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!

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.

Here’s a recap of what happened this past month here at the Maw Books Blog:

Books Reviewed in March

Fiction

Yikes!  None this month.  Did read a couple but still in the review pile.

Young Adult Fiction

• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
• Emiko Superstar by Mariko Tamaki, Illustrated by Steve Rolston
• Chiggers by Hope Larson
• Fade by Lisa McMann
• Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott
• Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Middle Readers

• Jellaby by Kean Soo
• Peace, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
• Longhorns and Outlaws by Linda Aksomitis
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney
• The 13th Reality: The Hunt for Dark Infinity by James Dashner
• Holbrook: A Lizards Tale by Bonny Becker
• My Brother, The Robot by Bonny Becker

Picture Books

• Mary Veronica’s Egg by Mary Nethery, Illustrated by Paul Yalowtiz
• A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker, Illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton
• An Ant’s Day Off by Bonny Becker, Illustrated by Nina Laden
• The Christmas Crocodile by Bonny Becker, Illustrated by David Small

Non-Fiction

Nothing reviewed this month although I did read a memoir that I’ll review in April.

Author Interviews

• 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!

Reader Spotlights

• Trish from Trish’s Reading Nook!
• Jen (aka Ladytink_534) of The Movieholic & Bibliophile’s Blog

Video Chats

• Video Chat: Talking About Signed Books (A Show and Tell)
• Video Chat: Talking More About Book Destruction (A Show and Tell)

Book Lists

• New York Times Bestsellers – March 29th
• New York Times Bestsellers – March 22nd
• New York Times Bestseller List – March 15th
• New York Times Bestsellers – March 8th

More Posts During January

• More on Meeting Laurie Halse Anderson and a Signed Wintergirls Giveaway!
• An Open Letter to Laurie Halse Anderson
• On Meeting Jodi Picoult and an AMAZING Giveaway!
• Reading for a Cause: The Ides of March Madness Charity Book Reading Tournament
• Butter Bean Cookies from Shana Burg’s Debut Novel, A Thousand Never Evers
• Have You Ever Caused or Been On the Receiving End of a Book/Reading Related Accident?
• Mmmm . . . Mrs. Perez’s Drop-Dead Delicous Lemon Squares from Donna Gephart’s Debut Novel, As If Being 12 3/4 Isn’t Bad Enough My Mother is Running For President
• February Search Terms – The Crazy Stuff That Brought People to My Blog
• Reading & Blogging Review for February

Flashback:  The Maw Books Blog a Year Ago

Books I reviewed a year ago March: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult, Bee Season by Myla Goldberg, The Fiction Class by Susan Breen, Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne, Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata, Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis, Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata, Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo, Parvana’s Journey by Deborah Ellis, Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy, Fablehaven by Brandon Mull, Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza, Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood by Ibtisam Barakat.

Looking Ahead to April

• Upcoming Reviews.  My husband and I both read The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker and I’ll be posting my first joint book review with him.  I can’t wait.  Other outstanding reviews to look for are Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguiz, Losing Kei by Suzanne Kamata , Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson, The Scent of Sake by Joyce Lebra.  I’ll be on tour with The Mechanics of Falling by Catherine Brady. Plus I have a whole slew of picture books that I really, really need to review.  And of course, whatever else I manage to read this next month.

• Upcoming Author Interviews. I hope to have at least three interviews in April with Suzanne Kamata, author of Losing Kei, Emily Wing Smith, author of The Way He Lived and maybe Catherine Brady, author of The Mechanics of Falling.

• Features. Plan to have at least two more video chats and 3-4 reader spotlights.  I’ve also made two new author recipes that I hope to write about, a yummy sandwich and a pasta dish.   And because I really, really need to post about it, if I write it down maybe I’ll do it:  meeting Richard Peck with a signed book giveaway.

• The 24 Hour Read-a-Thon!!!!!!!! Seriously, so excited!  I’ve never been able to participate before, but the calender is looking clear!  I finally broached the subject with my husband who simply said, “Okay, tell  me when and I’ll watch the kids!”  How cool is he?  He watched me watch the last two read-a-thons with dejection.  So I think he knows how much I want to do it!  Go sign up!!

Challenge Updates

No challenges completed this month.  The Jewish Literature Challenge ends in April and while I did really well last year, I don’t think I’m going to do so hot this year.  AND I must figure out a system to actually go over to the challenge blogs and link my reviews because I’m really, really behind.  Most of all the books I do read fall into one challenge or another.  They are (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
• Jewish Literature Challenge
• New Author Challenge
• Read Your Own Books Challenge
• Support Your Local Library Challenge
• Themed Reading Challenge
• War Through the Generations Challenge

Awards

Melissa from BooK Nut gave me the Zombie Chicken award which cracks me up.  “The blogger who receives this award believes in the Tao of the zombie chicken – excellence, grace and persistence is all situations, even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. These amazing bloggers regularly produce content so remarkable that their readers would brave a raving pack of zombie chickens just to be able to read their words. As a recipient of this world-renowned award, you now have the task of passing it on to at least 5 other worthy bloggers. Do not risk the wrath of the zombie chickens by choosing unwisely or not choosing at all …”  I definitely don’t want to risk the wrath of zombie chickens, so I’ll take the easy way out (simply because there was five) and pass it on to the bloggers below.

Amy from My Friend Amy gave me the Sisterhood award.  I love having so many sisters in this community and I’m thrilled that Amy thinks the same.

Jeane from Dog Ear Diary passed along the Proximade award which is described as:  this blog invests and believes in the PROXIMITY-nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement! Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated.

Sharon from SherMeree’s Musing gave me the I Love Your Blog award.  After connecting with each other on our blogs, Sharon joined our face to face children’s lit book club.  It was fun to meet and I can’t wait to get to know her even more!

Alyce from At Home With Books gave me the Butterfly award.  And she fixed the wording.  Yay!

Molly from My Cozy Book Nook passed on the Your Blog is Fabulous award.  Thanks Molly!

Carnivals

Lots of carnivals going on this month!  Lots of book reviews all in one place.

• Stacy at book:thirtyis hosting the current Book Review Blog Carnival.  I totally forgot to submit something this time around but I did manage to submit to the 13th Edition of the Book Review Blog  Carnival which was hosted by Ruth at Bookish Ruth with my book reviews of  Chains, Speak, and Laurie Halse Anderson’s newest book, Wintergirls.

• Quiverfull Family is hosting the 25th Edition of the Bookworms Carnival which focused on parenting books.  Being the unorganized person that I was this past month, I also missed this carnival. Check out the Bookworms Carnival website for info on all upcoming editions.

• The March Edition of the Carnival of Children’s Literature is hosted by Jenny’s Wonderland of Books.  One of these days I’m going to remember to submit a post to it.

Other Items of Note

• One of the highlights from this past month was receiving an email from Jacqueline Woodson telling me I had a fabolous blog and a beautiful family.  I gave a little squee when I realized it was the Jacqueline Woodson.  So thrilled.

• My favorite posts this month? If I’m not thinking book reviews, definitely my open Letter to Laurie Halse Anderson and videos that I took.  The Jodi Picoult Q&A was fun to share as well as the butter bean cookies and lemon squares recipes.  Loved the reader spotlights too.

• Book Giveaways. There is still plenty of time to enter into my two huge giveaways, but you don’t want to forget!  Right now I’ve got a signed Wintergirls from Laurie Halse Anderson as well as seven signed Jodi Picoult books.  Seriously.  I just said seven. Go enter now.

New Archives Page.  Just a heads up that I’ve set up a pretty thorough archives page. This has been on my to do list for approximately forever.  You should now be able to find most anything that you are looking for.  Take a look and tell me what you think.

• Feed Not Updating. A lot of my subscribers have not been receiving updates.  I still can’t find a rhyme or reason to it as it seems to be pretty random across readers and such.  But everybody who had problems told me that unsubscribing and resubscribing has fixed whatever problem it was.  So if the last post that showed up in your reader was Fade by Lisa McMann, then please resubscribe.  Sorry about the mess.  I’m clueless.

• 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.

