Library Loot: June 9 to 15

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Eva and myself that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!

A few weeks ago I mentioned that I had a book still on my library list that I was sure I had returned. Things came to a head last week when it couldn't be extended any further. If the librarian hadn't been busy I would have actually gone through the process of declaring the book lost as I had checked the car, checked the shelf where I keep my library books and checked everywhere. I said that I would do it next time, so came home, and promptly found the book on the floor near my shelf! Apparently I had a boy look!

Here is the loot I borrowed from the library this week

Serpent in the Thorns by Jeri Westerson - I read the first book in this series a while ago, and never thought to check if my library had the second one until the other day.

Emma Vol 4 by Kaoru Mori - I posted about the first three volumes earlier this week, and I am pleased to get hold of this next book in the series.

Twilight: the graphic novel by Stephenie Meyer/Kim Young - why not. Just to have a look at really.


What loot did you get out from the library this week? Leave your link in Mr Linky below so we can all stop by and have a look!

Teaser Tuesday: The Brothers of Gwynedd by Edith Pargeter

Sorry for the radio silence this week so far. I have a house guest and so have been busy, busy, busy. I have also been starting to get some of the entries up at Australian Book Blogger Directory! Need to spend some time catching up on blog hopping later this week!

My teaser this week comes from The Brothers of Gwynedd by Edith Pargeter. I have teased from the first part, Sunrise in the West, a couple of times at the beginning of May, and now this teaser comes from the second part,  The Dragon at Noonday. I am taking four sentences from page 360:

As for thinking of what I had left behind me, or of what I had to tell, I thought not at all. I could not. Everything I had seen, and suffered, and done, was live within me, and I so full of it there was no room for thought. I lived and acted, and that was all.

Teaser Tuesday is host by Miz B at Should Be Reading. Head on over to find out all about it, and how to join in!

TSS: Announcing.... something for the Aussies

I've been working on a new project for the last little while, and today is the day that I can share the details. First though, I thought I would talk about the whys and then give the detail.

For quite a long time, I have been thinking about Aussie bloggers and wondering about how many there are and how to connect with more. Some times I have been reading a blog for a few weeks and then suddenly they will post something and the penny will drop and I realise that they are an Australian! I am sure that there are loads of Australian book blogs that I either don't realise or Aussies or who I haven't come across before!

Reading about all the fun that everyone had in New York connecting with each other in real life at BEA was the next prompt, as was the acceptance that there appeared to be from the big published house towards bloggers at BEA.

So, an idea was born.

Today, I am pleased to announce the creation of

Australian Book Bloggers Directory

The idea behind the directory is that it is a place where people can register their blogs, plus a few details like what genres you like to blog about, and a general idea of location. Then hopefully we will be able to easily find other Australian bloggers with similar reading interests that you might not already know about, or other bloggers who may live in your area.

The second aim in setting up the directory is with a view to starting to get blogger meet-ups happening, at this stage probably in the capital cities, and maybe aligned with some of the major bookish festivals. In due course, assuming enough interest, we will look towards trying to set up a national book blogger event.

The third aim in setting up the directory is to try and raise the profile of Australian book blogging with some of the major publishers here. I don't know if I am just not aware of it happening, but I can't think of many examples where Australian publishers are working with book bloggers in the same way as it happens in other countries.

So are you an Australian book blogger? If yes, and it doesn't matter if you are a kids lit book blog, or a romance blog, or YA, or any type of book blogger really, head on over and add your details. Hopefully you will be able to connect with other bloggers who share your interests.

I would really appreciate people would help spread the word, to try and make the directory as comprehensive as possible. Also, if anyone has any graphic skills and would like to make some kind of badge that we could use both on the website and maybe to display on our blogs let me know! I do not have any skills in that area at all. Finally, if anyone has any suggestions on how to make the directory better, then I will be glad to hear them.

I would like to say specific thanks to Kerrie from Mysteries in Paradise, Amanda from Desert Book Chick and Kat from Bookthingo who were all very helpful in checking out the site and giving suggestions to help make it as easy and user friendly as possible.

Alphabet in Historical Fiction: Emma series by Kaoru Mori

The Alphabet in Historical Fiction challenge being hosted by Historical Tapestry continues and this time I want to focus on a manga series that is set in Victorian England - the Emma series by Kaoru Mori. So far I have read three of the books in this series, so I thought I would do mini reviews of those three books.

I have read very little manga, but when I heard about this series, I was interested enough to give it a go, mainly because it was a way of being introduced to manga but without going too far out of my comfort zone given the historical setting.

