Readathon Intro Meme

Blrrrrg...so early...props to the kiddos who woke me up with their argument over which dvd to start the day (Star Wars vs. Angelina Ballerina).

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? Rurality of Dripping Springs, TX. It's cloudy and should rain at some point today.

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? Mirror, Mirror, by Gregory Maguire. I think it's the only one of his fairytale "series" I haven't read yet.

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? There are some chocolate shortbread sandwich cookies from IKEA, acquired from a friend, that may not survive the morning.

4) Tell us a little something about yourself! I'm a SAHM to Boy, 7, and Grrl, 4. Boy is working on expanding his functionality on the Autism Spectrum. Grrl is working on her overlord (lady?) destiny. Helping them with their respective goals is my first priority, but I have been making more and bigger efforts to write.

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to? This is my first Readathon...so glad that it's still here! I'm looking forward to the time alone to concentrate on the writing aspect, and to venturing "out" to visit new friends.

And now, it is time to get everyone dressed and head over to the YMCA so I can listen to my first book of the day (Mark of Athena), do my qigong practice, and start this week's reading assignment for The Graveyard Book.

Readathon Plan, Wrenched but Salvageable

For me, the biggest impediment to participating in events like this, is childcare coordination. One of the tough things about living in the country is the dearth of teenagers who offer sitting services, and also the scarcity of other moms who are willing to have my kids over for a playdate. My best hope for the next Bloggiesta is that my daughter will finally be out of diapers, which will mean sleepovers at the grandparents place (in theory, anyway).

So, my 24-hour time slot runs from 7 AM on Saturday to 7 AM on Sunday. My husband will be attending a memorial service for a cousin who passed this summer. I'll stay home with the kids and grab what I can in terms of time. I'll have a little reading time after my qigong class while the kids use up the rest of their 2-hour limit. Depending on husband's return time, I might fit in 2-3 uninterrupted hours before dinner. The kids will get storytime before bed, so I guess I get to count that also.Depending on when I crash, I should have between 4 and 6 hours of uninterrupted visiting/blogging/reading.

Morning and afternoon selections:

The Graveyard Book,for post-qigong

Mark of Athena, for the car

Angel of Music, at the playground

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, at bedtime, for the boy

Evening books:

Mirror, Mirror

Sweet Potato Queens' Big Ass Cookbook

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff

Fifty Acres and a Poodle

Confessions of a Slacker Wife

Hags, Sirens, and Other Bad Girls of Fantasy

These are just books that caught my eye. All have been languishing in the garage for at least a few years (I've been using my public library and getting many free Kindle and iBooks titles). I will just have to see what I'm in the mood for, and whether I feel a need to finish the Kindle read before I start something from the big pile.

Book swappage haul

My son's school hosted a book swap/cake walk event tonight, and I spent part of today gathering books that we didn't need to have around anymore (DH would likely say "that would be ALL of them."). I registered them on BookCrossing, and was reminded that I'm coming up on my 6th anniversary of being a member (not that I've been a great member, mind you) on Saturday. Not sure if I want to do anything to commemorate it, or if anyone on the fora would even participate. Anyway, I didn't win a cake (apparently, grown-ups do not participate in cakewalks), nor a turkey dinner from the state-based chain, but I did find a lot of great books, mostly for the kids:

When Sophie Gets Angry--Really, Really Angry, by Molly Bang (Caldecott Honor, Charlotte Zolotow Award)

Skeleton Hiccups, by Margery Cuyler

"Slowly, Slowly, Slowly", said the Sloth, by Eric Carle

Colors at the Zoo, by Phoebe Henderson

Wheels on the Bus (Playmore, Inc. Pubs)

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, by Robert Frost, ill. by Susan Jeffers

Biscuit Finds a Friend, by Alyssa Satin Capucilli

Henry and Mudge and the Snowman Plan, by Cynthia Rylant

I Knew You Could! A Book for All the Stops in Your Life, by Craig Dorfman
-I'm not reading this one in full yet, as it starts like this:
"I knew you could! And you knew it, too--
That you'd come out on top after all you've been through.
And from here you'll go farther and see brand-new sights.
You'll face brand-new hills that rise to new heights"
And I have a feeling that the rest will just make me cry. We aren't quite there with Anthony yet, but we do see glimmers of hope now and then. Maybe someday I'll look back and say that this book was the reason I needed to go to the swap tonight. Someday, I'll be able to read it for inspiration, and not in despair over losing the little boy I thought I'd have.

Pigs, by Robert Munsch

I See, You Saw, by Nurit Karlin

If You Give a Moose a Muffin, by Laura Joffe Numeroff

Old Black Fly, by Jim Aylesworth

The Ladybug and Other Insects, by Gallimard Jeunesse and Sylvaine Peyrols

Understand and Care, Share and Take Turns, and Be Polite and Kind by Cheri J. Meiners

E is for Elvis: The Elvis Presley Alphabet, by Ivey Dickinson and Rand Wireman
-I picked this up for my mom, will give it to her for Christmas from the kids.