This month in review post is pretty lengthy but it’s easy to read so skim to whatever catches your attention.  Here’s a recap of what happened this past month here at the Maw Books Blog:

Books Reviewed in February

Fiction

• Everyone is Beautiful by Katherine Center
• Matrimony by Joshua Henkin
• The Only True Genius in the Family by Jennie Nash
• Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult
• Ruby Among Us by Tina Ann Forkner

Young Adult Fiction

• Letters from a Slave Girl: The Story of Harriet Jacobs by Mary E. Lyons
• The Way He Lived by Emily Wing Smith
• The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox
• Nightjohn by Gary Paulsen
  

Middle Readers

• The Year the Swallows Came Early by Kathryn Fitzmaurice
• The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
• The Well by Mildred D. Taylor

Picture Books

• Ella the Elegant Elephant by Carmela and Steve D’Amico
• Ella Sets the Stage by Carmela and Steve D’Amico
• Ella Takes the Cake by Carmela and Steve D’Amico
• Ella Sets Sail by Carmela and Steve D’Amico
• Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki, illustrated by Dom Lee
• Passage to Freedom by Ken Mochiuki, illustrated by Dom Lee (narrative biography)
• Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad by Ellen Levine, illustrated by Kadir Nelson
• Moses:  When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Kadir Nelson
• The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Cole, illustrated by George Ford
• Consider Love, Its Moods and Many Ways by Sandra Boynton
• Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope by Nikki Grime, illustrated by Bryan Collier
• Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Hudson Talbott
  

Non-Fiction

• Be Water, My Friend: The Early Years of Bruce Lee by Ken Mochizuki, illustrated by Dom Lee (picture book)
• The Voice that Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights by Russel Freedman (Juvenile)
• Frogs by Nic Bishop (Juvenile)
• Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges (Juvenile)
• Freedom Walkers, The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Russell Freedman (Juvenile)
• An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination by Elizabeth McCracken (Memoir)
• Surviving Ben’s Suicide, A Woman’s Journey of Self Discovery by C. Comfort Shields (Memoir)

Author Interviews

• Carmela and Steve D’Amico, authors of the Ella the Elephant series
• Ken Mochizuki, children’s and young adult author
• Kathryn Fitzmaurice, author of The Year the Swallows Came Early
• Katherine Center, author of Everyone is Beautiful
• Joshua Henkin, author of Matrimony
• Jennie Nash, author of The Only True Genius in the Family
• Tina Ann Forkner, author of Ruby Among Us
  

Reader Spotlights

• Jeanette from A Comfy Chair and a Good Book

Video Chats

• A Few Favorite Children’s Books and a Reading From My Little Boy

Book Lists

• The 2009 Cybils Award Winners and Finalists
• New York Times Bestsellers – February 15th
• New York Times Bestsellers – February 8th
• New York Times Bestsellers – February 1st

More Posts During January

• Thank You to My February Visitors – Let’s Spotlight a Few!
• What is the Most Horrific Way You’ve Ruined a Book?
• Discussion Question: Does an Author’s Personal Belief System Impact If or How You Support Them?
• Reading/Blogging Review for January

Flashback:  The Maw Books Blog a Year Ago

I thought it would be fun to see what was going on a year ago.  Last February I received the amount of traffic all month in what I now have in just a single day.  A 30x improvement.  So exciting to see the changes!

Books I reviewed a year ago February:  Jasmine by Bharati Mukherjee, Austenland by Shannon Hale, The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards, Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult, The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency byAlexander McCall Smith, Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson, The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis, The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen, Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater, and Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.  I continually get comments on Eat Pray Love and it’s in my top ten commented posts of all time.

Looking Ahead to March

• Upcoming Reviews.  I still managed to read (don’t ask me how I did) a few books in February that I’ll be reviewing this upcoming march.  Watch for book reviews of Fade by Lisa McMann, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson, The 13th Reality:  The Hunt for Dark Infinity by James Dashner, Emiko Superstar by Mariko Tamaki and Steve Roltson, Chiggers by Hope Larson, Jellaby by Kean Soo, There’s a Wolf at the Door: Five Classic Tales written by Zoe Alley (these last four all Cybils nominated graphic novels).  Of course, reviews of whatever I manage to read this month as well, I have a huge pile left over from February.

• Upcoming Author Interviews. First up this week on the 2nd and 3rd are book reviews and an author interview with children’s author Bonny Becker.  Also, watch for an interview with Mary Nethery, children’s author, on the 4th.  It’s my privilege to be hosting Linda Aksomitis on the 19th with a review and interview for her new middle grade novel Longhorns and Outlaws.  I think that’s it but who knows what may pop up!

• Author Events and Book Signings.  Laurie Halse Anderson is coming to the Kings English Bookshop here in SLC  to promote her new book Wintergirls (which I’ve read so watch for a review soon).  I’d like to read Twisted and Fever 1793 before I go to her reading and book signing just so I can say I’ve read all of her books.  Watch for a post about her visit.  Plus, I’ll also be going to a reading and signing for Jodi Picoult who will be at the King’s English as well.  Can’t wait for both!!

• Features. Plan to have at least two more video chats and 4-6 reader spotlights.  I’ve got some great discussion posts in the works as well.  And I’ve made a yummy author recipe that I’d love to share with you.

Hmm . . . .wondering what will be left behind.  I can’t possible get to it all.

Challenge Updates

Three reading challenges finished up this month.  First up was Books for the Heart Challenge hosted by Michelle at 1 More Chapter.  The goal was to sponsor your reading and donate a certain amount of money for every book you read or pages read to the American Heart Association.  I’ve decided that I’m going to donate .50 cents a review which will come to $15. Thanks Michelle for this opportunity!

Hosted by 3 M at 1morechapter, the 1% Well Read Challenge ended this month.  The goal was to read 10 books in 10 months from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list.  As you can see I failed miserably at only two books read.  Oh well.  I still want to read them all.  My list was:

• Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
• Saturday by Ian McEwan
• Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
• Atonement by Ian McEwan
• The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields
• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
• One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• If This Is a Man by Primo Levi
• Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

The Lit Flicks Challenge hosted by Jessica of Bluestocking Society ended this month as well.   The movie adaptations that I watched were Of Mice and Men, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Witches, and Sarah Plain and Tall.  While not based specifically on the books, Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges and The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles but rather her life story I also watched Disney’s Ruby Bridges.  Thanks Jessica for hosting such a fun challenge!  The books I read between September and February that have been made into movies (and a few which are in production) were:

• Nightjohn by Gary Paulsen
• The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan
• Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl
• Sarah Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
• Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult
• Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
• A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Siji
• Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
• How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
• The Witches by Roald Dahl
• The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury
• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

I did read a lot of books that qualify for the  other reading challenges I’m participating in.  They are (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
• Jewish Literature Challenge
• New Author Challenge
• Read Your Own Books Challenge
• Support Your Local Library Challenge
• Themed Reading Challenge
• War Through the Generations Challenge

Awards

Molly from My Cozy Book Nook gave me the Fabulous Blog Award.  She listed a lot of blogs that were MUST reads and I was humbled to be among them.  Thanks Molly!

Lynn at Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile shared the Kreative Blogger award.  Thanks Lynn!  Lynn is here in Salt Lake City too and has a great blog where she shares the books that she reads with her 15 month old son.

Mari at MariReads shared the Premios Dardo Award which acknowledges the values that every blogger shows in his/her effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary and personal values every day.  Thanks Mari for thinking I share those values!

Kristina at Kristina Favorites shared this sweet award which describes itself as “These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated.”  Even though Kristina knows that I have a really, really bad habit of not passing awards along, that she thought of me.  Thanks Kristina!

Carnivals

Lots of carnivals going on this month!  Lots of book reviews all in one place.  I highly recommend checking them all out!

• Heather from Age 30+ is hosting the current Book Review Blog Carnival.  I totally forgot to submit something this time around (story of my life) but I did manage to submit to the 11th Edition of the Book Review Blog  Carnival which was hosted by Nicole at Linus’s Blanket with  my book review of The Only True Genius in the Family, by Jennie Nash.

• Jessica at Bluestocking Society is hosting the 23rd Edition of the Bookworms Carnival which focuses on books being made into movies.  I submitted two reviews of books that are currently in production and I’m excited to see them being made into movies:  What is the What by Dave Eggers and The Devil Came on Horseback:  Bearing Witness to the Genocide in Darfur by Brian Steidle and Gretchen Wallace Steidle.

• Tracy at Bookroom Reviews is currently hosting the Book Giveaway Carnival from March 2nd-8th.  Head on over to see what fun prizes lots of book bloggers will be giving away.

• The February Edition of the Carnival of Children’s Literature is hosted by Lynn at Imaginary Blog.  Another carnival that I always forget to post reviews too but I love seeing what’s been gathered.

Other Items of Note

• Black History Month. You may have noticed that I celebrated Black History Month by reviewing 12 books that celebrate the history of blacks in the United States.  While the posts didn’t seem popular or generate a lot of comments, I enjoyed doing them and plan on doing the same thing next year.  I read some amazing books! It was great to have a theme for the month.  Check out all my reviews tagged Black History to explore those reviews.

• My favorite posts this month? Hmm . . .  that’s a really hard one.  My favorites this month were probably all of my author interviews because I put so much time into the research and questions.  It also helps that the authors all gave such great answers!  Certainly my two most commented posts this month were the horrific ways we’ve ruined books and how an author’s belief system impacts whether or not we’ll support them.  My video chat this month was a favorite of mine.  I’ve probably watched that video 20 times because I just can’t get over how darn cute I think my own child  is.

