I recieved two books in the mail this week, and more the week before. Yesterday I came home to find a copy of “Magic Under Glass” with it’s new cover. I won this from Bloggestia, and Maw Books Blog It was mailed to me straight from Bloomsbury publishers, and I am very excited it to read it next. Today I found a wet envelope with a copy of “Where is Catkin?” in it from PeachTree Publishing. I am pretty sure that was also via Bloggestia. Not sure how I ended up with two books, but I plan to read and review both.

I often feel bad because my reading preference is YA, but it doesn’t translate into work, as I am an elementary librarian. I end up passing my YA books on to the high school often. Anything middle reader, or fantasy based YA might end up in my collection (Shannon Hale books for example) for my 5th graders, but in general, what I read for fun is not what I buy for the library. Catkin is something that will be used for my program, plus, I am ordering soon, so if I like it I’ll be ordering some for the program. I’m a sucker for anything about cats.

I did get more books in the mail lately, via Amazon. They weren’t think week, but they were recently enough that I haven’t gotten to talk about them here, or read them. They are also pictured above.

  The Line (started)

Can’t judge a girl by her cover (can’t wait, I’m a sucker for spy books and movies)

Hex Hall (About 100 pages to go, I am so into this one, review coming)

Before I Fall (accidently ordered two of these, and two Hex Halls)

Dead tossed Waves (WOO!!!)

I’m finally back to reading, after just finishing “Beautiful Creatures.” I have one week left of my Instructional Media class, and then, finally, I will be free to read non-stop like a fool  (a totally awesome fool) until classes start in the fall again.

Oh April. You should be a time of joy, the weather finally broke…in fact it was the the 8o’s the other day (though it snowed last night so maybe I am speaking too soon), I ate candy for the first time since Feb (and may have gained 10lbs on Gertrude Hawk Jelly Beans in one week) and it is National Library Week coming up. All of these things should make me calm, and relaxed.

But, here is my list of why I am stressed

-Using Media/Tech class I am taking is great, but the professors are really picky about things so I have to spent much more time on this class than my others so far

-I am being kicked out of the library for National Lib Week due to the PSSAs

-The PSSA’s in general are stressful. I was helping with the testing and I feel so bad for my students, I had one break down in frustrated tears in my room

Hmm, that may be it, it felt like more things, I guess I don’t have an excuse for what I am going to say.

I am broken. I have read 5 books ALL YEAR. This is not like me at all, usually I read 5 a month at least. I used to read 5 a week. I’m not sure what’s wrong with me, I keep misplacing the book I am reading (most recently Beautiful Creatures, yes I misplaced something THAT big) right when I was nearing the climax, or I just put something down and more on to something else and never finish. I always finish books, even if I hate them, the only book I did not finish due to hatred was “The House of Seven Gables” Sorry Nathaniel. So why am I putting down books I AM excited to read and forgetting to finish. And why am I ordering awesome books that I was soooo exited to order, and letting them sit there on my shelf doing nothing?

The Readathon is going on today, I didn’t sign up, but I am still embarassed that in 4 months I have read 5 books, when these people are reading that and more in one day!

I did do my cheerleading job though for the cheerathon part of the readathon!

I went around for 2 hours straight commenting on blogs with THIS:

The reading will stop
Tomorrow
Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow
your book count will be higher
Just keep thinking about tomorrow
all the great books you will have to talk about
with your blogger friends
If you get blurred or sore, or sleepy
Just stick up your chin
and grin
and say
My TO BE READ PILE, Tomorrow
will be smaller than it was before
and your spirits will soar
because then TOMORROW, TOMORROW You can go shopping TOMORROW at Amazon and BUY SOME MORE!

I never claimed to have any pride.

:)

BOOK REVIEWS OR SOMETHING COMING SOON, or I will explode in anger. I spend too much money on books not to read them…and more importantly I WANT to read them!

