Maria's Mélange

Welcome back to Sci Friday!  This week I'm featuring a self-published adult novel, set in an eerie post-apocalyptic world. Originally published as 5 separate short novellas, the omnibus is the way to go. (Wool would also be an excellent read for teens!) Wool by Hugh Howey (Goodreads Author) Paperback, 539 pages Published 2012 by CreateSpace ISBN 1469984202 (ISBN13: 9781469984209) Wool #1-5 (I read the ebook - Kindle Edition, 550 pages Published January 25th 2012 by Broad Reach Publishing ASIN B0071XO8RA)  Goodreads Summary: This is the story of mankind clawing for survival, of mankind on the edge. The world outside has grown unkind, the view of it limited, talk of it forbidden. But there are always those who hope, who dream. These are the dangerous people, the residents who infect others with their optimism. Their punishment is simple. They are given the very thing they profess to want: They are allowed outside. My Thoughts: Several of my friends independ...

Insurgent - part of my Book Gap Challenge, since I don't often make the time to read a sequel. I usually breeze through the first book in a series so I can recommend it to others, and then move on. I'm about 100 pages in and definitely enjoying Insurgent. A bit of a slow beginning, but the roller coaster has started to plunge into twists and turns.  The Fellowship for Alien Detection - I'm excited to get this book started. There's something special about looking forward to a book, but I'm ready to jump in. Big thanks to Walden Pond Press for sending me this ARC!  Tea - Mandarin Orange Spice in my Marvel mug.  I don't join in every week, but I had some fun books to share this week with the "Book and a Beverage" crew. Thanks to  David Etkin  for this fun feature! 

From time to time, I like to jump in and participate in fun little challenges. This week, as I was eating some delicious cookies, I felt the need to share the picture online. Several friends reminded me that I could join in on "Treat Tuesday" (created by my friend Niki at Daydream Reader ) Girls Who Rocked the World by Michelle Roehm McCann ,  Amelie Welden , Daniel Hahn (Illustrations), David Hahn (Illustrations) Hardcover, 256 pages Published October 30th 2012 by Turtleback Books ISBN 0606268987 (ISBN13: 9780606268981) Goodreads Summary:  "Young women looking for inspiration will surely find it" (Booklist") in these profiles of forty-six movers and shakers who made their mark before they turned twenty.This fun and inspiring collection of influential stories provides forty-six illustrated examples of strong, independent female role models, all of whom first impacted the world as teenagers or younger. Originally published in two volum...

Another week - another Slice of Life. Be sure to visit Two Writing Teachers for more lovely slices.  While many of my fellow Slicers posted their one little word last week, I needed to think about it. Was it procrastination? Probably. Or maybe it was just my need to try to find a word that would really fit me this year. Last year's word - Create - was a great word. This year I decided to go with one that could help me across the board. This year I chose: Balance What do I need to balance? Family & work Reading & writing Rest & Exercise Healthy food & treats (no, I'm not giving them up) Kidlit & "Me" reads I even devoted last week's Star Wars Thursday post to examining the ideas of balance I can glean from some of my favorite characters. Now, I'm off to a decent but not fabulous start. A cold from my lovely nephew knocked my energy down a few levels, so I couldn't get my butt on the elliptical li...

Thanks to Jen and Kellee at Teach Mentor Texts for this weekly roundup of reading. My library and bookstore appreciate the numerous additions to my TBR list over the past year.  So, it's the first Monday of a brand new year. I didn't get as many books read this week as I did last week (that's what happens when work interrupts my reading time!), but I sure read some great ones! Let's start with my " Feminist Reads Challenge " (Created by The Hiding Spot) books. It seems a bit disingenuous to have signed up for this as an official challenge, since my reading life tends toward this type of book anyway - but I can live with that. I've already read 3 books that I feel fit with the nature of the challenge. Girls Who Rocked The World  - is a nonfiction that shares the lives of women who changed the shape of the world. The only catch is that the author only selected women who started to make this difference while they were still under 20. ...

Last year I chose “One Little Word” to guide me through the year. While I didn’t really come back to it as often as I should have, I think I did fairly well. My word was “Create”. I spent a lot of time creating - though most of it was for this blog! I wrote poems, book reviews, and spread my ideas far and wide. I did some work with Teachers Write, though I slacked off toward the end. I participated in online chats, Slice of Life challenges, and April poetry month. I wrote for Fandom Post, Nerdy Book Club, The School Library Journal’s Connect the Pop blog, and Teen Library Toolbox (you can check my page above, “other places I write”, to find out more). I read an awful lot, too. Many of you are my friends on Goodreads  (come join me), or have seen my posts about many of the books I’ve read. I blew last year out of the water, though that was partly due to reading a lot more picture books and graphic novels this year. Number of Books:     Number of Pages ...

Join the throngs of writers who post their Slice of Life each Tuesday (or as often as we can!) Thanks to the Two Writing Teachers team who host this weekly.  What is the point of celebrating New Year, anyway? If you think about it, this midnight is just like every other midnight. The endless procession of seconds, minutes, and hours continues. That one brief instant in time is not inherently different. It's not magical. It holds no real power over us or our futures. We watch the ball drop, or we slumber peacefully while others celebrate. Why is it important to have a point where we can close the door on the past, and gaze into the future? Why do we feel a compulsion to set goals that we know we will break; sometimes before the suns sinks on the very first evening? I'm not sure if it is something human nature compels us to do, or if we have been trained into this ritual by the yearly celebration. What I do know is that the chance to look back on som...