• Book Giveaways. I gave away a fair amount of books this month!  To cut down on the number of times I have to post I’ve started to announce the winners in the comment threads of the giveaway posts but wanted to highlight them at the end of the month here.  Kim at Good Clean Reads won a ARC of Everyone is Beautiful by Katherine Center,  Sandy from You’ve Gotta Read This! won a signed copy of Matrimony by Joshua Henkin, Hannah at Word Lily won a signed copy of The Only True Genius in the Family by Jennie Nash, Amber S. won a copy of Ruby Among Us by Tina Ann Forkner.  Congrats everybody!

• Directories. As you can tell from my sidebar there are a lot of great book blog directories to discover your favorite book blogs.  The newest that I wanted to highlight is the new amazing website called Kidlitosphere Central which is the brain child of Pam at MotherReader.  Did I ever mention that I feel like Pam is a celebrity?  She’s the glue that practically holds the Kidlitosphere together.  The new website describes itself as “The “KidLitosphere” is a community of reviewers, librarians, teachers, authors, illustrators, publishers, parents, and other book enthusiasts who blog about children’s and young adult literature. In writing about books for children and teens, we’ve connected with others who share our love of books. With this website, we hope to spread the wealth of our reading and writing experience more broadly.”  I’m in love with the place.  Go check it out.

• Milestones:  10,000 comment and 500th post! I hit some major milestones this month!  I wrote my 500th post (interview with Carmela and Steve D’Amico)  and when I noticed that I was coming up on my 10,000 comment I twittered that I would give a book to my 10,000 commenter from anything in my giveaway pile.  Deborah from Books, Movies, and Chinese Food picked up a hardcover of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for hitting the lucky number!  Thank you so much for making this whole blog thing worth it!  I get a thrill with every comment that comes in.  Here’s to another 10,000 comments and to another 500 posts!

• My blog was hacked into not once but twice this month! So thank you to all of you who bore with me while we fixed things.  Basically, they accessed my ht access file and rewrote it to redirect all traffic coming from  major search engines to another site.  What a pain in the butt to fix it and then have them do it again.  If you ever think anything is funny don’t hesitate to let me know so I can take care of it.

• Not subscribed yet to the Maw Books Blog? 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. Can’t get enough?  Follow me on Twitter.

Phew!  Did you make it?  Or are you passed out on information overload?  Thanks for a great month (and I said I was going to relax this year!)

Wow, that was liberating.  Here’s a recap of what happened this past month here at the Maw Books Blog:

Books Reviewed in January

Fiction

• Mermaids in the Basement by Michael Lee West

Young Adult Fiction

• The Lightening Thief by Rich Riordan
• Sister Wife by Shelley Hrdlitschka

Middle Readers

• Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl
• The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman
• Lily’s Crossing by Patricia Reilly Giff
• On My Honor by Joan Bauer
• Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
• The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh
• Alvin Ho, Allergic to Girls, School and Other Scary Things by Lenore Look
• Shooting the Moon by Frances O’Roark Dowell
• Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman
• Savvy by Ingrid Law

Picture Books

• Snow by Cythnia Rylant, illustrated by Lauren Stringer

Author Interviews

• Michael Lee West, author of Mermaids in the Basement
• Lisa McMann, author of Wake and Fade

Reader Spotlights

• Becky of Becky’s Book Reviews
• Jenn M.

Video Chats

• Talking books stacks and blogger/indie bookstore relations
• Talking my 30th birthday, bookshelves and the Utah Book Bloggers Bash!

Book Lists

• ALA 2009 Youth Media Awards Including Newbery, Caldecott, Printz
• New York Times Bestsellers – January 25th
• New York Times Bestsellers – January 18th
• New York Times Bestsellers – January 11th
• New York Times Bestsellers – January 4th

More Posts During January

• Thank You to My January Visitors – Let’s Spotlight a Few!
• January Search Terms – What Brought You Here This Time?
• Book Organization – How Do You Do It and What Does it Say About You?
• What Happens When Your Kids’ Favorite Librarian Calls in Sick
• The Utah Book Bloggers Bash!
• Shannon Hales’ Yummy Zucchini Soup
• Looking Ahead to 2009 – Blogging Resolutions
• Looking Ahead to 2009 – Reading Challenges

Challenge Updates

None completed this month but all the books I read this month can be applied to a challenge.  A special thank you to all of those leading these challenges.  Such great work this year!

Challenges I’m participating in are (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
• Jewish Literature Challenge
• New Author Challenge
• Read Your Own Books Challenge
• Support Your Local Library Challenge
• Themed Reading Challenge
• War Through the Generations Challenge

February 1-14 is Books for the Heart Challenge hosted by Michelle at 1 More Chapter.  Fifteen years ago, Michelle’s father died at the age of 44 while waiting for a heart transplant. In his honor and for other people who have died or suffered from a heart-related illness, Michelle is hosting a special event for the week of Valentine’s Day.This purpose of the reading event Books for the Heart is to raise money for the American Heart Association and/or to honor a loved one.  There are many ways to participate. You can sponsor yourself and donate a certain amount of money for every book you read or every page you read during February 1-14. You can ask for sponsors. You can donate a set amount. You can donate in a loved one’s name. Michelle asks that by participating you commit to donating a minimum of $5 to the American Heart Association. Other than that, you decide on how you’ll participate.

I am going to participate by donating a set amount for every page I read during Feb. 1-14th.  If you’d like to participate,  visit the post about the event.

Awards

What a way to start of the year!  Thank you ladies for bestowing upon the Maw Books Blog so many awards!  I am baffled and humbled.

• The Dardos Award is in appreciation of the merits – culturally, literary and individually- of every blogger who expresses him/herself on his/her blog.  Thank you to Chris at Book-Rama, Rebecca at Rebecca Reads, Suey at It’s All About Books, Dar at Peeking Between the Pages, Anna at Diary of an Eccentric and Serena at Savvy Verse and Wit. 
  

• The Inspiration Award from Myrthe at Armenian Odar Reads.

• The Lemonade Award for blogs with great attitude from Kim at I Smell Books.

• The Butterfly Award (I refuse to post the button on this one) from Suey at It’s All About Books, Alyce at At Home With Books.
  

• The Kreative Blogger Award from Softdrink at Fizzy Thoughts.

• I’ve been Tink Approved by Jen (aka Ladytink_534) from the Movieholic and Bibliophile’s Blog.

• While not awards, Steph at Reviewer X and Heather at Book Addiction, and Suey at It’s All About Books all said awesome things about me in their Weekly Geeks posts.  You ladies are so nice!

I’m a rule breaker and the thought of passing these one, honestly intimidates me.  So if you’ve commented on my blog this past month considered yourself bestowed.

Other Items of Note

• I’ve implemented a lot of great new features this past month and thank you so much for your enthusiasm.  I’m excited to take this blog to big places this year!  If you are wondering how I’m choosing my reader spotlights, I am first going to spotlight my top ten commenters.  After that it will be completely random.  Also, I would love some ideas of what you’d like to see in the video chats.  Anything goes!  Tour of the house, garden, kids, bookish ramblings, etc?

• Lots of great stuff happening over at the Blogging Tips group and the Utah Bloggers group at Book Blogs Ning.  Lot’s of great advice to help you blog and as a community we’ve helped out at least 13 bloggers improve the layout of their blogs.  I’d love to have you join us.

• While I have made a few small changes regarding layout, etc. around here, I have a lot of great changes up my sleeves.  So be on the lookout and ignore me if things happen to go a little funny.

• February is looking to be a great month!  I’ll have some books reviewed for Black History Month, lots of new releases coming out, Cybils are going to be announced, and at least half a dozen author interviews/guest posts.

• If you aren’t subscribed to the Maw Books Blog why not?  Receive updates via email or through your favorite reader. I’d love to go over the 200 subscribers mark.  Can’t get enough?  Follow me on Twitter.

