I read every night for at least half an hour before I go to bed, two hours a week while I’m waiting for son outside of a computer class and another two hours a week while waiting for both boys during dance class.  I wish I could sit down and read while they are in preschool but I refuse to grocery shop with the boys if I have to, so use that time to run around town. I have found that even though I’m running the boys around like crazy, I really appreciate the time where I am waiting for them. It’s amazing how much I can read in a 45 minute stretch when I’m supposedly really busy.

I also tend to read with a book in one hand while stirring dinner on the stove with the other hand. It’s all about multi-tasking people!

Fiction

1. West of Here by Jonathan Evison (I’ll be going to his signing at the Kings English Thursday March 3rd)
2. The Only True Genius in the Family by Jennie  Nash (A reread from 2009 which we read for book club. I never reread books, so that tells you how much I love this book.)
3. I Don’t Want  to Kill You by Dan Wells (local author)

Young Adult Fiction

1. Dirty Little Secrets by C.J. Omololu
2. The Best and Hardest thing by Pat Brisson
3. Lena by Jacqueline Woodson
4. My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters by Sydney Salter (local author)
5. Mississippi Trail, 1955 by Chris Crowe (local author)
6. Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder
7. Fighting Ruben Wolfe by Markus Zusak (He’s coming for a signing! Here in Utah!!!! March 26th! Squeeeee!)
8. Getting the Girl by Markus Zusak
9. Sun and Moon,  Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George (local author)
10. The Lost Saint by Bree Despain (local author)

Middle Readers

1. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
2. Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze by Alan Silberberg
3. A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park
4. The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger
5. A Million Shades of Gray by Cynthia Kadohata

Non-Fiction

1. Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs and Parenting by Michael Perry

Lots of variation thus far. West of Here was my chunkster for the month. Dirty Little Secrets is about a girl who’s mother is a hoarder and was fascinating in subject matter as I’ve never read anything like it!  I love Jacqueline Woodson so excited to read another fantastic backlist title, Lena.  The Best and Hardest Thing as well as Chasing Brooklyn are both free verse novels which I ADORE.

Best line from The  Lost Saint: “You Bedazzled my stake?”

I usually don’t care for books with talking animals but I might just change my mind after reading Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow.  One of the main characters is a polar bear and I didn’t mind a bit.  I LOVED The Evolution of Calpunia Tate.  If you’ve read it, you’ll know what I mean, when I say, what an awesome grandpa!

My husband attended LTUE, a local writers conference, and Dan Wells sent him home with the third book in his I Am Not A Serial Killer series, I Don’t Want to Kill You. I promptly abandoned everything else I was reading to rush through it. Only question – is there a fourth?

And Markus Zusak is coming!  So, so, so excited! I read The Book Thief and I Am the Messenger years ago but read through his other backlist titles to prepare. Also,  listening to The Book Thief on audio which is all kinds of fantastic (although I think I’d be lost and confused if I hadn’t read it in print first).

What is your favorite book that you’ve read thus far in 2011?

Fiction

1. The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall
2. Promise Me by Richard Paul Evans
3. War on the Margins by Libby Cone
4. Guest House by Barbara Richardson
5. The Eden Hunter by Skip Horak
6. The Lotus Eaters by Tatjana Soli
7. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
8. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
9. The Tricking of Freya by Christina Sunley
10. The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan
11. The Hundred Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais
12. Conjugal Love by Alberto Moravia
13. The Gendarme by Mark Mustian
14. Mr. Monster by Dan Wells
15. In the Woods by Tana French
16. Unformed Landscape by Peter Stamm
17. The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
18. Sea Escape by Lynne Griffen
19. Love Begins in Winter: Stories by Simon Van Booy
20. How Dolly Parton Saved My Life by Charlotte Connors
21. The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
22. That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo
23. The Unnamed by Joshua Ferris
24. The Threadbare Heart by Jennie Nash
25. Get Lucky by Katherine Center
26. The Birth House by Ami McKay
27. Little Bee by Chris Cleave
28. Gabriel’s Story by David Anthony Durham
29. A Circle of Souls by Preetham Grandhi
30. Recovering Charles by Jason Wright
31. My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
32. The Last Will of Moriah Leahy by Therese Walsh
33. I Am Not a Serial Killer by Dan Wells
34. Room by Emma Donoghue

Young Adult Fiction

1. Delirium by Lauren Oliver
2. Vintage Veronica by Erica S. Perl
3. Trapped by Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen
4. The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
5. The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney
6. Hush by Eishes Chayil
7. The Things a Brother Knows by Dana Reinhard
8. The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
9. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
10. Glimpse by Carol  Lynch Williams
11. Dangerous Neighbors by Beth Kephart
12. Three Quarters Dead by Richard Peck
13. Yummy by G. Neri
14. Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson
15. Scars by Cheryl Rainfield
16. Grace by Elizabeth Scott
17. The Heart is Not a Size by Beth Kephart
18. If I Stay by Gayle Forman
19. After Tupac & D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson
20. Calamity Jack by Shannon and Dean Hale, Illustrated by Nathan Hale
21. The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
22. Bifocal by Deborah Ellis and Eric Walters
23. Liar by Justine Larbalestier
24. The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott
25. Uglies by Scott Westerfield
26. Pretties by Scott Westerfield
27. Specials by Scott Westerfield
28. The Surrender Tree, Poems of Cuba’s Struggle for Freedom by Margarita Engle
29. Mare’s War by Tanita S. Davis
30. Artichoke’s Heart by Suzanne Supplee
31. Keep Sweet by Michelle Dominguez Green
32. Keesha’s House by Helen Frost
33. The Ring by Bobbie Pyron
34. Split by Swati Avasthi
35. Three Rivers Rising by Jame Richards
36. Matched by Ally Condie
37. Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins
38. Beautiful by Amy Reed
39. The Blonde of the Joke by Bennett Madison

Middle Readers

1. Countdown by Deborah Wiles
2. Annexed by Sharon Dogar
3. Palace Beautiful by Sarah Deford Williams
4. Zora and Me by Victoria Bond and
5. The Limit by Kristen Landon
6. The Fantastic  Secret of Owen Jester
7. Bink and Gollie by Kate KiCamillo
8. Hashbrown Winters and the Mashimoto Madness by Frank L. Cole
9. Grease Town by Ann Towell
10. The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon
11. Leaving Gee’s Bend by Irene Latham
12. All the Broken Pieces by Ann Burg
13. All Alone by Claire Huchet Bishop
14. Dovey Coe by Frances O’Roark Dowell
15. Witness by Karen Hesse
16. Year of No Rain by Alice Mead
17. Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis
18. 42 Miles by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer
19. When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr
20. Heart of a Shepherd by Rosanne Parry
21. The Battle of the Red Hot Pepper Weenies and Other Warped and Creepy Tales by David Lubar
22. Captain Nobody by Dean Pitchford
23. Brendan Buckley’s Universe and Everything in It by Sundee Tucker Frazier
24. Operation Yes by Sara Holmes
25. The Door in the Wall by Marguerite De Angeli
26. When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt
27. The Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars
28. My Brother the Dog by Kim Williams-Justesen
29. In Grandpa’s House by Philip Sendak
30. Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom by Frank Wright
31. Romana Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Clearly
32. A Fine White Dust by Cynthia Rylant
33. Clementine, Friend of the Week by Sara Pennypacker
34. Trackers by Patrick Carmen
35. Boom by Mark Haddon
36. Tales from a Not So Popular Party Girl by Rachel Renee Russell
37. Cracker, The Best Dog in Vietnam by Cynthia Kadohata

Non-Fiction

1. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
2. Raising a Reader by Jennie Nash
3. A Family of Readers: The Book Lover’s Guide to Children’s and Young Adult Literature edited by Roger Sutton
4. Seeds of Change by Jen Cullerton Johnson, Illustrated by Sonia Lynn Sadler (picture book)
5. Church of Lies by Flora Jessop and Paul T. Brown
6. Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose
7. Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant by Daniel Tammet (memoir)
8. The Year My Son and I Were Born: A Story of Down Syndrome, Motherhood, and Self-Discovery by Kathryn Lynard Soper (memoir)
9. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer (memoir)
10. Our Children Can Soar: A Celebration of Rosa, Barack, and the Pioneers of Change by Michelle Cook (picture book)
11. The Blue Cotton Gown, A Midwife’s Memoir by Patricia Harman (memoir)
12. My Bridges of Hope: Searching for Life and Love After Auschwitz by by Livia Bitton-Jackson (juvenile memoir)
13. A Place to Hide: True Stories of Holocaust Rescues by Jayne Pettit (juvenile)
14. Expecting Adam: A True Story of Birth, Rebirth and Everyday Magic by Martha Beck (memoir)
15. It’s All Too Much, An Easy Plan For Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff by Peter Walsh (self-help)
16. Shattered Silence, The Untold Story of a Serial Killer’s Daughter by Melissa G. Moore (memoir)
17. Surviving the Angel of Death, The Story of a Mengele Twin in Auschwitz by Eva Kor (memoir)

Picture Books

1. Frankie Stein Starts School by Lola M Schaefer, Illustrated by Kevan Atteberry
2. Broom, Zoom! by Caron Lee Cohen, Illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier
3. Scaredy-Cat, Splat! by Rob Scotton
4. Goodnight, Little Monster by Helen Ketteman, Illustrated by Bonnie Leick
5. Ollie’s Halloween by Oliver Dunrea
6. Hush, Baby Ghostling by Andrea Beaty, Illustrated by Pascal Lemaitre
7. Even Monsters Need Haircuts by Matthew McElligott
8. The Halloween Kid by Rhode Montijitten
9. I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll, Illustrated by Howard McWilliams
10. Bear in Underwear by Todd H. Doodler
11. Dinosaur vs. Bedtime by Bob Shea
12. Dinosaur vs. the Potty by Bob Shea
13. The Potty Train by David Hochman and Ruth Kennison, Illustrated by Derek Anderson
14. Higher! Higher! by Leslie Patricelli
15. The Boss Baby by Marla Frazee
16. The Can Man by Laura E. Williams, Illustrated by Craig Orback
17. Me With You by Kristy Dempsey, Illustrated by Christopher Denise
18. Billy Twitters and His Blue Whale Problem by Mac Barnett, Illustrated by Adam Rex
19. The Hermit Crab by Carter Goodrich
20. The Hair of Zoe Fleefenbacher Goes to School by Laurie Halse Anderson, Illustrated by Ard Hoyt
21. Ned’s New Home by Kevin Tseng
22. My Goldfish by Barroux
23. First Come the Zebra by Lynne Barasch
24. The Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood, Illustrated by Reneta Liwska
25. The Legend of Ninja Cowboy Bear by David Bruins and Hilary Leung
26. Is Your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten? by Audrey Vernick, Illustrated by Daniel Jennewein
27. Finding Lincoln by Ann Malaspina, Illustrated by Colin Bootman
28. The Negro Speaks of Rivers by Langston Hughes, Illustrated by E.B. Lewis
29. My People by Langston Hughes, Photographs by Charles R. Smith Jr.
30. Ron’s Big Mission by Rose Blue and Corinne J. Naden, Illustrated by Don Tate
31. Our Children Can Soar: A Celebration of Rosa, Barack, and the Pioneers of Change by Michelle Cook
32. We Are the Ship, The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson
33. In the Garden by Peggy Collins
    
34. Mouse Was Mad by Linda Urban and Illustrated by Henry Cole
35. Ninety-Three in My Family by Erica S. Perl, Illustrated by Mike Lester
36. Dogs on the Bed by Elizabeth Bluemle, Illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf
37. Little Skink’s Tail by Janet Halfmann, Illustrated by Laurie Allen Klein
38. Scaredy Squirrel at Night by Melanie Watt
39. Firefighter Ted by Andrea Beaty and Pascal Lemaitr

I feel like I read some fantastic books this year. And if I get my butt in gear, maybe I’ll get a post about where I talk about the best of the best and the worst of the worst! But the best of the year?  Lonesome Dove. Ahh, loved it.

Oh – and if you’re a publisher or author expecting a review, you’ll still get one.

Copyright 2010. Maw Books Blog

Maw Books has an affiliate relationship with several bookstores, including Indiebound, Powell’s, and Amazon . When you buy a product (not just books – any product), via one of my links, Maw Books earns income from the sale and as always, it’s much appreciated as all affiliate income is used to support the blog. There is no cost to you.

Thanks to the great readalong being hosted by My Friend Amy, Amused by Books and Gerbera Daisy Diaries I read Lonesome Dove.  I’ve had that book sitting on my shelf for YEARS and am sad that I let it sit for so long. Easily the best book that I’ve read this year and an instant favorite.  I devoured all 940 pages in just 2 to 3 weeks.  SO SO GOOD.

