I Have a Book to Give Away!

Last year I received a review copy of Andromeda Romano-Lax's debut novel The Spanish Bow. After posting my review, I gave the book away to one of those who had commented on it.

I now have a copy of the paperback version of The Spanish Bow, and I'd like to pass it along to someone else who will enjoy it!


If you are interested, please take a look at my original review and leave a comment either there or here. I'll randomly choose one of those who comments by November 15 to receive the book.

Teach With Your Heart by Erin Gruwell

Subtitled Lessons I Learned From the Freedom Writers.
Published in 2007. 265 pages.


Last year I read The Freedom Writer's Diary by The Freedom Writers with Erin Gruwell and also watched the movie based on the book, Freedom Writers. At that point I planned to read Erin Gruwell's memoir of that same experience - and I got to it this month.

I enjoyed this just as much as I did the first book, and it added some information about Gruwell's personal life (including her marriage), a run she made for Congress, and how the film came to be. I think it was good for me to wait for a while after reading The Freedom Writer's Diary before reading this book. That way I got to experience the emotions I felt all over again.

I'd recommend this book to teachers and parents and anyone else who enjoys a powerful story.

2008.59

Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen

Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes.
Published in 2006. 48 pages.


Library Lion is a delightful picture book about libraries and friendship and rules. It was a Children's Literature Association of Utah (CLAU) Beehive Award Nominee for 2007-2008.

First line: One day, a lion came to the library.

My favorite lines: Sometimes there is a good reason to break the rules. Even in the library.

2008.61

Read-a-Thon End-of-Event Survey

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?

Just after 4:00 a.m. my time (elapsed time 22:00), I just couldn't hold out any longer, and that was the end of my participation.

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?

Reading two graphic novels (see no. 6) during the early morning hours was great for me!

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?

This was my third time to participate, and I think it's just getting better and better!

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?

I suspect (or at least I hope) that having co-hosts sharing her responsibility helped Dewey enjoy the experience more than in the past. A big thank you to Hannah, Trish, Nymeth!

5. How many books did you read?
and
6. What were the names of the books you read?

I finished a total of five, one of which I'd already started: Teach With Your Heart (a memoir), Janes in Love (a YA graphic novel), Library Lion (a picture book), Bronte's Book Club (a children's novel), and To Dance (a children's graphic novel memoir). I also read about half of The Eyre Affair (the first of the Thursday Next series) and listened to part of The Rules of Survival (a YA novel).

7. Which book did you enjoy most?

I'd been really enjoying Teach With Your Heart, so it was great to finish it. The Eyre Affair is a fun, quirky novel that had me laughing out loud several times. Janes in Love, which is a sequel to The Plain Janes, is really good.

8. Which did you enjoy least?

I didn't love, love Bronte's Book Club like I'd hoped - although I did enjoy it and would recommend it to girls ages 8-12. The Rules of Survival is dark - not a light, happy read - but I'll definitely be finishing it.

9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?

Not applicable.

10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?

If at all possible, I will participate in the next read-a-thon! I'd like to be a reader again - but if my schedule is too busy, then I'll be a cheerleader (or some other type of helper).

Elapsed Time 24:00

Final report!

shortly after my 22:00 progress report, i found myself re-reading the same sentence over and over, and i decided that enough was enough. i laid down, and i was out. i slept for about 3 1/2 hours, then got up and showered and went to church. i'm now home - and making my final report.

Time Read: 11:45 (including 1:30 spent "reading" The Rules of Survival by listening to it on CD while doing chores)

Pages Read: 729 (the latest addition of pages cames from Linda Fairstein's Killer Heat)

Chapters Heard: 13 (i'm on disc 2 of 5)

Books Finished: 5 (during the first half of the read-a-thon, i finished Teach With Your Heart, which i started a week or so ago; since the midway point, i've read the graphic novel Janes in Love, the delightful picture book Library Lion, the children's novel Bronte's Book Club, and the children's graphic novel To Dance. i also read about half of The Eyre Affair)

Time Blogged: 9:15

Prizes Won: in Meryl’s "Quote From Your Book" mini-challenge, i won a “Muggles for Harry Potter” button and a beaded bookmark made by Heather.

Time Sleeping: 2:00

Time Doing Other "Stuff": 1:00

Frame of Mind: while i would have liked to make it through to the end, i did last longer than in my two previous read-a-thons! i had a lot of fun - and i'm already looking forward to april!

Cans of Diet Coke with Lime Consumed: 6

Other Food Items Consumed: two hard-boiled eggs and a bagel with provolone cheese; some Chex Mix; two S'Mores (prepared by my personal chef, my 9yo son Sugar Bear); some taquitos with guacamole; a box of Good and Plenty; part of a grilled steak salad with some chips and queso from Cafe Rio; a Heath candy bar; ice water; some microwave popcorn

Elapsed Time 22:00

Progress report ...

