ON BOOKS ~ Quirky Giveaway...

Just a quick FYI that over on the group book blog, Quirky Girls Read, that I contribute to, we are celebrating our one year blogoversary this week. There are five different giveaways for books that you can enter - my own giveaway can be found HERE.

If you have not visited the Quirky Girls before, or haven't stopped by in a while, come on over and see what you've been missing. And if you visit often, you already know that we rock ;0)

ON BOOKS ~ 2011 Reading In Review...

In the past year, it is entirely possible that our kitty, Tedy, read more books than I did. I blame this entirely on the arrival of baby Sam the end of July. Before he arrived, I felt guilty reading for pleasure rather than reading to educate myself more on child rearing. But those kinds of books required focus, attention and effort. Things that were not my strong suit as a pregnant old lady. So I didn't read a lot for pleasure and the baby books that I read took me a while to get into and through. Once the baby Bumble arrived, I discovered that it is nearly impossible to read with a newborn in the vicinity. And apparently, they are always in the vicinity! So I didn't read much those first few months either. As I returned to work part-time I was able to hit the gym twice a week which meant that I had two whole hours each week to read. It is hard to get much reading done in that small a window of time. But I am slowly building my way back into the world of books. I may have read more board books this year than grown-up ones, but to be able to say that I found time at all is quite an accomplishment as far as I am concerned. I always try to read one more than the year before. Last year's total was 29. This year I have read 11. I've just started another one but highly doubt it will be finished before the year wraps up.

I read 7 works of fiction and 4 non-fiction. That is an increase for me in non-fiction, but that was mostly due to baby prep - not exploring more of history, culture and self-discovery. Of those 4, one was a memoir. I like to dive into memoirs when I need a boost back into reading. I find that they capture my interest more quickly and get the brain cells churning with interest. Any recommendations for a few to explore over the winter months?

On Goodreads' rating scale of 1 to 5 stars, nothing earned 5 stars from me - but then again, nothing earned the lowly 1 star either. My reading landed me squarely in the mediocre range. I gave 4 stars to three books - a baby book, a culture pictorial and a work of historical fiction. I gave 2 stars to a different baby book because I didn't like the author's tone. Everything else got 3 stars - Classics, Thriller, Memoir, Historical Fiction, Fiction and Non-Fiction.

I read a total of 4,200 pages with approximately 25% of those belonging to The Count of Monte Cristo. I never shy away from the Chunksters, even if they may gobble up a lot of my reading time. It makes no difference to me if that time is spent with a few long books or a ton of short stacks - I just want them to be entertaining.

I read 1 book specifically for a group discussion which I hosted right here back in the Spring. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet was one of my 4 star reads and it was a joy to be able to discuss it live with a small group of fellow bloggers who seemed to enjoy it as much as I did.

I managed to read 3 Classics and reviewed them, along with 2 more modern fiction works, on the group book blog, Quirky Girls Read. I have loved having that collaborative blog as an outlet for my bookish thoughts. Please stop by to read our reviews, banter and bookish quirks whenever you can. We cover such a wide range of genres every week and it has been a terrific first year.

I took time away from baby Sammy to visit the Boston Book Festival again this year - their second. It has improved and even though I was not as familiar with this year's authors on the endless schedule of panels, I was consistently entertained and educated, adding several new-to-me titles to my To Read pile.

I didn't buy any books this year - new, used or digital. 2 were books that I won on blogs. 1 was from the library. 3 were loans from family and friends. 4 were passed along from bloggers. 1 was a free download to a reader app on my iPad. Here they all are - can you match the descriptions to the titles?

DESCRIPTIONS:
1. Who knew one Iowa townspeople could be so interesting?
2. Revenge is not always as sweet as you imagined, back when you dreamed it up in a dungeon
3. I see soon-to-be-dead people - all around me in stormy Florida
4. The world of internment camps through the eyes of children coming of age
5. High society comes with tragic lows
6. If your baby doesn't sleep enough, it will be a fat brat
7. You are in charge of your baby's routine - don't get played by a newborn
8. A model survivor
9. A retro love story that could make Shakespeare proud
10. Solitude can erase morals
11. All babies are worth keeping

TITLES:
A. On Becoming Baby Wise: Giving Your Infant the Gift of Nighttime Sleep - Gary Ezzo & Robert Bucknam (4*'s)
B. The Oxford Project - Peter Feldstein & Stephen Bloom (4*'s)
C. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - Jamie Ford (4*'s)
D. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad (3*'s)
E. The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas (3*'s)
F. The Memory Keeper's Daughter - Kim Edwards (3*'s)
G. The Cypress House - Michael Koryta (3*'s)
H. The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott - Kelly O'Connor McNees (3*'s)
I. Fall to Pieces: A Memoir of Drugs, Rock 'n Roll and Mental Illness - Mary Forsberg Weiland (3*'s)
J. The House of Mirth - Edith Wharton (3*'s)
K. Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child - Marc Weissbluth (2*'s)

**SPOILER!!!**
Here are the answers to the above:
#1 = B
#2 = E
#3 = G
#4 = C
#5 = J
#6 = K
#7 = A
#8 = I
#9 = H
#10 = D
#11 = F

ON BOOKS ~ A Day With The Bookies...

