SUMMER READING PROGRAMS

Do your local libraries participate in the summer reading program? I am so thankful that ours do, because it’s a wonderful program with lots of fun activities for kids of all ages.

I love the summer reading program. The fact that they have now expanded it to include adult readers pleases me even more.

Books are a given in our house. We spend a lot of time at the library throughout the year, picking out books for each of us to read on our own, and also books for me to read to the kids, or for us to read together. Our ereaders haven’t cut back on the quantity of books we check out from the library, either. Of course, for the summer reading program we are allowed to only count the library books when being considered for prizes, but that is never a problem.

The youngest children receive tickets for time spent either reading or being read to. These tickets can then be used to purchase prizes, and if they reach the allotted time spent reading, they quality for the end-of-summer swimming party. They are all eligible for the special presentations throughout the summer, such as the magician, the rescue horse demonstration, and several others.

We also have an older MG and a teen program, with movie afternoons that are always a film version of recommended books. None of my kids fall into the teen category – yet – so I don’t know as much about it as I do the younger programs.

But as I stated above, the new adult program is the one that I enjoy on a personal level. Our local librarians designed it so that it’s perfect for my reading pleasure. I can read ANY novel, regardless of age level, and claim that toward my reading goal. The best thing about the program, however, is the fact that I can receive extra credit for every review I write. Since I enjoy reviewing books, this is tailor made for me. Last year I won gift certificates from several local businesses as a result of writing reviews, so it’s a win-win situation.

So check out your summer reading program at the library. If there is no program available, then perhaps you and a group of your friends could gang up on your local librarian and convince her/him to start one. But do it nicely. It’s never a good thing to get on the wrong side of a librarian.

Happy Reading!

Cordelia Dinsmore

99 CENT SUMMER READS!

I’ve recently joined a small, select group of indie writers of Tween fiction. Tween is that no-man’s land of children’s literature that falls between the upper range of MG and the not-quite-ready for YA. We’re a small group at this time, and I feel confident in promoting the entire list as clean writing of which your parents would approve.

I haven’t read all of the books in our combined repertoire yet, but I have read several, and have quite a few more downloaded to my daughter’s Kindle. I went on a shopping spree the other day and added six of them. As soon as I finish my current read, I plan to dive into the fun of these promising gems.

These books cover a wide array of genres within the age range, including fantasy, sci-fi, historical fiction, and mystery. Since I haven’t read all of them yet, I don’t have a complete list.

What I DO have is a fantastic announcement regarding a special opportunity starting this week.

Our group has been working on a new blog project, which we are calling Emblazon. You’ll soon be able to find us on WordPress. There we will offer lots of fun and informative posts for young readers and their parents, along with links to other sites that we are confident will be of interest to our audience.

As a kind of kick-off celebration, many of us are offering a selection of our ebooks at a special price of only 99 cents each! Many of them will be at that special price beginning June 16th and running through June 21st. That's five days to fill up your readers with some fun and exciting books!

I realize summer is a busy time, but it’s also a fantastic time to catch up on some new books. What could be easier than to load up your favorite ereader with a variety of fun new reads and take it along on your summer outings? I take mine to the pool, to baseball games, to the park, to the lake, etc.

To make this as easy as possible, I’ve put all the links right here. All you have to do is click on the link and you'll be directed (hopefully) to the book's Amazon page. I hope you find something to your liking, and I hope you tell all your friends.

Michaela's Gift, by Cordelia Dinsmore
The Dream Keeper (The Dream Keeper Chronicles) by Mikey Brooks
The Secret Sisters Club: A Ginnie West Adventure by Monique Bucheger
Trouble Blows West, by Monique Bucheger
Song of the Mountain, by Michelle Isenhoff

The Quill Pen, by Michelle Isenhoff
The Color of Freedom, by Michelle Isenhoff
Taylor Davis and the Flame of Findul, by Michelle Isenhoff
Gangsterland, by Ansha Kotyk
Circle of Law, by Lia London
Magian High, by Lia London
The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer, by Lisa Cole Orchard
The Super Spies and the High School Bomber, by Lisa Cole Orchard
A Difference of Purpose: A Novel of the American Civil War, by Terry Soileau
Trapped, by Gloria Repp
The Mother-Earth Series Omnibus, by Alan Tucker
The Girl Who Remembered Horses, by Linda Benson
Six Degrees of Lost, by Linda Benson
Through the Mirror and Into the Snow (Before Happily Ever After, by Ann T. Bugg
The Sapphire Flute (The Wolfchild Saga), by Karen E. Hoover
Two Souls are Better than One, by Karen E. Hoover
The Armor of Light, by Karen E. Hoover
And the Mountain Burns, by Karen E. Hoover
Andy Smithson: Blast of the Dragon's Fury, by L.R.W. Lee
The Hidden Sun, by J. Lloyd Morgan
Night Children:Dark Threats, by Scott Bryan
Of Mice and Magic, by David Farland

Of Wind and Winter, by Danielle Leafty
A Pony for the Fair, by Inge Moore

Happy Reading!

Cordelia Dinsmore

One Man's Bookmark

When you’re reading a print book, how do you mark your page? Do you use a bookmark of some type? Or do you dog-ear the page and ignore the disgruntled glare of the librarian? Or do you perhaps turn the book face down and leave it splayed on your nightstand?

I love the variety of bookmarks available these days, and I’m always buying new ones for myself or to leave as little tokens in books that I return to the library. The three-dimensional ones are a lot of fun. I also like the metallic ones and have several of those. I have some that are home-made, including one made from plastic canvas and crochet thread. Some of mine have been around for decades, and some are still in the box – usually the heavier metallic ones come boxed.

The problem I have with bookmarks is that I can never seem to locate one at the time I need it. I could probably fill a small desk drawer with the wide variety of bookmarks in my collection, but I’m not the most organized person in the world, and so they are scattered throughout books, drawers, bedside tables, the car, upstairs bookshelves – well, you get the idea.

I enjoy reading at night, after everyone, including myself, has gone to bed. I pick up a new book from my TBR pile, and find out three hours later that I don’t have a bookmark to serve as a place saver. I don’t want to turn on the light and disturb my husband, and I can find NOTHING in my nightstand without a light, so I usually grab something handy and make do with that. That’s why my bookmarks are all in such pristine condition. I never actually use them.

I do use a wide variety of other items, though, to serve in their place. Have you done that? What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever used for a bookmark? Care to share?

This is a partial list of some of the objects I’ve used to mark my place in a book. Perhaps you can relate. Or perhaps you can always locate your favorite bookmark and have no clue as to how I can be so unorganized.

paper clip – big or small, doesn’t matter. Just no alligator clips.

fingernail file  or Emory board – I use these a lot!

gum wrapper – not so much, but I have.

scrap of paper

spoon – I sometimes eat ice cream while I’m reading.

ponytail holder – the little elastic ones

water bill – one of my husband’s favorite bookmarks, actually.

lottery ticket

pen or pencil – I know! not good, but for an emergency it works

birthday card

sock

square of toilet paper – don’t even ask.

Chuck E Cheese game token

candy bar wrapper

crochet hook – a small one, not those big things.

recipe card – these are actually fun to leave in library books, especially if it’s a recipe for something really tasty!

I know there have been many other things over the years that I’ve used in a pinch, but as you can see, it would probably be a lot better on my reading material if I developed the habit of selecting a bookmark before I actually begin reading my book, rather than putting it off. I’ll work on that. In the meantime, keep reading, and if you feel like it, share some of the more unique items you’ve used for bookmarks.

Happy Reading!

Cordelia Dinsmore