I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s had family or friends who suffered through unexpected temps/weather in the south. Almost my entire family lives in Texas and this past week was not a pretty experience for many of them. Normally they’d make fun of themselves and we’d all laugh about how they just can’t stand the cold and how they don’t know how to drive on ice. But this was a much, much different situation. They simply do not have the infrastructure to support three to four days of single digit to negative degree temps WITHOUT power or heat, WITHOUT grocery stores, WITHOUT water, and WITHOUT gasoline for cars or generators. To make matters worse, when their water pipes busted, it caused shocking destruction because it is completely normal to run water pipes through the attic, in Texas. Stores closed, gas stations ran out of gas, and some people died in their homes (including a friend’s father).
In a discussion on one of my Texas friend’s Facebook pages, a mutual acquaintance shared that she was in a rare situation where she did not lose power and they ran their heater the entire week. Nevertheless, she started her dishwasher one evening and when she woke up, icicles were hanging from the racks. She’s originally from the north and confirmed that many negative experiences in Texas had more to do with home construction (very little insulation, water pipes running through attics, shallow pipe burial, water shut off valves being OUTSIDE the homes…) than anything else because she never ever had this type of issue with frigid temps in the north. In any case, while some had practically no destruction, many others will be rebuilding entire sections of their homes. It will certainly take a long time for statewide repairs to be completed. 😞
If you’re a new visitor today, WELCOME! On Mondays, I participate in a weekly meme sharing what the kids and I have been reading. Kellee Moye of Unleashing Readers and Jen Vincent of Teach Mentor Texts decided to give Kathryn’s (at Book Date) “It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?” meme a kidlit focus, reviewing books in children’s literature (picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, or anything in the world of kidlit). If you enjoy this type of reading, join us every Monday to share what you’ve been reading!
I have a question: How do you all keep up with your Goodreads shelves (AKA tags)? Do you set aside a specific time to shelve/tag a book for every category it falls into? Do you keep a running list of topics WHILE you’re reading the book? I’ve noticed some friends shelve/tag a book for over 2-3 dozen categories and I’m just trying to figure out how to organize these as well as possible without creating unnecessary shelves. I honestly wouldn’t have even considered some of these categories, but I see how appropriate they are in hindsight. So anyway, pleeeeease share any advice in your comments! 🥺
The Sea in Winter
Christine Day
January 5, 2021
Heartdrum
The Sea in Winter was unusual in the fact that I didn’t really notice the usual narrative arc (with a building climax) we normally expect from a middle grade novel. However, I think Maisie Cannon has a lot to share with readers in the aftermath of an injury that will greatly impact her life. We witness times when she is experiencing hopelessness as the whole world looks beak.
“School is boring. None of the classes mean anything to me. It’s the strangest thing to spend all this time in school, forced through all these mandatory lessons, despite the fact that most of these subjects lead nowhere.”
But with the support of her family, she learns to deal with her anxiety/depression while moving forward in her greatly changed life. I loved the closeness of her blended family and her relationship with her little brother is simply adorable! Intermixed in the story are details about the Makah Nation and their Native history. And in the end, Day provides a lengthy Author’s Note that helps provide more details about real life experiences.
You can add it to your Goodreads list HERE.
If you do not have a local bookstore, you may purchase it through IndieBound HERE.
You may also choose to purchase it through Amazon HERE.
The Train of Lost Things
Ammi-Joan Paquette
March 20, 2018
Philomel Books
This book was our read aloud over the last couple weeks. It’s a very somber book about love and loss. Marty’s dad has hospice care in their home and he has been given only days to live. So when Marty loses the last gift his father gave him, he knows he must do something to get it back. There was a story his father once told him about a magical train that carries lost things that were once our “heart’s possessions.” Therefore, late one night he packs his backpack and heads off to find it. Marty meets two young girls named Star and Dina aboard the train and they develop special relationships while searching for their items and sharing their intriguing stories. There are a number of “asides” in parenthesis throughout this story that sometimes interfered with reading the story aloud, but we worked around them. And sometimes it moved a little slow for young listeners to stay attentive. Nevertheless, the ending absolutely gutted me. It didn’t matter that I pretty much knew it was coming — the tears were unstoppable as I struggled to speak the final few pages aloud. Oh my. There’s also a comforting twist at the end that you sorta guess might happen, but it’s really cute how it plays out in the text.
