker for a workshop, in-service, con, or program.
Bev Kodak, the YA Track goddess, and the rest of the YA Track staff always do an amazing job, creating a program that is fun, entertaining, educational, and useful.
August 2011
I am thrilled that once again I will be at Dragon*Con in Atlanta as a Guest Panelist over the Labor Day weekend. I'm on three panels in the YA track and totally excited to be teamed up with Bonnie Kunzel (Fluent in Fantasy: The Next Generation), Susan Fichtelberg (Encountering Enchantment), Jana Oliver (Demon Trapper's Daughter), and David Macinnis Gill ( Black Hole Sun and Soul Enchilada) on panels.
Friday at 10 am Susan, Bonnie, and I will be booktalking at "Coming Soon: Books You're Gonna Love" and at 4 pm we'll be talking YA Steampunk at "Clockwork, Goggles, and Dirigibles: Steampunk for Teens." Saturday at 7 pm is "Dystopian YA - Kin or Clone" with Jana Oliver and David Macinnis Gill.
Bev Kodak, the YA Track goddess, and the rest of the YA Track staff always do an amazing job, creating a program that is fun, entertaining, educational, and useful. I just keep getting more and more excite thinking about it. I'm really looking forward to hearing Beth Revis (Across the Universe), Cinda Williams Chima (The Gray Wolf Throne), and Rachel Caine (Bite Club), as well as Todd McCaffrey (Dragon's Time).
Jonathan Maberry (Rot & Ruin) will be speaking on Monday in the Apocalypse Rising Track.
July 2011
Had a fabulous time at ALA. The fan girl in me was thrilled by meeting so many of the people who feed my passion for wonderful books -- authors, editors, publishers, and librarians. 
With Lish McBride, author of Hold Me Closer, Necromancer
I no longer have a day job so I'm now available for consulting and workshops. email me: dherald (at) me (dot) com
As much as I love GoodReads, the widgets aren't working as well as I would like for Books of the Week that I want to highlight closer to their publication dates. Occassionally I'll post reviews in this space and the links to my GoodReads reviews when I read the books several months pre-pub.
Rip Tide by Kat Falls
Wow!!! The sequel to Dark Life is even better than its predecessor. With cinematic intensity, Ty and Gemma experience new adventures from finding an entire city murdered and anchored in the vast trash gyre, to a bare knuckles fight on an unstable raft, to a jail break, to gladiatorial combat with a giant crocodile. Great world building, community and family loyalty reminiscent of Heinlein's classic juveniles, and a sweet romance.
Happy reading,
Di
June 2011
Have been reading tons of great novels lately in preparation for the Best Fiction for Young Adults committee meetings at ALA in New Orleans in June. Review can be found on Goodreads. The Bistro Book Club teen reviewers have also been quite busy and have reviewed many of the titles under consideration for the list.
May 2011
This week's Book of the Week is quite a departure for me. As you dear reader know, I have a passion for fiction and rarely read nonfiction. I just read a terrific nonfiction "coffee table" book and love it. It is Monumental Majesty: 100 Years of Colorado National Monument. 
If you read my review you will know some of the reasons I like it but the truth is that I love it so much because this is exactly my kind of topography. I live just south of the Monument on the edge of a gorgeous canyon that lucky for me was not included within the boundaries when the Monument was created but unfortunate for the American people because it is not public lands. Everyone, however, can enjoy the majestic beauty of the Monument and what I consider the most beautiful area on the face of the earth through the pages of this book even if you can't visit in person.
The photos are almost all magnificent but I have tried time and time again to capture the lovely flowers that bloom on my canyon and been unsuccessful in capturing their beauty so I love having the amazing photos in the pages of the book. Enjoy!
April 2011
I was fortunate enough to be appointed to YALSA's Best Fiction For Young Adults committee this year. It is the successor to BBYA the Best Books for Young Adults list that was retired in 2010. I served two different three year terms on BBYA and over the years have usually read 300 to 500 books a year. I'm pretty comfortable with being able to judge quality and potential popularity of teen fiction but I always solicit and respect teen feedback.
