A New Year, One Little Word, and No Resolutions

Happy New Year! This post has not been easy to write. I started it just prior to New Year's Day. It should have taken me a couple of hours to write. However, I went back to my last year's New Year's post and oh no. I realized that there was so much there that I did not accomplish and so much that I did not even remember that I had written.

So, I have been thinking....I am not making any resolutions this year. Well, maybe one thing.

One Little Word
Last year, I read One Word That Will Change Your Life by Jon Gordon, Dan Britton, and Jimmy Page (Wiley, 2013).

I had seen a lot of people talking about their One Little Word, and I was wondering what it was all about. I decided to pick a word.  I, then, shared the book with a close friend and we picked words, and on & off we checked in with each other.  My one little word last year was MEANINGFUL. Though I wasn't certain that it was the right word, it was the one that seemed to strike me emotionally.

As I looked back over the year, I am not certain how much I saw change as a result of my one little word, but I did put in motion a few things. I started making some changes to my living space to make it more a place that I felt good about and to reflect the me I wanted to be.

I, also, decided to adopt two little fur babies. 

Watson and Holmes at 6 months

I named them Holmes and Watson and they have been a source of a lot of fun and entertainment the last five months and in their own way they have brought a new and different kind of meaning to my life.

Oh course, there are days like today when they managed to find and open up a bag of dried lentils all over the bedroom and hallway. Fortunately, they are so cute that I will keep them.

This year, as I have seem everyone's posts about their One Little Words, I wondered if I would do it again. This time, a word kept coming to me.

Mindful image made with the notegraphy app.

Mindful. Mindful of the choices I make or choose not to make. Mindful of how I interact with others. Mindful of how I speak. Mindful of special, small moments in the day. So, let's see how it goes.

As I was talking about my one little word with my friend who did it with me last year, she mentioned a TED TALK that she had just watched.

TED TALK: Phil Hansen: Embrace the Shake

There are so many powerful ideas in this presentation by Phil Hansen, but maybe the end is what I really needed to hear.

"Limitations may be the most unlikely of places to harness creativity, but perhaps one of the best ways to get ourselves out of ruts, rethink categories and challenge accepted norms. And instead of telling each other to seize the day, maybe we can remind ourselves every day to seize the limitation."

Sometimes, I believe I have fallen into a rut and I need to rethink some things. Sometimes, I look at limitations and feel defeated rather than how a limitation can open the door for a new opportunity. I need to think more about this one, but I sense there is something here for me to learn.

Finally, I am not certain about what I would like to see happen on my blog. However, I know that I will be thinking about what I am doing and whether I should continue it or do something different. I want my blog to have meaning and to be fun.

As for my reading, I am not setting any reading goals this year. I will continue to use GoodReads to track what I read because it is a great way to share book lists with teachers and parents and to remember what I read. I love reading and I know I will read, and isn't that the important thing in the end?!

Wishing you a Happy New Year and may the year bring wonderful surprises and journeys and may will all embrace our limitations in order to discover new things.

Reading Goals for 2015 - Carolyn

Since I (Alyson) seem to be at some kind of weird impasse with my New Year's post, I reached out to Carolyn and asked what she wanted to read or do this new year.  So, I turn it over to her:

As the New Year has just begun, here is a list of books I will be reading and events I will be attending in 2015.

Books released in 2015:

Fairest by Marissa Meyer (Feiwel and Friends, January 2015) and Winter by Marissa Meyer (Feiwel and Friends, November 2015)

The prequel to the Lunar Chronicles, Fairest will explore the past of the wicked Queen Levana. As a huge fan of the series, I'm looking forward to its release. Marissa Meyer is actually blessing us readers with two books this year, as Winter, the fourth and last(?) installment of the Lunar Chronicles is slated to release later this year (and thus the cover has yet to be released).

A Girl Undone by Catherine Linka (St. Martin's Griffin, June 2015)

One of my favorite debuts of 2014 was A Girl Called Fearless, and so one of the books I'm most looking forward to is A Girl Undone, the sequel to Catherine Linka's brilliant first novel. I'm intrigued to see what will happen to Avie, the main character, after the events of the first book.

The Vanishing Throne by Elizabeth May (September 2015)

The Falconer was one of my favorite releases this past year, and so I'm greatly anticipating the release of the sequel, The Vanishing Throne. While it does have a UK release date (fall of this year), a US release date has yet to be announced, so I'm crossing my fingers and hoping it'll be released soon.

The Chess Queen Enigma by Colleen Gleason (Chronicle Books, October 2015)

As a big fan of the Stoker and Holmes novels, I am greatly anticipating the release of the third book in the series. Since the release is scheduled for fall, a cover is yet to be released.

