Category: Book Stuff
Rebecca Read-A-Long June 12 – July 17
Confession – Rebecca is a book I have never read, have wanted to for some time now and am going to do it in the next month.
If you are interested in doing this read a long with me it is open to those who have not read it before, and to those who feel they may be due for a re-read.
Then… on July 17 here, we are going to have a “Party with Rebecca party” ! You will have a chance to link your reviews and there will be an online book discussion here, as well as giveaways!
Want in?
Please grab the button above and either 1) write a post with the “woo hoo” I am going to do this read a long! or 2) add this button to your sidebar or 3) both!
Please fill out this form if you are planning on participating:
And link up your Participation post here (where you write a post saying you are going to do this readalong and invite others to pop in here and join as well 😀 :
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BEA (Book Expo America) Recap #3 – “The Expo and Beyond”
The last few days I have been putting up posts about last weeks BEA experience. If you have missed these posts they were:
Book Expo Recap #1
Book Expo Recap #2
I have been trying to give highlights but there are so many these posts…. uh…. are a bit longer than I had anticipated. I am hoping to wrap it up with this one, but we will see once I get going here. 😛
Tuesday June 4, was the actual first day of the Book Expo. This is the day that the doors open to Bookish types – Librarians, media, Book Sellers, Press, and yes, Book Bloggers. To my understanding, Book Bloggers have been included the past 4 years. I started attending three years ago.
How to explain what the book expo is like….
Ok… picture Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory. We (Book Bloggers) have a golden ticket. Except once we enter the Chocolate Factory…. errrr….. Javits Center, it is filled with books instead of candy – books beyond our wildest dreams.
Some of us just stand in awe of all the bookish things:
and some of us….. get a little carried away:
I fall somewhere in between….. *sheepish grin*
The Javits is a huge conference center and all the publishing companies you can imagine, books and audio books alike have a space there. Once the doors open…. you explore the booths, connect with the companies you work and the ones you hope to (for me that was Brilliance Audio) and throughout the day(s) many of them offer up ARC (advanced reader copies) of books coming out this summer, fall, and winter. The books, are free to us – preferably we only take what we plan to read and review, and we have to ship them home (I highly recommend the Post office! Less cost and faster than UPS believe it or not) or put them in suit cases.
It is a bookextravaganza.
Ok… so hopefully that paints a picture.
Now for a quick back story. The first year I went to BEA I waited in the LONG line that forms before the doors open and then was pushed with the mob into the expo. Not cool… and a little frightening. 2nd year, Reagan (Miss Remmers Reviews) and I decided we would hang out and go in after the rush of people. I spotted seats behind an unattended info booth – tall cushioned chairs, perfect for people watching and sipping out coffee. Reagan was all “NO way – we could get in trouble.” I was all “What are they going to say? Please do not sit here? Then we will move.” We sat there and the funny thing is people came and asked us tons of questions that for the most part were east to answer:
When does the Expo open?
Where do I get my badge?
Where is Starbucks?
Where is the author breakfast?
Are tickets still available to the author breakfast?
Do I need my badge before I go to the breakfast?
Do you have a map of the expo layout? (We didnt, but I got us some)
It was actually a lot of, passed the time and to this day Reagan and I say it was one of best memory moments of BEA. This year, Reagan was unable to attend, but I went up to our booth day one…. spoke to the attendant, told her about last year – and she hooked me up for this year:
I sent this pic to Reagan via text and she was all “Shut Up! You did not! I am sooooo photo shopping myself in!” LOL
The expo – over the the three days was a lot of fun. I walked the booths, connected with the publishers I work with – and picked up a few coveted books and a few I did not know I coveted until I heard about them. Here are a few highlights:
This is a fun story. I went to Minnesota Press (HELLLLOOOOO! I am from Minnesota!) and was talking with the author of Frozen, Mary Casanova. This story is about a prostitute found frozen in a Minnesota lake int he early 1900’s. This part of her story is factual. From there she built a fictional story around this fact about a daughter who witnesses what happens and does not talk since.