I'm having some real trouble this year with the abundance of riches. In previous years there were many books I would start reading and know within 40 to 100 pages that I would not nominate them for BBYA. Then there were the dozens of books I would slog through because they had been nominated. This year there have been very few books I've started with an eye to nominating that I have been able to set aside as not BFYA worthy. With the exception of one nominated to date title, I would have nominated the books. By way of looking at the nominations so far the committee appears to be absolutely brilliant (we don't meet in person for the first time until June).
I have never read so many truly wonderful books one after another in my life. 2011 is shaping up to be the best year of YA fiction publishing ever. I fear for the length of the BFYA list just because there is so much top-notch teen fiction being published. There are many titles that would have been worthy of a National Book Award, Andre Norton Award (Nebulas), or Printz Award in another year that won't even be finalists this year because the number of finalists or honor books is limited.
The upside is for readers. We can enjoy a year of unprecedented great reads. Kudos to the writers, editors, and publishers making this extraordinary year possible.
March 2011
Alan Pierleoni wrote about Genrefluent.com in his Sacramento Bee column this week which was really nice. He did mention that he thought this site is a little top heavy on coverage of YA titles. I love most genres and try to read widely. Recently the very best books I've been finding are in novels written for teens. Science Fiction, Fantasy, Paranormal, and Historical Fiction have all had strong recent offerings for the young adult market. Like many other adults, I find that the writing in books published as YA tends to be tighter in the same way a short story has to be polished and honed to make it work.
This is the best year I think I've ever experienced in terms of more great novels being published. I've read several debut novels and novels by established authors that are outstanding. I don't think I've ever rated so many books with four or five stars this early in the year.
We are in the golden age of young adult lit. Bestseller lists have had to split the books published for youth from those published for adults because the market for YA books is so strong that if they were to go strictly on total copies sold the bestseller lists would be top heavy with young adult titles.
If you are an adult who reads young adult titles you aren't alone. Many adult bookclubs are discovering the wealth and richness of teen books. Two great picks that were big hits with my group of middle aged women are Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.
February 2011
Several young teacher librarians have recently mentioned how much they love books but so much of their time is taken up with technology. They would like to have more time to connect kids with books but most of their teaching revolves around 21st century skills using technology. Things must have been better back in the day when all librarians did was match people up with books. When I was a young librarian we weren't talking 21st century skills (sheesh, it was only the 20th century after all!) but we were doing tons of reference. Simple questions folks can google right now all had to be looked up and the source cited. Very few people had encyclopedia sets at home (unless they were fairly well off) but now almost every home has access to Wikipedia even if only via a smart phone. We weren't helping people learn to use the OPAC. We were filing millions of catalog cards and teaching people how to use the card catalog. We weren't teaching people about using databases, we were teaching them how to use an index, locate the citation for an article, check our holdings, and request an article from storage or an other library. We weren't teaching people how to find images on the web, we were maintaining clipping files so people could find images in drawers. In short we were doing the same things then as we are now. The storage and retrieval methods are what have changed. And yes, now with the luxury of more time to deal with data since retrieval is so much simpler we can help guide library users toward critical thinking and the creation of knowledge. Something that some librarians always did but without using 21st century descriptions.
One of the coolest things about librarianship is that no matter how much the technology changes we continue to put people together not only with the information resources they need and the information they need to use those resources but we also connect them with stories whether in book, ebook, or audio format.
January 2011
Was astounded to see @genrelibrarian in the pages of The Guardian today but folks, those brilliant words were not mine. They were a retweet of Neil Gaiman's @neilhimself "Google can bring back 100 thousand answers.A librarian can bring you back the right one." It is so very true. There was also an article a couple days ago in CNN Tech by Pete Cashmore called Humans vs. Automated Search: Why People Power is Cool Again that ties right in.
I'm off to San Diego today for the American Library Association Midwinter Conference. I'm on the Morris committee so tomorrow I will spend the whole day (or maybe not if we reach a quick consensus) discussing the five finalists with several of the most brilliant YA librarians around. I'm really looking forward to it as all five finalists have lots of different things going for them. There were so many terrific debut novels this past year that made for a great reading year. You can follow the ALA Youth Awards on Monday morning at 7:45 a.m. (Pacific Time) on Twitter to see which book won the Morris as well as finding out the winners of the Newbery, Printz, Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, Pura Bel Pre, Schneider Family Award and others.