Fiction

1. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
2. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
3. The Tricking of Freya by Christina Sunley
4. The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan
5. The Hundred Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais
6. Conjugal Love by Alberto Moravia
7. The Gendarme by Mark Mustian
8. Mr. Monster by Dan Wells

Young Adult Fiction

1. The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney
2. Hush by Eishes Chayil
3. The Things a Brother Knows by Dana Reinhardt

Middle Readers

1. Palace Beautiful by Sarah Deford Williams
2. Zora and Me by Victoria Bond and
3. The Limit by Kristen Landon
4. The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester by Barbara O’Connor

Picture Books

1. Frankie Stein Starts School by Lola M Schaefer, Illustrated by Kevan Atteberry
2. Broom, Zoom! by Caron Lee Cohen, Illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier
3. Scaredy-Cat, Splat! by Rob Scotton
4. Goodnight, Little Monster by Helen Ketteman, Illustrated by Bonnie Leick
5. Ollie’s Halloween by Oliver Dunrea
6. Hush, Baby Ghostling by Andrea Beaty, Illustrated by Pascal Lemaitre
7. Even Monsters Need Haircuts by Matthew McElligott
8. The Halloween Kid by Rhode Montijitten
9. I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll, Illustrated by Howard McWilliams
10. Bear in Underwear by Todd H. Doodler
11. Dinosaur vs. Bedtime by Bob Shea
12. Dinosaur vs. the Potty by Bob Shea
13. The Potty Train by David Hochman and Ruth Kennison, Illustrated by Derek Anderson
14. Higher! Higher! by Leslie Patricelli
15. The Boss Baby by Marla Frazee
16. The Can Man by Laura E. Williams, Illustrated by Craig Orback
17. Me With You by Kristy Dempsey, Illustrated by Christopher Denise
18. Billy Twitters and His Blue Whale Problem by Mac Barnett, Illustrated by Adam Rex
19. The Hermit Crab by Carter Goodrich
20. The Hair of Zoe Fleefenbacher Goes to School by Laurie Halse Anderson, Illustrated by Ard Hoyt
21. Ned’s New Home by Kevin Tseng
22. My Goldfish by Barroux
23. First Come the Zebra by Lynne Barasch
24. The Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood, Illustrated by Reneta Liwska
25. The Legend of Ninja Cowboy Bear by David Bruins and Hilary Leung

Non-Fiction

1. A Family of Readers: The Book Lover’s Guide to Children’s and Young Adult Literature edited by Roger Sutton
2. Seeds of Change by Jen Cullerton Johnson, Illustrated by Sonia Lynn Sadler (picture book)

Now somebody tell me to stop reading and actually review these titles!

Copyright 2010. Maw Books Blog

Maw Books has an affiliate relationship with several bookstores, including Indiebound, Powell’s, and Amazon . When you buy a product (not just books – any product), via one of my links, Maw Books earns income from the sale and as always, it’s much appreciated as all affiliate income is used to support the blog. There is no cost to you.

My favorite read from July and August?  The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien.  Amazing!

Fiction

1. In the Woods by Tana French
2. Unformed Landscape by Peter Stamm
3. The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
4. Sea Escape by Lynne Griffen
5. Love Begins in Winter: Stories by Simon Van Booy
6. How Dolly Parton Saved My Life by Charlotte Connors
7. The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien

Young Adult Fiction

1. The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
2. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
3. Glimpse by Carol  Lynch Williams
4. Dangerous Neighbors by Beth Kephart
5. Three Quarters Dead by Richard Peck
6. Yummy by G. Neri
7. Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson
8. Scars by Cheryl Rainfield
9. Grace by Elizabeth Scott

Middle Readers

1. Bink and Gollie by Kate KiCamillo
2. Hashbrown Winters and the Mashimoto Madness by Frank L. Cole
3. Grease Town by Ann Towell
4. The Kneebone Boy by Ellen Potter

Picture Books

1. Is Your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten? by Audrey Vernick, Illustrated by Daniel Jennewein

Non-Fiction

1. Church of Lies by Flora Jessop and Paul T. Brown

And given the fact that 12 of these books were either review copies or brought home from BEA, I really feel like I’m making headway on that TBR pile!

What was your favorite book that you read this summer?

Copyright 2010. Maw Books Blog

Maw Books has an affiliate relationship with several bookstores, including Indiebound, Powell’s, and Amazon . When you buy a product (not just books – any product), via one of my links, Maw Books earns income from the sale and as always, it’s much appreciated as all affiliate income is used to support the blog. There is no cost to you.

Because I haven’t been doing a monthly wrap up this year, I thought I would take a moment and at least share with you what I’ve read thus far in 2010.

Fiction

1. That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo
2. The Unnamed by Joshua Ferris
3. The Threadbare Heart by Jennie Nash
4. Get Lucky by Katherine Center
5. The Birth House by Ami McKay
6. Little Bee by Chris Cleave
7. Gabriel’s Story by David Anthony Durham
8. A Circle of Souls by Preetham Grandhi
9. Recovering Charles by Jason Wright
10. My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
11. The Last Will of Moriah Leahy by Therese Walsh
12. I Am Not a Serial Killer by Dan Wellsn (debated – is this YA or adult?)
13. Room by Emma Donoghue

Young Adult Fiction

1. The Heart is Not a Size by Beth Kephart
2. If I Stay by Gayle Forman
3. After Tupac & D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson
4. Calamity Jack by Shannon and Dean Hale, Illustrated by Nathan Hale
5. The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
6. Bifocal by Deborah Ellis and Eric Walters
7. Liar by Justine Larbalestier
8. The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott
9. Uglies by Scott Westerfield
10. Pretties by Scott Westerfield
11. Specials by Scott Westerfield
12. The Surrender Tree, Poems of Cuba’s Struggle for Freedom by Margarita Engle
13. Mare’s War by Tanita S. Davis
14. Artichoke’s Heart by Suzanne Supplee
15. Keep Sweet by Michelle Dominguez Green
16. Keesha’s House by Helen Frost
17. The Ring by Bobbie Pyron
18. Split by Swati Avasthi
19. Three Rivers Rising by Jame Richards
20. Matched by Ally Condie
21. Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins
22. Beautiful by Amy Reed
23. The Blonde of the Joke by Bennett Madison

Middle Readers

1. The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon
2. Leaving Gee’s Bend by Irene Latham
3. All the Broken Pieces by Ann Burg
4. All Alone by Claire Huchet Bishop
5. Dovey Coe by Frances O’Roark Dowell
6. Witness by Karen Hesse
7. Year of No Rain by Alice Mead
8. Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis
9. 42 Miles by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer
10. When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr
11. Heart of a Shepherd by Rosanne Parry
12. The Battle of the Red Hot Pepper Weenies and Other Warped and Creepy Tales by David Lubar
13. Captain Nobody by Dean Pitchford
14. Brendan Buckley’s Universe and Everything in It by Sundee Tucker Frazier
15. Operation Yes by Sara Holmes
16. The Door in the Wall by Marguerite De Angeli
17. When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt
18. The Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars
19. My Brother the Dog by Kim Williams-Justesen
20. In Grandpa’s House by Philip Sendak
21. Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom by Frank Wright
22. Romana Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Clearly
23. A Fine White Dust by Cynthia Rylant
24. Clementine, Friend of the Week by Sara Pennypacker
25. Trackers by Patrick Carmen
26. Boom by Mark Haddon
27. Tales from a Not So Popular Party Girl by Rachel Renee Russell
28. Cracker, The Best Dog in Vietnam by Cynthia Kadohata

Picture Books

1. Finding Lincoln by Ann Malaspina, Illustrated by Colin Bootman
2. The Negro Speaks of Rivers by Langston Hughes, Illustrated by E.B. Lewis
3. My People by Langston Hughes, Photographs by Charles R. Smith Jr.
4. Ron’s Big Mission by Rose Blue and Corinne J. Naden, Illustrated by Don Tate
5. Our Children Can Soar: A Celebration of Rosa, Barack, and the Pioneers of Change by Michelle Cook
6. We Are the Ship, The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson
7. In the Garden by Peggy Collins
   
8. Mouse Was Mad by Linda Urban and Illustrated by Henry Cole
9. Ninety-Three in My Family by Erica S. Perl, Illustrated by Mike Lester
10. Dogs on the Bed by Elizabeth Bluemle, Illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf
11. Little Skink’s Tail by Janet Halfmann, Illustrated by Laurie Allen Klein
12. Scaredy Squirrel at Night by Melanie Watt
13. Firefighter Ted by Andrea Beaty and Pascal Lemaitr

Non-Fiction

1. Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose
2. Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant by Daniel Tammet (memoir)
3. The Year My Son and I Were Born: A Story of Down Syndrome, Motherhood, and Self-Discovery by Kathryn Lynard Soper (memoir)
4. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer (memoir)
5. Our Children Can Soar: A Celebration of Rosa, Barack, and the Pioneers of Change by Michelle Cook (picture book)
6. The Blue Cotton Gown, A Midwife’s Memoir by Patricia Harman (memoir)
7. My Bridges of Hope: Searching for Life and Love After Auschwitz by by Livia Bitton-Jackson (juvenile memoir)
8. A Place to Hide: True Stories of Holocaust Rescues by Jayne Pettit (juvenile)
9. Expecting Adam: A True Story of Birth, Rebirth and Everyday Magic by Martha Beck (memoir)
10. It’s All Too Much, An Easy Plan For Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff by Peter Walsh (self-help)
11. Shattered Silence, The Untold Story of a Serial Killer’s Daughter by Melissa G. Moore (memoir)
12. Surviving the Angel of Death, The Story of a Mengele Twin in Auschwitz by Eva Kor (memoir)

So including books left over from 2009 that’s about 60 book reviews behind.  Gulp!  Kind of makes me want to just go back outside and play with the boys instead.  Or at the very least read another book.  I’m not where I’d like to be in terms of my general fiction.  Seeing it laid out like that makes it look really bare.  I’d like to even that out before the end of the year.  But I do like the number of memoir’s I’ve read this year.  And it looks like middle readers takes the cake so far.

Have we read some of the same books?  What is the one book (new or old) that you would recommend I must read this year?

Copyright 2010. Maw Books Blog

Maw Books has an affiliate relationship with several bookstores, including Indiebound, Powell’s, and Amazon . When you buy a product (not just books – any product), via one of my links, Maw Books earns income from the sale and as always, it’s much appreciated as all affiliate income is used to support the blog. There is no cost to you.

I have this odd fascination with lists and stats as I love to go back and look at them.  As a result I couldn’t help this massively huge post. 2009 was my second full year of blogging about books.  This year marked a lot of changes in the book blogging community but most notably it marked for me a huge increase in interaction with both authors and bloggers in different bookish events.  It’s been a blast.

I must admit that I’ve felt a bit burned out the past three months.  I keep getting on the computer and then procrastinate instead of just sitting down to write. I’m backlogged about 20 reviews.  But I’ve also learned that it doesn’t matter if I post everyday so I’ve been taking it more easy and trying not to stress when I go a week without anything on the blog.  I’m excited for 2010 and have high hopes of getting that energy back because blogging about books is really one of the most fulfilling things that do.  Blogging about books is ultimately about reading books.  And reading books is what I love!

Here’s what’s happened in 2009!

Fiction

1. The Widow’s Season by Laura Brodie
2. The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck
3. Torn by God by Zoe Murdock
4. Searching for Eternity by Elizabeth Musser
5. Every Last Cuckoo by Kate Maloy
6. Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea
7. **The Help by Kathryn Stockett
8. Standing Still by Kelly Simmons
9. The Next Thing On My List by Jill Smolinksi
10. Haunting Bombay by Shilpa Agarwal
11. **Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas
12. A Disobedient Girl by Ru Freeman
13. Wife of the Gods, An Inspector Darko Dawson Mystery by Kwei Quartey
14. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
15. **Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross
16. The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale
17. The Blue Notebook by James A. Levine
18. Losing Kei by Suzanne Kamata
19. The Secret Keeper by Paul Harris
20. **The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker
21. Down to a Sunless Sea by Mathias B. Freese (short stories)
22. The Mechanics of Falling and Other Stories by Catherine Brady (short stories)
23. **Everyone is Beautiful by Katherine Center
24. Matrimony by Joshua Henkin
25. **The Only True Genius in the Family by Jennie Nash
26. Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult
27. Ruby Among Us by Tina Ann Forkner
28. Mermaids in the Basement by Michael Lee West

Young Adult Fiction

1. Silver Shoes by Paul Miles Schneider
2. Boys, Girls and Other Hazardous Materials by Rosalind Wiseman
3. Jumping Off Swings by Jo Knowles
4. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
5. **The Dark Divine by  Bree Despain
6. Love You Hate You Miss You by Elizabeth Scott
7. **Nothing but Ghosts by Beth Kephart
8. A Loser’s Guide to Life and Love by Ann Cannon
9. The Teashop Girls by Laura Schaefer
10. The Debs – Love, Lies and Texas Dips by Susan McBride
11. Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
12. Everything is Fine by Ann Dee Ellis
13. Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman
14. Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines
15. **Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr
16. **Hush by Jacqueline Woodson
17. Purple Heart by Patricia McCormick
18. **I Hadn’t Mean to Tell You This by Jacqueline Woodson
19. **Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
20. **Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas
21. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
22. Miracle’s Boys by Jacqueline Woodson
23. Feathered by Laura Kasischke
24. I Know It’s Over by C.K Kelly Martin
25. **Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
26. **The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams
27. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
28. Emiko Superstar by Mariko Tamaki, Illustrated by Steve Rolston (graphic novel)
29. Chiggers by Hope Larson (graphic novel)
30. Fade by Lisa McMann
31. Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott
32. **Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
33. Letters from a Slave Girl, The Story of Harriet Jacobs by Mary E. Lyons
34. The Way He Lived by Emily Wing Smith
35. The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox
36. Nightjohn by Gary Paulsen
37. The Lightning Thief, Book One of Percy Jackson & The Olympians by Rick Riordan
38. Sister Wife by Shelley Hrdlitschka