Series to catch up on:

Princesses of Myth books by Esther Friesner 

I've read the first five books of Princesses of Myth series (Nobody's Princess, Nobody's Prize, Sphinx's Princess, Sphinx's Queen, and Spirit's Princess), but I need to read the sixth (Spirit's Chosen) and seventh (Deception's Princess) books in the series before the eighth book (Deception's Pawn) is released in April of this year. The Princesses of Myth series follows the fictionalized yet historical stories of various heroines throughout history: Helen of Sparta, the Egyptian queen Nefertiti, Himiko (the daughter of a 3rd century Japanese cheiftain), and most recently, Princess Maeve of Ireland.

The Maisie Dobbs series, by Jacqueline Winspear

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of the the Maise Dobbs books, a mystery series that follows a detective through the 1930s as she solves a number of crimes, often pertaining to the after effects of the Great War. The eleventh book, A Dangerous Place, will be released this March, so I have some catching up to do - I've only read the first six books. The Maisie Dobbs books, in order, clockwise from top left: Maisie Dobbs, Birds of a Feather, Pardonable Lies, Messenger of Truth, An Incomplete Revenge, Among the Mad, The Mapping of Love and Death, A Lesson in Secrets, Elegy for Eddie, and Leaving Everything Most Loved.

Books to read and series to start:

Maze Runner Books by James Dashner

I've meant to read the Maze Runner books for a while now, but I am seriously planning on reading them, because I just recently saw the movie (yes, I did break one of the cardinal rules of book lovers - I saw the movie before I read the book).

 The Hush Hush Saga by Becca Fitzpatrick

Another YA series I've been meaning to read. After several recommendations, the Hush Hush books have made it into my tbr pile.

All of John Green's books

While I'm a huge fan of the Vlogbrothers (John and Hank Green's Youtube vlog), I've only read one of John Green's books (The Fault in Our Stars). I'm planning on reading the rest of his collected works: Looking For Alaska, Let it Snow, Paper Towns, Will Grayson, Will Grayson, and An Abundance of Katherines. 

Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince) by Antoine de Saint Exupéry

I've read The Little Prince before - both as a child and in my freshman honor's English class - and I utterly adore it. However, now that I'm in my second year of French, I want to read it in the original French. The upcoming movie (at least the French version) will be released this year, so reading the book again will be a great way to refresh my memory.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

My mother bought me a copy of of the book after hearing great reviews about it, but I haven't had a chance to read it yet. I'm super excited to read The Book Thief, and it is at the top of my TBR pile.

Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor

I've already read the first two books of the Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy (Daughter of Smoke and Bone and Days of Blood and Starlight) and haven't had a chance to finish the trilogy with the last book. I loved the first two books, and I hope that the third doesn't disappoint. 

Book Events I'm looking forward to attending in 2015:

SCIBA Children's Literacy Day 

For the past two years, I've had the privilege of attending the SCIBA (Southern California Independent Booksellers' Association) Children's Literacy Dinner in February, where I had the opportunity to socialize with booksellers, authors, and publicists. This year, a day-long event will be held (more information about that can be found here). I'm looking forward to attending; it has been a highlight of my year every time I've gone, and I'm sure it will be just as enjoyable.

Pasadena Teen Book Fest

Last year, the first ever Pasadena Teen Book Fest was held. I had a great time volunteering and attending, and look forward to doing so again this year.

LA Times Festival of Books

A must-do for , the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books is a weekend long event featuring author panels, book signings, book sellers, and lots of book-lovers. I've had a blast every time I've attended and look forward to attending this year.

ALA Annual Conference

For something new, I'm thrilled to announce that I'll be attending the American Librarian Association's Annual Conference in San Francisco this summer. I've never been before, but it promises to be a great weekend full of books (as well as a great networking opportunity). 

Happy New Year to you, and I wish you all a lovely year (full of books) to come!

_______________
You can find Carolyn here on Fridays since the summer.  You can follow her on twitter @yalitfrenzy

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday: Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge 2015

When I first began the nonfiction picture book challenge, I simply wanted to close up a personal book gap I had. I read very little nonfiction for children and knew that needed to change. By starting the challenge in 2012, I was excited to read 60 or 70 nonfiction picture books in a year. However, this year (2014), I made an even bigger push to read more and to fill in some of my nonfiction book gaps.

Here are my stats for this year...

I read 140 nonfiction books published in 2014.
I read 5 nonfiction books that will come out in 2015.
I read 8 nonfiction books from 2012.
I read 24 nonfiction books from 2013.
I read 85 nonfiction books from pre-2012.
Grand Total: 262 nonfiction titles

As I look to 2015, I am looking at my fourth year of hosting the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.  Reading nonfiction has become a wonderful habit and one that I do not see myself giving up anytime soon.  Additionally, the community of readers who are participating in the challenge have become a wonderful source of information and new titles, as well as, on-line friends & even in person friends.

For 2015, there are somethings that I will continue, such as, reading as many new releases from 2015 that I can find. Though I squeezed in some MG/YA nonfiction books towards the end of the year, I would like to do better and read at least one to two per month.

Of course, I will continue posting each month the upcoming new releases as I find out about them. As I have been thinking about next year, I also would like to feature interviews with and guest post by children's nonfiction authors. Finally, I would like to include more ways to have fun with nonfiction in the classroom.