One of the interesting things about this series is that in a way it seems to be a series of entertaining vignettes within an apparently slow moving storyline, and yet there is humour, there are historical details and there are  amazing images that convey a very colourful storyline, all in black and white. The class distinctions between our two main characters might not always at the very forefront of the storyline, but it is always bubbling away in the background, none more so when the two characters are portrayed in their own individual environments.

The characters are all visually appealing and very much fit into the setting of the novels, without losing the 'manga' style.

I have only read the first three in the series so far, but I have every intention of reading more. Below are the covers and synopses, and just a couple of highlights from each novel that I have read.




An upstairs gentlemen and a downstairs servant share a secret love.

The saga begins. In Victorian England, a young girl named Emma is rescued from a life of destitution and raised to become a proper British maid. When she meets William, the eldest son of a wealthy family, their love seems destined. But in this world, even matters of the heart are ruled by class distinctions.
Emma is the maid to the former school teacher of a young gentleman, William. They meet when he comes to visit his former teacher, and there is an immediate attraction. Like the setting, the courtship such as it is, is very understated and gradual, that is until William's friend arrives from the continent complete with his entourage of dancers and elephants, and he too is attracted to Emma.

London's elite society places great importance on class differences, unlike William Jones. He regards Emma as a beautiful, charming young woman and not merely a servant. After their first real date, things seem to be going in a positive direction for them. But the leisurely pace of the growing relationship between them ends suddenly when disaster strikes at home.

Whilst in the previous book, the class differences between the two characters were present, it is in this book that the consequences of going against societal norms come to the fore.

A chance meeting leads Emma to a new situation ... and new challenges

One the train back to her hometown, Emma meets Tasha, a maid working at a wealthy family's mansion in the country. This fateful encounter leads leads to Emma finding employment with the family as well. But despite her years of experience as a maid for Mrs Stownar, living in a mansion filled with servants is something for which she is not prepared.

Circumstances have changed for Emma,and it is only as a result of a fortuitous meeting on a train that Emma finds herself employed in a large house, part of a large group of household servants, and that we therefore get to see more of life downstairs, including a really fun scene where the servants get to celebrate with a party.

Meanwhile William is trying his hardest to meet his family's expectations.

Here are the remaining covers from the original series. There have now also been a further 3 books released which tell the background stories of some of the secondary characters.

For other opinions on this series check out the following links. A couple of them includes some examples of the art.


Things Mean a Lot
In Spring it is the Dawn
Bold. Blue. Adventure
The Written World

The third volume also counts as my read for the Year of the Historical Challenge.

Awesome book trailer

Wow! This is very cool! I just saw this trailer for Kate Morton's next book at Readin' and Dreamin', and really had to share, firstly because it is awesome, and secondly because I have really liked Kate Morton's books and so I am looking forward to this book!

Uncertain Magic by Laura Kinsale

A man damned by suspicion and innuendo

Dreadful rumors swirl around the impoverished Irish lord known as "The Devil Earl". But Faelen Savigar hides a dark secret, for even he doesn't know what dreadful deeds he may be capable of.

A woman cursed by the gift of "sight"

Roderica Delamore fears no man will ever want a wife who can read his every thought and emotion, until she encounters Faelan. As the two find their way to each other against all odds, Roddy becomes determined to save Faelen from his terrifying and mysterious ailment. But will their lvoe end up saving him ... or destroying her?

A breathtaking historical romance filled with poignancy, darkness, love, and an unexpected twist of Gaelic magic…

I am going to have to start this review with a bit of a rant! I really, really don’t like books where the hero refers to the heroine as little girl or little love or anything like that. Unfortunately, the author uses this as an endearment between our hero of this novel, Faelen Savigar, and the heroine,  Roddy Delamore,  and every time he called her that name I wanted to throw the book down and walk away. I was hoping that it would just be in the early part of the book, and that in due course Faelen would grow to see her as more than a little girl, but alas it didn't happen, at least in terms of endearments. To me, it just sounds so condescending and a little bit wrong. 

Now that that is out of the way a bit more about the book. Roddy has always been a little bit different, and she has always been aware that other people look at her a bit askance, a little bit fearful of what it is that is different about her. She can hear the thoughts and feel the emotions of humans and creatures near her. When she is at the races, she feels the pain of a racing horse, knowing that if it keeps on being forced to race it’s heart will give out. The owner of the horse is known as the Devil Earl, including that he murdered his father at a young age. He is a man who lives on the periphery of accepted society, and about whom many rumours swirl. He doesn’t really even trust himself as there are many occasions where he loses days, not knowing where he has been or what he has been doing. Amazingly for Roddy who wants a life away from her parents meaning marriage and children, he is also a man that she can’t get inside the head of, even if she tries, and that makes him attractive to her. She therefore suggest to him that perhaps he could court her.