Middle Grade Fiction

1. SLOB by Ellen Potter
2. Binky, The Space Cat by Ashley Spires
3. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
4. The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg
5. Long Shot, Comeback Kids by Mike Lupica
6. Charlotte’s Rose by Ann Cannon
7. My Teacher is an Alien by Bruce Coville
8. Dessert First by Hallie Durand
9. Secrets of a Christmas Box by Steven Hornby
10. A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck
11. Thanksgiving at the Inn by Tim Whitney
12. **When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
13. The Magician’s Elephant by Kate DiCamillo
14. **Someone Named Eva by Joan M. Wolf
15. Ghost in the Machine by Patrick Carman
16. Anything but Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin
17. Chess Rumble by G. Neri, Illustrated by Jesse Joshua Watson
18. Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry
19. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
20. The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
21. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
22. **Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking and Other Natural Disasters by Lenore Look
23. Dork Diaries: Tales from a NOT-SO-Fabulous Life by Rachel Renee Russell
24. Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
25. Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom by Eric Wight
26. Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff
27. On the Wings of Heroes by Richard Peck
28. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
29. The Sisters Grimm, The Fairy Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley
30. **Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
31. Lunch with Lenin and Other Stories by Deborah Ellis
32. Jellaby by Kean Soo (graphic novel)
33. **Peace, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
34. Longhorns and Outlaws by Linda Aksomitis
35. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney
36. The 13th Reality: The Hunt for Dark Infinity by James Dashner
37. Holbrook: A Lizards Tale by Bonny Becker
38. My Brother, The Robot by Bonny Becker
39. **The Year the Swallows Came Early by Kathryn Fitzmaurice
40. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
41. The Well by Mildred D. Taylor
42. Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl
43. The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman
44. Lily’s Crossing by Patricia Reilly Giff
45. On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
46. Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
47. The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh
48. **Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things by Lenore Look
49. **Shooting the Moon by Frances O’Roark Dowell
50. Savvy by Ingrid Law
51. Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman

Picture/Board Books

1. Who Was Born this Special Day? by Eve Bunting, Illustrated by Leonid Gore
2. I’ve Seen Santa! by David Bedford, Illustrated by Tim Warnes
3. I Love Christmas by Anna Walker
4. My Name is Sangoel by Karen Lynn Williams and Khadra Mohammed, Illlustrated by Catherine Stock
5. Brothers in Hope: The Story of the Lost Boys of Sudan by Mary Williams, Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
6. Saying Grace: A Prayer of Thanksgiving by Virginia Krull, Illustrated by Timothy Ladwig
7. Yum! ¡MmMm! ¡Qué Rico! Americas’ Sproutings, Haiku by Pat Mora, Pictures by Rafael López
8. Gracias Thanks by Pat Mora, Illustrated by John Parra
9. A Birthday for Bear by Bonny Becker, Illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton
10. Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld
11. **The Book That Eats People by John Perry, Illustrated by Mark Fearing
12. A Penguin Story by Antoinette Portis
13. Always My Brother by Jean Reagan and Illustrated by Phyllis Pollema-Cahill
14. **The Curious Garden by Peter Brown
15. **All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon, Illustrated by Marla Frazee
16. Jeremy Draws a Monster by Peter McCarty
17. Goodnight Goon, A Petrifying Parody by Michael Rex
18. Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems
19. **Where’s My Mummy by Carolyn Crimi, Illustrated by John Manders
20. A Very Hairy Scary Story by Rick Walton and Illustrated by David Clark
21. Dear Vampa by Ross Collins
22. Benny the Baffled Behemoth by Melissa Leembruggen, Illustrated by Trish McKinney
23. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
24. Heroes by Ken Mochizuki, Illustrated by Dom Lee
25. Freckleface Strawberry and the Dodgeball Bully by Julianne Moore, Illustrated by LeUyen Pham
26. Crocodaddy by Kim Norman, Illustrated by David Walker
27. **Chicken Butt! by Erica S. Perl, Illustrated by Henry Cole
28. All in a Day by Cynthia Rylant, Illustrated by Nikki McClure
29. **Always by Ann Stott, Illustrated by Matt Phelan
30. There’s a Wolf at the Door: Five Classic Tales Retold by Zoe B. Alley, Illustrated by R.W. Alley
31. Mary Veronica’s Egg by Mary Nethery, Illustrated by Paul Yalowtiz
32. A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker, Illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton
33. An Ant’s Day Off by Bonny Becker, Illustrated by Nina Laden
34. The Christmas Crocodile by Bonny Becker, Illustrated by David Small
35. Ella the Elegant Elephant, Ella Sets the Stage, Ella Takes the Cake and Ella Sets Sail by Carmelia and Steven D’Amico
36. Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki, Illustrated by Dom Lee
37. Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad by Ellen Levine, Illustrations by Kadir Nelson
38. Consider Love, It’s Moods and Many Ways by Sandra Boynton
39. Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson, Illustrated by Hudson Talbott
40. Snow by Cynthia Rylant, Illustrated by Lauren Stringer

Non-Fiction/Memoir

1. **A Child’s Journey Out of Autism: One Family’s Story of Living in Hope and Finding a Cure by Leeann Whiffen
2. The Mistress’s Daughter by A.M. Homes
3. Cult Insanity: A Memoir of Polygamy, Prophets, and Blood Atonement by Irene Spencer
4. Tone Deaf in Bangkok and Other Places by Janet Brown, Photographs by Nana Chen
5. Picking Cotton, Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption by Jennifer Thompson-Cannino and Ronald Cotton with Erin Torneo
6. **War Child, A Child Soldier’s Story by Emmanuel Jal
7. **They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys From Sudan by Benson Deng, Alephonsion Deng, Benjamin Ajak with Judy A. Bernstein
8. I Am a Star, Child of the Holocaust by Inge Auerbacher (juvenile)
9. First Comes Loves, Then Comes Malaria by Eve Brown-Waite
10. **That Went Well, Adventures in Caring for My Sister by Terrell Harris Dougan
11. **Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey of a Desert Nomad by Waris Dirie and Cathleen Miller
12. Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil by Deborah Rodriguez
13. An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination by Elizabeth McCracken
14. Surviving Ben’s Suicide, A Woman’s Journey of Self-Discovery by C. Comfort Shields
15. Zlata’s Diary, A Child’s Life in Sarajevo by Zlata Filipovic
16. Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford, Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
17. The Voice That Challenged A Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights by Russell Freedman
18. The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles, Illustrated by George Ford
19. Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope by Nikki Grime, Illustrated by Bryan Collier
20. Freedom Walkers, The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Russell Freedman
21. Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges

Abandoned Books

1. Gym Candy by Carl Deuker
2. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
3. The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
4. The Scent of Sake by Joyce Lebra

** Favorites of the year

Author Interviews

• Jean Reagan, author of Always My Brother
• Sandra Dallas, author of Prayers for Sale
• Suzanne Kamata, author of Losing Kei
• Paul Harris, author of The Secret Keeper
• Kim Norman, author of Crocodaddy
• Katherine Center by Nicki Richesin, Editor of Because I Love Her: 34 Women Writers Reflect on the Mother-Daughter Bond
• Erica S. Perl, author of Chicken Butt!
• Ingrid Law, Newbery Honor author of Savvy
• Linda Aksomitis, author of Longhorns and Outlaws
• Mary Nethery, children’s author and co-author of Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship and Survival
• Bonny Becker, author of A Visitor for Bear and More!
• Carmela and Steve D’Amico, author and illustrator of the Ella the Elephant Series
• Ken Mochizuki, children’s picture book and young adult author
• Kathryn Fitzmaurice, author of The Year The Swallows Came Early
• Joshua Henkin, author of Matrimony
• Jennie Nash, author of The Only True Genius in the Family
• Tina Ann Forkner, author of Ruby Among Us
• Michael Lee West, author of Mermaids in the Basement
• Lisa McMann, author of Wake and Fade

Guest Posts

• Interview with Kaleb Nation, Author of Bran Hambric
• Katherine Center, Author of Everyone is Beautiful and The Bright Side of Disaster, on Finding Her Voice and Writing About What Matters Most
• Author Bonny Becker – Have We Gone Too Far In Stripping Bad Things From Picture Books?
• Author Melissa Leembruggen – Writing With Multiple Purposes
• Kathryn Fitzmaurice, author of The Year the Swallows Came Early- On Quotes and Inspiration
• Carol Hampton Rasco – Parents and Youngsters Together for Stories, Songs, Rhymes, and More at RIF.org
• Marsha Jacobson -  On Reading With Feeling
• Thomas Fortenberry – On Judging Literary Contests
• Hannah of WordLily: Author Recipe, Leslie Patricelli’s Espresso and Cardamom Rub
• Book Chick City -  On Launching a Blog and Her Ever Increasing Obsession With Books
• Cindy of Cindy Loves Books – Author Recipe, Michael Lee West’s Grand Marnier Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Author Recipes

These were the author recipes that I collected during author interviews this past year:

• Radical Spinach Casserole by Jean Reagan
• Kentucky Pie by Sandra Dallas
• Miso Soup by Suzanne Kamata
• Bobotie by Paul Harris
• Roasted Vegetables by Kim Norman (recipe made with photos)
• Gingerbread Cookies by Erica S. Perl
• Close to Perfect Chocolate Pie by Ingrid Law (recipe made with photos)
• Baked Beans and Ham by Linda Aksomitis
• Nonna’s Gnocchi by Mary Nethery
• Chocolate Mocha Pecan Balls by Bonny Becker
• Zanzibar Cake by Carmela & Stephen D’Amico
• Scrambled Eggs by Kathryn Fitzmaurice
• Chocolate Covered Strawberries by Kathryn Fitzmaurice
• Spicy Cauliflower Simmered in Red Wine by Joshua Henkin
• Kitty’s Mantecadas by Tina Ann Forkner
• Grand Marnier Infused Chocolate Covered Strawberries by Michael Lee West (recipe made with photos)
• Chicken and Sausage Chili by Lisa McMann

These are recipes that I collected in 2008 but I made this past year:

• Mrs. Perez’s DROP-DEAD Delicious Lemon Squares by Donna Gephart (recipe made with photos)
• Butter Bean Cookies by Shana Burg (recipe made and photos (recipe made with photos)
• Zuchinni Soup by Shannon Hale (recipe made and photos (recipe made with photos)
• Espresso and Cardamom Rub for beef, pork and chicken thighs and legs by Leslie Patricelli (recipe made with photos)
• Tomato-Mozarella Pesto Sandwich by Susan McBride (recipe made with photos)
• Breakfast Smoothie by Sara Zarr (recipe made with photos)
• Tomato Aspic by Mary Ann Rodman (recipe made with photos)
• Chocolate Cake by Mary Ann Rodman (recipe made with photos)

And one bonus recipe

• Caramel Apple Pie by Bree Despain

Top Ten Most Viewed Posts of the Year
(oddly – all written last year)

1. Stephenie Meyers’ New Book Release Date Announced
2. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
3. Read the First Chapter of Stephenie Meyer’s Breaking Dawn!
4. Quotes from The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
5. Stephenie Meyer’s Midnight Sun on Hold Indefinitely After Illegal Copy Distrubition
6. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
7. The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
8. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
9. Quotes from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
10. The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis

Another Top Ten Most Viewed Posts of the Year
(that were actually written this year)

1. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (a preview of sorts)
2. The Lightning Thief, Book One of Percy Jackson & The Olympians by Rick Riordan
3. New York Times Bestseller List – March 15th
4. What Everybody Wants to Know about Stephenie Meyer!
5. Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman
6. Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges
7. The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles, Illustrated by George Ford
8. Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey of a Desert Nomad by Waris Dirie and Cathleen Miller
9. Bloggiesta! The Unveiling of a New Upcoming Blogging Event
10. The Sisters Grimm, The Fairy Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley

Some of My Favorite Posts of the Year

• Guest Posting at the Book Blogger Appreciation Week Blog: On Blogging Friendships and Utah Bloggers
• Literary Themed Christmas Trees
• The Halloween Pics
• In Which I Finally Blog About the Whole Blogging Thing
• Books I Never Would Have Read Had it Not Been For Book Bloggers
• On Book Borrowing? Do You Lend Out? I’ve Got Questions
• Why Do I Own Books When I Rarely Reread?
• Do Books Make You Cry? Or Am I the Only One with a Heart of Stone?
• Why Read Book Blogs? Three Bloggers Vlog the Answer
• Talking Library Fines. Someone Please Make Me Feel Better
• What Is the Most Horrific Way You’ve Ruined a Book?
• Your Most Embarrassing Moment – Author Style
• Video Chat: Talking More About Book Destruction (A Show and Tell)
• Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems
• Chicken Butt! by Erica S. Perl, Illustrated by Henry Cole

Random Stats

• Shortest book title: It’s a tie between Hush by Jacqueline Woodson, Fade by Lisa McMann, and Slob by Ellen Potter.
• Longest book title: The Voice That Challenged A Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights by Russell Freedman
• Fiction books read: 28
• Young Adult fiction books read: 38
• Middle Grade fiction books read: 51
• Fiction picture books reviewed: 21
• Abandoned books: 4
• Number of books read but not  yet reviewed (excluding Cybils): 26
• Number of review books waiting to be read/reviewed (including non-Cybils picture books): 31
• Approx number of Cybils fiction picture books I want to review: 50
• New to me authors (excluding picture books) 95
• Fiction/Non-fiction ratio: 157 to 21.
  