I tell Mary I am from Brainerd Minnesota and she is all, “Really? My brother lives in Brainerd Minnesota, do you know Paul Gazelka?” I actually know Paul pretty well and his wife, so that was just a fun coincidence.
I have reviewed a few Ted Dekker books here over the years. I have a couple of friends who are HUGE fans so when I seen Ted at the expo I could not pass up a chance to hop in the autograph line and get a pic as well while he signed a book to my friend.
Oh yeah… if I left with only one book at BEA it was going to hopefully be The Twelve. I loved The Passage.
And…. I got the book! 😛
This was a drive by shooting (with my camera!) I did not wait in the LONG line for a signed book, but still…. picture worthy.
After a fun event at Penguin (Wednesday Night Penguin Bird Bash) I made a commitment to be sure and get my pic taken in the Reached book cover bubble at the expo. Thursday morning I fulfilled that commitment which was actually a lot of fun!
Meeting the people you share bookish chats with on line is a lot of fun and a big part of the BEA experience. I did not do a good job of catching pics this time of all my great blogger friends. A few I have posted int he previous BEA posts, but this one was of me and Cindy from Cindy’s love of books who I kept running into all week. She was so much fun to talk to!
Beyond the expo – on Tuesday afternoon a few of us went to Harper Collins and learned how E Books are made. This was really fascinating and I had no idea how much work went into an e-book. Later Tuesday, Alison from Alisons Book Marks and I went out to an incredible dinner. On Wednesday we had a power readers breakfast at Random House (no pics… forgot!). Later Wednesday I went to an authors reception for Laura Moriarty, and after that the Penguin Bird Bash. There were two more invites for later that night but I was tired and chose to call it a night.
Thursday evening after the final day at the expo I went to dinner with Gail (roomy) two other new bloggers to me, and John from Brilliance Audio. John is the guy who decides what books are made into audio books. He gave me some great ideas for audio listening.
Friday morning I flew back to Minnesota… thus ending BEA 12, but I am already looking forward to BEA 13.
BEA (Book Expo America) Recap #2
Friday afternoon, I posted my first BEA recap which pretty much covered Sunday when I first arrived in New York and the Simon Schuster YA event. Today I want to share about Monday, June 3.
Monday was the Book Blogger Conference at the Javits. Gail (A Ticket to Anywhere) who was my roommate, and I, walked the 5 blocks to the Javits from our hotel. Once inside, we got in line for our badges for the week. And from there, in line to go into the breakfast that was the kickoff to our day and a “speed dating” event with authors. You chose a table that the author you wanted to chat with would be at – and then three authors rotated through your table while you ate. I have to break here and share my favorite in line to breakfast comment I heard from the blogger standing in front of me and Gail.
Blogger girl (chatting to friends): SO have you read Insurgent yet?
Blogger girls friends/minions (Gail’s fun word of the week): (a mix of yes and no’s and “huh?”)
Blogger girl: I thought it was good but I am so in love with _________________ (no spoilers for those who have not read it yet) and hope that is who she chooses. *sigh*
Blogger girls friends: * a mixture of head nods and mumblings of agreement
Blogger Girl: I really liked Divergent, but loved Insurgent… I can’t wait for the next book, what do you think they will call it? Detergent?
😯
😆
Ok – so anyway, I sat at Table 7 which was going to have Justin Cronin, author of The Passage and the author of the highly coveted by me, The Twelve. If I left BEA with one book, that needed to be the one. And so yeah, I hung out with Justin Cronin.
Yup, me and Justin. Justin and me. 😀
After the breakfast portion of the day, Jennifer Weiner spoke about books and bloggers and life stuff. She was pretty funny. At lunch we had the authors at the tables again and looking over my itinerary I seen that at my table 7 was going to be a Craft author. Crafts are so not my thing so I checked the schedule and moved to table 12 with Alison from Alison’s Book Marks where Erica Robuck would be the author. I read Erica’s book, Receive Me Falling back in 2009 and loved it. She said I was one of the first bloggers to read and review her book. What is cool about Erica’s story is that her first book was self published, and now this second book, Hemingway’s Girl, was purchased and published by NAL Trade. NICE!