This past weekend, all of Boston's Copley Square was overrun by bookies. Not the gambling kind - the reading kind. And I was among them. For the second year, the city put on its free book festival all day long on Saturday. This event is more than your typical book sellers and author signings, though those are certainly there. The focal point for me is the plethora of panels scheduled throughout the day. These sessions are categorized just like genres in books - Non-Fiction, Fiction, Kids, YA and Poetry.

They also throw in some interactive events such as quizzes, Writer Idol (where they perform 3 minutes of random manuscripts turned in by hopeful writers), spoken word and Flash Fiction Open Mic (where you can read your short story to the crowd). There are Workshops about the craft of writing and the process of publishing. This year they even created an audio version of those Create Your Own Adventure stories that you could download to your phone and then experience the story as you were guided along the city. There is a stage for musical performances, a place for kids to make their own books and keynote speakers - both for kids and adults. My biggest complaint about this festival is that there just isn't enough time to do it all. I would love to see it spread across two full days - but that might keep things from being free to all.

I was not very familiar with any of this year's authors on the various panels but there were some topics up for discussion that piqued my interest. So I hopped on to the commuter rail, leaving Sammy behind for a day with Daddy while I treated myself to a bookish day in the city. I even had time to read on the train! What a luxury :0) Here is a snapshot (verbally) of my day...

FOOD - IN AN ACTUAL RESTAURANT!

OK. So this has nothing to do with the actual book fest. My train was late so I missed the first half of a panel about how the internet keeps us isolated despite social networking. I decided to skip the end of it and get some lunch instead. You know, go be social in the real world instead of alone at a panel. I must tell you that it was a dream to wander into this fabulous little restaurant (Coda in the South End) and have a leisurely lunch instead of passing by the window with drool on my chin as I pushed a stroller and fussy but cute baby (who also has drool on his chin for different reasons altogether). I highly recommend the BLT & E which involves cream cheese and a fried egg.

SPORTS: WRITERS ON DECK

This panel featured three authors writing about baseball players (Jane Leavy on Mickey Mantle), baseball parks (Glenn Stout on Fenway's 100 year existence) and baseball history (Thomas Whalen on the original Red Sox dynasty). It also delved into how sports writers have had to adapt with the diminished opportunities in beat writing and newspaper columns, turning instead to online publications, investigative reporting and non-fiction books. The crowd was generally older but this being Boston, there was a fairly equal mix of men and women in attendance - both sexes are raised on sports heavily here. As to the craft of approaching writing in the sports genre, the same approach applies here as in many other genres - harness your emotions and passions and use them to make more personal connections with your readers through your words. The best advice was to never meet your idols. They can only disappoint you. In this day and age, I think we are all better served idolizing writers instead of athletes anyway.

TRUE STORY

This session was filled to the brim with adults of all ages and an even mix of men and women as far as I could tell. We were all there to hear from three non-fiction writers about the true stories they documented and the process involved. They wrote about civil liberties (Michael Willrich of Brandeis on the Small Pox epidemic), dynamic families (Emma Rothschild of Harvard on a Scottish family in the 1700's) and survival (Mitchell Zuckoff of Boston University on the rescue of plane crash survivors in Dutch New Guinea in WW2). All of these writers were terrific to listen to - such passion for and knowledge of the subjects they shared with us. They all spoke to the scavenger hunt they embarked on for research and how their books' subjects came about accidentally so it is important to get sidetracked. For them, the internet is a tool that, in paraphrasing Emma, makes them lucky to be able to wander in the archives of history while living when real books are still piled around us. I left this session realizing that non-fiction writers are truly collectors of lost stories and I look forward to reading all of the books covered here. Maybe some day I'll get lucky with my endless distractions and find a worthy topic to turn into a book myself!

MEMOIR: WRITING A LIFE

I am drawn to memoirs like metal to a magnet. Apparently I am not alone. This session was also very full. But it was interesting to note that there were far more women than men here. There was also a small presence of younger girls. Here we were treated to four authors who were brave enough to share their own inner lives in print and in person. There was the humor of running a family business (Ben Ryder Howe's My Korean Deli: Risking It All For A Convenience Store), the sadness of a Cuban child separated from his family for a better life in America (Carlos Eire's Learning To Die In Miami: Confessions Of A Refugee Boy and also Waiting For Snow In Havana: Confessions Of A Cuban Boy), a childhood of self-discovery in the 50's (Maisie Houghton's Pitch Uncertain: A Mid-Century Middle Daughter Finds Her Voice) and the challenge of surviving food allergies (Sandra Beasley's Don't Kill The Birthday Girl: Tales From An Allergic Life). Do memoirists have better memories than the rest of us? No. They tend to keep journals. And they also paraphrase/create dialogue - they don't remember conversations word for word. They also point out that each person tells a different story of the same circumstance because you can't fact check memory. Accuracy in chronology is not as important to them as the story of the events overall. Mixing in humor/historical or scientific facts to parallel your own personal history can make things more universal and appealing to more readers. In the end, a memoir is about relationships. With ourselves, our religion, our family, our politics, our geography, our food, our arts, our geography - or a lament over the lack of any of these relationships. As Sandra said, "no story is too familiar if you find a unique lens to frame it."

