When a Blog Becomes a Book

Some bloggers are funny, and some are downright hilarious. The funniest bloggers tend to also consider themselves a little crazy (except Raych at Books I Done Read, who is only crazy when it comes to making up her own grammar. Which cracks me up.)

I'd never read The Bloggess before being offered a copy of her book (now out in paperback) from the publicist. After checking out her blog, I decided she was funny enough and crazy enough to warrant reading the book. Was I right?

Well, Let's Pretend This Never Happened definitely made me laugh, so in that sense, yes.

Reading it really made me think about the differences in writing styles for different genres, though. Specifically, blog writing vs. memoir writing vs. novel writing.

Let me be clear that I'm not talking about writing ability. There are certainly plenty of bloggers out there whose unedited writing is nothing special, but those particular bloggers aren't getting book deals.

Incidentally, there are also plenty of published authors who would be incapable of amassing a large blog audience, much less entertaining them on a regular basis. Blogging effectively takes a certain style of writing--an in-your-face style that grabs readers' attention on the screen before they can click away to the next thing. Most people who read books will give them at least 2-3 pages before deciding it's not for them. Blog readers will give you a paragraph. Unless it's a long paragraph, in which case....C-ya.

Lawson's writing style is perfect for blogging. She has an irreverent and self-deprecating sense of humor, and a no-holds-barred honesty that probably embarrasses friends and family while making her regular readers alternately nod in agreement and snort coffee at their computer screens. Her book chapters have the same tone, making the pace of some of the longer chapters relentless, almost to the point of being manic. Yes, the book is intensely funny at times. Emphasis on the "intense." I sometimes needed to put it down just to give my brain a break.

Other chapters that would have been mildly amusing as blog posts (a series of increasingly ridiculous notes to her husband about a pizza box left out, for example), fell flat for me as a book chapter.  No problem--I just skipped over them, same as I would with a blog post that didn't strike me. Most of us expect to do this with blogs (and newspapers, magazines, pretty much any website), but with a book, skipping a chapter feels like cheating.

Friend: "Did you read Let's Pretend This Never Happened?"
Ali: "Yes! Well, all but that one chapter with the pizza box notes. And, actually...I kind of misplaced it toward the end, so I'm not sure I actually finished it. But, I did read most of it. Pretty much.

Now, imagine a conversation that goes:

Friend: "Do you read Confessions of a Pioneer Woman?"
Ali: "Yes! Well, to be honest, I only skimmed her last photo contest, and I don't exactly read the recipes, step by step. Oh, and there was one post last week about bottle feeding cows that I got distracted in the middle of and forgot to finish. But I do read most of it. Pretty much."

No, the conversation is more likely to go like this:

Friend: "Do you read Confessions of a Pioneer Woman?"
Ali: Yes! I love her.
Friend: Did you read the article about bottle feeding calves?
Ali: Um...maybe. I don't remember. When's it from?
Friend: Last week, I think.
Ali: Oh, I might have skipped it. I've been really busy.
Friend: You should read it, it's adorable.

(And by the way, I have these exact same conversations with people who read my blog, and it doesn't hurt my feelings in the least. This is how we manage online reading. No apologies necessary.)

I would prefer that a book didn't read like a blog, but this one does. And it's selling incredibly well--Lawson's fans adore her and so word of mouth is working its magic. As a blog-in-a-book, it's a good read. I just wonder if permeating the world of books with blog writing is a good thing.

C.O.R.A. Diversity Roll Call: Blogs

This week rather than diversity in books, I'd like to focus on diversity in book bloggers.

For me, part of the joy of blogging—and of the Roll Call in particular—is learning from such a wide variety of people. It's been a great chance for me to open myself up to new ideas and perspectives. (Okay, it's backfired on me a couple of times, and I've stuck my foot in my mouth, but those are stories for another day.) At the same time, I notice that the vast majority of book bloggers seem to fall into the same demographic.

So this happens to be my week to write the question for both Weekly Geeks and the C.O.R.A. Diversity Roll Call. So, I thought to myself: "What a great opportunity! Just this once, I'll meld the two memes into one big Diversity-Geek-Roll-Call thingy, offering the chance for Geeks and C.O.R.A.s to play together." (If you normally do both, you can either consider yourself off the hook for one, or do one option for each, or whatever suits you best.)

Pick one of these:

1)Write a post highlighting one or more bloggers who are extremely different from you in some way. For example, think about blogger(s) who:
a. Identify with another race and/or ethnicity, religion, cultural background, age, etc. from you
b. Live the farthest from you
c. Have entirely different tastes in books from you (but you love their blog anyway)

If you can't think of any, go exploring and find some! Or . . .

2) Write a "Personals Ad" post to find bloggers who are outside your norm. Mine might read:

MWF (married white female) homeschool mom from a Pacific Northwest U.S. city seeks bloggers who enjoy literary (but not too literary) fiction, long walks on the beach, music, and will make me laugh.

Then other participants can recommend bloggers (including themselves, of course) who come from a different demographic and have similar interests.

3)Another option: If you consider yourself to be in the minority in some way in the blogosphere, write about that experience and/or highlight favorite bloggers who fit into that same subgroup. Interpretation of this is up to you—-be creative! If we look hard enough, we're probably all different-from-the-norm in one way or another.

When your post is done, add it to the Mr. Linky here, AND head over to Weekly Geeks and put your link there, too. (Weekly Geeks runs Saturday through Friday and has the same open door policy that the Diversity Roll Call does—new people show up every week and are welcome to join in once, or as often as they wish).

Be sure to visit the other posts to discover new bloggers, recommend some old favorites, and maybe broaden some horizons a bit in the process.

