AJ Arndt Books Blog

It looks as if Spring has finally sprung!

2014-05-10T12:10:00.000-05:00

After such a long and brutal winter, watching the spring flowers bloom is all the more sweet.

On Thursday, this little guy appeared to be mustering all of his strength to bloom.

Well he did it! Look at him standing so regal on Friday.

This is today. It won't be long now, before this garden is a sea of tulip loveliness.

Have a great weekend,
Angela

2014 Children's Choice Book Award Author of the Year Finalists

2014-05-08T16:49:00.001-05:00

Launched in 2008 by the Children's Book Council and Every Child a Reader, The Children's and Teen Choice Book Awards program was created to provide young readers with an opportunity to voice their opinions about the books being written for them and to help develop a reading list that will motivate children to cultivate a love of reading.

2014 Author of the Year Finalists

Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck (Amulet)

Greg Heffley's on a losing streak. His best friend, Rowley Jefferson, has ditched him, and finding new friends in middle school is proving to be a tough task. To change his fortunes, Greg decides to take a leap of faith and turn his decisions over to chance. Will a roll of the dice turn things around, or is Greg's life destined to be just another hard-luck story?

Rick Riordan, The House of Hades (Heroes of Olympus, Book 4) (Disney/Hyperion)

At the conclusion of The Mark of Athena, Annabeth and Percy tumble into a pit leading straight to the Underworld. The other five demigods have to put aside their grief and follow Percy's instructions to find the mortal side of the Doors of Death. If they can fight their way through the Gaea's forces, and Percy and Annabeth can survive the House of Hades, then the Seven will be able to seal the Doors from both sides and prevent the giants from raising Gaea. But, Leo wonders, if the Doors are sealed, how will Percy and Annabeth be able to escape?

Veronica Roth, Allegiant (Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins)

What if your whole world was a lie? What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything? What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected? The explosive conclusion to Veronica Roth's #1 New York Times bestselling Divergent trilogy reveals the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

Rush Limbaugh, Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims: Time-Travel Adventures with Exceptional Americans (Threshold/SandS)

MEET RUSH LIMBAUGH’S REALLY GOOD PAL, RUSH REVERE!

Okay, okay, my name’s really Rusty—but my friends call me Rush. Rush Revere. Because I’ve always been the #1 fan of the coolest colonial dude ever, Paul Revere. Talk about a rock star—this guy wanted to protect young America so badly, he rode through those bumpy, cobblestone-y streets shouting “the British are coming!” On a horse. Top of his lungs. Wind blowing, rain streaming. . . .

Well, you get the picture. But what if you could get the real picture—by actually going back in time and seeing with your own eyes how our great country came to be? Meeting the people who made it all happen—people like you and me?

Hold on to your pointy triangle hats, because you can—with me, Rush Revere, seemingly ordinary substitute history teacher, as your tour guide across time! “How?” you ask? Well, there’s this portal. And a horse. My talking horse named Liberty. And—well, just trust me, I’ll get us there.

We’ll begin by joining a shipload of brave families journeying on the Mayflower in 1620. Yawn? I don’t think so. 1620 was a pretty awesome time, and you’ll experience exactly what they did on that rough, dangerous ocean crossing. Together, we’ll ask the pilgrims all our questions, find out how they live, join them at the first Thanksgiving, and much more.

So saddle up and let’s ride! Our exceptional nation is waiting to be discovered all over again by exceptional young patriots—like you!

Rachel Renee Russell, Dork Diaries 6: Tales from a Not-So-Happy Heartbreaker (Aladdin/SandS)

Love—and crushes—are in the air for Nikki Maxwell in this sixth book of the New York Times bestselling Dork Diaries series.

It’s the biggest dance of the year and Nikki Maxwell is hoping her crush, Brandon, wants to be her date. But time is running out. What if he doesn’t want to go with her? Or worse—what if he ends up going with Mackenzie?!!

In the sixth book in the blockbuster Dork Diaries series—now with more than 8 million copies in print—join Nikki, Chloe and Zoey as they tackle the topic of love, Dork Diaries style!

Voting is still open through May 12th.

Winners will be announced at the 7th Annual Children's Book Week Gala. This year's Gala is hosted by National Ambassador for Young People's Literature and Newbery Medal Winner, Kate DiCamillo.

My heartfelt congratulations go out to all of the finalists!

Angela

2014 Children's Choice Book Award Illustrator of the Year Finalists

2014-05-08T14:52:00.000-05:00

Launched in 2008 by the Children's Book Council and Every Child a Reader, The Children's and Teen Choice Book Awards program was created to provide young readers with an opportunity to voice their opinions about the books being written for them and to help develop a reading list that will motivate children to cultivate a love of reading.

2014 Illustrator of the Year Finalists

Oliver Jeffers, The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt (Philomel)

Poor Duncan just wants to color. But when he opens his box of crayons, he finds only letters, all saying the same thing: His crayons have had enough! They quit! Beige Crayon is tired of playing second fiddle to Brown Crayon. Black wants to be used for more than just outlining. Blue needs a break from coloring all those bodies of water. And Orange and Yellow are no longer speaking—each believes he is the true color of the sun.

What can Duncan possibly do to appease all of the crayons and get them back to doing what they do best?
Kids will be imagining their own humorous conversations with crayons and coloring a blue streak after sharing laughs with Drew Daywalt and New York Times bestseller Oliver Jeffers. This story is perfect as a back-to-school gift, for all budding artists, for fans of humorous books such as Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Sciezka and Lane Smith, and for fans of Oliver Jeffers' Stuck, The Incredible Book Eating Boy, Lost and Found, and This Moose Belongs to Me.

Victoria Kann, Emeraldalicious (HarperCollins)

When Pinkalicious and Peter decide to visit their favorite park, they find that it's no longer their favorite place—the park is now filled with stinky trash! Pinkalicious has an idea and makes an extra-special wand out of a stick and some flowers. Now whenever Pinkalicious makes a wish, adds a little love, and recites a pinkatastic rhyme, something amazing happens: Everything turns greenerrific!

Join Pinkalicious as she turns an ordinary place into an Emeraldalicious world! Kids will love this colorful picture book with a message about doing our part to keep our world clean and beautiful.