I enjoyed my time with these authors, the moderators (Bill Littlefield and Robin Young of NPR & WBUR and author Leslie Gilbert-Lurie) and my fellow bookies. I found it refreshing to be surrounded by folks who were eager for spirited discussions with strangers rather than the solitary engagement with technology via texting and smart phones. There were lots of noses in books, but that is forgiven. And those noses were in real books, not e-books. Authors can't sign your Kindle after all.

ON BOOKS ~ The Best Library Ever...

I have fond memories of reading as a child. In fact, reading and being read to are some of my earliest memories. There is nothing I enjoy more than buying my nieces and nephews some of my favorite titles each year as presents. I believe every child should have more books than they have room for - an endless collection of stories to suit each mood and fancy. To delight, educate, inspire or just send them off into slumber with sweet dreams. This was my goal for my baby Bumble.

Unbeknownst to me, for my baby shower, my sister-in-law asked that each guest include a favorite book in their gift and personalize it with an inscription. It could be a favorite book from their childhood or a book that was loved by their own children. Each contribution became a building block for our child's first library.

Because there would be so many books, the women who hosted my shower knew that a bookcase would be needed to hold them all. So they purchased one together, painted it and stenciled it to match our nursery's theme. As the shower progressed, they set aside all of the books that I opened within the gifts, arranged them in the bookcase and then carried the filled bookcase out at the end of the shower to present it to me as a surprise.

I was so touched by the thought, effort, time and personalization involved in the creation of this new library for our little one. My one-year old niece toddled out and quickly selected a book from the bookcase and sat in the small wooden rocking chair handed down to us from a very kind family member. What a seal of approval!

We received many amazing gifts that day, many of which we registered for. The most treasured was the bookcase and the piles of books - some classics that I was familiar with and some new publications that I look forward to discovering with our son. You can register for and purchase all of the fancy inventions that the baby business says you need to have. But you will always remember the gifts that come from the heart, not a wish list. Because of some creative and special women who planned and attended my shower, baby Sammy now has the best library ever. The best way I know to thank them is to make sure he grows up to be a voracious reader - like his mom.

ON BOOKS ~ A Classic Lady...

Today over on the group book blog Quirky Girls Read I have a review of a Classic written by a classic lady. Women writers weren't as prevalent back in the day, but those that found success seemed to be held above the general opinions that women should be seen and not heard or taken seriously. I admire those ladies who stuck to their guns and found a way to fight through to get the works they wanted to write published.

This particular book was probably viewed very differently at the time it was published than the way I viewed it reading it in the current day. Back then it was received as a work of biting humor. Now, I see it as very tragic. Most of the witty parts went over my head.

It is a book about high society and a woman who falls like a stone out of its good graces. Was it possible to feel sorry for a spoiled and often stuck up gal? I thought so. Which is why the work is so admirable to me.

Hop on over when you have a chance to find out what book I'm reviewing and if you've experienced it as well. And don't forget to check out The Classic Bribe - a challenge and giveaway so easy even reluctant Classic readers can take part!

ON BOOKS ~ The Classic Bribe...

Well well well. Looky what the book blogging Bumble can do!!! She can actually create a reading challenge, pair it with a giveaway and motivate readers to appreciate one of her greatest literary passions - all in one post. Hey, a little bribery never hurt anyone, right?

Head on over to see all the details on the dedicated page right HERE on Quirky Girls Read. Be sure to tell your fellow readers, bloggers and random strangers. And most of all, happy reading and best of luck!

ON BOOKS ~ Does Enjoyment Trump Writing For This Star Gazing Librarian?...

You know what's cool? Librarians. Want to meet a cool librarian? Thought so. Meet Melissa. I just got to know her myself. I snooped around her blog, One Librarian's Book Reviews, peeking through the stacks so to speak. And I found a grand lover of books, as all good librarians should be of course. But also a very thoughtful reviewer, a blogger with great clarity and someone I'd love to meet in person, if she didn't live so far away in Arizona. I know some pretty cool bloggers in Arizona. If you are one of them you should stop by and introduce yourself to Melissa. She could use a bit of the Welcome Wagon right about now - she just moved to your state and is ready to explore. Here are some of the questions that I had for her. She was nice enough to stop unpacking long enough to answer them. I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did...

The layout/design of your blog is visually attractive and at the same time well organized and easy to move around. How did you settle on your blog's identity, design and components?