Time Read: 11:45 (including 1:30 spent "reading" The Rules of Survival by listening to it on CD while doing chores)

Pages Read: 729 (the latest addition of pages came from Linda Fairstein's Killer Heat)

Chapters Heard: 13 (i'm on disc 2 of 5)

Books Finished: 5 (during the first half of the read-a-thon, i finished Teach With Your Heart, which i started a week or so ago; since the midway point, i've read the graphic novel Janes in Love, the delightful picture book Library Lion, the children's novel Bronte's Book Club, and the children's graphic novel To Dance)

Time Blogged: 9:15

Prizes Won: in Meryl’s "Quote From Your Book" mini-challenge, i won a “Muggles for Harry Potter” button and a beaded bookmark made by Heather.

Time Doing Other "Stuff": 1:00

Frame of Mind: i don't think i can keep my eyelids open much longer.

Cans of Diet Coke with Lime Consumed: 6

Other Food Items Consumed: two hard-boiled eggs and a bagel with provolone cheese; some Chex Mix; two S'Mores (prepared by my personal chef, my 9yo son Sugar Bear); some taquitos with guacamole; a box of Good and Plenty; part of a grilled steak salad with some chips and queso from Cafe Rio; a Heath candy bar; ice water; some microwave popcorn

Elapsed Time 20:15

Progress report ...

Time Read: 11:00 (including 1:30 spent "reading" The Rules of Survival by listening to it on CD while doing chores)

Pages Read: 649

Chapters Heard: 13 (i'm on disc 2 of 5)

Books Finished: 4 (during the first half of the read-a-thon, i finished Teach With Your Heart, which i started a week or so ago; since the midway point, i've read the graphic novel Janes in Love, the delightful picture book Library Lion, and the children's novel Bronte's Book Club)

Time Blogged: 8:15

Prizes Won: in Meryl’s "Quote From Your Book" mini-challenge, i won a “Muggles for Harry Potter” button and a beaded bookmark made by Heather.

Time Doing Other "Stuff": 1:00

Frame of Mind: with less than four hours to go, i'm trying to decide whether i think i'll make it. i'm starting to get a headache that the Advil doesn't seem to help.

Cans of Diet Coke with Lime Consumed: 6

Other Food Items Consumed: two hard-boiled eggs and a bagel with provolone cheese; some Chex Mix; two S'Mores (prepared by my personal chef, my 9yo son Sugar Bear); some taquitos with guacamole; a box of Good and Plenty; part of a grilled steak salad with some chips and queso from Cafe Rio; a Heath candy bar

Elapsed Time 17:00

Progress report ...

Time Read: 9:00 (including 1:30 spent "reading" The Rules of Survival by listening to it on CD while doing chores)

Pages Read: 452

Chapters Heard: 13 (i'm on disc 2 of 5)

Books Finished: 2 (i finished Teach With Your Heart, which i started before the read-a-thon, and i just now read the graphic novel Janes in Love)

Time Blogged: 7:00

Time Doing Other "Stuff": 1:00

Frame of Mind: i'm actually not feeling too tired. i guess we'll see how things go in the next few hours.

Cans of Diet Coke with Lime Consumed: 6

Other Food Items Consumed: two hard-boiled eggs and a bagel with provolone cheese; some Chex Mix; two S'Mores (prepared by my personal chef, my 9yo son Sugar Bear); some taquitos with guacamole; a box of Good and Plenty; part of a grilled steak salad with some chips and queso from Cafe Rio

Read-a-Thon Mini-Challenge

softdrink (aka Jill) is hosting a mini-challenge right now. Here's my feeble attempt to channel David Letterman:

Top Ten Things Alison Is Missing
By Participating in the Read-a-Thon
10. Sleeping in on a Saturday morning.

9. Playing Blokus.

8. Singing in the shower (since she was listening to a book on CD at the time).

7. Watching last night's episode of Sanctuary on DVR.

6. Watching Stargate: SG-1 on DVD.

5. Wasting time on Facebook.

4. Having an afternoon nap.

3. Watching tonight's episode of Saturday Night Live.

2. Making dinner for the family. (Not!)

1. Catching up on the work she didn't finish on Friday. (Actually she's not missing that at all!)

Read-a-Thon Mini-Challenge

Sharon is hosting a mini-challenge about Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World. Here are my answers to her questions:

1. The library cat who lived closest to my home was also named Dewey. It lived in the Weber County Library, Ogden Valley Branch, in Huntsville, Utah, from 1995 to 1997.