I actually purchased this book from a used bookshop last year. Though I ordered a hardcover, they accidentally shipped a paperback ARC. 😂 So if there were a few changes in the final copy, I’m not aware of them.
You can add it to your Goodreads list HERE.
If you do not have a local bookstore, you may purchase it through IndieBound HERE.
You may also choose to purchase it through Amazon HERE.
Amina’s Voice
(Amina’s Voice #1)
Hena Khan
March 14, 2017
Salaam Reads
Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers
I read Amina’s Voice over the last week in preparation of second book in the series, Amina’s Song. In this sweet first book, readers get an opportunity to meet a Pakistani-American girl named Amina Khokar and gain an understanding of what her life is like growing up Muslim in the United States. While it’s obvious that Amina has a beautiful voice and is a talented pianist, she’s terribly shy and gets nervous about performing in front of anyone. She faces the normal trials of middle school, including her best friend becoming friends with the former “mean girl” in their class. Meanwhile, at home, her uncle is visiting from Pakistan and Amina discovers the vastly different interpretations of their holy scriptures.
We witness Islamophobia in big and small ways, including the terrible event in which their beloved mosque is vandalized and burned. However, the community comes through in supporting their Muslim neighbors by searching for the criminals and offering support in clean-up and rebuilding. The family interaction was simply beautiful and the description of foods and cooking will have readers’ mouths watering! And at the very end, we’re left wondering if Amina’s family will take a trip to visit the rest of their family in Pakistan. I’m excited to move on to book #2…
AWARDS: Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee (2019), South Carolina Book Award Nominee for Junior Book (2020), Bluestem Book Award Nominee (2019), Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Middle Grade & Children’s (2017), NCTE Charlotte Huck Award Nominee (2018)
You can add it to your Goodreads list HERE.
If you do not have a local bookstore, you may purchase it through IndieBound HERE.
You may also choose to purchase it through Amazon HERE.
Sisters of War:
Two Remarkable True Stories of
Survival and Hope in Syria
Rania Abouzeid
September 14, 2020
Scholastic Focus
I learned an incredible amount of information from this book. Most of all, I discovered how uninformed I was about the conflict in Syria and how much I still need to learn. If I’d been reading it with my eyes, I would have been highlighting and taking notes in the margins just to make sure I didn’t forget pertinent details (for example, Islam vs. Islamism — very different things) or to keep various families straight in my mind. I also recommend keeping a map handy if you’re not familiar with the region because it will help in navigating routes of travel and the cities where each person/family landed. I was listening to it as an audiobook and kept moving forward, taking in what I could. But I am still tempted to go back through a print book just to digest more. Overall, it was a story that spoke of a resilient people who are still picking up the pieces and moving forward. The afterword (or epilogue?) provided details about Abouzeid and how the information was collected through interviews. It gave me much greater confidence in its authenticity.
You can add it to your Goodreads list HERE.
If you do not have a local bookstore, you may purchase it through IndieBound HERE.
You may also choose to purchase it through Amazon HERE.
Who Ate My Book?
Tina Kugler
June 9, 2020
Penguin Young Readers Group
Who Ate My Book? is a very simple early chapter book showcasing children and their pets. There’s “my goat,” “my fish,” and “my dog.” However, the naughty goat tends to photobomb each chapter, eating everything in sight. Many early readers are somewhat boring, but this one will certainly get kids giggling.
You can add it to your Goodreads list HERE.
If you do not have a local bookstore, you may purchase it through IndieBound HERE.
