Newbery and Caldecott Award Winners

The Newberry and Caldecott Award winners were announced yesterday by the American Library Association and I just had to give a special shout out for these authors!

Congrats to the amazingly talented author Jon Klassen for his Caldecott win for This is Not My Hat. You can read my thoughts and my interview with Jon here.

Congrats to the incredibly talented Katherine Applegate for winning the Newberry award for the masterpiece that is The One and Only Ivan. My thoughts on this book you must read:

                                                                                                              

Top Ten Tuesday- Books I Resolve to Read in 2013

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the fabulous blog

  The Broke and the Bookish.

Each week we are invited to post our top ten lists on a variety of topics.

 I’m a  little behind on posting, but I really want to share this list:

Books I Resolve to Read in 2013

     

     

I know. Your jaw is dropping. You can’t believe I can call myself a reader when I’ve missed the amazingness you found between the covers of the books above. But before you lose faith in me….I’m going to remedy this! I will read these books this year!-which is why there are 12 listed…one for each month.

So tell me below in the comments-which one should I read first?

Why I Would Survive a Zombie Apocalypse–Guest Post

A few weeks ago I wrote a post – about how I would not survive a zombie apocalypse. My son (who’s 11) thought it was funny and wrote a post about why he would survive.


Here’s his post:

Why I Would Survive a Zombie Apocalypse (at least for a couple of days)

1. I have awesome survival skills
2. I can run for a good period of time
3. I am trained in Martial Arts
4. Give me a long stick and I can fight for days
5. I know some edible plants
6. I’m good at archery
7. I’m strong so I could rip off a zombie’s arm and beat him with it.

I had planned to post this yesterday but it was crazy with Halloween activities. I love this post so much I just had to share it:)

To read my post about zombies-

Dear Teen Me: Feature 8

Today I welcome a fabulous friend of mine Liza. Liza and I go way back to when we both worked for Indigo. I love how even though we might not always see each other, when we do we just pick up where we left off. She’s been a great support.

Dear Teen Me,

I know you won’t listen to me because I’m a middle-aged adult from the future but just in case you’re feeling open-minded today I have some advice for you. Pretend you’re reading it in the pages of Seventeen magazine, ok?

I know you better than anyone else does, you have to admit that. And one of your biggest issues is your lack of self-confidence. There is no magical formula – it isn’t going to magically appear. No one else can give it to you. Faking it until it becomes real actually can work so try that. Also consider these points:

1. Blow- dry your freaking hair with some product. That will help you avoid the nasty cowlick that makes your bangs separate and your forehead shine through. Seriously, give it a try.

2. Stop worrying so much what other people think – wear the clothes you like, not what other people say you should like. Navy and black is not a crime.

3.When you get a boyfriend (it will happen, I promise) don’t take any crap from him – if he doesn’t show up when he says he will or leaves you all alone late at night in downtown Toronto after going to a pub – kick him to the curb and move on. Trust me there are other boys.

4. Keep writing in your journal.

5. Read, read, read. Maybe less Mary Higgins Clark and more quality stuff but keep at it. And don’t discount Canadian female authors just because your mother reads them.

6. Take up a team sport – remember in sixth grade? You were good at volleyball. You’ll meet more people and stay fit at the same time.

7. Surround yourself with positive people. You pick up on other peoples’ habits so avoid people who are always negative or pessimistic.

8. Be brave, take chances, speak up. You worry people will laugh or think you’re stupid but they won’t – they’ll think you’re brave, confident and smart and maybe soon you will believe it too.