If you will be at ALA, I hope to see you there.
I love the idea of reading challenges. I first started thinking about them when I presented (via Skype) at the Annual Readers Advisory Seminar put on by the New South Wales Readers Advisory Group and looked up what they were doing. They do very cool things. Reading challenges in 2010 and a Twitter Book Group in 2011. Anyway, the idea of a reading challenge grabbed me and today I read about the POC Reading Challenge and signed up for it. It is interesting to have run across this challenge right now because in the last few days I was talking with someone about how important reading about people who are different than one is, not only personally but culturally, too. I like being in somebody else's shoes for a time and seeing the world where they live. I also like the "challenge" part of this because I do work a reading plan but am always looking for ways to add new interest to it. I "think" I read broadly and know I read several books featuring persons of color in 2010 but it will be interesting in 2011 to check on how much I really am doing.
Now I have to figure out my favorite reads of the year. There are just so many.
ALAN Conference, or, Dinner with Darren Shan can be harrowing.
Yes, 'tis me with the author, beloved by teen readers of terror novels featuring gory scenes, Darren Shan who has his hands wrapped 'round my throat! (Thank to Teri Lesesne aka @ProfessorNana)
Just spent a couple fabulous days at the ALAN Conference that was held at Disney World earlier this week. For a fangirl who loves all things books especially YA fiction, it was paradise. Dozens of outstanding authors and a box fully loaded with amazing books. I tried to tweet throughout but there was so much so fast, I couldn't keep up. My program is packed away but I'm thinking about an average of 6 authors per hour talked! I was also fortunate enough to be invited to a couple of dinners with authors and even better to sit next to them! It was wonderful to be able to visit with Malinda Lo, George O'Connor, S. A. Bodeen, Jewell Parker Rhodes, Alyson Noel, and Darren Shan. During the conference sessions and breaks I got to visit with S. L. Rottman who wrote Rough Watersand Stetson, Heather Brewer, author of the popular Vladamir Tod series, David Mcinnis Gill who wrote Soul Enchilada, and Jo Knowles author of Letters from a Dead Girl and Jumping Off Swings(annotated in Teen Genreflecting 3 but not on the web and I don't know why) .
It was bliss to hang out for two and a half days with so many folks who have a genuine passion for literature. Especially enjoyed spending time with Bonnie Kunzel, Mary Arnold, Teri Lesesne, C.J. Bott, Victoria Stapleton, Lucy Del Priore, Lauren Wohl, Dina Sherman, and Don Gallo (about time I met him-- have admired his work for years.)
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The YALSA Symposium was wonderful. It was an opportunity to network with other librarians who really care about connecting teens with great reads, fun to be a fan girl of authors I've read and loved their books, and a chance to encounter the work of author's new to me. The fact that the symposium was in New Mexico, the land of enchantment just made it that much better.
Our program Talk the Walk was great fun. Simone Elkeles is as good as a speaker as she is as a writer. Her stories at the program and her book trailers were so much fun. I really enjoyed her stories at dinner the evening before our program. I had a great time when I got back to work sharing Simone's book trailers with local library land. Fortunately she has them up on YouTube. Perfect Chemistry trailer. Official Trailer for Rules of Attraction.
Diana Tixier Herald, Simone Elkeles, Diane P. Monnier, Bonnie Kunzel
Lots of exciting things happening this month. I'll be speaking at YALSA Symposium this weekend in Albuquerque with Simone Elkeles, Diane Monnier, and Bonnie Kunzel. We get to booktalk a bunch of great books that feature diversity and talk about the diverse populations for which they appeal.
Later this month I'll be attending the ALAN postconference at NCTE. Like the YALSA Symposium it will be heaven for a fan girl who loves seeing authors and hearing what they have to say.
Bistro Book Clubs are going like a house afire. Books featuring changlings were very hot today with Iron King and The Replacement first grabbed. Had a lunchtime meeting today at GJHS and we overflowed the room and added new members. Fruita 8-9's Book Club was great to see some old friends and some new book club members.
Reflections on a Quarter Century As a Librarian.