Supports the Common Core Learning Standards

James Dean, Pete the Cat: The Wheels on the Bus (HarperCollins)

#1 New York Times bestselling artist James Dean makes Pete the Cat groovier than ever in this cool adaptation of "The Wheels on the Bus." Join Pete as he rides on the bus to school with his friends and hears all the different sounds a bus makes as it drives. Fans of Pete the Cat will sing along with Pete in this rendition of a classic favorite children's song.

Anna Dewdney, Llama Llama and the Bully Goat (Viking)

Llama Llama likes to sing.

Gilroy laughs at everything.

Llama sings out just the same.

Gilroy says a not-nice name.

Teacher has some things to say:

calling names is not OK.

Llama Llama is learning lots of new things at school and making many friends. But when Gilroy Goat starts teasing him and some of their classmates, Llama Llama isn't sure what to do. And then he remembers what his teacher told him—walk away and tell someone. It works! But then Llama Llama feels badly. Can he and Gilroy try to be friends again?

Taking on a difficult but important part of children's lives, Anna Dewdney gives readers a way to experience and discuss bullying in a safe and comforting way.

Grace Lee, Sofia the First: The Floating Palace by Catherine Hapka (Disney Press)

Sofia meets Princess Ariel in this adorable mermaid tale!
During her family vacation on a floating palace, Sofia befriends a mermaid, and through their friendship, helps save the mermaid's kingdom and brings their two worlds together.

Counting down to The Fault in Our Stars movie premiere

2014-05-05T16:32:00.000-05:00

It's barely over a month until The Fault in Our Stars premieres on the big screen! The film, slated for release on June 6th, is based on the phenomenal young adult novel of the same name by John Green. Since its release in January of 2012 it has enjoyed a coveted spot on the New York Times best seller list for an astounding 119 consecutive weeks, 46 of them at #1.

The story is narrated by a sixteen-year-old cancer patient named Hazel (played by Shailene Woodley), who is forced by her parents to attend a support group, where she subsequently meets and falls in love with the seventeen-year-old Augustus Waters (played by Ansel Elgort), an ex-basketball player and amputee.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning-author John Green’s most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.

Have you seen the trailer? Oh. My. Gosh. Here it is in case you haven't.

The film's soundtrack is pretty great as well and will be released May 19th, but is available for pre-order now.

I found a Spotify playlist from the soundtrack that I've embedded below for your listening pleasure. It doesn't include all 16 tracks, but it's a fantastic start.

If you aren't logged into your Spotify account, you'll be prompted to do so. If you don't yet have an account, you'll be sent to a sign-up page in a new window. It's free.

Have a terrific week, and I'll talk to you soon.
Angela

Library classification de-mystified [infographic]

2014-05-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

There are two types of library classifications, the Dewey Decimal and the Library of Congress. According to an article on the University of Mississippi website, Whether LC or Dewey is used in a library is based on the size of the collection. Dewey is divided into 10 classes, making it better suited for libraries with smaller collections, such as school or public libraries. LC has 21 classes, which allows for more call numbers needed for the greater number of books owned by larger academic libraries.

Intrigued by the history of these two classifications? I was, and found this pretty great article from The Straight Dope.

And now, finally, thanks to newhousemaps the creator of this infographic, the numbers make SENSE!

by newhousemaps.
Explore more visuals like this one on the web's largest information design community - Visually.

Happy reading,
Angela

Free in May! Accounting for Taste: the triumph of French cuisine by Priscilla Parkhurst Ferguson

2014-05-01T15:27:00.000-05:00

The University of Chicago Press is offering the e-book, Accounting for Taste: The Triumph of French Cuisine by Priscilla Parkhurst Ferguson, for free during the month of May.

French cuisine is such a staple in our understanding of fine food that we forget the accidents of history that led to its creation. Accounting for Taste brings these "accidents" to the surface, illuminating the magic of French cuisine and the mystery behind its historical development. Priscilla Parkhurst Ferguson explains how the food of France became French cuisine.

This momentous culinary journey begins with Ancien Régime cookbooks and ends with twenty-first-century cooking programs. It takes us from Carême, the "inventor" of modern French cuisine in the early nineteenth century, to top chefs today, such as Daniel Boulud and Jacques Pépin. Not a history of French cuisine, Accounting for Taste focuses on the people, places, and institutions that have made this cuisine what it is today: a privileged vehicle for national identity, a model of cultural ascendancy, and a pivotal site where practice and performance intersect. With sources as various as the novels of Balzac and Proust, interviews with contemporary chefs such as David Bouley and Charlie Trotter, and the film Babette's Feast, Ferguson maps the cultural field that structures culinary affairs in France and then exports its crucial ingredients. What's more, well beyond food, the intricate connections between cuisine and country, between local practice and national identity, illuminate the concept of culture itself.

Get your copy here.

Happy reading,
Angela

He is Risen, Indeed!

2014-04-20T13:24:00.004-05:00

Review and Giveaway: How to Knock a Bravebird from Her Perch by D. Bryant Simmons

2014-03-06T13:45:00.000-06:00

Source: D.Bryant Simmons

In this first book in The Morrow Girls series, D. Bryant Simmons sparks a dialogue about domestic violence.

In How to Knock a Bravebird from Her Perch we're introduced to Belinda who's being raised by her single-parent father in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Most folks call her Pecan, on account her Daddy loved pecan pie almost as much as he loved her. Life is good.

All is well in with their world. That is, until a handsome stranger moseys into town and takes a shine to Pecan. Dad, of course, doesn't trust Ricky Morrow as far as he could throw him. And then...(bum, bum, buuuum). Dad dies suddenly of a heart attack.

Still reeling in grief Ricky convinces Pecan that they should be married and he'll take care of her. The new family of two picks up and moves to Chicago so Ricky can be the boxing champion he dreams of being. Once in Chicago, the babies start coming and the abuse begins.

So begins Pecan's journey into the depths of her hell.

Ms. Simmons has done a brilliant job of crafting a story that will stick with you for a long time. She takes her time in describing the characters so that they are so vivid in your mind, when you look up, you expect to see them standing there. The emotion...turmoil, pain, and rage can be felt deep, deep into your soul. Pecan fiercely attempts to protect her children emotionally and psychologically from the atrocities that they witness at the hands of their father. You can feel all of that.

And now for the giveaway. The publisher has graciously provided, for one lucky winner, your choice of a physical copy or ebook. I'll keep it simple to enter, just leave a comment with your email address, and a random winner will be chosen and notified Saturday, March 8th after 2:00 pm CST. Easy peasy. Open to US residents.