It's Meet-a-blogger Day!

As part of Book Blogger Appreciation Week, I've had the pleasure of interviewing Katie, a twenty-five year old YA librarian from the Chicago area, who blogs at Read What You Know. Katie has only been blogging since June, so obviously this is her first BBAW--she hopes that participating in BBAW will help her cement her book blogging and make new blogging friends. Katie says, "When I'm not blogging, reading, or being a librarian, I can be found in any of the local Chicago theatres, watching Broadway musicals. I just love them." Read on to get to know more about Katie. And, if all goes well, there will be an interview with me on Katie's blog at some point today. Seeing as I spaced on sending her the answers to her questions until, er (:::Ali checks her watch:::) 14 minutes ago, we'll allow her some slack, shall we?

Edited: Katie got my interview posted in an astounding 23 minutes! You rock, Katie!

What's the highlight of your job as a YA librarian?

That's an easy one -- sharing books with teens. My day is made when I have a teen come into the library just to chat about a book they've been reading. Or if they come into the library to talk about school and then ask me what's new in the section.

Do you have an opinion about adults who blog about teen books, just because we like them?

I think that teen books need adults just as much as they need teens. Adults are the ones who control a lot of the book industry. Adults choose the books to be published, choose the books sent to libraries and bookstores, and choose to read these books of course! Anyone who loves books should be happy that people are reading books, no matter how old the reader or the intended book audience.

Have there been any books you've thought teens would love, that they surprised you by not generally liking them as much as you thought?

The "Blue Bloods" series didn't go over like I thought it would. When I heard about the books, I thought they were genius -- marrying the "Gossip Girl" and "Twilight" population in one series. But I think the book wound up being too melded. Not enough gossip and drama, not enough blood-sucking fiends and love triangles. But it has found it's own audience, it just wasn't who I expected to check it out.

How about books teens love that you just don't see the appeal of?

I see the appeal of horror and zombies, but I have a hard time getting into them personally. I've had "The Forest of Hands and Teeth" checked out for nearly two weeks at this point (our checkout time is three) and I keep putting it off. I'm scared of the possible gore!

Are there blogs or other sources you routinely turn to for reviews of YA books when deciding what to read/order?

Absolutely. I read a *bunch* of YA review blogs, both professional and non-professional. I try to read across a wide variety of ages too. So, yes, I read teen blogs and adult blogs. I love using the amazing resources that YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) puts out every year, including the BBYA (Best Books for Young Adults) committee's work and other booklists. I also read VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates) -- a special review journal/magazine that only reviews young adult books. I also let my teens do a fair amount of selection. They know that they can always request a book and I'll do my best to get it in the collection.

I'm curious about the population of teens you serve--is it pretty diverse? What sorts of things do you do to meet the needs of teens of varied backgrounds?

I serve an incredibly diverse population. At the 2000 census, my community was 54% Hispanic/Latino. We are predicting that the number is actually closer to 75% for the 2010 census. The rest of the community is split about half and half between African-Americans and Caucasians.

I have the benefit of being raised in this community my whole life, so it's easy for me to relate to my teens because they know I went to their high school and they see me around the neighborhood, eating out at the local pizza place and shopping. (Like Target. Every time I go, I run into someone from the library!)

One of the things that I really try my hardest to do is to listen to what teens want. Some of my teens really take to reading Hispanic authors like Isabel Allende, Sandra Cisneros, and René Saldaña. Some of my teens don't want to read Hispanic authors. What I try to do is to present options to them. So, I stock a little bit of everything and make sure to let them know that whatever their reading choice is, it's fine by me.

Do you ever take the time to read books that aren't YA?

Yes! Occasionally, heh. I actually made a New Year's Resolution to try and read a bit more out of YA. It hasn't gone so well... Right now, I'm reading "Columbine" by Dave Cullen. I have "Julie and Julia" by Julie Powell (43 holds), "The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown (somewhere around 558 holds), and "Her Fearful Symmetry" by Audrey Niffenegger (71 holds) all on hold at the library. Mostly popular reads.

How about a favorite book (or top 2-3) of the year?

Yikes. I think this is the hardest question yet. I loved "Jellicoe Road" by Melina Marchetta (this year's Printz Award winner) and refused to read another book for about a week after I finished it. "Hate List" by Jennifer Brown ripped my heart out, stomped on it, and mended it all under 420 pages. And of course, I read both "The Hunger Games" and "Catching Fire" and spoiler-free, cannot wait until the third book comes out. "Fire" by Kristin Cashore was also beautiful. I can't wait until it's out in the world. It's been a great year for YA.

It's been great getting to know you, Katie, and I hope BBAW turns out to be all you had hoped it would be!

One Day I'll Post a Book Review....

...but in the meantime, here's a brief interview that Alea of Pop Culture Junkie was kind enough to do with me:

1 What is your favorite time period to read about?

Top favorite: Right this very minute!
Least favorite (not that you asked): Call me resentful but the retrospective Sixties Baby Boomer coming-of-age stuff, makes my skin crawl.
Also, it takes a very special book for me to enjoy a futuristic setting.

2 Is there an author you have no interest in reading?
Stephen King (Loved On Writing, but his fiction is not for me. I tried.) And most authors who hit the Bestseller list every year or two, with a new book each time.

3 Do you listen to books on cd?
Occasionally on car trips, but my mind wanders and I miss stuff.

4 Do you keep many of your books after you read them? If not, what do
you do with them?
Most of them I return to the library. I love to loan my ARCs to friends and have them pass them on to friends, and so on. I'd like to do Book Crossing but haven't gotten it together yet.