Erica and I
After lunch I took a break from the afternoon sessions as out evening was packed, so I went back to the hotel – chilled for about an hour, changed into my clothes for the evening and came back for the closing talk with Jenny Lawson, The Bloggess, whose book is Let’s Pretend This Never Happened. (Listened to on audio and reviewed last month).
** Later I talked with fellow awesome Minnesotan Kim from Sophisticated Dorkiness about the afternoon break out sessions and here are two things I can take away from that I will apply:
1. Do not put your full reviews on Good Reads…. put a part of the review and then link it back to your blog for people to read the rest. Huh. I hadn’t thought of that before, but it makes sense. Until now, I have posted my full reviews on Good Reads.
2. Twitter is pretty much the best way for bookish communications/ linking posts/ and connecting with authors, publishers, fellow bloggers…. I needed to hear this. It is hard for me to do Twitter because I just dont take the time for it. I am trying now to be more open to Twitter and the possibilities of blog building it has.
So… Monday evening. Alison from Alison’s Book Marks and I made our way to Scholastic’s invite. I was uber excited as I had never been to Scholastic before. Alison graciously walked me through the Scholastic store which was truly drool worthy with all the great books I either have read or want to read…..
Their party was…. AWESOME. I am not just saying that either. They had popcorn and a cotton candy machine. Horduerves and lemonade, ice tea, or cola. It was a wonderful Middle Grade/YA get together! Once there we sat with Kathy from Burmuda Onion and Julie from Booking Mama.
And more was yet to come.
Scholastic had their authors each take a turn talking about their newest book. Then they read from the book, each author taking a character part. The result? HILARIOUS. James Dashner (author of Maze Runner, Scorch Trials…) was a hoot. He was so funny and always seemed to be given the funny parts such as “cranky grandmother” or “angry aunt”. And he played his parts well, even once saying he channeled Mrs. Doubtfire. His newest book Infinity Ring sounds fantastic!
Maggie Steifvater (author of Linger, Shiver, and Forever, just to name a few) is not only talented beyond belief, she is cut and funny and someone I think would be a blast to hang out with. Raven Boys is much coveted!
The one that surprised me the most was Eliot Schrefer, who’s book Endangered will be released this November. The book is about the Congo and a girl who is trying to save the endangered bonobos. I knew I did not want to read this book. I have such a soft heart for animals and animals hurting really breaks me up. As Elliot talked about his research with the bonobos, and then read an exert from his book… leaving us with a cliff hanger…
my heart stopped and my eyes welled up.
Then… they showed a picture of the cover:
Damn. Now I have to read this book, and did get an advanced reader copy at BEA.
Next stop (and yes, this is still Monday) was the Harper Collins party. As always, a blast. It was so fun to connect with blogger friends, authors, and Harper Collins peeps. I so enjoy this event every year! AND – it was time for my annual pic with Alison from Alison’s Book Marks. We have a funny tradition now of having a picture together at this event. We met at BEA in 2010 and connected over books and then in 2011, chatted again at the Harper Collins Party and this year, we hung out quite a bit which was a lot of fun.
and here we are in 2011…
and again in 2010…
Alison’s hair stays the same… I am always changing it up…LOL… now seeing these pics, I want to go short hair again. 😛 Its also funny, now that I look at these that we are always on the same side.
Later that evening, roomy Gail (Ticket To Anywhere), two other gals (forgive me… I have lost names and blogs in my head somewhere) went to an Irish pub for dinner. Gail and I are both Irish so this was so much fun and our waiter, Pearce (like Bronson) has such a thick great accent that I wanted to miniaturize him and keep him in my purse to take out for later get togethers. 😀
I was so tired in this pic with Gail. It had been a LONG Monday but filled with such great events!
