My presentation on The World of Book Blogs at the Missouri Library Association conference went well. The prezi (Thing 17: Prezi) and virtual handout (The World of Book Blogs — Virtual Handout) give a glimpse of what I talked about. If you’re a book blogger, you could probably give the same talk from those notes, except for the librarian insider jokes I threw in. This was a good laugh line: “Book bloggers love Banned Books Week. It’s like they invented it or something.”

The room was full.

I got lots of positive feedback following the talk. Several people indicated that they wanted to start book blogs. Others just appreciated a fun topic, presented in an enthusiastic way, among the more serious programs offered at the conference.

Thanks to Sarah of GreenBeanTeenQueen for taking the photos!

On to my normal Monday post…

It’s Monday! What Are Your Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila of Book Journey. Be sure to check out her post today to see her selections and the list of links to all the other participating bloggers.

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Read

I didn’t have a post ready for Weekend Cooking, but was able to announce a new Around the Plate book club selection, Will Write for Food, next Around the Plate Book Club pick.

I spent much of the week reading The Lost Angel by Javier Sierra but then gave up on it half way through. I liked the Dan Brown style thriller aspects, especially the role of comparative mythology of the Great Flood stories. But I just couldn’t care about the characters. The only female character is also the only first person narrator. That should have been enough for me, but her bits are few and far between. Plus, the men she’s with always know much more about the situation than she does so she’s only there to use her special gift with no role in unraveling the puzzle. Even worse, she seems unaware that it is not clear at all exactly who the good and bad guys are, apparently trusting the dude who kidnapped her. TSTL — which isn’t fair since she’s supposed to be an accomplished restorer of antiquities.

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Reading

I picked up Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff again. I wrote a post about the book for the From Left to Write Book Club, Musings on Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff, but I hadn’t finished the book and I really want to do that.

My current lunch reading is The Art of Eating In by Cathy Erway.

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Will Read

Nearing the top of my TBR, we find The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory, Burned by Thomas Enger, and the next Diversity Book Club selection, Never Been a Time by Harper Barnes about the 1917 East St. Louis race riot.