2. The Dewey of the book lived in the Spencer (Iowa) Public Library.

3. Dewey starred in the documentary Puss in Books: Adventures of the Library Cat.

4. Dewey's full name was Dewey Readmore Books.

Elapsed Time 12:30

Progress report ...

Time Read: 6:30 (including 30 minutes of "reading" The Rules of Survival by listening to it on CD while i showered, dressed, and sorted laundry)

Pages Read: 277 (i read from page 160 to the end of Teach With Your Heart: Lessons I Learned From the Freedom Writers, and i'm currently on page 172 of The Eyre Affair)

Pages Heard: about 30 minutes worth :)

Books Finished: 1 (but i was already more than half way through it before the start of the read-a-thon)

Time Blogged: 5:15

Time Doing Other "Stuff": 0:45

Frame of Mind: i'm hanging in there. i do think i need to switch to some quicker reads, just to get more sense of accomplishment.

Cans of Diet Coke with Lime Consumed: 5

Other Food Items Consumed: two hard-boiled eggs and a bagel with provolone cheese; some Chex Mix; two S'Mores (prepared by my personal chef, my 9yo son Sugar Bear); some taquitos with guacamole; a box of Good and Plenty

Read-a-Thon Mid-Event Survey

Now that we're nearly halfway through, we have a survey to complete.

1. What are you reading right now?

I've been working on The Eyre Affair, the first book in the Tuesday Next series by Jasper Fforde.

2. How many books have you read so far?

I finished one that I had started prior to the read-a-thon (Teach With Your Heart by Erin Gruwell), and then I started The Eyre Affair. I've also listened a little to The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin on CD.

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?

Among my quick and easy reads for the second half - as I get more and more sleepy - is the graphic novel Janes in Love by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg, which is the sequel to The Plain Janes.

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?

I tried to get through my to-do list yesterday - although I didn't really get everything done, so I'll likely be doing a few things later while listening to a book on CD. Fortunately, I didn't have any major commitments already on the calendar when I found out about the read-a-thon.

5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?

My entire family has been in and out of the house all day. The hardest to keep from interrupting me is my 9yo son Sugar Bear. But mostly I've just kept muddling through.

6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?

It really has flown by this time - at least this first half.

7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?

This is my third time participating in the read-a-thon. I thought it was fabulous the first time, and it's just getting better and better.

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?

I definitely need to go to bed earlier the night before!

9. Are you getting tired yet?

Just prior to taking a break from reading to do this survey, I was getting pretty sleepy. But I'm mostly doing okay at this point.

10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?

I can't think of anything right now.

Elapsed Time 08:30

Progress report ...

Time Read: 4:45 (including 30 minutes of "reading" The Rules of Survival by listening to it on CD while i showered, dressed, and sorted laundry)

Pages Read: 199 (i read from page 160 to the end of Teach With Your Heart: Lessons I Learned From the Freedom Writers, and i'm currently on page 94 of The Eyre Affair)

Pages Heard: about 30 minutes worth :)

Books Finished: 1 (but i was already more than half way through it before the start of the read-a-thon)

Time Blogged: 3:30

Time Doing Other "Stuff": 0:15

Frame of Mind: it's hard to believe that it's already more than one-third over. i've had quite a few distractions with the kids - and i'm trying to get some laundry done too - but mostly i'm happy about what i've been able to do so far.

Cans of Diet Coke with Lime Consumed: 3

Other Food Items Consumed: two hard-boiled eggs and a bagel with provolone cheese; some Chex Mix; two S'Mores (prepared by my personal chef, my 9yo son Sugar Bear)

Elapsed Time 06:30

Progress report ...

Time Read: 4:15

Pages Read: 199 (i read from page 160 to the end of Teach With Your Heart: Lessons I Learned From the Freedom Writers, and i'm currently on page 94 of The Eyre Affair)

Books Finished: 1 (but i was already more than half way through it before the start of the read-a-thon)

Time Blogged: 2:15

Frame of Mind: i'm wishing i was reading faster, but i am enjoying The Eyre Affair. i think i'm going to go have a quick shower and listen to the Book on CD that my 12yo daughter Sugar Plum has set up for me.

Cans of Diet Coke with Lime Consumed: 2 1/2

Read-a-Thon Mini-Challenge

Meryl is hosting a mini-challenge. She says, "Give me a great quote from the book you're reading right now." I'm currently working on The Eyre Affair, the first in the Tuesday Next series by Jasper Fforde, and this is a brief passage that made me laugh out loud:

"Did the memory erasure device work, Uncle?"

"The what?"

"The memory erasure device. You were testing it when I last saw you."

"Don't know what you're talking about, dear girl."

Elapsed Time 03:00

Progress report ...