Although a work of fiction, this is autobiographical for too many. The shame of the victims. The constant living in fear. Survival mode.

Some staggering statistics and factoids from The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Safe Horizon

Domestic Violence is the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behavior perpetrated by an intimate partner against another.

Source: NCADV

An estimated 1.3 million women are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner each year
Children who witness violence between one's parents or caretakers is the strongest risk factor of transmitting violent behavior from one generation to the next. Boys are twice as likely to abuse their own partners and children when they become adults, perpetuating the cycle of abuse to the next generation. Girls are more vulnerable to abuse as teens and adults.

Most domestic violence are never reported - help change the facts. Speak up, speak out, and make a difference for victims of domestic violence.

If you need help:

The National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
The National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673
The National Teen Dating Abuse Hotline: 1-866-331-9474

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Popular Authors I've Never Read

2014-03-04T14:50:00.000-06:00


Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

This week's prompt from the lovelies over at The Broke and the Bookish asks us to bare our souls ~~and be shamed~~ and list ten popular authors we have not read. Please don't judge me.

1. John Green
2. Khaled Hosseini
3. Suzanne Collins
4. Sarah Dessen
5. Rainbow Rowell
6. Stephenie Meyer
7. JK Rowling
8. Veronica Roth
9. Neil Gaiman
10. E.L. James - I have no intention of reading the Fifty Shades trilogy.

Wow, that was oddly cathartic. Try it. Get it off your chest. What are some popular authors you haven't read? Whisper it in the comments. I won't tell anyone. It will be our secret. Pinky-swear.

Talk to you soon, and thanks so much for stopping by,
Angela

Angelina Jolie, Louis Zamperini interview with Tom Brokaw

2014-02-25T15:28:00.000-06:00

It seems like only yesterday Angelina Jolie was in talks to direct the film adaptation of Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. The talks, which she tells Tom Brokaw in an interview for the Today Show, included her "pitching her butt off" with a homemade poster board presentation.

Hillenbrand's book chronicles the story of 1936 Olympic distance runner Louis Zamperini's experience as a prisoner of war during WWII. While sitting next to the now 97-year-old, you can feel the love and reverence Jolie has for him.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

"The resilience of the human spirit is an extraordinary thing." ~ Angelina Jolie Share on Twitter

The film is scheduled to hit theaters on December 25th.

I'm still wondering how well Jolie will do in her direction of this adaptation? Do you think she'll stay true to the book? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Talk to you soon,
Angela

2014 Reading Challenges

2014-02-22T15:53:00.001-06:00

These are the same challenges I participated in last year. They were so much fun, that I decided to do them again.

0/50 books

The goal of this challenge hosted by Book Journey is to try to read a book set in each of the 50 states of the US between January 1, 2014 - December 31, 2014. Sounds fun, right?

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

0/13 books

For the Foodies Read Challenge I hope to finish at the Sous-Chef level which is 9-13 books read between January 1, 2014 - December 31, 2014. A food book is a book which is centered around food and/or drinks. It can be a cookbook, a food biography or memoir, a nonfiction book focused around a specific food, wine, chef or restaurant. Also allowed is fiction in which food plays a major role.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.

Check out A Novel Challenge, it is the most comprehensive list of challenges available I've ever seen. And I need to send out a very heartfelt thank you to The Book Vixen for the very easy-to-follow tutorial on coding the reading challenge progress bars.

Do you have any personal reading challenges this year? I'd love to hear about them.

Happy reading,
Angela

Cozy Kindle Freebies for Valentine's Day

2014-02-14T17:58:00.000-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day! If you're looking for a fun time-suck, do a Google image search for vintage Valentines. Some of them are pretty darn cute.

Big plans for tonight? Me either. Here are some Kindle freebie short stories to cozy up with this evening. I'm not sure how long they're free, so make sure it still says $0.00 when you check out.

Be Mine by Kris Calvert

Every year, millions of people wait for love to find them. The glue that holds our loosely strung and sometimes battered souls together, many believe that love will miraculously show up on their doorstep. But destiny isn’t a matter of chance – it’s a matter of choice. As Valentine’s Day approaches, follow the three intertwined love stories of six hopeful souls who will choose their destiny in love and let their hearts fall where they may. Saying, “I love you,” or “be mine,” is never easy. But if you want something you’ve never had, you’ve got to do something you’ve never done.

The Army Doctor's Valentine's Baby by Helen Scott Taylor

The chemistry between Captain Naomi Gray and her commanding officer, Colonel Duncan Mackenzie, sizzles, but her past means she has no use for relationships or family, and he won't date women under his command. During a week at Duncan's Scottish castle, caring for a tiny newborn baby, they fight their attraction. Can an abandoned newborn who needs a mother and father bring them together?

Duping Cupid by Gina Ardito

Because sometimes, even Cupid needs a little help... Vivi Maxwell runs Cupid To Go, a unique dating service in New York. When wealthy client and former model, Ava Featherstone, seeks an escort for the winter season in Manhattan society, she sets her sights on Vivi's best friend, Sebastian “Bass” Lawrence. Vivi and Bass have both been burned in their love lives and have never considered their relationship more than platonic. But Ava’s sudden intrusion makes Bass realize he’s in love with his best friend, Vivi. Now, with Ava’s help, he’ll try to dupe Vivi into seeing that the man she’s been waiting for has stood beside her all along.

Hearts on Fire Bree Roberts

Jessica O'Malley fights fires and saves lives when she's not nursing her broken heart. Now her ex-boyfriend, Cort Cavanaugh, has returned after leaving her on Valentine's Day one year ago, and he wants her back. Should Jess fight the fire burning in her heart? Is it too late for her old flame? This Valentine's Day short romance is 11,000 words, a perfect short read to squeeze into your day.

Amish Valentine by Kristina Ludwig

Brand new Amish Teen Romance

The stunning conclusion of the best selling Amish Hearts Series Sixteen year-old Mercy has finally discovered true love—with Samuel, the handsomest, smartest Amish boy she knows. The only problem: Samuel hasn't even looked her way since he caught her kissing an Englischer last fall. And worse yet, he's courting another girl, the sugary-sweet Miriam. To top it all off, Mercy is having difficulty coping with life without her twin sister Rebekah, who has just started college in the city. Mercy visits Rebekah and tries to forget Samuel by mingling with cute Englischers, but it's no use—she just can't get over him. Mercy figures out a way that Rebekah can help her to get Samuel back, just in time for the Valentine's Day sled-riding party. Everything will be wunderbar—if only the girls can get Samuel to cooperate! Will Mercy's plan work? Will Samuel be her Amish Valentine this year?