Whilst her family are initially reluctant to agree to the match, Roddy convinces them that he is indeed the man she wants to marry and they agree. What follows their wedding is danger, intrigue, rebellion and mysticism with its heart in the Irish countryside. Faelen is hoping to rebuild his family’s crumbling estate, but before he can do that, his friend must move on the guns that he has illegally stored at the estate. It is however no easy matter to remove that number of weapons undetected by the English soldiers who are on the lookout for traitors, and feel no sense of injustice by destroying peoples homes and livelihoods in the process. From spectral haunting, to dangerous attempts to free people from jail, this book would seem to have all the ingredients for a cracking good read.

While all of this sounds very dramatic, I had trouble being interested enough in the storyline, and actually felt a bit lost at times as the mystical and then the temporal elements jostled for time at the forefront of the book.
I have liked the books I have read by this author before, but unfortunately this one didn’t work as well for me! Even by the time I got to the end of the book, I wasn't quite sure what at least two of the characters were and how they fitted into the big picture.

Whilst the paranormal elements in this novel were different from a lot of the books that are being released now, I do think that if you have been reading romance for a while you would recognise the style as a more older fashioned type of paranormal, which makes sense give that this book was originally published in 1987.


Thanks to Sourcebooks who provided me with a review copy of this book.

This book counted for the 2010 Pub Challenge, and the Romance Reading Challenge that I am participating in.

Rating 3.5/5

Library Loot: June 2 to 8

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Eva and myself that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!

Eva's back! Yay! That means that this week's Mr Linky will be over at A Striped Armchair so head on over to share your loot.

I have had another pretty big week loot wise (for me anyway). Here's what I got.

Jaran by Kate Elliott - Amanda from Desert Book Chick recently talked about this novel as a must read sci-fi. I am not a huge reader of this genre, but it sounded interesting enough to capture my attention.

The Oak Apple by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles - Reloot, yes again. This is the next book in the Morland Dynasty series and I really do want to read it.

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier - Another reloot.

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters - Reloot. I haven't read Sarah Waters yet. I have borrowed her books a few times but keep on having to return it unread.

Never Love a Lawman by Jo Goodman - Despite the fact that Jo Goodman has quite a large backlist, my library only has a few of her books. Not too long ago I borrowed Beyond a Wicked Kiss, but even just reading the first pages it was obvious that the book was part of a series, and I can't stand reading books out of order. I therefore returned that book and instead borrowed this one.

The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber - When this book first came out I checked the library catalogue but there was no listing. I am not sure what made me check again, but now the book is in so I had to borrow it.

Island of the Swans by Ciji Ware - I started reading A Cottage by the Sea earlier this week, and before I was more than 50 pages in I was checking the library catalogue to see what other books they had by this author.

Coventry by Helen Humphreys - This is another book where it caught my eye when it was first released but I checked the catalogue and it wasn't there. I am glad it is now.

The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner - Reloot again. This time I will actually read it!

Teaser Tuesday: The Cottage by the Sea by Ciji Ware

I love a good time slip novel. The idea of being able to look back and experience life in the past seems like a really fun one to me. I don't think I actually remembered that this was a time slip novel before I started it, so it was a pleasant surprise when I realised that it was!

My teaser today comes from page 86:

As if conducting an experiment, Blythe rested her forefinger lightly on the glass that protected the genealogy chart itself. Then she whispered aloud her own name. Immediately she felt the same strange force as beginning to pull at her, almost as if she were hurtling down a steep incline on a roller-coaster ride that was traveling at a hundred miles an hour.

Teaser Tuesday is host by Miz B at Should Be Reading. Head on over to find out all about it, and how to join in!

Anya Seton Season at Historical Tapestry

We are very happy to announce that the beginning of June also means the beginning of Anya Seton Season at Historical Tapestry!

Over the next month there will be reviews, giveaways, guest posts and more! We hope that you will take the time to drop by and see what we have lined up.

May Reading Reflections

I haven't really been paying much attention to how much I have read this month, mainly because I got off to such a slow start due to having to slog through the first part of The Brothers of Gwynedd without being able to call it a book that is finished! So, I have started this post, and now I am going to check my spreadsheet and hope for a pleasant surprise! And the answer is .... no, not in terms of the number of books read, but looking at the grades it is probably my best month in ages!