(Thanks Liza…such great advice-)

About this feature:

Dear Teen Me (Edited by E. Kristen Anderson & Miranda Kenneally) includes advice from over 70 authors and I’m thrilled to be part of the blog tour. My tour stop date is Tuesday October 30th, and on that date I’ll be posting a review, hosting a giveaway and sharing my own Dear Teen Me letter. In the meantime, I was inspired by the book and decided to invite friends, fellow bloggers, and authors to write their own letter. Through out the month of October I’ll be be posting them here. I still have space for anyone else who would like to participate-just contact me through email or by leaving a comment on this post-(just 2 spots left)

Dear Teen Me-Feature 7

About this Feature:

Dear Teen Me (Edited by E. Kristen Anderson & Miranda Kenneally) includes advice from over 70 authors and I’m thrilled to be part of the blog tour. My tour stop date is Tuesday October 30th, and on that date I’ll be posting a review, hosting a giveaway and sharing my own Dear Teen Me letter. In the meantime, I was inspired by the book and decided to invite friends, fellow bloggers, and authors to write their own letter. Through out the month of October I’ll be be posting them here. 

Today I welcome Sheena. Sheena and I met through a Women's Networking Group and I'm so glad we did.  I love her enthusiasm and passion for helping others.

Dear Teen Me,

First things first, dump the boyfriend.  No, seriously, DUMP HIM.  He’s a loser and he will never see you for what you are really truly worth.  I know you think you love him, heck, I know you think you’re in love with him, but you’re not.  That’s not love, in fact, it’s quite the opposite.  No one has the right to put their hands on you… EVER.  And it doesn’t matter if he begs for forgiveness afterwards, and says he’ll never do it again, he’s lying, and he will continue, over and over again.  Don’t believe the things he spews at you, not for even one second.  Standing up for yourself and raising your voice does not make you a b!tch, it makes you strong, and he’s threatened by that.  He may be physically bigger than you, but he is a weak, weak person.  Know that and walk away with your head held high.  I promise there is an incredibly gentle, kind and loving man waiting for you just around the corner, he’ll treat you like a princess and love you beyond words.  He’s amazing and you deserve it.

Be nicer to your little brother.  He’s going through a rough patch and he needs you far more than you realize; far more than he admits.  He’s a good kid, and he looks up to you for direction.  Stop treating him like he’s worthless; he’s starting to believe you.  You love him dearly and you need to tell him more often… his life depends on it.  Despite what your relationship is like right now, he will grow to become one of your very best friends, an amazingly strong man who loves his family like no other.  He is a good man.

Your true friends aren’t in high school, in fact, they’re barely in university and college, so you can stop trying to impress those people, they leave you high and dry once they find out you’re pregnant.  Forget them.  You will walk away from university with two amazing women to call your friends, and although you don’t talk nearly enough, when you do it’s as though no time has passed.  Cherish them, they love you unconditionally.

Follow your heart, it will never steer you wrong.  Life is good.  Our home is cozy and full of love, our children are happy and full of joy, and our husband is phenomenal and super hot.  We’ve made the conscious choice to live minimally and within our means, this is a value that is important to us.  We carry low to no debt and we are essentially stress-free (boring, I know).  Forget the Joneses, we’re making our own path.  This type of financial freedom allows you to always follow your dreams.  You are an entrepreneur.  You have followed your passion and it has led you here.  And *here* is amazing.

Don’t over complicate things.  Life really is quite simple; know your worth, be nice to people, follow your heart and live within your means.  Enjoy it.

Love Always,

33 year old you

Sheena is the Owner of Blue Bamboo Holistics. In addition to Reiki and Reflexology she also offers "Mindful Kids" Classes for children and their families to quiet their minds, bodies and embrace their inner power. 

Be sure to check out her website. http://www.blue-bamboo.ca/

Dear Teen Me–Feature 5

About this Feature:

Dear Teen Me (Edited by E. Kristen Anderson & Miranda Kenneally) includes advice from over 70 authors and I’m thrilled to be part of the blog tour. My tour stop date is Tuesday October 30th, and on that date I’ll be posting a review, hosting a giveaway and sharing my own Dear Teen Me letter. In the meantime, I was inspired by the book and decided to invite friends, fellow bloggers, and authors to write their own letter. Through out the month of October I’ll be be posting them here. I still have space for anyone else who would like to participate-just contact me through email or by leaving a comment on this post.