Here’s what’s happened in 2008:

Fiction

1. Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris
2. The Handmaiden and the Carpenter by Elizabeth Berg
3. The Romantics by Galt Niederhoffer
4. The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks
5. Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
6. The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff
7. The Best Place to Be by Lesley Dorman
8. Capote in Kansas by Kim Powers
9. Janeology by Karen Harrington
10. The Last Beach Bungalow by Jennie Nash
11. When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka
12. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
13. The Leper Compound by Paula Nangle
14. The First Hurt, Stories by Rachel Sherman
15. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie
16. Saturday by Ian McEwan
17. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
18. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
19. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (and quotes from The Alchemist)
20. The Smart One by Ellen Meister
21. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
22. The Bright Side of Disaster by Katherine Center
23. Briar Rose by Jane Yolen
24. Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos
25. The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway
26. The Host by Stephenie Meyer
27. Sky Burial by Xinran
28. The True Story of Hansel and Gretel by Louise Murphy
29. Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult
30. Bee Season by Myla Goldberg
31. The Fiction Class by Susan Breen
32. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
33. The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult
34. Jasmine by Bharati Mukherjee
35. Austenland by Shannon Hale
36. The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards
37. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
38. The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
39. What is the What by Dave Eggers
40. Slow Man by J.M. Coetzee
41. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
42. Everyman by Philip Roth (seems to be the only book I didn’t review, I remember not caring for it much)
43. The Gift by Richard Paul Evans
44. Finding Noel by Richard Paul Evans

Young Adult Fiction

1. Wake by Lisa McMann
2. Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
3. Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City by Kristen Miller
4. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
5. The Patron Saint of Butterflies by Cecilia Galante
6. Identical by Ellen Hopkins
7. Lessons from a Dead Girl by Jo Knowles
8. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
9. I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder
10. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
11. Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
12. Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
13. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Spear
14. This is What I Did by Ann Dee Ellis
15. Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale
16. Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
17. Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer
18. Messenger by Lois Lowry
19. The Debs by Susan McBride
20. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
21. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
22. Katarina by Kathryn Winter
23. Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr
24. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
25. Sweethearts by Sara Zarr
26. If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson
27. Behind You by Jacqueline Woodson
28. The Midwife’s Apprentice by Karen Cushman
29. Madapple by Christina Meldrum
30. The Giver by Lois Lowry
31. Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
32. The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
33. Zel by Donna Jo Napoli
34. I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
35. Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata
36. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
37. Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
38. Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson
39. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
40. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
41. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
42. My Brother’s Keeper by Patricia McCormick
43. Cut by Patricia McCormick
44. Sold by Patricia McCormick

Juvenile/Middle Grade Fiction

1. The Underneath by Kathi Appelt
2. Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
3. A Midnight Clear, Selected Family Christmas Stories from Katherine Paterson
4. The Heaven Shop by Deborah Ellis
5. Quake by Joe Cottonwood
6. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
7. How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
8. A Thousand Never Evers by Shauna Burg
9. The Adventurous Deeds of Deadwood Jones by Helen Hemphill
10. As if Being 12 3/4 Isn’t Bad Enough My Mother is Running for President by Donna Gephart
11. T4 by Ann Clare LeZotte
12. The Witches by Roald Dahl
13. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Scwartz
14. The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury
15. The Thirteenth Reality, The Journal of Curious Letters by James Dashner
16. Journey to Topaz by Yoshiko Uchida
17. What Jamie Saw by Carolyn Coman
18. Clementine by Sara Pennypacker
19. Clementine’s Letter by Sara Pennypacker
20. The Talented Clementine by Sara Pennypacker
21. Where I Live by Eileen Spinelli
22. A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck
23. A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck
24. Second Grade Pig Pals by Kirby Larson
25. Yankee Girl by Mary Ann Rodman
26. Are You There God?  It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
27. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
28. Jimmy’s Stars by Mary Ann Rodman
29. Diary of a Wimpy Kid:  Rodrick Rules by Jeff Kinney
30. The Willoughby’s by Lois Lowry
31. Libertad by Alma Fullerton
32. Far World, Water Keep by J. Scott Savage
33. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
34. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
35. The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo
36. Missing May by Cynthia Rylant
37. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
38. The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
39. Horns & Wrinkles by Joseph Helgerson
40. Mud City by Deborah Ellis
41. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
42. Criss Cross by Lynn Rae Perkins
43. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
44. Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schiltz
45. The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
46. Sirens and Spies by Janet Taylor Lisle
47. Torn Thread by Anne Isaacs
48. Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
49. Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis
50. Parvana’s Journey by Deborah Ellis
51. Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy
52. Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata
53. Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
54. Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson
55. The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis
56. The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
57. Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater
58. Penny From Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm
59. Rules by Cynthia Lord
60. The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron

Picture/Board Books

1. The Lump of Coal by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Brett Helquist
2. A Wish to Be a Christmas Tree by Colleen Monroe, illustrated by Michael Glenn Monroe
3. Room for a Little One, A Christmas Tale by Martin Waddell, illustrated by Jason Cockcroft
4. Great Joy by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Bagram Ibauoulline
5. The Light of Christmas by Richard Paul Evans, illustrated by Daniel Craig
6. Angela and the Baby Jesus by Frank McCourt, illustrated by Loren Long
7. A Very Marley Christmas by John Grogan
8. Santa Claus, The Worlds Number One Toy Expert by Marla Frazee
9. Mrs. Claus Explains it All (At Last) Answers to Questions Real Kids Ask! by Elisabeth Claus
10. Amadi’s Snowman by Katia Novet Saint-Lot
11. The Raucous Royals by Carlyn Beccia (Non-Fiction)
12. This is the Feast by Diane Z. Shore (Non-Fiction)
13. There’s No Such Thing as Ghosts by Emmanuelle Eeckhout
14. Board Books by Leslie Patricelli
15. The Two Bobbies:  A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship, and Survival by Kirby Larson and Mary Nethery
16. The Magic Kerchief by Kirby Larson
17. Walk On!  A Guide for Babies of All Ages by Marla Frazee

Non-Fiction

1. We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families:  Stories from Rwanda by Philip Gourevitch
2. Not On Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond by Don Cheadle and John Prendergast
3. I Am a Mother by Jane Clayson Johnson
4. Cheap Psychological Tricks for Parents by Perry W. Buffington
5. Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow by Susan Campbell Bartoletti (Young Adult)
6. Hana’s Suitcase by Karen Levine (Middle Grade)
7. The Sudan Project: Rebuilding with the People of Darfur, A Young Person’s Guide by Melissa Leembrugeen (Middle Grade)
8. The Devil Came on Horseback:  Bearing Witness to the Genocide in Darfur by Brian Steidle
9. Darfur Diaries:  Stories of Survival by Jen Marlowe
10. Genocide in Darfur by Janey Levy (Young Adult)

Memoir

1. Stolen Innocence:  My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs by Elissa Wall
2. Apples and Oranges, My Brother and Me, Lost and Found by Marie Brenner
3. The Road of Lost Innocence, The True Story of a Cambodian Heroine by Somaly Mam
4. Tears of the Desert, A Memoir of Survival in Darfur by Halima Bashir with Damien Lewis
5. Of Beetles and Angels, One Boy’s Remarkable Journey from a Refugee Camp to Harvard by Mawi Asgedom (Middle Grade)
6. The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman
7. Shattered Dreams:  My Life as a Polygamist’s Wife by Irene Spencer
8. Escape by Carolyn Jessop
9. Admit One:  A Journey Into Film by Emmett James
10. Monique and the Mango Rains by Kris Holloway
11. Slave:  My True Story by Mende Nazer & Damiel Lewis
12. We Are On Our Own by Miriam Katin
13. I Have Lived a Thousand Years by Livia Bitton-Jackson (young adult)
14. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
15. The Translator: A Tribesman’s Memoir of Darfur by Daoud Hari
16. Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood by Ibtisam Barakat
17. Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza
18. Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Abandoned Books

1. Keeper and Kid by Edward Hardy
2. X-Indian Chronicles by Thomas Yeahpau

Author Interviews/Guest Posts

1. Carlyn Beccia, author of The Raucous Royals
2. Diane Z. Shore, author of This is the Feast
3. Donna Gephart, author of As If Being 12 3/4 Isn’t Bad Enough, My Mother is Running for President
4. Guest Post:  Jennie Nash, author of The Last Beach Bungalow
5. Shana Burg, author of A Thousand Never Evers
6. David Ebershoff, author of The 19th Wife
7. Guest Post:  Karen Harrington, author of Janeology
8. Shannon Hale, Newbery Medal author
9. James Dashner, author of The 13th Reality
10. Guest Post:  Dennis Burke, Co-Author of The Translator, A Tribesman Memoir of Survival in Darfur
11. Kirby Larson, Newbery Honor Author of Hattie Big Sky
12. Leslie Patricelli, Children’s Author and Illustrator
13. Susan McBride, Author of the Debs
14. Christina Meldrum, Author of Madapple
15. Cynthia Lord, Newbery Honor Author of Rules
16. Sara Zarr, author of Sweethearts and Story of a Girl
17. J. Scott Savage, author of Far World, Water Keep
    
18. Mary Ann Rodman, author of Jimmy’s Stars
19. Katherine Center, author of The Bright Side of Disaster
20. Melissa Leembruggen, author of The Sudan Project: Rebuilding with the People of Darfur, a Young Person’s Guide

