Book Buzz: Teacher Study Guide for If I Should Speak

     Earlier this year, I was asked to create a teacher study guide for the novel "If I Should Speak," by Umm Zakiyyah for use in middle schools, high schools, and English language learning classrooms worldwide. I just received a copy of the teacher study guide from the publisher! Yay, this makes my fourth published teacher study guide. :)

• Publisher: Al-Walaa Publications
• Published: 28 July 2012
• Format: Paperback 114 pages
• See: Full bibliographic data
• Categories: Study & Learning Skills: General
• ISBN 13: 9780970766779 ISBN 10: 0970766777

Monday's Muse: Cover Reveal: Rise of a Rector by Heather McCorkle

It's finally here, the cover reveal for Heather McCorkle's Rise of a Rector, the final novel in her channeler series (due out this October). To celebrate Heather is giving away two copies of her historical fantasy novel, To Ride A Puca. Before we get to that though, here is the cover:

To add it to your Goodreads lists click here. If you'd like to check out the rest of the channeler series (her novella Born of Fire is now FREE on Amazon & B&N!) you can do so on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. To win an eBook of To Ride A Puca, all you have to do is help Heather spread the word. There will be two winners! To enter fill out the form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Book That Could Not Be Read.

So I am having a bit of a problem. There's this book that I have been trying to read for a very VERY long time. And guess what page I am on - a whopping page number 36! Believe me, I have TRIED to sit down and read the book but I just can't get into it. I am one to stick with a book up until the end, even if it is a bad book. For some reason, I feel defeated if I don't finish a book from start to end. But this book is different.

But now, I am reaching the "I Quit" zone. And to think the book had such good reviews on Goodreads, but I'm just not feeling it! Then there is the matter of disposing of said book. I want to get rid of it but I feel bad giving it away when I think it is boring, confusing and just not written very well. Is it okay for me to give it away to perhaps someone else who may or may not like it? Should I give it away with a disclaimer? Ugh! I have never really been in this kind of predicament before. I need help!

At what point do you put a book down for good? What do you do with a book that you just can't read?

Book Buzz: Tea Cakes for Tosh

I just love Kelly Starling Lyons! I knew I found  a children's book author that could really bring history to life for children (and adults :D) from the moment I read her book, One Million Men and Me, a picture book that recounts the historic Million Man March through the eyes of a little girl who was with her daddy on that day. 

I also had the opportunity to review her book, Ellen's Broom which tells the story of a young girl who learns a new meaning for freedom during the time of Reconstruction.

Kelly is a wonderful writer and I'm just so happy to learn that she has a new book coming out called Tea Cakes for Tosh. It is a touching story about a young boy, Tosh, who helps his beloved grandmother, Honey, remember an important family story. 

I am really looking forward to its release in December! Check out her blog or Amazon.com to pre-order Tea Cakes for Tosh! 

Old Treasures

As much as I love visiting the bookstore and checking out all the new titles being published left and right, there is nothing better than visiting a library and finding amazing and fun older published books. Even better than that (if that is possible), is finding these little treasures at a book sale or two for dirt cheap!

 A while back I heard about a school that was having a book sale. When the Barnes & Noble located next to my job moved (sniff, I’m still really upset about that) the store donated its entire inventory to the school. Well, the school to raise funds decided to sell the donated items. Naturally, families and students of the school got dibbs on the merchandise before the public. Picture books, MG and YA went really fast! 

The school went through their own library to add some picture books to the tables because they had none by the time they opened their sale to the public. I was a little disappointed (very disappointed actually) but as I rummaged through the pile my disappointment slowly faded away.  For twenty dollars, I walked away with an arm full of old treasures. Most, if not all, of the books were published pre-2000 era. But then life happened. I tucked the books under my desk and forgot about them until my niece's cats started eating at the bag they were in and reminded me I had a treasure trove of 'new' books to read. 

Yesterday I got a chance to go through the bag and check out my goodies. I am really glad I did not just walk out of the book sale as soon as I saw the pathetic picture book table! I sat and went through the books one by one, feeling like the young girl I was in my hometown library devouring all the picture books I could. Each book reminded me why I loved picture books growing up and why I still love them today :D

Oh, and I was extra happy to find Tiger's Quest in the mix of YA books that were left for only $2! I've been wanting it for a while but never wanted to pay the 17+ bucks for it and I could not find it at my library. All in all, I have to say I am one very happy happy camper :D

Summer TBR List 2011

With summer approaching, I want to get together a list of books to keep me entertained and away from the tube. (except for Phineas & Ferb, MONK, and a few other shows I can't live with out :D) So I am looking for some great reads. Got any suggestions? Here is a little background info on stuff I like to read. I love SCIFI!!!!! So anything along that line is great (so long as it is not romantic stuff. I HATE romance novels!) I also love detective, mystery novels like Agatha Christie and Lee Goldberg's MONK series. So what is out there? My goal is to read 25 books over the course of the summer. So I need good books that keep me going. IF I am not hooked within the first two chapters, it is all down hill for me. Unfortunately, I have the mind of a toddler when it comes to things I'm not interested in!

My Summer To Be Read List

1. The Maze Runner by James Dashner

2. Polaris by Jack McDevitt (bought it a while back, figured I ought to read it :/)

3. The Gift by Zaipa Ibrahim

4. The Tale of Hawthorn House by Susan Wittig Albert

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Top Ten: The Library!

Adelanto Branch Library

(it looks a little different now from when I was growing up.

It has been remodeled since I was a kid but still brings back great memories)

Why I LOVE My Local Library.

(and all libraries)

Books and Technology

Where will the digital world take us? While sitting here checking email, updating my facebook status and reading tweets, I came across a tweet that asked, "what will libraries look like?" in the future as we move forward and e-books become more popular and accessible. I realized that it has been ages since I set foot in a library, this coming from a girl who was practically raised in our small town library. Granted, the last time I went to the library, which wasn't that long ago, was in search of some board books for my classroom, but I'm talking about sitting down amongst thousands of books and spending hours reading.

The thought brought back floods of memories and sensations. I can almost remember the smell of my hometown library. The smell of the books, the carpet under my feet (yeah, I used to take off my shoes when the librarian was not looking :D), the hard seats when the more comfortable chair was already taken, the smooth covers of the books as I shelved books and the goosebumps I'd get when it got a bit too cold. The only sounds heard were the hushed whisperings of patrons, tapping of typewriters and the turning of pages. Being home-schooled allowed me an opportunity to spend hours and hours at the library. On a good day, I spent more than four hours. I even learned how to use library system to help others check out books, input returned books and even shelve returned books. One summer, I held the title, junior assistant to the librarian. It was such a great experience.

Then comes technology, giving us the e-book. Not sure how embracing I am of the thought of e-books. I love holding books, smelling books and the simple sensation of turning pages. Just how will e-books transform the library culture and way of life? What will the library of the future look like? I can only imagine some hallowed room with nothing but glass and colorless, streamlined computer stations where people can hook their ipads, kindles, laptops and other e-readers to charge and download books, information and there will even be automated librarians. The room will have a more sterile smell due to problems dust can create for the library's computer mainframe. There will be no intimacy between person and book or person and library. People will interact with machine instead of other humans.

Who knows what the future has in store for books and the library, but hopefully we still have a long time before the written word becomes obsolete. I'm a die-hard book fan and hopefully enough of us will keep the book and library culture alive. At least for the next 7 generations! :D