Maw Books » challenges http://blog.mawbooks.com Maw Books - book reviews, book recommendations, book lists, author interviews and more! Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:51:51 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc en hourly 1 Reading & Blogging Review for April and May http://blog.mawbooks.com/2009/06/03/reading-blogging-review-for-april-and-may/ http://blog.mawbooks.com/2009/06/03/reading-blogging-review-for-april-and-may/#comments Thu, 04 Jun 2009 05:13:42 +0000 Natasha Maw http://blog.mawbooks.com/?p=2999 My biggest apologies for what appears to be a very overwhelming post!  I never did a monthly review post for April so this is a combined April and May post.   I still have books that I read in March in the review pile and many a interview, both with authors and other bloggers that I need to conduct. Highlights from the past two months were definitly the 24 Hour Read-a-thon, the LA Times Festival of Books, and BookExpo America.

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

FictionBook Reviews Button

Young Adult Fiction

Middle Readers

Picture Books

Non-Fiction

Author Interviews

Author Interviews & Guest Posts

Reader Spotlights

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

Reader Spotlight Series

Vlogs

video

Book Lists

More Posts During April/May

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):

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?

enchanting-blog2009_friendly_bloggergrasshopper-awardBlog Friends

lovelyawardliterary-blogging-awardsisterhood-awardProximidade Award

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.

Other Items of Note

giveawaysBook 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.

  • 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!

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

      ]]>       http://blog.mawbooks.com/2009/06/03/reading-blogging-review-for-april-and-may/feed/ 7       Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-thon: And It’s Over, The Final Update! http://blog.mawbooks.com/2009/04/19/deweys-24-hour-read-a-thon-and-its-over-the-final-update/ http://blog.mawbooks.com/2009/04/19/deweys-24-hour-read-a-thon-and-its-over-the-final-update/#comments Mon, 20 Apr 2009 02:56:31 +0000 Natasha Maw http://blog.mawbooks.com/?p=2975 readathoonAh, it is over.  My only question is this:  do we have a date for the next 24 Hour Read-a-thon?!  I really, really thought I’d totally stay awake!  But I totally passed out for at least an hour and half sometime after midnight and then fell asleep again sometime after 4am.  Being my first read-a-thon I had no idea how fast I could read but obviously I overestimated myself.  Apparently, I read a lot slower than I thought!

      I wanted to give a big shout out to our read-a-thon organizers Trish, Hannah, and Nymeth!  They did a FANTASTIC job!  And I have to give another shout out to Beth, she was the biggest cheerleader on Twitter, so much so that she got herself banned for an hour.  Too funny.  I really enjoyed the Twitter aspect of the read-a-thon and loved how many people noticed that “something” was going on.

      Also, a mention of Dewey, the read-a-thon’s founder who passed away this past fall.  We all missed her and I’m thrilled that her memory lives on in this tradition. I’m sure that many of us, including myself, paused for a moment to remember why we are all crazy enough to be doing this in the first place.  It’s all Dewey’s fault!

      Vlog:  The Read-a-thon Edition

      24 hours packed into a three minute behind the scenes recap:

      Final Stats

      Books Read:

      • Down to a Sunless Sea by Mathias B. Freese
      • Desert Flower by Waris Dirie
      • Love You Hate You Miss You by Elizabeth Scott,
      • Pictures of Hollis Wood by Patricia Reily Giff
      • Tales of the Beedle Bard by J.K. Rowling

      Snacks Consumed: A smoothie, tomato-mozzarella pesto sandwich, Haggan Dazz Lemon Sorbet, Sweet roll with spinach dip (yum!), a chicken bean tortilla soup, sunflower seeds and juice.  This morning I remembered I had a candy bar and ice cream that I never even broke out.  Hmm . . . that sounds like a great idea right now!

      Blog Posts: Smoothie recipe by author Sara Zarr, tomato-mozzarella pesto sandwich by author Susan McBride, update #4, update #3 with photos, update #2, update #1 – it begins.

      Time Spent Reading: Seriously, I can’t complicate my life by trying to time this.  But I probably read about 18 hours total.