Author Panels/Events

1. Book reading with David Ebershoff, author of The 19th Wife
2. Rapunzel’s Roundup with Shannon Hale, Dean Hale, Nathan Hale and Utah authors
3. Provo Children’s Festival with Shannon Hale, Sara Zarr and many other Utah authors
4. Stephenie Meyer book signing

Author Recipes

1. Whoopie Pies by Cynthia Lord (photos here)
2. Succory Porridge by Caryln Beccia
3. Sweet Potato Casserole by Diane Z. Shore
4. Pumpkin Pie by ME!
5. Mexican Tomato Lime Soup by Katherine Center (photos here)
6. Mrs. Perez’s DROP-DEAD Delicious Lemon Squares by Donna Gephart
7. Butter Bean Cookies by Shana Burg
8. Zuchinni Soup by Shannon Hale
9. Espresso and Cardamom Rub for beef, pork and chicken thighs and legs by Leslie Patricelli
10. Lemon Linguine by Kirby Larson
11. Blueberry Pancakes by Christina Meldrum
    
12. Tomato-Mozarella Pesto Sandwich by Susan McBride
    
13. Strawberry Soup by J. Scott Savage
14. Breakfast Smoothie by Sara Zarr
15. Tomato Aspic by Mary Ann Rodman
16. Chocolate Cake by Mary Ann Rodman

Book Lists

1. 2008 National Book Award winners
2. Halloween books for children
3. Dinosaur books for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers
4. Recommendations for children headed to the hospital or doctor
5. A few birthday books for kids
6. Chinese New Year Books for children
7. Snowy day books for children
8. Rwanda genocide book recommendations
9. Darfur genocide book recommendations
10. Genocide book recommendations
11. My favorite gardening books
12. The weekly New York Times Bestseller lists
13. Children’s books about the body

Top Ten Most Viewed Posts of the Year

1. Read the First Chapter of Stephenie Meyer’s Breaking Dawn
2. Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
3. Win All of Stephenie Meyer’s Books
4. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
5. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
6. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
7. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
8. Stephenie Meyer’s New Book Release Date Announced
9. Stephenie Meyer’s Midnight Sun on Hold Indefinitely After Illegal Copy Distribution
10. The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis

Most Commented Posts of the Year

(excluding the SM contest post with 1,237 comment and 100th post giveaway.  I had to do 15 to show that there’s more than SM around here)

1. Twilight Movie Trailer (You Know You Want to Watch It) – 425 comments
2. The Host by Stephenie Meyer – 424 comments
3. Cover for Stephenie Meyer Breaking Dawn Revealed – 411 comments
4. My Evening With Stephenie Meyer – 326 comments
5. Watch the First Completed Scene of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight – 325 comments
6. The Big Announcement is Here, Blogging and Reading for Darfur – 127 comments
7. Tell Me Your Thoughts About the Twilight Movie – 93 comments
8. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer - 92 comments
9. Stephenie Meyer’s Midnight Sun on Hold After Illegal Copy Distribution – 92 comments
10. Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert – 80 comments
11. Read the First Chapter of Stephenie Meyer’s Breaking Dawn – 67 comments
12. There’s a Mouse in Our House and He Brings Us *gasp* Books! - 52 comments
13. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne – 51 comments
14. How Come Good Literature Has to Be Ruined by Bad Sex – 49 comments
15. The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis – 48 comments

Some of My Other Favorite Posts of the Year

It was hard to choose just these few, from those posts not already listed above.  I had a lot of favorites this year.  I’m sure I’m missing some of my favorites.

• A Merry Christmas Video Message From My Family to Yours
• Literary Themed Christmas Trees
• Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume (simply because I got brave enough to reveal my bra size!)
• Katherine Center Wasn’t Kidding!  Yummiest Soup Ever!
• Did You Know My Husband Published a Book?
• Recent Book Acquisitions from Huge Library Book Sale
• A Peek at My Bookshelves
• Walk On!  A Guide for Babies of All Ages
• The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and a Confession
• Is Your Book Club This Fun?
• Any of my keyword posts

My Favorite Books This Year:

Geez.  This is like asking me to choose my favorite child.  I read a TON of great books this year.  But some of the ones that stand out are:

1. The Road of Lost Innocence, The True Story of a Cambodian Heroine by Somaly Mam
2. Tears of the Desert, A Memoir of Survival in Darfur by Halima Bashir with Damien Lewis
3. Slave:  My True Story by Mende Nazer & Damiel Lewis
4. The Translator: A Tribesman’s Memoir of Darfur by Daoud Hari
5. Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza
6. Escape by Carolyn Jessop
7. The Devil Came on Horseback:  Bearing Witness to the Genocide in Darfur by Brian Steidle
8. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
9. The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway
10. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
11. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
12. Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
13. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
14. Sold by Patricia McCormick
15. Jimmy’s Stars by Mary Ann Rodman
16. Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis
17. A Thousand Never Evers by Shauna Burg
18. Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

. . . I could go on and on.  I just can’t do it.  I loved so many this year.

Top Ten Commenters:

Thank you so much for you continued dedication to my blog.  You keep coming back again and again!  I never cease to be amazed.  Thanks!

1. Jenn M. from Knowledge Tree Day Care Center
2. Trish from Trish’s Reading Nook
3. Ginger (whom I miss! – where are you?!)
4. Jeanette from A Comfy Chair and a Good Book
5. Becky from Becky’s Book Reviews
6. Ladytink_534 from The Movieholic and Bibliophile’s Blog
7. amy BTW M from Amy’s Haiku Haven
8. Jen from Devourer of Books
9. Kathleen from Kathleen’s Book Reviews
10. Jeane from Dog Ear Diary

Random

• Shortest book title: T4 by Ann Clare LeZotte
• Longest book title (without subtitle): As if Being 12 3/4 Isn’t Bad Enough My Mother is Running for President by Donna Gephart
• New to me authors: I lost count after 100
• Fiction/Non-fiction ratio: 165 fiction to 28 non-fiction
• Most read author this year: Lois Lowry
• Utah authors read this year:  Ann Dee Ellis, J. Scott Savage, James Dashner, Sara Zarr, Shannon Hale, and Richard Paul Evans.
• Re-reads: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Scwartz, Are You There God?  It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume, How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
• Read my own books: 67, give or take
• Library books: 48, give or take
• Review copies: 26
• Number of blog tours participated in: 15
• Number of author interviews/guest posts: 20
• Pages read: no idea, I’d love to keep track in 2009
• New to me genres: graphic memoirs/novels, free verse novel, paranormal romance
• Most read topics this year: Africa, Darfur, polygamy, Japanese internment camps, Holocaust, and Newbery books.
  

Some Stats

• Since January 1st: 175,00 visits from 171 countries.  I’ve come a long way!  On January 1st, I think I had two visitors.  Basically, nobody read this blog.  I was just two months old.  Thanks for making me feel like I’m not talking to myself!
• Top 5 Countries: United States, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, Italy
• Least 5 Countries: Lesotho, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Solomon Islands, Mongolia
• Top Five Traffic Sources (from 1,360): Google search, Yahoo search, Direct, Google (referral), Twilight Lexicon Blog
• Top Five Referrals: Google.com, Twilight Lexicon Blog, Blogosfere Cultura, His Golden Eyes, Google Images
• Top Five Keywords: The Book Thief, Eat Pray Love, Eat Pray Love quotes, A Thousand Splendid Suns quotes, first chapter of Breaking Dawn
• 705 blogs in my Google Reader. Need to control this way better in 2009.  I don’t read them all but I like to have them there when I do searches.
• 8,722 comments - I get giddy every time I see a comment come in.  Thank you for making all of this worthwhile!
• 421 posts – no way I wrote that many posts.  Crazy.

Items of Note

• I gave away roughly 2 gift certificates, 44 Stephenie Meyer books plus 104 more books for a total of about 150 books this year!  I love sharing books with you!
• Thank you for voting the Maw Books Blog as the Most Altruistic and Most Extravagant Giveaways for Book Blogger Appreciation Week, as well as many other awards sent my way.  Thanks!
• Getting to know how awesome this community is, was one of the best things about this past year.
• Perhaps the most important thing I’ve done this year was the reading and blogging for Darfur awareness and fundraising campaign.  I’m thrilled that I was able to do something that was bigger than myself and was able to use this forum to make a difference.  It’s perhaps what I’ve felt like was the most important thing I did this year.

And the most important thing!

You, you, you!!  I have a confession.  When I started this book blog, I had never read a book blog before.  I hadn’t ever seen one.  Weird, that I was starting one then, huh?  So basically,  I had no clue what I was doing!  With your help, I’ve come a long way.  This community of book lovers is unlike anything I have ever experienced online before.  Thank you for making a stay at home mom feel like she has something to say!  I love you guys – here’s looking forward to more fun together in 2009!

Personal 2008 Reading Goals

52 Books in 52 Weeks

I won’t list all the books here because you can see that in my 2008 “books I read” post.  But my goal for 2008 was to read and review 52 books in 52 weeks in the following genres:

• Fiction/non-fiction (combined): 74.  Twenty-two over the goal.  44 fiction, 30 non-fiction.
• Young adult: 44.  8 short of the goal.
• Middle readers: 60.  8 over the goal.

My thoughts: I didn’t finish the Young Adult books, but I tried.  I like the well roundedness of this challenge. I’ll do something similar for 2009.  Probably add picture books and separate out non-fiction.  Counting picture books I read and reviewed 195 books in 2008.

Participate in Book Clubs

One of my goals this last year was to participate in book clubs whether it be online or in person.   I’m  happy to report that I never missed a month in my neighborhood book club, joined a children’s literature book club and am now moderating my own tele-book club through Rich Women Sisterhood.  I was participating in the online book club at Cafe Mom but lost steam halfway through the year.

Books discussed:

1. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
2. The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
3. Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
4. Austenland by Shannon Hale
5. I Am a Mother by Jane Clayson Johnson
6. Sold by Patricia McCormick
7. The Giver by Louis Lowry
8. Escape by Carolyn Jessop
9. The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks
10. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
11. Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
12. Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City by Kristen Miller
13. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
14. Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
15. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
16. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
17. The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult
18. Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos
19. The Host by Stephenie Meyer
20. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

My thoughts: Too much IRL book clubs to participate in virtual clubs like I wanted too.  I love my IRL book clubs.

Misc.

• Read with my kids every day: Check!
• Discover a new genre: read some fantasy this year, some science fiction, didn’t even know twisted fairy tales or paranormal romance existed.  What rock have I been living under?
• Learn more about the authors I read: I have gone to every author site after finishing a book and read about them, as well as subscribing to their blog.  But perhaps the most important thing is the many author interviews I’ve participate in.  No better way to learn about an author than actually talking to them in person or via email.  Awesome!  And let’s not forget those recipes.
• Read more historical fiction: check!
• Read more non-fiction, especially gardening and photography books: I have read more non-fiction this year than I have ever done in my entire life.  Unfortunately not a single one was a gardening or photography book.  Read lots of memoirs.
• Keep on ongoing list of books mentioned in other books and read those: I kept a list for about six months and then stopped.  It was fun to pick out book titles from other books though.
• Always improve my life, enhance my life, and make a difference in the life of my family by continually educating myself and striving to be better today than I was yesterday. I’ve learned a lot this year, but need to scale back on blogging for the sake of my family.

Perpetual Life-Long Challenges

Read all the Newbery Medal and Honor books

Newbery books I read in 2008:

1. Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medievel Village by Laura Amy Schlitz
2. Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis
3. The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
4. Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson
5. The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron, illus. by Matt Phelan
6. Penny from Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm
7. Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson
8. Rules by Cynthia Lord
9. Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins
10. Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
11. Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
12. Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata
    
13. The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering
14. A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck
15. Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer
16. Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
17. A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck
18. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
19. The Midwife’s Apprentice by Karen Cushman
20. What Jamie Saw by Carolyn Coman
21. The Giver by Lois Lowry
22. Missing May by Cynthia Rylant
23. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
24. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
25. Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
26. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
27. Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard & Florence Atwater

My thoughts: I love, love reading these books.  Too much fun.

Read all the Pulitzer Fiction Winners

1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

My thoughts: Um . . .  yeah. Only one.

500 of the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die

My personal goal is to read at least 500 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list compiled by Peter Ackroyd and Peter Boxall.  I only read two this year.  Full list here.

1. Slow Man – J.M. Coetzee
2. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – Mark Haddon

My thoughts: Hmm . . . Slow, slow progress on this one.

Community Challenges

A-Z Challenge

Hosted by Joy at Thoughts of Joy (visit the A-Z Challenge blog for participants and book review links). The rules: read one book from each letter of the alphabet, one book for a title and another for the author.

This is my official list, although I obviously read a lot of other books with the same letter.

ALPHA BY AUTHOR

• Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
• Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis
• The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo
• The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards
• Libertad by Alma Fullerton
• Bee Season by Myla Goldberg
• The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
• Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza
• Escape by Carolyn Jessop
• Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata
• The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry
• The True Story of Hansel and Gretel by Lois Murphy
• The Leper Compound by Paula Nangle
• When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka
• The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron
• Blessings by Anna Quindlen
• Missing May by Cynthia Rylant
• Shattered Dreams:  My Life as a Polygamists Wife by Irene Spencer
• The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
• Journey to Topaz by Yoshiko Uchida
• ? by  Jules Vern
• Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson
• Sky Burial by Xinran
• The Devils Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

ALPHA BY TITLE

• The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
• Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
• The Debs by Susan McBride
• Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
• The Fiction Class by Susan Breen
• The Giver by Lois Lowry
• Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson
• If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson
• Jasmine by Bharati Mukherjee
• Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata
• Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos
• My Brother’s Keeper by Patricia McCormick
• The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
• Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
• Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
• Quake by Joe Cottonwood
• Rules by Cynthia Lord
• Sold by Patricia McCormick
• A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
• Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
• Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult
• What is the What: the Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng by Dave Eggers
• X in Flight by Karen Rivers
• A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck
• Zel by Donna Jo Napoli

My thoughts: I LOVED this challenge.  I was five short of finishing.

I Heard It Through the Grapevine

Hosted by Lynne at Lynne’s Little Corner of the World: I Heard it Through the Grapevine Challenge. The goal of this challenge is to read 3 new-to-you books between June 1 and November 30 that have been recommended to you. Any type of book is OK. It can even be a book by an author you’ve read before. Cross-overs with other challenges are fine, and you can change books at any time. And there will be a prize at the end of the challenge.

The three books I listed for the challenge:

1. Q Road by Bonnie Jo Campbell
2. A Thousand Never Evers by Shana Burg
3. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom

My thoughts: My library didn’t have Q Road by Bonnie Jo Campbell.  Most all of the books I’ve read this year have been recommended to me.  So these three are just the tip of the iceberg.

African Reading Challenge

African Reading Challenge Participants commit to read – in the course of 2008 – six books that either were written by African writers, take place in Africa, or deal significantly with Africans and African issues. (Read more if you like!)

You can read whatever you want, but of the six books, recommended to have a mixture of genres. For example, fiction (novels, short stories, poetry, drama), memoir / autobiography, history and current events.

1. What is the What by Dave Eggers
2. Left to Tell: Discovering God Admist the Rwandan Genocide by Immaculee Illibagiza
3. The Translator: A Tribesman’s Memoir of Darfur by Daoud Hari
4. Slave:  My True Story by Mende Nazer and Damien Lewis
5. The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
6. Monique and the Mango Rains: Two Years with a Midwife in Mali by Kris Holloway
7. Not on Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond by Don Cheadle
8. The Sudan Project:  Rebuilding With the People of Darfur by Melissa Leembruggen
9. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
10. We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda by Philip Gourevitch
11. The Devil Came on Horseback: Bearing Witness to the Genocide in Darfur by Brian Steidle
12. Darfur Diaries: Stories of Survival by Jen Marlowe
13. The Leper Compound by Paula Nangle
14. Of Beetles and Angels: A Boy’s Remarkable Journey from a Refugee Camp to Harvard by Mawi Asgedom
15. Tears of the Desert: A Memoir of Survival in Darfur by Halima Bashir
16. Genocide in Darfur by Janey Levey
17. The Heaven Shop by Deborah Ellis
18. Amadi’s Snowman by Katia Novet Saint-Lot

My thoughts: Love books about Africa. This wasn’t hard for me.

Jewish Literature Challenge

What: Reading at least 5 books by Jewish Authors or about Judaism
When: December 4, 2007 (Beginning of Hanukkah) to April 26, 2008 (End of Passover)
Who: Anyone who wants to participate! Bloggers or Non-Bloggers alike
Click on the button above to be taken to the official challenge blog.

1. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
2. The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
3. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
4. Bee Season by Myla Goldberg
5. Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy
6. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

The above six books were the books I read during the challenge time period.  I thought I would note others I read the remainder of the year:

1. Sirens and Spies by Janet Taylor Lisle ( indirectly)
2. The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti (indirectly)
3. The True Story of Hansel and Gretel by Louise Murphy
4. Torn Thread by Anne Isaacs
5. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
6. I Have Lived a Thousand Years by Livia Bitton-Jackson
7. Briar Rose by Jane Yolen
8. Hitler Youth Growing Up in Hitlers Shadow by Susan Campbell Bartolletti
9. Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
10. T4 by Anne Clare LeZott
11. Katarina by KathrynWinter
12. The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman
13. Hana’s Suitcase by Karen Levine

My thoughts: Obviously I love books about Judaism.  Doing this one again this year.

