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It’s Monday! What are you reading this week? is hosted at One Persons Journey Through a World of Books. Its is a weekly event to celebrate what we are reading for the week as well as books completed the previous week.
Books Completed this Past Week:
The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman
Currently Reading:
The Story of Forgetting, by Stefan Merrill Block
Reading Next:
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
What are you reading? Leave a comment with your current read.
Each month, I highlight one book award and one notable list from my journal series, Read, Remember, Recommend. This month, I am giving away Let the Great World Spin, by Colum McCann – the 2009 National Book Award winner, so I thought February would be the perfect month to highlight the National Book Award.
The National Book Awards, including the Award for Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Young People’s Literature, are given annually in November to American authors for books published the prior year. The purpose of these awards, created in 1950 by a group of publishers, is “to enhance the public’s awareness of exceptional books… and to increase
the popularity of reading in general.” The mission of the National Book Foundation is “to celebrate the best of American literature, to expand its audience, and to enhance the cultural value of good writing in America.” Award categories have varied over the years, but now include nonfiction, poetry, and young people’s literature. For each genre, an independent five-judge panel selects the winner. Each winner receives a bronze sculpture and $10,000. In certain years, two awards were given in fiction, sometimes to honor publications in both hardcover and paperback. More information for both awards can be found at National Book Foundation.
| National Book Award for Fiction |
 The 2009 Fiction winner: Let the Great World Spin, by Column McCann Colum McCann’s acceptance speech (as well as speeches from all finalists) can be seen here: NBA Speeches. |
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| The 2009 National Book Award Fiction Award finalists: |
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American Salvage, by Bonnie Jo Campbell In Other Rooms, Other Wonders, byDaniyal Mueenuddin Lark and Termite, Jayne Anne Phillips Far North, by Marcel Theroux |
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| National Book Award for Young People’s Literature |
 The 2009 Young People’s Literature winner: Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose. |
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| The 2009 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature finalists: |
| Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith, by Deborah Heiligman Stitches, by David Small Lips Touch: Three Times, by Laini Taylor Jumped, by Rita Williams-Garcia |
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| You can find these lists in: |
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 The complete National Book Award winners for Fiction as well as the finalists from 1990 can be found on page 19 of Read, Remember, Recommend: A Reading Journal for Book Lovers. The National Book Award for Poetry can be found on page 26. |
 The complete list of National Book Award winners for Young People’s Literature can be found on page 11 of Read, Remember, Recommend for Teens: A Reading Journal for Book Lovers. |
Booking through Thursday is a weekly book related meme where each blogger answers the same question.
This week’s question:
The northern hemisphere, at least, is socked in by winter right now… So, on a cold, wintry day, when you want nothing more than to curl up with a good book on the couch … what kind of reading do you want to do?
I have been craving to read something by Agatha Christie and Stephen King. So, my answer (at least right now!) would be a mystery/thriller. To me, being all cozy with a cup of tea, a fire, a blanket, my 2 huge dogs and 2 little kitties, and the great escape of a book you can’t put down is what winter is all about!
What do you like to read when it’s cold outside?
What is a bookplate?
A bookplate, or ex libris (latin meaning from the library of), is a label placed on the inside of the front cover of a book to identify the owner of a book. These are often decorative and in the past were considered a form of art. Bookplates have become an object of collecting, often times with the bookplate itself worth more than the volume in which it is attached. Check out the blog of Confessions of a Bookplate Junkie for some beautiful pictures, descriptions and tales of bookplate collecting.
The American Society of Bookplate Collectors and Designers (ASBC&D) was organized in 1922 to further the study and collecting of bookplates. Today, the ASBC&D membership includes more than 150 individuals and 50 institutions. The purposes of the ASBC&D as stated in the first Year Book are: “To cultivate the spirit of friendship and mutual helpfulness among collectors and designers of bookplates; and to assist in the further development of the bookplate.” The history of the bookplate as well as an abundance of information about famous engravers and designers, collecting, and bookplate images of well-known readers can be found at Bookplate.org.
Bookplates are invaluable to the avid reader who likes to share and borrow books. Never again can you forget who a particular title belongs to – and hopefully your books will have the same benefits from bookplates.
Check out these site for custom, affordable bookplates:
If you search online, there are also sites offering free, printable bookplates that you could print on sticker paper.
Rather than put bookplates on all my books (I have a few), I keep a pile of my bookplates on my bookshelf and before lending a book, stick one inside the front cover or one of the beginning blank pages. Since I started using bookplates, I have noticed a better return on the books I loan. The presence of the bookplate serves as a gentle reminder to the borrower of the book – and makes it so you don’t have to hint to for a book to be returned (I am not good at that!).
Bookplates make great gifts. If you are buying a present for someone who loves to read but are wary of picking out a book, a bookplate is a unique, personalized gift that shows a lot of thought. Bookplates last the life of a book, so your gift will live on and be remembered whenever the reader picks up a book with their plate in it.