5 What's the worst damage you have done to a book? How did it happen?
We bought a new Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook because we used the old one so much it was falling apart. Not long after we bought it, I spilled something on it and didn't realize it until I found the entire Index stuck together in one thick clump of pages. We still use the cookbook, though.

I also have some award/meme catch-up to do.

Jessi of Casual Dread gave me the Premios Dardo Award, which acknowledges the values that every blogger shows in his or her effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values every day. I'm supposed to pass this award along to 15 people, which I think is a great idea in this particular case. At first I thought I could choose the other people besides Jessi who are participating in my Diversity Rocks challenge, but alas (ha!) there are more than 15 of them! I can't pick some and not others, so I'm going to let it rest here.

And lastly, Rebecca of Lost in Books tagged me ages ago for a happiness meme. Six things that make me happy:

1. Sleeping in my own bed, with my own squishy pillow, after a trip.
2. My sister, who's coming to see me Friday!!!!
3. When something I wrote makes somebody laugh.
4. Watching my boys find their own music to love. Who knew a band like Linkin Park would bring me such joy, indirectly?
5. Deciding to take a family trip in the unlikely month of February, and being treated to unexpected sunny warm weather.
6. Helping people connect with each other--basically, what I've been working at these past few days when I was giving presentations to homeschoolers and potential homeschoolers, instead of writing book reviews.

In Lieu of a Review

I'm trying to get my kids to help me with a review and they'd rather skateboard and play computer games. Maybe later, they say. I could insist on doing it now, and proceed to enlighten you with, "It was fine. Pretty good. Yeah. Yep. Can we go now?" Think I'll stick with "Maybe later," for now.

So, Wrighty at Wrighty's Reads gave me an award! And then Softdrink gave it to me again! Rather than thanking the academy, my role is to complete three tasks. First, announce to my adoring fans, six values that are important to me. Here you go:

Respect for all people
Respect for the earth
Helping others
Hope
Supporting/spending time with my family
Honesty

Next, name six things I don't support: racism, banning people in love from marrying, the oil industry, slave labor, Wal Mart, and war.

And third, share the love with six other bloggers. I'd like to present the Kreativ Blogger awards to:

1. Best New Blogger: Kisha Masala Keesh's first post was December 30th and I knew she was a blogger to watch from day one, with her Reading Questionnaire. She's since joined challenge after challenge (including mine), posted a recipe, and come up with other reading goals. I'm looking forward to keeping up with Kisha in 2009!
2. Most Inspiring: A Striped Armchair. Eva's World Citizen Challenge is inspiring many of us to read books we would have passed over, and the way she set up the challenge guided me in creating my own challenge. Not only that, but her reviews inspire me to read books I've never heard of before, more than any other blogger I can think of.
3. Most Unpredictable: Bowling For Monkeys. Dark Dwelf never fails to surprise me with what he chooses to put on his blog. He can also be credited for helping me learn new facets of blogging because I'm his tech support. One day he'll be my tech support person, I'm sure. Until them, he's pretty good at nagging me to learn things (such as posting playlists and videos) I didn't know I wanted to learn how to do.
4. Most Upbeat: Alea at Pop Culture Junkie. She's already received a Kreativ Blogger award but I want to recognize her anyway, for her contagious enthusiasm and her generous help with the graphic for my reading challenge.
5. Most Mouth-watering: Magpie Eats. Magpie's always cooking something unique and delicious and every so often she honors us with a recipe to inspire us. And her homemade donuts are spectacular.
6. Most Appreciated: You. And you, and you: all of you. Thank you for reading my blog, and thanks especially for leaving comments to let me know you're here. (Also, you. You know who you are.)

Oven Pancake

When I started this blog it was going to be very serious and professional-like, as distinguished from my personal blog which is fairly silly and low-key. Then I started noticing which blogs I keep going back to: the ones with personality. The serious and professional ones? Not so much. I decided to lighten up.

Even so, it feels a little strange, putting a recipe on this blog. (Do I feel strange about recipes on other book blogs? Why, no. I've gotten great recipes from Books and Cooks and others. Maw Books even asks authors for their favorite recipes when she interviews them. I love that!)

Anyway, I just discovered a new blog, B&b ex libris--she mentioned Powells on another blog and my ears (eyes?) perked up. Turns out she's down in Corvallis, a couple hours away from me. Anyhow, she's having a contest to give away Katie Brown Celebrates and in order to enter I need to post one of my favorite recipes.

This is one of my family's favorite breakfasts. We call it Pannu Kakku, because we used to make a Finnish recipe of that name, but we lost the recipe or returned the book to the library or something. We found similar recipe in a church cookbook, but it's called Dutch Babies and we've since adapted it so it's probably not authentically Finnish at all at this point but we still call it Pannu Kakku because it sounds cooler than Oven Pancake and Babies baked in the oven? That's just gross.

I stole the picture off the internet, but this is the same dish we cook ours in. Turns out Pannukakku is one word.

1 Tbs. butter (this is way less than the original recipe calls for)
5 eggs or equivalent in Eggbeaters
1 1/4 cup milk
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 fresh lemon, sliced into wedges
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Melt butter in two 2-quart pans in a 425 degree oven.
Meanwhile, put eggs in a blender and blend for 1 minute on high. Slowly pour in milk, then flour, and blend 30 seconds. Pour batter into hot pan and bake 20-25 minutes, until it looks like that picture except without so much butter pooled in the top. Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over the top and powdered sugar.

Serves 4 hungry people.

Weekly Geeks: Dear Dewey

Dear Dewey,

Becky at Becky's Book Reviews suggested a Weekly Geeks post in your memory this week. At first, I wasn't going to do it. I thought it was a nice idea, but.

But, what? I don't know. Just, but.