I'm pretty minimalist in what I like, which is why I went with a plain background. Plus, it was really easy to match my header to the black background. I'm not really design-oriented, so I'm pleased you think it's organized. Pretty much, I looked at what I liked in others' blogs and incorporated those things into mine. Being a librarian, I like people to be able to find what they want.

I appreciate your ratings within each review - as alerts for language, violence and sex content to assist readers in determining what will or won't be of interest to them personally. Are there any things that you refuse to read based on content alone?

There are only a few books I've set aside because I couldn't appreciate them because of their content. If I know a book is about certain topics (really sexually oriented or about violent crime or something) I'll just avoid it because I probably won't like it. I might be a bit of a prude, but I'm usually willing to try a book before I decide I won't read it.

You have a wonderful recurring series featuring libraries that you have visited. What libraries are on your wish list to visit in the future?

Oh, so many. I'd love to take a European tour just to see old libraries, but that probably won't happen in this life. I'm intrigued by the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library in New Haven, CT, but I love to see local libraries and branch libraries almost as much as beautiful foreign ones.

What is the strangest question/request you've received as a librarian?

Most of my career as a librarian was spent in a dental hygiene college, so I didn't get a lot of weird requests, but I was particularly fond of the (quite common) requests for books of a certain color. Students would obviously not remember the title or author and so they'd ask me for the "blue" or "red" book. It was hard not to giggle while asking for a few more details.

How do you decide what to read next?

I've been getting a lot of my recommendations from other bloggers, not to mention my mile-long TBR pile. I usually focus on books that are due soon at the library and then books I've scheduled with a publisher/publicist to review on my blog. I am, however, particularly bad at being prompt, so this is sometimes all thrown aside when I find something I REALLY want to read.

As a reader, I prefer to have a review contain why the blogger did or didn't like the book - not just their general opinion. What do you wish more book bloggers would include in their reviews?

I agree with you! I'd especially love to have bloggers include why they didn't like a book. It is hard sometimes to talk negatively about a book, especially if you know you have to send a link to a publisher/publicist/author, but it's especially important to me in deciding if I'd want to read it. If the things they discuss are things that will bother me, I might skip it, but if not, there's a better chance I'd pick it up. I'm always happy to find bloggers who aren't afraid to say what they didn't like.

I'm a bit of a Classics junkie. You are a lover of YA and Middle Grade genres. What do you do to turn someone on to your passion when they rebuke the genre simply as something they just don't think would be for them?

Usually, I slip them a book that I know they'd like anyway. This, of course, requires knowledge of what they'd like, but as a librarian that comes with the territory (and is still very hard). The best way to get someone to try a new genre is to find something in that genre they'd be interested in. All the talking in the world probably won't convince them, but get a book in their hands and they just might fall in love. But, if they've tried it and don't like it, I'm not big on pushing it on them further. To each his/her own, I say.

You mention on your blog that you welcome suggestions for your future reading. I would like to recommend The Book of Lost Things as well as The True Story of Hansel and Gretel for you given your interest in fairy tales. I know some people who are hesitant with what they feel is a recommendation responsibility. Do people turn to you all the time for recommendations because you are a librarian and surely must have read everything and know exactly what they would enjoy? Do any of them come back and complain when they didn't like what you suggested?

I do have a lot of friends and family that ask for suggestions. I think it's pretty funny when they assume I'll know what they like before they tell me what they like, but I love the challenge of finding something for them. I don't think any have come back and complained, though they've certainly told me if they didn't like it. I think they recognize that my recommendations are definitely NOT a perfect system. Though it also might be because they are family/friends for the most part (dental hygiene students don't often ask for reading suggestions ;)

If you were not a librarian, what is another career you would like to pursue?

My bachelor's degree was in physics and astronomy and I always wanted to work at a planetarium. I adore sharing the night sky, especially with people who are new to discovering it.

What is your guiltiest reading pleasure?

Hm...sometimes I like a poorly written, possibly cheesy romantic story. Quite a few times, I've read and liked something and then found that others thought it was dreadfully written while I didn't even notice the writing. Enjoyment sometimes trumps writing for me (shocking, I know).

Many thanks to Melissa for taking the time during her move to participate in this Armchair BEA interview. The interview series is a round robin event, meaning that we don't interview each other but someone different. If you would like to read my interview, head on over to another cool blogger I enjoyed getting to know - Deborah @ Books, Movies and Chinese Food. Does that sound like a perfect place for me or what?!

ON BOOKS ~ A Bumble's Armchair...

This week marks the Second Annual Armchair BEA - an online event for book lovers and book bloggers who could not attend the Book Expo America in New York City this week. This is my response to the introductory question - "Who Are You And How Do You Armchair?"

Welcome to The Bumbles Blog! Take a quick look around. You will see that we are not exactly a book blog. We do post about books. But we also post about anything and everything else that suits our fancy. And when I say "our" I use that term very loosely. This is technically a joint blog between myself, Molly, and my husband, Andy. However, Andy has decided that his talents lie in being my muse rather than an active post writer. So the voice of The Bumbles Blog is most always mine. Which means that I get to poke lots of fun at Andy and there is nothing he can do about it.