      Reading For Charity: $25 will be donated to Save Darfur in honor of April being Genocide Prevention Month (new to the Maw Books Blog?  Check out these posts.)

      Challenges: None entered.  :(   Maybe next year when I’m a pro at this then I can figure out how to do read, blog, twitter, comment, have kids in the house, go to a baby shower and enter challenges.

      Twitter Updates: Check out my profile for the play-by-play.

      End of event meme:

      1. Which hour was most daunting for you? I started at 6am.  The hardest was right after midnight mainly because I snuggled up to my sleeping husband’s warm body on the couch.  Bad idea.  I had to be out for at least an hour or longer.  And then sometime after four with two hours to go, I fell asleep.
      2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? Hmm . . . I say read whatever keeps you engaged personally.
      3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? Oh man.  Maybe a post to go up the day before as a reminder, but really, I’m working hard to come up with an answer.  Everything was FANTASTIC!
      4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? LOVED that there was a dedicated blog and you girls did an AMAZING job with this event.  We totally owe you.  I loved the Twitter aspect of it and it seemed to get a lot of attention, people asking what was going on, etc.  Maybe next year get the word out via Twitter earlier could recruit some attention and even more participation.
      5. How many books did you read? I read five.  And about 50 pages of First Daughter.
      6. What were the names of the books you read? See above.
      7. Which book did you enjoy most? Desert Flower by Waris Dirie
      8. Which did you enjoy least? Down to a Sunless Sea by Mathias B. Freese
      9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders.  n/a
      10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? 100% yes.  I would be a reader.

      Thanks for all of your comments and support!  Now how far away is October . . . . ?

      ]]>       http://blog.mawbooks.com/2009/04/19/deweys-24-hour-read-a-thon-and-its-over-the-final-update/feed/ 45       Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-thon: Update #4 http://blog.mawbooks.com/2009/04/19/deweys-24-hour-read-a-thon-update-4/ http://blog.mawbooks.com/2009/04/19/deweys-24-hour-read-a-thon-update-4/#comments Sun, 19 Apr 2009 08:23:33 +0000 Natasha Maw http://blog.mawbooks.com/?p=2974 readathoon

      Events of Note

      I just woke up.  Cuddling with husband on couch and then BAM!  Out cold.  Thought this update was going out two hours ago.  My body had other plans.

      The Stats

      Book Currently Reading: Down to a Sunless Sea by Mathias B. Freese
      Books Finished Since Last Update:       Desert Flower by Waris Dirie
      Snacks Consumed Since Last Update: Lemon Sorbet
      Time Spent Reading Since Last Update: No idea.
      Time Spent Blogging, Twittering & Blog Hopping: No idea.
      Total Books Read Thus Far:       Love You Hate You Miss You by Elizabeth Scott, Pictures of Hollis Wood by Patricia Reily Giff, Tales of the Beedle Bard by J.K. Rowling, Desert Flower by Waris Dirie
      Hopping/Comments: I think I’ll wake myself up by leaving comments on a few blogs.  I haven’t had a comment in three hours so I think everybody definitely thinks I’m asleep (which I was!)
      Time Started: 6am
      Time Now:       2:30 am
      Reading For Charity: $5 a book for Save Darfur in honor of April being Genocide Prevention Month (new to the Maw Books Blog?  Check out these posts.)
      Challenges: x

      Twitter Updates

      Follow me on Twitter for real time updates! And see what everybody else is up to.  Here’s the play-by-play since my last update:

      *No updates this time around.  Makes my head hurt thinking about putting it up.

      ]]>       http://blog.mawbooks.com/2009/04/19/deweys-24-hour-read-a-thon-update-4/feed/ 22       Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-thon: Update #3 http://blog.mawbooks.com/2009/04/18/deweys-24-hour-read-a-thon-update-3/ http://blog.mawbooks.com/2009/04/18/deweys-24-hour-read-a-thon-update-3/#comments Sat, 18 Apr 2009 23:11:55 +0000 Natasha Maw http://blog.mawbooks.com/?p=2973 readathoon

      Events of Note

      Why I thought I’d be able to read so much is beyond me.  Seriously, only three books.  All very short.  Not the pace I thought I would be at.