Stay tune – BEA Recap 3 is coming (The Expo!)
and be sure to check out BEA Recap 1
BEA (Book Expo America) Recap #1
Just this afternoon I have returned from the Book Expo in New York. What a whirlwind week of books, book events, author events, blogger friends and get together. This is truly one of the highlights of my year and I highly recommend it to anyone who is debating if they should go. YES. GO. 😀
Over two or three posts I am going to share with you the BEA experience I had this year so hopefully you can see it through my eyes. One of the cool things about BEA is that each person has such a unique experience. As people start to post about the books and events there is no doubt in my mind that I will be shocked to see a book I covet that I did not know was there. There will be bookish get together that I did not know about as well.
I arrived on Sunday morning flying from Minneapolis to Chicago to New York. The first time I have ever flown alone. (True story!) I shuttled to my hotel, dropped off my bags and walked around the Times Square area until I connected with my room-mate for the week, Gail from Ticket To Anywhere. Together Sunday evening we went to the Simon Schuster YA event.
These 5 books and authors were presented at this wonderful party that has delicious horduerves and drinks being served. Oh course I was super excited to hear from Lenore Applehans, who blogs at Presenting Lenore and has her first book coming out – Level 2!!!! (I am so excited!!!)
I even did a little video but thought I was recording and I wasn’t so tried again… and only captured a bit of what she was saying:
All the authors and their books sounded wonderful and as each person spoke I would nudge Gail and say “Oh I want to read that book!” At the end of the night we were presented with a swag bag with a copy of each book!!! SQQQUUUEEE!!!!!
Dont these books look wonderful? You might think I am being bias by featuring only Lenore and that is a little true – but it is also due to the fact that I was finishing up some work business on the phone on Sunday evening and I had to keep popping out of the event so the only one I was able to hear talk in their entirety was Lenore.
I am going to write more soon…. I wanted to write more tonight but honestly… I have been up since 3:30 am to catch my flights and I am a bit wiped out. More tomorrow…. promise 😀
Morning Meanderings… The Art Of Procrastination (BEA style)
Good morning. Let’s just get to this. I have been up since 5 am. I am sitting here in my pajama’s… coffee cup at my right hand… next to a notebook of lists of “to do’s”. Later this afternoon, I will drive to the cities and stay overnight to catch my flight in the wee hours of the morning tomorrow to New York for BEA.
I have not packed. I have not really done much of anything besides organizing my agenda of events on Wednesday evening. I have never been less prepared for this trip. 😯
My work week was busy with a capital B. Yesterday is normally my day off but I had things to prep for while I was gone next week and I thought I would be out by noon and then get a jump on these tasks before me. Uhhhh…. yeah…. I walked out of work at 4:55 pm, barely making it to the bank in time, in fact they locked the door behind me as I ran in.
With my hubbies busy schedule as owner of an Excavating company, I take care of all lawn care. Our lawn takes about 2 1/2 to 3 hours to mow and I broke a belt on it on Monday. I got it fixed and on Thursday evening at 8:15 pm (yup… pm) I mowed the front part. Last night after running to the bank and getting home around 5:15 pm I should have started the back and finished it. Instead I called my hubby, found out he would not be off the job until around 9 pm, took one look at the lawn, thought about my BEA prep I still needed to do… groceries to buy…. and I called a friend and went out to a quick dinner instead. 😛
I got home around 8:30 pm, and started the back lawn until I could not see… and I will finish later today before I leave.
So today – here is what I need to do:
1. pack
2. finish laundry
3. finish lawn
4. stop at work, one quick email I need to send
5. take bike to friends house who will deliver it to Duluth for me for the MS 150 bike ride next weekend.
6. Pack my bike gear
7. Fix the deck gate so Sam (newer dog) can not squeeze through while I am away and break my heart)
8. Grocery shop for hubby while I am away – quick easy fixes
9. Stop at a couple stores in town – I have a gift card
10. Get nails done
See – really it is not so bad…. only 10 things! 😀
Anyhoo… I do want to post a pic or two fro Alyce’s Saturday Snapshot since I almost forgot it is Saturday…. here is my deck after last weekend hauling out of all things that scream “yes, come and hang out with me at my favorite place to hang in the warm summer time:
(Stop by and add your own pics to Saturday Snapshot as well or just check out what everyone else is up too 🙂 )
Have a super day – and dont worry about me… I actually work well under pressure and have a game plan of when and where I need to be to get it all done and leave here about 4 pm this afternoon. From the hotel tonight I plan to prep a post or two, and I will be checking in throughout the expo as well so keep stopping by 😀
A Guide To BEA – What to bring, wear, do, see, money, etc…
Their definition: BEA: Book Expo Of America – an event that takes place yearly for book sellers, media, and publishing houses and authors all to mingle together in promoting books that will be coming out yet this year and possibly next spring.
