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Monday inspiration

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Anyone else love a good bookish quote? I have an entire board of book and library quotes to inspire me, motivate me, or simply make me smile.

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In a few weeks, the Dewey 24-hour Readathon will be running it’s April event which for east coast Americans like myself begins at 8am on Saturday, April 25th and ends at 8am on Sunday, April 26th. I’ve done several of these and blogged about preparing for one and completing my first one (that was actually a reverse readathon) which lines up nicely with Dunham’s quote. How I truly would wish one extra day each week!

I’ve heard comments that it is hard to concentrate on reading with everything going on, but consider it a gift to be with other readers for one twenty-four hour period where they will root you on, talk books, and allow you to peek into the food and drink preferences of other bibliophiles. Sign up here. And let me know in the comments below if you’ll be joining whether it’s your fifth time or your first.

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on April 6, 2020 in Blogging, Events, Miscellaneous, Quotes

Reading is reading is reading

05 Apr

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As I sit here on Sunday morning, I’m reading the newspaper. It’s not just Sunday but every day that I read the newspaper, mostly digitally but a few times a week in print. It started in 5th grade when my teacher would give us trivia questions and most often they came from the news.

As I sit by the fire on Saturday night, I’m reading a magazine. Typically when watching a half-interesting show on television or around the fire, I’ll bring out the magazines I buy delivered to my door each month for recipe inspiration, fitness tips, and cleaning and decorating ideas. I’ve always enjoyed the tactile nature of a magazine with their glossy pages and have one too many times created inspiration boards by cutting them up (this was pre-Pinterest).

As I sit on any day on my side of the couch or outside on the patio in the sun, I’m reading a book. I’ve always got a stack upstairs ready to choose what I’m in the mood for, plus a few extra on a reading tablet and my phone.

As I sit on a weekday night in front of the computer, I’ve queued up the blogs I subscribe to and read their commentary on school librarianship, reading, books, entrepreneurship, business, and news because I like learning from others.

As I go for a walk to break up a readathon or when I’m cutting up dinner in the kitchen, I open up my trusty gals Libby and Sora and listen to an audiobook tell me saving rhinos or a Harvard murder mystery.

Reading is reading is reading. However you do it and make time for it.

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on April 5, 2020 in Blogging, Miscellaneous

Reading time capsule: Part II

04 Apr

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Yesterday’s post was what I would put into a reading time capsule outside of the actual books themselves. Today I tackle what books I would want in the time capsule. And like picking your favorite dress or favorite child, it’s just impossible, but I’m giving it my best shot… and how big is the capsule??!?

Saga graphic novel collection by Vaughan and Staples. I just spent the last nine days re-reading a volume a day and loving every minute of it
Harris and Me by Gary Paulsen is the first book I remember laughing out loud at while reading
Every Ruta Sepetys book written and I’m going to go sci-fi here and say that when she writes another, just virtually drop it in there because I know I’ll want to read those too
Deathwatch by Robb White was the first book I remember recommending to a student as a first year teacher where the kid came back to thank me for my awesome recommendation
Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age by Sherry Turkle is a book I read several years ago and still bring up at least once a week in conversation. The number of Post-its sticking out of that book made it look ten times fatter
Crank by Ellen Hopkins. It’s verse style was somewhat revolutionary at the time and it’s loosely fictionalized version of her daughter’s experience brought so much out in the open. She became our first author visit at the high school that we hosted and we haven’t looked back in ten years
Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram because I was on the William C. Morris award committee that named it the 2019 winner
Mudbound by Hillary Jordan had a whole mood and is one of the most impactful book written for adults when I live in a world reading mostly YA
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson came out the year I graduated high school. I read it the following year in a YA lit class while I was studying English education and we met Anderson when she visited a local school district as a college class. Her depiction of high school brought back every sight, smell, and sound and who knew as a more than decades-old high school librarian that I would still be recommending it along with the graphic novel and companion Shout
You can’t not add a few classics: mine would be The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides is another book that is full of big mood that skillfully and sinfully explores femalehood. I don’t have sisters, but I get the Lisbon girls and I remember connecting just as deeply to Sofia Coppola’s big screen adaptation (and buying the soundtrack)
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold was the first book that I actually photocopied several pages out of to keep in a folder to go back and re-read whenever I wanted

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Do I have honorable mentions? Ones that I’d stuff in the crevices and crannies of the capsule. Here are a few of those that are less memories-driven but more emotionally-connected. Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman, The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner, Hole In My Life by Jack Gantos, The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater, every Jason Reynolds book published, Ghosts of War by Ryan Smithson, The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler, North of Beautiful by Justina Chen, Flash Burnout by L.K. Madigan, Twilight by Stephanie Meyer, Rupi Kaur’s poetry, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, and A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly.