I just realized it's been 25 years and 1 month since I started my first post master's degree professional library job and what a long strange trip it's been.
Some things haven't changed much. I still get giddy excited when I read a terrific new book or when a favorite author comes out with a new title. I still love sharing books with people. I still get energized by helping people find the information they want. I still want to read everything!
Some things have changed a lot. New privacy policies. At Washington County library 25 years ago people still signed the check out card in the book pocket to take books out and we had a card catalog. Not that all libraries were like that. When I had worked at Denver Public Library several years earlier they had a microfiche catalog and book catalog. They used a microfilm checkout system. Washington County was just small and poor.
Now I'm working for a school district that is part of the magnificent Marmot consortium. We share an online catalog that has 1,247,703 in it and work collaboratively with our local public library. We subscribe to several terrific databases including CultureGrams, Science on Line, Gale's Student Resources in Context, Opposing Viewpoints in Context, and Teen Health and Wellness. Our World Book encyclopedias are online and regularly updated. Twenty-five years ago I could do database searches but they were billed by the minute and took carefully constructed search strategies.
I'm thrilled to be a librarian and so glad that 26 years ago my family took the leap of selling our house and relocating so I could attend the University of Denver. Fortunately, now, aspiring librarians can find many excellent masters' programs online.
One of the best things about being a librarian has been the wonderful people I've had the privilege of working with in libraries, on YALSA committees, and through workshops and programs.
Here's to libraries and librarians.
Got to spend the morning at GMMS talking books with Suzanne, a enthusiastic new librarian who has been working on her library all summer. Some really cool things in there including a table covered with book jackets with a plexiglass cover over them. She's also come up with some nice display areas. Then it was on to Rocky Mountain Elementary to see how the redesign and new carpeting look. They also have a bunch of great Edward Gonzales posters that are gorgeous and inspiring. Then I stopped by Clifton Elementary and Fruitvale Elementary. Libraries are terrific places.
I visited the Volusia County Library in Daytona Beach last week and enjoyed talking with the staff. They had a great volunteer teen working in the teen area there so we had fun discussion various recent books including Ship Breaker .
Floridians also have an advantage when it comes to libraries. I hear that every public school has at least one certified librarian/ library media specialist. With that in place it will be so much easier to build a populace of life-long independent learners. One school for sure will have an extraordinary library program as Cappi Arroyo, an outstanding librarian has moved there and will be running the library and teaching library skills, aka information literacy, aka 21st century skills.
June 29, 2010
I'm back from the Annual Conference of the American Library Association that was held in Washington DC. As always it was well worth attending with great programs and wonderful networking opportunities.
As a fan girl it was outstanding. I saw several of my favorite authors and discovered new ones. John Green gave me a hug in the exhibits which impressed my husband and grandson to no end as they know him as one of the awesome Vlog Brothers not as the author of Looking for Alaska and An Abundance of Katherines. Saw Libba Bray of Going Bovine fame a couple of times on the sidewalk and hotel lobby (she was with her very cool husband agent, Barry Goldblatt) and then heard her humorous, touching, and profound Printz speech. Was priveleged to chat at dinner with Paolo Baciagalupi, author of Ship Breaker, Julie Ann Peters - Luna, Cherie Priest - Boneshaker, Brandon Sanderson - The Way of Kings. Dom Testa, Cory Doctorow, and Jane Lindskold were there too but I was too far away to really visit. At breakfast I lucked into sitting between David Gill author of Soul Enchilada and Rita Williams-Garcia National Book Award finalist and author of numerous great books.
I had one major disappointment at ALA. I have always loved finding new authors and in fact starting in 1996, the first year of this website, I started what I called the Rats Saw God award named after the first winner. It was a totally unofficial award, I just picked the best first novel I read each year. When Bill Morris, a man of enormous stature in the children's and young adult publishing world left a bequest in his will to YALSA a real award for a YA debut novel was established. It is an important award of major significance. The policies and procedures of the award specify that "the winner and short-listed book authors are invited to attend an award ceremony at the ALA Annual meeting, following the announcement of the award at ALA's Midwinter Meeting." I was really looking forward to that event and it didn't happen. At Midwinter I had attended the announcement where there was a lovely reception but none of the authors were present.