My definition: Heaven for Book Lovers. ♥
Before my love affair with book reviewing, I had never heard of BEA. In 2010 when I first did finally hear about it and what it was… I only knew one thing…. I had to go.
For me – this was HUGE. I didn’t plan trips alone. I didn’t just go off on a whim, to states I had never been to before, but this had to happen. I connected with a couple of bloggers on-line that I planned to be roommates with to cut that cost down. And I went. LOVED IT. Went again in 2011….LOVED IT! And now I am on schedule to go again this next week. I can’t explain the magic of being surrounded by books and book lovers for almost a full week. All I can say is that if you are ever considering going, GO. Don’t hesitate.
So what got this little girl from Central Minnesota to go to New York and feel confident enough to do it? Well, honestly, Book Bloggers. In 2010 a group of book bloggers decided to each take a day for a week and write a post about what to expect at BEA. I devoured everything I could about the subject.
I am going to pass on to you now what I learned either on my own, or through others, but all of it valuable if you are new to the BEA experience. Some of this I wish I had known going in…. I am happy to pass it on to you and hope there is something you can take from this.
What to pack?
At the Expo I would suggest wearing business casual – jeans and a nice shirt, capris or springy skirts for women, cargo style pants… remember you are there representing your blog. Pack one outfit a little dressier for an evening out… maybe a pair of dressier pants or skirt with a couple different tops. Definitely pack comfortable shoes, even if you are like me, and wearing a heel doesn’t bother you if you are on your feet all day. You will walk the exhibit floor many many times for hours each day. You may be walking through New York as well to check out the sites. Myself and Reagan walked almost everywhere… not only did it save money on taxi’s but we could see things so much better than from inside a car.
Also – a little trick I picked up for myself, pack a couple unfolded boxes in your suitcase and your own packing tape. The shipping companies (I will get to them below) will charge you for the box – and if you use the post office (which I will recommend) they will also have you buy the tape.
What to expect?
So this is a picture of me year one…. LOL, ok not exactly me, but yeah…. pretty much. When we got to the Javits Center that first day people were lined up hours before it opened and of course, we got in line and hung out there. When the doors did open I was pushed with the crowd into the center and right into a table where a book was jabbed into my hands. “What is this craziness” I thought. The book was I Am Number Four. I had never heard of it. Now, it is a movie…. crazy, crazy stuff…
After that – year two…. day one… looked like this:
Yup. Reagan and I did not get in the line at all. We walked around a few exhibits on the outside of the main center. Then we seen this abandoned Info booth with tall comfy chairs. I told Reagan I was going to sit there, she said we shouldn’t but I said whats the worst that will happen…. they ask up to move? The funny thing is, we started answering questions. AND for awhile we had a line of people waiting to ask their question. AND funnier yet, we knew the answers, so we were actually helpful…
Where is the children’s breakfast?
Where can we get maps of the exhibit area?
Where is Starbucks?
Can I still get tickets to Author breakfasts?
Where do I register?
When can I get into the exhibit hall?
My point in sharing this is to let you know to just have fun. Once the doors open people rush in and you are in within minutes of the mob and that is much nicer.
Once inside… have fun, everywhere you look you will find exhibits, in many cases, ARC’s of books as well. Choose wisely… don’t hoard. If you are not going to read it, don’t take it. These publishing companies want to get the word out about their books and they want them in the hands of those who will do it. Not just bloggers, but book sellers. AND please be polite, going to the Expo is a privilege, not a right. Say thank you when receiving a book. Don’t push or grab. Seriously, I seen some bad behavior from bloggers last year that was just embarrassing to all of us. This may seem harsh – but if you are not mature enough to go….. don’t go.