I participated in the inaugural Armchair BEA last year and had tons of fun meeting all of you terrific book bloggers. I had book blogger envy because I always feel like an interloper in your world. I do not read fast enough and am not dedicated enough for proper book blogging. I don't like feeling obligated to read anything - I did enough of that through my schooling. I don't want reading to feel like work. I don't want blogging to feel like work either. So I read what I want, when I want, and blog about anything I feel like on a regular basis because I enjoy spontaneous, creative thoughts.

However, I did feel guilty tagging along on all of these book blogging events and spending so much time in your world without actively contributing to it all. I found the perfect way to become more involved, while still being able to be an eclectic and lazy blogger. I joined a group book blog called Quirky Girls Read! I contribute bookish thoughts and reviews of all things Classics over there a couple of times a month and use this space for all my other ramblings and book related topics outside of the Classics genre when I feel like talking about them.

In the end, I am trying to be more active in the book blogging community while staying true to the vision of "our" blog here. If I could, I would spend endless hours in this great blogosphere of ours. But it is really difficult to do that with a cat on your lap.

ON BOOKS ~ Lipstick On A Pig...

Today over on the group book blog Quirky Girls Read I have a review of a modern classic. A book written by a man often considered the modern generation's best American writer. The first in a series that led to prize winning works. A main character that I disliked very much. A writer whose craft I loved being able to pause over.

How do you wrestle with a character or plot that you can't stand with prose that is so eloquent? Does writing beautifully about something so ugly make it pretty? No. But it makes the time spent in the process more enjoyable. At least it does for me.

Terrific writing can rescue miserable characters and plots from a lackluster review. But then again, said writer is the one who also constructed the unpleasant subjects to begin with. I think they should take some blame for evoking those reactions within the reader as well.

It is an interesting dilemma. Stop by and let me know what you think. Both of this writer, his work and similar reading experiences you may have had.

ON BOOKS ~ Funniest Book Ever?...

Today over on the group book blog Quirky Girls Read I have a review of one of my favorite books. It also happens to be a very funny book. And it was written over 100 years ago. I love it when I can mix in lots of laughs with the Classics genre that I cover!

And you thought Classics were boring. I dare you to read my current suggestion and tell me that.

ON BOOKS ~ Hotel On The Corner Of Bitter And Sweet...

I enjoy historical novels when they teach me something new without boring me to tears. This debut novel is a story about first love, forbidden love, strained parental relationships, role models, alienation, bigotry, coming of age, courage and how music can be universal. But it is also about the evacuation of Seattle's entire Japanese community into internment camps during the hysteria of WW2 and the enormous conflict of cultures the Chinese had with those same Japanese.

Young Henry is approaching his teens and is being sent to an all white private school by his steadfast Chinese parents who want him to become as Americanized as possible as a first generation American. They also want him to be proud of his Chinese heritage, but to blend in with the country they now live in. They especially want everyone to know that he is not Japanese - the enemy of China and America during this period of 1942 and beyond. So they make him wear a pin at all times that reads "I AM CHINESE."

Henry is ostracized by his classmates who refer to him as a Jap. He is also abandoned by his former Chinese friends since he has been made to transfer schools. Alone and an outsider wherever he goes, he is delighted to make friends with another new student arriving at his school who stands out even more than he does - Keiko, a beautiful girl who is Japanese American.

Henry and Keiko form a strong bond of friendship and flirt with more until she and her family are sent away by the US Govt. to camps for their protection but which really are a way to round up anyone of Japanese descent and stick them in a prison camp until the war is over. Henry is smitten and heartbroken. His parents are furious that he would betray his roots and date the enemy.

Henry has to turn to some other adults in his life for guidance and support and tries to make sense of things and find his way through typical teenage troubles during incredibly atypical times.

This story was very engaging to me because the characters were so easy to care for and take interest in. The writing was easy to read, but the themes within the plot were quite thought provoking. The simplicity of the author's words did not result in a lack of poetic language.

The story is told juxtaposed with Henry's life as an adult and his own strained relationship with his college aged son. The past comes back to the forefront when a renovated hotel discovers belongings left behind by Japanese families forced away to internment camps. This clever plot device added maturity to the tale. Henry as an adult was not nearly as bright eyed and hopeful as Henry the young adult. Filling in the missing pieces to find out why was an interesting journey to take.

I was touched most by the love between the various characters - Henry and Keiko, Henry and his family, Henry and his good friend the Jazz musician Sheldon. Love is an effort - one worth fighting for. And to see people for who they are on the inside - not for what their button states that they are on the outside - is the true moral here.

The city of Seattle shines as a character throughout this book too. As does the world of Jazz. Many things to become exposed to - many things to want to learn more about. This book would make an excellent teaching tool for young adults studying about this time in America's history. I found it to be a good launching pad for seeking out more facts about that period of time too.

ON BOOKS ~ Some Bookish Interaction...