June 19, 2010
ALA Annual will be starting later this week in Washington D.C. It is always exciting to get together with other librarians and publishing folk. One can almost overdose on good conversations about great books. I've only got half a book left to read now for discussion at my committee meetings. Unfortunately my committee is meeting at the same time as one of my favorite programs at annual, Science Fiction and Fantasy: Informing the Present by Imagining the Future, a panel discussion by big name SF authors. Cherie Priest author of Boneshaker, a not to be missed steam punk novel with a fierce mother protagonist will be there. So will Brandon Sanderson the talented author who stepped up to the plate after the death of Robert Jordan to finish out the Wheel of Time series but who writes incredibly good fantasy in his own worlds including the forthcoming The Way of Kings. Cory Doctorow who wrote Little Brother, an important must read book about privacy and freedom that has inspired many to pick up and read Orwell's 1984 is also on the panel along with Dom Testa whose Galahad series about space faring teens entices young readers to think about the future. Last but not least is Jane Lindskold who is the author of the Thirteen Orphans series, an inventive fantasy combining parallel worlds, Chinese astrology, and amazing characters that I reviewed for Booklist. The program will be Saturday, June 26 at 4 p.m. in Ballroom B of the convention center.
School may be out now but my life at the day job continues to be crazy busy but professionally stimulating and challenging. Lately I've been mentorning a new librarian, running book clubs for teens and adult-young-adults, redisigning a couple libraries, recruiting and interviewing librarians, and working on a detailed rubric to evaluate teacher librarians. We may still have one Teacher-Librarian position to fill so if you are interested check out the District employment page.
April 18, 2010
It has been a more than busy month. Enjoyed Skyping with Australian Reader's Advisors and want more than ever to visit there. I was so inspired by looking at some of the things they are doing including the reading challenges they set for themselves. What a great idea! I'm going to add it to my RA tool kit.
PLA was a blast. Got to present with some exceptional folks. As a fan girl I was thrilled to share a dais with Kim Harrison and Brandon Sanderson as well as RA luminaries Kaite Stover and Jessica Moyer. I don't know how many times I've presented with Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Paranormal lit divas Bonnie Kunzel and Susan Fichtelberg but I always learn something new and discover great reads I've missed. The best part was seeing so many library and publishing pals and the stimulating conversations about books, library resources, and reader's advisory.
School library month has kept me obsessed and not reading as much as usual. We had a booth at the local Earth Day Celebration yesterday and lots of people stopped by to share their opinions on school libraries. You can hear some of them on Voicethread. I also got to go out to Rimrock Elementary school and booktalk to 5th graders. Next week they will be hosting a visit by Will Hobbs, one of my favorite authors.
The Bistro Book Club teens along with the other 14 Teens Top Ten nominating groups narrowed the nominations down for the final ballot. All teens are invited to vote in August and September.
March 21, 2010
I am very psyched up going into this week. It will be exciting and stimulating as I'll be talking with reader's advisors in Australia at Murder in the Metcalfe : a readers advisory seminar for crime and mystery 23 March 2010. It will actually be Monday afternoon via Skype for me which works well as I'm not good at being in two places at one time and Tuesday morning I'm flying of to Portland for PLA. The PLA schedule is full of great programs for reader's advisors. My programs are all on Thursday when I'll start with a virtual version of Crossover Advisory: Adult Books for Teens and Teen Books for Adults featuring Kim Harrison, Brandon Sanderson, Jessica Moyer, Kaite Mediatore Stover which will be presented in the flesh at 2pm. At 10:30 I'll be presenting with Bonnie Kunzel and Susan Fichtelberg at What’s New in Fantasy, Paranormal, and Science Fiction for Teens and Adults. I'm so excited that I will have the time to attend programs and have a gabfest with my library, publishing, and author pals.
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Reviewing when in a bad mood is to be avoided. I read a book this morning that I had been saving up for when I really, really, needed something fun that would take me away. Alien Feast by Michael Simmons looked like that book but it wasn't so I wrote an uncomplimentary review on GoodReads. I rated it as OK and I did read the book all the way through which means I liked it well enough. In fact I think it was the ending, merely setting up for a sequel, that ticked me off.