Make a point to see the publishing houses that send you books. Meet with them, introduce yourself… build on that blogger/publisher relationship.
The books being handed out change frequently. If you have a list of what you are hoping to receive an ARC of, watch your publishing booths for it.
Oh and the autograph area, that is so fun. Books handed out by the authors and they are signed. LOVE that. Be sure to notice the box that says recommended donation per book $1.00.
Of course – you will see bloggers too…. but that… is another topic. 😀
Oh yeah, and I know this post is late so I apologize, a business card is wonderful to put into publishing houses hands that you want to connect with, as well as exchanging with the bloggers you meet. I get mine through Vista Prints…. 500 cards, custom two-sided…. $34.00
Authors, and Publishers, and Bloggers…. oh my!
One of the best things I was told that first year I attended was to not overbook yourself. As a newbie to New York I had an agenda…. I wanted to see an exhibit, I wanted to go to a show…
That first year one on my roommates and I (*waves at Esme from Chocolates and Croissants*), stayed an extra day after everything ended. That was the best thing I did.
The reason you do not want to overbook yourself with commitments too early is that new offers may come up. You could meet up with a group of bloggers friends who all want to go out to dinner, or you may get an invite to hang out with authors or publishers and it would be sad if your favorite author invited you to come and hang out with a group and you have to bow out because you have tickets to Wicked…. (not that Wicked would not be incredible to see on Broadway!) 😛
Both years that I have attended I have had something going on every night and occasionally two things. The publishing houses have get together, I went to dinner with my roommates and a group of new authors which was so much fun because they had questions for us like how to do giveaways or promote their books which was so cool because one of those authors has since made a movie deal with that first book. AWESOME. I also connected with many other bloggers who would get together for dinner…. oh and that bonus day? I took in the Harry Potter Exhibit, and the first year seen Mama Mia, and last year Mary Poppins. 😀
And still… I bought a ticket for my first time this year to an authors breakfast and two weeks later received an invite to a brunch being hosted by one of the publishing houses… same day and same time as the author breakfast. Uhh… yeah, I am going to the brunch. 😆
**Absolutely make time to connect with your fellow book bloggers…. it is so fun to meet in person and you could make friends for life. (Reagan (Miss Remmers Reviews) called me this past February on my birthday and sang to me over the phone)….. priceless.
Make a Schedule and check it twice!
Packing a little notebook/agenda with you is a great idea. You can capture information for upcoming books, and addresses for possible meet ups. It is useful for putting where you need to be and when. When you are invited to Publishing houses you want to have the times written down and addresses…. this will also help you so you don’t double book or you can at least look at times to events if you need to try to make two…
Seriously, BEA and all that surrounds it makes me laugh and say “Is this really my life, dinner with authors and cocktails with Publishers? 😀
Stretching the dollars!
That first time I was going to BEA a friend of mine here in Brainerd told me “Food is expensive there, you can easily spend $50+ on a meal. That freaked me out a bit. Well, I can honestly tell you that yes, if you want to go out and have a great New York experience, you certainly can and find high price and meals worth taking pictures of (uhhh…. I have), however I found prices to be not that different from where I live here. Your going out to a nice dinner (without drinks) will cost between $8 and $20. You can also stop and pick up a slice of pizza or a burger for a few bucks…
In the hotels I stayed in the past two years they had continental breakfast so I would eat there and grab an extra banana or apple for my bag I carried to the Javits Center. The Javits has food available but it is a bit pricey! I would recommend bringing a bottle of water with you and maybe an energy bar or granola. Outside the Javitz and not too far walking distance are many restaurants that are nice too for a lunch break and a chance to sit down.
Also – coffee drinkers like me, grab your joe on the way to the Javits… the line that wraps around Starbucks in the early start up hours has been known to be up to a 40 minute wait. Been there.. done that….
How do I get my books home?
No doubt even if you are new to the BEA experience, you have heard about the wonderful opportunity to take home some much coveted reads? As you travel the hallways and aisles you will pick up some books. I can not even imagine any book lover being able to pass on them all… and that leads to the next question… how do you get them home?