• Read my own books (excluding picture books):  34
  
• Library books (including picture books):  88
  
• Review copies: 71
  
• New to me genres: none
• Female Authors (excluding picture books): 84
• Male Authors (Excluding picture books):  28
• Abandoned books: 4
• Number of books I was supposed to read for book clubs: 91
• Number of books that I did read for book clubs: 78
• Number of 2009 Challenges: 10
• Number of 2009 challenges completed: 7
• Number of challenges I signed up for in 2010: 16 (!)
• Number of authors I met this year: 50+
• Number of book bloggers I met this year: 35-ish
• First review of the year: Sister Wife by Shelley Hrdlitschka
• Last review of the year: The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck
• Most read author this year: Jacqueline Woodson comes in at six books: Hush,  I Hadn’t Mean to Tell You This, Miracle’s Boys, Locomotion, Peace, Locomotion and Show Way. Totally not surprised.
• Utah authors read this year
  
  • The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale
  • The Maze Runner by James Dashner
  • The Dark Divine by  Bree Despain
  • A Loser’s Guide to Life and Love by Ann Cannon
  • Everything is Fine by Ann Dee Ellis
  • Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr
  • The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams
  • The Way He Lived by Emily Wing Smith
  • Charlotte’s Rose by Ann Cannon
  • The 13th Reality: The Hunt for Dark Infinity by James Dashner
  • A Very Hairy Scary Story by Rick Walton and Illustrated by David Clark
  • A Child’s Journey Out of Autism: One Family’s Story of Living in Hope and Finding a Cure by Leeann Whiffen
  • That Went Well, Adventures in Caring for My Sister by Terrell Harris Dougan.
• Compared to 2008: who has time to figure this out?  Not me! This has already taken me long enough.
  

Site Stats

• 305,812 visits from 192 countries/regions since January 1st
  
• Top 5 Countries: United States, Canada,United Kingdom,  Australia,  Philippines (and thus kicking out Italy who made last years cut)
• Least 5 Countries: Togo, New Caledonia, Gabon, Anguilla, Burkina Faso, Réunion, Swaziland, Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Sierra Leone, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, Samoa, Norfolk Island, Andorra, Afghanistan, Faroe Islands all tied for one visitor each in 2009.
• Top Five Traffic Sources: Google Search, Yahoo, Direct (none), Google (referral), Twitter
• Top Five Referrals: Google, Twitter, Google Images, Blogger, search.mywebsearch.com
• Top Five Keywords: the book thief, midnight sun release date, midnight sun book release date, the alchemist quotes, breaking dawn first chapter

Things That I LOVED This Year

• Going to LA Times Festival of Books!
• Going to BEA in New York City!
• Being on the Book Bloggers Panel at BEA
• Having not one but two different Utah Book Blogger Socials!
• Voted Best Kidlit Blog & Best Challenge Host for BBAW
• Participating in the Blog Talk Radio Show for BBAW
• Reading for 24 hours straight during the 24 Hour-Read-a-Thon
• Participating in the 48-Hour Book Challenge
• Reading for the Nerds Heart YA Tournament.
• Being in three different book clubs.
• Succeeding and failing in reading challenges.
• Hosting Bloggiesta
• Serving on the Fiction Picture Book panel for the Cybils!
• Meeting authors!!
• Meeting bloggers!!

Things that I Learned This Year

• I really love children’s books.
• But I really wish that I had read more fiction geared for adults.
• I still have an odd obsession with reading books about horrible subject matters.
• Sometimes it feels really awesome to not post on the blog for a week.
• And as a result, it really doesn’t matter if I post everyday.
• I really need to find a system that works for leaving comments on others blogs.
• Because while I regularly read and skim my Google Reader, I want to leave a comment on everything but alas, it’s impossible.
• I should not host giveaways anymore because I dread going to post office with two kids in tow and so it literally takes months to follow through.
• I LOVE authors.
• I LOVE talking to authors.
• Authors who live in Utah are really the best of the best.  Sorry folks.
• Going to book events is really fun.
• My husband is really forgiving of the time I spend reading, blogging, and running off to bookish events.
• My husband secretly likes to read and it’s awesome.
• I’m secretly thrilled when somebody recognizes my name when I introduce myself.
• That hearing your struggling four-year-old say his ABC’s for the first time perfectly will make you want to cry with joy.
• I love nothing more than watching my oldest “read” a book to his little brother when they don’t know I’m watching.
• Bloggers are even cooler in real life then they are online.
• Readers rocks!
• I’m incapable of keeping my houseplants alive since I started blogging.

I’ve been having fun reading other book bloggers wrap-ups.  How did you do for your reading in 2009?

Copyright 2010. Maw Books Blog

Maw Books has an affiliate relationship with several bookstores, including Indiebound, Powell’s, and Amazon . When you buy a product (not just books – any product), via one of my links, Maw Books earns income from the sale and as always, it’s much appreciated as all affiliate income is used to support the blog. There is no cost to you.

So, I’m in THREE book clubs and I wanted to share with you what books we read and a bit about our meetings from 2009.

My Neighborhood Book Club

Our neighborhood book club has been meeting religiously for about three years.  Our members are women who live in a three or four street radius from each other and we always have between 8-10 attend.  We met every single month and rotate hosts who get control of what book we will read for that month.  We had two awesome highlights this past year that I feel so bad I never blogged about.

Donna Woolfolk Cross, author of Pope Joan, joined our book club meeting on the telephone.  It was crazy because we happened to have about half a dozen roaming preschoolers and toddlers with us that day but it was really cool to talk to her about the book and the upcoming movie.  It was our first time we had done anything like that and it was awesome!!

AND THEN! As if we couldn’t be even more of an awesome book club, Katherine Center joined our book club on video via Skype when we discussed her book Everyone is Beautiful.  We hooked up the laptop to the large screen TV and she was there in the living room!  Katherine is simply an amazing person and SO personable in real life.  Seriously, invite Katherine to your book club and you won’t regret it!

The books we discussed during 2009:

• The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck
• The Help by Kathryn Stockett
• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (did not finish)
• The Next Thing On My List by Jill Smolinksi
• Everyone is Beautiful by Katherine Center
• Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross
• Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil by Deborah Rodriguez
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
• Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult
• Searching for Eternity by Elizabeth Musser (not yet reviewed)
• Born in Blood: The Lost Secrets of Freemasonry by John J. Robinson (only 2 members read this one)

So hard to pick a favorite.  The Help and Everyone is Beautiful top the lists as favorites for the year.  The Hunger Games was a hit and everybody read my advanced copy of Catching Fire before it came out.  Seriously, it was making the rounds big time.  We had to draw names for the order that people read it.   Looking back I don’t remember anything about Searching for Eternity and want to finish Frankenstein.

Skype Book Club

Not the most elegant name for a book club (I wonder if I missed the naming?) but it’s a book club that meets via Skype with a bunch of other bloggers.  It’s been awesome and I’m kind of scared I’m going to get kicked out because I haven’t read the last three books and couldn’t find our book for January. (Please don’t kick me out!)

Skype is a great way to meet as a book club especially if you have webcams.  I’d totally recommend getting a group together or even an extended family book club.  I can’t survive without my Skype anymore.

Books we discussed:

• The Magicians by Lev Grossman
• 31 Hours by Masha Hamilton
• Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie
• Nothing but Ghosts by Beth Kephart (not yet reviewed)
• Every Last Cuckoo by Kate Maloy (not yet reviewed)
• Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
• The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
• Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea (not yet reviewed)

My favorite was Nothing But Ghosts.   And I’m going to be a better member in 2010!

Children’s Literature Book Club

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this book club.  Last year, I discovered that there was a book club of adults who read only children’s literature who met all over the Salt Lake valley.  I couldn’t resist and basically emailed and asked if they were taking new members.  I was so nervous my first meeting because I didn’t know anybody but I’ve been going now for over a year and am pleased to say that it’s one of the greatest things I ever did.  So moral of the story: it never hurts to ask!

Each month we read books based around on a different theme and books are picture books, middle grade and young adult.  We read a TON!  I secretly love how hardcore it is.

One of the highlights of the year was having local author Ann Cannon attend our meeting when we read her books.  It was awesome!

Books we discussed in 2009:

• Books to Movies
  • The Lightning Thief, Book One of Percy Jackson & The Olympians by Rick Riordan
  • Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl
  • Diary of a Wimpy Kid: A Novel in Cartoons by Jeff Kinney
  • The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
• Cybils Awards Finalists
  • Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek: A Tall Thin Tale by Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by John Hendrix
  • Big Bad Bunny by Franny Billingsley, illustrated by G. Brian Karas
  • Chester’s Beck by Melanie Watt
  • How to Heal a Broken Wing by Bob Graham
  • Katie Loves the Kittens by John Himmelman
  • The Sea Serpent and Me by Dashka Slater, illustrated by Catia Chien
  • A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker, Illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton
  • Wabi Sabi by Mark Reibstein, illustrated by Ed Young
  • A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet
  • Astronaut Handbook by Meghan McCarthy
  • Duel! Burr and Hamilton’s Deadly War of Words by Dennis Brindell Fradin, illustrated by Larry Day
  • Fabulous Fishes by Susan Stockdale
  • Frogs by Nic Bishop
  • Wanda Gag: The Girl Who Loved to Draw by Deborah Kogan Ray
  • Wangari’s Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africa by Jeanette Winter
  • Chiggers by Hope Larson
  • Emiko Superstar by Mariko Tamaki, Illustrated by Steve Rolston
  • Into the Volcano by Don Wood
  • Jellaby by Kean Soo
  • Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale, Illustrated by Nathan Hale
  • The Savage by David Almond, illustrated by Dave McKean
  • There’s a Wolf at the Door: Five Classic Tales Retold by Zoe B. Alley, Illustrated by R.W. Alley
• Newbery and Caldecott Awards
  • The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
  • The Underneath by Kathi Appelt
  • Savvy by Ingrid Law
  • The Surrender Tree: Poem’s of Cuba’s Struggle for Freedom by Margarita Engle
  • After Tupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson
  • The House in the Night illustrated by Beth Krommes, written by Susan Marie Swanson
    
  • A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever, written and illustrated by Marla Frazee
  • How I Learned Geography, written and illustrated by Uri Shulevitz
  • A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams, illustrated by Melissa Sweet, written by Jen Bryant
• Fairy Tales
  • The Sisters Grimm, The Fairy Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley
  • The Princess and the Hound by Mette Ivie Harrison
  • The Palace of Mirrors by Margaret Peterson Haddix
• Historical Fiction – World War II
  • Jimmy’s Stars by Mary Ann Rodman
  • On the Wings of Heroes by Richard Peck
  • Journey to Topaz by Yoshicko Uchida
  • Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki, Illustrated by Dom Lee
  • T4 by Ann Clare LeZotte
  • The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
• Ann Cannon Author Study
  • Charlotte’s Rose by Ann Cannon (to be reviewed)
  • A Loser’s Guide of Life and Love by Ann Cannon (to be reviewed)
  • Pirate Pete and Pirate Joe easy-to-read series
• Science Fiction
  • The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
  • Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
  • Interworld by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves
  • My Teacher is an Alien by Bruce Coville (to be reviewed)
• Popular Books
  • Gallop and/or Swing by Rufus Butler Seder
    
  • Love You Forever by Robert Munsch
    
  • The Pigeon Wants a Puppy by Mo Willems
  • Goodnight Goon, A Petrifying Parody by Michael Rex
  • Wings by Aprilynne Pike
  • Gym Candy by Carl Deuker (did not finish)
  • Chess Rumble by G. Neri, Illustrated by Jesse Joshua Watson
  • Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr
• Beehive Nominees
  • The Black Book of Colors by Menena Cottin and Rosana Faria
  • Someone Named Eva by Joan M. Wolf
  • Frankenstein Takes the Cake by Adam Rex
  • Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman
  • Brothers & Sisters: Sibling relationships in the Animal World by Steven Jenkins & Robin Page
• Mysteries
  • When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
  • The 39 Clues, Book One: Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan
  • Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman
• Free Verse Novels
  • Sold by Patricia McCormick
  • Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas
  • Where I Live by Eileen Spinelli
  • Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
• Holiday
  • A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck

So there you have it!!  I’m a bit of a book club junkie!

Copyright 2010. Maw Books Blog

Maw Books has an affiliate relationship with several bookstores, including Indiebound, Powell’s, and Amazon . When you buy a product (not just books – any product), via one of my links, Maw Books earns income from the sale and as always, it’s much appreciated as all affiliate income is used to support the blog. There is no cost to you.

Personal 2009 Reading Goals

I went back to the post I wrote about how I wanted to do in 2009.  This is what I said.  Interesting . . .

• Continue to read with my children. Especially, get them going on their ABC’s.  My oldest is three and has a difficult time with language.  Has zero interest in his ABC’s.  I would like to work harder with them this year on their reading skills and letter recognition. Check!  We had a great time checking books out from the library, going to storytime, snuggling on the couch and reading Cybils books together.  AND AND AND my little boy said his ABC’s perfectly just last month.  You should have seen us celebrating!  His letter recognition is great.

• 52 Books in 52 Weeks – I said, “In my attempt to read a wide variety of books, I’m setting the goal to read and review 52 books in each of the following categories:  Fiction, Young Adult, Middle Readers, Picture Books, and Non-Fiction.  I’m not going to stress if I don’t do well, but the fun is in the journey.”  Well, the fun was in the journey.  In 2009 I read: 21 non-fiction, 28 adult fiction, 38 young adult fiction, 51 middle grade fiction and 40 picture books.  Didn’t hit 52 in any of them!

• Book Clubs – Continue to participate in my neighborhood book club, the children’s literature book club, and moderate the Rich Women Sisterhood book club.  Well, the Rich Women Sisterhood book club didn’t get off the ground but I LOVED and didn’t miss a single meeting with my neighborhood book club or my children’s literature book club.  I even joined another book club with a few bloggers who meet monthly via Skype.