Talk to you soon,

Angela

Top Ten Tuesday: ten debut fiction titles to look forward to in 2014

2014-01-14T23:48:00.001-06:00


Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

2014 is already serving up a bevy of titles to satiate every literary appetite. I'm currently reading The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd, the celebrated author of The Secret Life of Bees, and am loving it. Alongside already established artists of the written word with new titles being released this year, we can also look forward to a number of breakout titles by debut authors. I, for one, could not be more excited!

Here are ten, in order of release date, that sound like pretty darn great reads:

Tony Hogan Bought Me an Ice-Cream Float Before He Stole My Ma: A Novel by Kerry Hudson
genre: Literary Fiction
release date: 1/28/14

Reminiscent of early Roddy Doyle, Tony Hogan Bought Me an Ice-Cream Float Before He Stole My Ma begins with our singular heroine’s less- than-idyllic birth and quickly moves to a spectacular fight that lands Janie and her mother in a local women’s shelter. From there it’s on to a dodgy council flat and a succession of unsuitable men, including the hard-drinking, drug-dealing, ice cream-buying Tony Hogan. Kerry Hudson’s arrestingly original debut will enthrall readers with Janie’s tragicomic and moving story about coming of age in a nontraditonal family amid the absurdities of the 1980s and Thatcherite Britain.

Kerry Hudson was born in Aberdeen, Scotland. Growing up in a succession of council estates provided her with a keen eye for idiosyncratic behaviors, and plenty of material for this, her first novel. She lives and writes in London.

Shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award and the Saltire Scottish First Book of the Year
For readers of The Death of Bees and Salvage the Bones, with potential for YA crossover
Visit kerryhudson.co.uk and follow @kerryswindow on Twitter

Queen Sugar: A Novel by Natalie Baszile
genre: Women's Fiction
release date: 2/6/14

A mother-daughter story of reinvention—about an African American woman who unexpectedly inherits a sugarcane farm in Louisiana

Why exactly Charley Bordelon’s late father left her eight hundred sprawling acres of sugarcane land in rural Louisiana is as mysterious as it was generous. Recognizing this as a chance to start over, Charley and her eleven-year-old daughter, Micah, say good-bye to Los Angeles.

They arrive just in time for growing season but no amount of planning can prepare Charley for a Louisiana that’s mired in the past: as her judgmental but big-hearted grandmother tells her, cane farming is always going to be a white man’s business. As the sweltering summer unfolds, Charley must balance the overwhelming challenges of her farm with the demands of a homesick daughter, a bitter and troubled brother, and the startling desires of her own heart.

Penguin has a rich tradition of publishing strong Southern debut fiction—from Sue Monk Kidd to Kathryn Stockett to Beth Hoffman. In Queen Sugar, we now have a debut from the African American point of view. Stirring in its storytelling of one woman against the odds and initimate in its exploration of the complexities of contemporary southern life, Queen Sugar is an unforgettable tale of endurance and hope.

The Wives of Los Alamos: A Novel by TaraShea Nesbit
genre: literary fiction
release date: 2/25/14

A bold and emotionally charged debut novel told in the collective voices of the wives of the men who created the atom bomb.

Their average age was twenty-five. They came from Berkeley, Cambridge, Paris, London, Chicago--and arrived in New Mexico ready for adventure, or at least resigned to it. But hope quickly turned to hardship as they were forced to adapt to a rugged military town where everything was a secret, including what their husbands were doing at the lab. They lived in barely finished houses with a P.O. Box for an address in a town wreathed with barbed wire, all for the benefit of a project that didn’t exist as far as the public knew. Though they were strangers, they joined together--adapting to a landscape as fierce as it was absorbing, full of the banalities of everyday life and the drama of scientific discovery.

And while the bomb was being invented, babies were born, friendships were forged, children grew up, and Los Alamos gradually transformed from an abandoned school on a hill into a real community. One that was strained by the words they couldn’t say out loud, the letters they couldn’t send home, the freedom they didn’t have. But the end of the war would bring even bigger challenges to the people of Los Alamos, as the scientists and their families struggled with the burden of their contribution to the most destructive force in the history of mankind.

THE WIVES OF LOS ALAMOS is a window into one of the strangest and most monumental research projects in modern history, and a testament to a remarkable group of women who carved out a life for themselves, in spite of the chaos of the war and the shroud of intense secrecy.

TaraShea Nesbit’s writing has been featured in the Iowa Review, Quarterly West, Hayden’s Ferry Review, and other literary journals. She teaches creative writing and literature courses at the University of Denver and the University of Washington in Tacoma. A graduate of the M.F.A. program at Washington University in St. Louis, she is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in creative writing at the University of Denver. She lives in Boulder, Colorado.

Shotgun Lovesongs: A Novel by Nickolas Butler
genre: literary fiction
release date: 3/11/14

Welcome to Little Wing.

It’s a place like hundreds of others, nothing special, really. But for four friends—all born and raised in this small Wisconsin town—it is home. And now they are men, coming into their own, or struggling to do so.

One of them never left, still working the family farm that has been tilled for generations. But others felt the need to move on, with varying degrees of success. One trades commodities, another took to the rodeo circuit, and one of them even hit it big as a rock star. And then there’s Beth, a woman who has meant something special in each of their lives.

Now all four are brought together for a wedding. Little Wing seems even smaller than before. While lifelong bonds are still strong, there are stresses—between the friends, between husbands and wives. There will be heartbreak, but there will also be hope, healing, even heroism as these memorable people learn the true meaning of adult friendship and love.

Seldom has the American heartland been so richly and accurately portrayed. Though the town may have changed, the one thing that hasn’t is the beauty of the Wisconsin farmland, the lure of which, in Nickolas Butler’s hands, emerges as a vibrant character in the story. Shotgun Lovesongs is that rare work of fiction that evokes a specific time and place yet movingly describes the universal human condition. It is, in short, a truly remarkable book—a novel that once read will never be forgotten.