Time Read: 2:00

Pages Read: 105 (i read from page 160 to the end of Teach With Your Heart: Lessons I Learned From the Freedom Writers)

Books Finished: 1 (but i was already more than half way through it before the start of the read-a-thon)

Time Blogged: 1:00

Frame of Mind: i'm feeling like i'm off to a good start - it's nice to feel a little bit of success already! now i need to decide what to read next, right after i get another glass of Diet Coke with Lime!

Cans of Diet Coke with Lime Consumed: 1 1/2

Introduction Meme

The first activity of the read-a-thon is an Introduction Meme, created by Darcie in the last read-a-thon. Here goes:

Where are you reading from today?
For the most part, I'll be sitting on the love seat in my family room, with my feet on the ottoman.

Three facts about me:

• Although I am an avid reader, I've discovered that I don't read near as quickly as my two daughters (17yo and 12yo). I'm not sure why that is - and I wonder if my speed has diminished with age.


• I love Diet Coke with Lime, microwave popcorn, and crab cakes - all of which I intend to consume in the course of the read-a-thon.


• I don't do well when I don't get enough sleep. Participating in an event like this one is a bit of an act of faith that the rewards will outweigh the cost.

How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?
Lots! I've got a bunch of books here that I've checked out of the library over the past several weeks, as well as some books I own. And I can always make a quick run to my local library branch if I decide I need something else.

Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (e.g., number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)?
My goal is to make some progress toward completing some of the challenges I've involved with this year. That and to have some fun!

Any advice for people doing this for the first time?
This is my third read-a-thon, and one of the best parts for me has been visiting and being visited by other readers and cheerleaders. I'd recommend that everyone do that as much as they realistically can!

Elapsed Time 00:00

Here we go ...

I rolled out of bed when my alarm went off at 5:45. I've now got my contacts on, but I haven't had a shower yet and I'm wearing my pajamas. It's very dark outside, and everyone else in the house is still asleep. I certainly would be sleeping myself at this hour on a Saturday morning if today weren't the read-a-thon.

First up for me will be continuing with Teach with the Heart by Erin Gruwell, which I started earlier this month. After a few chapters, I'll get a little bit of breakfast.

Good luck to all the other read-a-thon participants, and a big thanks to Dewey and her co-hosts, the cheerleaders, and all the other helpers! (If you're just stopping by and want to know more about what's happening, check out our host Dewey's first post of the event here.)

Mark Your Calendars Now!

NOTE: I've made this a "sticky" post,
so please scroll down for recent posts!

24-Hour Read-a-Thon

October 18
Hosted by Dewey
of
the hidden side of the leaf
It's back - and I'm in! The past two read-a-thons were just so much fun that I can't pass up another opportunity to play along. Check out all the details here!

The 24-Hour Read-a-Thon Is Almost Here

I'm not near as prepared as I've been in the past, and at this point I'm not sure that I've completely cleared my day - but the read-a-thon starts at 6:00 tomorrow morning (that's Mountain Time).

So I'm off to bed ... with visions of books dancing in my head.

A Short Guide to a Happy Lifeby Anna Quindlen

Published in 2000. 50 pages.


This tiny book - which appears to me to have been written as a speech for a college graduation ceremony - is the sort of thing that we all ought to read every year or so: a reminder of what happiness is and where it is to be found. The black-and-white photographs throughout the book illustrate the concepts well.

2008.57

Violet on the Runway by Melissa Walker

Published in 2007. 220 pages.

A wallflower in the spotlight can do two things:
wilt - or blossom ...
This first in the currently three-volume Violet series was an quick, enjoyable YA read for me. I have almost no interest in fashion or modeling, but I could relate to the characters and the storyline anyway. Trying to find one's place in the world and to understand where one belongs are universal human experiences, I think, whether you are a tall, skinny Chapel Hill High School senior who wants to be one of the popular girls - like Violet - or a quiet book-blogging accountant and mother of three - like me.

While some YA novels are profound reading experiences for me, others - like this one - are simply escapist fun, exactly what I need at times. I will definitely check out Violet By Design and Violet In Private!

Other book bloggers' reviews of Violet on the Runway: If you have read and reviewed this book, I would love to link your review here. Please leave me a comment or email me your link!

• Thoughts of Joy (February 29, 2008)

2008.54

The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant

Published in 2003. 397 pages.


I liked this book. Some of it I liked a lot.

I enjoyed the poetic language, even if that made it a bit of a slow read and sometimes put me to sleep. I had fun contemplating the symbolism. I loved the commentary about the roles and choices available to women - both then and now. And I enjoyed talking about the book with my IRL book club. (Thanks, Melissa!)

But the book didn't ever come together in a way that I just wanted to say "wow."

Other book bloggers' reviews of The Birth of Venus: If you have read and reviewed this book, I would love to link your review here. Please leave me a comment or email me your link!

2008.56