Writing this in letter form is sort of silly, I guess. I mean, I hope what awaits us after death is something...different, from reading blog posts about ourselves. But here's what I'd tell you, Dewey, if you were reading:

You would be proud of us, I think. In the days since we learned of your passing, book bloggers have visited each other's blogs to mourn your departure, together. Made plans to donate to causes in your name. Stepped up and networked and supported each other in hopes of keeping your legacy going. The Read-athon will likely happen in April. The challenges you started will happen, and a new one is being planned in your memory. Bookworms Carnivals will continue.

Weekly Geeks will take a hiatus now, because we know we can't fill your shoes and right now we just need to miss you for a while. But there are 17 of us right now working behind the scenes and, starting the second Saturday in January, a new weekly geeks will launch, dedicated to you.

Yes, Dewey: It will take 17 of us to accomplish just one of the many contributions you made. Seventeen. We hope we can manage it.

Because of your efforts, many of us have gotten to know our fellow book bloggers a little bit better. Since you've been gone, those connections have grown in an effort to fill the holes you left behind. We're appreciating each other just a little bit more. And I know I'm not the only one who's hugging my loved ones those few extra times this week.

Thank you, and God speed,

Ali

The Bookshelf Meme (in memory of Dewey)

Eva at A Striped Armchair has created a lovely meme. I'm dedicating my response to Dewey, who passed away a week ago, and to all the book bloggers who are working hard behind the scenes to show what the community that people like Dewey helped build can do when we work together.

It quickly becomes apparent from reading book blogs that books are not only a collection of words on paper, but also physical objects that we treasure. With that in mind, here’s a brief glimpse onto my bookshelves!

The Rules
1. Tag 3-5 people, so the fun keeps going!
2. Leave a comment at the original post at A Striped Armchair, so that Eva can collect everyone’s answers.
3. If you leave a comment and link back to Eva as the meme’s creator, she will enter you in a book giveaway contest! She has a whole shelf devoted to giveaway books that you’ll be able to choose from, or a bookmooch point if you prefer.
4. Remember that this is all about enjoying books as physical objects, so feel free to describe the exact book you’re talking about, down to that warping from being dropped in the bath water…
5. Make the meme more fun with visuals! Covers of the specific edition you’re talking about, photos of your bookshelves, etc.

The book that’s been on your shelves the longest:
These are some of my Winnie the Pooh books. I'm not sure if these are Chris' from when he was a boy, or my dad's. I have my dad's old Pooh bear, too. I also have my own "new" set (a mere 35 years old or so?) which we use now when we read Pooh. My dad read these books to my mom when she was pregnant with my sister, lots of people read them to me. And there's nothing better than Pooh to cheer a sick or grumpy boy or girl.

A book that reminds you of something specific in your life (a person, a place, a time, etc.):
I inherited several cookbooks from my parents when they moved to England for two years and needed to put things in storage; this is one of them. I always thought this book was funny because the title sounds like the poor woman married a cookbook. My mom married a rather particular Italian (who wasn't a cookbook) and I have no idea if this book helped matters but she's an amazing cook without it, and so is he.

A book you acquired in some interesting way (gift, serendipity in a used bookstore, prize, etc.):
I couldn't think of one so I asked my kids, and Evan suggested the Maze of Bones, by Rick Riordan. We were at our little local bookstore to cash in the boys' prize coupons from the library Summer Reading Program, when we noticed a sign advertising tickets to see Rick Riordan speak. The tickets included a copy of the book. I bought the tickets and then realized I couldn't attend, but my husband took them. They were a little disappointed in the talk (too short), but enjoyed getting the book signed by Rick, and they were in luck: he came back to town a few weeks later to give a longer talk.

The most recent addition to your shelves:
Well, this is the most recent book I've bought, though several have come from publishers since then but I can't remember the order in which they arrived. The story of how we got this book is pretty interesting, too: Got Books?


A book that’s been with you to the most places:

Rise Up Singing is our folk song book, and we bring it along on almost every camping trip or group outing when Chris is able to fit his guitar in the car. There's usually singing, but even if there isn't the book doesn't take up much space in the car.



A bonus book that you want to talk about but doesn’t fit into the other questions:

I know, I know, it looks like a messy stack of papers, plus a red binder and a green binder. And, it is! But I couldn't take a picture of my heart and post it on the internet, so I did the next best thing--the papers are mostly old drafts that have been through my critique group, come back to me marked up, and been revised on the computer. I actually have a nicely spiral-bound version of the first draft I could have taken a picture of, but it's upstairs where my boys are sleeping and bears little resemblance to the closer-to-finished product anymore. Maybe one day you can all review it and say, "I saw it when..."

Tags: I tag everyone who has ever been a Weekly Geek, participated in a Bookworms Carnival, the Readathon, or any of Dewey's Challenges.

Goodbye, Dewey

A gaping hole has opened up in the internet.

4 things + 7 things

I guess that would be eleven things, right? I've been tagged for two memes. I did Four Things for Care on my other blog because I'm doing NaBloPoMo over there and needed a post, but I never got around to posting it here, until now. This version is slightly different.

Four Jobs I’ve Had:
Child Development Specialist
Group Home houseparent
Lab assistant for monkey research
Secretary for counseling agency

Four Movies I Can Watch Many Times:
Harold and Maude
Monty Python and the Life of Brian
West Side Story
Grease

Four Places I’ve Lived:
Wisconsin
Mexico
England
Portland, Oregon

Four TV Shows I Love(d):
'70s: Happy Days
'80s: Thirtysomething
'90s: Friends
'00s: Medium

Four Places I’ve Vacationed:
Tuscany, Italy
Paris
Morocco
San Juan Islands (Washington)

Four Novels (or series) I have enjoyed rereading:
The Harry Potter series
Pippi Longstocking
Jane Eyre
Harriet the Spy

Four Websites I Visit Often:
Librarything.com
Allrecipes.com
Nathan Bransford
Care's Online Book club

Four Places I'd Like to Be Right Now: (I'm changing this one)
At my sister's house in Massachussetts
At my mom and dad's house in California
In Hawaii
Hiking. In the sunshine.