Tawny Scrawny Lion, by Kathryn Jackson

Disney's Winnie the Pooh and You: A Book You Write About Yourself
-blank, but all the stickers are gone. Oh well, we can probably find better ones!

I Can Fly! by Alain Crozon

The Classic Treasury of Children's Poetry, ed. by Louise Betts Egan

Go In and Out the Window: An Illustrated Songbook for Young People, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art
-beautiful book, hoping one of my kids has enough musical ability to enjoy it.

And a few for Momma:
The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova
Cross Bones, by Kathy Reichs
The Last Templar, by Raymond Khoury
Prize Stories 1997 The O. Henry Awards, ed. by Larry Dark
The Mermaid Chair, by Sue Monk Kidd
Ten Days in the Hills, by Jane Smiley

The Week Ahead: November 24-30

Monday 11/24- Speech and Occupational Therapy for Anthony, then his only day of school this week. I'll bring review-writing material to work on while we're waiting in the car. Sitter comes after school to watch boy; girl and I take off to run Town (=Austin) errands. Mail last round of bills for the month. Make sure donkey-sale check gets deposited. Mail sister the disc from photo shoot (from a few weeks ago). Not sure if I'll get much reading done, but will definitely work toward finishing The Perfect Storm.

Tuesday 11/25- Anthony's appointment with Dr. Harkins, in San Antonio. We have to make sure we have all the paperwork, including the checklist we are supposed to fill out. We probably won't be back in time to get him to class. If we have sit-around time while he's being evaluated, I'll see if I can get at least one book review written (maybe the review for the last short story I read from Sisters in Crime 3). Bring mystery story collection to read/review a few more, and the Pod for the trip.

Wednesday 11/26- Post-natal yoga class. Lunch afterwards? Sitter is available. Need to remember to bring the too-small-for-Morgann disposables for classmate K's boy. Make certain I have everything ready for Thanksgiving dinner contributions, and Anthony's food. Write another book review before starting another book.

Thursday 11/27- Cook or prep food, pack clothes and diapers for both kids, pack Anthony's food and toys. Head for Castroville for dinner at Oma's. usually have no chance for any reading, unless I bring an audiobook for the 3+ hours in the car (roundtrip).

Friday 11/28- Stay home! Why deal with Black Friday craziness? Shop online if I absolutely must. Organize list for gift photos from school and shoot; figure out how to disburse and package safely.

Saturday 11/29- Wide open, as far as I know. I'm sure I'll have a better idea by mid-week.

Sunday 11/30- Another wide-open day. In my dreams, full of reading and writing, but reality will, I'm sure, be much different.

Another low-productivity day

Slept in and had a nap. Sold Sombrea (the momma donkey); sounds like her kids are missing her. Read a little bit of The Perfect Storm. Wanted to get more writing done, but I guess that will have to wait until tomorrow.

Doing instead of writing

The main reason I don't have much to show for book-related output today:

I was here.

Not sure what the rest of the evening has in store, but I will try to make progress on reviews and read The Awakening.
I'm giving up on Heart of Darkness; I'm just not finding the time for it.

Texas Book Festival, Sunday summary

The first session I wanted to attend did not start until 11:30, so I not only got some extra sleep (from the time change), but I also had time to eat breakfast and have a shower. First session was interesting--it made me want to make an effort to join a local Story Circle, but in reality, it will probably be a few years before I can do anything about it. My next session was next door, so I had a little time to chat with my friend Brandy (her husband was moderating), and to let her know that I won't be able to do Indian this week, because of the pending California trip. I dropped 5 more books off at the BookCrossing table, and chatted with Heather before the Yard Art session down the way. I was impressed overall with the idea, but the book was not worth what I could get out of it ($30). While our long-term housing plans are up in the air, it doesn't really seem right to be investing time in whimsy.

I had to buy nail clippers for Boudreaux (our original pair has gone awol), so I arrived at the Austin Celtic festival at about 4:00. DH and Anthony were already there, so I spent some time following Anthony's random forward progress across the grounds. We said hello to our friends from Things Celtic, chatted with my online book group leader (which reminds me, I need to get back to reading the book), saw some friends I hadn't seen in over two years (I know this only because they hadn't met Anthony). I promised to try a restart of our yahoo group, so we'll see if we can get everyone together again. I went primarily for the music, and I even got to dance with my son (while most of the band members were out dancing with the audience)--which he absolutely loved.

Tonight's post must be short, as I need to get some reading done, so I will probably do that until I nod off. Tomorrow, I'll start writing up my notes from the various talks on Saturday, and see how far I get.