Young God: A Novel by Katherine Faw Morris
genre: Literary Fiction
release date: 5/6/14

Stripped down and stylized—Winter’s Bone plus Less Than Zero—the sharpest, boldest, brashest debut of the year

Meet Nikki, the most determined young woman in the Carolina hills. She’s determined not to let the expectations of society set her future; determined to use all the limited tools at her disposal to shape the world to her will; determined to preserve her family’s domination of the local drug trade despite the fact that her parents are gone. Nikki is thirteen years old.
Opening with a death-defying plunge off a high cliff into a tiny swimming hole, Young God refuses to slow down for a moment as it charts Nikki’s battles against the powers that be. Katherine Faw Morris has stripped her prose down to its bare essence—certain chapters are just a few words long—resulting in an electric, electrifying reading experience that won’t soon be forgotten. She quickly gets to the core of Nikki, her young heroine, who’s only just beginning to learn about her power over the people around her—learning too early, perhaps, but also just soon enough, if not too late.
Evoking the staccato, telegraphic storytelling style of James Ellroy but with the literary affect of a young Denis Johnson and a fierce sense of place worthy of Flannery O’Connor or Donna Tartt, Morris is a debut novelist who demands your attention—and Nikki is a character who will cut you if you let your attention waver.

The Untold by Courtney Collins
genre: literary/historical fiction
release date: 5/29/14

With shades of Water for Elephants and True Grit, a stunning debut novel set in the Australian outback about a female horse thief, her bid for freedom, and the two men trying to capture her.
It is 1921. In a mountain-locked valley, Jessie is on the run.
Born wild and brave, by twenty-six she has already lived life as a circus rider, horse and cattle rustler, and convict. But on this fateful night she is just a woman wanting to survive though there is barely any life left in her.
Two men crash through the bushland, desperate to claim the reward on her head: one her lover, the other the law.
But as it has always been for Jessie, it is death, not a man, who is her closest pursuer and companion. And while all odds are stacked against her, there is one who will never give up on her—her own child, who awaits her.

Flying Shoes: A Novel by Lisa Howorth
genre: Literary Fiction
release date: 6/17/14

“Those of us who have waited a long time for this book celebrate its arrival.” —Ann Patchett

Thirty years after her stepbrother’s unsolved murder, a detective’s call forces a reluctant Mary Byrd Thornton to return to her family and again confront the crime’s irremovable stain. A stunning debut novel from the cofounder of the legendary Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi.

Lisa Howorth was born in Washington, D.C., where her family has lived for four generations. She moved to Oxford, Mississippi, where she married her husband, Richard, and raised their three children. They opened Square Books (named by Publishers Weekly as the 2013 Bookstore of the Year) in 1979. She received the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts in 1996 and a MacDowell Colony Fellowship in 2007. Her writing has appeared in Garden and Gun and the Oxford American. This is her first novel.

Last Night at the Blue Angel: A Novel by Rebecca Rotert
genre: literary/historical fiction
release date: 7/1/14

Set against the backdrop of the early 1960s Chicago jazz scene, a highly ambitious and stylish literary debut that combines the atmosphere and period detail of Amor Towles' Rules of Civility with the emotional depth and drama of The Memory Keeper's Daughter, about a talented but troubled singer. precocious ten-year-old daughter, and their heartbreaking relationship.

It is the early 1960s, and Chicago is a city of uneasy tensions-segregation, sexual experimentation, free love, the Cold War-but it is also home to one of the country's most vibrant jazz scenes. Naomi Hill, a singer at the Blue Angel club, has been poised on the brink of stardom for nearly ten years. Finally, her big break arrives-the cover of Look magazine. But success has come at enormous personal cost. Beautiful and magnetic, Naomi is a fiercely ambitious yet extremely self-destructive woman whose charms are irresistible and dangerous for those around her. No one knows this better than Sophia, her precocious ten-year-old daughter.

For Sophia, Naomi is the center of her universe. As the only child of a single, unconventional mother, growing up in an adult world, Sophia has seen things beyond her years and her understanding. Unsettled by her uncertain home life, she harbors the terrible fear that the world could end at any moment, so she compulsively keeps a running list of practical objects she will need to reinvent once nuclear catastrophe strikes. Her one constant is Jim, the photographer who is her best friend, surrogate father, and protector. But Jim is deeply in love with Naomi-a situation that adds to Sophia's anxiety.

Told from the alternating perspectives of Sophia and Naomi, their powerful and wrenching story unfolds in layers, revealing Sophia's struggle for her mother's love with Naomi's desperate journey to stardom and the colorful cadre of close friends who shaped her along the way.

Sophisticated yet poignant, Last Night at the Blue Angel is an unforgettable tale about what happens when our passion for the life we want is at sharp odds with the life we have. It is a story ripe with surprising twists and revelations, and an ending that is bound to break your heart.

Painted Horses by Malcolm Brooks

genre: literary/historical fiction
release date: 8/5/14

In the mid-1950s, America was flush with prosperity and saw an unbroken line of progress clear to the horizon, while the West was still very much wild. In this ambitious, incandescent debut, Malcolm Brooks animates that time and untamed landscape, in a richly textured, sweeping tale of the modern and the ancient, of love and fate, and of heritage threatened by progress.

Catherine Lemay is a young archaeologist on her way to Montana, with a huge task before her—a canyon “as deep as the devil’s own appetites.” Working ahead of a major dam project, she has one summer to prove nothing of historical value will be lost in the flood. From the moment she arrives, nothing is familiar—the vastness of the canyon itself mocks the contained, artifact-rich digs in post-Blitz London where she cut her teeth. And then there’s John H, a former mustanger and veteran of the U.S. Army’s last mounted cavalry campaign, living a fugitive life in the canyon. John H inspires Catherine to see beauty in the stark landscape, and her heart opens to more than just the vanished past

Reminiscent of Jim Harrison, Wallace Stegner, Thomas McGuane, Annie Proulx, and Michael Ondaatje, Painted Horsessends a dauntless young woman on a heroic quest, sings a love song to the horseman’s vanishing way of life, and reminds us that love and ambition, tradition and the future often make strange bedfellows. It establishes Malcolm Brooks as an extraordinary new talent.

2 a.m. at The Cat's Pajamas by Marie-Helene Bertino
genre: Literary Fiction
release date: 8/5/14

A sparkling, enchanting and staggeringly original debut novel about one day in the lives of three unforgettable characters

Madeleine Altimari is a smart-mouthed, precocious nine-year-old and an aspiring jazz singer. As she mourns the recent death of her mother, she doesn’t realize that on Christmas Eve Eve she is about to have the most extraordinary day—and night—of her life. After bravely facing down mean-spirited classmates and rejection at school, Madeleine doggedly searches for Philadelphia's legendary jazz club The Cat's Pajamas, where she’s determined to make her on-stage debut. On the same day, her fifth grade teacher Sarina Greene, who’s just moved back to Philly after a divorce, is nervously looking forward to a dinner party that will reunite her with an old high school crush, afraid to hope that sparks might fly again. And across town at The Cat's Pajamas, club owner Lorca discovers that his beloved haunt may have to close forever, unless someone can find a way to quickly raise the $30,000 that would save it.

