Awful Library Books

After recently doing inventory in our middle school library (and weeding out some really awful library books), I learned about the Awful Library Book blog. The blog creators, Mary Kelly and Holly Hibner, regularly post about awful library books found on local shelves. If you need a little chuckle to your day, check this blog out (the photo on the left is just one example). If you're interested in a discussion about why libraries weed out books, check out the page WHY WE WEED. We're not talking about weeding out classic books but rather the kind that makes you cough and sneeze when you open them. After reading through some of the comments there seems to be some debate as to whether or not books should be weeded out or kept for historical value. If you're interested, here's an article about weeding library books.

2010 Audio Book Challenge

Since I received a brand new purple Ipod this Christmas, I decided to join the Audio Book Challenge. This challenge is being hosted at the Royal Reviews. I've been enjoying listening to audio books on the Ipod while doing housework and driving in the car.

Here are the guidelines...

Challenge Guidelines:
1. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate.
--Non-Bloggers: Include your information in the comment section.

2. There are four levels:

-- Curious – Listen to 3 Audio Books.

-- Fascinated – Listen to 6 Audio Books.

-- Addicted – Listen to 12 Audio Books.

-- Obsessed – Listen to 20 Audio Books.

3. Audio books only.

4. You can list your books in advance or just put them in a wrap up post. If you list them, feel free to change them as the mood takes you.

5. Challenge begins January 1st thru December, 2010. Only books started on January 1st count towards this challenge.

6. When you sign up under Mr. Linky, put the direct link to the post about the Audio Book Reading Challenge. Include the URL so that other participants can find join in and read your reviews and post.

I'm going to shoot for Addicted-12 books


1. Impossible by Nancy Werlin
2. Testimony by Anita Shreve
3. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
4. The BoneMan's Daughters by Ted Dekker
5. UR by Stephen King
6. Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy
7. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
8. If I Stay by Gayle Forman
9. The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf
10. Going Bovine by Libba Bray
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2010 Library Reading Challenge

I'm joining a new reading challenge and this one should be an easy one for me since almost all of my books come from a library. I use the Rolling Prairie Library System and encourage my students to use it too. It's a great resource as most books can be found on it. Every now and then I am unable to find a copy of the book I'm looking for and then I "break down" and actually purchase a book. This reading challenge is hosted at J. Kaye's Book Blog. I'm going to pick the Just My Size- check out 50 library books.

1. Rescuing Sprite by Mark R. Levin
2. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
3. The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo
4. Testimony by Anita Shreve
5. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
6. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
7. Surviving Hitler by Andrea Warren
8. Little Bee by Chris Cleave
9. The Things That Keep Us Here by Carla Buckley
10. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
11. Surviving the Angel of Death: The Story of a Mengele Twin in Auschwitz by Eva Kor
12. Husband and Wife by Leah Stewart
13. House Rules: A Memoir by Rachel Sontag
14. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
15. Going Bovine by Libba Bray
16. Between Here and April by Deborah Kogan
17. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
18. Lessons From a Dead Girl Jo Knowles
19. Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
20. Pop by Gordon Korman
21. Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
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2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge

The 2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge, hosted by J.Kaye, is all about exploring young adult novels. Here are the guidelines:

• Anyone can join. You don’t need a blog to participate. –Non-Bloggers: Post your list of books in the comment section of the wrap-up post. To learn how to sign up without having a blog, click here.
• There are four levels:
• The Mini YA Reading Challenge – Read 12 Young Adult novels.
• Just My Size YA Reading Challenge – Read 25 Young Adult novels.
• Stepping It Up YA Reading Challenge – Read 50 Young Adult novels.
• Super Size Me YA Reading Challenge – Read 75 Young Adult novels.
• Audio, eBooks, paper all count.
• No need to list your books in advance. You may select books as you go. Even if you list them now, you can change the list if needed.
• Challenge begins January 1st thru December, 2010.
• When you sign up under Mr. Linky, put the direct link to your post where your Young Adult novels will be listed. Include the URL so that other viewers can find this fun challenge. If you’d prefer to put your list in the sidebar of your blog, please leave your viewers the link to the sign up page. Again, so viewers can join the challenge too.

Sign up is at J. Kaye’s Book Blog! My list will be below — I’m choosing the Mini YA Reading Challenge option:

1. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
2. Impossible by Nancy Werlin
3. The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo
4. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
5. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
6. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
7. Surviving Hitler by Andrea Warren
8. Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy
9. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
10. Surviving the Angel of Death: The story of a Mengele Twin in Auschwitz by Eva Mozes Kor
11. Dirty Little Secrets by C.J. Omololu
12. Going Bovine by Libba Bray
13. Crossing by Andrew Xia Fukuda
14. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
15. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
16. You by Charles Benoit
17. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
18. Lessons From a Dead Girl by Jo Knowles
19. Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
20. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
21. Paper Towns by John Green
22. Three Little Words by Ashley Rhodes-Couter
23. Protecting Marie by Kevin Henkes
24. After by Amy Efaw
25. Pop by Gordon Korman
26. Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

E-Book Reading Challenge

For my birthday I purchased a Kindle! I love, love, love it! Probably my favorite perk of owning one is that I can download samples (free) of books I'm interested in and then decide whether to purchase the Kindle edition (for the right price) or request it from my local library. There are several free books offered on a regular basis and I subscribe to the blog, Free Kindle Books Plus a Few Other Tips, to keep updated. Subscribing to blogs on my Kindle is pretty cool too! With that said...I've joined another book challenge:

Challenge Guidelines:
1. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate.
--Non-Bloggers: Include your information in the comment section.

2. There are four levels:

-- Curious – Read 3 E-Books.

-- Fascinated – Read 6 E-Books.

-- Addicted – Read 12 E-Books.

-- Obsessed – Read 20 E-Books.

3. Any genre counts.

4. You can list your books in advance or just put them in a wrap up post. If you list them, feel free to change them as the mood takes you.

5. Challenge begins January 1st thru December, 2010.

6. When you sign up under Mr. Linky, put the direct link to the post about the E-Book Reading Challenge. Include the URL so that other participants can find join in and read your reviews and post.

I chose-Obsessed- Read 20 E-Books

1. Pieces of Happily Ever After by Irene Zutell
2. Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
3. Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things by Randy Frost and Gail Steketee
4. The Passage by Justin Cronin
5. Crossing by Andrew Xia Fukuda
6. The Particular Sadness of  Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
7. Still Missing by Chevy Stevens
8. You by Charles Benoit
9. The Reapers Are the Angels by Alden Bell
10. Room by Emma Donoghue
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I Wanna be a Book Blogger

Due to a lack of funding, the school district I work for was forced to make various cuts to staff. My current position as a middle school library clerk will be held by another staff member and I will be relocated to a new position. I loved my job in the library ( for 2 years) and during that time I've developed a love for young adult fiction. I've started this blog in order to continue sharing my love of books with others and to make new friends in the book blogging community. I discovered a great post about starting out as a book blogger at The Book Case. Be sure to check it out!