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Let’s play a game!  Inspired by Book Riot‘s “We Didn’t Start the Pale Fire: Books Summarized By 80s Song Titles,” I thought I’d make my own list of book-summing song titles – drawn from the 90s, since that’s the decade that represents my childhood.  And the books will be those previously reviewed here at Postcards, specifically the ones on […]

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[sigh]  Show of hands, how many of you saw this coming?  Don’t worry, I won’t hold it against you.  It’s not that I’m quitting, per se, so much as canceling the central rule of the challenge.  Which…ok, that sounds like quitting, but it’s not.  I’ll explain… About 5 and a half months ago, it was […]

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[sigh]  Show of hands, how many of you saw this coming?  Don’t worry, I won’t hold it against you.  It’s not that I’m quitting, per se, so much as canceling the central rule of the challenge.  Which…ok, that sounds like quitting, but it’s not.  I’ll explain… About 5 and a half months ago, it was […]

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So, I saw Catching Fire on Sunday and felt pretty much like Chester from the Nostalgia Critic‘s “Bum Reviews” – the latest of which, incidentally, is Catching Fire (beware of spoilers) (P.S. the NC reviews – though not so much the Bum Reviews – tend to include much swearing, just so’s you know) OH MY GOSH this is […]

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An impossible question?  Well, we’re putting it out there anyway!  Inspired by Entertainment Weekly’s Best YA bracket game, sj of Booksnobbery made her own version a few weeks ago, with 120 titles suggested by her followers.  Readers voted, and sixty titles advanced.  Since then, an upcoming move and other RL commitments have kept sj very […]

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I have always had the utmost respect for the true book blogger—for all of you exceedingly generous souls who make so much time for books and the book community. I imagine that your houses are built out of bindings and glue. That your lamps stay on well into the dark. That you might wish to fly a kite or dig a hydrangea into the ground, but kindly turn pages instead.

When I started this blog six years ago, I imagined it to be a place where I would muse out loud about the world, its words, its images. I'd write about my friends and my communities. I'd provide updates on my journeys. I'd share news about books I'd somehow stumbled upon. I'd have fun.

I didn't imagine that a blog could become so pressing. That it could become more overwhelming than any job.

But indeed it has. For longer than I can remember now I've been crushed beneath the weight of requests, queries, books sent my way for blog review or blurbs. Yesterday in the space of a single half hour, five requests came in. In the morning there were two. A typical day in blog land.

The thing is: I want to make everybody happy. I want to make each day a gift. I want to read these books and write about them, but I have run out of time. Even sleeping three hours at night I'm behind. Even setting my own work to the side most days, which I have been doing forever now in an attempt to get square with the requests.

It occurs to me that I can't catch up. That as beautiful as so many of these books undoubtedly are, as deserving, I'll never be able to cover them all. Even if I never again stepped foot outside. Or did my day job. Or taught my students. Or washed my hair. Or paid my taxes.


And so, going forward, I'll have to say no to many things I wish I didn't have to say no to. And I will hope all of you understand. And I hope, too, that you will know how grateful I've been for the care you've given my own work. Certainly I'll still be covering books here—books I've bought, books I've requested, books by true dear friends. But I'll have to rearrange the piles in order to finally get clear.

In the meantime, I will always be grateful to people like Keertana, the creator of Ivy Book Bindings. She, like so many book bloggers, does this work far better than I can. Recently, for example, she found her way to Small Damages and kindly asked me to share something of its history as well as my own recommendations for recent historical/literary reads. She has woven all that together beautifully here. Her blog is well worth linking to.

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Postcards is on hiatus for a while; I need a bit of a break from book blogging.  I’ll still be following and commenting at other blogs, but as for my own, I’m just feeling a little burned out right now. Happy February, all!

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Cheesy post title is cheesy, I know. Anyhoo, I’m a bit late to the party, but I’d like to take a moment to appreciate some awesome book blogs in honor of Book Blogger Appreciation Week!  Since I like lists, I shall now list, in no particular order, five of my favorite book blogs, and under [...]

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You know how, no matter how many hundred channels you have, there is nothing on TV? More and more, people are turning to webseries and vlogs for fresher kinds of humor and entertainment. So why not start a vlog series for your library website, or get a bunch of teens together to write a script for an original series? You could also take advantage of the short format of these videos and host a “festival” of screenings of the best series and vlogs out there. Now that so many computers come fully equipped with a basic webcam and editing software, this is an inexpensive way to get creative and to learn more about technology.

Here are some great vlogs and webisodes that should provide you with inspiration as they entertain you.

• The Lizzie Bennet Diaries: This relatively new series transfers Jane Austen’s novel to the life of a grad student recording her angst. It’s funny and a great way to make classic literature applicable to our current times. If your patrons are having trouble getting ready for their AP English exam, use this to take off the stress.
• Everyone’s new favorite method of publicity is to film a book trailer, highlighting themes or great one-liners from upcoming books. But there’s no reason why you couldn’t get a group of teens to create their own trailer for a book that came out long ago. Pick a favorite, get a storyboard, and get filming!
• There are tons of book bloggers out there doing innovative things to get readers to see them as the foremost hotspots for new releases. One popular feature is “in my mailbox” (cf. The Story Siren), when bloggers round up the week’s worth of purchases, galley receipts, and more to whet readers’ appetites. Other bloggers, like Loretta at Between the Pages, do this on video, showing off covers and taking readers on tours of local bookstores and libraries. Other bloggers use this as an opportunity to show off that week’s reading list or upcoming titles they’re coveting. What a great way that you could highlight new collections or underused materials!
• For your incredibly crafty patrons, you can plan a great stop-motion video to learn about construction and design. Picturebook writer-illustrator David Hyde Costello has created videos of Rube Goldberg-esque contraptions made all out of paper and cardboard.
• Homemade videos are a great vehicle for critique–of media, of culture, of politics, whatever. Teach your teens the art of a good analysis and create a well-edited video on a topic of their choice. Anita Sarkeesian of Freminist Frequency creates videos utilizing clips of commercials and movies to talk about feminist issues and stereotypes in the media. This is a great way to exercise your Creative Commons and fair use muscles and come up with an excellent, innovative teaching and creating experience.

What are you doing with video and media in your programming?

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I went to the bookstore today after a doctor's appointment for my five year old. We went to trusty old Borders and I found exactly what I was looking for. I finally found Lisa Mantchev's Eyes Like Stars and even though I read it back in February and reviewed it way back then, I wanted, nay, needed to own a hardcover copy for myself because the cover is just too gorgeous not to own!













Then of course I just had to make my way over to the Z's because I just had to see if Prophecy of the Sisters was in stock. And lo and behold, it was! They had a ton of them! Michelle would be so proud. So I do what is natural and I grab one because even though I was one of the 'first' bloggers to read the book, and devour it and love it, and write to Michelle daily telling her how much I loved it, I knew I also had to own a copy of that one. Plus Michelle held out on the surprise. Which is the surprise on the actual hardcover. Fear not, I spoil you not! This cover is equally gorgeous and I'm sorry that these pictures from goodreads do not represent the covers in real-life person.






The third book I bought is by my newest favorite author, Barry Lyga. They had Boy Toy there, but I really wanted The Astonishing Fanboy and Goth Girl but it wasn't there, so I settled for Hero, Type, which I'm thrilled about because it sounds fantastic. And I can embarrass him some more and that's always fun to do.

I highly recommend these three books all for different reasons, but also because they are fantastic books by fantastic authors who all have different voices, but will control the world of fiction in the coming years. I look forward to reading sequels and just reading what these talented writers have to say.

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