And now, from Marina the Texas Book Woman, I'm instructed to post seven random and/or weird facts about myself.

1. When I was 15 I cut my hair all short and spiky and listened to the Dead Kennedies and the Sex Pistols.
2. That was pretty much the extent of my rebellion. I never smoked, never got drunk, never cut school. I was probably the straightest-laced punk fan in the midwest.
3. I started dating my husband when I was nearly 16 and he was just barely 18. He was a very nice young man. He still is, though the youngness is starting to be less apparent to outsiders, who rightly assume that he's nearing middle age.
4. I was raised without any type of religion unless you count common sense and being open to all humankind. Now I go to a UU church. Common sense and being open to all humankind is still my religion, but I get to do it with more people. And sing.
5. Some brilliant bloggers post so often that I end up skimming or skipping posts, no matter how I love the blog, even though it pains me to do so. For this reason, I do my best not to post more than once a day and to skip days here and there to give my faithful readers a chance to catch up. (No, really!)
6. Neither of my kids has ever been to school, or asked to go, but my oldest is mildly considering high school in three years. Mostly because the high school is next to our nearest skate park.
7. Whenever we have pie for dessert (which isn't terribly often) I let my kids eat pie for breakfast the next day. With whipped cream.

I'm supposed to tag 7 people but the tagging, it always makes me think of chain letters. I refuse to succumb to peer pressure. If you're willing to do this meme, let me know and I'll edit to tag you retroactively. If seven of you do it you'll make me look really good!

First tag: Green Dads (a.k.a. Book Dads) for the 4 Things. Thanks, Green-book dad!

Views to other reviews

For Weekly Geeks this week, I'm delving into Dewey's archives as instructed and digging up Weekly Geeks #2.

An invitation: If we've reviewed the same book, please post the link in the comments and I'll place a link to your review in the body of my review post. This goes for future reviews as well as any in my archives. Please post a link to your review, not here, but in the comments of the review itself.

Here are the books I've reviewed or highlighted on Worducopia:
Skim, a graphic novel by Mariko Tamaki
Breakfast in Bridgetown, nonfiction about Portland and breakfast, by Paul Gerald
Skate, fiction by Michael Harmon
Sweethearts, fiction by Sara Zarr
The Last Exit to Normal, fiction by Michael Harmon
The Disreputable History of Frankie Laundau-Banks, fiction by E. Lockheart
Attack of the Theater People fiction, by Marc Acito
Resistance, memoir by Agnes Humbert
The Longest Trip Home, memoir by John Grogan
Blue Genes, memoir by Christopher Lukas
The Rules for Hearts, fiction by Sara Ryan
The Swap, fiction by Antony Moore
Too Cool to be Forgotten, graphic novel by Alex Robinson
Guernica, fiction by Dave Boling
Getting the Girl, fiction by Susan Juby
Diets for Healthy Healing, nonfiction by Linda Page
Freeze Frame, fiction by Heidi Ayarbe
The Film Club, memoir by David Gilmour
Just Do It, memoir, by Doug Brown
The Shiniest Jewel, graphic memoir by Marian Henley
Wife in the North, blog-in-a-book by Judith O'Reilly
When We Were Romans, fiction by Matthew Kneale
Ten Cents a Dance, fiction by Christine Fletcher
The Castle Corona, juvenile fiction by Sharon Creech
The Complete Persepolis, graphic memoir by Mariane Satrapi
Sins of the Fathers, fiction by Chris Lynch
The Hours, A Home at the End of the World, Specimen Days, and Flesh and Blood fiction by Michael Cunningham
Ron Carlson Writes a Story, The Speed of Light, Five Skies and A Kind of Flying by Ron Carlson

Phew! That was a lot of html!

I also have reviews coming soon of The American Boys' Handy Book, My Father's Paradise, Peak, and The Adoration of Jenna Fox. If you've already reviewed any of those books, no need to wait. Go ahead and post the link in the comments of this post.

What's on my Nightstand: October

Here's what I planned to read last month, let's see how I did:

Sweethearts (Sara Zarr) Loved it. Reviewed it.
Cures for Heartbreak (Margo Rabb) Still on the stack.
Attack of the Theater People (Marc Acito) Loved it. Couldn't review it due to a conflict of interest.
The Year of Magical Thinking (Joan Didion) Had to return it to the library unread, alas. I'm not doing very well on my New Classics list.
Blue Genes (Christopher Lukas) Read half of it. Set it aside for now.
My Father's Paradise (Ariel Sabar) Reading it right now. Loving it!
The Longest Trip Home (John Grogan) Read half of it. Decided not to finish it. Read another review and changed my mind.

I also read some other stuff, and I could link to the reviews here or you could just scroll down the page and there they'd be, like magic!

Currently on my nightstand: Breakfast in Bridgetown, which I reviewed but am still savoring one breakfast at a time and My Father's Paradise.

I have a huge pile of books to read. Next on my list:

The Gargoyle (Andrew Davidson) : Many people loved this. I'm sitting on a library copy that's due November 12th, so I hope to be able to finish it by then.
The Adoration of Jenna Fox (Mary Pearson) : On my Mock Printz Award list, and due at the library November 22.
Little Brother (Cory Doctorow) : Also on the Mock Printz Award list. I was hoping to put this one off til last because it's not my favorite genre of YA but it's also due back on the 22nd. Hopefully it will suprise me. Or enough people will return their copies by then that I'll be able to renew it after all.
And, again, Margo Raab's Cures for Heartbreak, which I really hope to get to this month.

Here's how my kids and I did:

Maze of Bones (Rick Riordan) Finished it. Haven't reviewed it yet. My kids liked it a lot, I thought it was just OK.
Peak (Roland Smith) We're about halfway through.
Night of the Howling Dogs (Graham Salisbury) Haven't gotten to it yet, and it's no longer next on our list because we must read...
Sea of Monsters (Rick Riordan): We went to see Rick give a reading and it motivated my kids to want to get back to this one, which we paused in the middle of this summer when it wouldn't renew. So we'll read it first, as soon as we finish Peak, which is good but slow going, as you might expect when reading a YA novel to an 8 year old.

What's on Your Nightstand is a monthly carnival hosted by 5 Minutes for Books. Click on the link to participate.

Blog hopping

This week, we're digging into the archives of our fellow Weekly Geeks.

At Reading Comes from Writing, Blondierocket posts brief reviews of the books she's read, and through her archives I found several I want to check into. I just placed a hold on Journals (Kurt Cobain's journal), and will probably do the same for The Wishing Year and Between Here and April. Thanks for the recommendations, Blondierocket!

Alisonwonderland posted a review of the graphic novel Plain Janes which looks like just the type of graphic novel I like. I also enjoyed her post about How's the volume?, about how her reading volume has changed over the years.

And then there was Behold, the Thing that Reads Books. Sarah absolutely cracked me up. I loved her post called First Post, which isn't actually her first post but close. It begins: "This is the first time I have been reading actual books." (After she defines what she means by actual books this sentence makes total sense). Sarah writes no-nonsense reviews giving a teen perspective of literature, from Crime and Punishment ("My first book by a Russian author failed to impress me. Everyone told me it's great. IT'S NOT. It's a long, long, boring, book about a guy who kills 2 people and can't manage his money. That's all. Don't read it.") to East of Eden ("If you are in for a book that will make you think, go for it! This is going on my list of favorite books, so obviously it is a 5/5").

Ready to do more blog hopping? Here are two other Weekly Geeks who are participating in this archival research: Kristina, and Rachel at American Bibliophile

Blogrolls & Bookstores

In honor of Book Blogger Appreciation Week, I've finally added a blogroll to my sidebar. These aren't all the book blogs that I read regularly--I often follow links from LibraryThing and from people who comment on my blog. Also, there are some blogs which blogger couldn't find today, including Maw Books and The Hidden Side of a Leaf, which hosts Weekly Geeks.

In book review news, I finished Nick Harkaway's The Gone-Away World It was a relief to be done, but I'm also glad I stuck it out. Lots to think about. Since I already posted once about this book I'm not going to do a full review of it here, but I put a short one up on LibraryThing.

I've also been wanting to take a moment to talk about Indiebound , and their support of independent booksellers. If you follow the link I provide for the title of a book, it usually leads to an Indiebound page where, if you enter your zipcode, you pull up several local-to-you booksellers so you can see if they have the book onhand and either go get it or order it online. If your favorite bookstore isn't listed, perhaps you could do them the favor of suggesting to them that it might be useful to them to join.

Why bother ordering books from your local bookstore when you could just as easily (more easily, even) click it through on Amazon and it will show up at your door? Here are a few reasons, courtesy of the Indiebound website:

The Economy
Spend $100 at a local and $68 of that stays in your community. Spend the same $100 at a national chain, and your community only sees $43.
Local businesses create higher-paying jobs for our neighbors.
More of your taxes are reinvested in your community--where they belong.
The Environment
Buying local means less packaging, less transportation, and a smaller carbon footprint.
Shopping in a local business district means less infrastructure, less maintenance, and more money to beautify your community.
The Community
Local retailers are your friends and neighbors—support them and they’ll support you.
Local businesses donate to charities at more than twice the rate of national chains.
More independents means more choice, more diversity, and a truly unique community.

If you're a blogger, Indiebound has an affiliate program that offers a kickback when people order via the link on your site, as does Powells.com, the online version of Powell's City of Books, a monster of an independent bookseller based in Portland, Oregon.

What Vanessa Reads

As part of Book Blogger Appreciation Week, I'm interviewing fellow book blogger Vanessa. I was thrilled to be paired up with Vanessa because she's part of a growing segment of the book blogger community: teens who blog about books. These young people are articulate and thoughtful and they love, love, love to read! I consider them a beacon of hope for the future of the reading world. I know, I know: it sounds hokey. But read on, and you'll see what I mean.

Vanessa is a 15-year-old tenth-grader whose family moved to Florida from Venezuela when she was 7. She comes from a close-knit family, with 3 brothers ages 12, 1, and negative-one-month (due in October!). Here she is:
Vanessa doesn't just have one book blog, she's all over the web. I asked her to tell us about the different websites she's involved in:

Vanessa: I'm involved in a couple of projects... I can't stop joining... they're all so cool! Well, first and foremost, my book blog at What Vanessa Reads. Then I'm involved in a couple of memes and groups. Teen Tuesday is a blog where you post weekly about what you've been reading and read what other members have been reading, I love posting there. I just recently joined a new meme called Wired Wednesday which is pretty cool, you just answer the questions every Wednesday about how you're feeling and what you're reading, etc. On Thursdays I post on a common meme called Booking Through Thursday. Saturdays are reserved for Young Adult Book Bloggerswhich is where members of the blogosphere who post on YA give blogging tips and talk about cool books. And last but not least, the forum/message board I started at likeomgteensread.com where you can post any day and everyday and join in with many readers around the world to discuss about YA books.