You may also choose to purchase it through Amazon HERE.
A New King of Wild
Zara González Hoang
April 21, 2020
Dial Books for Young Reader
Ren loves his life on the edge of the wild. He is entertained by his imagination and loves his privacy and freedom to become whomever he wants to be. So when he moves to the big city, he’s lost and terribly homesick. His new friend Ava must show him the magic — the “new kind of wild” he can experience even when he’s surrounded by brick and cement. The artwork was created with watercolor, colored pencils, and a bit of Photoshop magic.
You can add it to your Goodreads list HERE.
If you do not have a local bookstore, you may purchase it through IndieBound HERE.
You may also choose to purchase it through Amazon HERE.
Knot Cannot
Tiffany Stone
Mike Lowery, illustrator
April 7, 2020
Dial Books
In this goofy picture book, knot is comparing himself to snake. Snake can slither, hiss, shed her skin, taste the air, etc. But knot cannot. However, what knot CAN do just might save snake’s life. With fun wordplay, this book will be a great intro to a discussion on what young children CAN do.
You can add it to your Goodreads list HERE.
If you do not have a local bookstore, you may purchase it through IndieBound HERE.
You may also choose to purchase it through Amazon HERE.
Grandma’s Gardens
Hillary Clinton
Chelsea Clinton
Carme Lemniscates, illustrator
March 31, 2020
Philomel Books
Cowritten by Hillary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton, this book walks through memories of Chelsea’s experience gardening and enjoying nature with her Grandma Dorothy from the time she was a young child until her grandma was in her 90s. In the final pages, it turns the focus to Hillary’s experience as a grandmother, still enjoying nature and gardening with her grandchildren. The book is very large with full page spreads on every page. I love that you can get lost in the illustrations that appear almost like collages. The artwork for this book was done in mixed media.
You can add it to your Goodreads list HERE.
If you do not have a local bookstore, you may purchase it through IndieBound HERE.
You may also choose to purchase it through Amazon HERE.
Jane Goodall:
A Champion of Chimpanzees
Sarah Albee
Gustavo Mazali, illustrator
March 17, 2020
HarperCollins
I really appreciated the balance of text to artwork in this picture book biography. Young children will learn just enough about Jane Goodall to yearn for more. The back matter has a timeline of Jane’s life as well as more facts about chimpanzees and links to learn more.
You can add it to your Goodreads list HERE.
If you do not have a local bookstore, you may purchase it through IndieBound HERE.
You may also choose to purchase it through Amazon HERE.
How to Be a Pirate
Isaac Fitzgerald
Brigette Barrager, illustrator
March 3, 2020
Bloomsbury Children’s Book
This book was a pleasant surprise for me. It begins with a young girl approaching her Grandpa because the boys said she couldn’t be a pirate. Her Grandpa, complete with vibrant tattoos, tells her the most important characteristics of being a pirate — bravery, quickness, fun, independence, and love. I deeply appreciate how this book challenges stereotypes. ❤️ The artwork was created with pencil, colored pencil, and ink washes composited in Photoshop.
You can add it to your Goodreads list HERE.
If you do not have a local bookstore, you may purchase it through IndieBound HERE.
You may also choose to purchase it through Amazon HERE.
To Be Read:
On Thursday, I started re-reading Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo, and illustrated by K.G. Campbell, as our morning read aloud. We hope to finish this one up just in time to watch the movie on Disney+ for our weekly family pizza movie night on Friday. And I just started a digital ARC of Amina’s Song by Hena Khan, which I’m already enjoying.
Please don’t forget to share any Goodreads or StoryGraph shelving or tagging experience if you have any advice! I know the sooner I get organized and begin putting new habits into practice, the better it will be for me long term. Thanks for your help!!
Reading Challenge Updates:
Goodreads Challenge: 90/365
#MustReadIn2021: 11/49
The Miller Memo 
Who Ate My Book? sounds like one my early readers would enjoy. I’m looking forward to reading Amina’s Song soon.
