Jenn's Bookshelves

Yesterday, Rebecca from The Book Lady’s Blog posted an outstanding review of  Elissa Stein and Susan Kim’s fantastic book Flow: The Cultural Story of Menstruation.  Today she’s hosting a giveaway for one copy of the book! 

*WARNING*-if you are at all squeamish about a woman’s natural body processes stop reading here*

One of the things I enjoyed about Rebecca’s review is the discussion it started, both on her blog and on twitter.  Growing up, the whole topic of menstruation was an uncomfortable one to discuss (totally not faulting you, Mom!).  I grew up in a household with two younger sisters and an older brother.  Technically, since we out outnumbered the men we should have been free to discuss what we wanted.  But for some reason, we didn’t.  But then as we got older, we loosened up and became a bit freer in our topics of conversation.  When we needed Dad to pick up “supplies” at the store, we’d use code: B-52s were pads and tampons were referred to as “Thomases” (thank my little sister for that one!).  

Now that I’m adult (yikes!) I’ve definitely become a bit more open to discuss these sort of things.  Much to my husband’s dismay I talk to him about it all in great detail. Mostly it’s complaining. Not complaining about having a period because, don’t shoot me, I’m one of those women who LOVE to have their period.  It reminds me that I am equipt to carry a child! What a wonderous thing! But complaining about things associated with having  my period.  Here are a few of my top ones:

• Packaging: why must pads/tampons be sold in bright colored packages covered in flowers? Really??? Also…I don’t necessarily want THE WORLD to know when I’m on the rag.  Why is the individual wrapping so crinkly and noisy!?  There’s absolutely no chance of opening a pad or a tampon without everyone in the bathroom hearing, especially if there is an echo. 
• Why is there now an entire line of products referred to as “fresh”?  Apparently, they have a smell associated to them.  Are they insinuating I have an odor?  Because I should automatically want my crotch to smell like a field of wildflowers? If God wanted my crotch to smell like flowers then he would have created us all with a nice crotch bouquet. Besides,  a woman’s body keeps itself fresh..adding perfumes to it can cause serious health ramifications.
• “Sanitary disposal bins”–men, you are lucky enough to not have these in your public restrooms. These are the lovely bins attached to bathroom stalls for women to dispose of their “personal trash.” And really…they’re disgusting.  You open them up to drop something in and you can see what those before you have disposed of.  GROSS!  I guess it’s a good thing I’m in a bathroom stall at the time because I instantly start wretching.  Can’t they use something similar to a Diaper Genie? You drop something in, you turn the top, and away it goes, never to be seen again!
• Why must people (MEN!) assume that we are having our period if we are a bit cranky?  I don’t get cranky when I’m on the rag (my husband would say I’m cranky all the time).  Yes, a woman can get a little emotional once  a month due to all the hormones racing through her body, but really….what’s your excuse?

Ok, I better stop here before I get too carried away! Thank you, Rebecca, for inciting such a healthy conversation!

I’ve had such a wonderful time answering all these questions! I’ve learned quite a deal about myself! So, without further ado, following are the last of the questions submitted by you, my readers, for my “Get to Know Me Better” feature for my two-year blogiversary.  If you missed the first round of questions, you can view them here.

Note: There were some duplicate questions or questions with similar themes so I just lumped the answers all into one.

Rebecca from The Book Lady’s Blog asks: What was your biggest book nerd moment? If John wants to chime in w/ what he thinks it was, that would be great.

Believe it or not, I don’t think I’ve actually had a big book nerd moment.  Ok, maybe during BEA when I was literally surrounded by awesomemess: book bloggers & authors, all under one roof. But still, I was able to contain myself. I will confess that I was totally squealing on the inside.  

Probably the most recent “book nerd” moment was when I got the opportunity to interview Peter Straub, one of my favorite horror authors.  He’s one of my idols, his writing is outstanding. I learned over Christmas vacation that I would be given the privilege of interviewing Peter. We were visiting my parents and I vividly recall squealing aloud when I read the email.  I suddenly had the desire to reread all his (15+) books that weekend!  It was a wonderful experience.  Peter is so down to earth, very approachable.