Today I welcome one of my favourite bloggers and Blog Squad cohorts Christa-

Dear 16 year old me,

Hello from the future! I managed to track down the TARDIS and convince the Doctor to deliver this letter from 24 year old you. I know you don't know what a TARDIS or the Doctor is but remember those words. They will be of vital importance later on.

I hope I've caught you at a good time. Maybe you're reading this in Ms. Jones' English class while you're supposed to be reading Catcher in the Rye but are bored because you already finished it weeks ago. Maybe you're in between psychotic customers while working the returns desk at Wal Mart. Or maybe your hiding in that hollowed out spot in the back of your closet while your parents scream bloody murder at one another. For both of our sakes, I hope it's the first option.
That's right, all those moments stick with you well into the future. You carry them with you wherever you go and as much as you may hate them now, that's ok. They've made you who you are today and that person, is pretty awesome.

There are so many things I could talk about in this letter. I could talk about how much you're going to love university or all the amazing places you're going to visit, or tell you about how one day you're going to be lucky enough work in publishing and pursuing your dreams of being a published author. But I'm not going to talk about all those things because I'm you after all and at this point there's something much more important to address.

And that's this. Your dad is an alcoholic. You probably already know (or at least suspect) this but I wanted to be clear. I'm sorry to say that he is going to continue to drink, and it will become so much more than just finding him passed out around the house. It will come to a point where you won't even know who this strange man is any more and wonder what happened to the kind, loving man who was once your hero. I don't want to overwhelm you with all the details, but I NEED you to hear this one piece of advice. Do not listen to anyone who tells you the opposite.
Are you listening?

Nothing - and I mean nothing - that happens to your dad is your fault. You are in no way responsible for any of his actions. Asking you to not only cope with but accept what's going on, is something that should never be asked of a child and if you find you need to step away and put some distance between you and the situation THAT IS OK. I can not stress that enough. Only you know how much you can take, and it's important that you listen to yourself.
Your dad was a great man. You're going to lose a lot of your earlier memories of him, but hang on to what you can. Please don't rip up all his pictures when you're angry. I regret that decision all the time. At the same time however you are perfectly right to be angry at everything he put you, your mom and your brother through. It's even alright if you feel sad and angry at the same time. Eventually the anger dulls at little and you will find peace. As a bonus you also maintain a fabulous relationship with your mom and brother to this day, so there is always that to be thankful for.

Your teenage years are not an easy trip, so be prepared. I hate to tell you this but things are going to get worse for a little while. But the good news is that around the time you turn 19 everything is going to change. Life is going to get SO MUCH BETTER. You have no idea. And not for any one reason either. But you will be happy I promise. I am proud to tell you that not once in the past five years have I ever felt the need to hide in the closet, I currently love my job and I have hundreds (seriously, hundreds) of books that I can read anytime I want.

And seriously remember what I said about the Doctor.
24 year old you

Thank you so much Christa for sharing and for being so open and honest. Big hugs to you.

Visit Christa’s Blog! – Hooked on Books!

Dear Teen Me: Feature Letter 4

Today I welcome Gillian who I had the pleasure of meeting this year, we became fast friends.

Dear Teen Me,

You are lovely, did you know? You are funny, light, happy, joy-filled and free. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Don’t let anyone tell you that you are less than because you are different than them. Don’t try to be like someone else, be like YOU! Because you are amazing.
Work hard at being honest, in every situation. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want. Ask out the boy you like. Ask other girls to spend time with you. Trust that your friends WANT you around. Don’t assume you aren’t good enough…because you are and they think so too!
Don’t feel like you have to show off what you know all the time. Choose silence more often. Let others figure you out for themselves. Let them judge you by your smiles, you support, your loving actions. If they don’t see the good, let them walk on by…those who do value you are just waiting in line to get close to you.
Know that every single person you meet feels just as awkward, scared and unsure as you. Be loving and patient with their attempts to mask it. Those who growl the loudest are often the most scared. Reach out, let them know you see their real selves. Encourage them to be brave too.
It seems impossible now, but try to enjoy the freedom and security you have living at home, surrounded by amazing support and love. This foundation will carry you through life, but not in the same way it does now. Give Dad a hug for me, and make sure it lasts a long time…cause he won’t be here forever. Tell him how proud you are of him, what a wonderful father he is.
Start saving money, and avoid credit cards for as long as possible!! But spend more money on better quality things, just do with less. That is better. That is where the value is.
Most of all, try something new each day. Don’t be afraid to look foolish or to fail. There are worse things and the reward for your risk is SO great! There is a world of new experience waiting for you, jump in with both feet and eyes open. The only scary thing is staying the same…we need to grow, develop, transform.
Be loving. Every day look for ways to be more loving. And the world will fall in love with you. It is really very simple.
Loving you, every day,
me

