For a while in the late 2000s/early 2010s, after I’d been blogging for a while, I decided it’d be fun to interview the authors of some of the books I loved. Scrolling through, It’s an eclectic bunch of authors – some of which I know I initiate, and some of which I’m sure the author initiated. I remember being super nervous to reach out to Clare Vanderpool to do the interview (though now she comes into the store pretty regularly, and it’s just “Hey Clare!” It’s funny how that happens). I know I did interviews for other places, like Estella’s Revenge (I interviewed my boss before she became my boss. In fact, that was one of the things she mentioned when she interviewed me to be a bookseller.) and the Cybils.

It was something I genuinely enjoyed doing, but time and circumstances just don’t allow me to anymore. (And maybe because the nature of blogging has changed.) I do think authors are interesting people, and I enjoy talking to/spending time with them (I had a whole hashtag on Instagram – #authorsarecool – for when I got to take authors around for visits/in-store events when I was the Children’s Coordinator (it’s been a while since I used the hashtag, and you have to scroll down to find my posts).

At any rate, it’s been fun to go back and read through the interviews I did when I was a younger blogger. And it’s an experience I wouldn’t have had without the blog, so I’m grateful for that.

I started blogging in 2004, and the Cybils started in 2006. I think by then, I was aware enough of the Kidlitosphere (as we called ourselves back then) that I caught the first batch of winners. I know I applied to be a judge the next year, 2007 and was turned down. (In fact, the first time I mention Cybils on my blog is this one, in October of 2007.) I remember being very determined to make the Cybils happen, so I did everything I could – I read more kidlit books and I actively commented on the blogs of the people who were involved – I desperately wanted to be a part of this community. And, in 2008, I was on my first round 1 panel for Middle Grade Fiction. 

Over the years, I’ve been on both Round one and Round two panels, I’ve read for Middle Grade Fiction, Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction, YA Speculative Fiction (I think? One year?), and Graphic Novels. My name was floated to be the blog editor at some point (maybe 2012/2013?), and I happily did that for 10 years. When a spot opened up on the board, again my name was floated, and I joined that in 2015. I’ve currently come full circle, taking the position of Middle Grade Fiction chair for this past cycle, and really enjoying it. I had an amazing group of panelists and judges, and I’m proud of the books they (we; I read for Round 1) chose. 

All this to say, that even after all this time, I am passionate about the Cybils, I love participating, and I’ll keep coming back as long as they’ll have me. In fact, about 8.5 years ago, I wrote something pretty similar about why I keep coming back. 

In short, I’m incredibly grateful my blog led me to this community of people and this award. It’s one of the best parts of my year.

I realized this past week that I’ve been blogging here at The Book Nut for 20 years come this November. I haven’t celebrated my blogiversary in years, and honestly I don’t know if anyone even reads blogs anymore, but I think 20 is something to celebrate.

I’m not entirely sure what I want to do to celebrate, but I thought it’d be interesting to go back and look at my first few posts and see what I thought about them, 20 years on.

My first post after the introductory post, was My 10 Most Favorite Youth Fiction Books. First thing thing I realize now is that I didn’t know the terms (or probably the difference between) Middle Grade and Young Adult. Making these lists now, I’d have three: one for MG, one for YA, and one for Graphic Novels (something else I didn’t read 20 years ago).

Let’s look at the books I put on there.
Solid picks, and they’d probably still make an all-time best of post:
The Blue Sword and Hero and the Crown, Robin McKinley
Bridge to Terabithia, Katherine Paterson
The Dark is Rising Series, Susan Cooper
The Giver, Lois Lowry

The most interesting thing about this is, aside from Hero and the Crown, these are all arguably Middle Grade. Also: they have all stood up to rereading over the years, and are still excellent books/series.

Ones that are good, but probably not my absolute favorites anymore:
The Goose Girl, Shannon Hale – I still adore Shannon Hale, but I think she’s written better books than her first one.
Inkheart, Cornelia Funke – I have fond memories of this one, and I liked the movie (because I pretty much love anything with Brendan Frasier in it), but I haven’t read it in years, so I don’t know if it holds up. I should do a re-read and find out.
The BFG, Roald Dahl – I don’t know what I was thinking: Matilda is a much better book.
Ella Enchanted, Gail Carson Levine – a solid pick, but again: I haven’t read it in years, so I don’t know how it would hold up.

The one I can’t even remember:
Crispin, Avi – It must have bee something I had just finished.

The problematic entry:
The Harry Potter Series, J.K. Rowling – problematic because of the person Rowling has become, but also: I’m not sure these are excellent bastians of children’s literature, anymore. Genre-chaning, sure. Changed publishing, yes. But, excellent books? I’m not sure.