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I’m officially 25% into Amina’s Song and like the directions it’s going in so far. My days have been so full that I’ve lacked the time to sit and read or else I probably would read this one cover to cover. Khan is such a great writer. Thank you for visiting, Lisa!
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Oh, I’ve heard so many good things about THE SEA IN WINTER! I must read this book! AMINA’S VOICE too.
As for Goodreads advice, I’m not the right person for that! I barely know how to use it myself, and I’ve never once shelved or tagged a book in a specific category. Never knew how. Sorry, Shaye. Hope some other #IMWAYR bloggers can help you (and maybe I’ll learn too).
Sorry to hear you have family in Texas. What a disaster! I have a friend in Texas, and she’s lucky enough to still have running water.
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I guess it should be no surprise that merely days after the shocking negative temps in Texas, they were back up into the 70s and wearing shorts. But there are still plenty of homes to repair — drywall, carpet, etc. What a mess! I hope you’re able to get to The Sea in Winter and Amina’s Voice. I’m currently enjoying Amina’s Song and am very excited about its upcoming release. Thank you for visiting, Joanne!
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I’m so sorry for your Texas family, Shaye. What a tragic time it has been, and is being right now! Wishing them hope for quick repairs & help fast! I marked a few books that are new to me, like The Train of Lost Things and A New Kind of Wild. I had to return The Sea In Winter before reading, will keep it on my list! I loved Amina’s Voice, hoping to read the next one sometime soon! As for the Goodreads categories, I have what feels like a lot to me, but they are the basics. I do add my new books read on Mondays after posting. Occasionally I will add one I know I won’t share on Mondays, but rarely. Wishing you a good week ahead!
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I’m really liking Amina’s Song right now. Wish I had more time to read in the evenings, but I’m going through a period of nightly exhaustion. I can barely keep my eyes open after about 9pm. And that’s normally super early for me! I guess I’ll be experimenting with shelves for a while until I find a good system. So often people will ask about books that are good for this or that situation. And I know I’ve read a number of books that would apply, but I struggle to remember the titles. So hopefully I can get this worked out soon and make good use of the categories. Thanks for visiting, Linda, and I hope you have a fantastic reading week!
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I use 2-3 categories besides “read” and do it when I finish the book.
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Thanks, Luanne. My categories are starting to look ridiculous. Heehee! I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep up with them after I put them all in place. It’s just that when someone asks for a list of books on “losing a grandparent” or on “forgiveness” I draw a blank (or can only think of 2-3 titles when I know I’ve read dozens). I’m hoping these tags will help me find what I’m looking for in the future. Thanks so much for visiting!
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That’s actually an amazing idea, but one I wouldn’t be able to follow through on!
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Yeah, we’ll see how I feel about this after another year or so of using these shelves. LOL
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Hah!
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My cousin lives on a small farm in Texas, and what described going through (burst pipes, no electricity, empty stores) was so devastating. I’m so sorry your family had to go through that as well.
I used to be really good at Goodreads categories, but for the past year or I just do the minimum: genre, and then if it’s a diverse or own voices read. Sometimes I feel motivated to go back a few months and do more in-depth categorizing, but it’s not often that I find the time!
We watched Flora & Ulysses this weekend, and plan to read the book together once all the Dog Man books have been read (my daughter is very insistent on prioritizing Dog Man). It was a fun movie!
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See, this is why I need these responses — I don’t think I even have an own voices shelf. And that’s a much-needed one. I’ll often mention that in my reviews, but that’s not nearly as helpful when I’m quickly looking for a list of titles. We’re honestly struggling with Flora & Ulysses as a family read-aloud. I loved the book so much when I first read it, but as I’m reading it to our kiddos I’m realizing how much of the book has lengthy explanations that I can enjoy in my own head, but don’t make for a flashy action-packed read aloud. In any case, we should finish it up on Friday before our pizza movie night. So YAY! Thanks for visiting, Wendi!