The Javits Center offers Fed Ex and UPS in the building for your convenience. On the main floor you will find Fed Ex and I think the first box (and only box) I sent through them that first year was a standard size box and I paid around $45 to have that shipped. My next box I took downstairs (by where you register that first day) and that is UPS. The beauty of UPS is that they let you grab a box in the morning (no charge) and fold it tape it and write your name all over it and leave it down there on a long table and you can add to it all day long. Once full, they have people right there that will assist you and ship it. That 2nd box cost me around $32.00.
Then… I learned that there was a post office not all that far from the Javits. You can fill up a book bag or two and then go to the post office and ship from there. (This is where the tape and boxes I mentioned in your packing come in). For a large size box at the post office with insurance I paid around $18.00 media mail. It takes a few days longer that UPS or Fed Ex but by the end of the week I returned home, the boxes were there. Here is a link to a map of the are around the Javits.
That’s about all I have for now. I am sorry I am posting this so close to event time… I have been planning it for weeks but life and stuff… 😀
For those who have gone before, please add any advice you can think of to the comments below. I appreciate your input and I am sure I am forgetting much 😀
Oh and one more thing, remember that year two picture of Reagan and I at the info booth, over an hour later the dude that was scheduled to be working there showed up and I got a picture:
Oh and P.S. If you are going and want to connect, let me know. I am going to email out my cell number to my regular readers who wish to meet.
Here are a couple other BEA posts I have seen recently:
Miss Remmers Reviews
The 3 R’s Blog
EAT This! NOT That! by David Zinczenko
Eating healthy (or healthier) in this day and age in really like walking through a field of land mines! What is marketed as “healthy” is not always the case. Shoot, I have this argument with my husband all the time around the dollar meal fast food chicken sandwich. “But Sheila,” he says, “It is a chicken sandwich. Chicken. Chicken is healthy. AND it is only a $1.00!”
I try to explain to him that it is not healthy and that $1.00 chicken sandwich and “dollar menu” fries may some day become a $20,000 coronary.
*sigh*
Eat This! Not That! Is not only a wonderful book to skim through and find lists of the vegies and fruits that are the best for you but also how to maneuver your way through a grocery store AND your favorite places you enjoy eating out at. This wonderful little book can fit easily into your purse or carry in your car and is filled with page after page of glossy colorful pictures and information to help you make better food choices for you and your family.
Warning:
The following pictures may be a bit graphic ( 😉 )…. they may make you cry out in shock and pain and cause you to look away when you realize that what you have been eating that you thought was healthy has more calories than 80 double stuff Oreo cookies and 2 glasses of whole milk.
You have been warned.
Holy moly… equivalent to 12 slices of Sara Lee Cherry Pie…..
You probably guessed this bad…. you may not have guessed HOW BAD…
I really love the comparison pages… the one on the left 618 calories, the one on the right 1,412.
I love me some Chines food! I was excited to see that I actually prefer the meal to the left as I am not a big fan of white rice.
There are many pages like this as well that show you the best vegies, the best fruits…
And if you are like me this holiday weekend and plan on grilling up some dogs or brats…. this page will guide you through the traps.
This is my third book like this, I have the 2010 and another one and there is a 2012 as well that I do not yet own. They make great reference books, but also great conversation pieces when your friends come over, flip through it… and groan. 😀 I highly recommend these books to anyone who wishes to be a little more health conscious in their food decisions.
I wrote this post for Weekend Cooking brought to you by the delightful Candice at Beth Fish Reads…. pop in and see what people are cooking this weekend! 😀
May BAND Discussion: Non Fiction…. The Topics You Hate To Admit You Enjoy
BAND — Bloggers’ Alliance of Nonfiction Devotees — is a group organized to promote the joy of reading nonfiction. We are “advocates for nonfiction as a non-chore,” and we want you to join us. Each month, a member of BAND hosts a discussion on their blog related to nonfiction.