      I went to a baby shower for lunch.  Most of my book club was there, but I continued the bookish theme sas everybody was talking about The Hunger Games.

      Read in the same room as my kids for a bit. You know. To show them that mommy normally doesn’t lock herself into the bedroom.  Slow going.

      Read for a bit out on the hammock.

      And then read a bit on my front porch, so I could enjoy the sunshine and my spring flowers.

      The Stats

      Book Currently Reading: Not sure what I’ll pick up next but still reading First Daughter by Eric Van Lustbader.
      Books Finished Since Last Update:       Love You Hate You Miss You by Elizabeth Scott and Pictures of Hollis Wood by Patricia Reily Giff
      Snacks Consumed Since Last Update: Sweet roll with spinach dip (yum!), a chicken bean tortilla soup, and sunflower seeds and juice.  For dinner, I’ll be having a yummy sandwich featured in my next post.
      Time Spent Reading Since Last Update:Who knows!  Probably between 3-4 hours.
      Time Spent Blogging, Twittering & Blog Hopping: Longer than I thought I would.
      Total Books Read Thus Far:       Tales of the Beedle Bard by J.K. Rowling, Love You Hate You Miss You by Elizabeth Scott and Pictures of Hollis Wood by Patricia Reily Giff
      Blogging, Visiting, Comments: When I finish this post, I plan on leaving about twenty comments.  It’s so crazy to see what everybody is doing.  Thanks for the comments left here so far!
      Time Started: 6am
      Time Now:       5:15 pm
      Reading For Charity: $5 a book for Save Darfur in honor of April being Genocide Prevention Month (new to the Maw Books Blog?  Check out these posts.)

      Challenges

      I’m finding myself totally overwhelmed with the challenges, simply because I’m not updating often enough to get in on them.  That’s okay though!  More reading time.

      Twitter Updates

      Follow me on Twitter for real time updates! And see what everybody else is up to.  Here’s the play-by-play since my last update:

      Finished reading PICTURES OF HOLLIS WOODS. Time for a update.

      @trishheylady Okay, I have to admit I can’t stand aired popcorn. Cooked w/ olive oil is best

      @BethFishReads And now, my husband is putting up hammock. For once, it’s sunny outside.

      @toofondofbooks No. I feel like I haven’t read anything yet!

      I should post an update, check out blogs, challenges, etc. But I’m going to keep reading

      Phew! Finished second book. LOVE YOU HATE YOU MISS YOU.

      Whoo hoo! My husband just brought me a sweet roll & spinach dip that he bought w/o me knowing. Yay!

      Back from babyshower, yummy soup. Still haven’t finished 2nd book.

      Going to a baby shower. Who does that for a third child? Reading is VERY slow.

      @SaveDarfur I’m reading for Darfur today for #readathon .

      Locked myself in the bedroom. I’m sure the kids will come banging on it soon

      Um . . . well. It’s been an hour and a half since I read last. Hopefully, I won’t take that long on next break.

      Need a break? Check out special readathon edition for an author recipe! @sarazarr smoothie! http://tinyurl.com/cmrlrx

      ]]>       http://blog.mawbooks.com/2009/04/18/deweys-24-hour-read-a-thon-update-3/feed/ 17       Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-thon: Update #2 http://blog.mawbooks.com/2009/04/18/deweys-24-hour-read-a-thon-update-2/ http://blog.mawbooks.com/2009/04/18/deweys-24-hour-read-a-thon-update-2/#comments Sat, 18 Apr 2009 16:21:01 +0000 Natasha Maw http://blog.mawbooks.com/?p=2972 readathoon

      Events of Note

      I feel asleep already!  Despite the fact that I went to bed early, laying in my warm bed lulled me back to sleep!  I’m now dressed and both kids are in the room with me despite the fact that their dad is supposed to be playing with them.

      I have to go to a baby shower in a couple of hours just two doors down.  I probably won’t update until after then.  Or before.  Who knows.