As these three lost souls search for love, music and hope on the snow-covered streets of Philadelphia, together they will discover life’s endless possibilities over the course of one magical night. A vivacious, charming and moving debut, 2 AM AT THE CAT'S PAJAMAS will capture your heart and have you laughing out loud.

Here's to some terrific reading in 2014.

Angela

Murder in Ancient China: Two Judge Dee Mysteries free during January

2014-01-13T18:16:00.000-06:00

The University of Chicago Press is offering the e-book, Murder in Ancient China: Two Judge Dee Mysteries by Robert Van Gulik, for free during the month of January.

Robert Hans van Gulik was a highly educated orientalist, diplomat, musician (of the guqin, a plucked seven-string Chinese musical instrument of the zither family) and writer, best known for the Judge Dee mysteries, the protagonist of which he borrowed from the 18th century Chinese detective novel Dee Goong An.

In Murder in Ancient China’s first story, we watch as Judge Dee attempts to solve the mystery of an elderly poet murdered by moonlight in his garden pavilion; in the second, set on the eve of the Chinese New Year, the Judge makes two rare mistakes—will peril result?

The free e-book is available on UCP website DRM-free in your choice of an EPUB file, as well as in a PRC file. The EPUB format is the best choice for e-reading devices like Nooks, iPads, and the Sony Reader, and on mobile devices using e-reader apps like Bluefire and Aldiko. The PRC format can be loaded on Kindle e-readers or used with Kindle apps.

Get your copy here.

Happy reading,
Angela

Best Books of the 21st Century [Infographic]

2014-01-13T13:06:00.001-06:00

Erika Phyall, Community Outreach Manager for the USC Rossier School of Education, recently e-mailed me with this fabulous infographic. I'm so excited to share it with you.

USC Rossier has compiled this list of 100 top-rated books that have all been published in the 21st century. These are bestsellers that have been selected from Amazon as well as goodreads.com.

Hope this helps you find your next great read.

Brought to you by USC Rossier’s masters of art in teaching

Jimmy Fallon's Do Not Read List: 2014

2014-01-10T17:42:00.000-06:00

Jimmy Fallon's done it again. He's highlighted some more book titles to avoid with his usual hilarity. Remember this is late-night TV, so it may not be appropriate to play the video at the office, in front of the boss, while holding a small child. But I'll leave that call up to you.

"After sharing his 2014 resolution to read good books, Jimmy shares some books you should probably avoid, including "How to Catch Crabs."

I can't wait to see what Fallon has in store for us when he takes over The Tonight Show on February 17th. NBC has recently released the first promo of the transition on YouTube. The minute and six-second video titled The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon - A Tradition Continues features Jimmy Fallon, Jay Leno, with clips from past alumni Conan O'Brien, Johnny Carson (the longest running Tonight Show host), Steve Allen, and Jack Paar.

Have a great weekend,

Angela

Merry Christmas!

2013-12-25T16:54:00.001-06:00

Source

I hope everybody is having a safe and happy Christmas.

Angela

Granddaughter Requests Birthday Wishes For Her Grandpa, A Korean War Vet

2013-11-11T21:54:00.000-06:00

As soon as I saw this sweet homage I had to take a screen shot with my phone to share it with you guys. I hope this very special Grandfather and Veteran receives an avalanche of "Happy Birthdays".

If you can't view the image, it says:

Jennifer Bumpus Galbraith posted earlier ~

My grandfather is a former Marine. He served in Korea although he never really talked about it much. I think the most he ever said was to my recruiter when he met him. At any rate this Friday [11.15.13] is his 90th birthday. Is there anyway, we could see if people would send him cards? I think it would be neat to have him flooded with people who care.
If we could, here is his information:

Russell Craig
678 Squaw Rock Rd.
Moosup, CT 06354

Source: AJ Arndt screenshot

Talk to you soon,
Angela

PS Yes, it really is 26º F. Winter is here :*( We got our first snow of the season today. Thank goodness I cleaned up the debris in the gardens yesterday...

With my heartfelt gratitude to our Veterans

2013-11-11T13:58:00.001-06:00

Homeless Army Veteran Receives Incredible Makeover In This Heartwarming Time-Lapse. 25-year-old Rob Bliss recently teamed up with Dégagé Ministries in Grand Rapids, Michigan to give homeless United States Army veteran Jim Wolf a makeover. After seeing his new look, Jim said 'Wow' and gave Bliss a giant hug. Since the transformation, Wolf is scheduled to move into his own apartment and has been attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

Here are a few ways you can share books with soldiers and veterans:

1. Register with Books for Soldiers. Once you are registered, you will be able to view the requests and send troops books, DVDs, games and relief supplies. You will also have access to their Pen Pal area and Post Card Jamboree.

"On average our volunteers fill thousands of requests a month. Get started today and get your company, civic group or place of worship involved with supporting our troops."

2. Check out Books for Troops. BOOKS FOR TROOPS (BFT) was started in southern Saratoga County, New York, April 2010 by retired school teacher, Ellen Keegan who wanted to gather books to send to our troops serving in Afghanistan and Iraq, in order to give them a source of escape from the horrors they see each day, to offer release from loneliness, boredom, stress, homesickness, and fear, and to show them that they were not forgotten by those at home that they were sacrificing so much to keep free. Books for Troops also wanted the books to remind them of home and to give them the message of how grateful and proud we were of them. Their mission was expanded over the 3+ years in existence to include 18 VA hospitals across the US, the American Red Cross Wounded Warriors program, and the families of the troops, in particular the children.

3. Operation Paperback "Giving our troops the opportunity to escape into a good book since 1999." There are two ways that you can help Operation Paperback - make a monetary donation or send books directly to troops, veterans and families. By making a monetary donation you will help fund the purchase and shipment of high-demand genres and other special request books. As a volunteer shipper, you will collect and ship your own books using the addresses that they provide.

4. E-Books for Troops provides soldiers with gently used and new Kindles. Something to keep in mind if you get a new one for Christmas.

