Posted by: Katie B | February 2, 2012

Books to Break the February Funk

Impossibility

Want some good escapism from the February Funk?  Check out these latest recommendations.  I promise this will be the last update to the Reading List for a while.  I’ve got a lot of catching up to do…

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson

Tomorrow River by Lesley Kagen

Whistling in the Dark by Lesley Kagen

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley

The Weed That Strings the Hangman’s Bag by Alan Bradley

The Stuff That Never Happened by Maddie Dawson

Falling Together by Marisa de los Santos

Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos

Belong To Me by Marisa de los Santos

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Posted by: Katie B | January 31, 2012

Registration Open for NJ – SCBWI June Conference

The NJ region of the SCBWI has opened registration for their annual June Conference.  You can find details on coordinator Kathy Temean’s website as well as the NJ – SCBWI regional website.

New this year:  you can select a specific editor / agent for your one on one critique instead of  the coordinators choosing one for you and you can indicate which editor / agent you want to lunch with on both days.  More control over your schedule:  fabulous.

Oh – and Kate DiCamillo is the keynote speaker.  Yes, that Kate DiCamillo.  Can you say star power?

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Posted by: Katie B | January 29, 2012

The Rejections Continue…

The Gateway

 

I got so much chatter from my last post on rejections, I thought I’d share a few more with you.  They just keep coming.  Sweet and loving, every time.

1.  “I enjoyed the read, but I’m afraid the writing didn’t stand out quite enough for me to want to see more.”

2.  “Your writing is clean, and the voice is compelling.  Going forward, think about what sets this story apart from others in this genre.  There is so much in this vein right now, so you need something that is strikingly different and to focus on that.”

3.  “This story has an intriguing premise, and I can easily imagine many young readers getting caught up in Anna’s world.  However, I’m very sorry to say that based on these sample chapters, I don’t think Birthrite is quite right for us.”

4.  “Although this sounds like an interesting project, I’m afraid it isn’t right for me at this time.”

If you have any rejections of your own that you’d like to share, feel free to “comment” with them included.  I’ll post them, and we can share in our misery together.  Happy writing!

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Posted by: Katie B | January 27, 2012

The Metropolitan Museum of Art – The Master’s Highlights

The Metropolitan Museum of Art – an art lover’s guide – in under two hours.  Well, sort of.  I created this pamphlet when my girls and I took a trip to the Met.  None of the other guides seemed to satisfy.  They didn’t include paintings, in particular the masters.  Even in elementary school, my girls have studied Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, and Degas.  Why couldn’t I find a basic guide that took you from highlight to highlight?  I couldn’t have been the only one who wanted this…but, nothing.  So, I created my own.  And I’m sharing it with you.  I selected the pieces based upon what the Met’s website said was being displayed.  As with all things, it wasn’t 100% accurate.  So use this pamphlet for what it is – a guide.  It will take you to the right galleries, but you may find a different master displayed.  It worked for us.  After all, the exciting part is on the journey!

To use:  The pamphlet is organized into two columns, landscape orientation.  Pictures are listed in numerical order by gallery.  Print it out and cut down the middle short ways (not long ways).  This will make sense when you see it!  Collate and staple in the corner.  Plenty of room for making your own sketches.  Enjoy!

Metropolitan Museum of Art – The Master’s Highlights

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Posted by: Katie B | January 23, 2012

Amazon’s Breakthrough Novel Contest Starts Today!!!

Amazon’s annual Breakthrough Novel Contest starts TODAY, Monday January 23rd, 2012.  Submissions are open from now until February 5th OR until they receive 5000 submissions.

Grand prize:  A PUBLISHING CONTRACT WITH PENGUIN.  Gulp.

 What do you have to lose?  Send them in folks!  More details, check out the link:

http://www.amazon.com/Breakthrough-Novel-Award-Books/b?ie=UTF8&node=332264011

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Posted by: Katie B | January 19, 2012

Awesome Winter Reads!!!

Solidarity

Looking for a great curl up on the couch book?  A book to read while the sleet freezes your car doors shut?  I’ve read some tasty ones recently.  Check out these titles on your next trip to the library:

Books I Like a Lot:

Wake by Lisa McMann.  Young Adult.  Wow.  Not expected.  Really a great recommendation from another avid reader / friend.  How did I miss this one?

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr.  Young Adult.  Well, it’s obvious why she’s a goddess among young adult fantasy writers.  Her alternative reality with fairies, yes fairies, is totally dark, twisted, and believable.  Don’t believe me?  Try one.  Just one.  Do it.  You won’t regret it.

Ink Exchange and Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr.  Young Adult.  Sequels to Wicked Lovely.  Read them all…

Matched by Allie Condie.  Young Adult. This book came up at a recent conference and it was a great surprise to me.  Something about it resonated long after I’d finished it.  I can’t wait to read the sequel, just released.

Snap by Alison McGhee.  Middle Grade.  I liked this book so much better than Alison’s Julia Gillian series.  Although, it’s not a fair comparison.  They are two different beasts.  My only comment: the subject matter here is mature, beyond what I would expect for middle grade.  The voice, however, is spot on.  I would only recommend it for the mature middle grade reader.

True (… Sort of) by Katherine Hannigan.  Middle Grade.  My comments on this book mirror the ones for Snap. Is it any wonder these two writers are friends?  Excellent book, well written, not content for the average middle grade reader.  (Am I putting down the middle grade reader when I say this?  I’m thinking of my own ten year old daughter…)

Ida B by Katherine Hannigan.  Middle Grade.  Mature content again but executed with a much younger voice than Snap.  (See comments, above.) I could see suggesting this to my ten year old…

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume.  Middle Grade.  Still timeless.  Reread this one along with my fourth grader.  I’d forgotten the ending…the turtle…classic.

The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catling.  Middle Grade.  Also timeless.  Loved the writing, loved the story.  After fifty years, nothing dated about it.

 

 

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Posted by: Katie B | January 17, 2012

2012 Updated Reading List

Secrets and Gardens

The stack of books on my bedside table is frightening, and yet my list of books to read keeps growing.  Here are the latest additions.  Let me know if you’ve read any, and what you think!

Wake by Lisa McMann.  If you like this one, you can also check out her sequel, Fade.

Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater.  Here she goes again with another great read.  Can I say jealous?

Graveminder by Melissa Marr.  This girl just keeps them coming.  Jealous again.

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Bel Ami by Guy de Maupassant

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer.  She’s also written the sequels Wolfsbane and Bloodrose.

Beyond Lucky and Head Case by Sarah Aronson.

Tyrell by Coe Booth

Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Eggs by Jerry Spinelli

The Curious Garden by Peter Brown

The Candymakers by Wendy Mass

Sorta Like A Rock Star by Matthew Quick

Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey

Bird in a Box by Andrea Pinkney & Sean Qualls

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

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