Classics Challenge

Trish from Trish’s Reading Nook is hosting the Classics Challenge.  How can I resist a challenge from Trish??!!!  Visit the Challenge blog for rules. Basically, read five classics and one bonus “soon to be a classic” between  July 1st and December 31st, 2008.

1. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
2. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
3. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
4. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
5. Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriett Beacher Stowe
6. Bonus book: Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

My thoughts: Hmm . . . Loved, loved the books I read.  Didn’t finish the challenge though.

Non-Fiction Five Challenge

Non-Fiction Five Challenge from Joy Read any five non-fiction books between May and September 2008. At least one book must be different from the other four.  Non-fiction books I read during this time period:

1. I Am a Mother by Jane Clayson Johnson
2. The Translator: A Tribesman’s Memoir of Darfur by Daoud Hari
3. Not on Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond by Don Cheadle
4. We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families:  Stories from Rwanda by Philip Gourevitch
5. We Are On Our Own by Miriam Katin (Graphic Memoir)
6. Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow by Susan Campbell Bartoletti (Young Adult)
7. The Sudan Project: Rebuilding with the People of Darfur, A Young Person’s Guide by Melissa Leembrugeen  (Juvenile)
8. The Complete Maus by Art Speigelman
9. Slave: My True Story by Mende Nazer & Damiel Lewis
10. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
11. Admit One: A Journey Into Film by Emmett James
12. Shattered Dreams: My Life as a Polygamist’s Wife by Irene Spencer
13. Escape by Carolyn Jessop
14. Monique and the Mango Rains by Kris Holloway
15. Hana’s Suitcase by Karen Levine
16. The Devil Came on Horseback:  Bearing Witness to the Genocide in Darfur by Brian Steidle
17. Darfur Diaries:  Stories of Survival by Jen Marlowe
18. Tears of the Desert, A Memoir of Survival in Darfur by Halima Bashir with Damien Lewis
19. Of Beetles and Angels, One Boy’s Remarkable Journey from a Refugee Camp to Harvard by Mawi Asgedom (juvenile)
20. Genocide in Darfur by Janey Levy (Young Adult)

My thoughts: Anybody want to create the Non-Fiction Twenty next year?

Spring Reading Thing

Callapidder Days 2008 Spring Reading Thing hosted by Katrina. Simply read any amount of books in any genre between March 20th and June 19th.  This is the original list. As you can see I didn’t get to all of them, but I got most.

1. I Am the Messenger by Marcus Zusak
2. Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
3. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
4. My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
5. Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
6. Mud City by Deborah Ellis
7. The Translator: A Tribesman’s Memoir of Darfur by Daoud Hari
8. The Host by Stephenie Meyer
9. Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
10. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
11. Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins

My thoughts: Too much work to post my reviews to the Mr. Linky for these seasonal challenges.  I probably won’t do one again.

Lit Flicks Challenge

The Lit Flicks Challenge is hosted by Jessica of Bluestocking Society.

RULES
1. Challenge runs from September 1, 2008 to February 28, 2009.
2. Read 5 books/pieces of literature that have been made into movies.
3. Then watch at least 2 of the movie adaptations of the works you read.
4. Your list may change at any time and may include overlaps with other challenges.

1. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
2. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith
3. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
4. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Siji
5. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
6. How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
7. The Witches by Roald Dahl
8. The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury
9. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

Books I’m still interested in:

• Atonement by Ian McEwan
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
• The Devil Wears Prada by Laura Weisberger
• Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
• The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
• Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
• Little Princess by Frances Burnett
• Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien
• The Pursuit of Happyness by Chris Gardner
• Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs

My thoughts: This challenge continues until February.  Yay!

1 % Well-Read Challenge

Hosted by 3 M at 1morechapter.  The goal of this challenge is to read 10 books in 10 months from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list. For you non-math people, 10 out of 1001 is approximately 1%, hence the title. The challenge will run from May 1, 2008 through February 28, 2009. You may change your list at any time and cross-posting to other challenges is permitted. The only requirement is that your ten book choices must be on the ‘1001 List‘.

1. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
2. Saturday by Ian McEwan
3. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
4. Atonement by Ian McEwan
5. The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields
6. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
7. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
8. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
9. If This Is a Man by Primo Levi

My thoughts: Still two months left in this challenge.  Can I do it?  I’m going to say no.

The End.

Up soon, a post about goals for next year!  Because we are all crazy like that!  Thanks for a great year!

Books Read in December

Fiction

• Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris (short stories)
  
• The Handmaiden and the Carpenter by Elizabeth Berg

Young Adult Fiction

• Wake by Lisa McMann
• The Patron Saint of Butterflies by Cecilia Galante

Middle Readers

• The Underneath by Kathi Appelt
• Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
• A Midnight Clear, Selected Family Christmas Stories from Katherine Paterson

Picture Books

• The Lump of Coal by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Brett Helquist
• A Wish to Be a Christmas Tree by Colleen Monroe, illustrated by Michael Glenn Monroe
• Room for a Little One, A Christmas Tale by Martin Waddell, illustrated by Jason Cockcroft
• Great Joy by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Bagram Ibauoulline
• The Light of Christmas by Richard Paul Evans, illustrated by Daniel Craig
• Angela and the Baby Jesus by Frank McCourt, illustrated by Loren Long
• A Very Marley Christmas by John Grogan
• Santa Claus, The Worlds Number One Toy Expert by Marla Frazee
• Mrs. Claus Explains it All (At Last) Answers to Questions Real Kids Ask! by Elisabeth Claus
• Amadi’s Snowman by Katia Novet Saint-Lot
• The Raucous Royals by Carlyn Beccia (Non-Fiction)

Non-Fiction

• none this month

Abandoned

• none this month

How I Recommend Them

Highly Recommended

(this recommendation usually for social issues)

• Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

I Enjoyed and Would Recommend

• Wake by Lisa McMann
• The Patron Saint of Butterflies by Cecilia Galante
• The Handmaiden and the Carpenter by Elizabeth Berg
• The Underneath by Kathi Appelt
• A Midnight Clear, Selected Family Christmas Stories from Katherine Paterson
• The Lump of Coal by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Brett Helquist
• A Wish to Be a Christmas Tree by Colleen Monroe, illustrated by Michael Glenn Monroe
• Room for a Little One, A Christmas Tale by Martin Waddell, illustrated by Jason Cockcroft
• Great Joy by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Bagram Ibauoulline
• The Light of Christmas by Richard Paul Evans, illustrated by Daniel Craig
• Angela and the Baby Jesus by Frank McCourt, illustrated by Loren Long
• A Very Marley Christmas by John Grogan
• Santa Claus, The Worlds Number One Toy Expert by Marla Frazee
• Mrs. Claus Explains it All (At Last) Answers to Questions Real Kids Ask! by Elisabeth Claus
• Amadi’s Snowman by Katia Novet Saint-Lot
• The Raucous Royals by Carlyn Beccia (Non-Fiction)

Good but Maybe You’ll Like It More Than Me?

• Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris (short stories)
  

Not Worth It

• none this month, but Holidays on Ice came very close to taking this spot

Author Interviews/Guest Posts

• Carlyn Beccia, author of The Raucous Royals

More Posts During December

• Identical by Ellen Hopkins
• Lessons From a Dead Girl by Johanna Knowles
• The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
• Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
• Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City by Kristen Miller
• The Romantics by Gail Niederhoffer
• Stolen Innocence, My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride and Breaking Free by Elissa Wall
• Book Wish Foundation – Reading Relief for Refugees of Darfur
• A Merry Christmas Video Message From My Family to Yours
• Welcome to the 7th Edition of the Book Review Blog Carnival
• Giveaway Winner and a Book Review Carnival You Don’t Want to Miss
• There’s a Mouse in Our House and He Brings Us *gasp* Books
• New York Times Bestsellers – December 14th
• Literary Themed Christmas Trees
• New York Times Bestsellers – December 7th
• Twilight Movie News – Director, Catherine Hardwicke and Summit Entertainment Part Ways
• Craving Chocolate?  Cynthia Lord’s Whoopie Pies to the Rescue!
• Are You a Witch?  Find out with the Raucous Royals Website by Carlyn Beccia
• In Which We Say Goodbye to One of Our Own
• Winner! Winner!  Twilight Book Giveaway
• Reading and Blogging Review for December

Challenge Updates

Since it’s the end of the year, I’ve got a entire post dedicated to my 2008 challenges.  Coming up next.

Thanks for a great December.  And here’s hoping that January will start off with a bang!