In my mail box this week

Originally uploaded by epbee

I came home Friday to find a happy box for me outside of my apt door! Which is odd because no one usually knows my apartment is there, and my stuff is usually left inside the main foyer of the apartment building. I ordered from Barnes and Noble online this week, which is something I don’t usually do…I’m not a member, so it’s usually more expensive than Amazon, and if I am in a walk around a store mood I go to Borders because I have that store memorized. My local (near apt) Barnes and Nobles has an impressive YA section though, I should head over there more often.

I was first inspired to go shopping because I saw my credit card has 7 points for every dollar at Barnes and Noble, haha. Then I saw they were having a free 3 day shipping sale AND they dropped the prices for everyone to member prices for a time. I  had a 30 dollar gift card just sitting here so I went to town.

I bought “Beautiful Creatures” finally, I wasn’t sure if I was getting it for Christmas, or if I would get a gift card for books so I waited but I am very excited to finally read it.

I have been waiting to get that Emily Dickinson book for awhile, but I could never find it in-store so I ordered it this time around.  Just so this doesn’t make me feel mopey, I will just watch this AP LIT project from Youtube over and over:

New Jasper Fforde, I wonder what color I would be able to see?

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate also showed up at my door from that lovely gift card.
 

“Her Fearful Symmetry”  audiobook is from the Library. Actually I’m going to pop it in now while I work on cleaning the apartment, and folding a mountain of laundry that has gained sentience and is plotting a hostile take over of my place.

I’m going to start a new blogging idea tonight. I work with kids from age 5 to about 11 years old, and they are soooo funny. I live my job so much because even in the days where I teach the same exact lesson as the day before the students make the class periods a completely different experience.

My cousin, hi Tara, asked me over Twitter, if my students said anything funny/cute lately so I thought I’d share things like that with a blog topic. No names included and only the things I deem as too amazing to not share will be used lol

I’ll label these as tmss in the blog. There were some cute ones today

First, I had a little boy not looking at me during the story time, I was worried he was crying but I realized he was yawning. Our school doesn’t have room to have full day k classes, so this boy was part of the PM class. They came to school st 1:00 and came to library around 2:15 or so.

When I asked him what was wrong he said “I’m Was almost falling asleep…I’ve been in school FOR HOURS!!” it was too cute.

During the same class, the same boy was lifting himself up on the table and I told him he didn’t need to be any taller, as he was the tallest in the class already.

Little girl: “No, that’s you! You are the tallest in the class, Miss Chrusch!”

…that’s abnormal as I have second and third graders my height and talker and it made my day! But then I noticed that this was only true because my helper mom wasn’t standing up at the time.

Last week I was emailed by Kelly, from YAnnabe, asking for my help in a Secret Blogger project. I’m always in for anything excititing! Her goal, and now the goal of nearly 40 other bloggers including myself, is to shed some light on the YA books that we love, that aren’t sitting on the Target Bookshelves, or bestsellers. We’re trying to give the little guys (the lesser known books) a chance in this YA reading world.

For my part, I checked books that did not have as many users owning and reviewing them on Librarything.com and looked at books mostly from 2008 and earlier. Things that may have slipped through the cracks, or books you saw, meant to read, but forgot when a Twlight book or something sucked up your time (Vampires suck blood, Twilight sucks time. I like my Vampires snarky, not sparkly but that’s my own vampire opinion lol)

(If you want to read  more listsof great YA books you may have missed, please check out Kelly’s list and the links to other blogger’s lists here.)

HERE We Go…EDITED POST filled with random notes about my reading habits, haha, sorry.

