Cybils Time!

October 1 will mark the start of Cybils nomination time. The Cybils are Children's and YA Bloggers' Literary Awards. Anyone can nominate a book published in 2009 in English. Only one nomination per category is allowed. Nominations will be taken through October 15. To nominate a book, visit the Cybils blog from Oct. 1-Oct. 15.

A Five-Star-Four-Book Week

This week was the most perfect reading week I can ever remember.

I finished four books and I'd rate them all as wonderful books.

How's this for perfect:

Two fiction, two nonfiction.

Two new, two older.

Two serious, two funny.

Okay, okay, I can hear you say. But get to it....What books did you read?

Here they are, along with links to my reviews:

Travels With My Aunt by Graham Greene

Zeitoun by Dave Eggers

The Guinea Pig Diaries by A. J. Jacobs

Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami

These four push me over the two hundred mark for books read this year.

And they leave me feeling a little anxious....What shall I read now? And can it possibly compete with the four I finished this week? Oh dear.

Lemonade Award

The Lemonade Award is a feel good award that shows great attitude or gratitude. Here are the rules for accepting this award:

• Put the Lemonade Award logo on your blog or post.

• Nominate at least 5 blogs that show great attitude or gratitude.

Trish's Reading Nook
Leslie's Book Nook
BookNAround
A Striped Armchair
Fizzy Thoughts

• Link your nominees within your post.

• Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

Will be doing shortly, if they don’t see this here first.

• Share the love and link to the person from whom you received the award. Thank you, unfinished person.

Grownups Who Hate to Read

Once again, I come to you, o wise readers, to help me.

There are a lot of nonreaders out there. Some facts found online:

"1/3 of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives.

42 percent of college graduates never read another book after college.

80 percent of U.S. families did not buy or read a book last year.

70 percent of U.S. adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years.

57 percent of new books are not read to completion.

Each day in the U.S., people spend 4 hours watching TV, 3 hours listening to the radio and 14 minutes reading magazines."

Today a friend wrote at Facebook: "Last night made me think, Maybe I will read a book.... but which one? What type of books do all of you like to read?"

I am good with children who don't like to read. Who would give a thumbs down to Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus?

But what about grownups?

I need help. I need to give her a list of surefire books.

Any ideas? Any great books for a nonreader to bring her into our world?

Photo: alwayscanadian

What Makes Debbie Read?

I love to read.

No, really. I mean it. Big time. I LOVE to read.

Okay, you think, so what? You love to read, too.

I am absolutely crazy about reading. I love to wander around the Blogosphere and see what other people are reading. I love to add books to my wishlist. I love to read aloud. I love to go on vacations and visit bookstores. And libraries. I invite friends to come with me to author readings. I actually gave up tv in 2003 so I'd have more time to read. Eek.

My idea of a horror story? The Twilight Zone episode where the reader is the only one left alive but happily finds a library...and then he breaks his only pair of glasses.

So my question is, Why? Why do I love to read so much when so many people see it as drudgery if not torture?