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We have family in TX too, and it’s been interesting because experiences have certainly varied. I’ve seen a bit of everything it seems.
Amina’s Voice has been one of my favorites for a long time. It was the first read aloud our 4th gr teachers did this year. I’m really looking forward to the sequel.
The Train of Lost Things and The Sea in Winter are both in my piles!
Goodreads is a lifesaver for me. As someone who helps teachers do a lot of planning, that is my go-to for finding them books. I am inching closer to 200 shelves now and it helps me find and sort books. Although sometimes I have a category already so it’s not fool-proof! I spend more time trying to make sure I get them on the right shelves than worrying about my review. I try and write a one sentence reminder, but that’s about it. I used to copy and paste what I was writing on my blog, but that was taking more time than I wanted/could spend. If I have a teacher who is looking for book on character traits, or wants something that goes along with their science unit, it’s really easy to go to those shelves and suggest books, that’s why the shelves work for me.
Hope that helps!
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Thank you for sharing more about your shelving experience (and how it’s benefited your teachers). Yes is precisely why I’m interested in getting better organized! I am grateful for Goodreads and the opportunity to categorize my reading. Unfortunately, I haven’t been making good use of this option until recently. Hopefully I can get a good handle on this so that I can more easily find exactly what I’m looking for in the future. And I totally agree over the varied experiences in Texas. While most of my family had frozen pipes, only one in my own family had their attic pipes bust and destroy a section of their home. The others just had to wait for them to thaw out before they could use them again (and then they had a “water boil” restriction for a while since the water treatment plants weren’t properly functioning for a while). Thanks for visiting today and I hope you have a fantastic reading week, Michele!
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Shaye, I am scatterbrained as far as keeping track of my books (even with the spreadsheet I am trying so hard to use this year!!). With Goodreads, it depends on me remembering to add categories (which I often forget)..
And I loved A New Kind of Wild when I read it last year..So many of the books on your list are on my TBR and I am more tempted to get to them sooner than later now
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I’ve had some reading friends share their spreadsheets with me and I am AMAZED at all the things I’ve not been recording. Until recently, I haven’t even been making note of which of my books are audiobooks, e-books, or print books. But it would be nice to note that so that if I need to quickly find it again, I have better direction. This will obviously take me a little more time each week if I want to do it correctly. Wish I could just hire an assistant to get it done for me. LOL Thanks so much for visiting, Vidya!
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I can never seem to comment on your posts, but I love them. I am thinking about your family and all of my friends, too, in Texas. It’s so sad! I’m hoping everyone can get fixed up soon.
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It may just be the fact that I’ve had to start moderating my comments. I get lots of spam comments with sales items or inappropriate links. Ugh. So I may not post them on the same day that you write them. It looks like they’re coming through, though (I received two from you, today, so I’ll just post one of them). Anyway, Texas has been a mess. But I’m thankful they’re back to shorts-wearing weather and homes are slowly being repaired. Thank you for visiting and I hope you have a great reading week, Jennifer!
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Texas truly had a horrifying week. I am sorry that your friends and family and so many others had to go through so much.
The first thing I do after finishing a book is to update or add it to Goodreads in the past and now Storygraph. I tag only after I’ve read the book. I have some tags that only mean something to me, but I would rather have too many than not enough. It is one of the ways that I recommend books since my memory isn’t as reliable as I’d like so I want to be able to track them by many tags. At the moment I have 299 different tags. 🙂 Because I have so many connections on Goodreads, I prefer using that for now, but I wanted to give something that isn’t associated with Amazon a try.
It looks like you had a great week. I put Sister of the War on my TBR and I’m excited to read more of Amina’s story.