What are some of yours?

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on April 4, 2020 in Adult, Authors, Blogging, Fiction, Graphic novels, Miscellaneous, Nonfiction, Poetry, Verse, Young Adult

Reading time capsule

03 Apr

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Having just finished another re-watch of the made-for-Netflix movie To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before Part II: P.S. I Still Love You, one of the sweeter elements (and uncomfortable!) was the group returning to the old tree house and opening their time capsule. So what if I was going to do a reading time capsule for myself? Here’s my listicle of what I’d put inside:

A bookish t-shirt of which I have several to choose from
A teacup because usually if I’m reading, a teacup is either in my other hand or on the end table nearest me
A blanket because there’s just something about being warm and cozy
Some rain droplets because there’s nothing more hygge than reading while it’s raining outside
A pair of sunglasses for those beautifully sunny days reading on my back patio and being blinded by the reflection of those gloriously smelly pages
My Goodreads app because how else can I keep track of all of my reading?
Post-its for those nonfiction books that I pepper with them!
My challenged book book tote that’s usually always too small
Two artist-rendered pieces: one from a committee from several years ago where we were drawn as caricatures next to a stack of books and another that’s half of Hermione’s head and her most famous library quote
A Willow Tree figurine holding her book

Tomorrow’s post will be the books I would add, so stay tuned!

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on April 3, 2020 in Blogging, Miscellaneous

Happiness in my inbox

02 Apr

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Yesterday afternoon I got an email from a student that read in part

I have really appreciated your book suggestions in the past.

I got misty-eyed and continued to read on as she was asking for book suggestions during our time of social distancing. In my replies about how she was accessing her books so that I could tailor the suggestions, I also included that her email made my day. Because it did.

Librarians read books so that we can be ready to recommend them at any time. I also keep meticulous notes on Goodreads (post to follow) for better recall. But no matter what, I read because it makes me a better person and helps me in my day to day work where I always have students at the back of my mind. I actually blogged about it for Nerdy Book Club back in July.

She made my day just by thanking me for doing what I love. I’ll ask you who you can thank. I know I decided I would pay this warm, fuzzy feeling forward and thank a few people myself.

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on April 2, 2020 in Blogging, Miscellaneous

No time like the present

01 Apr

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Inspired by my good friend and elementary school librarian, Stacey Rattner, who has been blogging each weekday to reach her students, I decided that each day in April I’d blog to engage with the blogging community, school librarians, and readers.

While I’ve had this blog for six years and made 240 posts, I’m going to start at the beginning, like any good story, and re-introduce myself.

2017-10-08 12.18.46 I’m a high school librarian going in to my fourteenth year, all at the same high school. Previously, I taught a year of middle school English (7th and 8th grade) in a rural district near my hometown before I moved to my current home and city. I share my librarian duties with a fabulous co-librarian because our high school boasts 2,600 students and 10,000 in the district. Besides being the school librarian, I also advise for our school’s Anime Club, coordinate our school’s three American Red Cross blood drives annually, coordinate the CAS component for our IB diploma candidates, and co-chair our school’s professional development committee. While it may seem like a lot, it all balances out pretty nicely because I keep myself fairly well organized. You’ll notice my favorite quote is Martha Stewart’s “Life is too complicated not to be orderly,” which is really my life motto.

And if I had to pick a favorite aspect of my professional life, it’s sharing, talking, and knowing about books which has led to opportunities on YALSA award and selection committees and presenting locally, state-wide, and nationally about various topics that relate. Because without reading, no learning can truly take place. And I find that I enjoy presenting because I learn more in the process of teaching others– I like the challenge. I keep track of it all on my website: a track record of where I’ve been and what I’m up to along with this blog.

Personally, I love spending time at home as we remodel our old house with my husband and our two newly-turned 11 year old boys, plus a big dog named Gunner. Usually there’s a sweet aroma of something being baked. My personal Instagram is littered with my baking while my public Instagram is usually all about the books. Follow me!

