Like a Weblog But Different

Obviously, I like the idea of weblogs or I wouldn't be maintaining one, now would I? I've seen some neat blogs--the weblog kept by a grade school teacher so parents could keep track of what was going on in the classroom and blogs kept by travelers so families and friends could find out about what they were doing come to mind. But, to be honest, a lot of blogs end up being rants that just go on and on and on and on...Oh. Sort of like this one, you say?

Anyway, I was visiting the website of Ayelet Waldman, a writer I've become acquainted with through Readerville (See April 2 entry). Instead of a weblog, she keeps a book log. The entries are annotated, but the annotations are short and to the point.

I think this is a fantastic idea. For everybody. Lots of kids and teenagers keep weblogs or on-line journals (which are supposed to be different--I'll talk about them another day) that they expect to share with their friends. Well, why not share what you're reading, too? What you read expresses something about you. Share your interests with your friends.

Families who maintain websites, teachers who maintain sites for their classrooms--
everybody ought to add a book log.

Except for me. Because I'm already keeping this thing, which, as we all know, I'm barely able to maintain on a regular basis.

Suddenly, A Neil Gaiman Fan

Some of you may recall that I was not very fond of Neil Gaiman's Coraline. Who am I kidding? Of course, you don't recall that. So check out my September 9 entry. However, I read Gaiman's American Gods this summer and liked it so much I went on to read Good Omens which he cowrote with Terry Pratchett. And I liked that so much that I would have bought a third book if I didn't have so many other things I need to read.

Good Omens would make a good book for teenage readers, especially kids who've had years of religion classes of one sort or another and would recognize religious references. It's been described as a funny book about Armeggedon, but you could also say it's a hopeful book about Armeggedon.

Bingeing

Hi. My name is Gail, and I'm a binge writer. Actually, I am now doing everything in binges. I try to get onto some kind of work/life schedule, but in order to finish book length manuscripts I have to binge, meaning I have to ignore everything else except keeping food on the table and some clean clothes somewhere in the house in order to finish the job. Then when the writing binge is over, I binge on life things. For instance, I have manic cooking episodes. And this past week I've been binging on staining lawn furniture and ironing, two things I had to neglect while I was binging on the book manuscript I sent to my editor last week.

I mention all this to explain, once again, why I haven't been maintaining my blog. I don't want to give the thing up, because I enjoy spouting off. So now I will go on an organizational binge and try to stay on track with Original Content. For a while.

The Future is Bad, Always Bad

Though the future seems to always be bad, The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer is a good book about a bad future. I'd looked forward to reading it for some time, and though I would have changed the last page or so, myself, I was not disappointed. Scorpion reminded me of Holes by Louis Sachar--a well-written adventure without a lot of pretension.

Book Sales

How the time does fly. It's way over a week since you've heard from me.

I stopped at a library book sale yesterday and walked along the tables thinking some children's book title would fly right at me. I would have some profound experience reading it and write about it here. Yeah, well, don't hold your breath, folks. Nothing remotely like that happened. It was after 3, and the best stuff had been sold long before I got there.

I'm not that crazy about buying used books, anyway. I don't like the smell of moldy books and can acquire it quite easily with my own books in my own home. I don't have to bring in moldly books. That sort of stiff, dry feeling old book pages get creeps me out, too. I always feel as if I need to wash my hands after I've been reading some of those things. Or take a shower. And burn my clothes.

I don't get many deep, spiritual book buying experiences in new bookstores, either. But at least I feel clean afterwards.

On the Treadmill

So I was working out last weekend, and I was channel surfing, as I often do while I work out. I came upon one of those bookstore author talks that are often televised on weekends. (Notice I have no names of programs or cable stations. I never hesitate to discuss things I barely know anything about.) This one involved a book called The Best Children's Literature, and it was written by a woman named Ellen Trachtenberg, who was doing the speaking. I haven't read the book, and I took no notes at all because, remember, I was working out. But I thought the author gave a nice talk. So there you are.

And Where Am I On This List?

As usual, I was hunting for something totally unrelated when I stumbled upon this site--Children's Bestsellers for 2002. You will notice none of my books appear on this list. I'm being mature and open in linking to it, inspite of being slighted. I also want credit for typing in the unbelievably long URL for this thing. What's more, I got it right on the first try.

A Profound and Moving Work

I just finished reading Louise Rennison's Knocked Out by My Nunga-Nungas (see 5/20 post), though I should have been finishing chapter thirteen of my own important literary work. Anyway, I've read a review of Knocked Out that suggested that not much happens in the book. (Though the reviewer wasn't complaining. Who would ever complain about one of these fabby fab fab books set in Big Ben-a-gogo Land?) The reviewer was right. Not much happens. But isn't that like life? Not much happens most days. Not many authors can write about the nothingness of life as entertainingly as Rennison. Sacre bloody bleu! She is a genius!

Was That Embarrassing or What?!

I just noticed that in my May 1 post I spelled Lois Lowry's name Lawry all the way through. In the headline. In hyperlinks. Everywhere.

Fortunately, I am accustomed to being embarrassed. In fact, it is my normal state. What's more, to my knowledge only one person has ever been to this weblog. So my faux pas is probably not getting around much. (Sure hope I spelled faux pas correctly.)

The Library Song

Yesterday I spent an hour or so with some first graders at my local elementary school. We had an author yakfest--I told them about my first book and they all showed me the books they'd written and bound this spring. Just before I left they sang me The Library Song. I thought that would be a neat thing to link to, but guess what? There is more than one Library Song! In fact, there are a number of them posted on the Internet. Who'd have thought? None of the songs I found was the song those sweeties sang for me. I liked theirs much better.