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Crystal, this is SO helpful! I’m slowly beginning to make tags that only mean something to me, too. I’m also beginning to look at the other community tags that have been added to a book to see if I feel they apply for me, as well. And YES on having too many rather than too little. I want to be able to easily find what I want (and WHEN I WANT IT). I recently read a bit about Amazon that has somewhat changed my view of it — namely the fact that it’s not just a big company taking over other companies because so many people are now able to sell their products and run their small businesses through Amazon (since they have a large audience). I’d like to read more on the topic, though. I’m only about a quarter into it, but Amina’s Song is so good. Can’t wait to get to the rest. Thanks for visiting, Crystal!
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Oh, I cannot remember if I asked before, but what do you use to make your image of the book covers? Thanks!
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I’ve migrated around to a lot of collage options, but lately I’ve been using TurboCollage. The way I use it is sorta complicated because I don’t like how their watermarks show up in my image when I finalize it through their program. So I upload the book covers, organize them how I like it, and then I’ve been taking a screenshot (instead of making the final image through TC). I really miss the years of free Picasso and free PicMonkey. And I’d love to know what everyone else uses, too!
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The situation in Texas was really chaotic, and I’m so sorry about your friend’s father. Unfortunately, I don’t have any Goodreads advice, but I hope some other commenters can be of help! These books sound fantastic—I’m a bit surprised that I missed The Sea in Winter, since it sounds intriguing, and Amina’s Voice sounds right up my alley (though I’m trying desperately to read some more books off my shelf before I buy even more). Grandma’s Gardens and How to Be a Pirate both sound great as well. Thanks for the great post, as always!
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Oh my YESSSSS on reading more of the books on my shelf before I buy more. When I was making my #MustReadin2021 list in January, I specifically made it a point to load it up with titles I own. I don’t know why I buy so many that just sit. I mean, I bought them only because they were supposed to be amazing. Why not just read them? There’s probably a psychological name for this habit. Thanks for visiting today, CFB!
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I feel like my Goodreads is not really organized, so I don’t have any advice. I can find what I need, so I’m not motivated to get more organized. Amina’s Song does well in my library, and I liked the sequel. I REALLY like Khan’s Power Forward series! You are right that Texas just isn’t prepared. I can’t imagine running water piped through attics in Ohio! I hope things improve there soon.
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I’m glad to hear about Power Forward being so good. I just looked it up and see it’s on my TBR list, but I’d kinda forgotten all about it. I’m still beside myself on the things I learned about Texas homes. Pipes through the attic wouldn’t work in Nebraska, either. One of the most surprising things was when I heard so many people had no idea how to turn off their water. When they finally found the turn off junction, they learned they needed a special key that they didn’t own. One of my brothers said he was going to neighbors’ houses, asking if they’d like him to turn their water off from the street. Anyway, I really feel for all the families whose homes are in shambles. 🙁 Thanks so much for stopping by, Karen!
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Wow. So much here! I’m glad your family is okay. We have a family branch in TX, plus our MN niece is down there in a bubble with a friend and parent escaping the cold for a month. They got more of an adventure than they planned :>( But all are safe. Thanks for these recs. I put many of the picture books on my tbr list, and also the mg novel, Sisters of the War. A couple of years ago, I was honored to eat a meal with a Syrian family in a refugee camp in Cyprus. It was eye-opening and gutting. Looking forward to learning more in this book. Thank you!
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Oh my, yes. That would be quite an “adventure” as you put it. Your niece must have been stunned to see that shocking ice and cold show up. Sisters of the War astonished and moved me. I cannot imagine my family living in a war zone like these families. It’s horrific to even imagine it. What a wonderful experience to be able to dine with a family in a refugee camp. I would have to pace myself with all my questions. Thanks for visiting, Laura!
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What is happening in Texas is terrible. My partner’s cousin lives there but they have been lucky enough to have only rolling blackouts.