OK. I was totally unfair to this book. For one thing it is not A Wrinkle in Time which was my favorite book the summer following 3rd grade. It isn't even one of Eleanor Cameron's fabulous Mushroom Planet books (the only other books with a rocket & atomic symbol on the spine, I could find in the children's section of Naha AFB Library in 1963). So, who knows what I would have thought? I am now a grouchy old, out of sorts granny, with a totally new knee accompanied by unrelenting pain. What I really needed was a new humorous David Lubar book but of course he never writes a book exactly when I need it. I am feeling much better now that I unearthed Antsy Does Time one of Neal Shusterman's funny books that I had hidden away for emergencies.
By the way, 3rd grade really sucked. I changed schools 3 times and it was libraries and books that got me through so I could live long enough to be a grouchy viejita.
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March 2, 2010
CLiC Spring Workshop in Grand Junction. This morning enjoyed Jamie LaRue's presentation but I always love it when folks appreciate the value of story.
Being around folks who feel the vital importance of libraries always energizes and excites me.
Handouts from my program. Just so you know the handouts are pretty much meaningless unless you attended the program so unless you were at Two Rivers on Tuesday, March 2, 2010, they won't be very helpful for you.
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Libraries are essential! Today has been one of the crazier days in my life so of course it is the day that news comes out that the President of the United States of America is not supporting libraries with his budget which is absolutely horrifying. I’ve been very good at keeping this website focused on books for the last fifteen years but by golly, it is time to speak out. If we want a future filled with readers, who care about the world around them, who know how to learn on their own, who can synthesize information and create new knowledge, we need to provide them with the laboratory for that learning. That laboratory is not only a place, not only a service, it is a library. Hopefully a library that reaches throughout the community it serves not confined to place but rather a state of mind.
School libraries are of special importance. With so much of what is needed for success in this world, not only personal success but success for the larger world, hinging on information literacy we need to fund school libraries. School libraries need librarians, people who can teach our kids how to find, use, learn, and create knowledge. If you care about the future of libraries, please contact your representatives and push for national legislation to put certified librarians in every school and funding to provide the necessary resources to keep our libraries alive and well. Buffy Hamilton, an extraordinary school librarian wrote an eloquent letter to President Obama today in her blog about the issue. Please read it.
Votes on this format or the glog style are finally in and this format won.
I've been reading a lot, mostly for Quick Picks, and haven't found a lot of books that I've loved. Unfortunately some that I did love, I postponed writing up and as a result have spaced out details.
January 2010
Just discovered a major drawback to using the GoodReads widget for Books of the Week. Sometimes I read a book a few months ahead of its release date and I like to save my review for closer to when readers can actually get their hands on the book. I put those books on my Books of the Week Soon list so I can update them to Books of the Week at the appropriate time. Unfortunately the widget only shows the most recent books I've added to my account so books added months ago with a recent status change get short changed.
This Week's Books May 24, 2008
I had a great time in Massachusetts. The libraries and regional library systems seem to be staffed by extraordinary, caring individuals. As I was preaching to those who attended my workshops I realized that even though I advocate the importance of a reading plan in being an expert reader's advisor my books of the week selections don't always show that I am following one. After Sarah Statz Cords penned the marvelous RA tool The Real Story, I decided I had to add non-fiction to my reading plan so this week you will see a memoir featured as well as a SF/Romance with a kick-ass heroine and a teen SF novel.
A couple of years ago my teen readers were begging for more new science fiction and it just wasn't being published. Yes, there were a few titles a year and the ones I read were of very high caliber but there just weren't many of them. It seems that the trend I saw of readers wanting SF may have finally translated into what is being published. It looks like a terrific year for teen SF, perhaps the best in the last few decades. I'm glad to see one of the other speculative fiction genres ramping up now that it looks like the fantasy bubble is going to burst.
Happy reading,
D
It's been a week filled with great books again. I did read some adult books including Finding Stefanie by Susan May Warren, a nice wholesome romance that didn't get preachy, Manhunter by Jennifer Crusie, a humorous romance, and Spider Mountain by P. T.Deutermann, a page turning thriller.