The books I finished in May were:

Into the Wilderness by Sara Donati (5/5)
To Defy a King by Elizabeth Chadwick (5/5)
The Fury by L J Smith (4/5)
Shanghai Girls by Lisa See (4/5)
The Help by Kathryn Stockett (5/5)
Uncertain Magic by Laura Kinsale (3.5/5)
Hero at Large by Janet Evanovich (4/5)
The Winthrop Woman by Anya Seton (4.5/5)
The Knife of Letting Go by Patrick Ness (4.5/5)

So time for an update on my challenges!

Year of the Historical Challenge - Into the Wilderness was a reread for me. As I was reading The Endless Forest at the end of last month, I kept on thinking how much I really wanted to read through the series again, so I did speed my way through the first book, and enjoyed every moment of it!

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge - Into the Wilderness, To Defy a King, Shanghai Girls, The Help and The Winthrop Woman.

Chunkster Challenge - Into the Wilderness was also my final book for the Chunkster Challenge for this year.

Pub 2010 - To Defy a King and Uncertain Magic.

LJ Smith Reading Challenge - The Fury

Romance Reading Challenge - Uncertain Magic and Hero at Large

Once Upon Time IV - The Fury

Vampire Series Challenge - The Fury

100+ Reading Challenge -Read 60 out of the 100 required to meet this challenge.

Support Your Local Library Challenge -Read 41. It's going to require a big effort to get to 100!

Challenges that I didn't make any progress on this month - Period Drama, Harry Potter, Aussie Authors, Tudor Reading Challenge, In Death Reading Challenge, Terry Pratchett Reading Challenge, Art History Reading Challenge, French Historical.

TSS - Getting voice right

Before getting into my post proper, I want to quickly say thank you to the bloggers who got together and organised Armchair BEA. I had so much fun over the last week, and I know that I still have a ton of posts to read from the event! I really hope that we get to do it all again next year!
 
Now, to what I wanted to talk about today. A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that I was reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett.

In the author's note for that book, Kathryn Stockett wrote:

I was scared, a lot of the time, that I was crossing a terrible line, writing in the voice of a black person. I was afraid I would fail to describe a relationship that was so intensely influential in my life, so loving, so grossly stereotyped in American history and literature.

and further on

What I am sure about is this: I don't presume to think that I know what it really felt like to be a black woman in Mississippi, especially in the 1960s. I don't think it is something any white woman on the other end of a black woman's paycheck could ever truly understand. But trying to understand is vital to our humanity.

Reading this book had me thinking about voice, and what it is made up of. Firstly, when you are reading a book where there are different types of voices, there could be differentiation in terms of the words that are used, the spelling and grammar which could be used to indicate race or ethnicity or level of education, but other factors that go into giving a character voice, and in particular in giving the reader a sense of authentic voice can also include attitude. As much as we like 21st century attitudes is it realistic to expect to see that attitude in a 19th century woman. Usually not. This is an area that does tend to crop up particularly in relation to those feisty women who defy convention in fiction, but in reality there were so few women who did act against societies norms. The ones who did are exceptional and it is fantastic to read about them, but the numbers of those type of women portrayed compared to the number of women who would have actually acted in this way is definitely disproportionate.

Often times some of the biggest pitfalls relating to voice can come from trying to write a nationality other than your own. There may be certain words that people from certain places are expected to say as a result of cultural stereotypes, but in reality that could be something that isn't every day for every person. Seeing that mentioned several times could be jarring to the reader.

Let me give you an example. One of the things that have been used to promote Australia and that we have a kind of stereotyping about is that we all call everyone mate, as in 'G'Day Mate'. I can't remember the last time I said that to someone. Even just using the word mate is not something that I would use regularly. I remember having a conversation with Heather from Tales of a Capricious Reader not too long ago where we talked about this, and she used the example of the word Y'all, as in 'howdy y'all' and having a similar reaction. Now to be fair, there are some Aussies for whom calling someone mate is a part of everyday idiom. I used to work with a man who called everyone mate. The interesting thing is that he had immigrated to Australia as a teenager, and had lived in a couple of other cities, so maybe it is something that he had more exposure to than I did. So if I read a book where there is an Australian who constantly calls everyone mate to me it doesn't feel genuine at all.

Another example is accent. For example, when I hear that famous line from the Meryl Streep movie Evil Angels/A Cry in the Dark, where she proclaims that 'a dingo took my baby', every time I hear that it is jarring and I think that so does not sound like a genuine Australian (see the video below). Having said that, if you can find audio of Lindy Chamberlain talking, she has a much broader accent than I do so maybe regional differences account for at least some of this difference of opinions.

