Hey...long time no see, eh? Sorry for going AWOL on the blog for the past month (though if you've been following me on Twitter you know I haven't died...yet). Figured that before I return to regular posting, I'd write up an explanatory post...that can also function as a BEA post, since that's a large part of why I wasn't blogging.
'But BEA was just last week!' You may find yourself saying. 'It only lasted a few days! Why would it take you away for a month?'
For those who don't know, my day job is actually in books. Not quite publishing, but remainder wholesale. Consumers generally know these books as the bargain books you see on display at your large chain bookstores. We have a showroom in NYC and my fancy title (seriously, I'm getting it on business cards this week) is showroom manager. We keep books on display in the showroom year round, and when BEA comes to town instead of exhibiting at the massive Javits Center, we get extra books into the showroom, have a few extra salespeople come into town, and set up our appointments in the office.
Since during the actual show most of our customers want to be over at Javits, most of our appointments are made for the week (and weekend...ugh) before BEA. Which means that I need to have the showroom set up and looking pretty two weeks before BEA....and then work straight through until the end of the show. Long days with lots of manual labor meant that by the time I got home in the evening and then even on the weekends, I didn't want to do much more than sleep. So instead of writing some half-assed blog posts...I thought I'd just take a few days...maybe a week off.
And that turned into a month.
But I haven't totally slacked off this past month - even though I abandoned Goodreads for awhile, I have still been reading. I've also been considering re-tooling how I do posts here - there might be fewer reviews in favor of more general posts about writing or trends or style...I don't know. It's still very nebulous in my head, but I'm trying to figure it out, so I hope you'll bear with me if you start seeing some more experimental posts on here (there's a reason this blog was titled 'Bookish Blather' - to give me permission to rattle on about more than just straight up book reviews!).
So, sorry about that, y'all. Things should get back on track now that it's pretty much summer and I don't have to worry about a trade show until November (and that one's in Chicago! Less work for me!). Regular posting will resume on Wednesday. In the meantime, consider this an open post to ask/discuss whatever you want! Any questions about the remainder/bargain book business? What I've been reading? Did you go to BEA and get some awesome ARCs?
Showing posts with label month in review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label month in review. Show all posts
Monday, May 30, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Month in review: March
I really hate seasons of transition, especially from winter to spring. The weather will give you a couple of unseasonably nice days, and then immediately plunge you back into wintry darkness that just make me feel blah and like not doing much of anything - hence things being all quiet on the blogging front this past week.
I also managed to not pick up a What Have I Missed book all month, which made me feel like a bit of a failure :-( My bad. I'll do two books soon to make up for it!
When I was blogging this month, Sci-Fi Friday made a brief return with Across the Universe and XVI. I have a double review coming up this week for SF, but after that my TBR list is sadly empty of SF titles. If you know of any upcoming science fiction titles, let me know and I'll add them to my TBR list! Last year we had some amazing science fiction books, including the Printz-winner Ship Breaker and the super entertaining Black Hole Sun. Where's the serious (and seriously fun) science fiction of 2011?
I also spent a lot of March thinking about history, first with the amazing Between Shades of Gray, which deserves every accolade and word of praise that has been heaped upon it. An amazing and moving look at an oft-neglected bit of history. I also took some time to reflect on the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire and the books that brought that piece of history to life for me.
As the weather seems to finally be turning sunny for good now, I'm looking into doing some spring cleaning in real life and in my TBR list. I realized a few weeks ago that my TBR list already has more books on it than I managed to read in all of 2010 - and it's only April. So I'm going to have to really rein myself in on what is actually added to the list in the future. I'm going to spend more time focusing on issues that I'm really passionate about, so LGBT, feminist and class-conscious books (along with those elusive science fiction books!) are moving to the top of my list, and everything else is going to be secondary. I'm not going to be reviewing those sorts of books exclusively because, for example, I never would have discovered Between Shades of Gray if I'd stuck to those qualifications, but they are my priorities for now.
Here's hoping that April will be much more productive than March!
I also managed to not pick up a What Have I Missed book all month, which made me feel like a bit of a failure :-( My bad. I'll do two books soon to make up for it!
When I was blogging this month, Sci-Fi Friday made a brief return with Across the Universe and XVI. I have a double review coming up this week for SF, but after that my TBR list is sadly empty of SF titles. If you know of any upcoming science fiction titles, let me know and I'll add them to my TBR list! Last year we had some amazing science fiction books, including the Printz-winner Ship Breaker and the super entertaining Black Hole Sun. Where's the serious (and seriously fun) science fiction of 2011?
I also spent a lot of March thinking about history, first with the amazing Between Shades of Gray, which deserves every accolade and word of praise that has been heaped upon it. An amazing and moving look at an oft-neglected bit of history. I also took some time to reflect on the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire and the books that brought that piece of history to life for me.
As the weather seems to finally be turning sunny for good now, I'm looking into doing some spring cleaning in real life and in my TBR list. I realized a few weeks ago that my TBR list already has more books on it than I managed to read in all of 2010 - and it's only April. So I'm going to have to really rein myself in on what is actually added to the list in the future. I'm going to spend more time focusing on issues that I'm really passionate about, so LGBT, feminist and class-conscious books (along with those elusive science fiction books!) are moving to the top of my list, and everything else is going to be secondary. I'm not going to be reviewing those sorts of books exclusively because, for example, I never would have discovered Between Shades of Gray if I'd stuck to those qualifications, but they are my priorities for now.
Here's hoping that April will be much more productive than March!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Month in review: February
If it weren't for the fact I got married in February, it would probably be my least favorite month. The snow and cold have long lost their appeal, and it's so short! Made even more so this year by my awesome tropical vacation. As you may remember, I put up a poll asking for your help in selecting my vacation reading. I brought 7 books with me and read the following:
- XVI by Julia Karr
- The Latte Rebellion by Sarah Jamila Stevenson
- I Am J by Cris Beam
- Across the Universe by Beth Revis
- Dark Goddess by Sarwat Chadda
Yes, I definitely overpacked when it came to books, but I liked having choices. Short reviews for all of those are up at Goodreads - and I even have a profile picture up there now! I have a ton of reviews that need to be posted in addition to these, so reviews might go back up to five a week for a little bit so I can get somewhat caught up.
