Parenthetical

I think Kristin recommended this one to me, in which case, props to you! Loved it. I finished it over a dinner shift at work and was totally sobbing in the library kitchen. But don’t worry; it’s not just a sad book — there’s plenty of funny, romantic, and hopeful in there as well. I’m [...]

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This recent xkcd makes an excellent point. This is why I always loved the end of Labyrinth when all the critters tell Sarah that they’ll come “should you need us” — and then she cries that she needs them and they come rock out in her bedroom! Because they didn’t just mean the life-or-death kind [...]

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The last post reminded me that I never posted my total winter stores for this year!* The list was made in mid-November, so some of this stuff is gone (though less than you might expect). Behold: Pre-Made Meals 3 servings + 1 large IF** tomato, kale, & white bean soup w/ rosemary 1 IF + [...]

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A few weeks ago I read an article about South River Miso, “the only unpasteurized, certified organic miso that is entirely handcrafted in the centuries-old Japanese farmhouse tradition,” according to the jar — and it just happens to be made 100 miles away in Conway, MA. I immediately informed Sherman Market, the little market just [...]

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I got myself up at 7:45 to watch the ALA Youth Media Awards webcast. (Why do they do this so early, again?) I lost video at the announcement of the Printz winner, but fortunately I could still hear all of it. Congratulations to the middle grade & YA winners! (Here’s the complete list.) John Newbery [...]

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If you write, or care about writing, or teach students who write, you must read “Writing English as a Second Language”. It’s a talk William Zinsser gave to new international students at the Columbia Graduate School for Journalism, and it’s so brilliant it made me choke up a little. It helped me understand the writing [...]

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I’m too cheap to attend the American Library Association conference for real. But I am not too cheap to spend $35 on an exhibit pass when the conference happens to swing by my town! That $35 easily paid for itself in free ARCs this evening alone: The Prince of Mist, Carlos Ruiz Zafon Green Witch, [...]

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Due to a conflict of interest, I’ve switched into the Middle Grade Fantasy & Science Fiction category. I’m totally excited, if for no other reason than that the books are shorter. The fabulous finalists are: 11 Birthdays, Wendy Mass Dreamdark: Silksinger, Laini Taylor The Farwalker’s Quest, Joni Sensel Odd and the Frost Giants, Neil Gaiman [...]

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I’m madly reading Cybils finalists, which I’m not allowed to review until the winner is announced in February, because our judgely reviews might telegraph the result. So in the meantime… catching up on other reviews! This collection of short stories is subtitled “Twelve stories of identity,” and by identity we mean queerness. I know you [...]

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Good morning, 2010! The Cybils elves were hard at work over New Year’s, and we now have a list of the 2009 finalists! The YA Fantasy and Science Fiction finalists are: Candor, by Pam Bachorz The Demon’s Lexicon, by Sarah Rees Brennan The Dust of 100 Dogs, by A. S. King Fire, by Kristin Cashore [...]

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