My point about all this in relation to The Help in particular is that I thought that Kathryn Stockett did a really good job in giving the white and black characters in distinctive voice by using different spelling, grammar, intonation and and in conveying their attitude. The thing is though, my impression is based on what I have seen in movies, in what I have read in other books, and not from personal experience. A quick glance at Amazon shows a small minority of one and two star reviews, and a lot of them talk about not liking the dialect and so obviously their personal experiences have obviously bought influence to bear upon their reading experience.

For me it felt authentic, and I thought it was an excellent read.

Do you read Patricia Cornwell?

A friend of mine is looking for recommendations. His wife wants to read some Patricia Cornwell and so he asked me on Facebook

You're the book whiz :) have you read any of her books and if so, would you recommend them?

Once I got over the warm fuzzy book whiz comment, I had to admit that I couldn't help. Unfortunately I have only read one Patricia Cornwell book, and I really, really didn't like it, so I said to him that I would ask some other people who might be better! So now, blog readers, I am asking you all.

Would you recommend reading Patricia Cornwell. If yes, which book should my friend's wife start with?

Armchair BEA/Book Blogger Convention

Today is the final day of Armchair BEA, and I have had a lot of fun participating! Today if you were lucky enough to be in New York, it would be Book Blogger Convention day. The topics that are being discussed at BBC include Professionalism/Ethics, Writing/Building Content, Marketing and Social Responsibility. I thought that I woulld concentrate on Writing/Building Content, and talk about ways to avoid book blogger burn out.

*******************

Hang around in blog land long enough, and you are bound to see a post about blogger burn out in one guise or another. It could be that the blogger is feeling overwhelmed by ARCs, or perhaps they are feeling isolated and alone, or perhaps one or more of your favourite book bloggers have just disappeared without a trace. I don't profess to know all the answers of how to avoid this feeling, but I have been there a number of times, and yet here I still am, more than four and a half years later, so I thought I would offer a few thoughts on ways to avoid the dreaded blogger burn out.

Believe me when I say that I have my own issues around blogging to deal with and by no means do I have all the answers. For example, I have really gotten out of practice at writing reviews, and so now I can find them really difficult to write. And who knows, this time next month, I could be struggling in other areas, but in this post though, I thought I would share a few thoughts about avoiding book blogging blues.

Don't over commit yourself

There's something so great about receiving a lovely new book, and when it's free...bonus! As tempting as it is to say yes to everything it can however become completely overwhelming if you are looking at a shelf of ARCs that you have said you will read and review, and you just can't see how you will get them all read. Then there are all those books that you are going to get to read the books you spent your hard earned cash on - the books that you wanted to read badly enough that you bought them.

Be realistic about how many books you can accept. I know that a couple of bloggers have said that they can accept x number of books for review each month, and once the schedule is full, that's it. No more. The down side to this is that some times there are books that you were offered and said no to and then you start seeing around and think should have accepted that book. Happens to me all the time, but you know what, if I really want the book then chance are my library will have it, or I will want it enough to buy it.

If you do have to a review a book by a certain date, make sure you have that date recorded somewhere. I have all mine listed on the same spreadsheet as my library books due dates, so that I can see in one place which books I should concentrate on in the next week or so. Last minute panic reads are never fun, and writing those reviews in a rush isn't necessarily going to reflect all that well on you either.

Feeling overwhelmed by challenges? Drop some of them. Yes it is disappointing to not finish something you started, but if all you are getting out of challenges is pressure, then they aren't working for you. I always try to only join challenges where I already have books to read for. I don't like to have to add yet more books to the toppling TBR pile in order to meet  challenge requirements.

Try something new 

This year I have started participating in a couple of new things (being Sunday Salon and Weekend Cooking). I can't tell you how freeing Sunday Salon in particular has been for me because I have now got the room to post about a particular topic without it having to be a review. It could be something completed unrelated to what I am reading. In most cases though I find that my post for the week is related to some thought or another I have had about the book that I am reading. I am also conscious though that with both of these posts that if I don't get to it, it really doesn't matter.   Maybe you have another hobby you could post about as well to give yourself a little variety. Post some music, do some posts about where you live, or perhaps you want to do a focus on books set in your town, or by authors who live near you or whatever you like. It is your blog, and you can therefore put whatever content you like on it. I would suggest posting regularly, but it doesn't have to be every day. Chances are that if you like something enough to post about it, other people will like it enough to read it.