After all of the excitement in January, February was a bit quieter. Nominations for the Nerds Heart YA tournament did open up though - and they continue through March 7th! Please continue to send in your nominations through the handy-dandy form - check out the criteria to see if your favorite under-represented 2010 book could find a place in the tournament. I had fun last year as a judge, and I'm totally excited and honored to be participating this year as a consultant, helping to pare down the longlist of nominated titles into a shortlist of book that will be placed in a cutthroat tournament.
Or not so cutthroat, really. Book bloggers are pretty mild mannered, most of the time. But come on, make the consulting job hard for us and nominate a bunch of awesome books, okay?
Okay. Now off to go write up all of those long-awaited reviews...
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Month in review: January + New Feature: Un-Lurking!
Fun fact: I started doing my month in review posts at the end of last January - I really like taking a few minutes to look back at what I did over the last month. I spend so much time moving forward that sometimes I need this little reminder to slow down and reflect!
After my blogging hiccup in October-November, and my pledge to pick the pace back in December, January is the first month I've been blogging really consistently again - down from 5 posts a week to an average of 3. This probably means I'm going to have to re-evaluate my policy of reviewing every book I read, because when I read a book roughly every two days, a huge gap ends up emerging between when I finish a book and when the review is actually posted! Not sure what criteria I'll end up using - because I really don't want to turn into one of those "I only review what I like!" blogs. No judgement for those who choose to review that way, it's just not how I want to run my blog.
January had two major events: the 2011 ALA awards, which people are still talking about, and the latest Bloggiesta! I've already posted my reflections on the Bloggiesta, so I won't re-hash all of it. Summary: tons of fun again, and previous experiences have taught me better blogging habits to make each Bloggiesta easier.
As part of Bloggiesta, I've also started using Goodreads more often. I have my whole TBR list on there, and am trying to write quick and rough reviews up there before I sit down to write a whole blog post. I don't always have time to write a full, coherent blog post if I finish a book during the week, but Goodreads allows me to get my basic thoughts out there so I won't forget anything before I have a chance to write the proper review. I also want to be more social on Goodreads, so please feel free to friend me on there and start recommending books!
In non book blogging news, I've also started a new online project with my husband: we're podcasting now! You can find our show A Couple of Geeks at Geekshow Entertainment. It's basically an hour of my husband and I riffing on anything and everything geeky - because we adhere to the theory that everyone is geeky about something. YA books will be coming up fairly often, as that's my major geek outlet - in our pilot episode, all about zombies, I give shoutouts to Rot and Ruin, The Forest of Hands and Teeth and The Dead-Tossed Waves. Give it a listen and geek out with us!
And finally: I want to try out a new feature here, inspired by some of the other blogging communities I'm part of as well as the annual Comment Challenge. I don't know about you guys, but I tend to be something of a lurker by nature. I'll comment somewhere if I have a burning need to add to the conversation, or if a blog/website looks like it's pretty new and doesn't have a lot of other people hanging around yet. But I hardly ever comment in more established spaces. Don't really know why, and don't feel like psychoanalyzing myself at the moment to figure it out! However, I do know that if I know other new people are going to be showing up, I'll talk more. Thus when other blogs put up periodic de-lurking posts, I'm more likely to poke my head in. Same with the Comment Challenge - I commented exponentially more than usual because I knew lots of other people were putting themselves out there on a limb as well!
I don't get a ton of comments here, but my Google statistics tell me I'm not sitting here talking to myself! So I'm hoping to do a post like this every month - perhaps as a stand alone post, or continue bundling it in with my month in review like I am this time. This is where I encourage you to jump in a take part in the blog! Bloggers live for comments, and I would love to hear from you. Introduce yourself and say hi! Don't know what else to say? Here are a few ideas:
After my blogging hiccup in October-November, and my pledge to pick the pace back in December, January is the first month I've been blogging really consistently again - down from 5 posts a week to an average of 3. This probably means I'm going to have to re-evaluate my policy of reviewing every book I read, because when I read a book roughly every two days, a huge gap ends up emerging between when I finish a book and when the review is actually posted! Not sure what criteria I'll end up using - because I really don't want to turn into one of those "I only review what I like!" blogs. No judgement for those who choose to review that way, it's just not how I want to run my blog.
January had two major events: the 2011 ALA awards, which people are still talking about, and the latest Bloggiesta! I've already posted my reflections on the Bloggiesta, so I won't re-hash all of it. Summary: tons of fun again, and previous experiences have taught me better blogging habits to make each Bloggiesta easier.
As part of Bloggiesta, I've also started using Goodreads more often. I have my whole TBR list on there, and am trying to write quick and rough reviews up there before I sit down to write a whole blog post. I don't always have time to write a full, coherent blog post if I finish a book during the week, but Goodreads allows me to get my basic thoughts out there so I won't forget anything before I have a chance to write the proper review. I also want to be more social on Goodreads, so please feel free to friend me on there and start recommending books!
In non book blogging news, I've also started a new online project with my husband: we're podcasting now! You can find our show A Couple of Geeks at Geekshow Entertainment. It's basically an hour of my husband and I riffing on anything and everything geeky - because we adhere to the theory that everyone is geeky about something. YA books will be coming up fairly often, as that's my major geek outlet - in our pilot episode, all about zombies, I give shoutouts to Rot and Ruin, The Forest of Hands and Teeth and The Dead-Tossed Waves. Give it a listen and geek out with us!
