Armchair BEA Day 3 - Networking

Today's topic at Armchair BEA is Networking. Have you ever wondered how bloggers get so involved outside the nuts and bolts community of book blogging? Well, now's your chance to learn from the experts! From partnering with their local indie bookstores to coordinating events at their local libraries, we've got tips to share with you to help you become more involved with your local bookish community.  Visit the website to learn more.

I'm on the learning end of this topic.  I've been blogging for 2 1/2 years, but haven't gotten heavily involved in networking or partnering, so I'm anxious to learn more. My limited experience was while I was working at the library - I teamed up with a fellow blogger and another library to create Library Bingo.

The originial idea came from Jenners at LifeWithBooks.  She created the "Take-A-Chance Challenge".  With Jenners' permission, I adapted her idea to work as a reading program for library patrons.  We featured six categories:

1. Random library location - draw a shelf number and read a book found on that shelf.
2. Random word - draw a word from the hat and read a book with that word in the title.
3. Random author - all fiction authors available at the library were thrown in the hat - draw a name and read anything by that author.
4. Random year - draw a year and read any New York Times Bestseller from that year.
5. Judge a Book By It's Cover - select a book you are unfamiliar with based solely on the cover design.
6. Read a non-fiction book.

Patrons who completed all six challenges received a prize.  The challenge was such a hit that the next year I "borrowed" an idea from a library blog (again, with their permission), combined it with Jenners' idea and created Take-A-Chance Bingo. 

Each patron received a standard 5X5 bingo card containing 25 different book categories - romance, mystery, 2010 bestsellers, staff recommendations, Kansas authors, foreign setting, etc.  Reading five books, one from each category in a row, made a BINGO and earned a prize.  A blackout - reading all 25 categories - earned a larger prize plus immunity from library fines for 1 year.  The program was a huge success.  One high school English teacher used it in her classroom, several area libraries hi-jacked the idea for their own reading programs.  I even sent sample cards to libraries and bloggers outside our area because they read it about it on this blog.  And all because I read a book blog . . .

Armchair BEA Day 2 - Giveaway Day

GIVE-AWAY CLOSED

Winners:  Len @ Musings of a Reader Happy

Laura @ Bunny Tales

Lisa @ Books. Lists. Life.

It's "Give-Away Day" at Armchair BEA.  Visit the website to check out the prizes being doled out all day.  Keeping with the spirit, we're hosting our own giveaway.  Below are some new and some "gently read" books that are looking for a new home. Just leave a comment and you're entered!  3 winners will be selected by random number at 10:00 p.m. (Central).  Each winner will get to select 3 books of their choice - first drawn gets first pick.  Be sure you include an email address or Twitter name so we can contact you if you win. Sorry - this is U.S. only.

The Comforts of Home by Jodi Thomas

The Cat Who Talked Turkey by Lilian Jackson Braun - new

The Christmas Spirit by Joel Osteen - new

Wildflower Bride by Mary Connealy - new

Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson

Lethal by Sandra Brown

The Unseen by Heather Graham

Son of Stone by Stuart Woods

Ranchero by Rick Gavin

Robert B. Parker's Killing the Blues by Michael Brandman

I'll Walk Alone by Mary Higgins Clark

Folly Beach by Dorothea Benton Frank

One Summer by David Baldacci

* Best of 2012 - My apologies to those who came by looking for a "Best of" post.  My blog was listed in error in that section.  But since you're here anyway, you might as well sign up for the giveaway.

Armchair BEA - Opening Day

Book Expo America (BEA) will be held in New York City this week.  BookExpo is the largest annual book trade show in America - "Everything key influencers need to stay up-to-date with the newest titles, emerging authors and latest industry trends." (www.bookexpoamerica.com)  Armchair BEA was founded in 2010 by a group of bloggers who couldn't attend, but didn't want to miss out.  In just two years, the event has grown to include hundreds of blogs, Twitter parties, give-aways and sponsors - including the BEA itself.  For all the details, visit the website.  This is my first year joining in and I'm excited to meet more bloggers, learn about the publishing industry, and get the inside scoop on what's new.  For day one, participants are introducing themselves.  If you have the time and inclination, check out the ArmchairBEA site and visit more book blogs.