And of course, John reacts to all of my “book nerd” moments the same way, by replying: “Ok, baby.”  He’s not a reader.  He has no idea.

Jen from Jen’s Book Thoughts asks: I’d like to know one goal (doesn’t have to be reading-related) you’d like to achieve – that you have not already – in your lifetime.

Leave it to Jen to give me a doozy! I have a lot of goals, some of them attainable, many of them not. 

I’ve always been interested and excited about providing books to underprivileged children or getting reluctant readers excited about reading, so I definitely want to start volunteering more.  The looks in the children’s eyes when they get their first book, or the enthusiasm in their voice when they are reading their newfound favorite book, it pulls at my heartstrings.  So basically, I want to help put books into hands of children! I am currently working on an author event at my son’s school.  He goes to a Title 1 school, so most of the kids get free or reduced lunch.  Many don’t have access to the library or books at home, so I’m really looking forward to doing this event and getting them excited about reading.  Check back later for a post about this event!

Marie asks: Where do you get the time to read?  I’m curious how many hours a week you spend on reading?

I sort of answered this one in the first post, but basically I make time to read.  I think it’s important to indulge yourself sometimes.  So, I read during my lunch hour, at night before bed, etc.  During the average week (not counting weekends), I probably read for about 10 hrs.  Weekends are my reading time, so I’d say I spend at least 3-4 hrs a day reading on the weekend.

Freda asks: What is your favorite part of being a blogger?

Definitely the community!  I’ve met (IRL and online) a ton of amazing people since I’ve started blogging.  I’ve also been introduced to a wealth of outstanding books I probably wouldn’t have discovered otherwise.

Seawytch asks: If you could go back two years what would you do differently as a blogger of books/reviews knowing what you know now?

I’d definitely be more relaxed about blogging.  About halfway through my first year I became totally overwhelmed with review copies and obligations.  I had to step back and remind myself that blogging is my passion, my hobby.  Not a paying job.  So, I set realistic goals for my blog.  I don’t have to review EVERY unsolicted book I receive.  I can say no to a pitch email.  That’s the best advice I can offer

Michelle asks: What is the one thing you have learned from blogging that you think every new blogger should know?

This sort of goes along with my answer above.  Be true to yourself.  Blog for yourself, not for others.  Be unique, create a brand for yourself and stick to it!

Carol asks: What was the first book you fell in love with?

Hmm…I don’t know if I can recall the FIRST book I fell in love with.  I’m sure I could ask my mom and she’d remind me .  One of the first books I remember falling in love with is Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.  I still have my Little Women boxed set.  It brings back wonderful memories!

Cindy from Cindy’s Love of Books  asks: When you first started talking to bloggers what was your first impression? Then after meeting them, what did you think?

To be honest, when I discovered the world of book bloggers I was very overwhelmed! I’m still overwhelmed.  I thought it was great that a community of people who loved books existed! I was in heaven!  Now that I’ve met probably about a dozen book bloggers in person, I don’t think my feelings have changed.  The friendships and discussions we had online carried over into the real world.  The real perk-we can converse using more than 140 characters

Thanks again to all who submitted questions.  Feel free to continue to send me questions as they arise, either my sending me an email or via my Contact Me page.

I’ve already treated myself to a few (ok several!) books to celebrate my two-year blogiversary. I thought it would be great to do the same for my readers. I decided to bring back a very successful contest I held during BBAW last year–the Win the Book of your choice giveaway!

Just like the title states, this contest grants you the chance of winning the book of your choice (maximum cost $20 USD).  To enter, comment below.  In your comment you must specify which book you would like to win and why. Be sure to include your email address so I have a way to contact you if you win. If you fail to answer the question or include your email address, your entry will be deleted.

Contest ends Monday, March 15th.  Oh, and did I forget to mention THIS CONTEST IS OPEN INTERNATIONALLY!  Good luck!