This Friday, 04/22, we will be discussing Jamie Ford's debut novel - Hotel On The Corner Of Bitter And Sweet - at 8:30PM ET right HERE in the Bumble Town Chat Room.

If you have read this book in the past or participated in this month's group read that we organized, stop by to discuss your thoughts on the story, the characters, the setting and the writing. Don't worry if it has been a while since you read the book - fuzzy details are fine and the conversation will likely jog your memory.

You can drop by any time between 8:30PM - 10:00PM ET for as long or short a period of time as you like. You simply log in as a Guest or with your Facebook ID and join the live chat by typing on your keyboard.

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If you are a book blogger you have probably heard of the big annual convention in NYC each May called the Book Expo America and the tie-in Book Blogger Convention. Perhaps you even have plans to attend. But for the rest of us, there is this handy idea in its second year of existence called the Armchair BEA, taking place from 05/23-05/27.

Registration is now open, the cost is free and the time commitment and participation level is up to you. I took part last year and had tons of fun meeting all levels and styles of book bloggers around the world. I highly recommend the experience which includes discussion panels, blogger interviews, daily theme posts, Tweet Ups, giveaways and more.

ON BOOKS ~ What Do Letterman & Foreign Novels Have In Common?...

After writing my review of The Count of Monte Cristo for Quirky Girls Read, I wondered if the translation I read had any effect on my enjoyment. The Late Show With David Letterman has "Know Your Cuts Of Meat." Today on Quirky Girls Read I have a post that could be described as "Know Your Types Of Translators."

Stop on by if you have the time and let me know what you think. And while you're over there, you might find some other recent topics of interest such as:

• Maya Angelou Is A Smoothie For The Soul
• 10 Bookish Things About The Quirky Girls
• Because We All Need A Little Darcy In Our Lives
• Memoir Review - Designated Fat Girl
• A Look At The Newest Newberry Medal Winner

ON BOOKS ~ Read, Review, Rehash...

This past Friday we gathered for our monthly Bumble Town Chat and dished about favorite quirky reads amongst other amusing topics. For instance, did you know that duct tape is said to be a good way to remove warts? See - these are the kinds of things you are missing out on each month in our chats ;0)

Each month, someone new stops by to test the waters and see how they like it. This month's newbie was none other than Lin of Duck & Wheel With String. Lin is a funny lady, people. She lives in the Chicago 'burbs with her lively family and entertaining cats, beloved frog pond and works on the fun side of the office with her great pallies, showing off her crafting skills with office supplies. In order to properly welcome Lin we tasked her with determining the topic for our April chat and here is what she came up with.

We are going to read Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. Then we are going to review it on our blogs. And then we are going to discuss our thoughts together on Friday, 04/22 at 8:30PM ET back in the Bumble Town Chat room. Anyone who wants to join in on this reading event is welcome!

How did Lin come to nominate this particular book? By using one of the best resources out there - her mom. If Lin's mom says it is a goodie, who are we to argue? I'm familiar with the title myself and have had it on my watch list:

"In the opening pages of Jamie Ford's stunning debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Henry Lee comes upon a crowd gathered outside the Panama Hotel, once the gateway to Seattle's Japantown. It has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has made an incredible discovery: the belongings of Japanese families, left when they were rounded up and sent to internment camps during World War II. As Henry looks on, the owner opens a Japanese parasol..." (taken from Goodreads Summary)

If you've reviewed this book in the past, add your link to the dedicated page HERE. If you're planning to read, review and rehash with the rest of us now, stop by and add your review link whenever you've got it written. You certainly don't have to write a review either. You can just read and come by to talk about it on 04/22 if you prefer.

I am looking forward to a change of pace in my reading. I have spent the first part of this year reading The Count of Monte Cristo - you can read my thoughts on this Classic at Quirky Girls Read - you might be surprised by what I have to say. Having such a different setting and style to read now is going to be fun. I hope you'll join us!

ON BOOKS ~ An Actual Review!!!...

Today I have an actual book review up on the group book blog, Quirky Girls Read. Can you believe it? I suppose if you want to venture into the book blogger world officially, you had better write a book review every now and then.

Sticking with my Classics theme, it is a review of a Modern Classic - one that had a great impact on me and likely has done so for young women ever since its publication. So take the time to hop on over and let me know if you've read the same work, what you thought about it or if I've nudged you to add it to your To Read pile. And while you're there, you might find some other topics of interest from this past week:

• Time Management for the Bookie
• Non-Fiction Rocks

ON BOOKS ~ Come Meet A Stirring Writer...

Today I am filling the fine shoes of Margot over on the group book blog, Quirky Girls Read. Margot provides posts highlighting award winning books so I decided to try to do the same. Except, true to my tendencies, I get a little off track. I basically use the post to gush about one of my favorite authors who happened to write some award winning work.

I'm not talking about a Classics author either. This is a living, breathing idol of mine who uses his words to inspire action. I hope you'll visit to learn about him or share your thoughts if his work is already familiar to you.