There you have it, a re-introduction. I’ve got plans for posts daily but if there’s anything you’d want me to talk about, share it in the comments below or reach out on social media. In the meantime, how are you celebrating (and Happy!) School Library Month!

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on April 1, 2020 in Blogging

A roller coaster of emotions

20 Mar

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Whenever I’ve read something or a few somethings, I will usually throw up a sticky note on my computer, give it a working title for a future blog post and wait until the inspiration strikes to write it. I’m ready to write from my working title “emotional roller coasters” and talk about three titles I’d read recently that unequivocally fall under this heading: Nikki Grimes’ Ordinary Hazards, A.J. Dungo’s In Waves, and Jenni Hendriks and Ted Caplan’s Unpregnant.

First, the fictional Unpregnant. What more can you ask for than a book targeted toward teens talking about abortion. It isn’t often that we find books wholly centered on the topic. I think I remember Exit, Pursued by a Bear the first time that it felt really real in a contemporary YA book. And then there’s Girls on the Verge which I highly recommend. But what most people comment on after reading this book is that while it is a frustratingly painful circumstance that puts Veronica in this situation, there is a dark humor that provides the balance that not all hope is ever lost regardless of the choice made though the most memorable scene is one of sadness:

“And that was it. Dinner was no different from any other dinner we’d had. My brother went over every play he’d made in baseball that weekend. My mother shoveled more food onto our plates. My dad made noises at appropriate times to make it seem like he was participating in the conversation. They didn’t even bother to ask any more about my weekend. They weren’t interested. I was a known quantity. The good daughter. The hard worker. I should have been grateful. I was angry. They didn’t see me. If they did, they would have known something had happened. Instead they only saw the pieces I was made of. A question already answered.”

Then there’s Ordinary Hazards, Grimes’ memoir of a few years of her childhood struggling with her mother’s alcoholism and paranoid schizophrenia and her father’s intermittent absence which led to a childhood in the foster care system. But the biggest takeaway is the strength of memoir as a genre. Grimes explains memoir and really helps readers turn themselves into writers by showcasing that everyone has a story however joyous or heartbreaking. In addition, her choice to use verse is a touchstone text on its exemplary use in form, function, and lyricism.

Then last, is a graphic novel (I didn’t mean to represent two genres and a format under one umbrella of emotional stories but this is why books are amazing). It’s In Waves. I read this on my lunch at work about a month ago and was glad I was eating alone. Because I cried. Dungo’s tribute to his partner before her passing and while she was undergoing treatment shines in his visual choices in line, color, and symbolism. He also effortlessly weaves in a more factual story of the history of surfing yet it never once takes away from the roller coaster of his relationship as it weathered the storm of illness.

As everyone’s emotions are on similar roller coasters all across the world, I thought I would share three books that provide mirrors to the same mountains and valleys we’re feeling.

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on March 20, 2020 in Authors, Cover Love, Fiction, Graphic novels, Nonfiction, Verse, Young Adult

Delicious books

28 Feb

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Fat Tuesday is also Paczki Day. Paczkis are Polish doughnuts usually with jelly filling and rolled in either powdered sugar or granulated sugar. They’re made on Fat Tuesday in preparation for the Lenten season’s austerity. This past Monday, I homemade them and was excited to share them with my family, colleagues, and neighbors who all know my love for baking.

So it won’t come as any surprise that I also enjoy reading about books with cooking and baking in them. I’ve read Notes from a Young Black Chef (nonfiction biography) and With the Fire on High (young adult fiction) to Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant (nonfiction short story collection) and Maker Comics: Bake Like a Pro! (graphic novel) to name a few.

Recently I’ve read two others that I’d like to share a bit about: the Love Sugar Magic middle grade series and Salty, Bitter, Sweet.

While the rest of the series will be in the queue, I have only listened to the first book called A Dash of Sugar in which Leonora Legrono’s family owns a bakery preparing for The Day of the Dead when she accidentally discovers that she is a bruja, a witch of Mexican ancestry like her mother and the rest of her sisters who use magic in the kitchen. It’s a heartfelt mix of family, culture, and baking with a deliciously humorous plot.