• Read more parenting, gardening, and photography books this year.  I’d like to revive some of my other interests that seemed to take the back burner this past year.  Didn’t review a single one!  Failed.

• Continue  interaction with authors via and interviews, guest posts, and blog tours. The blog tours got a bit stressful and I slowed down on interviews in the second half of the year but I LOVE interviews and guest posts.  Will continue for 2010.

I think it would have helped if I had actually reviewed the goals I made at least once during the year but considering that I didn’t, I’m okay with how I did.

Perpetual Life-Long Challenges

Read all the Newbery Medal and Honor books

Newbery books I read in 2009:

1. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
2. Savvy by Ingrid Law
3. Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Hudson Talbott
4. The Voice that Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights by Russell Freedman
5. Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff
6. Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
7. Lily’s Crossing by Patricia Reilly Giff
8. The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman
9. On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
10. Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
11. The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
12. The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox
13. The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh
14. The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg
15. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

Read all the Pulitzer Fiction Winners

Not a single book read this past year.  Well, this certainly will take a lifetime at this rate.

500 of the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die

Sadly, I did not read a single book off this list in 2009 either.  I did start and didn’t finish both The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.  Not doing too well.

Community Challenges

A-Z Challenge

Hosted by Becky of Becky’s Book Reviews
Visit the A-Z Challenge Blog
When: All of 2009
How: Read 52 books, 26 titles for A-Z and 26 authors for A-Z.

I made this one even harder by trying to read only books I owned that were Newbery and other MG books.

Alpha by Title
Amelia’s War by Ann Rinaldi
The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander
Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryre Brink
Dovey Cove by Frances O’Roark Dowel
The Egypt Game by Zilpha Ketley Snyder
From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L Konigsburg
The Good Master by Kate Seredy
Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan
In Grandpa’s House by Philip Sendak
Journey Outside by Mary Q. Steele
Keesha’s House by Helen Frost
Letters from a Slave Girl, The Story of Harriet Jacobs by Mary E. Lyons
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
Nightjohn by Gary Paulsen
On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
*The Quaint and Curious Quest of Johnny Longfoot by Catherine Besterman or *Queer Person by Ralph Hubbard
Roller Skates by Ruth Sawyer
Sarah Plain & Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
To Be a Slave by Julius Lester
*Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt
The View From Saturday by E.L. Kongisburg (read but not yet reviewed)
The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman
X
Yolonda’s Genius by Carol Fenner
Zlata’s Diary by Zlata Filipoivic

Alpha by Author
The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli
The Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byors
My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh
anything by Eleanor Estes
The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox
Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
I
J
Cracker by Cynthia Kadohata
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
In My Enemy’s House by Carol Matas
Rascal by Sterling North
Mrs. Frisby & the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien
Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson
Q
Daughter of the Mountains by Louise Rankin
The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare
T
U
V
Stuart Little by E.B White
X
Pay the Piper by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple
Getting the Girl by Marcus Zusak

My thoughts: So I only read 10 out of 52 books but I still love this challenge so much that I’ll be duplicating it again for 2010.

Dewey’s Books

Chris at Stuff Dreams Are Made Of and Robin at A Fondness for Reading hosted a very special challenge in honor of Dewey from The Hidden Side of A Leaf in which participants read 5 books that Dewey reviewed.

My list of possibilities:

The View from Saturday by EL Konigsburg (to be reviewed)
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (to be reviewed)
On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan
The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
March by Geraldine Brooks
Teacher Man by Frank McCourt
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Gossamer by Lois Lowry
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
Looking for Alaska by John Green
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Purple Hibiscus by Chimimanda Ngozi Adichie

My thoughts: I read 3 of the 5 books that I listed as possibilities and still need to review two.  I wish I had finished this one.

Diversity Rocks

Hosted by Ali at Worducopia, the Diversity Rocks Challenge is to ensure racial and ethnic diversity in the authors that we read. I committed to read 40 books with diverse authors.

1. Miracle’s Boys by Jacqueline Woodson (African American)
2. Emiko Superstar by Mariko Tamaki, Illustrated by Steve Rolston (Asian)
3. Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson (African American)
4. Jellaby by Kean Soo (Asian)
5. Peace, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson (African American)
6. The Well by Mildred D. Taylor (African American)
7. Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things by Lenore Look (Chinese American)
8. Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki, Illustrated by Dom Lee (Japanese)
9. Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad by Ellen Levine, Illustrations by Kadir Nelson (illustrator: African American)
10. Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson, Illustrated by Hudson Talbott (African American)
11. Be Water, My Friend: The Early Years of Bruce Lee by Ken Mochizuki, Illustrated by Dom Lee (Japanese American)
12. Passage to Freedom, The Sugihara Story by Ken Mochizuki, Illustrated by Dom Lee (Japanese American)
13. Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford, Illustrated by Kadir Nelson (illustrator:  African American)
14. The Voice That Challenged A Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights by Russell Freedman (African American)
15. Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey of a Desert Nomad by Waris Dirie and Cathleen Miller (African)
16. Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope by Nikki Grime, Illustrated by Bryan Collier (African American)
17. A Disobedient Girl by Ru Freeman (Sri Lankan)
18. Wife of the Gods, An Inspector Darko Dawson Mystery by Kwei Quartey (African American)
19. I Hadn’t Mean to Tell You This by Jacqueline Woodson (African American)
20. Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking and Other Natural Disasters by Lenore Look (Chinese-American)
21. Heroes by Ken Mochizuki, Illustrated by Dom Lee (Japanese-American)
22. Zlata’s Diary, A Child’s Life in Sarajevo by Zlata Filipovic (Bosnian)
23. 14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy in Collaboration with Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah, Illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez (Cuban)
24. Hush by Jacqueline Woodson (African American)
25. Chess Rumble by G. Neri, Illustrated by Jesse Joshua Watson (African-American)
26. Haunting Bombay by Shilpa Agarwal
27. Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman
28. My Name is Sangoel by Karen Lynn Williams and Khadra Mohammed, Illlustrated by Catherine Stock (African American)
29. Brothers in Hope: The Story of the Lost Boys of Sudan by Mary Williams, Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie (African American)
30. Yum! ¡MmMm! ¡Qué Rico! Americas’ Sproutings, Haiku by Pat Mora, Pictures by Rafael López (Illustrator  – Mexican)
31. Gracias Thanks by Pat Mora, Illustrated by John Parra (Illustrator – Hispanic)
32. War Child, A Child Soldier’s Story by Emmanuel Jal (Sudanese)
33. They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys From Sudan by Benson Deng, Alephonsion Deng, Benjamin Ajak with Judy A. Bernstein (Sudanese)
34. I Am a Star, Child of the Holocaust by Inge Auerbacher (German)
35. Picking Cotton, Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption by Jennifer Thompson-Cannino and Ronald Cotton with Erin Torne (African-American)
36. Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea (Hispanic)

My thoughts: Although I fell short 4 books, I’m really happy with 36! I often don’t know racial backgrounds of authors but this challenge helped me make an effort to make note.

Jewish Literature Challenge

December 21, 2008 – April 27, 2009
Hosted by Callista.

Read at least 4 books by Jewish Authors or about Judaism (Fiction, Non-fiction, memoirs, Adult books, Teen books, Children’s books, books about the Holocaust, books about anti-semitism, books about Jewish Life, Jewish Culture, Jewish Customs. Books by Jewish Authors no matter what the subject.)

My thoughts: FAIL, FAIL, FAIL.  I did great with this challenge in 2008.  Not so much this time around.  A big fat zero.

New Author Challenge

Hosted by Jackie at Literary Escapism this challenge was to track new-to-me authors in 2009.  Since this is an author challenge, there is no restriction on choosing your novels. They can definitely be from other challenges. However, the authors must be new to you and, preferably from novels, but anthologies are also a great way to try someone new.

Excluding picture book authors, I challenged myself to read 75 new-to-me authors.

1. The Sisters Grimm, The Fairy Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley
2. Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
3. Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom by Eric Wight
4. The Blue Notebook by James A. Levine
5. Losing Kei by Suzanne Kamata
6. The Secret Keeper by Paul Harris
7. The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker
8. Down to a Sunless Sea by Mathias B. Freese
9. Feathered by Laura Kasischke
10. I Know It’s Over by C.K Kelly Martin
11. The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams
12. Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil by Deborah Rodriguez
13. The Mechanics of Falling and Other Stories by Catherine Brady
14. Matrimony by Joshua Henkin
15. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
16. Emiko Superstar by Mariko Tamaki, Illustrated by Steve Rolston
17. Chiggers by Hope Larson
18. Letters from a Slave Girl, The Story of Harriet Jacobs by Mary E. Lyons
19. The Way He Lived by Emily Wing Smith
20. Jellaby by Kean Soo
21. Longhorns and Outlaws by Linda Aksomitis
22. The Year the Swallows Came Early by Kathryn Fitzmaurice
23. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
24. The Well by Mildred D. Taylor
25. Freedom Walkers, The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Russel Freedman
26. An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination by Elizabeth McCracken
27. Surviving Ben’s Suicide, A Woman’s Journey of Self Discovery by C. Comfort Shields
28. Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges
29. Ruby Among Us by Tina Ann Forkner
30. Mermaids in the Basement by Michael Lee West
31. The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan
32. The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman
33. Lily’s Crossing by Patricia ReillyGiff
34. On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
35. Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
36. The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh
37. Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things by Lenore Look
38. Shooting the Moon by Frances O’Roark Dowell
39. Savvy by Ingrid Law
40. Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman
41. Sister Wife by Shelley Hrdlitschka
42. Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas
43. A Disobedient Girl by Ru Freeman
44. Wife of the Gods, An Inspector Darko Dawson Mystery by Kwei Quartey
45. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
46. Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross
47. Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas
48. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
49. Dork Diaries: Tales from a NOT-SO-Fabulous Life by Rachel Renee Russell
50. First Comes Loves, Then Comes Malaria by Eve Brown-Waite
51. That Went Well, Adventures in Caring for My Sister by Terrell Harris Dougan
52. Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey of a Desert Nomad by Waris Dirie and Cathleen Miller
53. Zlata’s Diary, A Child’s Life in Sarajevo by Zlata Filipovic
54. Chess Rumble by G. Neri, Illustrated by Jesse Joshua Watson
55. Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry
56. I Am a Star, Child of the Holocaust by Inge Auerbacher
57. Haunting Bombay by Shilpa Agarwal
58. Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman
59. Girl in the Arena by Lise Haine
60. Someone Named Eva by Joan M. Wolf
61. Anything but Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin
62. Standing Still by Kelly Simmons
63. The Next Thing On My List by Jill Smolinksi
64. Haunting Bombay by Shilpa Agarwal
65. Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
66. Thanksgiving at the Inn by Tim Whitney
67. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
68. War Child, A Child Soldier’s Story by Emmanuel Jal
69. They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys From Sudan by Benson Deng, Alephonsion Deng, Benjamin Ajak with Judy A. Bernstein
70. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
71. Standing Still by Kelly Simmons
72. Secrets of a Christmas Box by Steven Hornby
73. Picking Cotton, Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption by Jennifer Thompson-Cannino and Ronald Cotton with Erin Torneo
74. The Widow’s Season by Laura Brodie
75. The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck
76. Torn by God by Zoe Murdock
77. Searching for Eternity by Elizabeth Musser
78. Every Last Cuckoo by Kate Maloy
79. Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea
80. Silver Shoes by Paul Miles Schneider
81. Boys, Girls and Other Hazardous Materials by Rosalind Wiseman
82. The Dark Divine by Bree Despain
83. Nothing but Ghosts by Beth Kephart
84. A Loser’s Guide to Life and Love by Ann Cannon
85. The Teashop Girls by Laura Schaefer
86. Slob by Ellen Potter
87. Binky, The Space Cat by Ashley Spires
88. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
89. The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg
90. Long Shot, Comeback Kids by Mike Lupica
91. My Teacher is an Alien by Bruce Coville
92. Dessert First by Hallie Durand
93. A Child’s Journey Out of Autism: One Family’s Story of Living in Hope and Finding a Cure by Leeann Whiffen
94. The Mistress’s Daughter by A.M. Homes
95. Tone Deaf in Bangkok and Other Places by Janet Brown, Photographs by Nana Chen

My thoughts: Well over 75 and so close to 100! I loved tracking how many authors I hadn’t read before.  I’m in again for 2010!

Non-Fiction Five

Hosted by Trish at Trish’s Reading Nook, the Non-Fiction Five Challenge rules were:

1. Read 5 non-fiction books during the months of May – September, 2009

2. Read at least one non-fiction book that is different from your other choices (i.e.: 4 memoirs and 1 self-help)

During the five month period I read:

1. That Went Well, Adventures in Caring for My Sister by Terrell Harris Dougan
2. Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey of a Desert Nomad by Waris Dirie and Cathleen Miller
3. First Comes Loves, Then Comes Malaria by Eve Brown-Waite
4. Zlata’s Diary, A Child’s Life in Sarajevo by Zlata Filipovic
5. Travels with Tarra and Just for Elephants by Carol Buckley

My thoughts: I love non-fiction! During the entire year, I read 21 non-fiction books.

Read Your Own Books

Jenn hosted fhe 2009 Read Your Own Books Challenge. The concept is simple – read books that YOU OWN.

For this challenge, I did NOT count review copies of any sort.  All books were either purchased, off of my bookshelf or received as gifts.

