Friday, December 22, 2006

Meme For Book Bloggers

Started by Confessions of a Bibliovore. Picked up by Kids Lit and Fuse Number 8.

How many other kidlit blogs do you read?
A lot. I think they are all on my blogroll, but I sometimes add something to my Bloglines account and don't update my blogroll. About 150; I have 331 blogs on my blogines.

What's the most recent add?
Blue Rose Girls. As I said, I have this habit of adding to my bloglines but not taking the time to update my blogroll. I guess one on of my resolutions should be to do update as needed, rather than every other month.

How often do you post a book review to your blog?
It depends; I like to post about 5 a week, but some weeks are tough and I feel like I'm lucky to get one.

Do you post about anything else?
Yes; I post about news, discussions at other blogs, interviews, books, TV, movies, whatever captures may fancy -- and it also depends on when I have time to craft the post. And, of course, my Buffy Quote of the Week!

Do you only blog books you like, or the stinkers too?
Life's too short to blog about bad books. Seriously; I have about 20 books to blog about that I like, and where are those posts? Half written, still in my head, waiting to get out.

That's not entirely true; I sometimes don't "like" a book but a certain part intrigues me enough to motivate a post. I posted about a silly Disney Cuties book because it fascinated my niece, Cheetah.

I also think "like" is too narrow a word; I post about books that I consider are "best" or well written or exciting; it's not my cup of tea, but I can appreciate hot chocolate, also. There's a certain Big Fat Important Book getting a lot of acclaim despite it's very Mary Sue main character (and some other things that didn't work for me) so I was not going to blog about it. In discussions about the book, and my own rereading, I've been rethinking this position. Oh, I still see the character as a Mary Sue; the things that didn't work still don't work. But there is enough that I did like, enough good bits, that I may blog about it, while still mentioning the things that didn't work for me.

And, upon occasion, a concern about a book prompts a negative post; for example, the sexism in last year's Theodor Seuss Geisel Award books.

How do you keep track of what you want to read?
Piles. Upon occasion I sit down and shift the piles. The piles are as follows: "have to read" (for work or an award or other committee or discussion group; right now, I'm on the NJLA GSTBA reading group) and "want to read" are in piles, while "would like to read" are in a bookshelf. I shift the piles based on changing reading commitments, new books that are sent to me, reviews I read online, etc.

How do you keep track of what you've read?
Old fashioned writing journals. Right now, I'm averaging one blank book every two months. I blog about some of them, and keep a best books list on my sidebar. The Best Books of 2006 is limited to books published in 2006; I think next year, it'll be Best Books Read in 2007 with a notation as to publication year.

Do you work with kids?
Yes.

In the age group of the books you mostly blog about?
Since I'm the Branch Manager & sole librarian at a small branch, the answer is yes -- I work with kids of all ages and adults.

Do you read grown-up books?
Yes, but I tend to stay away from "literary" books as I find them over-written and self important. I like mysteries, romance, historical fiction, and non-fiction; sometimes family sagas. For some reason, I love J and YA fantasy but not so much love with the grown up titles.

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