The True Meaning of Smekday is another great book for all ages. Looks like science fiction is really making a comeback.
I was so excited to see that Jean Ferris penned a sequel to Once Upon a Marigold, a book that hits me just right. Readers who enjoy it and the sequel reviewed this week will also enjoy the classic novel The Princess Bride by William Goldman or one of John Moore's hilarious fairy tale type fantasy novels. It must be the sequel season as I just received a copy of the sequels to Skulduggery Pleasant and Eighth Grade Bites. I can't wait to dig in.
Now that the weather is finally beginning to get a little bet warm my poor brain is suffering from spring fever. I've been having a hard time remembering what I read last week, or even yesterday so I was going through my book database trying to remember what I had been reading. To my surprise I found several books that I thought had been featured and had slipped through the cracks so some of this week's books were read months ago.
So many of the books I've read recently and loved were ones I reviewed for Booklist so they aren't reviewed here. Check Booklist out for Dragon and Liberator by Timothy Zahn and The Immortal Prince: Book One of The Tide Lords by Jennifer Fallon.
My favorite RA tool is Reader's Advisor Online and I absolutely love the free blog with Cindy Orr's excellent RA Run Down every week. She puts together a bestseller mashup and a few other lists each week that I really enjoy perusing.
Spring is finally in the air. Today, though, there is lots of air blowing at high velocity melting the snow. Lots of great new books keep showing up.
This Week's Books
I love science fiction. I remember as a kid walking through the stacks in the library looking for spine labels that showed a rocket ship with the atomic symbol superimposed on it. I know a lot of people don't think they like science fiction but it is a diverse genre. This week I'm featuring a novel that feels like a teen problem novel dealing with family and health issues but is actually a near future sf novel. The adult pick this week is great for anyone who like hard-boiled detective noir. The detective just happens to be a robot.
Happy reading,
D
Had a terrific time in Virginia Beach. I was quite impressed with all I met at the All Staff Training Day. It was an extremely well planned and organized event. The library put me up at a resort hotel on the beach which made for a lovely stay. Carolyn C. who served with me on the YALSA Fantasy Genre committee several years ago gave me a tour of Virginia Beach including a gorgeous state park.
This week's books are both debuts. Both are historical fantasy, rich in authentic details of the era.
Jo Graham's Black Ships is an extraordinary novel, lush, rich, and descriptive. It is the kind of historical fantasy that makes the reader want to know more about the era and lands depicted.
Marissa Doyle's Bewitching Season is a delectable combination of magic and the Victorian era.
I read several other great new books that I enjoyed. Robert Fate's new Baby Shark's High Plains Redemption, the third Kristin Van Dijk novel is full of 50's noir. Unquiet Dreams, Mark del Franco's second urban fantasy detective novel featuring Connor Grey made my flight back from Virginia Beach pass quickly. Matt de la Pena's Mexican WhiteBoy really resonated. Teens have enough trouble discovering their own identities but when one is of mixed ethnicity he or she can feel like an outsider everywhere. Currently I'm in the middle of Small Favors, the tenth in Jim Butcher's excellent Harry Dresden files.
March 8, 2008 Update
Just discovered that the updates to Recent Reads had not been saving. Sheesh! Anyway they are back now and linked to the reviews.
Updated the Genre Links. Roll over links on the left to click on Genre Links. If you know of some great sites for genre fiction information please feel free to send them to me at dherald @ sff . net
I'll be in Virginia Beach next week for the Virginia Beach Public Library All Staff Training Day. Looks to be great fun. When I lived on the east coast Virginia Beach was a favorite destination.
Just finished reading Stephanie Meyer's forthcoming adult novel The Host. I'm now reading Jacqueline Winspear's An Incomplete Revenge in which Maisie Dobbs has taken up the fiber arts which is a topic near and dear to my heart. Also read Will Hobbs' middle school novel Go Big or Go Home. As always a very enjoyable experience.
I've been totally swamped lately. Then to top it off I got the chance to take a week off in Mexico with my dh, sis, and b-i-l so off I went. I did get to read some terrific books while I was there. Since I was reading them to review for Booklist you will have to look there or at your library's subscription to the hard copy to read about them. I had to almost wrestle my reluctant reader husband to the ground to get Lonely Werewolf Girl away from him so I could read it.