Worducopia: Besides reading and writing, what do you spend your time doing?

Hmm, if I'm not reading or writing I am probably commenting all around the blogosphere. As for outside the internet world I'm really attached to my baby brother Junior and am always playing with him. I also like to chat on AIM with friends. I love to listen to music. And like any other teenaged girl I am a total teen-drama-show-watcher. I'm currently into Gossip Girl (the show, not the books) and 90210.

Does your family speak Spanish at home, or English, or a combination of the two? Did you know English before moving to the U.S.?

My family speaks Spanish and English. I speak Spanglish with my dad, Spanish with my stepmom, and English with my brother. When I talk to my mom on the phone or go visit her we speak English and Spanish. I didn't know English before I moved. Learning English was hard at first but I had a very caring teacher named Mrs. Ruiz who was super nice to me. I remember lucidly asking to go to the bathroom just to hide out there and not be in the class where I felt different since I didn't know the language. Mrs. Ruiz would come get me and try to calm me down if I was crying. I still talk to her to this day and really I owe all my English to her... she helped me learn the basics in like 3 months.

Have you been back to Venezuela, and do you still have family there?

I haven't gone back to Venezuela since I left eight years ago. Money is tight these days so I don't think I'll be going anytime soon. Even if we did have money for a vacation like that it would be a little on the dangerous side based on the conditions Venezuela is in right now because of its president and such. Yes, I have ALL my family there (except my mom who's in Canada). All of my grandmas, aunts, uncles, and cousins are there.

What are some of your favorite characters in books you've read?

My favorite characters include the following:
Elizabeth Holland from The Luxe series by Anna Godbersen
Remy Starr from This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen
Ruby Oliver from the Ruby Oliver series by E. Lockhart
Georgia Nicolson from the Georgia Nicolson series by Louise Rennison
Hannah Baker from Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

How about some books you liked, or hated, that were assigned at school?

Recently I read Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck for school (10th grade). It started slow but picks up and is such an amazing story. I also liked Animal Farm by George Orwell (8th grade). That Was Then, This Is Now by S.E Hinton was super astounding (9th grade)! I liked it better than The Outsiders. That's all I remember... my English teacher this year is making us read 8 books, so this list will probably grow.

Do you feel like authors of YA books have a good sense of what life is like for teens today?

Yes, I absolutely think they do. If they didn't know how teens feel and act then I wouldn't be wasting my time reading their work. I love reading books that center on YA and think to myself as I'm reading "that's totally what a person like that would say/act if they were real and not make-believe". YA authors inspire me because they know what they are writing about, they're writing about situations that could actually happen and are totally credible.

See what I mean about articulate and thoughtful? Vanessa, you're an amazing girl and I'm so glad I got to know you a little bit through B.B.A.W. and am looking forward to keeping up with your blog!

Weekly Geeks, Gone-Away world Q & A

Lenore interviewed me about Nick Harkaway's The Gone-Away World as part of this week's Weekly Geeks thing.

First, the blurb: From rural childhood in Cricklewood Cove to military service in a bewildering foreign war; from Jarndice University to the sawdust of the Nameless Bar; their story is the story of the Gone-Away World. It is the history of a friendship stretched beyond its limits; a tale of love and loss; of ninjas, pirates, politics; of curious heroism in strange and dangerous places. Equal parts raucous adventure, comic odyssey, geek nirvana, and cool epic, this is The Gone-Away World.

Lenore: The Gone-away World is a 500 pager - how long did it take you to read it?

Ali: I'm still reading it!

It's been a much slower read than I expected, actually. I've been reading it exclusively (meaning, no other books--I do stop to eat, sleep, and homeschool my children) for 10 days, which would normally be enough time for me to finish a book of that length ... and I'm on page 315. Why is it taking so long? Well, there's a pretty high ratio of exposition to dialogue, and the style is more dense than it first appears, partly because of the English style of humor. There's a lot that's funny if you read it right, but it might take a second look to get it. Also, it seems to be a pretty easy book to put down. I'm not staying up too late at night reading it, like I often do.

Lenore: Do you have any insight on why the author might have chosen the title?

Yes, it's a perfect title for the storyline, in which scientists invent a weapon that can make the enemy disappear completely. The bulk of the book takes place during and after an apocolyptic war, nicknamed "The Go Away War," during which this weapon is used and misused by many countries, with catastrophic consequences. Entire sections of the world disappear, and some living things become sort of half-real, before scientists invent the technology to stop the distruction. The main character and his team are striving to contain the stuff before the entire world disappears.

The jacket copy touts the novel's "stunning futuristic vision a la A Clockwork Orange and 1984". Have you read these novels and if so, how does this novel compare?

There's definitely a similarity, in the sense that the theme is, "Where are we headed?" The authors of each of the three titles used fiction to extrapolate an undesirable future and thus asked the reader to evaluate the present. Actually, though, I would liken The Gone-Away World more to the movie Brazil.

What is one scene that really stands out in your mind when thinking back on the whole?

In the middle of this horrendous war, the narrator is on the verge of falling in love with a nurse he's been unable to spend any time with outside the military hospital where he's been a patient. At her request, he asks her out on a date. But in the middle of a war zone, there's no place suitable for any kind of date.His best friend, a young man of considerable influence, arranges a reconnaissance mission to an old abandoned castle-like building, and the team manages to turn one room into a "restaurant," with food ("a wild blend of Asia and Southern European), wine (made from mangos) and music to dance to (a paper-and-comb "harmonica," percussion, and jazz vocals). It's a fun scene and very indicative of the friendship between these two guys, and the fact that life and love must go on even in the face of war.

This is Nick Harkaway's first novel - would you want to read more from him?

I would, but probably not another 500-pager. One reviewer raved about this book as "a sprawling epic." Sprawling: not an adjective that I, as a writer, would consider complimentary. A little tightening (say, 100 pages worth) would have made it a better novel. The first chapter takes place chronologically in the middle of the story. Then Harkaway devotes 270 pages to the background, starting when the narrator was a young boy. Much of it was crucial to the plot, much of it was funny or interesting. But plenty of it could have been cut to keep the momentum of the story moving back to the middle more quickly.

Update: The book took a definitely turn for the weird, in a good way, on page 323. At the moment, it's riveting. I'll give a final assessment when I'm finished.

Weekly Geeks, Black Box Q & A

Lenore, of Presenting Lenore answers my questions about Black Box by Julie Schumacher. Here's what publisher Random House has to say about this YA novel: WHEN DORA, ELENA’S older sister, is diagnosed with depression and has to be admitted to the hospital, Elena can’t seem to make sense of their lives anymore. At school, the only people who acknowledge Elena are Dora’s friends and Jimmy Zenk—who failed at least one grade and wears black every day of the week. And at home, Elena’s parents keep arguing with each other. Elena will do anything to help her sister get better and get their lives back to normal—even when the responsibility becomes too much to bear.

Worducopia: Black Box focuses on depression. Is it a depressing book to read?

Lenore: It does seem like it would be, but it’s not. It’s actually manages to be highly enlightening and informative without straying into “afterschool special” territory.

The book is told from the perspective of Elena, whose sister Dora is suffering from depression. Which of these girls would you say was the main character of the story?

Unquestionably Elena. Sure, Dora gets all the dramatic scenes but the novel spends more time on the effect Dora’s situation has on Elena and her parents. Elena also starts hanging out with a neighbor boy who claims his brother was treated for depression and warns her about the hospital treatment Dora is receiving and the "Black Box" (warning label) drugs she has been prescribed.

Would you recommend this book to young adults? How about to adults?

Elena is in 9th grade and the book is being marketed as YA. But I think the very honest way the author depicts depression and its effect on family dynamics is something that would appeal to adults too, whether or not they know someone affected by the disease.

Author Julie Schumacher states, "I hope -- whether you have experienced depression or not -- that you will recognize some part of who you are and feel acknowledged; that you will feel steadied by the imaginative solace a good book can provide." In your opinion, did she succeed?

I think she does. I have personally never known anyone with the kind of clinical depression Dora suffers but I can still relate to her in some way. When Elena asks Dora if depression is like sadness, Dora says no. She says, “I can’t describe [what it’s like]. I don’t know how.” I think we all have feelings sometimes that we either don’t how to describe or that we feel like we can’t share with anyone. And fiction is not only a great escape but also a reflection of the human condition.

Schumacher also states that someone she trusts told her to write the book if she needed to, but don't ever publish it. What do you think about this?

Since her main motivation was not to sensationalize but to destigmatize depression, I think she was right to publish it. I like her “You are not alone” message: it is definitely an important one, especially to those still in their tumultuous teen years.

Thanks, Lenore, for introducing me to a new book (which happens to be right up my own personal alley, by the way) and for being my Weekly Geek partner all the way from Paris this week!

Opportunties to Give

Natasha of Maw Books Blog is committing the month of September to raising awareness of the atrocities taking place in Darfur. There are many ways to get involved, including spreading the word about the project, reading or viewing one of her recommended books or dvds about Darfur, commenting on Maw Books Blog to raise donations, and donating money for pages read to one of the many relief organizations listed on her blog.

On a smaller scale, blogger Stephanie of The Nienie Dialogues was in a private plane crash with her husband Christian and pilot , leaving their four young children in the care of her sister and brother-in-law (first-time parents of a brand-new baby! Someone should write that book) c.jane, whose blog contains lovely tributes to her currently-expanded family as well as updates on Stephanie's progress. Silent auctions abound across the blog-o-sphere to help pay for the many medical procedures over the next few months. Each auction has its own end-date, many end midnight tonight, or tomorrow, some may be longer. Donations are also accepted.

Need a laugh? Adventures in bookselling

My husband sometimes comes home with funny stories from his job at the library, which leads me to tell him, "See, this is why I hate asking people for help!" Because deep down I fear my question will win the award for silly question of the day. (I've gotten braver since becoming a parent. Because sometimes your kid just plain needs you to ask a silly question on their behalf. And that's okay.)

The Book Lady has topped even my husband's best silly questions, I think, in today's post.

When I was a therapist in my pre-bookselling life, I was often asked (usually by people at parties, on airplanes, etc.) to talk about the weirdest or most unusual things I had heard from a client. Since I was an ethical therapist, I, of course, didn’t talk about these things. Now that I sell books, I wish people would continue to ask me this question because some pretty funny things go down when you work with the general public.

Shiny silver covers, school-aged children, and feral cats, all in one post at The Book Lady's Blog.

Another author weighs in

Chris Bohjalian, author of New York Times bestsellers Skeletons at the Feast and The Double Bind and 1998 Oprah book club pick Midwives, has an interesting personal essay about reader reviews in this Washington Post article.

A nanny in Tennessee chimed in: "...I have been consistently disappointed by your books, and I doubt I'm one of the only ones to feel that way, either."

This nanny, I saw, had also reviewed baby books and can openers for Amazon. She liked both the baby books and the can opener -- especially the can opener -- a lot more than my novel.

Now, I actually like my can opener quite a lot, so I'm looking forward to reading Bohjalian's latest, to see how it compares.