      The Stats

      Book Currently Reading: Love You, Hate You, Miss You by Elizabeth Scott and First Daughter by Eric Van Lustbader
      Books Finished Since Last Update:       Tales of the Beedle Bard by J.K. Rowling
      Snacks Consumed Since Last Update: A piece of toast which my husband brought me.  I basically haven’t even been out of bed.
      Time Spent Reading Since Last Update: After the brief nap and interuptions from kids jumping on the bed, I’d say 2 hours maybe?
      Time Spent Blogging, Twittering & Blog Hopping: x
      Total Books Read Thus Far:       Tales of the Beedle Bard by J.K. Rowling
       Blogging, Visiting, Comments: Comments left – about twenty.  Comments received – seven.  Lots of Twitter encouragement.
      Time Started: 6 am
      Time Now:       10:15 am
      Reading For Charity: $5 a book for Save Darfur in honor of April being Genocide Prevention Month (new to the Maw Books Blog?  Check out these posts.)

      Challenges

      The Introductory Meme:

      • Where are you reading from today? As in a city?  I’m in Salt Lake City.  I’m still in bed.  Will be getting up to get dressed shortly.
      • 3 facts about me … I like to read, I’m crazy, and this is my first time doing the read-a-thon!
      • How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? Dozens.  Everything is coming off of my shelf.  You can see the vlog I did earlier about this!
      • Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)? I’d like to read a lot of my review copies and try to leave as many comments and twittering as I can in just a set time of one hour after three hours reading.

      Twitter Updates

      Follow me on Twitter for real time updates! And see what everybody else is up to.  Here’s the play-by-play since my last update:

      Mmmmm . . . . smoothie! #readathon

      Right now I’m reading Love You Hate You Miss You by Elizabeth Scott. #readathon

      Sorry if I didn’t visit your blog. It was random hit and miss. Must supervise some diaper changes. #readathon

      Blog hopping. Visiting the first twenty blogs that show up w/ readathon posts in my reader. #readathon

      I’m using http://www.online-stopwatch… to keep track of how long I’m online before going back to reading. #readathon

      @Wordlily @DarElaine @Melsbookshelf Time for my 3 hour break anyways, blog hopping, & smoothie! #readathon

      I never got of out of bed yet and I think I already passed out for 10 minutes. #readathon

      Now to continue reading FIRST DAUGHTER and kick husband out of bed. #readathon

      One book finished! And one little boy now awake and husband still in bed! #readathon

      #readathon is trending and I’m the top contributer? LOL Will stop & read. See you in a few.

      1st post of the day! #readathon http://blog.mawbooks.com/20…

      Starting off with an easy book ; TALES OF THE BEEDLE BARD. #readathon

      I woke up every two hours last night, I’m so excited! Yay!!!! #readathon

      It’s been an hour and a half since I read last.  Better get to it.  Till next time . . .

      ]]>       http://blog.mawbooks.com/2009/04/18/deweys-24-hour-read-a-thon-update-2/feed/ 13       Blogging & Reading Review for March http://blog.mawbooks.com/2009/04/01/blogging-reading-review-for-march/ http://blog.mawbooks.com/2009/04/01/blogging-reading-review-for-march/#comments Thu, 02 Apr 2009 04:13:55 +0000 Natasha Maw http://blog.mawbooks.com/?p=2884 Like always, never enough days in the month.  I reviewed 17 books, shared three author interviews, two author recipes,  two reader spotlights, two video chats, and have two amazing giveaways in progress.

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

      Books Reviewed in March

      FictionBook Reviews Button

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

      Young Adult Fiction

      Middle Readers

      Picture Books

      Non-Fiction

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

      Author Interviews

      Reader Spotlights

      Reader Spotlight Series

      Video Chats

      video

      Book Lists

      More Posts During January

      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):

      Awards

      Fabulous Blog AwardZombie Chicken Awardsisterhood-award

      Proximidade AwardLove Your Blog AwardButterfly Award

      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.

      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.

      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.

