Terrific blog post about reviewing and reader response

Shannon Hale opens an important discussion on how we evaluate books: squeetus blog

John Green responds with his thoughts: sparksflyup

Nicely put on both fronts. Also had the effect of making me think I should write about something more than mild stomach upsets on this blog.

On that note, I am catsitting our neighbor's feline. His name is Craster. I'm told he's keen to be in one of my books. He'd like to be cast as the cat. All has gone well up to this point but now he is charging around my studio like he's gone insane. He's careening off walls and leaping over my computer and rolling around on the couch and flying off the stairs and skidding across my desk, scattering papers as he goes. Is this normal? He's kind of elderly and I promise I didn't put anything spicy near his rear end.

He's also making funny "rowrrrr"-ish noises. But he looks happy enough.

If I review Crasty's behaviour for his owners, I think I will do so with more of a New Yorker-style discussion as opposed to a starred review. I think they will appreciate the texture and doing so will allow me to frame my comments within the lens of my own lack of cat exposure.

xoxo

P.S. It's forty seconds later and now he's dozing peacefully in a sunbeam.

Trailer! Award Nomination! Plus, Save the Libraries!

Thanks to the Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl Book Club, there is a book trailer for Getting the Girl! Love that music...

Many thanks to the James Cook Book Award committee for choosing Another Kind of Cowboy as one of the shortlist titles. The winner was The Last Exit to Normal by Micheal Harmon. Congratulations to the other shortlisted titles:

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

No Choirboy: Murder, Violence and Teenagers on Death Row by Susan Kuklin

Red Glass by Laura Resau

The James Cook Award for diversity in teen literature was created in 2006 in honor of Ohio librarian James Cook. The James Cook Book Award is awarded to the book that promotes and celebrates cultural, ethnic, or social diversity; features a teen as one of the main characters; demonstrates excellence in writing; promotes cultural, ethnic, or social diversity; and has a wide appeal to a teen audience.

The award was going to be announced at the Ohio Library Council Convention and Expo in October, but due to library funding statewide the convention has been cancelled. Call me biased, but it seems that in rough economic times, libraries are more important than ever. More people use the library when money is tight and books, especially free ones, provide a welcome comfort during any crisis.

Here in B.C. our premier, who has previously billed himself as passionately pro-literacy, has plans to slash B.C. library budgets. In fact, BC libraries have not yet received their operating grants for 2009.

Last year I was writer in residence at Vancouver Island Regional Library and at Greater Victoria Public Library. I couldn't help but notice that librarians and other library staff work unbelievably hard and that libraries are astonishingly busy. I gave writing and publishing workshops in communities all over Vancouver Island and every library I visited was bustling, no matter what time I went. Many librarians seem to have multiple jobs in addition to what you and I might consider "librarian-ing". Adding budget shortfalls to the pressures they face would be a travesty.

I've written my letters and signed petitions. If you care about maintaining access to free books (a key element of any democracy worth its salt), free internet, and the mental, physical and financial health of librarians and library staff, I encourage you to do the same.

A few outtakes from my last riding lesson

(When they wrote "Lorenzo" they really meant Susan. Also, I was doing something different with my hair that day.)

Then, once I was warmed up, Selena asked us to kick it up a notch...

Feuds and attitudes

A brief history of the summer thus far.

This will be badly spelled and not long because I have to go to a baby shower in a few minutes.

Went camping with husband, who has taken to calling himself Dmitry. I don't know why. Went on long walks and read two Stuart Woods books.

Worked on revisions to memoir-y non-fiction. Tried to tell myself it will never be read by anyone but me. When had to admit that it will probably be read by at least a few people developed tic over left eye that lasted two full weeks. Even my bionic powers of denial couldn't calm twitch down. It finally stopped, probably because the muscle burned itself out.

Worked on courses I'll be teaching in the fall. No smartass remarks available on that topic for professional reasons.

Read a third Stuart Woods book. Was charmed by how everyone in Stuart's world has a plane, pretty much.

Went camping. Learned how to text. I know. Pathetic. (But so handy!)

Ate some of the minuscule home-grown crops and picked three sweet pea flowers. Our Swiss chard is nicer than average and particularly good tossed with new potatoes and fresh dill.

Swam. Often.

Read another Stuart Woods book. Began to feel savagely poor.

Taught the writing for children and young adults course at UBC. Had wonderful students and a great week. Avoided death by vehicular homicide approximately ten times each day during commute to and from university. Vancouver still the reigning capital of crap drivers.

Had small feud with someone named "Library Lady". So small I don't think she knew it was happening. She used the Internet to express ill will toward me and my career. I complained bitterly on my facebook page. If the feud had been conducted in a teapot, it would barely have raised the water level, never mind slopped over the side. Sigh. I'm no Eminem. And L.L. is no Mariah.

Thought about blogging. Didn't.

Continued prepping courses for the fall. Rather enjoyed it.

Worked on memoir while holding down resurgent tic. With my finger.

Got a bad complexion from thinking about life and career. Wonder if L.L. may be right. Realize poor complexion may also result from eating many bags of Jalapeno Cheese Puffs while watching True Blood, Season 1. Began pestering Robyn Harding with all my insights into the series, even though she never asked what I thought. Particularly focused on Lafayette, who is my new gay, prostitute, drug-dealing, short order cook, construction worker boyfriend (I'm only on season one. He may get some other jobs in season two). I think what I like about him is that he's so busy. He makes me feel quite chill by comparison.

Read still more Stuart Woods books. Felt acutely depressed that I will probably never have a plane or an armoured Mercedes. On the plus side, hardly anyone I know or meet gets murdered within minutes of making my acquaintance.

Okay. Off to baby shower.

P.S. Three weeks left in my summer. Who knows how many more Stuart Woods books I can get through and what discontents I can develop as a result! I wish you all a wonderful rest of August. Even you, L.L.