X is for X-Men

It was so hard to think of a topic for X, but then a blog post from Writing Rockstar Meg Cabot about her reading choices had me thinking about X-Men.

In case you couldn't tell from the blog title, I am a little obsessed with superheroes. I am, however, a bonafide Marvel lover. To me they can do no wrong. Don't get me wrong, I love Smallville and Batman (You did know Batgirl was a librarian, right?). Plus I am very excited for all the superhero films coming out this summer, but DC just doesn't hook me the way Marvel does.

My ultimate favorite are the X-Men and my favorite pairing is Jubilee and Wolverine (the whole movieverse thing had me disappointed for a while, at least my girl was in the director's cut). When I was in high school and college I used to read fanfiction based on the series. My favorite site was WolverineandJulbilee.com. The fanfiction is no longer up, but the site still sits there in honor of the best comic duo ever (yes, I wanted them to hook up. JeanGrey is just a skanky two-timer who can't make up her mind). The website creator, Marjorie M. Liu, went on to become a published author in her own right (New York Time Bestseller in fact!) and her books do have some x-factory goodness to them.

When I was student teaching, I had a student who wrote X-men fanfiction. It was pretty good, but the cooperating teacher thought she was wasting her time. I wish more teachers would recognize the value of comics in encouraging readers and writers who do move on to more challenging stuff (not to mention that there are some really deep topics covered in comics that can be just as challenging as anything to be found in a classic).

Reader Roundup

Thought I would share some goodies with everyone today...
Once upon a time when I was an undergrad, I worked for Waldenbooks (you know, those almost extinct places known as bookstores, in fact I think that one may in fact be extinct). St the time, most of my paycheck went towards supporting my reading habit. As a librarian, this habit continues. In fact, I tend to bring home more than I could possibly read and end up sending it all back or adding my name back to the hold lists. This doesn't stop me from wanting more books. The cheaper the better.
How can it get any better than free?
NetGalley is a website that connects book reviewers and librarians with publishers in want of reviews for their books. They only provide digital copies of the books, but these range from already release to already on the market. We aren't talking no name companies either, these are big name authors and publishers. Some titles are available for immediate download and others have a more stringent approval system. It is worth checking out. In fact many of the books you have seen reviewed on this blog have come from NetGalley.
LibraryThing and Goodreads are both websites that offer free books to their members in the form of contests. Think of it as placing your name in a hat and crossing your fingers that you will be picked. Many of these titles have hundreds of people vying for only a handful of copies; so your chances of winning are close to that of winning the lottery. I have known people who have received copies, so it can happen.
Remember that if you request a copy of a book for review purposes that you should actually review it. Failure to do so may not only hurt your chances or working with that publisher again, but also for other reviews.
You also might want to try some author stalking. NO! Put down the binoculars! I don't mean that kind of stalking! Check out the author's website. If they have a blog, follow it. Hang on their every tweet, just don't become an annoying gnat (you know the bug that buzzes annoyingly non-stop in your ear, get the idea?). You never know when there might be an impromptu giveaway directly from the author or their publicist.
A lot of book blogs also give away their Advance Readers Copies (ARCs) to followers and those that comment on their posts. (Sorry, this blog, does not yet host giveaways. Digital ARCs,yeah, non-transferable. But keep posted cause you never know when that might change). I find a lot of ARCs to give to my teen reviewers at the library by keeping an eye on the list-serves and blog rolls. Here are some websites I know of that offer free book contests, both ARCs and published:
Free Book Friday
Writerspace
Dead Rules Giveaways to Support Teen Reading
If you know of any other interesting places to get free books or ARCs, post the, to the comments below. Happy Reading!

Q is for Quiet Time

(183/365) Shhh...., a photo by Sarah G... on Flickr.

Shhhh....

I said quiet time. Find a book and settle in for a good read.

See you tomorrow ;)

O is for Olivia Parker 's Guarding A Notorious Lady

So far on the blog, we have seen reviews for picture books, Young Adult, graphic novels, and craft books. Now it is time for some guilty pleasure reading. I am not a big fan of contemporary literature, I prefer my reading to send me either to another realm or another time. That is why I love historical romances. I especially love the stories where the love interest is the best friend or the guy who is always getting the girl out of trouble.

Guarding a Notorious Lady by Olivia Parker due out May 31st is such book. In this case it is the conundrum of falling for the little sister of your childhood friend, a little sister who is not quite so little anymore, and whom the task fails to guard her reputation while said brother is out of town on his wedding trip.

Wonderfully this story opens in a bookstore (for all truly great stories begin in a bookstore or library) where Lady Rosalind is attempting to snoop on a promising couple in the stacks; she is a matchmaking meddler after all. Unfortunately, a certain gentleman keeps blocking her view.

Nicholas Kincaid, the Marquess of Winterbourne, has already started in his duties of guarding the younger sister of his childhood friend. This mischievous lady has always managed to get under his skin though to be truthful she can't really help it if suitors decide to serenade her in the middle of the night. He'll just have to be handy with a ready pot, book, or slipper to throw at them.

What is a good historical romance without some scandal and treading on society's unspoken rules? Readers of Parker's other novels will be sure to recognize previous characters and elements (which in my opinion are the signature of a truly great historical romance). This is a delightfully fun read!