Thanks to everyone who submitted questions for my “get to know me better” feature for my blogiversary celebration.I received a wide range of questions to answer and I had a great time trying to answer them all! To break things up a bit, following are my answers to the first half of the questions!

Saray asks: What´s the best dystopian novel you have ever read and what makes it so special?

It’s only been the past year that I’ve really been reading dystopian novels.  And after quite a bit of thinking, I can’t narrow it down to one book, but an entire series.  That series is the Tomorrow series by John Marsden.  It’s my favorite because Marsden does an outstanding job with his characters. They are accurately portrayed as teens going through a catastrophic point in time. I listened to the entire series on audio and I can’t recommend them enough.

Heidi from TBC-Theblackcell.net asks: What is your favorite author and why?

That’s a very hard question!  I have several favorite authors, probably too many to name, but I’d say my all time favorite author is Stephen King.  His work introduced me to the world of horror fiction.  I followed his life through his novels.  As he progressed and changed, so did his novels.  My favorite King novel would have to be The Stand. As a matter of fact, I’m catching up on the TV movie now!

Michelle from mybooks.mylife asks: As a working mother, where do you find the time to read?

This has got to be the question I answer the most!  I fit in time to read at every moment I can: at night while the boys are sleeping, early in the morning while everyone else is still asleep, during my lunch break at lunch, and when the boys are playing independently in their rooms. If we leave the house to run errands, I have my Sony reader with me along with a regular book.  If I find that I have a few minutes to read, I pull out my book and fit in as much reading as I can!

Kathy from Bermudaonion’s Weblog asks: Do you have any hobbies besides reading?

In addition to reading, I enjoy making jewelery (although since my youngest was born I don’t exactly get a lot of time to devote to this!). I mainly work with glass beads.  I’ve made several pairs of earrings, bookmarks, necklaces.  I’m going to try to spend more time on this hobby now that my youngest is getting a little older.  It’s very relaxing and allows me to be creative.

Kristin asks: What are your top 10 favorite books of all time? What are your top 10 favorite books of the past year?

Wow…this is another tough question!  I started reading at a very young age, so it’s virtually impossible to limit it to ten books.  So, the list below are ten of my favorite books of all time.

The Stand by Stephen King
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

And to answer the second part of the question, following are ten of my favorite books that I’ve read since March of 2009:

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Everyone is Beautiful by Katherine Center
Angels of Destruction by Keith Donohue
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Hate List by Jennifer Brown
Dragon House by John Shors
The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist
The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane

Dianne asks: Where do you get most of the books you’ve read….library, new books, book sales, review copies etc?

I’d say about 50% of the books I read are review copies, 40% are self-purchased, and 20% are library books.

hcmurdoch asks: How do you find time to do Twitter? Do you use Tweet Deck or something similar?

Just like reading, I tweet when I have the free time.  I do use TweetDeck, it makes tweeting so much easier.  I can’t access Tweetdeck at work, so I use Seesmic web while working.

Jill from Rhapsody in Books asks: Do you still read aloud to your boys? Do you try to influence their reading choices?

Yes, I still read aloud to both of my boys.  John has been reading independently for the past few years but I still set aside time to read aloud to him.  Justin will start kindergarten next year and prefers to look at the illustrations in books and come up with his own story.  He will occasionally let me read to him aloud.

While I recommend books that I think they’ll enjoy, I let each boy pick out what books they want to read. It try to do whatever I can to make reading fun!

Swapna from S.Krishna’s Books asks: What does John think of the amount of time you spend reading/blogging/tweeting?

HA!  I sent this question to my hubby, and following is his response:

My feelings about Jennifer’s reading/blogging/tweeting change from day to day (sometimes moment to moment) and I’m sure that she’s anxious about what I might say here.  Any answer I give would only be a snapshot in time and reflect how I feel about it at that particular moment.  That reflection could seem to show an overly praising or overly critical view of her endeavors.  So… drawing on my Political Science background, I’ll answer the question this way.  I’m extremely proud of her accomplishments and the respect that she’s earned in the blogging community.  Anything that truly bothers me, I express to her and we work together to find a compromise.