1. Nightjohn by Gary Paulsen
2. Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges
3. Ruby Among Us by Tina Ann Forkner
4. Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl
5. The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman
6. Lily’s Crossing by Patricia Reilly Giff
7. On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
8. Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
9. The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh
10. Letters from a Slave Girl, The Story of Harriet Jacobs by Mary E. Lyons
11. The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox
12. The Well by Mildred D. Taylor
13. Consider Love, It’s Moods and Many Ways by Sandra Boynton
14. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
15. Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross
16. The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker
17. Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
18. Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff
19. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
20. Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
21. Peace, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
22. Zlata’s Diary, A Child’s Life in Sarajevo by Zlata Filipovic
23. The Next Thing On My List by Jill Smolinksi
24. Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr
25. Miracle’s Boys by Jacqueline Woodson
26. Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry
27. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
28. The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
29. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
30. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
31. Picking Cotton, Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption by Jennifer Thompson-Cannino and Ronald Cotton with Erin Torneo
32. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
33. The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg
34. Charlotte’s Rose by Ann Cannon

My thoughts: I read more books off of my own shelf than I thought.  I’m happy with that number but not enough adult fiction though.

Support Your Local Library

J. Kaye’s Book Blog hosted the 2009 Support Your Local Library Challenge where participants were encouraged to read from their libraries.

I chose to read 50 books from my local library in 2009.

1. Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking and Other Natural Disasters by Lenore Look
2. Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross (since purchased)
3. I Hadn’t Mean to Tell You This by Jacqueline Woodson
4. Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas
5. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
6. Feathered by Laura Kasischke
7. I Know It’s Over by C.K Kelly Martin
8. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
9. On the Wings of Heroes by Richard Peck
10. The Sisters Grimm, The Fairy Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley
11. Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey of a Desert Nomad by Waris Dirie and Cathleen Miller
12. Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
13. Always by Ann Stott, Illustrated by Matt Phelan (since received as gift)
14. There’s a Wolf at the Door: Five Classic Tales Retold by Zoe B. Alley, Illustrated by R.W. Alley
15. Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil by Deborah Rodriguez
16. Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Hudson Talbot
17. Mermaids in the Basement by Michael Lee West
18. Shooting the Moon by Frances O’Roark Dowell
19. Alvin Ho:  Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things by Lenore Look
20. Snow by Cynthia Rylant, Illustrated by Lauren Stringer
21. Sister Wife by Shelley Hrdlitschka
22. Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult
23. Emiko Superstar by Mariko Tamaki, Illustrated by Steve Rolston
24. Chiggers by Hope Larson
25. Fade by Lisa McMann
26. The Way He Lived by Emily Wing Smith
27. The Lightning Thief, Book One of Percy Jackson & The Olympians by Rick Riordan
28. Jellaby by Kean Soo
29. Peace, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
30. Holbrook: A Lizards Tale by Bonny Becker
31. My Brother, The Robot by Bonny Becker
32. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
33. Mary Veronica’s Egg by Mary Nethery, Illustrated by Paul Yalowtiz
34. A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker, Illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton
35. An Ant’s Day Off by Bonny Becker, Illustrated by Nina Laden
36. The Christmas Crocodile by Bonny Becker, Illustrated by David Small
37. Ella the Elegant Elephant by Carmelia and Steven D’Amico
38. Ella Sets the Stage by Carmelia and Steven D’Amico
39. Ella Takes the Cake by Carmelia and Steven D’Amico
40. Ella Sets Sail by Carmelia and Steven D’Amico
41. Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki, Illustrated by Dom Lee
42. Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad by Ellen Levine, Illustrations by Kadir Nelson
43. Be Water, My Friend: The Early Years of Bruce Lee by Ken Mochizuki, Illustrated by Dom Lee
44. Passage to Freedom, The Sugihara Story by Ken Mochizuki, Illustrated by Dom Lee
45. Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford, Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
46. The Voice That Challenged A Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights by Russell Freedman
47. The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles, Illustrated by George Ford
48. Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope by Nikki Grime, Illustrated by Bryan Collier
49. Freedom Walkers, The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Russell Freedman
50. Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges
51. Frogs by Nic Bishop
52. Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
53. Everything is Fine by Ann Dee Ellis
54. Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman
55. Hush by Jacqueline Woodson
56. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
57. Someone Named Eva by Joan M. Wolf
58. Anything but Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin
59. Chess Rumble by G. Neri, Illustrated by Jesse Joshua Watson
60. Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking and Other Natural Disasters by Lenore Look
61. A Birthday for Bear by Bonny Becker, Illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton
62. Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld
63. The Book That Eats People by John Perry, Illustrated by Mark Fearing (received review copy afterwards)
64. A Penguin Story by Antoinette Portis
65. The Curious Garden by Peter Brown
66. All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon, Illustrated by Marla Frazee (received review copy  afterwards)
67. Jeremy Draws a Monster by Peter McCarty
68. Goodnight Goon, A Petrifying Parody by Michael Rex
69. Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems
70. Where’s My Mummy by Carolyn Crimi, Illustrated by John Manders
71. A Very Hairy Scary Story by Rick Walton and Illustrated by David Clark
72. Dear Vampa by Ross Collins
73. War Child, A Child Soldier’s Story by Emmanuel Jal
74. They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys From Sudan by Benson Deng, Alephonsion Deng, Benjamin Ajak with Judy A. Bernstein
75. The Black Book of Colors by Menena Cottin and Rosana Faria
76. The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck
77. Searching for Eternity by Elizabeth Musser
78. Every Last Cuckoo by Kate Maloy
79. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
80. Jumping Off Swings by Jo Knowles
81. A Loser’s Guide to Life and Love by Ann Cannon
82. Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
83. SLOB by Ellen Potter
84. Binky, The Space Cat by Ashley Spires
85. My Teacher is an Alien by Bruce Coville
86. A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck
87. Who Was Born this Special Day? by Eve Bunting, Illustrated by Leonid Gore
88. I’ve Seen Santa! by David Bedford, Illustrated by Tim Warnes

My thoughts: Thrilled to see that I used my public library so much! While storytime is in session, I go with the boys at least twice a week.  We checked out a million and one picture books and I wish I could have spotlighted them all.

Themed Reading

Wendy at Caribousmom hosted The Themed Reading Challenge which was a six month challenge from February to July designed to help readers clear books from their to-be-read stacks which center around a common theme or themes.

I chose to read 4-6 books by my local Utah authors.

1. The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale
2. The Maze Runner by James Dashner (to be reviewed)
3. The Dark Divine by  Bree Despain (to be reviewed)
4. A Loser’s Guide to Life and Love by Ann Cannon (to be reviewed)
5. Everything is Fine by Ann Dee Ellis
6. Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr
7. The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams
8. The Way He Lived by Emily Wing Smith
9. Charlotte’s Rose by Ann Cannon (to be reviewed)
10. The 13th Reality: The Hunt for Dark Infinity by James Dashner
11. A Very Hairy Scary Story by Rick Walton and illustrated by David Clark
12. A Child’s Journey Out of Autism: One Family’s Story of Living in Hope and Finding a Cure by Leeann Whiffen (to be reviewed)
13. That Went Well, Adventures in Caring for My Sister by Terrell Harris Dougan.

My thoughts:  While I did read six books during the six month period, I extended this challenge for the entireyear.  In fact, we have so many awesome local authors here that I’m joining Suey in making this a perpetual challenge.

War Through the Generations – World War II

Anna from Diary of an Eccentric and Serena from Savvy Verse and Wit have dedicated blog for challenges related to war and its impact and this year was World War II, one of my favorite topics to read about.

Participants needed to commit to at least  five books which can be fiction or non-fiction, and they can be about any aspect of WWII. WWII should be the primary or secondary theme, and it doesn’t matter whether the book takes place during the war or after the war.

1. Lily’s Crossing by Patricia Reilly Giff
2. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary An Shaffer & Annie Barrows
3. Heroes by Ken Mochizuki
4. On the Wings of Heroes by Richard Peck
5. Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki
6. Passage to Freedom by Ken Mochizuki
7. Someone Named Eva from Joan M. Wolf
8. I Am a Star, Child of the Holocaust by Inge Auerbacher
9. Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman

My thoughts: Anna and Serena are two of the best challenge hosts out there and I really want to give them kudos for a job well done! I’m SO excited for the 2010 theme centered around the Vietnam war.

The End.

(And because I’m a glutton for punishment – I signed up for *gulp* 16 challenges in 2010.)

Copyright 2010. Maw Books Blog

Maw Books has an affiliate relationship with several bookstores, including Indiebound, Powell’s, and Amazon . When you buy a product (not just books – any product), via one of my links, Maw Books earns income from the sale and as always, it’s much appreciated as all affiliate income is used to support the blog. There is no cost to you.

And really, in all honesty the past three months have not been up to par.  I pretty much postponed all of my features and didn’t conduct a single author interview.  And you can see that I’m really behind on my book reviews.  I’d like to blame it all on the warm weather and vacations.  I’ve just been playing a lot more than I have been blogging.  I’d like to get back into the swing of things around here while trying to find a balance in my personal life.

As always, skim this post and see if you missed anything interesting and for me, it’s nice to do housekeeping every once in a while.

Summer Books Read & Reviewed

Fiction

• The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale
• The Blue Notebook by James A. Levine
• A Disobedient Girl by Ru Freeman
• Wife of the Gods, An Inspector Darko Dawson Mystery by Kwei Quartey
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
• Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross Review
• Every Last Cuckoo by Kate Maloy
• Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea

Young Adult Fiction

• Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas
• Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
• Miracle’s Boys by Jacqueline Woodson
• Feathered by Laura Kasischke
• I Know It’s Over by C.K Kelly Martin
• Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (a preview of sorts and a gushing on release day)
• Everything is Fine by Ann Dee Ellis
• Gym Candy by Carl Deuker
• Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
• The Teashop Girls by Laura Schaefer
• Love, Lies, and Texas Dips by Susan McBride
• Love You, Hate You, Miss You by Elizabeth Scott

Middle Readers

• Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking and Other Natural Disasters by Lenore Look
• Dork Diaries: Tales from a NOT-SO-Fabulous Life by Rachel Renee Russell
• Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
• Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom by Eric Wight
• Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff
• My Teacher is an Alien by Bruce Coville
• Chess Rumble by G. Neri
• Charlotte’s Rose by A.E. Cannon
• Escape Under the Forever Sky by Eve Yohalem
• Anything but Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin
• Dessert First by Hallie Durand
• Long Shot by Mike Lupica

Picture Books

• Travels with Tarra and Just for Elephants by Carol Buckley
• 14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy in Collaboration with Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah, Illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez
• Unite or Die, How Thirteen States Became a Nation by Jacqueline Jules, Illustrated by Jef Czekaj
• Heroes by Ken Mochizuki, Illustrated by Dom Lee
• Freckleface Strawberry and the Dodgeball Bully by Julianne Moore, Illustrated by LeUyen Pham

Non-Fiction

• Zlata’s Diary, A Child’s Life in Sarajevo by Zlata Filipovic
• First Comes Loves, Then Comes Malaria by Eve Brown-Waite
• That Went Well, Adventures in Caring for My Sister by Terrell Harris Dougan
• Tone Deaf in Bangkok and Other Places by Janet Brown
• I Am a Star, Child of the Holocaust by Inge Auerbacher
• Picking Cotton, Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption by Jennifer Thompson-Cannino and Ronald Cotton with Erin Torneo
• The Mistress’s Daughter by A.M. Holmes

Guest Posts

• Guest Post: Interview with Kaleb Nation, Author of Bran Hambric
• Guest Post from Hannah of WordLily: Author Recipe, Leslie Patricelli’s Espresso and Cardamom Rub
• Guest Post and Giveaway: On Quotes and Inspiration by Kathryn Fitzmaurice, Author of The Year the Swallows Came Early
• Guest Post, Carol Hampton Rasco: Parents and Youngsters Together for Stories, Songs, Rhymes, and More at RIF.org
• Guest Post: Marsha Jacobson on Reading With Feeling
• Guest Post: Thomas Fortenberry on Judging Literary Contests
• Guest Post: Book Chick City on Launching a Blog and Her Ever Increasing Obsession With Books

Vlogs

• Video Chat: Being Overtaken By the Number of Books Read But Not Yet Reviewed
• Why Read Book Blogs?  Three Book Bloggers Vlog the Answer
• The BookExpo America Box Arrival

More Posts During June

• Do Some Picture Books Teach Our Children Irrational Fears and Behaviors?
• The Utah Book Bloggers Summer Social – Photos of a Few of Your Favorite Bloggers and Authors
• Book to Movie Trailers – Upcoming Releases I’m Excited About
• Technical Difficulties – I Might Be Back Up
• Frank McCourt, Pulitzer Prize Winning Author of Angela’s Ashes, Dies at Age 78
• On Book Borrowing: Do You Lend Out? I’ve Got Questions!
• Why Do I Own Books When I Rarely Reread?
• World War II Rationed Chocolate Cake from Mary Ann Rodman, Author of Jimmy’s Stars
• Nerds Heart YA Book Tournament: I Know It’s Over vs. Feathered
• Do Books Make You Cry? Or Am I the Only One With a Heart of Stone?
• Ten Reasons Why Book Blogger Appreciation Week is So Cool!
• Talking Library Fines – Somebody Please Make Me Feel Better
• The Nerds Heart YA Tournament = Awesomeness
• Twilight Fans! A Graphic Novel is On It’s Way!
• Tomato Aspic from Mary Ann Rodman’s, Jimmy’s Stars – Perhaps Our Nastiest Author Recipe to Date
• Catching Fire Preview
• New York Times Bestsellers – August 2nd
• New York Times Bestsellers – July 19th
• New York Times Bestsellers – June 14th
• New York Times Bestsellers – June 7th
• Reading and Blogging Review for April & May

Flashback:  The Maw Books Blog a Year Ago

What was I reviewing a year ago: So according to my monthly review report from last summer, I reviewed way to many books to list here.  But a few of that are worth highlighting are: Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow by Susan Campbell Bartoletti, We Are On Our Own: A Memoir by Miriam Katin, Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, The Bright Side of Disaster by Katherine Center, The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway, If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson, Not On Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond by Don Cheadle and John Prendergast,   Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson and Escape by Carolyn Jessop.  Last summer I interviewed Mary Ann Rodman, author of Jimmy’s Stars, Sara Zarr, author of Sweethearts and Story of a Girl, and J. Scott Savage, author of Far World, Water Keep.