Did you know that Tiffany Stone, author of Knot Cannot, is Canadian! Before the pandemic I was hoping to interview here as part of a series of interviewing local poets, but Covid, and moving, forced me to put it on hold. (She is very cool)
Reading about Grandma’s Gardens reminded me of having my grandkids here helping me out in mine and took me back to memories of one of my grandmother’s garden. It was full of hollyhocks. I used to think of them as dresses for fairies.
Thanks for sharing all these titles and have a fabulous reading week Shaye.
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The people who had rolling blackouts (instead of absolutely no power for several days) felt very lucky to at least have some power here and there. My mom was in that camp. She said she’d wait for the power to come on for maybe 15-30 minutes and she’d do all the things she could — make some coffee, head up some stew, etc. I know many people would run their heat full blast and get just enough warmth to be able to wait until the next time the power came back on. Such a crazy experience!
Clearly I did not do my homework on Knot Cannot, because I did not know that about Tiffany Stone! I hope you’ll get to follow through with your interview. Covid has put too many important things on hold, it seems.
My neighbor’s backyard is covered in hollyhocks. COVERED! For homecoming last year, different families were going into her yard for their photos. She had all the colors mixed together. So pretty! And oh how I miss my grandmothers. My dad’s mom was especially amazing at gardening and then canning and dehydrating anything and everything. Some of these skills are dying arts and must be shared with our grandchildren if anyone is going to continue this important work in the future.
Thanks for visiting, Cheriee. I hope you have a great reading week, as well!
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I am right on time, as usual, Sunday night!
Terrible tragedy in Texas last week. I know just what you mean because while we lived in New Orleans, southern La had its first snow in 100 years! Just a light dusting, but the freezing temps shut things down for weeks. Like you said, building codes have uninsulated water pipes outside the building, so water pipes burst all over (we got lucky). Some tall buildings downtown were shut down for weeks because there wasn’t enough water pressure to work the sprinkler systems! Hope your family is all OK, Shaye.
All of your books look good, but The Sea in Winter and Two Sisters of the War sounds especially good! I enjoyed Flora and Ulysses, though I listened on audio (I love Kate DiCamillo’s novels on audio), not realizing it was partly graphic novel.
On Goodreads, I just add the tags when I link to my review. It’s one of the steps after I post a new review: post to Twitter, to my blog’s Facebook page, and to Goodreads, with a line or two excerpted from my review and a link – that’s when I switch from Currently Reading to Read and select the tags.
Glad I managed to get over here before Monday hits again!
Sue
Book By Book
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I’m finally back here to thank you for sharing how you tag when you link to your reviews. I’m still trying to figure this thing out!
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My mom lives in Texas, and she’s just got water back — her attic pipes burst. And she had been so proud of herself for remembering to wrap all the outside pipes, which indeed were fine. But the water leaked all over the walls and now things are all chopped up. It’s a mess.
Hmm. I actually have two lists of books — I’ve had a librarything account for twenty years or so, and then I also picked up Goodreads, which for a long time I just used for books I might want to read someday. Since my TBR list is over a thousand, it’s not really very useful now! I like to track library books verses my books, although I’m not good at noticing what I do with my books, so I only know that I owned a book at some point and it may or may not have survived various weeding efferts. I also mark audio and NOOK (all ebooks, but back when it started I didn’t have other options).
I tag major genre: kidlit, mystery, etc. so sometimes you can have several — a kidlit SF mystery, for example. Since my goodreads is slanted towards book recommendations, I have some tags for how it got on my list — recced by students, favorite bloggers, etc. And I tag for the CYBILS, since I have a quest to read all the finalists. And occasionally I join in reading games or adventures, and there is often a shared tag for those, so I have a bunch of random tags. I don’t try to tag for very specific requests like Grief or Lost Pet or something; that’s what scrolling through pages of books is for…
Lots of good books on your blog — I am hoping to read the new Amina book this year, for example
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I’m back to thank you for sharing your tagging experiences and suggestions. I’m still finding myself adding new tags and figuring out which ones weren’t helping me. I guess it’ll just take me some time to find my groove.
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