Work out a schedule

Maybe you are one of those types of people who works best with a little structure. If that is the case, then work out the structure that works for you and go for it. For example, each week I am participating in Teaser Tuesday because I really enjoy that meme (I know that not everyone does but that's okay), and then on Wednesday's I co-host Library Loot. Come the weekend then I will most likely post something for Weekend Cooking and Sunday Salon, and then I can fill in the gaps with other content. Mind you I am not suggesting that you lock yourself into a schedule that is so rigid that you feel you must only post this type of post on this day but it can help not to be looking at whole week and think what the heck am I going to write about?

Participate in the book blogging community

Participate in events such as Armchair BEA, Book Blogger Appreciation Week or the read-a-thons. Reach out to other bloggers. If there is a blogger that you think you would like to connect to a little more, send them an email and say hi. Maybe suggest doing a joint review or co host an event. For example, if you have an author that you love and you know that there is another blogger who loves them too, suggest doing a guest post swap about that author. If you see challenges or events you think you would like to participate in contact the host. Some times it won't be possible but often you will be made welcome.

When you feel inspired .... write

Some days I could quite easily sit down and write 4 or 5 different posts there are so many thoughts running around in my head. If you have days like that - write. You don't have to post straight away and you can always go and tweak a post in draft before you do finally post it to your blog. Have a few posts saved in draft that you can post in those weeks when it looks like your content is going to be a bit light on. Or perhaps schedule a week and then use that time to write some more posts to have in advance.

It's okay to take a break

Some times we all need to have some time off. Try not to do so without at least putting a post up so that people who know you will know that you are okay and they don't worry. It doesn't have to be a 'I hate blogging right now' post. Put up a vacation photo, or a gone fishing sign or something.  And you know what, it's okay to press Mark All As Read in your feed reader when you come back. Yes, you might have missed out on something good, but is it really worth feeling so overwhelmed? This is one that I need to remind myself about all the time.

Back to basics

Why did you start book blogging in the first place? Chances are it was because you love to read and you wanted to tell someone, anyone about it! Or perhaps you were aiming for a reading journal. Are the reasons you continue to blog still the same or has your blog evolved to something more? Sit down and look at what is or isn't working for you anymore. My own blog started as a review blog only. All reviews, all the time. Over the years it has become more of a general book blog. For a while there I posted about craft (but I haven't done any of that for an eternity), and there have been times when I have struggled with what to do next, but four and a half years down the track, blogging is something that I still enjoy and I miss when I am away from the computer. I am not sure that that would be the case if I stuck rigidly to reviews only. Chances are that if you are getting down about blogging you need to change something.

Blogging for most of us is a hobby. It should be something that you get enjoyment and fulfilment from. You should be in charge of your blogging. It should not be ruling your life to the point that you start to not want to do it, or that you are feeling so overwhelmed by it.

Do you have any other tips that you think help avoid book blogger burn out? Feel free to share them in the comments.

Armchair BEA: If I was in New York today

It's hard to believe that I could feel more tired than I do tonight, but I am pretty sure I would be a bit exhausted if I was really in New York today, but need to soldier on!

If I was really in New York at BEA my morning would start at 10am with a signing by Deanna Raybourn. I have really enjoyed her Lady Julia Grey series, and I love reading her blog!

At 10.30 I would be at the Thrillers session which features the author of The Passage, Justin Cronin, and also Lee Child. I have never read Lee Child, but I recently watched an interview with him where he was very amusing and interesting to listen too, so I intend to read something from him in due course.

My next must attend event would be a signing byJennifer Donnelly at 1.30pm. There is just the one question I would want to ask her. When will The Wild Rose be published? It feels as though we have been waiting for this book forever.
I would probably then make an effort to go and see M J Rose at 3pm then. I hvent read her, but I want to.

What New York moments would I want to have today? I think it would have to be a show on Broadway. Maybe to see Jersey Boys. That sounds like a fun way to spend a Thursday night!

Armchair BEA - Deciphering the signature

So you got your books signed. The question for today is...can you read it?

On Tuesday  I posted about getting to meet Paullina Simons and having a whole mountain of books signed by her. Today I wanted to do a quick post about an author who signed just one book for me. Early in 2009 I was lucky enough to attend ARRC (the Australian Romance Readers Convention), and one of the key note speakers was Sherrilyn Kenyon, author of the paranormal romance Dark Hunter novels.

Now looking at this signature, you might think that I was the last in a long queue of people to get their book signed, but I really wasn't. In fact, I was one of the first for the session, and yet, I have no idea what this says, and believe me, I have looked at it on and off for more than a year trying to figure it out. I think I know what some of it says, but if other people want to have a go that would be fun too! It could relate to the conversation we had where I said that this was my favourite Dark Hunter novel, or it could be something completely different!

What do you think that says?

