147. Cybils Panel

I think I already listed this as a blessing, but now that we’ve finished our work, I want to say again just how much fun it was to be a first round panelist for the 2016 Cybils Awards in the category of Young Adult Speculative Fiction. I’d almost forgotten how much I love reading young adult speculative fiction, and for the last three months, I took extra chunks of time aside to do just that. What a treat!

146. Capitol Choices

I know well that the group of people who are passionate about discussing new children’s books make up a tiny percentage of the population. I’ve found them in other book bloggers. I’ve found them in people who comment on the Heavy Medal mock-Newbery blog and other School Library Journal blogs. I’ve found them among other ALSC members.

But how lucky am I to live where I can meet and talk with such people in person! Capitol Choices is a DC-area based group that chooses 100 of the best children’s and young adult books of the year each year. We meet monthly to discuss the books. Participants are mostly librarians and other children’s book professionals. The discussion uses the same rules (mention strengths of the books first, then observations, then concerns) as ALSC committees.

It’s kind of wild to be around a roomful of like-minded people and get to talk about great books with people who know what they’re talking about and care as much as I do. Lovely!

132. Good Books to Read

I’m a judge for the Cybils this year in YA Speculative Fiction.  At first, I was a bit daunted — I need to do a lot of reading.  But I’ve been having a wonderful time doing it.  And the books are so good!  Granted, I have only read 16 books so far.  But I had almost forgotten how much I enjoy YA Speculative Fiction.  This stuff is good!

And I am blessed that I really need to read this great stuff!

131. Leaves as Lucky Pennies

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Tonight I went for a walk as the sun was going down and hitting the brightly colored leaves up on the ridge that I can see from my window.

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Several threads came together and exploded with wonder in my thoughts while I was walking.  I’m going to try to express some of those.

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It started with thinking about a Project 52 post I wrote last night.  I had reflected on the year I was 20 years old and started dating my husband-to-be.

This morning I remembered something I’d forgotten to write about.  We used to hide pennies for each other.  It came from an Annie Dillard quote that I’d read that summer from A Pilgrim at Tinker Creek:

But if you cultivate a healthy poverty and simplicity, so that finding a penny will literally make your day, then, since the world is in fact planted in pennies, you have with your poverty bought a lifetime of days. It is that simple. What you see is what you get.

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I had included in the Project 52 post lots of pictures of my friends in the S.I.K. Club, a club about not being afraid to be silly and about embracing joys.  This morning my friend Jovial Gina, one of the S.I.K.s, indicated on Facebook that she really enjoyed remembering back to those silly days.

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Gina has recently written a book called Camino Divina, a book about taking meditative walks.  In each chapter she highlights a different “saint” and looks at their inspirational writings.  For several months now, I’ve been reading a short section of Gina’s book right before I go on my walks, to give me something to think about.

Tonight I started a new chapter.  I was in a hurry because the sun was getting lower in the sky.  And guess who the saint of the new chapter was?  Annie Dillard!

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I was in a hurry, so I’m afraid I read Gina’s thoughts on Annie Dillard’s writings hastily.  But she did get me thinking about finding pennies, and how they represent finding small joys.

I started reciting in my mind the passage I quoted above.

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Another thread:  On Saturday, I did the same walk among the trees.  (Though they weren’t quite as bright yet.)  As I was leaving and the sun had stopped lighting them up, a couple passed and told me I should go to Skyline Drive if I really want to see beautiful leaves.

Now, I’ve been to Skyline Drive in the past, and it is indeed beautiful.  But I’m not going to ignore the gorgeous beauty lit up outside my window just because there’s a more spectacular place an hour away!

Tonight I decided that each bright leaf is like a copper penny.

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A lot of people don’t think a penny is worth picking up.

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It’s really easy to just drive by and not notice how beautiful the leaves are.

(Though my growing up in southern California helps me to be amazed every year.  The leaves all turning at the same time always seems miraculous.)

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And I decided that taking pictures of the leaves was a little like picking up the pennies.

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Only this way, I could pick up a million pennies, a million little miracles, all at the same time.

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It’s that simple.  What you see is what you get.

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129. Reading on Waterside Inn’s Balcony

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I’m on a Personal Reading Retreat!

When I found out I get to be a Cybils judge this year for Young Adult Speculative Fiction, I was daunted by all the reading I’m going to need to do.  When I talked with my coworkers about it, it occurred to me that I should just get *away* and read.

So — I booked two nights at Waterside Inn in Chincoteague!  And I took Monday off work.  It did take me 4 hours to get here, but I listened to an audiobook on the way.

But now the plan is to read and read and read.

I got here just in time to see the sun going down from the balcony.  There’s a view of the bay, and it’s going to be a perfect place to read!

I’m going to try to finish my first book tonight.

But what a lovely place to do it!

127. My Own Personal 48-Hour Book Challenge

This weekend started for me last Thursday.  I had two days off, then worked a day, then had two days off.  (This was because I worked 6 days in a row the previous week.)  So — I scheduled my own personal 48-Hour Book Challenge.  I managed to read and blog for 31 hours and 40 minutes out of the 48!  And it was just a lovely thing to do!

I got a great head start on Cybils judging.  And I had a lovely time.