Challenge Updates

I finished four challenges this summer:

I finished the Support Your Local Library Challenge hosted by J. Kaye by reading 51 out of 50 library books.  I should have signed up for a larger number.  LOL   I still have a stack of unreviewed library books as well.  Out of curiosity, I’m going to continue to list library books, just to see what I get too, but this one is officially finished.  Thanks J. Kaye for a great challenge!

1. Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking and Other Natural Disasters by Lenore Look
2. Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross (since purchased)
3. I Hadn’t Mean to Tell You This by Jacqueline Woodson
4. Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas
5. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
6. Feathered by Laura Kasischke
7. I Know It’s Over by C.K Kelly Martin
8. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (since purchased)
9. On the Wings of Heroes by Richard Peck
10. The Sisters Grimm, The Fairy Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley
11. Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey of a Desert Nomad by Waris Dirie and Cathleen Miller
12. Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
13. Always by Ann Stott, Illustrated by Matt Phelan (since received as gift)
14. There’s a Wolf at the Door: Five Classic Tales Retold by Zoe B. Alley, Illustrated by R.W. Alley
15. Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil by Deborah Rodriguez
16. Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Hudson Talbot
17. Mermaids in the Basement by Michael Lee West
18. Shooting the Moon by Frances O’Roark Dowell
19. Alvin Ho:  Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things by Lenore Look
20. Snow by Cynthia Rylant, Illustrated by Lauren Stringer
21. Sister Wife by Shelley Hrdlitschka
22. Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult
23. Emiko Superstar by Mariko Tamaki, Illustrated by Steve Rolston
24. Chiggers by Hope Larson
25. Fade by Lisa McMann
26. The Way He Lived by Emily Wing Smith
27. The Lightning Thief, Book One of Percy Jackson & The Olympians by Rick Riordan
28. Jellaby by Kean Soo
29. Peace, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
30. Holbrook: A Lizards Tale by Bonny Becker
31. My Brother, The Robot by Bonny Becker
32. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
33. Mary Veronica’s Egg by Mary Nethery, Illustrated by Paul Yalowtiz
34. A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker, Illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton
35. An Ant’s Day Off by Bonny Becker, Illustrated by Nina Laden
36. The Christmas Crocodile by Bonny Becker, Illustrated by David Small
37. Ella the Elegant Elephant by Carmelia and Steven D’Amico
38. Ella Sets the Stage by Carmelia and Steven D’Amico
39. Ella Takes the Cake by Carmelia and Steven D’Amico
40. Ella Sets Sail by Carmelia and Steven D’Amico
41. Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki, Illustrated by Dom Lee
42. Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad by Ellen Levine, Illustrations by Kadir Nelson
43. Be Water, My Friend: The Early Years of Bruce Lee by Ken Mochizuki, Illustrated by Dom Lee
44. Passage to Freedom, The Sugihara Story by Ken Mochizuki, Illustrated by Dom Lee
45. Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford, Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
46. The Voice That Challenged A Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights by Russell Freedman
47. The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles, Illustrated by George Ford
48. Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope by Nikki Grime, Illustrated by Bryan Collier
49. Freedom Walkers, The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Russell Freedman
50. Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges
51. Frogs by Nic Bishop

Themed Reading Challenge hosted by Wendy at Caribousmom wrapped up in July.  Dang.  I wish I had the full year for this one because I’m definitly not stopping especially considering that I still have 4 books in my to be reviewed pile that would count for the challenge and several more in my TBR.  My theme was to read books from my local Utah authors.  This challenge wrapped up with 5 out of the 4 required books reviewed.  So officially it’s completed but this will be an ongoing challenge for me.

1. The 13th Reality, The Hunt for Dark Infinity by James Dashner
2. The Way He Lived by Emily Wing Smith
3. The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams
4. That Went Well: Adventures for Caring for My Sister by Terrell Harris Dougan
5. The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale

I also finished the Non-Fiction Five Challenge hosted by Trish at Trish’s Reading Nook which was to read five non-fiction books between May and September. Easy enough for me.  I’ve got at least that many sitting in my review pile.

1. That Went Well, Adventures in Caring for My Sister by Terrell Harris Dougan
2. Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey of a Desert Nomad by Waris Dirie and Cathleen Miller
3. First Comes Loves, Then Comes Malaria by Eve Brown-Waite
4. Zlata’s Diary, A Child’s Life in Sarajevo by Zlata Filipovic
5. Travels with Tarra and Just for Elephants by Carol Buckley

Susan at Color Online hosted the Color Me Brown Reading Challenge in August which encouraged participants to read and review POC books.  I was late to the game but thrilled with the challenge.  During August I reviewed three books which qualified for the challenge:

1. A Disobedient Girl by Ru Freeman
2. Wife of the Gods, An Inspector Darko Dawson Mystery by Kwei Quartey
3. 14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy in Collaboration with Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah, Illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez

This summer I hosted my very first challenge!!  The Bloggiesta wasn’t a reading challenge but rather a 48-hour blogging challenge and if I say so myself, I think it went fantastic!  Thank you to everybody who participated.  I’ll be doing it again.  If you missed it, you can check out the following links:

• Bloggiesta Wrap-Up
• Bloggiesta: The Finish Line!
• Bloggiesta Pinata Time!
• Bloggiesta: In Which I Reveal the Sad State of the Maw Books Blog
• Bloggiesta! Let’s Begin the Festivities!
• Bloggiesta! The Unveiling of a New Upcoming Blogging Event

And it now seems a distant memory but this summer I also participated in my first 48 Hour Book Challenge hosted by Pam at MotherReader. It was awesome and I can’t wait to do it again.

• 48 Hour Book Challenge – It is Finished!
• 48 Hour Book Challenge – 12 Hours to Go
• 48 Hour Book Challenge, Hour 21-ish Update
• The 48 Hour Book Challenge – And It Begins

Still plugging away on the following challenges.   Click to be taken to my list and then to be taken to challenge blog.  So far I have resisted from signing up for anything else.

• A-Z Author & Title Challenge – Runs all of 2009.  11 of 52 books completed. Must read faster!
• Dewey’s Books Reading Challenge – Runs all of 2009.  1 of 5 books completed.
• New Author Challenge – Runs all of 2009.  70 out of 75 books completed.
• Read Your Own Books Challenge – Runs all of 2009.  22 completed – open ended.
• War Through the Generations Challenge – Runs all of 2009.   6 out of 5 completed.  Not willing to wrap this up yet.
• Diversity Rocks! Challenge – Runs all of 2009.  23 out of 40 completed.

Awards

Thanks everybody!  As many of you know (or may not know) I don’t pass on awards (the pressure!) but I like to give you recognition in return for your thoughtfulness and kind words.  Do check these kind bloggers out!

• Mari from Bookworm with a View passed on the Kreative blogger award.  Her latest review of Love, Greg and Lauren makes me wanting to go out and pick it up.

• Mark from Absorbed in Words also passed on the Kreative blogger award.  Although it seems like I should totally know about this challenge, but Mark pointed me to the China Reading Challenge which is one that I just might not be able to resist.

• Tif from Tif Talks Books also passed the Kreative Blogger Award.  Tif just changed her blog design after some discussion about it on Twitter.  Go check it out and tell her what you think!

• Tam from Bailey’s and Books passed on the Let’s Be Friends Award.  Tam has been blogging for three months now (really? seems like you’ve always been on my radar!) and I highly recommend that you check her out.  Plus, she’s a freelance photographer.  Double p0ints!

• Emily from Emily’s Reading Room and Sheila from One Person’s Journey Through a World Of Books both passed on the Humane Award which recognizes bloggers who are kindhearted.  I could say the same thing about both of these awesome bloggers.  I’ve been able to meet Emily as she lives locally to me and she’s just as cool in person on her blog as she is on her blog.  Sheila has hit the blogging world with a whirlwind.  I don’t know how she does it.  Everywhere I go, she seems to be one step ahead of me.

• Amy from Park-Avenue Princess passed on the Humane Award as well.  If you are not following Amy, you are missing out on one of the most inspiring bloggers ever.  Her enthusiasm is amazing and I get a little thrill every time she comments on my blog.  Love ya Amy!

• Melanie from Melanie’s Musings passed on the Promixidade award.  Melanie’s a teen in Florida and she has a horse!  Sorry, I think that is pretty darn cool!  Melanie has been blogging since May and to tell you the truth, blogging teens are pretty awesome.

• Desert Rose Booklogue passed on the Literary Blogger Award which recognizes blogs who energize and inspire blogs by going the extra mile.  What a hard month over at the Desert Rose blog, as she’s recently lost both her father and her father-in-law.  Go pay her a visit and check out the great books she’s reading.

• Grace from Books Like Breathing (love the name of that blog!) passed on the infamous Zombie Chicken Award which still makes me giggle.  Grace’s favorite author is Jane Austen and she has over a hundred of Austen books and its sequels.  Hmm . . . this is making me wonder if I should pick up an Austen book.  I haven’t since high school.

• Jenny from Take Me Away awarded the Bookin with Bingo.  Seriously, just look at Jenny’s about page.  I have no clue how she even manages to read and blog.

• Natalie from The Book Inn passed on the Humane Award.  Natalie’s family just got a puppy.  Need I say more?

Carnivals

Send me your book review links! I’m hosting!

For those of you who may not be familiar with carnivals, a carnival is a blog event where a host collects links from participating blogs and then rounds them up on their blog.  If you are a blogger, carnivals are open to anybody to submit their links and if you are a reader, carnivals are a great source to find great new blogs and book reviews.

Narineh at The Novel World will be hosting the the next Bookworms Carnival which will focus on banned books.  I neglected to send in a link of my own but I love the theme (I plan on reading banned books later this month), I recommend that you check it out as soon as it’s posted.

I’m thrilled to let you know that I will be hosting the next edition of the Bookworms Carnival!! The theme is book reviews about Africa, set in Africa or with an African theme (not books simply written by an African American though).  So if you review books and you have a review that fits that criteria please send them to me by September 25th!  After that come back here for a great round up of book reviews!

Other Items of Note

• Book Giveaways. Lots of books were given away over the summer!  And yes, many of them are still sitting here, so if you have not received them yet, don’t lament.  I’m just lame.  And slow.  Congrats to Melissa at The  Betty and Boo Chronicles, Janssen at Everyday Reading, Melissa at One Librarian’s Book Reviews, Haley, couchpotato, Carol M., Hannah at Word Lily, Nicole at Books and Bards, Nicole from Linus’s Blanket, Melanie from Melanie’s Musings, Nan from Nan’s Corner of the Web, Avis from She Reads and Reads, Kristen from Bookworming in the 21st Century, Drea from Book Blather, Cindy from Cindy’s Love of Books, Melissa from One Librarian’s Book Reviews, J.C. from The Biblio Blogazine, Pam from MotherReader, Joanne from The Book Zombie, Amy from Haiku Amy, Liyana from Liyanaland, Sheila from One Person’s Journey Through a World of Books, Jennie from Biblio File, and Jacqueline from The Undercover Book Lover who all won something over the summer.

• Blogging Tips Group on the Book Blogs Ning. So if you are new around here (or not) I wanted to remind you about the Blogging Tips group that I moderate over at the Book Blogs Ning.  I know a lot of people have been frustruated from the spam but I wanted to ensure you that I’ve got our group under control.  Visit often for great blogging tips from getting advice about your theme, putting buttons on your blog, or how to best conduct an author interview.  I want the forum to benefit everybody so feel free to contribute!

• Utah Book Bloggers Summer Social One of the highlights of the summer was the social that the Utah Book Bloggers had with many of our local Utah authors.  I’m very fortunate to live in a location with such a strong literary presence.  Check out this post for all the details and links to all the Utah book bloggers.

• Not subscribed at all? As you can see from this recap, there is always something going on.  Although I admit that it’s usually more.  Don’t miss any of it by receiving updates via email or through your favorite reader.  Also follow me on Twitter.

Book Blogger Appreciation Week (BBAW)

Tomorrow is the kick off of Book Bloggers Appreciation Week (BBAW) which is an annual celebration to recognize the hard work and contribution of book bloggers to the promotion and preservation of a literate culture actively engaged in discussing books, authors, and a lifestyle of reading. The week spotlights and celebrates the work of active book bloggers through guest posts, awards, giveaways, and community activities. The theme for the week is Celebrate Books!  It all starts right now and everybody, bloggers and non-bloggers alike, are encouraged to participate.

During this next week, I will be supporting BBAW through daily themed posts on my blog, perhaps a giveaway, visiting and discovering new bloggers, and writing a guest post for the BBAW blog about the awesome community of Utah bloggers.  On Wednesday I’m really excited to be contributing to a special Blog Talk Radio hosted by Miriam Parker of Hachette with Amy from My Friend Amy, Kathy of Bermuda Onion, Kate of Babbling About Books and More, and Adam of Letters on Pages!  I’ve never done anything like this before so be sure to check in on Wednesday at 9pm EST on the Blog Talk Radio site or check back here where I’ll post the recording the next day.