Library Loot: May 26 to June 1

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Eva and myself that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!

In last week's Library Loot post I mentioned that I hadn't picked any thing up but I did have a few items waiting for me. This week, you see all of those items!

Tomorrow When the War Began by John Marsden - There's a couple of Australian authors who I am constantly told I should read, and John Marsden. I was inspired to finally request this book after a conversation on Twitter with Maree from Just Add Books.

Angelology by Danielle Trussoni - Reloot. I wanted to read this so badly, but never got to it. This was touted as the next big book, but doesn't seem to have taken off quite in the way that was expected, at least not around the blogs that I read.

The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell - I saw this mentioned on a couple of Teaser Tuesday posts, and thought it sounded like lots of fun. It also ties in nicely with the novel that I am reading at the moment.

The Vampire Diaries: The Reunion by L J Smith - The fourth and final book in the original Vampire Diaries series.

The Various Flavours of Coffee by Anthony Cappella - Writing a review recently for one of his earlier books, and seeing the details for his next one, made me realise that I still hadn't read this release!

Jamie's Food Revolution by Jamie Oliver - About six weeks or so ago I seriously overdosed on the TV series that accompanies this book. I have only had a quick flick through but I do think I am going to go out and buy this one!

Young Victoria - I borrowed this DVD a few weeks ago but didn't get to watch it, so I have borrowed it again.

The Land of the Lost - My son wanted to watch this one and so I requested it for him. Now I think he is saying that he has already seen it!

What items did you get from the library this week? Leave your link in Mr Linky so we can all come and check out your loot.

Armchair BEA: If I was in New York today

Before I start my post proper, I wanted to let you know that not only can you read my thoughts here today, I have also guest posted over at Beth Fish Reads, talking about one of my favourite Australian authors.Now that that is out of the way on with my post!

It's probably a good thing that I am not really at BEA. Even in my imagination I can't avoid schedules clashing!

My starting point today would be at 9.30 am with signing by either Brunonia Barry or Robyn Carr. I enjoyed Brunonia Barry's debut novel The Lace Reader, and Robyn Carr's Virgin River series is one I definitely want to read more of.

Because the queues would be completely non existent just for me, at 10am I would arrive just in time to attend the book signings by either Justin Cronin (author of The Passage) or by Mitchell Kaplan for By Fire, By Water.I haven't read either book, but I am really excited in particular by the prospect of reading The Passage! I have heard such good things about it from bloggers I really respect.

I was tempted to see what was going to said at the 10am session called You're Reading That.  The blurb for the session -

• How can booksellers and librarians supply the interests of their teenage customers yet stay connected with that crucial 18-35 year old demographic—the ones who still read and buy YA titles in great numbers? The recent success of Little Brown’s Twilight Series highlights the need for industry professionals to be proactive in supplying fresh and fascinating titles for this burgeoning market.

Another YA session at 11am - this time about YA Author's Crossing over. My main reason for wanting to be at this session - Jennifer Donnelly. I have loved all of her books, especially her Victorian saga which started with The Tea Rose and continued in The Winter Rose.

• Melissa Marr, Wicked Lovely series and GRAVEMINDER; Jennifer Donnelly, REVOLUTION and THE WINTER ROSE; Stephanie Kuhnert, BALLADS OF SUBURBIA and I WANNA BE YOUR JOEY RAMONE; Michele Jaffe, ROSEBUSH, BAD KITTY (young adult), STARGAZER, BAD GIRL (adult); Jeri Smith-Ready, SHADE (YA), BRING ON THE NIGHT (Adult)

At 12 noon the queues would magically clear so that I could attend a signing by Maria Snyder! I really liked the books of hers that I have read, although I really need to hurry up and read the third book in the Study series and move onto the next books, and then I am thinking New York style pizza, and then New York baked cheesecake for lunch! All the walking that we will be doing will more than compensate for all those calories! And I would definitely be planning to catch up with some blogging friends as well!

Nelson Demille is an author who I used to love reading in late teens and early twenties. I don't know why I haven't read one of his books recently, but I would love to meet him regardless! Having said that Justine Larbalestier is also signing at 3pm, and given that she is one of the few Aussies at BEA I would like to go and say hi!

Of course at the same time there is also the Steampunk session. I haven't read a lot of Steampunk myself, but I would have to attend because one of the authors on the panel is Catherynne Valente who wrote the awesome The Orphan's Tale. I have read and loved Vol 1, and would love to read more from her.

And at 4pm, I would love to go and drop by the signing by Anna Godberson because all of her covers would look so pretty all lined up on a desk!

