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I'm sorry I missed Christmas at bookstogether this year. I seem to have missed December almost entirely--oops! But I did read many middle grade science fiction and (mostly) fantasy books, over half of the 98 nominees for a Cybil in that category. (I may have cheated a little and read some other books, too. It couldn't be helped! More about those later.)
The shortlists will be posted on the Cybils blog on New Year's Day, at 6 am US Mountain Time. Til then, happy new year!
Warning: Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is for the grownups. It is emphatically not a book for kids (it's not even a book for me). I mention it here because today is Swedish children's writer Astrid Lindgren's birthday, and Lindgren really informs Larsson's book. His two main characters, financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist and punk hacker Lisbeth Salander, have fictional counterparts in Lindgren's boy detective Kalle Blomkvist (Bill Bergson in the English translation, sadly OOP), and none other than her redheaded heroine Pippi Longstocking, all grown up.
While I hate to imagine Pippi growing up to be Lisbeth, I wonder what other characters from children's books might be like as adults. Ramona Quimby, for example, or Harriet the Spy. Have you ever thought about them this way? I would love to know whom you would like to know (or not know!) as an adult.
[N.b. Astrid Lindgren would have been 102 today, which means that it's bookstogether's blog birthday, too (two). Thank you for reading!]
Nominations for this year's Cybils close at midnight tomorrow, October 15. If, like me, you've been holding your nominations in reserve, now is the time to check out what's been nominated (or overlooked) so far and make your choices. I'll post mine here as soon as I've made them.
Exciting news: This year I'm a first round panelist in Middle Grade Science Fiction and Fantasy, which means I'll be reading a lot of SFF between now and December 31. Where should I begin? Leave me a comment with the title and author of your favorite book in this category, and I'll move it to the top of my to-read pile. Provided it's been nominated for a Cybil this year, of course. And if it hasn't, what are you waiting for?
Oh no! Visitors to my blog have been experiencing technical difficulties. My apologies; everything should be working properly now. And thank you, Charlotte, for letting me know.
[Please click through to check out my latest project, Beginning and Endpapers. Trivia question: How many of this year's Caldecotts (there are 4, the medal winner and 3 honor books) feature decorated endpapers? Give me your guesses in the comments, and I'll post the answer tomorrow.]