Here’s a recap of what happened this past month here at the Maw Books Blog:

Books Read in November

Fiction

• The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks
• The Romantics by Gail Niederhoffer
• Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

Young Adult Fiction

• Identical by Ellen Hopkins
• Lessons From a Dead Girl by Johanna Knowles
• I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder
• Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
• Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City by Kristen Miller
• The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
• The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

Middle Readers

• Quake! by Joe Cottonwood
• The Heaven Shop by Deborah Ellis

Picture Books

• This is the Feast by Diane Z. Shore
• Amadi’s Snowman by Katia Novet Saint-Lot

Non-Fiction

• Stolen Innocence, My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride and Breaking Free by Elissa Wall
• Apples and Oranges, My Brother and Me, Lost and Found by Marie Brenner

Abandoned

• none this month

How I Recommend Them

Highly Recommended

(this recommendation usually for social issues)

• Stolen Innocence, My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride and Breaking Free by Elissa Wall
• Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

I Enjoyed and Would Recommend

• The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks
• Identical by Ellen Hopkins
• Lessons From a Dead Girl by Johanna Knowles
• I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder
• Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
• Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City by Kristen Miller
• The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
• The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
• This is the Feast by Diane Z. Shore
• Amadi’s Snowman by Katia Novet Saint-Lot
• The Heaven Shop by Deborah Ellis
• Quake! by Joe Cottonwood (Note:  Originally, I would have had this in the “Good but maybe you’ll like it more than me” category.  But my interaction with the author Joe Cottonwood was SO positive – especially after you know what – that I had to bump him up, simply because he had the kindest, most gracious author response to a less than steller, lukewarm review.  I still stand behind the review and I originally did say I would be willing to read more of his books and probably will do so at some point.  If you missed out on the conversation there, you should take a look.)

Good but Maybe You’ll Like It More Than Me?

• The Romantics by Gail Niederhoffer

Not Worth It

• Apples and Oranges, My Brother and Me, Lost and Found by Marie Brenner (Going back and forth on this one.  I really hate rating books!)

Author Interviews/Guest Posts

• Diane Z. Shore, Author of This is the Feast

More Posts During October

• New York Times Bestsellers – November 30th
• New York Times Bestsellers – November 23rd
• Tell Me Your Thoughts About the Twilight Movie and Win the Books
• The Adventurous Deeds of Deadwood Jones Giveaway Winner
• 2008 National Book Awards Winners Announced
• Thanksgiving Traditions – Musings Inspired by This is the Feast by Diane Z. Shore
• New York Times Bestsellers – November 16th
• Is Your Book Club This Fun?
• Body Worlds Exhibit and Books About the Body
• Technical Difficulties
• My Losing Streak is Officially Over! New Book Arrivals
• Katherine Center Wasn’t Kidding! Yummiest Soup Ever
• New York Times Bestsellers – November 9th
• The Adventurous Deeds of Deadwood Jones by Helen Hemphill
• Journey to Topaz by Yoshiko Uchida
• Didn’t Get Enough Voting Yesterday?  Vote Some More!
• Thank You to My October Visitors
• Reading & Blogging Review for October

Challenge Updates

None finished this month.  The end of the year is getting close!  Must figure out which ones I can actually finish. Visit my Challenge Blog for progress on all of my challenges.  Challenges that I’m currently participating in are:

Jessica’s Lit Flick Challenge
Trish’s Classics Challenge
3M’s1% Well-Read Challenge
Joy’s A-Z Challenge
Africa Reading Challenge
Lynne’s I Heard it Through the Grapevine Challenge
My own 52 books in 52 weeks list.

I’m thinking that I need to slow down in December!  Just worry about friends, family and Christmas.  Somebody remind me to do this when I’m blogging to much. 

Between the end of the Darfur campaign,  banned books week, Halloween themed reading, three blog tours and not one, not two, but seven author interviews/guest posts this month, I feel like I am barely surviving.   I’m just plain tired and realize that I have a completely unbalanced life.  But I can’t help it!  Blogging has opened up this whole need world of books that I HAVE to read and I have to read them NOW.  Anybody relate?

Books Read in October

Fiction

• The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff
• The Best Place to Be by Lesley Dorman
• Capote in Kansas by Kim Powers
• Janeology by Karen Harrington
• The Last Beach Bungalow by Jennie Nash

Young Adult Fiction

• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
• Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
• Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
• The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Spear

Middle Readers

• Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
• How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
• A Thousand Never Evers by Shauna Burg
• The Adventurous Deeds of Deadwood Jones by Helen Hemphill (review coming)
• As if Being 12 3/4 Isn’t Bad Enough My Mother is Running for President by Donna Gephart
• T4 by Ann Clare LeZotte
• The Witches by Roald Dahl
• Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Scwartz
• The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury
• Journey to Topaz by Yoshiko Uchida (review coming)

Non-Fiction

• The Road of Lost Innocence, The True Story of a Cambodian Heroine by Somaly Mam (Memoir)

Picture Books

• There’s No Such Things as Ghosts by Emmanuelle Eekhout

Abandoned

• X-Indian Chronicles by Thomas Yeahpau

How I Recommend Them

Highly Recommended

(this recommendation usually for social issues)

• The Road of Lost Innocence, The True Story of a Cambodian Heroine by Somaly Mam (Memoir)
• T4 by Ann Clare LeZotte
• A Thousand Never Evers by Shauna Burg
• Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott

I Enjoyed and Would Recommend

• Capote in Kansas by Kim Powers
• Janeology by Karen Harrington
• The Last Beach Bungalow by Jennie Nash
• The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff
• Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
• The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Spear
• Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
• How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
• The Adventurous Deeds of Deadwood Jones by Helen Hemphill (review coming)
• As if Being 12 3/4 Isn’t Bad Enough My Mother is Running for President by Donna Gephart
• The Witches by Roald Dahl
• Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Scwartz
• Journey to Topaz by Yoshiko Uchida (review coming)

Good but Maybe You’ll Like It More Than Me

• The Best Place to Be by Lesley Dorman

Not Worth It

• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
• X-Indian Chronicles by Thomas Yeahpau
• The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury

Author Interviews/Guest Posts

• Interview with Donna, Gephart, author of As If Being 12 3/4 Isn’t Bad Enough, My Mother is Running for President
• Guest Post:  Jennie Nash, author of The Last Beach Bungalow
• Interview with Shana Burg, author of A Thousand Never Evers
• Interview with David Ebershoff, author of The 19th Wife
• Guest Post:  Karen Harrington, author of Janeology
• Interview with Shannon Hale, Newbery Medal author
• Interview with James Dashner, author of The 13th Reality

More Posts During October

• Happy Halloween from Two Superheroes and a Villian!  And Halloween Books for Kids
• Carnivals, Book Club Reminder and Miscellany
• New York Times Bestsellers – October 26th
• New York Times Bestsellers – October 19th
• Everybody’s a Winner!  Reading & Blogging for Darfur Winners
• New York Times Bestsellers – October 12th
• Reminders – Darfur Giveaways, Book Club and Carnivals
• Another Twilight Trailer
• Nobel Prize in Literature Goes to . . .
• Reading & Blogging for Darfur Prizes
• Final Update – Reading & Blogging for Darfur
• New York Times Bestsellers – October 5th
• Thank You to My September Visitors
• Banned Books Week is Over!  The Past Week in Review
• Reading & Blogging Review for September

Challenge Updates

Did you see my “YAYNESS!” at the beginning of the post.  I’ve finished 2 out of the 3 of my own 52 books in 52 weeks personal challenge!  Yes!

Officially finished Jessica’s Lit Flick Challenge (my list here) but she’s been gracious enough to let me continue on until February.  No other challenges completed this month although I’m getting really close for the A-Z challenge. Visit my Challenge Blog for progress on all of my challenges.  Challenges that I’m currently participating in are:

Jessica’s Lit Flick Challenge
Trish’s Classics Challenge
3M’s1% Well-Read Challenge
Joy’s A-Z Challenge
Africa Reading Challenge
Lynne’s I Heard it Through the Grapevine Challenge
My own 52 books in 52 weeks list.

Awards

Rotus from I’ll Never Forget the Day I Read a Book and Lisa from Books Lists Life awarded me the I Love Your Blog award this month.  Thanks!

Rich Women Sisterhood
Enriching Fiction Book Club

The Rich Women Sisterhood EnRICHing Fiction Book Club met via a tele-conference call to discuss A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. It was a small group given it was our first month but I think the discussion went really well!  I’m currently searching out the next selection with the theme of gratitude.  Our next meeting will be on Monday, November 24th. I hope you’ll mark your calender because what better way to talk about books then over the phone?!   More details to come.

Phew!  Here’s looking onward to November!