I've been reading lots of great books lately. I'll be posting them on Good Reads so you may want to pop over there to see what I've been reading and how I rate it. Other recent reads include Just a Taste, a delicious romance set in Brooklyn written by Deirdre Martin, Suckerpunch, a hard hitting teen issues novel by David Hernandez, Black Ships by Jo Graham, a wonderful take on the Aeneid from the oracle's pov and The Fires of Ares by Michael Ford, a middle grade-middle school novel of ancient Greece.
I love fantasy, especially well constructed believable fantasy with characters I care about. Last year I loved The New Policeman by Kate Thompson but I think, perhaps, that I like her new book, The Last of the High Kings, due out in June, even better.
This has been such an unrelentingly snowy winter, I've need to escape. My second favorite way (since I can't spend the entire winter on a Mexican beach) is escaping into pageturning fiction. The Accident Man, while not warm or sunny, did provide a welcome respite from the snow and cold with its fast paced action and intriguing premise.
I've been reading lots of great books lately. I'll be posting them on Good Reads so you may want to pop over there to see what I've been reading and how I rate it. Other recent reads include Just a Taste, a delicious romance set in Brooklyn written by Deirdre Martin, Suckerpunch, a hard hitting teen issues novel by David Hernandez, Black Ships by Jo Graham, a wonderful take on the Aeneid from the oracle's pov and The Fires of Ares by Michael Ford, a middle grade-middle school novel of ancient Greece.
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I've loved Regency romance ever since my teens when I cleaned house for a woman who worked for Denver Public Library. The best part was that she had a complete collection of Georgette Heyer novels in her basement and I could read them on my breaks and lunch hour. The new Regency era romances are quite a bit spicier than their predecessors but for those who can't get enough of that era it is great to find them.
Sara Zarr's debut novel Story of a Girl really rocked. Her second novel proves that it wasn't a fluke. She is definitely a rising YA lit star.
I'm back from Philly and the American Library Association midwinter meeting. It was great to see all my library and publishing pals as well as seeing some of the new and forthcoming books. Cindy Orr put up some of the awards and links to other on the Readers Advisor Online Blog. There is also a new Readers Advisor News.
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So many books so little time. As I was trying to come up with a list of my favorite books of the year I realized that most of them were books written for teens. As I pondered on this I figured that we are just in a time period when some of the best storytelling is being bought up by the houses that publish for young people. So many authors for adults have jumped on the bandwagon there must be something of a boom going on.
As a result this week I couldn't get my list of books I loved down to two or three so you will see several. I loved all of them but I would have to say Unwind is probably going to end up on my short list of the year's favorites. Defect was also superb. I didn't receive my copy until the deadline for nominations for Quick Picks and Best Books or I would have nominated it.
Several titles were nominated this year for both Best Books and Quick Picks. Take a look at the Reader's Advisor Online Blog for a list and if your library subscribes you can see the annotations and readalikes. If your library doesn't subscribe it can sign up for a free trial. Win - win all the way.
Remember there is a search box at the bottom of this page. If you click on Genrefluent it will search this site. Check for reviews and teen comments on your favorite books or for suggestions of good reads.
Happy reading.
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1st week of December, 2007
Guess what? Today Wildblue's installer/repair person called to set up the repair on my satellite internet. It took them FIVE WEEKS to call to give me an estimate of when they could come out to get my internet up and running again. Gee! I am really glad I switched providers.
Anyway, I've continued to read up a storm despite all the wonderful, enjoyable chaos brought along with Thanksgiving. This week I'm featuring two outstanding books published for teens but that adults will also enjoy. There really seems to be a dearth of great science fiction this year so thank goodness for the publishers of teen fiction for helping to fill that gap. Scott Westerfeld was great when he was writing sf for adults and adults enjoy the sf he writes for teens. Don't miss his work.
Adrienne Maria Vrettos is a new author to me. I missed her debut novel Skin but will definitely have to look for it since Sight was so fabulous. It is another book published for teens that will also appeal to adults.
Happy reading.