I was so excited when I was offered to host the May BAND topic. I started dabbling a bit more consistently into non-fiction in early 2010 and discovered I really enjoyed it. It seems as I get older (*insert GROAN here*)the more I find myself fascinated with true stories.
Non-fiction covers everything from memoirs, to facts about anything…bugs, wood, planes, homes, historical truths, you name it… you can read about it…
HOWEVER…
what I would like to offer up as the topic this month is what are those topics in non fiction reading, that you almost hate to say out loud that you enjoy reading about.
I have two that come to mind, one I don’t mind saying out loud… the other even disturbs me a bit. 😛
The first is, I am fascinated with everything to do with the Titanic. Not just now that we are on the 100th anniversary of the tragedy… but I always have been. In a way, I feel bad about this because it is about a tragedy… but I am drawn to it… the ship, the facts, the people on board… I can not get enough about reading non fiction about this…
A Night To Remember
Titanic Survivor by Violet Jessop (on my wish list!)
The Story Of Titanic as told by Its Survivors
Voyagers Of The Titanic
The second non fiction topic that I hate to admit I like to read is true crime. Yup. There was a time when an Ann Rule book was the first book I read each year. I admit, I haven’t read one in a few years now, but I am still drawn to the topic for some reason even I can’t explain. I am oddly interested and baffled by what causes people to act in such ways. Some of the true crime I have read in the past:
Heart Full Of Lies
The Stranger Beside Me (Ann Rule’s recap of her friendship with Ted Bundy when he worked the Crisis Hot Line with her, before he was discovered to be a serial killer)
Green River Running Red
Every Breath You Take (the first Ann Rule I ever read, about a woman whose husband would not let her go – an obsession that was so frightening that she (Sheila Blackthorn Bellush) knew he would eventually kill her and had told a friend to have Ann Rule write her story if he did succeed in killing her). He succeeded.
Thanks for letting me play in the BAND! 😀
Do you have any non fiction topics that you are a little reluctant to admit you enjoy reading? It can be anything… books about ants, the human brain, bed bugs, Salem Witch Trials, Undertakers, fashion, rock star memoirs…you name it! Spill it! 😀 Feel free to write your own BAND post and link it back here.
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When You Don’t Love That Book That EVERYONE Seems To Love
Recently I feel as though I have hit a couple “must read” books that I just didn’t feel the love. I t starts out the same, I heard about the book through lets say:
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Book friends
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magazine
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Book sites like shelf awareness
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Book Blogs
The book sounds… well, AMAZING. The reviews are AWESOME. I read the synopsis and I can’t wait to get my hands on it! I then:
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Purchase it from a book store
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download it on to my NOOK
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pick it up in audio from audible.com
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cross my fingers and rub my lucky rabbits foot and hope I am offered it for review
And then I dive in… reading it or listening to it on audio….
and occasionally it happens….
it sucks. 😯
Ok, ok, maybe sucks is a strong word, but it doesn’t fit for you. It’s unclear, the characters are not developed well, you are lost within the story line with the first 30 minutes, it’s too long, it’s too short, the language makes you cringe, the crudeness makes you wonder why everyone raved about this book, in the end story lines are left wide open, there is no closure, there is too much closure, it quite possibly is… dull. (and by saying this I do not mean all of the above, I mean a book may be disliked for any one of these reasons… or well, yeah, all of them. 😀
You get my point.
And then, for those of us who review… you review.
I have noticed one of two things happening on these reviews. 1. You write your honest and truthful review. You are fair, you keep it light, you don’t use words like “it made me want to vomit” or “I could have thrown this book across the room, picked it up and thrown it again, preferably into a burning fire pit”, no instead at the end you may add warnings or be aware of: and you quietly and accurately list things to watch out for in the book if said book has things to watch out for (ie. language, crudeness, graphic).
and 2. You let it all hang out in the review. You put your emotion into it, you DO mention if it made you want to vomit or if you wanted it to burn in a fire pit. If you screamed or yelled or cried or groaned out loud… you say it.
Honestly, I tend to lean more towards #2 in my reviews. I like to know how a book affects people, even if it is negatively… I like a little spunk in my reviews…. 😛
So here are my questions:
