Welcome to Monday

My first job on Monday is to post the Reading Round-up over at TubTalk. It is chock full of good stuff, and lots of practical ideas. Thanks again, Jen!

The only way I can get the Round-up done is to grab my coffee and go straight to the blog. That means I skip the Monday morning mailbox, so I didn't see the email from Amy of My Friend Amy's blog until too late. I thought Book Bloggers Appreciation Week was great. But wait til you see this ...

Buy Books for the Holidays is a grassroots effort to encourage books as THE gift of choice this holiday season. I love her reasoning:

• "Books are a good value for the amount they cost. They provide information, entertainment, encouragement, and escape. They challenge our thinking, make us laugh, and inspire our dreams. They look lovely sitting on our shelves or coffee tables.
• Books are diverse. I recognize that not everyone in your life might like to read. But thankfully, there's a book for just about every interest. There are even books that are just pictures or recipes...cool, huh???
• Giving books makes you look intelligent and cool. Enough said."
  

You can read Amy's original post here or you can head straight to the Buy Books for the Holidays blog, which is dedicated exclusively to the campaign. We'll be chiming in with some of our favorites here, and as part of the November Carnival of Children's Literature at Mommy's Favorite Children's Books. The theme: The Gift of Reading. If you don't want to wait, you can check out last year's carnival with a similar theme that MotherReader hosted.

Read more!

Welcome to Monday

https://thereadingtub.blogspot.com/2008/11/welcome-to-monday.html

By all accounts, Book Blogger Appreciation Week was a rousing success ... bloggers and their readers are energized and refreshed.

This was the brainchild of Amy of the My Friend Amy blog. Just because it's virtual doesn't make it any easier, and this was an incredible undertaking.

Over at the Literate Housewife Review, Jennier is organizing a "blogwide" thank you to Amy. Feel free to add this image to your blog or post your thanks on Amy's blog for a more personal note.

In case you missed all of the 2008 BBAW award winners, you can go to OCD, Vampires, and Amusing Rants, Oh My! or My Friend Amy's blog when you visit to post your THANKS!

Read more!

https://thereadingtub.blogspot.com/2008/09/by-all-accounts-book-blogger.html

Congratulations BBAW Giveaway Winners

Well, with a roll of the virtual dice ...

Jennifer Y wins the Cranium Funfolio, Volume 1

AND

SJ wins In the Beginning by Chuck Fischer

Please send me an email with your snail mail address and I'll get them out ASAP. Send your Email to terry [at] thereadingtub [dot] com.

For the record: I divided the comments into two piles, based on the book of interest. Then I went to random.org and used their Die Roller. I rolled one dice for each book, and the number on the die face won. That would be "4" for SJ and "2" for Jennifer Y.

Read more!

Congratulations BBAW Giveaway Winners

https://thereadingtub.blogspot.com/2008/09/congratulations-bbaw-giveaway-winners.html

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I will announce the Book Giveaway winners this afternoon. There is a family matter I need to attend to first.

Read more!

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https://thereadingtub.blogspot.com/2008/09/untitled.html

BBAW: Some Cool Finds

As I mentioned in a previous post, one of the things that intrigued me about Book Blogger Appreciation Week was the opportunity to learn more about the book blogosphere. I'm not much on entering contests, and I'm not as good about commenting as I should be, but I am a voracious reader. So for me, the success of this week has been finding some incredible blogs. Here's the complete list of participants ... probably worth a bookmark just for some casual viewing.

So here are some of my finds.

5 Minutes for Books True to it's name, you only need five minutes to catch the topic of the day. The blog sponsors a number of carnivals -- including Kid's Picks -- which I especially like.

Teen Book Reviews Having recently overheard a conversation about some YA books, I realized that despite having some YA reviewers in my Google Reader, I needed to expand the horizon. From our perspective, we like to know what the intended audience thinks, too, so this will be a nice complement to the collection in the reader.

Book Dads I love the idea of having a book blog for dads, I love the idea that they promote "books with positive representations of fatherhood," and I love the diversity of their review collection.

Semicolon Yes, I'm late to this party, too. I have seen Sherry's posts referenced in other blogs I read, and I've periodically clicked through. Now Semicolon is in my reader.

Unfortunately it means three previous finds will have to rotate out. I've instituted a new "virtual closet" rule for my Reader. When something new comes in, something old goes out. It's not ideal, but it's the only way to read blogs AND get work done, too.

Read more!

BBAW: Some Cool Finds

https://thereadingtub.blogspot.com/2008/09/bbaw-some-cool-finds.html

CYBILS, BBAW, and other Buzz

Can you feel the buzz? It is quite a busy morning in the blogosphere. But first, the important news ...

For weeks now, Kelly Herold and Anne Boles Levy have been assembling panels for the 2008 Cybils (the Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards). This morning, they opened the third annual Cybils award cycle by announcing the panelists for the award's newest category: Easy Readers. [Stop by they Cybils blog in the coming days to see the panelists for the other eight categories.]

This is my first opportunity to participate with the CYBILS, and I am thrilled to be a panelist for the Easy Reader category. Easy readers are such an important building block in helping children grow as readers. They are the first books kids read on their own, so it is critical that kids have engaging stories that grab their attention and make them forget they are learning to read. Meet the full committee.

Organizer: Anastasia Suen http://asuenbooks.wordpress.com/, http://asuen.wordpress.com/,
http://6traits.wordpress.com/, http://blogs.scholastic.com/kid_lit/

Nominating Committee:

Andi/Cloudscome, A Wrung Sponge
Sonja Cole, Book Wink
Susan Thomsen, Chicken Spaghetti
Terry Doherty, The Reading Tub
Kara Dean, Not Just for Kids

Judging Committee:

Jen Robinson, Jen Robinson's Book Page
Terry Pierce, Terry Pierce
Heather Acerro, ACPL Kids
Els Kushner, Librarian Mom/Scholastic
Anastasia Suen (see panel organizer)

The nomination process for all categories opens on October 1, 2008. If you've got some favorite books, be sure to nominate them. Or, to quote the official site: "If you don't have a favorite book or two, go find one. You won't want to miss this year's contest. " I can't wait!

In othernews ... today is Interview Day for Book Blogger Appreciation Week. I had the pleasure of chatting with John Mutford of Bookmineset. Read our interview here. John's conversation with me is on Bookmineset.

Be sure to stop by My Friend Amy's blog to check out all of the giveaways. As of this morning, there were 74 bloggers with giveaways. You can get the complete list here.

Read more!

CYBILS, BBAW, and other Buzz

https://thereadingtub.blogspot.com/2008/09/cybils-bbaw-and-other-buzz.html

An Interview with John Mutford

When I learned about Book Blogger Appreciation Week, I thought it was a great idea. There are so many wonderful book bloggers (and book blog readers if you take the time to read comments). So when Amy announced we could host interviews, I jumped at the chance. I love the idea of learning new things, and an interview is a great way to go behind the virtual scenes and learn more. So I would like to introduce ...

John Mutford. I met John through Bookmineset, but that is just one of five blogs he authors. You can find challenges throughout Blogistan, but the Canadian Book Challenge. has to be one of the more unique. I'll let John tell you the rest.

TRT: Until BBAW, I had not heard about the Canadian Book Challenge. I'd love to know more. Can those of us on the southern border participate, too?

Absolutely. In fact, about a third of the participants are not Canadian. Not only have Americans joined, but there are participants from South Korea, Wales, India, and more. As an admittedly very awkward slogan, I’ve been telling people that the goal of the challenge is to celebrate, promote and explore Canadian books. The non-Canadians typically begin as explorers, but very quickly become celebrators. While it began on July 1^st (Canada Day), people are still joining and as long as you think you can read 13 books before next Canada Day, it’s not too late to sign up!

TRT: Since you are hosting the challenge, you get to organize everyone's input. Have you discovered any themes/patterns in what adults are reading these days?

Generally, people stick to novels. While poetry, children’s literature and nonfiction all get representation, novels definitely dominate the lists. Books which make headlines from winning awards, appearing on radio programs, best-seller lists and the like are, not surprisingly, very popular here as well. That said, there are plenty of new and/or not well-known authors who have gotten great attention. It's hard to find a theme when there are so many eclectic tastes!

TRT: In compiling the lists, have any new books been added to your TBR pile? Is there anything specific about those titles that caught your attention?

An author named Steve Zipp donated copies of his book to almost every participant who requested one, me included. I haven’t gotten to mine yet but from all the positive reviews that were generated, I’m looking forward to that one. Plus, I just moved to Yellowknife, so a book set here would be very interesting. A few other authors have joined as well, and having that at my fingertips so to speak, makes me want to get to their books soon, too (in particular Corey Redekop’s , Kathleen Molloy’s and Cheryl Kaye Tardif’s The River. As well, Andrew Davidson’s Gargoyle has gotten a lot a good buzz from Challenge members and beyond, and I don’t want to be out of the loop!

TRT: Do you include the books you share with your kids in your challenge totals? If not, why not?

I haven’t this time around, but I’m only up to three books so far. The first time I ran the challenge, one of my thirteen books was a picture book called The Hockey Song written by Canadian troubadour Stompin’ Tom Connors and illustrated by Brenda Jones. Children’s literature is as valid a form as any, in my mind, and since there’s a lot of great children and young adult books coming out of Canada, I think it’s just as important to celebrate those. Not everyone includes such books in their totals, however, but I tell people to make up their own rules as far as reading choices go.

TRT: On your profile, you say you have more than 1 million books in your TBR pile. Is there a book in the pile that is calling your name and screaming "Me, next! Me, next!"

I have a bit of an anal little system that determines which book I’m reading next. I read a Canadian novel, followed by a non-Canadian novel, followed by a non-fiction book (from anywhere), followed by either a book from the Bible or a Shakespearean play. (Then it’s shampoo, lather and repeat.) During all this, I always have a book of poetry on the go. For the most part, I think it keeps me well rounded, but even then I find myself slipping in certain areas. I’m horrible at keeping up with new releases, for instance. Likewise, I’ve never read a graphic novel and Maus has been calling out for me.

TRT: Wow! That is an impressive system. Shakespeare … didn't like him in high school, loved him in college (English major – go figure). Of the plays you have read, are there any characters whose roles you'd like to perform on stage?

I have performed in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. It was a small, but fun role: First Murderer. I’d do another one for sure. Who? That’s a tough question. Maybe Coriolanus. It’s a very underrated play and he’s such a complex character. Or else Iago, from Othello. He’s just so deliciously evil, who wouldn’t have fun playing that guy?

TRT: How often would you say your kids "catch you reading"? Have you ever caught them reading/thumbing through books (i.e., trying to imitate you)?

I read a biography of Che Guevara claiming that books practically littered his childhood home. Guests would have to clear them out of the way to find a seat. While I don’t condone guerilla warfare, if the books played any part in Che’s identity, I’m afraid my kids will be heading to the jungles of Argentina pretty soon. We are always reading. My daughter was “imitating me” at about 3, and now at 5, she’s a full-fledged reader. I love that she even puts in appropriate intonations and does character voices. She’s often caught reading to her brother who just turned three, himself.

TRT: If you had to fill your children's library and could only have 10 books, what would they be?

Wow, tough call! To make it a little easier on me, I’m going to stick with picture books for this answer, acknowledging that there are loads of chapter books I couldn’t do without either. And I’ll also add the disclaimer that this list is tentative at best and in no particular order.

1. The Very Hungry Caterpillar- Eric Carle This one was a favourite of mine as a kid and of my daughter. Plus, as a teacher, there’s a gazillion ways to use this book in the classroom. My son is partial to Have You Seen My Cat? We’re huge Eric Carle fans.)

2. The Hockey Song- Stompin’ Tom Connors and Brenda Jones My son is obsessed with sports and the first books he ever showed an interest in were songs that were turned into books. This book was a no-brainer. He knows all the words. Not always in the right order, but that’s okay.

3. The Mummer Song- Bud Davidge and Ian Wallace As with #2, this is a song turned into a picture book, with wild, fun and sometimes scary illustrations by Ian Wallace. It’s a Newfoundland Christmas song and important to me to remember my heritage. My children love this so much, they want it read year round. After reading it, without fail, we have to play “mummers.” If you’re unfamiliar with Newfoundland mummering, I suggest you Google it. It’s dying out in popularity now, but was a huge part of our culture.

4. Wings- Christopher Myers My wife would never forgive me if I didn’t include this one, though the rest of us love it, too. The story of Ikarus Jackson, a boy who could fly, it’s about acceptance and has amazing collages totally capture the emotions within.

5. The Party- Barbara Reid This is the tale of a family reunion/ birthday party. The rhymes and repetition perfectly compliment the fun story and the children’s imaginations. Plus, it has those amazing plasticine pictures that made Reid a national treasure.

6. Get Out Of Bed- Robert Munsch and Alan and Lea Daniels I’m not a huge fan of Robert Munsch—don’t get me started on Love You Forever—but my kids love him. Plus he’s such a part of growing up in Canada, he’s probably overtaken Mr. Dressup in popularity. I’ve always found this one particularly fun to read aloud.

7. Joseph Had A Little Overcoat- Simms Taback This retelling of a Yiddish folksong was also done quite successfully by Phoebe Gilman in Something From Nothing, but it’s Taback’s illustrations that win out for me. Plus, I’ve always enjoyed reading this one aloud, to my students and my own kids. I have my own actions to go along with the text.

8. The Three Snow Bears- Jan Brett I’ve got to include a fairy tale and this Northern retelling is perfect my children, as they’ve lived in the North most of their lives. I love the care and detail Brett puts into all her illustrations.

9. An Extraordinary Egg- Leo Lionni It was tough to decide between Fish is Fish or this one, but the consistent joke of referring to the alligator as a chicken, makes us smile every time, so An Extraordinary Egg wins out.

10. Emma’s Eggs- Margaret Ruurs and Barbara Spurll It’s a simple tale about a chicken trying to please the farmer’s family, but it’s so cute and well told that it’s impossible not to love.

TRT: Thanks, John! I'll be stopping by to see how the Canadian Book Challenge goes ... and check out the Great Wednesday Compares, too.

Read more!

An Interview with John Mutford

https://thereadingtub.blogspot.com/2008/09/interview-with-john-mutford.html

BBAW: A READING TUB GIVEAWAY

I cannot live without books. ~ Thomas Jefferson

Our first book giveaway. Wahoo! If you're stopping by for the first time, welcome! Here in the Tub we're all about children's literacy. We look at reading as a family activity ... something we can do together. So, for our first book giveaway, we wanted to select items that centered on our guiding principles:

• Reading together promotes reading, encourages kids to be life-long readers, and creates memories for success.
  

• Reading is more than just memorizing letters or letter sequences. It is about understanding words and using them as a tool for life.

In the spirit of sharing a story, we have two, interactive books to give away. You can enter to win EITHER Cranium FunFolio or In the Beginning, Chuck Fischer's upcoming release.

Cranium FunFolio - Volume 1 by Cranium Books. This is a one-of-a-kind book that you create together. You have everything you need to draw, act, play, laugh, and write your own adventures. Themes in this volume encourage kids to "create a museum exhibit, design their own robot, and invent silly songs." (LB Kids, 2006)


In the Beginning by Chuck Fischer. This is Chuck Fischer's new pop-up book for the whole family. "An ingenious series of three-dimensional spreads with fold-outs and narrative booklets, In the Beginning shows how the timeless narratives of the Book of Genesis have inspired artists for thousands of years and continue to do so today."

To enter, leave a comment with a memory (preferably a favorite) of a time when you were sharing a story. It can be when you were a kid, it can be with one of your kids, it can be in school, it's up to you. Be sure to also specify which book your entry is for.

IMPORTANT NOTE: We ship only to the US and Canada.

Thanks to Hachette Books, USA, and LB Kids (Little, Brown and Company) for these donations.

Read more!

BBAW: A READING TUB GIVEAWAY

https://thereadingtub.blogspot.com/2008/09/bbaw-reading-tub-giveaway.html

Book Bloggers Appreciation Week: Giveaways

The Official BBAW Giveaway List

How cool is it that BBAW kicks off on my (18th) wedding anniversary?! There are lots of ways to follow along. First you can visit My Friend Amy and browse the skazillion goodies you can win. There are daily raffles at Amy's and giveaways at other blogs, too. Here is the complete list. Because so many items have been donated, we want to chime in on Amy's big "Thank You," so we included them here.

A HUGE thank you to Hachette Book Group, Penguin Group USA, Harlequin, The B&B Media Group, Shera of SNS Blog Design, WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group, Catherine Delors, Pamela Binnings Ewen, Andromeda Romano-Lax, Ceceilia Dowdy, Sormag, Book Club Girl, Savvy Verse and Wit, Cafe of Dreams, Fashionista Piranha, and Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin'?.

Daily Raffles:
Monday--Books and Chocolate sponsored by My Friend Amy and Hey Lady! Whatcha' Readin?
Tuesday--Books and Going Green sponsored by My Friend Amy
Wednesday--Books and Coffee sponsored by My Friend Amy
Thursday--Books and Charity sponsored by My Friend Amy and Fashionista Piranha
Friday--Books and Movies sponsored by My Friend Amy

Win a Book Club Girl Hostess Survival Kit!
Do you find it's your turn to host book club and not only do you not know what to serve but you don't know what books to offer up for the next month's selection?! Let Book Club Girl come to your rescue with the Book Club Girl Hostess Survival Kit.

One lucky winner of the kit will receive:

* A basket of cheese, crackers, cookies and wine for up to 12 people
* 5 great book group books to vote on for your group's next pick. And Book Club Girl will then donate 12 copies whichever book is chosen for your entire group to read.
* 12 Book Club Girl mousepads to give out as party favors that night
* 12 Book Club Girl bookmarks to mark everyone's favorite passages
* 12 Book Club Girl coasters to protect your coffee table from all those wine glasses!

TWO SORMAG Goody Bags containing books and more!


A Special Pamper Me Basket from Cafe of Dreams!
From Avon Foot Works
~ Inflatable watermelon shaped foot tub
~ 3.4 FL oz Watermelon Cooling Foot Lotion
~ 3.4 FL oz Watermelon Exfoliating Foot Scrub
~ 12 count Watermelon Effervescent Foot Tablets
~ An ARC of So Long At The Fair by Christina Schwarz
~ A variety of Hot Chocolate and Tea mixes

A pre-made blog template from SNSDesign!

A Subscription to Poetry Magazine from Savvy Verse and Wit!

BOOKS
Mistress of the Revolution by Catherine Delors
The Moon in the Mango Tree by Pamela Binnings Ewen
The Spanish Bow by Andromeda Romano-Lax
John's Quest by Cecelia Dowdy
Confessions of a Contractor by Richard Murphy
Acedia & Me by Kathleen Norris
The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell
The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks
The Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer
Supreme Courtship by Christopher Buckley
A Tale Out of Luck by Willie Nelson with Mike Blakely
The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent
When Will There Be Good News by Kate Atkinson
An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination by Elizabeth McCracken
Exit Music by Ian Rankin
The Smart One and the Pretty One by Claire LaZebnik
Gunmetal Black by Daniel Serrano
Isolation by Travis Thrasher
The Miracle Girls by Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt
Every Freaking! Day With Rachell Ray by Elizabeth Hilts
Dewey by Vicki Myron
The Shiniest Jewel by Marian Henley
Keep the Faith by Faith Evans
The Book of Calamities by Peter Trachtenberg
A is for Atticus by Lorilee Craker
After the Fire by Robin Gaby Fisher
Mike's Election Guide by Michael Moore
War as They Knew It by Michael Rosenberg
Fixing Hell By Col. (ret.) Larry C. James
Wild Boy: My Life with Duran Duran by Andy Taylor
The Last Under-Cover: The True Story of an FBI Agent's Dangerous Dance with Evil By Bob Hamer
Border Lass by Amanda Scott
Insatiable Desire by Rita Heron
Hungry for More by Diana Holquist
Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee
Trespassers Will Be Baptized by Elizabeth Emerson Hancock
He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not by Trish Ryan
Never Surrender by General Jerry Boykin
Dream in Color by Congresswoman Linda Sánchez, Congresswoman Loretta Sánchez
Beyond Belief by Josh Hamilton
Cobain Unseen by Charles R. Cross
Doing Business in 21st Century India by Gunjan Bagla
Branding Only Works on Cattle by Jonathan Salem Baskin
Launching a Leadership Revolution by Chris Brady, Orrin Woodward
How to Hear from God by Joyce Meyer
Knowing Right from Wrong by Thomas D. Williams
Pope John Paul II: An Intimate Life by Caroline Pigozzi
Pure by Rebecca St. James
He Loves Me! by Wayne Jacobson
So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore by Wayne Jacobson and Dave Coleman
Move On, Move Up by Paula White
The Rosary by Gary Jansen
Shoot the Moon by Billie Letts
The Choice by Nicholas Sparks
Right Livelihoods by Rick Moody
by George by Wesley Stace
The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold
Trunk Music by Michael Connelly
Hollywood Crows by Joseph Wambaugh
Dead Boys by Richard Lange
The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters by Lorraine Lopez
Sisterchicks Go Brit! by Robin Jones Gunn
Beyond the Night by Marlo Schalesky
With Endless Sight by Allison Pittman
Harlequin Titles: To Be Announced

Many other blogs are giving away books and prizes for BBAW as well! You can see the links to all of these giveaways here.

Interested in gaining entries into the daily raffles? Post this complete list on your blog with links and you'll earn two extra entries!

Read more!

Book Bloggers Appreciation Week: Giveaways

https://thereadingtub.blogspot.com/2008/09/book-bloggers-appreciation-week.html

Book Bloggers Appreciation Week and Weekly Geeks

"Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world.
For indeed, that's all who ever have."

~ Margaret Mead

To this point, I've always entered the Weekly Geeks Challenge via TubTalk, my ExDir blog. Weekly Geek Challenge #17 is to post a quote each day for a week. Here are the guidelines:

You may want to come up with a theme, such as favorite passages from books, author quotes, political quotes, quotes about books or reading, humorous quotes, whatever. Or you may not want a theme at all; maybe you just want to gather up seven assorted quotes that appeal to you. You may want to start each of your posts of the week with a quote, or you may want to give quotes posts of their own in addition to your regular posts. It’s all up to you!

With Book Blogger Appreciation Week kicking off tomorrow ... and all the excitement it has generated, it seemed only appropriate to start my Challenge with this wonderful quote. For indeed, the book blogging community IS changing the world.

Read more!

Book Bloggers Appreciation Week and Weekly Geeks

https://thereadingtub.blogspot.com/2008/09/book-bloggers-appreciation-week-and.html