He’s right!  We have worked out a compromise regarding my blogging/tweeting time.  After 8 pm on week nights, I “unplug” from blogging/tweeting/etc.  That time is family time

Candace from Beth Fish Reads asks: If you could travel to any fictional place, where would you go? Which book describes that place? Why would you pick it?

I’ve always enjoyed historical fiction, and I’m a huge fan of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series.  The series takes place in 18th Century Scotland, a time period I’ve always been interested in.  It wasn’t the safest time/place to live in, but the country was going through a number of changes during this period.  It would have been interested to witness it!

Ok, that wraps up the first half of the questions!  Check back later on in the week when I answer the remaining questions!

Congratulations, Sheila! I’ll pass your address on to the publisher!  Thanks to all who entered!

Next Monday, March 8 I will be celebrating my two year blogiversary and I would love to have you help me celebrate!  Therefore, in an attempt to allow my readers to get to know me better, I’m inviting you all to ask any question you’d like answered.  I have no problem in answering most questions, but I do reserve the right to not answer a question if I feel uncomfortable.

On Monday, March 8 I will post my answers to these questions.  In addition, I will be announcing my giveaway.  Guess what!?  Its open internationally.

So, ask your question here. And be sure to come by next Monday to read my answers and learn more about my blogiversary giveaway!

Congratulations! I’ll pass on your addresses to the publisher for shipping purposes.  Enjoy!

I was extremely excited when I was given the opportunity to review one of my favorite horror authors, Peter Straub. Peter is the author of seventeen novels.  Without further ado…

You learned about your own mortality at a very young age.  How do you think this helped you to become a successful horror author?

My childhood trauma demonstrated to me very bluntly that the world was not at all benign, and that anything could happen to anyone at any time. The fear that this recognition induced was undoubtedly very helpful to me as a horror writer. I knew how fear tasted and how it worked. You really cannot beat first-hand knowledge.

You also started reading at an early age.  What sort of books were you interested in as a child? As a teen? Now?

When I was a child I read a ton of books about dogs by Albert Payson Terhune, a lot of books about horses, including FROG, by Col. Sp. P. Meeker, plus the Hardy Boys, and whatever I could find in libraries. STREET DRAG, by Henry Gregor Felson, turned me on. When I was in my early teens, I discovered science fiction and read tons of Heinlein, Asimov, Van Voght, and many many others. One day when I was a freshman in high school, I went into the fiction room of the school library and came across a book by Thomas Wolfe called OF TIME AND THE RIVER. The title appealed to me, the book more so: it seemed  nearly to be about me! After that, science held no more interest for me, and I was launched into the world of adult fiction. These days, I love Donald Harington, Elizabeth George, Dennis Lehane, Jonathan Lethem, Michael Chabon, Stephen King, Joe Hill, Kelly Link, Bradford Morrow.

Which one of your books was the most difficult to write?  Why?

In THE HELLFIRE CLUB, I cut half the material from my outline to make a briefer book and wound up taking twice the time I should have spent on it. I had no idea what my subject was any more. It took me about  a year to come up with a villain necessary to the story, a real ordeal.

I’m often asked how I can bear to read as much horror fiction as I do.  How difficult is it to write horror? Did you get questions of concern from your friends and loved ones when you started writing it?

I don’t think any of my friends felt anything like concern for me, and some of them were frankly envious. As for difficulty, it’s exactly as difficult to write horror as it to write any other kind of fiction. So the answer is “very.”

Do you have a process for writing? How far in advance to you plan your books? Do you write at a certain time of day? Location?

I make notes, I ponder, I try to cook up a kind of scheme. Very often I have created an outline, but the outlines fades away as I move along. I write from four five hours a day, most of them in the afternoons.

Have you had any strange experience at book signings or other bookish events? Crazy fans, odd questions, etc?

No, thank goodness.