Last year slightly more than half of the Kindles that we shipped were used Kindles donated by supporters of E-Books for Troops through our Kindles for Troops (K4T) program. The rest were new Kindles that we bought from Amazon using funds donated to E-Books for Troops. We also use donated money to purchase USB cables and power plugs as needed, as well as a $10 gift card for each Kindle. Our fantastic partner M-Edge Accessories donates a brand new protective case and e-Luminator Touch BookLight for each Kindle that we ship, new or used.

5. Contact your local VA Medical Center to see if book donations are being accepted for distribution to the Veterans.

6. Take your books to your nearest Vietnam Veterans of America office.

Here is a nice list of other Charities supporting Soldiers and their families.

Talk to you soon,
Angela

Free eBook: Sexy Orchids Make Lousy Lovers and Other Unusual Relationships

2013-11-05T17:18:00.000-06:00

Looking for some interesting conversation starters at your next holiday party? The November free e-book from University of Chicago Press, Sexy Orchids Make Lousy Lovers and Other Unusual Relationships by Marty Crump, might be just what you're looking for.

Synopsis:

Vampire bats that regurgitate blood for roosting buddies. Mosquitoes that filch honeydew droplets from ants. Reptiles that enforce chastity on their lovers with copulatory plugs. Capuchin monkeys that use millipede secretions as mosquito repellent. The natural world is full of unusual relationships, and negotiation between life-forms striving to survive is evolution at its most diverse, entertaining, and awe-inspiring.

Picking up where her highly popular Headless Males Make Great Lovers left off, tropical field biologist Marty Crump takes us on another voyage of discovery into the world of unusual natural histories, this time focusing on extraordinary interactions involving animals, plants, fungi, and bacteria. Sexy Orchids Make Lousy Lovers and Other Unusual Relationships illuminates the ceaseless give-and-take between species. Occasionally, both interacting parties benefit, like when hornbills and dwarf mongooses hunt together for food. Other times, like when mites ride in hummingbirds’ nostrils to reach their next meal of nectar, one individual benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed. But sometimes one individual benefits at the expense of the other; you need only recall your last sinus infection to understand how that works.

Throughout, Crump brings her trademark spunk and zest to these stories of intimate exchange. She introduces readers to penguins that babysit, pseudoscorpions that ride and mate under the wings of giant harlequin beetles, and parasitic fungi that bend insects to their will. A lively companion to Crump’s earlier work, Sexy Orchids Make Lousy Lovers and Other Unusual Relationships captures the bizarre and befuddling aspects of the behavior of animals, plants, and microbes. After this entertaining romp through the world of natural relationships, you’ll never look at an orchid the same way again.

Get your copy here.

Happy reading,
Angela

Review: Aliens and Other Stories by Kathleen Wheaton

2013-10-24T00:30:00.000-05:00

Aliens and Other Stories by Kathleen Wheaton
ISBN: 978-0931846717
Washington Writers' Publishing House (October 15, 2013)
Paperback, 222 pages
Genre: Fiction - Short stories

Each short story in this collection can be savored or they can all be consumed in a giant gulp. Either way, it is a book to be thoroughly enjoyed. The characters in each story are so well developed that it leaves the reader wanting more...and then you get to the next one. Needless to say, I gulped.

Veteran journalist, Kathleen Wheaton, has intricately connected each tale of exiles and refugees with beautiful precision. A minor character of one story, often becomes the protagonist in another. The stories are inspired by the author's experiences working in Spain and Latin America as a journalist and travel writer. And this is all made evident by her vivid illustration of each of the settings.

The circumstances surrounding the characters fleeing their respective homelands is often haunting. Nazi control for some, Cuba ruled by "the Devil Incarnate" for others, and as the author notes in the beginning, the "dirty war" in Argentina for many.

"Several of the stories in this volume refer to the "dirty war" in Argentina, which began in 1976 when a right-wing military junta overthrew the chaotic presidency of Isabel Peron. Under the so-called National Reorganization Process, an estimated 30,000 people - suspected leftist guerillas, trade unionists, journalists, intellectuals and students - were arrested, taken to clandestine prisons, tortured, and secretly executed. They became known as the desaparecidos, the disappeared. Although democracy was restored in 1983 with the election of President Raul Alfonsín, many of the thousands of Argentineans who fled into exile established their lives elsewhere and never returned."

But Ms. Wheaton has so skillfully crafted every story that each of them meets their challenges of being "alien, invisible", with resilience. And bits of humor are generously sprinkled throughout the book.

In a Q and A with the author she was asked, "What do you hope readers take away from Aliens and Other Stories?" To which she responded "...So I hope that readers who have been aliens as well as those who simply have felt that way will find they have something in common with my characters."

To that I say, Well done, my friend. Well done.

Aliens and Other Stories meritoriously won the Washington Writers' Publishing House 2013 prize for fiction.

Connect with Kathleen Wheaton:

Author Website
Twitter (@WheatonKathleen)
Facebook

Goodreads

Disclosure: I was provided a copy of this book in exchange only for my honest thoughts.

The 2013 Virginia Literary Festival and James River Writers Conference

2013-10-11T00:01:00.001-05:00

Time is running short to register for the 11th Annual James River Writers Conference scheduled for Saturday, October 19 - Sunday, October 20, 2013 in Richmond, Virginia. Pre-conference Master Classes are set for Friday, October 18.

The James River Writers Conference has earned a reputation as being one of the most prestigious gatherings of published authors, literary agents and editors in the country. Registrants will enjoy writing workshops and opportunities to pitch their book ideas, hone their skills and connect with nationally recognized authors and publishers.

Speakers this year include award-winning book designer and author Chip Kidd, National Book Award-winner Kathryn Erskine, best-selling and award-winning author Christopher McDougall, award-winning authors Cece Bell, Lydia Netzer, Megan Mayhew Bergman, and Philippa Ballantine, Book Doctors Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry, founders of Pitchapalooza, and agents April Eberhardt, Deborah Grosvenor, Victoria Skurnick, and Paige Wheeler.

Anchored by the popular James River Writers Conference and the elegant Library of Virginia Literary Awards Celebration, the Virginia Literary Festival celebrates Virginia’s rich literary resources with a series of literary events that include book talks, workshops, celebrations author appearances, poetry readings, and film screenings. These activities take place in venues throughout the historic Richmond region. Many events are free of charge, and include book talks, readings and signings, workshops, panel discussions, a film screening, poetry readings and more. Events take place from October 15 through 20, 2013.