I’m sure I’m forgetting something but as it’s the middle of the month already and I wanted this posted on the 1st, I’m going to hit the publish button.

Let the madness begin!

Copyright 2010. Maw Books Blog

Maw Books has an affiliate relationship with several bookstores, including Indiebound, Powell’s, and Amazon . When you buy a product (not just books – any product), via one of my links, Maw Books earns income from the sale and as always, it’s much appreciated as all affiliate income is used to support the blog. There is no cost to you.

Here’s a recap of what happened in April and May (although it looks like a normal one month and not two) here at the Maw Books Blog.  As always, I don’t intend that you read this whole post but skim through and see what you missed.

Books Reviewed in April & May

Fiction

• Losing Kei by Suzanne Kamata
• The Secret Keeper by Paul Harris
• The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker
• Down to a Sunless Sea by Mathias B. Freese
• The Mechanics of Falling and Other Stories by Catherine Brady

Young Adult Fiction

• The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams

Middle Readers

• On the Wings of Heroes by Richard Peck
• The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
• The Sisters Grimm, The Fairy Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley
• Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
• Lunch with Lenin and Other Stories by Deborah Ellis

Picture Books

• Crocodaddy by Kim Norman, Illustrated by David Walker
• Chicken Butt! by Erica S. Perl, Illustrated by Henry Cole
• All in a Day by Cynthia Rylant, Illustrated by Nikki McClure
• Always by Ann Stott, Illustrated by Matt Phelan
• There’s a Wolf at the Door: Five Classic Tales Retold by Zoe B. Alley, Illustrated by R.W. Alley

Non-Fiction

• Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey of a Desert Nomad by Waris Dirie and Cathleen Miller
• Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil by Deborah Rodriguez

Author Interviews

• Interview with Suzanne Kamata, Author of Losing Kei
• Interview with Paul Harris, Author of The Secret Keeper
  
• Interview with Kim Norman, Author of Crocodaddy
• Interview with Katherine Center by Nicki Richesin, Editor of Because I Love Her: 34 Women Writers Reflect on the Mother-Daughter Bond
• Interview with Erica S. Perl, Author of Chicken Butt!
• Interview with Ingrid Law, Newbery Honor Author of Savvy

Reader Spotlights

(Forgive me for taking a completely unintentional break from these feature.  Will be coming back strong!)

• Reader Spotlight: Come Meet Amy from Amy’s Haiku Haven!

Vlogs

• The LA Times Festival of Books, Part 3:  In Which I Meet Some Awesome Authors (and Vlog About Them Too!)
• The LA Times Festival of Books, Part 1:  In Which We Vlog
• Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-thon: And It’s Over, The Final Update!
• Video Chat: The READ-A-THON!!! (no, I’m not excited)

Book Lists

• New York Times Bestsellers – May 24th
• New York Times Bestsellers – May 17th
• New York Times Bestsellers – May 3rd
• New York Times Bestsellers – April 12th
• New York Times Bestsellers – April 5th
• Why Did We Start Our Book Blogs? Three Reasons Why from Trish, Amy and Me.

More Posts During April/May

• Book Expo America!
• The *iwishiwasinnewyorkatbeawithnatasha* Giveaway!
• Guest Post from Cindy of Cindy Loves Books: Author Recipe, Michael Lee West’s Grand Marnier Chocolate Covered Strawberries
• What Everybody Wants to Know About Stephenie Meyer
• Your Most Embarrassing Moment – Author Style!
• Book Expo America & the 48 Hour Book Challenge – What You Need to Know
• Close to Perfect Chocolate Pie from Ingrid Law, Newbery Author of Savvy (The Special Birthday Edition)
• The LA Times Festival of Books, Part 2:  In Which I Meet Awesome Book Bloggers
• The LA Times Festival of Books, Part 1: In Which We Vlog
• GIVEAWAY: Newbery Honor Book, Savvy by Ingrid Law
• Winners! Laurie Halse Anderson & Jodi Picoult Giveaways
• Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-thon: And It’s Over, The Final Update!
• Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-thon: Update #4
• 24 Hour Read-a-thon Edition: Tomato-Mozzarella Pesto Sandwich from Susan McBride, Author of The Debs
• Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-thon: Update #3
• 24 Hour Read-a-thon Edition: Yummy Breakfast Smoothie from Sara Zarr, National Book Award Author
• Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-thon: Update #2
• Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-thon: Update #1 (And it Begins!)
• Why Did We Start Our Book Blogs? Three Reasons Why from Trish, Amy and Me.
• Lemon Linguine from Newbery Honor Author, Kirby Larson
• March Search Terms – What Brought People to My Blog
• Thank You to My March Visitors – Let’s Spotlight a Few!
  
• Blogging & Reading Review for March

Flashback:  The Maw Books Blog a Year Ago

Books I reviewed a year ago April and May: Sirens and Spies by Janet Taylor Lisle, Zel by Donna Jo Napoli, The Translator: A Tribesman’s Memoir of Darfur by Daoud Hari, The Tale of Desperaux by Shannon Hale, Number the Stars by Lois Lowry, I Am the Messenger by Marcus Zusak, Walk On: A Guide for Babies of All Ages by Marla Frazee, Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins, Good Masters! Sweet Ladies by Laura Amy Schiltz, Farworld by J. Scott Savage, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo, Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult,  Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood by Ibtisam Barakat, Mud City by Deborah Ellis, The Fiction Class by Susan Breen, Fablehaven by Brandon Mull,  I Have Lived a Thousand Years by Livia Bitton-Jackson, Slave, My True Story by Mende Nazer, The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt, The Giver by Lois Lowry,  Princess Academy by Shannon Hale, The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom, Sky Burial by Xinran,  The True Story of Hansel and Gretel by Louise Murphy,  Horns and Wrinkles by Joseph Helgerson,  The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti, Torn Thread by Anne Isaacs.

Looking Ahead to April

• Upcoming Reviews.  Still have Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher waiting for me to review.  Hmm . . . yes,  I will get to it this month.  Lots and lots more in the review pile.

• Upcoming Author Interviews.  I’d love to tell you if I had anything scheduled, but I put my calender in my BEA box, which is somewhere in the  middle of the country right now.  Let’s hope I don’t have anything until after it gets here!  That said, I have at least half a dozen authors that are expecting questions from me.

• Features. I’ve got the nastiest author recipe to date and will be coming back in full swing with the reader spotlights.  I will be giving away a Neil Gaiman book.  Not just any book, but a signed one.  If that isn’t exciting for Neil Gaiman fans I don’t know what it is!  Seriously, can’t wait.  And I must be the last one to write anything about BEA.  So look for that too.

Challenge Updates

The Jewish Literature Challenge hosted by Callista ended in April.  This was one of my FAVORITE challenges last year and I was SO excited to participate again.  So how many books did I read?  A big fat zero!  And these are the type of books that I love to read!  I am really embarrassed about this challenge and very sad.

I’m finding it hard to remember to update and post my links on the challenge blogs but I’ll keep plugging away.  The challenges which I’m currently doing (click to be taken to my list and then to be taken to challenge blog):

• A-Z Author & Title Challenge
• Dewey’s Books Reading Challenge
• New Author Challenge
• Read Your Own Books Challenge
• Support Your Local Library Challenge
• Themed Reading Challenge
• War Through the Generations Challenge
• Diversity Rocks! Challenge (still haven’t written up my official list yet but the challenge blog has details).
• Non-Fiction Five Challenge (again, haven’t officially joined this challenge – I need to get in gear!)

Awards

Can I just say that I’m almost embarrased to post these?  But I really want to acknowledge the bloggers who gave these awards.  Because really, isn’t that what its really about.  And just because I think it’s funny (and it’s almost midnight here and anything is funny), I pass the Sisterhood Award on to Chris and Bart.   Maybe we aren’t as diversified as we thought?

Molly from My Cozy Book Nook and Shelly from Write for a Reader passed on the Your Blog is Enchanted Award which describes itself as awarding to blogs which are caring. Thanks Molly and Shelly!  Can I tell you how sad I was to miss Molly at BEA?

Kristina from Kristina’s Favorites gave me the Friendly Blogger Award even though she knew I was unlikely to pass it on (I mean come on, how unfriendly of me is that!)  Kristina is awesome, highly recommend you go check out her blog. 

Serena from Savvy Verse & Wit passed on the Friendly Blogger Award as well.  I met Serena at BEA and I loved putting a face to the name.  Again, awesome blogger who I feel like enjoys a lot of the same things I do.

Lisa from Books on the Brain gave me the Proximidade Award which is described as going out of their way to build community.  Considering that I don’t host a single book blogging community event, I’m thrilled anyways.  I met Lisa at the LA Times Festival of Books and I can tell you that she’s simply wonderful and if you aren’t reading her blog, well, you should be.

Mel from Mel’s Reading Corner also passed on the Proximidade Award.  I love Mel’s template and must admit that I even previewed it when I was thinking of starting a different blog.  We’ve reviewed a lot of the same books, go check her out.

Bobbie from Bobbie’s Book Reviews and Texas Red from Texas Red Books both gave my blog the Proximidade Award.  Thanks gals!  Do check out their blogs.

Trish from Trish’s Reading Nook awarded the Sisterhood Award.  Seriously, Trish is full of awesome.  One of my life goals is to meet her.  How’s that for stalk-ish?

Cathy from Kittling Books gave me the Grasshopper Award.  First of all, I must say that this might be on the cutest awards, for some odd reason.  Cathy’s favorite feature of mine is where she spotlights bloggers physical blogging space.  I love seeing where everybody blogs.  Which reminds me . . .  I haven’t turned mine in yet.

Britt from Confessions of a Book Habitue passed on the Let’s Be Friends Award which is funny because we live near each other, so I’d like to become a real IRL friend.  Just gotta make it happen.

Melissa from One Librarian’s Book Reviews also gave me the Let’s Be Friends Award.  She’s another great Utah blogger who I hope to be able to catch up with in real life at some point.  Like the title suggests Melissa is a librarian and she reads a lot of YA.

Kathrin from Secret Dreamworld of a Bookaholic awarded the Lovely Blog Award.  Kathrin is hosting the Mystery Read-a-thon which will be on June 7th.  If you like mysteries, it might go well with MotherReaders 48 Hour Book Challenge at the same time.  Two birds with one stone?

Mrs. V from Mrs. V’s Reviews, Julie from Jule’s Book Reviews, Wendy from Wendy’s Minding Spot also all  gave me the One Lovely Blog Award.  Looking forward to getting to know these three bloggers better..

Desert Rose awarded the beautiful Literary Blogger Award which describes itself as acknowledging bloggers who energize and inspire reading by going the extra mile.  So sweet.

Carnivals

Lots of carnivals and I didn’t submit a single review! But check out the ones who did.

• Christ’s Bridge, Love Romance Passion, Literary Menagerie and Mysteries in Paradise all hosted the Book Review Blog Carnival.  Get your review in before the 7th for the next carnival at The Symposium by submitting at the Book Review Blog Carnival site.

• The 30th Edition of the Bookworms Carnival is being hosted by Michelle at Biblio.me which is books about books! Kristen at the Book Club Classics had the 28th Edition of the Bookworms Carnival which celebrated Pulitzters.  Julia over at Book News and Reviews gave us a little taste of Murder Mysteries with the 27th edition.  Michelle at 1MoreChapter hosted he 26th Edition of the Bookworms Carnival, which was book awards.  The next edition will be hosted on the Bookworms Carnival blog and is paranormal fiction. Check out the Bookworms Carnival website for info.

Other Items of Note

Book Giveaways. Carey at The Tome Traveller won my Savvy by Ingrid Law giveaway.  I should have brought the book to NYC because I met Carey there!  Will send book as soon as I ask for an address (I swear I’m behind on everything!).  Louise won a copy of The Secret Keeper by Paul Harris.  Alyce from At Home With Books won a signed Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson and Mari from Mari Reads won seven signed Jodi Picoult books.  I have yet to announce my The Chosen One and the BEAtwittyparty giveaway which I’ll do in the comments there in the next couple of days.

• Blogging Tips Group on the Book Blogs Ning. I have lots of posting to do over at the blogging tips group but if you haven’t been go check out how to get a favicon, blog design mistakes you should avoid, how to market your blog offline (timely with BEA), and how to link with anchor text.

• MotherReader’s 48 Hour Book Challenge. The 48 Hour Book Challenge is coming up THIS weekend, June 5-7th.  You can find all the details on the sign up post.  I’m participating.  I haven’t told my husband though yet.  So somebody please pray for me.  He probably won’t be happy! I’ll be posting some updates, so make sure you stop by.

• Book Expo America and the LA Times Festival of Books. I mention the LA Times Festival of Books because I still have one post in draft mode.  Will it ever see the light of day?  And of course, it was very exciting to attend Book Expo America (BEA) this past weekend.  I feel still like I’m recovering.  The highlight was sitting in on the Book Bloggers Panel!  Details to come!

• Not subscribed at all? As you can see from this recap, there is always something going on.  Don’t miss any of it by receiving updates via email or through your favorite reader. Think you want to know even more about me?  Follow me on Twitter.

And somebody shoot me for doing two months in a wrap up post.  Never again!  Why do I submit myself to this torture.

Copyright 2010. Maw Books Blog

Maw Books has an affiliate relationship with several bookstores, including Indiebound, Powell’s, and Amazon . When you buy a product (not just books – any product), via one of my links, Maw Books earns income from the sale and as always, it’s much appreciated as all affiliate income is used to support the blog. There is no cost to you.