The next thing I would do is based on a number of assumptions:

• I would not be completely exhausted after a full day of BEA walking around, carrying bag loads of books (excess luggage....pah!)
• There would be a game on
• There would be tickets available

I would go to a major league baseball game. Before I started travelling years ago, there were two sporting events that I really wanted to attend. One was to go and see soccer played at London's Wembley stadium, which I managed to do while I was living in the UK, and the other was to go and see a Major League Baseball game. Unfortunately during the time that I was in the US, there was a baseball strike, and so instead we had to go to a second division ice hockey game. It was loads of fun, but I still would like to go to the baseball.

I don't think I would necessarily appreciate the game itself all that much, but I would love to drink up the atmosphere!




Of course, I would be hoping not to see any crying because there's no crying in baseball.

Armchair BEA: Introducing Mary Elizabeth from A Novel Idea

Today for Armchair BEA it is interview swap day! I was teamed up with a new to me blogger, Mary Elizabeth from A Novel Idea. Welcome to my blog Mary Elizabeth!

Q: At A Novel Idea you blog about children's books. What were your favourite children's book when you were growing up, and do you think those books influenced your love of them as an adult?

A: I loved reading all types of books, but I especially enjoyed chapter books! Some of my favorites were: Ramona Quimby, Age 8, Superfudge, and the entire Little House on the Prairie series. I really liked books where I could strongly identify with the main character. I think these books influenced my love of reading, since I read these books (and others) so often! I have always been a strong reader, so it has always been a positive activity for me.


Q: You have a series of posts on your blog called Literacy Tips where you give suggestions on how to get your kids to read. What do you think the biggest mistake parents make is when it comes to children's literacy.

A: I think parents tend to underestimate how early the literacy process begins - it starts during infancy! Literacy isn't just about reading, but about all communication involving written and spoken language. Reading to your infant is essential - it definitely plants the seeds of literacy!

Q: I don't know how it happened really but my son is not a reader - absolutely breaks my heart. Is there a point where it is too late to get your child to read?

A: Having been a classroom teacher, I don't think a child ever reaches a point where he or she cannot become a reader! Some people don't even become avid readers until adulthood! Don't give up on your son - you can help him become a reader in many ways. Try listening to books on CD with him - I know this sounds strange, but it is a valuable strategy. I would implement this strategy with dyslexic children, and they enjoyed being able to follow the story completely without having to worry about phonics and word recognition. I then began introducing other students to books on CD, and they enjoyed listening to them as well. The children are still building their vocabulary and reading fluency by listening to stories. It is a very powerful tool.

Q: Your other blog, Ten Thousand Hugs, has a different focus, more a mommy-blog style. Which is the easier blog to write for? In what ways are writing for the two blogs the same and different?

A: I find that writing for "A Novel Idea" is easier, since I follow the same schedule each week. My other blog does not have as much focus at the moment, but I am working on two summer projects with my children that I will blog about on there. I really enjoyed writing both - I love to write and create posts!

Q: When you started A Novel Idea you were writing a children's book. Is this something that you are still working on?

A: Yes! I am still working on that, but not on my blog anymore. I need to note that on the blog for my readers!

Q: How do you juggle parenting, blogging and writing? Do you have any other hobbies as well?

A: I have a difficult time juggling everything, since I have four small children at home. I just find pockets of time to blog during the day, and, of course, when the children are sleeping! Yes, I do have other hobbies - yoga, running, scrapbooking, and reading.

Thanks so much Mary Elizabeth. My answers will be up on her blog later. (Updated to say you can read my interview here).

Teaser Tuesday: The Winthrop Woman by Anya Seton

I interrupt the Armchair BEA posts with regular programming!

This week my teaser for Teaser Tuesday comes from The Winthrop Woman by Anya Seton. The reason I am reading this is next month (which really isn't all that far away really) is Anya Seton Season at Historical Tapestry - giveaways, reviews and guest posts.

Before starting this I had only read Katherine, which is a fantastic book, and Dragonwyck which I liked too. I suspect that people more familiar with American history would recognise the name Winthrop in association with the Puritans, but this is all new for me.

My teaser comes from page 257:

We are but four thousand people yet, like the Israelites, and pressed like them from all sides - Sir Ferdinando Gorges' hirelings and New France on the north, across the sea our persecutors in England; to the south beyond the Dutch a Papist place called Maryland has been established. The west has cannibalistic Mohawks. Beset like this from every quarter, what hope have we but to stand close together in ourselves - with amity?

Teaser Tuesday is host by Miz B at Should Be Reading. Head on over to find out all about it, and how to join in!