Sounds like a terrific time. Share the juicy details with me if you go :)
Talk to you soon,

Angela

McDonald's swapping books for toys in Happy Meals

2013-10-10T22:10:00.000-05:00

For two weeks next month (November 1 - 14) McDonald's will be replacing Happy Meal toys with four original self-published book titles in an effort to promote literacy and healthy eating choices.

The release of the books coincides with National Literacy Day which is November 1st, and McDonald's has partnered with Reading is Fundamental to give additional books to kids who would otherwise not have access to them.

“Books are essential for inspiring children to explore, dream, and achieve, yet far too many children do not have this basic resource,” said Reading is Fundamental CEO Carol Hampton Rasco. “To change this unfortunate reality, RIF is uniting with McDonald’s, a company that embraces the transformative power of books and is committed to helping families and communities thrive. Together, McDonald’s and RIF can truly help enrich kids’ lives through access to books and by putting the fun back into reading.”

Also starting on Nov. 1, McDonald’s will give families anytime access to reading with a new interactive digital book each month through the end of 2014. The free interactive e-books will be available on McPlay, McDonald’s Happy Meal App, and will allow kids to read, discover and explore exciting new worlds. McDonald’s has partnered with DK Publishing, an award winning global publisher, to offer educational and entertaining content for customers – the first e-book introduces DK’s Amazing World Series, with “The World’s Greatest Cities.”

Kids will also be able to engage with an interactive digital version of McDonald’s Happy Meal print book, “The Goat Who Ate Everything” via the McPlay app. The Happy Meal Books, as well as the DK Publishing e-books, will also be available for download at HappyMeal.com. Spanish versions of McDonald’s Happy Meal Books will be available on McDonalds.com and MeEncanta.com.

The books' themes focusing on healthy eating habits are the company's latest action supporting their 2011 Commitment to Offer Improved Nutrition Choices, "a comprehensive plan to help customers - especially families and children - make nutrition-minded choices whether eating at McDonald's or elsewhere."

The four limited-edition titles include:

Source

The Goat Who Ate Everything tells a story of a goat who has a big appetite and struggles to eat right. But when he does, he feels great.

Source

Deana's Big Dreams shares how Deana, the world's smallest dinosaur, grew tall by eating right.

Source

Ant, Can't features features Ant, a bite-sized bodybuilder who's big on encouraging physical fitness through exercise and eating right.

Source

Doddi the Dodo Goes to Orlando follows Doddi, a world traveling bird who eats right because she's always on the go.

Not everyone is "lovin' it" though. watchdog groups are claiming it's just more of the same (marketing to kids) and that it's just a way for McDonald's to get their brand in front of kids in a very subversive way, citing that fast food is a big driver of childhood obesity.

I personally applaud McDonald's on their efforts on improving their nutrition choices by their automatic inclusion of apple slices, smaller kid-sized fries, and choice of a low fat milk with their Happy Meals and promotion of a healthy lifestyle to children. The parents are the ones ultimately responsible for what their children eat, and with the automatic inclusion of healthier options and smaller portions, better choices will become habit for kids.

What do you think?

Angela

FREE! Learning in Depth by Kieran Egan

2013-09-06T21:50:00.000-05:00

The University of Chicago is offering for free this month, an ebook copy of Learning in Depth: a Simple Innovation That Can Transform Schooling by Kieran Egan. Dr. Egan is a professor of education theory at Simon Fraser University.

Egan argues that the broad, general curriculum that is the basis of traditional elementary and secondary school education misses a vital fact about knowledge: that real knowledge of a subject is knowledge in depth. In Learning in Depth he outlines an ambitious yet practical plan to incorporate deep knowledge into basic education. Get your copy here.

Happy reading,

Angela

Top Ten Tuesday: ten book blogging tools I use the most

2013-08-20T23:39:00.001-05:00


Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

First of all, this blog wouldn't be crap without you, my lovely readers. I appreciate and love you all, from the bottom of my heart for stopping by. But following are some tools that I use for my (often sporadic) posting.

1. Kindle app - I don't have a dedicated e-reader, but have downloaded the free Kindle app onto my phone for reading ebooks. I used to use the free Aldiko app as well, but with one of their updates they did away with the ability to highlight and write notes. The feature is available with the paid app, but I'm all about free.

2. Twitter - It's easy to get sucked into the Twitterverse rabbit hole, but it sure is a great place to talk books with both readers and authors.
Follow @AJArndt

3. Blog it! app - For writing on the fly, I like the Blog it! app. Do you use an app for Blogger? Love it or hate it, I'd love to know of some other choices. Please share.

4. Bloglovin' - (with the demise of Google Friend Connect) I follow a lot of blogs written by more experienced and brilliant bloggers than myself, and love to read them all. The authors all bring a little something different to the table, and I learn so much from them.

4. Memes - This comes from number 4. I didn't know what the hell a meme even was until I started reading blogs. I try and not go crazy with them and don't hold myself to a strict schedule. I love Top Ten Tuesdays hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, Oh, How Pinteresting! hosted by The Vintage Apple, and Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads.

5. Challenges - This is the first year I've participated in any challenges and am loving it. I only chose two, Where are you reading? hosted by Book Journey and the Foodies Read challenge. They have both have been a blessing in helping to decide what to read and review next.

6. Stats - I'm a slave to my stats. I know I shouldn't be, but how else am I supposed to know what people want to read? At least that's how I justify it in my head. UGH!

7. A notebook - I have a notebook that I jot down ideas, book review notes, etc. in. It fits in my purse, and I would be lost without it. It's raggedy as all get-out, but I love it. It's my Woobie.

8. Panera - My internet connection is often sketchy to say the very least, so I started packing up and going to my local Panera. Dude, What's not to love? coffee. Good. Free wi-fi. very good. And the staff has NEVER made me feel like a moocher. Quite the contrary, I always have felt very welcome. It's all good!

9. Wikipedia - I use Wikipedia A LOT! I know, not all is true on wiki, but it is still a FANTASTIC resource.

10. HTML - I've learned so much (from zero) HTML since I started blogging, and so many kind people are willing to help with their tutorials on the interweb. I'm not near my laptop bookmarked will all of my faves, but I will have to make a note to share in my notebook.

My heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you for accompanying me on this blogging journey.

All my love,
Angela