Name one interview question you detest answering.

What’s it like to work with Stephen King?

Thank you, Peter, for taking the time to speak with me.  One of the things I’m interests me about authors is where they work.  To wrap up the interview, I asked Peter to send me a picture or two of his work area. It’s amazing what you can learn about a person by looking at where they work.  Following are a few pictures of Straub’s work area, his desk:

In December, you may recall we had a lovely snowstorm, bringing us 20″ of snow. Guess what!? We’ve been hit with yet another snow storm.

Friday P.M.-Not too bad, right?

6:30 AM on Saturday. 20" of snow!

9:30 AM on Saturday and the snow is still falling!

At least the boys are enjoying the snow!

The snow is still falling!  By the time it’s all over, we’re expecting around 30″ of snow!  The local Department of Transportation has indicated that neighborhood streets won’t be cleared for another 36 hrs.  Therefore, the entire J-crew will be spending the entire weekend indoors.  We’ve got a ton of great food planned.  The husband has already cleared a path to the grill, so we’ll be eating well!  I’m hoping to get some reading done!  We’ll see if that happens!

Updated pics:

Saturday, 1:30 PM

Believe it or not, that's my van under there!

Trees are breaking under the weight of the snow. Breaking limbs sound like gunshots.

I’ve officially started the countdown!  In a little over three months, I’ll be making my way to NY to attend Book Expo America 2010.  I had a fabulous time last year.  I got to meet dozens of bloggers I’d chatted with online for months. I networked with publicists and authors and made some pretty awesome connections.

One of the things I can’t wait to attend after BEA this year is Book Blogger Con 2010, a one day event intended to provide support, instruction, and social time for people who blog about books. Book Blogger Con will take place May 28, 2010, immediately following BEA. If you have a book blog and you’ll be in NY for BEA, this is the place you’ll need to be!

I remember when I was planning for my trek to BEA 2009.  I had so many questions so I thought I’d come up with a FAQ for first time attendees! My answers obviously reflect my personal opinion So, without further ado!

What is the attire for BEA?

The official attire is business casual.  Last year, I wore dress slacks and a casual top and layered it with a blazer. Comfortable shoes are a must!  Comfort comes before cuteness!  Don’t wear heels or flip flops or anything else that lacks support.  On the flip-side, don’t wear your grungy old running shoes.

Are the books really free?

Yes, the majority of the publishers do provide ARCs to BEA attendees.  Be realistic in what you decide to pick up. Take the time to read the back of the book and see if the book is one that you’d be interested in.  This isn’t a shopping spree, the goal is not to see who can bring home the most books.

There are some publishers that don’t offer free ARCs. Don’t beg for a copy of a book.  Don’t grab it off the shelf while no one is looking.  If you aren’t sure if the ARCs are free for the taking, ask first!

What are five things I should bring with me?

1. Comfortable shoes (explanation above)

2. Business cards: you will be meeting a ton of new people.  You will go through a great deal of business cards, so it would make sense to purchase them from somewhere pretty economical.  My suggestion is vistaprint.com.  You can get a pretty decent number of business cards for under $20.

3. Water/snacks:  you will be doing a lot of walking.  And while there are some (great) cinnamon almond vendors in the Javits Center, you should still bring your own snacks. Your days will be long and you’ll need to keep your energy up!

4. Tote bag: you will need something to carry your books in.  There will be an abundance of tote bags given away but oftentimes these go very fast!  So pack something with plenty of padding on the straps; your shoulders will thank you later!

5.  Patience:  If you plan on participating in any of the author signings, plan on standing in line for a long time.  Your comfortable shoes and water & snacks will really come in handy now.

I think that about covers it!  Don’t forget to sign up for Book Blogger Con! I’d be remiss not to mention that Book Blogger Con is now officially affiliated with BEA 2010!  Register for Book Blogger Con and you’ll be automatically signed up to attend BEA!  One stop shopping, gotta love it!

So, are you attending BEA 2010? I’d be happy to answer any questions!