The second, Salty, Bitter, Sweet, is firmly a young adult title that follows Isabella Fields to France on her father and stepmother’s cherry farm where she is going to be apprenticing with a famous chef and a group of teenagers vying for a spot in his Michelin-rated restaurant. Her passion for perfection in the kitchen is thwarted by the mishaps during her apprenticeship and her stepmother’s stepson visiting for the summer. It’s a solid, well-woven story with a beautiful backdrop and rich stories of fond family memories in the kitchen. Look for it on March 3rd.

In the comments below, please recommend any more books about food that I should read!

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on February 28, 2020 in Adult, Authors, Cover Love, Fiction, Graphic novels, Middle grade, Nonfiction, Short Story, Upcoming Releases, Young Adult

PS

18 Feb

ToAllTheBoys Romance is not a category of fiction that I seek out regularly. But give me a good romance on the small screen like Netflix has done with Jenny Han’s book series and I’m sold.

I watched the first one and was exceptionally impressed with the visual beauty of the movie, not to mention the story, casting, and music (of which I have no great knowledge or understanding of). My critiques of movies are simply my enjoyment factor, so I’m sharing, as a reader of young adult literature this advice: watch the movies.

The second one launched near Valentine’s Day just a few days ago and I was excited to clear my queue during my morning workouts for it. And again, it did not disappoint. Similarly stunning visuals took my breath away and the music enhanced every scene that it played. Plus, I’ve already squeezed in a second watch because it was just so damn adorable. And there were jellyfish (even if it was a heartbreaking scene).

To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You

So here they are, the reasons that you should be watching:

The color scheme is stunning.
The pop culture influences are not overwhelming but reminiscent of the great 80’s-style teen movies of that decade from the texting to the house parties to how it represented school life.
We need more love in the world.
Lara Jean’s wardrobe and her baking skills.
Love wins, every time.

What are you waiting for?

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on February 18, 2020 in Fiction, Miscellaneous, Young Adult

What I do

25 Jan

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There are so many quotes attributed to a people around what they prioritize, what they are busy doing, and when they’ll make excuses rather than time. I’ve said it a few times before in posts regarding my prioritization for reading to improve my own life and my work in a high school library.

Here is one thing that works well for me: I read during my lunch. I have very strong feelings about people in education who don’t make time in their daily schedule to sit for a few minutes to eat lunch. You might not need one hour or a whole class period, but you also shouldn’t NOT have time for it either– even if it needs to be scheduled. I say this because I dislike when people are eating in a meeting with me because “they don’t have time” to eat and I also don’t want to hear anyone complaining that they didn’t eat at all. Just like “when it’s important, we remind”, food fuels our bodies and it’s important to nourish them but coupled with that is the peace it brings for just a few minutes each day in our hectic school lives. I want everyone to treat themselves well.

Pleasures So during my lunch, you’ll see me reading. I might spend a few minutes on my phone, but there’s always a book on the table. Often I’ll pick a nonfiction book and a lot of times I’ll choose a graphic novel format that’s separate from the fiction title I’m reading (that you’ll still find me lugging back and forth to work with the off-chance that I am somewhere where I need to kill some time). Plus, they’re often titles from our library’s collection so it’s entertainment, relaxation, and still fruitful. You can find those titles that I read during my lunch at school on Instagram with my hashtag #literarylunchbox. Titles that I’ve read recently during lunch at work:

Body 2.0: The Engineering Revolution in Medicine
Brilliant Maps for Curious Minds
Infinite Hope: A Black Artist’s Journey from World War II to Peace
Earth Day and the Environmental Movement
The American Dream? A Journey on Route 66
How the World Rescued 33 Miners from 2,000 Feet Below the Chilean Desert
Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy: A graphic novel
The Great Nijinsky
Pilu of the Woods
Sunny Rolls the Dice

An additional reading window I’ve given myself is a 15-minute timed reading session in the morning. My morning routine consists of waking early to work out and then I typically moved through breakfast and tea, the televisions news and the newspaper, and helping my kids before school. In between the post-workout shower and waiting for the hot water to boil for tea, I set my phone timer and read for 15 minutes. It’s not sexy or luxurious to time yourself reading, but again, it gives me an extra few minutes before the day really starts and I feel good about the prioritization.

Where can you find some time to make reading a priority each and every day?

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on January 25, 2020 in Blogging, Miscellaneous