      ]]>       http://blog.mawbooks.com/2009/04/01/blogging-reading-review-for-march/feed/ 16       Thank You to My March Visitors – Let’s Spotlight a Few! http://blog.mawbooks.com/2009/04/01/thank-you-to-my-march-visitors-lets-spotlight-a-few/ http://blog.mawbooks.com/2009/04/01/thank-you-to-my-march-visitors-lets-spotlight-a-few/#comments Wed, 01 Apr 2009 20:44:38 +0000 Natasha Maw http://blog.mawbooks.com/?p=2903 thank-you1Thank you to everybody who stopped by and left comments on the Maw Books Blog this past month!  I don’t think I could keep blogging without the response, so you definitely keep me going.  At the end of every month, I highlight a few other book bloggers that I think you should visit!

      • Ali from Worducopia.  Ali is so much fun!  She’s hosting the Diversity Rocks Challenge which I’m really, really regretting not joining.  Ali seems to review a bit of everything.  Graphic novels, literary fiction, young adult and more.  Ali’s going to do the read-a-thon for the first year this time too.  I’m glad I won’t be the only newbie!
      • Suey from It’s All About Books.  If you’re not friends with Suey, you are missing out.  I was bummed when she wasn’t able to come to the Laurie Halse Anderson signing.  I totally missed her.  Suey and I have met on more than one occasion and she’s just as nice in real life as she is on her blog.  Lately, Suey has been reading tons on young adult books.  But who can blame her?  They’re really good!  Suey and Raidergirl3 from An Adventure in Reading are also the brains behind the Bookword Game.  And if you’re a Josh Groban fan?  Say no more.  You have a new best friend.
      • Chartoose from Bloody Hell, It’s a Book Barrage! I remember the very first time I stumbled upon Chartoose’s blog because I turned to my husband and said check out the name of this blog!  I knew immediately how irreverent and fun she would be.  I must admit she probably doesn’t think that I read her blog that often because I’m terrible at commenting, but I do.  And you should too.
      • Jackie from Farm Lane Books.  I somehow missed having Jackie’s blog in my reader.  I seriously do not know how that happened.  That situation is now rectified.  Sorry!  Jackie reviews mostly literary fiction and is trying to make it through a bunch of prize lists like the Orange, Booker, and Pulitzer.  Thinking about it just makes my head hurt.
      • Marg from Reading Adventures.  I wish I could read as much as Marg.  She read 17 books this past month.  Marg reads a lot of historical fiction and also blogs at the Historical Tapestry blog, as well as romance, mysteries, and young adult fiction.  In addition to all the challenges that she does, Marg also finds the time to make beautiful cards as well.  Marg has been blogging since 2005.  That sure makes me feel like the new kid on the block!
      • Em from Em’s Bookshelf.  Em reviews young adult books.  If you’re looking for a recommendation, head on over there.  She’ll have one.  I had to laugh.  Em is taking on Maureen Johnson’s challenge to blog every day in April.  And she’s going to buy herself peanut M&M’s if she does.  Made me realize that I need to slow down!  I think I’ll buy myself something if I DON’T blog every day in April.  I wonder what would happen if I skipped a day?  Wait.  Nothing.  Brilliant!   Why didn’t I think of this before?

      Thanks everybody for stopping by!  I wish I could highlight you all.  I was going to try to go for ten spotlights this month but my boys who are supposedly “napping” just found a bottle of spray suntan lotion and sprayed it all over their walls.  Welcome to my life.

      ]]>       http://blog.mawbooks.com/2009/04/01/thank-you-to-my-march-visitors-lets-spotlight-a-few/feed/ 10       Reading & Blogging Review for February http://blog.mawbooks.com/2009/03/01/reading-blogging-review-for-february/ http://blog.mawbooks.com/2009/03/01/reading-blogging-review-for-february/#comments Mon, 02 Mar 2009 02:46:46 +0000 Natasha Maw http://blog.mawbooks.com/?p=2247 Not enough days in the month this past month!  I literally ran out of days to post reviews and interviews.  But what an amazing month!  I reviewed 31  books and enjoyed sharing seven author interviews.  I’m still at least 6-7 book reviews behind and wish I had more space to put up a few more Reader Spotlights than I did.  I do have a lot planned for March.  Details on what you can look forward to are below.