My next list was My 10 Most Favorite Fiction Books. What surprises me most about the list, though, is how balanced it is. Classics! Speculative! Literary Fiction! I was either trying harder to read “good” books and less willing to embrace my love of genre, or I was trying to come up with a balanced list. I wonder if I would do the same if I were doing one of these now. (probably not: I’d be more likely to split it into separate lists.) This list (and the net one tow) is more a portrait of who I was as a person (or who I was trying to be), which is never a bad thing.

Books that would still make a best-of list:
Persuasion, Jane Austen – Still one of Austen’s best, and my personal favorite of hers. (Still has the best love letter ever written.)
I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith – I don’t know if I’ve reread it in a while, but I do remember really loving it, and I still think it’s an excellent book with one of the best first lines.

Good books, but not my favorite anymore:
A Canticle for Leibowiz, Walter Miller Jr. – An excellent speclative fiction/religious book, and one that I’ve reread, but not one that I would call a favorite anymore.
My Name is Asher Lev, Chaim Potok – Same here. I think it’s an excellent book, but my tastes have changed.
The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien – I’m not surprised this was on my list. I did read it, did enjoy it, love the movies, but I’m not sure my fantasy tates run in this direction anymore. Still a classic, though.
To Say Nothing of the Dog and Doomsday Book, Connie Willis – To be honest, while I remember liking these two, I have no other memory. Maybe it’s time for a reread.
Life of Pi, Yann Martel – I have come to feel like this one is overrated. There are better books out there.

Ones I can’t remember anything about:
So Big, Edna Ferber
The Shepherd of the Hills, Harold Bell Wright

The problematic one:
Speaker for the Dead, Orson Scott Card – Problematic because of the person Card has become over the years, but honestly, I have come to think that Ender’s Game is the better book, and there are better science fiction books out there.

My last list was My 10 Most Favorite Non-Fiction books. The other day at work, we were talking about having classic sections for everything, and I remarked that it’s hard to have classic non-fiction, because information gets outdated so rapidly. Someone joked “how about calling it ‘outdated non-fiction’ then?” I kind of feel that way about putting together an all-time best-of non-fiction (so many hyphens!) list: the information in the books is probably outdated. I think this list is more a reflection of the types of non-fiction I like to read: memoirs, light pop history, foody books, some light science/self help books, travel books, and books about books. While the particular books have changed, my tastes in non-fiction hasn’t, really.

Solid picks, though I’m not sure how well they hold up:
Reading Lolita in Tehran, Azar Nafisi
Seabiscuit, Laura Hillenbrand
Garlic and Sapphires, Ruth Reichl
America’s Women, Gail Collins
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: A No-Tolerance Guide to Punctuation, Lynne Truss

I have no memory of reading any of these:
The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness, Joel ben Izzy
The Price of Motherhood: Why The Most Important Job is Still the Least Valued, Ann Critteneden
A Trip to the Beach, Melinda and Robert Blanchard
Tales of a Female Nomad, Rita Golden Gelman
Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman

It’s been an interseting trip down memory lane! I’ll probably come up wtih something else to highlight next month.

This month, for my teacher newsletter, I recommended three books that I thought would make good summer reading. But, since I don’t read a lot of adult fiction, I mostly took recommendations from other staff members. Which leads me to my list: three authors I’d like to give a try this summer.

Roald Dahl — Well, this one is actually an “I have to read”, because I’m running a book group for 8-12 year olds reading his books this summer. But, it been a million years since I’ve read his work and so I’m looking forward to it. (I, unfortunately, will miss one for BFG due to a conference, but I’m still going to read it.)

Dorthea Benton Frank – She’s coming to Wichita, and seeing her books around the store has got me curious. Seems like a good, light, beachy read. The question is: I don’t know where to start. Any of you read her? Any suggestions?

Lev Grossman – The Magicians has been on my radar for years, but I just haven’t gotten around to it. I’ve heard a number of good things, and it seems right up my alley, so I don’t know why. Maybe this summer is a good time to start.

I don’t have a lot of extra time to read extra things (I wish I read faster/had more time!), but are there any other authors I should give a try?

This month’s list was obvious: it’s an easy grab to find a few poetry books for teachers. I did pull the Cybils poetry winner because it’s such a great book. For the other two, I picked a novel in verse (which I’ve read and liked) and a poetry collection that I read had good crossover appeal. How did I do? What else could I have picked?

Here’s the list:

Flutter & Hum by Julie Paschkis

Full Cicada Moon by Marilyn Hilton

Aimless Love by Billy Collins