( Gillian I love this letter so much)

Gillian is a Marketing Strategy and Communications Specialist. She is one of the most positive people I know, so lucky to have her as a friend.
Her website:
Rees Communications

About this feature:
Dear Teen Me (Edited by E. Kristen Anderson & Miranda Kenneally) includes advice from over 70 authors and I’m thrilled to be part of the blog tour. My tour stop date is Tuesday October 30th, and on that date I’ll be posting a review, hosting a giveaway and sharing my own Dear Teen Me letter. In the meantime, I was inspired by the book and decided to invite friends, fellow bloggers, and authors to write their own letter. Through out the month of October I’ll be be posting them here. I still have space for anyone else who would like to participate-just contact me through email or by leaving a comment on this post.

Dear Teen Me–Feature

    Dear Teen Me (Edited by E. Kristen Anderson & Miranda Kenneally) includes advice from over 70 authors and I’m thrilled to be part of the blog tour. My tour stop date is Tuesday October 30th, and on that date I’ll be posting a review, hosting a giveaway and sharing my own Dear Teen Me letter. In the meantime, I was inspired by the book and decided to invite friends, fellow bloggers, and authors to write their own letter. Through out the month of October I’ll be be posting them here. I still have space for anyone else who would like to participate-just contact me through email or by leaving a comment on this post.

Today, I am featuring a letter written by Ginger from GReads! One of my favourite bloggers; She’s also responsible for designing the amazing graphic you see above. You can visit her tour stop on October 17th. Here is her letter:

Dear Teen Ginger,

Live in the moment; that's the best piece of advice I can give you. We tend to always want to get to that next step far too quickly and end up missing out on the here and now. Relish in the fact that your responsibilities are still limited and leave the worries to days far off in the distance. Take time to laugh with your friends. The kind of laugh that leaves your belly aching and your cheeks sore from smiling so hard, yet you find yourself doing it all over again. Pay attention to the nice boy who asks about tonight's homework assignment, but really he's just looking for an excuse to chat with you. Ignore the girls who spend too long in front of the mirror and gossip about people they don't even know. Study hard, read as much and as often as you can, get involved and volunteer.
These moments will come and go way too fast. They are moments you can't repeat, no matter how hard you try. Be happy with yourself and proud of the person your parents are still raising. Pay attention to the life that's happening around you, and the life you're still making. Being a teen can be rough, but I promise there will be tougher times ahead. So enjoy this moment and live it for what it is.

Love,
A more "seasoned" Ginger

Thanks so much G. It’s funny how when we’re teens we are in such a rush to “grow up”. Sometimes I long for the days where I had few if any responsibilities…..

#Daily Book Pic- A Bookish Photo Project

I love twitter and this is one of the reasons, while scrolling through my feed I came across a tweet and a link to a post by Book Riot about the #Daily Book Pic!
For the month of July we are invited to post to Twitter/Pinterest a daily book themed photo-I'll be posting to Facebook too. Here is a list of prompts:

I am so excited about participating! Hope you will too! Watch my twitter/facebook feed for the photos and I'll be posting a summary post at the end of the month as well!

I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!

Saw this on Twitter and had to share -thank you http://hcclibrarylove.tumblr.com/

W3EPFEBYNFUV