And finally: I want to try out a new feature here, inspired by some of the other blogging communities I'm part of as well as the annual Comment Challenge. I don't know about you guys, but I tend to be something of a lurker by nature. I'll comment somewhere if I have a burning need to add to the conversation, or if a blog/website looks like it's pretty new and doesn't have a lot of other people hanging around yet. But I hardly ever comment in more established spaces. Don't really know why, and don't feel like psychoanalyzing myself at the moment to figure it out! However, I do know that if I know other new people are going to be showing up, I'll talk more. Thus when other blogs put up periodic de-lurking posts, I'm more likely to poke my head in. Same with the Comment Challenge - I commented exponentially more than usual because I knew lots of other people were putting themselves out there on a limb as well!
I don't get a ton of comments here, but my Google statistics tell me I'm not sitting here talking to myself! So I'm hoping to do a post like this every month - perhaps as a stand alone post, or continue bundling it in with my month in review like I am this time. This is where I encourage you to jump in a take part in the blog! Bloggers live for comments, and I would love to hear from you. Introduce yourself and say hi! Don't know what else to say? Here are a few ideas:
- What are you reading at the moment? What made you pick it up and how do you like it so far?
- What was the last movie you saw?
- Are you currently being snowed in by a blizzard?
Like I said, I know I'm not talking to myself here, and I'd love to get to know my readers! So if you're like me and feel intimidated about jumping into a blog post uninvited...consider this your official invitation to join the party!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Book Thoughts: 2010 in review
In 2009 I was a rather casual blogger, but in 2010 I stepped up my pace dramatically - I wrote 108 blog posts in 2009 and this will be my 245th post of 2010. What prompted the increase in activity? Because in 2010 I finally stepped in to become part of the kid/YA lit blogging community. In 2009 my blogging was pretty solitary, with only a handful of comments coming in when people would randomly stumble across my blog. In 2010, I started searching for community in the very first week, participating in the comment challenge and my first Bloggiesta (I know dates for Bloggiesta have been set - and I CAN'T WAIT - but does anyone know if the comment challenge is happening again?). Through the two events (plus my second Bloggiesta in the summer) I found lots of new blogs to follow - which in turn increased the number of books I added to my TBR list, as I didn't have to search out new titles; they came to me!
Speaking of the TBR list, at some point in January (maybe during the Bloggiesta?) I created a Google spreadsheet where I tracked all of the books I wanted to read. Not only was this easier than just starring posts in Google Reader or immediately requesting titles from the library, but it made it easier for me to keep track of links back to where I'd first seen the book recommended - I was having far too many instances where it'd be weeks between requesting the book from the library and finally reading it where I'd be asking myself "Why on Earth did I ever think this was going to be good?!" Now when that happens, I can easily look back and see what the inspiration was and determine whether maybe I misread a review or if the reviewer and I just have totally opposite tastes (and if a pattern develops, it's sometimes a signal that I should pare down the list of blogs that I follow, if someone is constantly recommending stuff I despise!).
Since I kept separate tabs on my spreadsheet for what I want to read, what I have read, and what I've abandoned or changed my mind about even starting, it gives me a good overview of what my reading was like this year. It's not a perfect system yet, as one of the tweaks I'll have to do for 2011 is remember to note when a book has been sent to me for review. My Read & Reviewed tab tells me I've reviewed 127 books this year, but I know books like Prisoners in the Palace, which was sent to me, or Monsters of Men, which I picked up as an ARC at ALA, aren't on the list.
Here's what I've read but haven't reviewed (some will be reviewed in the next month, but by February I hope to be reviewing mostly 2011 books)
25 books... and there's still 54 books on my list that I want to read! I have a feeling I'll never be able to get to the all (in no small part because some of the books have been on my list all year and my library just never got them).
In 2010 I signed up for my first reading challenges...and kinda failed miserably at them. Not that I didn't read enough books to fulfill the challenges (I purposefully chose challenges where I was already interested in the subject), but I had a terrible time remembering to go log my reviews at the challenge sites. And then they weren't the community builders I was hoping for - I'd love to participate in a challenge with roundups like Nonfiction Monday does, maybe with a post once a month that the participants submit their links to so there's a monthly reminder to check out what your fellow participants are reading and blogging about. So for 2011 I'm not participating in any other challenges; instead I'm focusing on my own What Have I Missed? challenge - I'll be posting my tentative book list for that one tomorrow, so there's still time to leave a suggestion or two!
How was 2010 for you?
Speaking of the TBR list, at some point in January (maybe during the Bloggiesta?) I created a Google spreadsheet where I tracked all of the books I wanted to read. Not only was this easier than just starring posts in Google Reader or immediately requesting titles from the library, but it made it easier for me to keep track of links back to where I'd first seen the book recommended - I was having far too many instances where it'd be weeks between requesting the book from the library and finally reading it where I'd be asking myself "Why on Earth did I ever think this was going to be good?!" Now when that happens, I can easily look back and see what the inspiration was and determine whether maybe I misread a review or if the reviewer and I just have totally opposite tastes (and if a pattern develops, it's sometimes a signal that I should pare down the list of blogs that I follow, if someone is constantly recommending stuff I despise!).
Since I kept separate tabs on my spreadsheet for what I want to read, what I have read, and what I've abandoned or changed my mind about even starting, it gives me a good overview of what my reading was like this year. It's not a perfect system yet, as one of the tweaks I'll have to do for 2011 is remember to note when a book has been sent to me for review. My Read & Reviewed tab tells me I've reviewed 127 books this year, but I know books like Prisoners in the Palace, which was sent to me, or Monsters of Men, which I picked up as an ARC at ALA, aren't on the list.