1.  Please tell us a little about yourself:  I'm Tami - book lover and ex-librarian - and I began blogging in October 2009.  At that point I was still working at the library, where one of my responsibilities was to purchase new materials, and I used book blogs as a resource to keep current on popular books.  I've always loved to write, so decided to try my hand at sharing  about the books I was reading.  Over time, the blog has evolved to contain more than books, but reading is still the primary focus. You can find out more about my husband, Dave, and I by clicking on the "about" tab at the top of the page.

2.  What are you currently reading?  What is your favorite book you have read so far in 2012?  I am always reading several books at once.  At the moment, I'm reading "Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake" by Anna Quindlen and "Brownies and Broomsticks" by Bailey Cates.  My favorite book so far this year would be "The Snow Child" by Eowyn Ivey

3.  What is your favorite feature on your blog? Although the blog is primarily about books, I find that posts about the random occurrences in our life get more responses.  My favorite feature I have created is "A Puzzling Post" - puzzles I create around books, tv, movies and music. 

4.  Which is your favorite post that you have written, that you want everyone to read?  There are so many I loved writing, and about such a wide variety of topics - some very personal and emotional - but, oddly, my favorite posts are not about books.  I'll let you choose. Here are three of my favorites, read whatever appeals to you:

"Panic, Mechanics and Knight School"  - a humorous look at our family.

"National Infertility Awareness Week" - our infertility story.

"While the Music Plays On" - My tribute to my mother-in-law and her battle with Alzheimer's

5.  What is your favorite part about the book blogging community?   My favorite part of the book blogging community is the people!  I have made some wonderful friends through blogging - and then connecting with those people on Twitter, and sharing events such as Read-a-thons.  My best friends are fellow bloggers.

Check back tomorrow for Day Two of Armchair BEA - Give-Aways!

My How You Have Grown . . .

Today is our baby's 20th birthday.  Wow! How time flies . . .

Mitch and Amanda - 1993 - ages 2 and 1

 Laughing and a running, skipping and a jumping . . .

I saw you just the other day.  My, how you have grown . . .

Do you remember when we used to sing . . .

My Brown-Eyed Girl

(Selected lyrics from "Brown-Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison - 
The song here Daddy sang to her - and still does.)

Dave and Amanda - 2012 - ages ? and 20

I've held it all inward, God know's I've tried,

But it's an awful awakening in a country boy's life, 

to look in the mirror in total surprise

at the hair on my shoulders and the age in your eyes . . .

Amanda, light of my life!

(from "Amanda" by Waylon Jennings - the song for which she's named)

From the months and months of colic . . . to baby dolls that went everywhere she went . . . to learning to ride a bike (we forgot to explain hand brakes so she just ran into the car to stop) . . . to hours clipping pictures of "dream fashions" from magazines . . . to sneaking out after curfew and being caught a block from home . . . to decorating her first apartment . . . it's been a whirlwind 20 years.  And I wouldn't trade a minute!  Ok, maybe a couple of minutes, but it's been a blessing!

But do you understand what that means?  No more teenagers!   Can't say I'm shedding any tears over the passing of those years - but maybe a few over how quickly children grow.  But they grow into wonderful friends.

Happy Birthday, Amanda!

The Hummingbird Keeps Hum - Hum - Humming Along . . .

The food kept disappearing from the feeder, so I knew something was eating, but hadn't been lucky enough to spot a hummingbird yet this year - they're elusive little boogers.  But last night I finally heard that tell-tale hum and grabbed the cell-phone.  They're too fast to get a decent still photo with a cell-phone camera, but I got several videos of them flitting in for a drink.  Amazing creatures!

BTW - the title of this post is a reference to the song "When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbing Along" - recorded by Bing Crosby, Doris Day and many others.  My Dad used to sign it when I was a kid.



So, there you go - a nature lesson and music history lesson all rolled into one.  You're welcome.