My dilemmas with reading in the tub are over (see A Kindle Swimsuit). My Kindle swimsuit works! I’ve tested it quite a few times – with no complications. Buttons could be easily pushed, the screen was still clear and size wasn’t an issue! It’s the latest fashion this Spring for ereaders.
It’s Monday! What are you reading this week? is hosted at J.Kaye’s Book Blog. Its is a weekly event to celebrate what we are reading for the week as well as books completed the previous week.
Books Completed this Past Week:
Let the Great World Spin, by Colum McCann
Currently Reading:
The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman
Reading Next:
The Story of Forgetting, by Stefan Merrill Block
What are you reading?
Journal entry for 1/27/10:
Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
Reading this on my kindle. Started 1/14/10.
Finished 1/26/2010.
Recommend? – Although Let the Great World Spin is not one of my recent favs, I would definitely recommend it. If you like linked or related short stories, you would love this. Each chapter is narrated by a different character, sometimes in first person and sometimes in the third. The associated stories take place over a short amount of time, but the events they recall in the present and past are immense and intricate. The stories are brimming with emotion and are at times told so exceptionally that I found myself transformed.
Memorable quotes:
“She had told Jaslyn once that everyone knows where they are from when they know where it is they want to be buried.”
Definition:
obduracy – stubbornly refusing to change one’s opinion or course of action
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| Jerome David Salinger passed away on Wednesday at the amazing age of 91. Salinger was the famed author of The Catcher in the Rye, Franny and Zoey, and a few short story collections. | ||||
| The Catcher in the Rye follows Holden Caulfield (one of the most notorious figures in American literature) for a three day adventure in New York after he is expelled from his prep school for his non-conformist ways. His thoughts throughout the story are at times funny, lonely, sad and sentimental. He is witty and a little naughty but never unlikeable. | ||||
| My second little boy, Holden, is named in honor of this incredible character. | ||||
| At one time, The Catcher in the Rye was one of the most frequently censored books across the nation. Now it is one of the most widely read in high schools. This cult creating novel is a classic that will live on to inspire lively discussions and self-discovery. | ||||
Here is the last list of my favorite books – my most recent favs. I added links to the author’s websites as well as any pertinent award sites.
Let me know what your favorites are!
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The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest, by Stieg Larsson.
This thriller trilogy follows a feisty character based loosely on what Pippy Longstocking would have been like as a grown up. She is smart, resourceful and a loner with an intriguing past. Her interactions with a brilliant newspaper reporter help solve a myriad of interlaced mysteries throughout the three books. The third novel, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest isn’t going to be released in the United States until May, 2010. I couldn’t wait to finish – so I ordered it from England. That’s how hooky these books are! |
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The Hearts of Horses, by Molly Gloss. Looking to escape to Oregon in the early 1900’s? With a little twist on the traditional western, Gloss creates a enchanting novel with the central character a young, tough woman. Her vocation as a horse breaker is a fascinating backdrop in rural, eastern Oregon. Gloss’ other novel, The Jump Off Creek is equally as charming. They are both good old-fashioned westerns that can be enjoyed by anyone. |
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The Pale Blue Eye, by Louis Bayard. This enthralling murder mystery takes place at Westpoint academy in the mid 1800’s. All the great mystery elements are present in this captivating story, including a moody sidekick named Edgar Allan Poe. The presence of Poe turns the book into a historical mystery, as the events presented around Poe are all true. If you like this novel, Bayard has crafted two more mysteries with appearances by Dicken’s Tiny Tim Cratchit in Mr. Timothy and Eugéne François Vidocq, history’s first great detective in The Black Tower. |
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March, Geraldine Brooks. I thought the premise of this novel was so unique. The story follows March, the father from Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women through his trials in the civil war as an idealistic chaplain. He is little mentioned in Alcott’s novel, but here you get an understanding of his very kind and forward-thinking nature. March is the recipient of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
Brooks other works, The Year of Wonders and People of the Book are notable works as well. |
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Mudbound, by Hillary Jordan. Taking place just after World War II in rural Mississippi, this story contains the timeless fundamentals that will make it a classic of its time; tragedy, truth, social justice, and thoughts about the human conditionMudbound won the 2006 Bellwether Prize for Fiction, awarded biannually to a first literary novel that addresses issues of social justice. |
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The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins.
These are the best young adult books I have read in a long time. I am eagerly awaiting the third and final book in this trilogy (with millions of other readers!). There is action, adventure, a smattering of politics and of course a love story in these books. Be careful – once you start, you can’t put these down! |
I have to give a quick woot woot to Eva from A Striped Armchair for her amazing post entitled “Travel by Books – 2009 Wrap-Up”. If you read one other blog post today, read this one! What a wonderful idea – and gorgeous presentation. She gathered pictures of all the books and authors she read last year along with different maps from the world. Then she went nutty and posted all the authors and books on each country they belong to (by origin or setting). It’s a beautiful way to see where she traveled. She had quite a year in books!
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