Here's what I've read but haven't reviewed (some will be reviewed in the next month, but by February I hope to be reviewing mostly 2011 books)
- Supergirls by Mike Madrid
- She's So Dead to Us by Kieran Scott
- My Life With the Lincolns by Gayle Brandeis
- Freak Magnet by Andrew Auseon
- Sources of Light by Margaret McMullen
- Tension of Opposites by Kristina McBride
- Kiss by Jaqueline Wilson
- Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney
- Jump by Elisa Carbone
- Best Friends Forever: A WWII Scrapbook by Beverly Patt
- Dangerous Neighbors by Beth Kephart
- Trickster: Native American Tales by Matt Dembicki
- The Girl in the Song by Michael Heatley
- Touch Blue by Cynthia Lord
- House of Dead Maids by Claire B. Dunkle
- No and Me by Delphine de Vigan
- Where the Streets had a Name by Randa Abdel-Fattah
- Seven Souls by Barnabas Miller and Jordan Orlando
- Girl, Stolen by April Henry
- Cate of the Lost Colony by Lisa Klein
- The Fire Opal by Regina McBride
- Resistance by Carla Jablonski
- Not That Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian
- The Jumbee by Pamela Keyes
- Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John
25 books... and there's still 54 books on my list that I want to read! I have a feeling I'll never be able to get to the all (in no small part because some of the books have been on my list all year and my library just never got them).
In 2010 I signed up for my first reading challenges...and kinda failed miserably at them. Not that I didn't read enough books to fulfill the challenges (I purposefully chose challenges where I was already interested in the subject), but I had a terrible time remembering to go log my reviews at the challenge sites. And then they weren't the community builders I was hoping for - I'd love to participate in a challenge with roundups like Nonfiction Monday does, maybe with a post once a month that the participants submit their links to so there's a monthly reminder to check out what your fellow participants are reading and blogging about. So for 2011 I'm not participating in any other challenges; instead I'm focusing on my own What Have I Missed? challenge - I'll be posting my tentative book list for that one tomorrow, so there's still time to leave a suggestion or two!
How was 2010 for you?
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Month in review: September
Yes, it's the second day of October. It's actually almost the third day of October (reminder to self: call Dad tomorrow for his birthday!), but I spent all day today being a huuuuuuuuge nerd with a bunch of friends, playing the World of Darkness role playing game, set during the zombie apocalypse.
I've been in huge zombie overload recently. First there was Zombies vs. Unicorns and its accompanying debate (review of the actual book will be posted soon!), then Rot & Ruin, which of course has a giveaway running through Friday, October 8. I also just finished reading Mira Gran'ts Feed, a journalistic thriller starring bloggers after the dead have risen. Technically it's an adult novel, but I think it'll find some crossover appeal, as the narrator is only 20-something and it's quite an action-packed novel.
But enough about what's coming up - these review posts are supposed to be about looking back!
I love fall. It's definitely my favorite season, and it's especially exciting for book-people here in NYC because the book events pick up again in earnest. Within one week I had both the Zombies vs. Unicorns debate plus the Great Books for Teens and Tweens event at Books of Wonder - which is hosting more great events throughout October, so expect plenty more dispatches from that!
Looking back, I reviewed a lot of books about war this month, far more than I do in a usual month, I think. WWII was covered from a variety of angles with Ashes and Once as well as the excellent new graphic novel biography of Anne Frank. WWI was covered in my last Nonfiction Monday post with The War to End All Wars which I read shortly after I finished Behemoth (which will be reviewed on Friday - it got bumped in favor of the Rot & Ruin giveaway). The Cold War was the background for This Means War and The Red Umbrella which I'll also be reviewing soon. A fictional war was concluded in Monsters of Men, and while Black Hole Sun doesn't have a full scale war raging, it's still got plenty of fighting. Weird how things like that work out sometimes!
Stand out titles this month include the aforementioned Black Hole Sun and Rot & Ruin. Additionally, I Now Pronounce You Someone Else cracked me up because it is set around my home town, but also has a great serious side. A Golden Web is amazing historical fiction about the first female anatomist, and on the nonfiction front, I found Curveball to be a fascinating look at the first woman to play professional baseball on a men's team. A truly awesome story.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Month in review: August
Y'know how August tends to be a slow news month? Well, it was a slow blogging month for me. This summer has been brutally hot in NYC (as opposed to last year, when June was almost totally rained out) and has definitely given me a case of the summer doldrums. Of course, just as the calendar turns to September, the heat ratchets back up into the high 90s. I've never been so ready for fall.
This is also time for my annual pity party that I'm not in school. In elementary and middle school I hated fall because I hated going back to school, but by the time high school hit, going back to school was manageable, at least. After the first year of college I started going to classes almost all year, and was living full time in my college town by junior year, so fall meant the arrival of all of my friends who had gone home for the summer, and the return of forensics competitions. This is my third fall without school to return to, and I still get a bit bummed out, though it hasn't been nearly as bad this year as previous falls. Probably because I am beginning to realize that while I would love to return to school, none of my preferred study paths would lead me to a job with more guarantees than I have with my bachelor's degree. So for now it's best for me to keep on plugging away at my current job while continuing to apply for every sales, marketing or editorial publishing position I see.
But enough non-book-ish introspection - what was this month like in blogging? Reviews, reviews and more reviews. As part of my desire to do as little work as possible, I wrote 95% of my blog posts this month in large doses on a Saturday or Sunday. I'd usually knock out two weeks' worth in one weekend, leaving the rest of my week free to waste time in other ways - like re-reading The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay- those posts were what my middle school writing teacher would call "Thursday night specials," as I didn't finish my rereads until Thursday evening for all three books.
And of course, Mockingjay was the big event of the month, if not the biggest book-event of the summer! I designed my own Team Katniss shirt, and attended the big release party at Books of Wonder. I know people are still reading (if they were frugal and ordered the book online, or late to the party and only just started reading The Hunger Games), but if you've finished and are dying to talk about it, there's still conversation going on in my Mockingjay post! I have somewhat strong feelings about the novel, but I also have an intense curiosity to know why people felt differently and want to hear from all sides!
Some stand out books I reviewed this month were Finding My Place, about a black girl moving to a white suburb in the 60s, and Little Blog on the Prairie, where a girl goes to "frontier camp" with her family and chronicles the experience on a smuggled cell phone. I was also surprised by how much I enjoyed Princess of Glass, considering how underwhelmed I was with the first book, Princess of the Midnight Ball.
Here's hoping that September brings cooling air (and no hurricane) to the city, and lots of great books to read!
This is also time for my annual pity party that I'm not in school. In elementary and middle school I hated fall because I hated going back to school, but by the time high school hit, going back to school was manageable, at least. After the first year of college I started going to classes almost all year, and was living full time in my college town by junior year, so fall meant the arrival of all of my friends who had gone home for the summer, and the return of forensics competitions. This is my third fall without school to return to, and I still get a bit bummed out, though it hasn't been nearly as bad this year as previous falls. Probably because I am beginning to realize that while I would love to return to school, none of my preferred study paths would lead me to a job with more guarantees than I have with my bachelor's degree. So for now it's best for me to keep on plugging away at my current job while continuing to apply for every sales, marketing or editorial publishing position I see.
But enough non-book-ish introspection - what was this month like in blogging? Reviews, reviews and more reviews. As part of my desire to do as little work as possible, I wrote 95% of my blog posts this month in large doses on a Saturday or Sunday. I'd usually knock out two weeks' worth in one weekend, leaving the rest of my week free to waste time in other ways - like re-reading The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay- those posts were what my middle school writing teacher would call "Thursday night specials," as I didn't finish my rereads until Thursday evening for all three books.
And of course, Mockingjay was the big event of the month, if not the biggest book-event of the summer! I designed my own Team Katniss shirt, and attended the big release party at Books of Wonder. I know people are still reading (if they were frugal and ordered the book online, or late to the party and only just started reading The Hunger Games), but if you've finished and are dying to talk about it, there's still conversation going on in my Mockingjay post! I have somewhat strong feelings about the novel, but I also have an intense curiosity to know why people felt differently and want to hear from all sides!
Some stand out books I reviewed this month were Finding My Place, about a black girl moving to a white suburb in the 60s, and Little Blog on the Prairie, where a girl goes to "frontier camp" with her family and chronicles the experience on a smuggled cell phone. I was also surprised by how much I enjoyed Princess of Glass, considering how underwhelmed I was with the first book, Princess of the Midnight Ball.
Here's hoping that September brings cooling air (and no hurricane) to the city, and lots of great books to read!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Month in Review: July
In terms of activities, July was much less active than June, when I had Bloggiesta, ALA, Nonfiction Monday and Nerds Heart YA to boost my post count. Still, I stayed more on top of my reviewing than I ever have before, and even posted a few reviews and conversation posts on Sundays, boosting my post count for the month to 28.
I read a lot of nonfiction last month, inspired in part by the nonfiction books I received for review from my ALA contacts. Flow inspired some discussion about periods in YA lit, and the nomination of Enlightened Sexism for the Amelia Bloomer Project made me question just how they're defining the books that have "birth to 18" appeal, since both Flow and Enlightened Sexism were clearly directed at an older adult audience (that even made me feel left out at the age of 25). Other nonfiction titles were Sex and Girls Against Girls sent to me by Zest publishing and The Horrors of Andersonville, continuing my research for the Civil War YA novel I want to write some day.
I wasn't hugely excited about any of the books I read or reviewed this month, except for Sisters Red which is still on my mind weeks after reading it. I really might end up buying it so I can re-read it - and I never buy books anymore, unless I'm meeting the author in the process (Jackson Pearce, come to New York! She's visiting my husband's hometown in Ohio, she should come here!)
Honestly, I'm afraid I'm getting a little burned out by my fast pace of reading/reviewing. I spent yesterday forcing myself to finish a book. I really should have put it down a couple of chapters in and just tossed it onto the "did not finish" pile, but it's an LGBT title and there wasn't a compelling reason not to finish it, so I felt obligated to keep going. There was just something indescribable about the writing style that was making me cringe and roll my eyes and I just wanted the damn thing over already...but it insisted on continuing! I think I need to pull out one of my exciting ARCs from ALA, like Behemoth, to re-energize myself.
Of course, in 24 days I also get to read Mockingjay, so that will be exciting, too! I'm still planning on that midnight release party at Books of Wonder and would love to see you there, too!
I read a lot of nonfiction last month, inspired in part by the nonfiction books I received for review from my ALA contacts. Flow inspired some discussion about periods in YA lit, and the nomination of Enlightened Sexism for the Amelia Bloomer Project made me question just how they're defining the books that have "birth to 18" appeal, since both Flow and Enlightened Sexism were clearly directed at an older adult audience (that even made me feel left out at the age of 25). Other nonfiction titles were Sex and Girls Against Girls sent to me by Zest publishing and The Horrors of Andersonville, continuing my research for the Civil War YA novel I want to write some day.
I wasn't hugely excited about any of the books I read or reviewed this month, except for Sisters Red which is still on my mind weeks after reading it. I really might end up buying it so I can re-read it - and I never buy books anymore, unless I'm meeting the author in the process (Jackson Pearce, come to New York! She's visiting my husband's hometown in Ohio, she should come here!)
Honestly, I'm afraid I'm getting a little burned out by my fast pace of reading/reviewing. I spent yesterday forcing myself to finish a book. I really should have put it down a couple of chapters in and just tossed it onto the "did not finish" pile, but it's an LGBT title and there wasn't a compelling reason not to finish it, so I felt obligated to keep going. There was just something indescribable about the writing style that was making me cringe and roll my eyes and I just wanted the damn thing over already...but it insisted on continuing! I think I need to pull out one of my exciting ARCs from ALA, like Behemoth, to re-energize myself.
Of course, in 24 days I also get to read Mockingjay, so that will be exciting, too! I'm still planning on that midnight release party at Books of Wonder and would love to see you there, too!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Month in Review: June
June has been a busy, busy month. Need proof? This is post number 33 for the month.
A lot of this activity was prompted by the Bloggiesta event a few weeks ago. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Bloggiesta is one of the most fun online events I've ever participated in. And the Bloggiesta is also responsible for the consistent reviews posted over the last few weeks, as I wrote a bunch up on the last day and I still have one or two in reserve. So now I need to spend some time this holiday weekend writing up a new batch!
Bloggiesta wasn't the only exciting blog event this month, though. I also had the chance to participate in the Nerds Heart YA, debating the merits of The World is Mine and Donut Days before sending Donut Days on to the next round of the tournament.
And then just on Monday I got to host Nonfiction Monday. There was also, of course, ALA, which I posted about earlier today, and I have to say one of the highlights of the conference that didn't make it into my final report, was the discovery of publisher Zest Books and all of their teen nonfiction books. Hopefully I'll be getting a box of books from them soon, ensuring I have loads of Nonfiction Monday books for weeks to come!
Here in NYC, there were also some great book events to attend - I got to meet Karen Healey, author of one of my favorite new books, Guardian of the Dead. I also discovered the Museum of Comics and Cartoon Art and the Sons of Liberty panel (review coming soon! Actually...that would make a pretty good 4th of July weekend review! Revolutionary War superheroes. Doesn't get much more American than that!).
This month I was also very proud of myself for continuing my periodic link roundups (another go-round this weekend), as well as the debut of Sci-Fi Fridays, where I'll be concentrating my SF attentions weekly. If you're a SF nut, too, I encourage you to check the posts out weekly, and even join in yourself with your own posts!
Whew. Like I said, it's been a busy month - an ambitious start to the summer! Here's hoping the rest of the season goes as well!
A lot of this activity was prompted by the Bloggiesta event a few weeks ago. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Bloggiesta is one of the most fun online events I've ever participated in. And the Bloggiesta is also responsible for the consistent reviews posted over the last few weeks, as I wrote a bunch up on the last day and I still have one or two in reserve. So now I need to spend some time this holiday weekend writing up a new batch!
Bloggiesta wasn't the only exciting blog event this month, though. I also had the chance to participate in the Nerds Heart YA, debating the merits of The World is Mine and Donut Days before sending Donut Days on to the next round of the tournament.
And then just on Monday I got to host Nonfiction Monday. There was also, of course, ALA, which I posted about earlier today, and I have to say one of the highlights of the conference that didn't make it into my final report, was the discovery of publisher Zest Books and all of their teen nonfiction books. Hopefully I'll be getting a box of books from them soon, ensuring I have loads of Nonfiction Monday books for weeks to come!
Here in NYC, there were also some great book events to attend - I got to meet Karen Healey, author of one of my favorite new books, Guardian of the Dead. I also discovered the Museum of Comics and Cartoon Art and the Sons of Liberty panel (review coming soon! Actually...that would make a pretty good 4th of July weekend review! Revolutionary War superheroes. Doesn't get much more American than that!).
This month I was also very proud of myself for continuing my periodic link roundups (another go-round this weekend), as well as the debut of Sci-Fi Fridays, where I'll be concentrating my SF attentions weekly. If you're a SF nut, too, I encourage you to check the posts out weekly, and even join in yourself with your own posts!
Whew. Like I said, it's been a busy month - an ambitious start to the summer! Here's hoping the rest of the season goes as well!
Monday, May 31, 2010
Month in Review: May
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!
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!
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Month in Review: April
Whew. After two months of falling short of my blogging goals, I picked the pace back up in April, posting 24 entries. Not bad at all, considering the last two weekends (when I do a lot of my blogging for the week) have been eaten up by family weddings - I actually only got back from the last one an hour and a half ago!
The good thing about traveling for those weddings was it meant I had plenty of reading time, first on the bus to and from Baltimore, and then as I flew back and forth from my husband's hometown in Ohio.
April was also a busy month for me as my husband and I joined a gym on April 1st (no foolin'!). I'm a pretty sedentary person by nature, but I've really been enjoying working out so far. My favorite time to go is first thing in the morning on Saturday and Sunday - after lifting some weights I get out my latest book and settle back on one of the stationary bikes to peddle for awhile. It's definitely helping me work through that pile of library books (which is still almost unmanageable. At the end of March I had 29 checked out. As of today I have 26).
April was also a busy month on various blogs, as we had the 24 hour read-a-thon, the top 100 children's books, library appreciation week, and then at least two controversial articles in the media, first about parents in YA lit, and then about one person's perception of a lack of rigor in blog reviews. It was also National Poetry Month, which doesn't really light my fire, but I read two verse novels and made sure they were reviewed before the month finished.
I read some really great and some really not-so-great books this month. The conclusion to the Last Survivors trilogy with This World We Live In, The Less-Dead and Out of my Mind were three excellent novels, with Out of My Mind already guaranteed a spot on my "best of 2010" list. In not-so-great news, there was the short story collection How Beautiful the Ordinary. But I do have to thank that book for one thing - apparently someone out there in the real world was talking about that blog post at a party. One of the partygoers happened to be one of my best friends from elementary and middle school who I haven't seen in years and years. I'd heard she moved out to New York at some point but we'd completely lost contact. Well after that party, said-friend searched out the blog and found me on Twitter and now we're planning on getting together in the next week! Behold the power of blogs :-) And whoever is talking me up at parties - I love you. Can I get an invitation next time? ;-)
The good thing about traveling for those weddings was it meant I had plenty of reading time, first on the bus to and from Baltimore, and then as I flew back and forth from my husband's hometown in Ohio.
April was also a busy month for me as my husband and I joined a gym on April 1st (no foolin'!). I'm a pretty sedentary person by nature, but I've really been enjoying working out so far. My favorite time to go is first thing in the morning on Saturday and Sunday - after lifting some weights I get out my latest book and settle back on one of the stationary bikes to peddle for awhile. It's definitely helping me work through that pile of library books (which is still almost unmanageable. At the end of March I had 29 checked out. As of today I have 26).
April was also a busy month on various blogs, as we had the 24 hour read-a-thon, the top 100 children's books, library appreciation week, and then at least two controversial articles in the media, first about parents in YA lit, and then about one person's perception of a lack of rigor in blog reviews. It was also National Poetry Month, which doesn't really light my fire, but I read two verse novels and made sure they were reviewed before the month finished.
I read some really great and some really not-so-great books this month. The conclusion to the Last Survivors trilogy with This World We Live In, The Less-Dead and Out of my Mind were three excellent novels, with Out of My Mind already guaranteed a spot on my "best of 2010" list. In not-so-great news, there was the short story collection How Beautiful the Ordinary. But I do have to thank that book for one thing - apparently someone out there in the real world was talking about that blog post at a party. One of the partygoers happened to be one of my best friends from elementary and middle school who I haven't seen in years and years. I'd heard she moved out to New York at some point but we'd completely lost contact. Well after that party, said-friend searched out the blog and found me on Twitter and now we're planning on getting together in the next week! Behold the power of blogs :-) And whoever is talking me up at parties - I love you. Can I get an invitation next time? ;-)
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Month in Review: March
Ack! My blogging is getting less consistent as the year marches on! 28 posts in January, 19 in February, and this is only my 15th of the month. Bad blogger!
This was another tough month for me personally - my husband was out of town for the entire month and that interview I had back in February? Didn't get that job. Interviewed for another and missed it again. Waiting to hear back from Human Resources again about scheduling another interview in a different department, however. It's encouraging that this company seems to really like me, but I wish they would settle on a place to put me!
I have been reading a ton this month, as I mentioned in my Dirty Little Secrets review. However, a lot of those books I just wasn't enthusiastic about. I'm going to review them all, eventually, I just want to be able to break up the negative reviews with some positive ones as well.
I also just flat out gave up on my first book of the year. I usually persevere through even the worst books - I want to be fully informed when I go off on a rant about how terrible it was. This book wasn't even that bad, it just bored me, and as I currently have 29 books checked out from the library, I just don't have the time at this point to waste on a book that I can't dig up any feelings for, positive or negative.
Oh, and of those 29 books, only three of them are overdue! I wanted to return them yesterday, but I got to the library five minutes after it closed (it was only 6:05!) and they even lock up the outside drop boxes out here, so you can't drop off books after hours. Tomorrow I'm heading straight to the library after work to return those overdue books...and pick up several more that just came in. I really need to stop requesting books until I whittle down my already-checked-out pile!
In non-review posts this month, I gave my thoughts on Women's History Month and celebrated Ada Lovelace Day by reviewing a biography of Marie Curie. I finally got one of the preeminent books in the fallen angel paranormal romance trend and was seriously underwhelmed and have decided I need to call it quits on that particular trend. My favorite book by far this month was the previously mentioned Dirty Little Secrets, followed by Scarlett Fever (despite the less-than-stellar ending) and Marcelo in the Real World (where, again, I was way behind on picking up on the trend. But I'm still glad I got around to reading it).
Here's hoping my blogging schedule gets more consistent in April! We're finally getting the first signs of spring here in New York - which means I'm going to get to spend lunch time OUTSIDE in the park, where I can read or blog without my bosses looking over my shoulder (thank you, Madison Square Park wifi!)
This was another tough month for me personally - my husband was out of town for the entire month and that interview I had back in February? Didn't get that job. Interviewed for another and missed it again. Waiting to hear back from Human Resources again about scheduling another interview in a different department, however. It's encouraging that this company seems to really like me, but I wish they would settle on a place to put me!
I have been reading a ton this month, as I mentioned in my Dirty Little Secrets review. However, a lot of those books I just wasn't enthusiastic about. I'm going to review them all, eventually, I just want to be able to break up the negative reviews with some positive ones as well.
I also just flat out gave up on my first book of the year. I usually persevere through even the worst books - I want to be fully informed when I go off on a rant about how terrible it was. This book wasn't even that bad, it just bored me, and as I currently have 29 books checked out from the library, I just don't have the time at this point to waste on a book that I can't dig up any feelings for, positive or negative.
Oh, and of those 29 books, only three of them are overdue! I wanted to return them yesterday, but I got to the library five minutes after it closed (it was only 6:05!) and they even lock up the outside drop boxes out here, so you can't drop off books after hours. Tomorrow I'm heading straight to the library after work to return those overdue books...and pick up several more that just came in. I really need to stop requesting books until I whittle down my already-checked-out pile!
In non-review posts this month, I gave my thoughts on Women's History Month and celebrated Ada Lovelace Day by reviewing a biography of Marie Curie. I finally got one of the preeminent books in the fallen angel paranormal romance trend and was seriously underwhelmed and have decided I need to call it quits on that particular trend. My favorite book by far this month was the previously mentioned Dirty Little Secrets, followed by Scarlett Fever (despite the less-than-stellar ending) and Marcelo in the Real World (where, again, I was way behind on picking up on the trend. But I'm still glad I got around to reading it).
Here's hoping my blogging schedule gets more consistent in April! We're finally getting the first signs of spring here in New York - which means I'm going to get to spend lunch time OUTSIDE in the park, where I can read or blog without my bosses looking over my shoulder (thank you, Madison Square Park wifi!)
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Month in Review: February
I know that technically this is the shortest month of the year, but it's really felt like it wouldn't end. I am SO READY for winter to be over - New York City has been essentially shut down twice this month thanks to the snowstorms.
I have to admit, that the way this city operates is still totally foreign to me in some ways. Back in Michigan we got hit with big snows all of the time, and while schools would be closed, the rest of life kept on going. Short of an actual, on-going blizzard, businesses still opened and people went shopping or out for lunch. Here in New York, if we get a couple of inches overnight, people seem to just give up on the entire day! My bosses were impressed with my tenacity on Friday - I went into the office despite living out in Queens, while both of them live in Manhattan and decided to work from home!
My blogging slowed down a little this month for a couple of reasons. I worked on a couple of major posts, such as my LGBT Lit recommendation page and the first two Twilight posts (still working on putting all of my thoughts together for my Twilight review, while still doing my regular blogging). Plus I had a major job interview (that was delayed by the first snowstorm - I'm still anxiously awaiting word on that one) and celebrated my first wedding anniversary! So making 19 posts in 28 days isn't quite so disappointing.
Like last month, less than half of my posts this month were actually reviews (9 out of 19 posts). I spent the rest of the posts rehashing book events, advertising blogging events or dissecting book-related news. Of the reviews I did get posted, I'd have to say Brooklyn Nine was by far my favorite, followed by Mare's War.
This was a fairly comment-intensive month - lots of posts garnered a comment or two, and some long-ish comment threads were sparked by my posts on Spotlight, as well as the post on updating books for contemporary audiences, sparked by the announcement of Disney's latest TV movie Harriet the Spy: Blog Wars. Please keep commenting! I read every single comment, and respond to as many as I can, even though sometimes it takes me a few days.
March is (hopefully) going to start off with a ton of reviews - I have at least half a dozen books I've read in the past week or two that I still need to write up. I know how I'm spending the rest of my day!
I have to admit, that the way this city operates is still totally foreign to me in some ways. Back in Michigan we got hit with big snows all of the time, and while schools would be closed, the rest of life kept on going. Short of an actual, on-going blizzard, businesses still opened and people went shopping or out for lunch. Here in New York, if we get a couple of inches overnight, people seem to just give up on the entire day! My bosses were impressed with my tenacity on Friday - I went into the office despite living out in Queens, while both of them live in Manhattan and decided to work from home!
My blogging slowed down a little this month for a couple of reasons. I worked on a couple of major posts, such as my LGBT Lit recommendation page and the first two Twilight posts (still working on putting all of my thoughts together for my Twilight review, while still doing my regular blogging). Plus I had a major job interview (that was delayed by the first snowstorm - I'm still anxiously awaiting word on that one) and celebrated my first wedding anniversary! So making 19 posts in 28 days isn't quite so disappointing.
Like last month, less than half of my posts this month were actually reviews (9 out of 19 posts). I spent the rest of the posts rehashing book events, advertising blogging events or dissecting book-related news. Of the reviews I did get posted, I'd have to say Brooklyn Nine was by far my favorite, followed by Mare's War.
This was a fairly comment-intensive month - lots of posts garnered a comment or two, and some long-ish comment threads were sparked by my posts on Spotlight, as well as the post on updating books for contemporary audiences, sparked by the announcement of Disney's latest TV movie Harriet the Spy: Blog Wars. Please keep commenting! I read every single comment, and respond to as many as I can, even though sometimes it takes me a few days.
March is (hopefully) going to start off with a ton of reviews - I have at least half a dozen books I've read in the past week or two that I still need to write up. I know how I'm spending the rest of my day!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Month in Review: January
I've seen other people posting round ups of what they did this month - I figured I'd jump on the bandwagon!
At the end of December I said one of my New Year's resolutions was to blog consistently - which for me meant 3 times a week. It's the one resolution I've been able to keep so far, actually. This is my 28th post of the month, which means I averaged a post a day! I know in reality I took some days off, and I probably won't keep up this pace all year, but it's a little exciting.
That pace was helped along by the Bloggiesta at the beginning of the month. All that work in one weekend has certainly helped my blog. I was able to focus on setting goals for my blogging, standardizing things like my tags, and of course a bunch of people found the blog and have stuck around since then! I also added a ton of new blogs to my reading list over the course of the month, and seeing all of those other bloggers and their regular posts inspires me to keep going with my own blogging and reviewing, and can inspire me to make my thoughts on one of their posts into a whole new post over here.
January also brought a flurry of controversy over the Magic Under Glass cover. While Bloomsbury is changing the jacket on that particular book, it's clear the fight is far from over. Huffington Post ran an article that totally missed the point of our anger over whitewashing.
Of the 28 posts this month, less than half were actually reviews. The review with the most comments was for The Devil's Kiss. My favorite of all the books I reviewed was King of the Screwups, with The Rock and the River in a close second.
Well, I have two bags worth of library books I need to tackle, plus two reviews for books I finished this weekend to set up for later this week. Seriously, the ability to schedule posts is the only reason I've been able to blog as regularly as I have!
At the end of December I said one of my New Year's resolutions was to blog consistently - which for me meant 3 times a week. It's the one resolution I've been able to keep so far, actually. This is my 28th post of the month, which means I averaged a post a day! I know in reality I took some days off, and I probably won't keep up this pace all year, but it's a little exciting.
That pace was helped along by the Bloggiesta at the beginning of the month. All that work in one weekend has certainly helped my blog. I was able to focus on setting goals for my blogging, standardizing things like my tags, and of course a bunch of people found the blog and have stuck around since then! I also added a ton of new blogs to my reading list over the course of the month, and seeing all of those other bloggers and their regular posts inspires me to keep going with my own blogging and reviewing, and can inspire me to make my thoughts on one of their posts into a whole new post over here.
January also brought a flurry of controversy over the Magic Under Glass cover. While Bloomsbury is changing the jacket on that particular book, it's clear the fight is far from over. Huffington Post ran an article that totally missed the point of our anger over whitewashing.
Of the 28 posts this month, less than half were actually reviews. The review with the most comments was for The Devil's Kiss. My favorite of all the books I reviewed was King of the Screwups, with The Rock and the River in a close second.
Well, I have two bags worth of library books I need to tackle, plus two reviews for books I finished this weekend to set up for later this week. Seriously, the ability to schedule posts is the only reason I've been able to blog as regularly as I have!
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