The Secret Lives of Dresses by Erin McKean

Normally I cut and paste the story synopsis from the book cover in this space, rather than taking the time to sum it up myself.  This time, however, I read the blurb and wondered who wrote it - surely not someone who actually read the book.  So here goes my own description (mixed with portions of the original) and then you'll know why I avoid this part:

When Mimi, the grandmother who raised her, suffers a stroke, Dora rushes back home to Forsyth, NC.  As she waits for Mimi to recover, she helps out by running her grandmother's vintage clothing store and discovers the imagined histories that Mimi writes and distributes along with each vintage dress.  Between the hospital and the store, she searches for information about her parents and for direction.

The publisher's synopsis talks about the "adorable contractor" that Dora meets, and how Dora "trades in her boring life for one she really wants"...But that makes the story sound fluffier than it actually is.  Although this book probably falls into the much maligned "chick lit" genre, it has depth, a little mystery, and lots of emotion.  I can't recall another book where a character we never really meet - Mimi, who is unconscious in a hospital through most of the book - has such influence on a story.  I admired Ms. McKean's ability to bring Mimi to life through flashbacks and other character's memories, without any real interaction.  

I'm certainly glad I chose this book based on blogger reviews rather than anything from the publisher or professional reviewers - they both over simplified and "fluffed" a good story.  

Favorite lines:  

" 'There's some leftover ham and biscuits in the fridge."  "Ham!" Camille slapped her midsection, and her slap resounded a little too loudly.  "Can't do that, nosirree.  Some of us are watching our girlish figures."  Camille hadn't been girlish since the Nixon administration, but Dora let it pass."

"Her stories all involved the peccadilloes of the girls she had gone to high school with, who, if Dora knew them at all, she knew only as the mothers of people Dora had barely known in her own high school.  Camille had never really left high school."  - Don't you know that person? :)

"Mimi hated a lot of words.  She didn't like the word "moist", even when it was about a cake . . . She hated the word "hapless" - "What's a hap, and why should I care that you don't have one?" - but didn't feel the same way about "feckless", which she used more frequently than perhaps she should." - Never really thought about this.  Are there words you hate and words you really like?  I feel a blog post brewing...

You Say It's Your Birthday . . .

A year ago I wrote a series of posts to celebrate my 50th birthday - thoughts, ideas, reflections, lessons learned, plans, etc.  So, since that time has rolled around again, I decided to re-read what I wrote and see if I would change or add anything.  Basically, the answer was "no", but I could have been more succinct.  My life "mission statement" - if you'll pardon a New-Age-babble phrase I  hate - can be summed up in 5 points:

1.  Finish well.  This is a simple way of saying that I want to do better during the second half.  To quote Oprah Winfrey quoting Maya Angelou, "When you know better, you do better."  After 51 years, I hope I know better and have been/will continue to do better - mentally, spiritually, physically, socially.   On the physical front, I've taken off 40 lbs.  As for the other areas, I am attempting to. . .

2.  Live Graciously.  Gracious - pleasantly kind, benevolent, courteous, merciful or compassionate.  All attributes that I feel are in short supply in our country.  Tim Gunn is my mentor!

3.  Live Simply.  Weed out those possessions, relationships, commitments  and attitudes that cause stress or take more time to maintain than they are worth. 

4.  Interact with people.  I recently saw a news story about how technology is making it easier for us to avoid personal contact.  Self-checkout, shopping on-line, ATM's, Twitter,  - all ways to do what we need to do without actually talking to or even seeing people.  We have moved frequently and over the years I find myself making less and less effort to meet people and build friendships, so I am making a conscious effort to reverse that - even if it's just smiling and saying hello to the clerk at the grocery store.  Dave and I agree that, in general, we have made better friends over a beer than we have over a hymnal.  As sad as that may be, it has held true over the past 30 years, so I'm trying to interact more - you never know where I'll find my next friend.

5.  Revive my faith by going back to the basics.  No pre-written devotions, no commentaries, no books preaching someone else's idea of Christianity.  Just me, the Bible, God and what He chooses to reveal to me.

 Act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God. - Micah 6:8