      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

      FictionBook Reviews Button

      Young Adult Fiction

      Middle Readers

      Picture Books

      Non-Fiction

      Author Interviews

      Reader Spotlights

      Reader Spotlight Series

      Video Chats

      video

      Book Lists

      More Posts During 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:

      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):

      Awards

      Fabulous Blog AwardKreative Blogger AwardBlog FriendsDardos Award

      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!

      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.
      • kidlitosphere-centralDirectories. 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.

      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!)

      ]]>       http://blog.mawbooks.com/2009/03/01/reading-blogging-review-for-february/feed/ 16       Reading and Blogging Review for January http://blog.mawbooks.com/2009/02/01/reading-and-blogging-review-for-january/ http://blog.mawbooks.com/2009/02/01/reading-and-blogging-review-for-january/#comments Sun, 01 Feb 2009 13:00:20 +0000 Natasha Maw http://blog.mawbooks.com/?p=1993 Off to a great 2009!  I ended up reading a lot of Middle Grade fiction this month.  Short and quick is obviously all I could handle this month.  I also decided instead of saying “books read in January” it will be “books reviewed in January.”  I know, I know.  I get hung up on the slightest little language.   But I DO review every single book I read, but I stress at trying to get them all reviewed by the end of the month.  I still have three outstanding reviews and I hate to list them without linking them.  It looks like I didn’t read much “adult” stuff but all three of those reviews are.  And unless I have a huge outrage, I won’t be recommending or ranking them anymore either. Or do you want that?  If you do, then I’ll change back.  I’d be more than happy.  Just testing the waters to see.

      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

      Young Adult Fiction

      Middle Readers

      Picture Books

      • Snow by Cythnia Rylant, illustrated by Lauren Stringer

      Author Interviews

      Reader Spotlights

      Video Chats

      Book Lists

      More Posts During January

      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):

      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.

      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.

      ]]>       http://blog.mawbooks.com/2009/02/01/reading-and-blogging-review-for-january/feed/ 12       The Handmaid and the Carpenter by Elizabeth Berg http://blog.mawbooks.com/2008/12/24/the-handmaid-and-the-carpenter-by-elizabeth-berg/ http://blog.mawbooks.com/2008/12/24/the-handmaid-and-the-carpenter-by-elizabeth-berg/#comments Thu, 25 Dec 2008 05:31:07 +0000 Natasha Maw http://blog.mawbooks.com/?p=1818 My last book to review for the Christmas season is The Handmaid and the Carpenter by Elizabeth Berg. If you are looking for a lighthearted story about the courtship and love of Mary and Joseph than this is the book for you.

      From the publisher:

      We see Mary – young, strong, and inquisitive – as she first meets Joseph, a serious-minded young carpenter who is steadfastly devoted to the religious traditions of their people.  The two become betrothed but are soon faced with an unexpected pregnancy.  Aided by a great and abiding love, they endure challenges to their relationship as well as threats to their lives as they come to terms with the mysterious circumstances surrounding the birth of their child, Jesus.  For Mary, the pregnancy is a divine miracle and a privilege.  For Joseph, it is an ongoing test not only of his courage but of his faith – in his wife as well as in his God.

      The Handmaid and the Carpenter is Elizabeth Berg’s fictionalized account of what may have happened those many years ago.  I enjoyed the love story between Mary and Joseph.  It showed them as two normal teenagers under extremely abnormal circumstances, as well as their reactions to delivering the son of God.  I do, however, believe that Elizabeth Berg showed them as more ignorant than they really were.  I believe that both Mary and Joseph understood their role in history.  They spoke with angels.  I wish that there was more divinity present.  It has it’s faults.  But that said, this story was about their courtship, marriage, and becoming young parents.  As long as you don’t nitpick it, you’ll probably enjoy it.  I thought it was a nice nativity story.

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