Too all my US readers: Hope you're enjoying Memorial Day! For me this is day four of a long weekend - the longest break I've had from work since my wedding last year! I got Friday off after working my tail off during Book Expo. Yes, while other bloggers were enjoying the BEA floor and the following Book Blogger Con, I was just a few blocks away - so close yet so far - helping sell books in our showroom. I heard lots of great stories coming out of both conventions and was definitely jealous!
Here on the blog I've made 21 posts this month. Not as good as April, but that averages out to 5 posts a week so I can't complain too much! Most posts were reviews this month, as I'm still trying to work through the backlog of books I've read yet haven't reviewed. On average it's taking me 3-4 weeks between reading and posting a review. Ridiculous, I know! I'm getting closer to being caught up, though; I only have about 6 books read that I haven't reviewed yet as of right now. And that never ending library stack? Down to 21 books out (at the end of last month it was 24). It's not all the same books every month - I just have such a constant stream of books coming in on request that every time I go to return a few, there are more to pick up!
This month was super exciting for me because for the first time an author contacted me to ask me to review a book! Lyn Miller-Lachman e-mailed me about Gringolandia and offered to send me a copy for review since she knew my local library, Queens Library, hadn't been able to buy it yet (word is that problem has now been corrected). She also told me about the Inspired by True Crime panel she was speaking on at the Battery Park City library. It was a great panel and I'm so glad I got to go, not only to hear the authors but also to get Gringolandia signed and host my very first giveaway! There's still time to enter.
I also read (or at least reviewed!) some of my favorite books of the year. Guardian of the Dead is easily the most feminist book I've read since The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks - in spite of the huge, glaring flaw of how down on herself Ellie is about her appearance. That was quite frustrating. Some of the other highlights were The Sky is Everywhere and Sprout - which, if you didn't see my tweet about it, did win the Lambda Literary award for Children's/YA books! Soooooooooo happy that such a deserving book won!
Back in my March review I mentioned that I'd given up on my first book of the year - and this month I gave up on my second. I waited for months to get Shiver, the much-hyped werewolf romance book, but after only a handful of chapters I found myself so bored I had to put it down. It's still a seriously hot title so I could only check it out for a week, and with so many other books clamoring for my attention, I just decided to return it and let someone else take a crack at it. On the whole, the paranormal romance genre just isn't for me - or any romance novel, really. I like stories where the romance is a subplot (if it's there at all - seriously, more stories without romance would suit me just fine!), rather than the entire plot.
Coming up this month: I'm a judge in the first round of the Nerds Heart YA tournament! I'm judging with Arch Thinking - look for our decision June 15th!