If you would like to participate in the challenge in 2015, here are the details:

 1. Set a goal as to how many nonfiction picture books (or nonfiction MG or YA books)  you would like to read over the course of 2015. Maybe you want to read one a month or one a week. Will they all be from 2015 or will you be reading ones previously published? Do you have a gap with a particular area of nonfiction? The important part is to set a goal that will be fun and not stressful.

2.  My nonfiction book reviews and posts will be on Wednesdays but I may start posting on a second day in order to fit everything in.  There will be a link if you want to connect up one of your reviews or progress towards your goal. If you post on Mondays (Nonfiction Mondays) or Fridays (STEM Fridays), please feel free to link up on Wednesdays with us, we would love to get to know more bloggers talking about nonfiction.

3. There will be interviews, guest posts, giveaways, and new release posts.

4. If you would like to participate in this challenge, please link up your blog or GoodReads Shelf using the Widget below. Please know that you can join in at anytime throughout the year.

5. If you tweet about what you are reading as part of this challenge, please use the twitter hashtag #nfpb2015.

6. You are welcome to grab the image at the top of the post to use in your weekly posts.

Don't forget to link up your Blog or GoodReads Shelf below:

Favorite Miscellaneous Book Picks of 2014

For my last favorite book picks of 2014, I am doing a miscellaneous grouping of books. I have decided to feature favorites that may not have ended up on everyone's lists. It doesn't mean that I don't like those other books that you have seen on the Nerdy Awards or on the myriad of Best of Lists, but instead of duplicating lists, here are some of my quiet favorites.

Favorite Early Readers:

Pigsticks and Harold and the Incredible Journey by Alex Milway (Candlewick Press) - Odd couple friendships, adventure and humor - this one has it all.

Drop it, Rocket by Tad Hill (Schwartz & Wade) - Rocket has been a character I love in picture books and now he has joined the early reader books. Rocket works well as an early reader.

Monkey Goes Bananas by C.P. Bloom (Harry N. Abrams) - Though almost a wordless book, this early reader is simply a fun story.

Favorite Graphic Novels:

Hidden: A Child's Story of the Holocaust by Loic Dauvillier (First Second) - A serious topic for a graphic novel but one that is well done.

Return of Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke (First Second) - Zita is one of my favorite space heroes and this one did not disappoint.

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll (Margaret K. McElderry) - A series of short stories that are perfectly creepy.

Other Favorites:

The Secret Hum of a Daisy by Tracy Holczer (Putnam Juvenile) - This is a heartprint book and one that is beautifully written.

Nightingale's Nest by Nikki Loftin (Razorbill) - A twist on a Hans Christen Andersen story that touched me emotionally as I read it.

The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer L. Holm (Random House) - Just an enjoyable read with some thought provoking questions.

The River by Alessandro Sanno (Enchanted Lion Books) - A book that I don't know what category to put it into but one that has beautiful illustrations and minimal text.  So lovely.

What a wonderful year in books and I look forward to even more amazing books in 2015.

It's Monday! What are you reading? From Picture Books to YA - 12/29/14

It's Monday! What are you reading? is hosted by Sheila of Book Journey.  Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers have adapted it to focus on Picture Books to Young Adult Books.

I have continued to track down some of the 2014 picture books on my TBR pile and went through a stack of graphic novels and some other books. I am trying to squeeze in another 20+ books before December 31st.

Here is what stood out in the pile this week:

Hansel and Gretel retold by Neil Gaiman; Illustrated by Lorenzo Mattoti (Toon Books, October 2014) - Gaiman has retold Hansel and Gretel in his own dark style accompanied by black ink illustrations.

Amulet, Vol. 6: Escape from Lucien by Kazu Kibuishi (Graphix, August 2014) - The story continues and I finally sat down and read it. So glad that I did. The action and adventure and journey continues in book 6 and sets up readers for a book 7.

Bird and Squirrel On Ice by James Burks (Graphix, September 2014) - The hilarious odd couple of bird and squirrel are back with an encounter with penguins and a giant whale.

We Shall Overcome: The Story of a Song by Debbie Levy (Jump at the Sun, December 2013) - A look at the song We Shall Overcome and it's influences over the decades.

At Home in Her Tomb: Lady Dai and the Ancient Chinese Treasure of Mawangdui by Christine Liu-Perkins (Charlesbridge, April 2014) - If you like mummy stories and history, this one is a must read.

Shh! We Have a Plan by Chris Houghton (Candlewick, September 2014) - Just a delightful picture book that I have somehow missed earlier in the year.

The History of Money: From Bartering to Banking by Martin Jenkins; Illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura (Candlewick Press, August 2014) - An engaging look at the history of money.

Leroy Ninker Saddles Up (Tales from Deckawoo Drive #1) by Kate DiCamillo; Illustrated by Chris Van Dusen (Candlewick, August 2014) - Leroy, and his horse Maybelline end up on Deckawoo Drive. For fans of Mercy Watson.

So, what are you reading?