And while you're there, you might find some other topics of interest from this past week:

• How do you respond to all the literary hype?
• Review of the first book of a new paranormal trilogy featuring the underworld unleashed in a library.
• Young Adult flash back A+ review.

ON BOOKS ~ No Excuses...

Today I have another of my recurring posts on the new group book blog, Quirky Girls Read. Previously I tried to define the Classic genre. Today's post is an attempt to debunk what I refer to as the Three Classic Excuses.

Through my posts every other Tuesday, I focus mostly on the world of Classics and how I hope to help people find an interest in it. A big hurdle to that is the frequent wall readers throw up at the mere mention of a Classic book recommendation. So today I try to tear that wall down.

So hop on over to QGR and let us know if you use any of the Three Classic Excuses and if I've done anything to change your mind. If that doesn't pique your interest, here are some of the other topics you'll find over there from the past week:

• Angelina Jolie's Unauthorized Biography
• A Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale Retelling YA Review
• A Book Vs. Movie Debate On An Alien Fighting To Survive

ON BOOKS ~ I'm Closer To A Classic Than A New Release...

Today marks my debut post on the new group book blog, Quirky Girls Read. I explained how the collaboration came to be last week and hope that you have had a chance to stop by and visit with everyone. Today's post is a discussion on what makes a book a Classic.

Through my posts every other Tuesday, I will be trying to champion the Classics genre over on QGR while mixing in reviews or thoughts on more recently published books. I have developed a passion for the oldies in recent years, possibly because I am closer to their age than the new ones being released. But truly, it is because I think they get a bad rap from readers who were exposed to them as brainiac work in school years rather than engaging, entertaining and timeless stories to be savored at one's own pace and agenda.

So hop on over to QGR and add your voice to the discussion on the definition of a Classic. And if that doesn't pique your interest, here are some of the other topics you'll find over there from the past week:

• Caldecott Award Winning Picture Book Review
• Do Reading Challenges Create Overachievers?
• Young Adult Review of My Name Is Memory

ON BOOKS ~ Quirky Girls Read...

Way back in September, I wrote a Blog Tips post about how collaboration can be a time saver in the blogosphere. In that post I created a hypothetical scenario using a book blog as an example to illustrate the group blog concept. By pure coincidence, my blog buddy, Jehara, had just set up a book blog separate from her personal blog. She decided that having others help her provide interesting content to her book blog was an attractive concept and came to me with all of her ambition and excitement about it.

I have always hung out on the fringes of the book blogging community, lacking the time or devotion to take the plunge completely with a book blog of my own. Jehara offered me an opportunity to join the community through her new group book blog that she had decided to undertake. I accepted immediately.

From that same Blog Tips post of mine, Margot of Joyfully Retired left a comment also reacting strongly to the group blogging concept. I remembered her enthusiasm about the topic and suggested that Jehara reach out to her. And so she did.

Jehara also pulled in her friends Faith and Izzy who, like me, had a big interest in books but whose blogs focused on all kinds of personal thoughts. Jehara worked tirelessly and through a debilitating bout of illness during the holiday season to organize us all towards this new collaborative effort. Together we all put our heads together to help her come to some conclusions on editorial format, style and goals.

Today is the official launch of Quirky Girls Read - Jehara's group book blog baby! I am so excited to be a part of the adventure and hope that you will head on over and check us out. As our posting begins this month, you will find a collection of reviews, thoughts, memes and discussion about all genres and topics in the literary world. It is a way for each of us to contribute to this passion of ours without having to do it all by ourselves. So far this endeavor has introduced me to some pretty cool ladies. Why not go introduce yourself to them?

ON BOOKS ~ 2010 Year In Reading Match Game...

In the past year I said goodbye to my grandmother, added an editing job to my writing foray, experienced the loss of a beloved kitten, visited a new city and met a fellow blogger in person, welcomed an adorable niece into the family and won our Fantasy Baseball League. Oh - and I managed to read 29 books, matching my total from last year. My goal is always to read one more than the year before, but if I can't do that, keeping pace with previous results is the next best thing. Here's a look back at my year of reading.

I read 21 works of fiction and 8 non-fiction. That is the same split as last year's collection. I always feel like I've read more non-fiction than I really have. I think this is because the non-fiction takes more focus and results in greater introspection, permeating longer in the dusty recesses of my addled brain. Of those 8, half were categorized as memoirs. They are my favorite thread of the non-fiction genre so I am glad to see I devoted a fair chunk to them.

On Goodreads' rating scale of 1 to 5 stars, I gave 2 books the highest rate of 5 and none received the lowly 1. Most fell into the 3 star range. It was a very mediocre result of selections for me this year. My two 5 star reads were both re-reads. One was my 5 star barometer, To Kill A Mockingbird. The other was The Handmaid's Tale. Both were read along with others who had not experienced them before. I am always jealous of another's virgin read of one of my favorites! My overall selections this year came from an interesting cross section of styles - ranging from classics, thrillers and memoirs to prize winning fiction, best sellers, sci-fi and historical fiction. My reading ruts fell across all categories and 6 of them garnered only 2 stars.

I read a total of 10,572 pages (almost 400 more than last year), turning the average length of my reads into 365 pages. On average I was able to read 30 pages a day - most of which was accomplished at the gym during the week. Very little was done at nights, on weekends or vacations. Generally I was able to complete a book in about 2 weeks.

I read 6 books specifically for group discussions on Goodreads. Some of them were books I had suggested from my own list and others were new suggestions to me. I read 6 other books as less structured read-alongs among online friends. Two of them resulted in collaborative cross-posting: a series with Stacy on War & Peace and joint interviews with Margot of Toni Teepell and her book A Truth Worth Tellin'.

I managed to read 3 classics (although another 3 I didn't classify that way but could be placed under that umbrella), but the overwhelming majority of the rest were written in the last decade. Collectively they covered the world from 1812 to today, and beyond.

I read the most books in January and October. They encompassed some of my best rated reading of the year. When I get into a groove, my reading turns voracious. I also noticed that I save my lengthier selections for the cooler months when I am hibernating. I pulled myself out of a bummer of a slump by attending my first book festival in October. It likely sparked that great month of reading.

4 were books that I won on blogs. 14 were from the library. 2 were loans from family. 3 were gifts. 1 was from my personal library. 4 I bought at library sales. And 1 I bought for myself new. Here they all are - can you match the descriptions to the titles?

DESCRIPTIONS:
1. A cat's healing of a broken family
2. Immature man runs from his pregnant wife and child for greener pastures, that aren't really any greener
3. A history of Smyrna, Detroit and hermaphrodites
4. WW2 Poland's woods are the setting for an old fairy tale's retelling
5. Irish American alcoholic's death reveals the truth behind a first love's mystery
6. The ultimate complaint letter
7. Little girl lost in the woods clings to Red Sox radio broadcasts to survive the scary beasts of the dark
8. Little girl clings to her mother's good days amidst the schizophrenic ones
9. Dystopian society where women's rights have taken leaps in the wrong direction
10. Inside scoop about the man behind the art
11. Little girl and her brother share lessons in tolerance
12. Discovery of how family history can carry genes of doom
13. How baseball and food made great parallels in one family
14. Evil doings at an institution for the criminally insane during a wallop of a storm
15. Homeless guy teaches rich guy what should really be valued in life
16. Serial killer of serial killers
17. Using roommates to heal the wounds of divorce
18. The plight of the sharecropper
19. Dark tale of prejudice, evasion, murder and survival in the old deep south
20. Overcoming rape, eating disorders, death and divorce in search of love
21. Futuristic tale of cloning and dictatorship in the name of a chaos free world
22. Name dropping stories disguised as a how-to manual on asking the right questions
23. Interviews with the entertainment world from a real pro
24. Fortune seekers, social climbers, cults, soap opera love triangles and Napoleon
25. Man branding, computer hacking and a missing person mystery
26. Whodunit mystery of a psychopathic estranged husband's murder
27. Who needs high school when you can just watch the movies?
28. Math and baseball become poetry from the mind of a memory challenged man
29. View from above of those left behind in tragedy

TITLES:
A. The Handmaid's Tale - M. Atwood (5*'s)
B. To Kill A Mockingbird - H. Lee (5*'s)
C. Middlesex - J. Eugenides (4*'s)
D. Light In August - W. Faulkner (4*'s)
E. Life With Picasso - F. Gilot (4*'s)
F. Same Kind Of Different As Me - R. Hall (4*'s)
G. She's Come Undone - W. Lamb (4*'s)
H. Shutter Island - D. Lehane (4*'s)
I. The True Story Of Hansel And Gretel - L. Murphy (4*'s)
J. The Lovely Bones - A. Sebold (4*'s)
K. War And Peace - L. Tolstoy (4*'s)
L. Let Us Now Praise Famous Men - J. Agee (3*'s)
M. Open House - E. Berg (3*'s)
N. Cleo - H. Brown (3*'s)
O. The Film Club - D. Gilmour (3*'s)
P. All I Did Was Ask - T. Gross (3*'s)
Q. Brave New World - A. Huxley (3*'s)
R. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon - S. King (3*'s)
S. Darkly Dreaming Dexter - J. Lindsey (3*'s)
T. The Housekeeper And The Professor - Y. Ogawa (3*'s)
U. Mostly True: A Memoir Of Family, Food And Baseball - M. O'Neill (3*'s)
V. A Truth Worth Tellin' - T. Teepell (3*'s)
W. Rabbit, Run - J. Updike (3*'s)
X. The Art Of The Interview - L. Grobel (2*'s)
Y. Janeology - K. Harrington (2*'s)
Z. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - S. Larsson (2*'s)
Aa. Charming Billy - A. McDermott (2*'s)
Bb. Dear American Airlines - J. Miles (2*'s)
Cc. Eyes Of A Child - R. Patterson (2*'s)