Audrey, Wait! Robin Benway
Fun Fun Fun! Usually I stay away from YA books that aren’t paranormal, fantasy or mysteries….straight on teen life things bore me. This very well could be because I’m 10 years past being 17…but I was the same way in High School, but this one was faboo for sure. It’s a bit over the top, with all the sort of FACE PALM moments, but that’s what makes it GREAT! I actually liked reading about someone who had worse luck than I do haha. The relationship parts were cute, and were paced throughout the book, not just slapped in, and the entire book left me with the “I feel SO BAD for her RIGHT NOW…BUT I ALSO WANT TO LAUGH” feeling. ;)

Chalice by Robin McKinley
I wasn’t a reader in elementary school, not from the start at least. I was the I WILL TAKE EVERY KITTEN BOOK AND READ IT OVER AND OVER kid. I think I finally got hooked on fiction in 4-6th grade thanks to the trade books we did in class. In 6thgrade my teacher gave us a copy of “The Hero and the Crown” as the trade book…which he stopped reading less than halfway through, because, um high fantasy with 6th graders who are used reading books like “Sixth Grade can really kill you” (books about kids our age, in a school setting) doesn’t quite work if you just throw it out there. I was hooked though, I kept my copy, and read it over and over again, and it is officially my favorite book…the book I have parts memorized to. Um Edward Cullen, no Thanks, I’ll take Luthe, because Mages are far more awesome than Vampires :P I love Robin’s Fairy Tale retellings, but not as much as her Damar books….and I have to admit I didn’t read SUNSHINE or those Dragon Training ones. But I kept missing that vintage McKinley style of writing. The sense of wonder you get from reading her world building, and most importantly THE CHARACTERS, their interactions. CHALICE was a return back to that style. It’s not in my heart like her earlier works, but it is a satisfying read, that will suck you in with its magic, and beauty and the beast motif (less direct than her 2 retellings of Beauty and the Beast, but it is still there.)

Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George
I’m a fairy tale and fantasy girl, my entire high school reading was actually high fantasy and star wars books, back then being a geek wasn’t in style like now haha so if you give me a dragon book, I’m still so there. This great little number I found in my own school library, though it’s readers can range from 11 or so to 27, and beyond. I just say 27 for a fact because I have a 5th grader reading it now after 27 year old me recommended it. It’s clear that Jessica Day George read and loved many of the same books as me, Robin McKinley, Patricia C. Wrede, Gail Carson Levine, as this book matches up with them in both style and substance. While not as light as something by Wrede’s Enchanted forest, it also shows a great relationship between a girl and her unlikely friend, a dragon. I know my higher level readers love this one so please don’t let the fact that I picked this book from an Elementary Library scare you away, this is a great read for YA fantasy readers.

Devilish by Maureen Johnson
I love cupcakes. I love supernatural books. I love something written with a sense of humor, books that don’t take themselves that seriously. Maureen Johnson wrote this book, because it amused her, plain and simple…and it sure as heck amused me too.  The main character jumps off the page for you, I can totally see myself hanging out with her and rolling our eyes at the whole teen scene life of High School. I’ve seen many attempts at the whole HIGH SCHOOL IS HELL or SELLING YOUR SOUL concept, but Maureen does it so well in this book. It also…made me really really really hungry.

Enchanted, Inc. Shanna Swendson
Not labeled as YA as it is about  a 20 something in New York City, but I love this book and I know many teens, and YA readers would too… actually I think this series would have worked really well if it had been targeted for the YA audience. It’s about a normal texas girl who gets a job in NYC because she is just that, normal, regular, boring…. It makes her immune to magic, so she can work with wizards and other spell casting types and folks from fairy tales without having spells work on her. There are so many fractured fairy inspired books in YA right now, which makes me soooooo happy, that this cute series would be interesting to those readers. If you are the type of person who wishes Hogwarts was real, or that you could snag a prince after kissing a frog, grab this series! So cute and funny!!

Nobody’s Princess by Esther Friesner
I’m confused on why this did not show up on more Librarything lists, as I see this book, and it’s sequels displayed when I go to Borders, and I think I recall seeing it at Target too. Basically if you give me a retelling (fairy tale, historical based, anything) and mix it with a headstrong female main character, I am so there. This one is the story of Helen of Troy as a teenager…a really feisty teenager.

Ophelia by Lisa Klein
English major here…who was one class away from a Theater Minor in Undergrad…I’ll take any and all Shakespearian Revampings you want to send my way. I always felt poor Ophelia got the short end of the character stick…no boy is worth drowning for ;) But this reworking gives us a fleshed out Ophelia…we see what she feeling with the loss of her father, and what she actually liked in Hamlet, and what happened leading up to…and after the whole pond incident. Very interesting read.

Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon Hale
I really love Shannon Hale’s books….”The Goose Girl” is my favorite by her, and on my list of favorite books in general. You probably have gotten the idea by now that if something is fairy tale based (or has snarky supernatural fun) that it will be a Melissa kind of book. I met Shannon Hale at ALA right after I first became a Librarian, and she told me such nice things about how I will change people’s lives and affect so many people. So maybe I am bias when I say you should read RAPUNZEL’S REVENGE….but so what, it’s awesome! A graphic novel that takes the familiar  Rapuzel story and sets it in the Wild West, Rapunzel’s Revenge is a wild ride, and great fun!

Story Time by Edward Bloor
As a teacher I have to tell you, I think Standardized Testing is evil, so, while this book is a satirical look at the American Education system and it’s testing pressure, I don’t think it would take much to convince me all those state tests went hand to hand with real Demons. I actually read this on the Beach in NJ a few years back, and while it’s no beach read (Girl and her similarly aged genius uncle get shipped off to a fancy school, where they are trained physically, and mentally for tests tests tests tests. The teachers and staff start to get possessed by a Demon, and all Hell Breaks loose as they say) It reminded me a bit of reading “The Book of Lost things” (WHICH I LOVE) as it reads on the surface as a basic children’s scary story, but is so much more.

Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Wiess
As a teenager I wasn’t a YA reader, I mentioned that before, I don’t think it was as big then (late 90’s) or  maybe my library just wasn’t stocked up “(which is VERY possible, as I seemed to be the only one there to TAKE OUT BOOKS. Everyone else was trying to get out of study hall and wanted to play mine sweeper on a computer or the Oregon Trail.) But when I was in college I read “Speak” for the first time, it turned me on to the YA thing. “Such a Pretty Girl” is very speak-like in nature, as it deals with a girl trying to find strength after being abused (in this case by her father (who was just released from prison and is coming home.) I felt it was a very honest, an emotional look inside the mind of a broken girl.

14 mins of battery power left on the laptop, just enough time to close out on my Bloggiesta Weekend! I started on Saturday and was really going strong. Today, was less productive, but I took notes on some of the things I want to get to on my blog for next weekend. In general I think I learned so many little tips about blogging, not just tweaks on how the blog should look, but how it should be run. I got so much information from the Mini Challenges I participated in, and I plan to hit the ones I didn’t get to at another time (looking forward to finally understanding how to set up my gravatar for example.) I feel like I am bumbling around less, and I know of more resources, and blogs to check out when I do get stuck.

I am very happy that I took the time to redo the navigation on the site. My first attempt (having only the Book Blogging entries show on the main page) just didn’t feel right for me, so I changed it so everything shows when you first get here, then you can use the tabs to go more specific if you like. I’m a random person, but I like writing on many different topics, basically babbling about whatever I am thinking about that the time…usually it is books, but not always. For me I think having a personal blog with book blog elements just works better, but having it more organized for readers who might not enjoy the random so much, is a big help.

I added a bit new content, and had brainstorms for more blog posts to come, so this weekend really got me out of my blogging sleep.

I’m down to 10 mins, so here is a quick update on what I got done:

-got new widget codes to match the layout change
-updated my about me blurb and placed it on the sidebar
-added a footer with copyright information
-wrote two new posts
-changed how I wanted to deal with my reading Log (no longer a page I update with Goodreads information, but a link in the sidebar to my 2010 Goodreads shelves, and future reviews. I have no IDEA WHY I was using goodreads, and then rewriting all of that info directly into the blog last year, this will be such a time saver!
-Speaking of time savers, I made a cheatsheet in word of important links, and PASSWORDS…because I really do keep forgetting what my flickr password is, and it’s nice to have my FTP info a well. Yesterday I spent 20 mins trying to remember my windows password on my old PC for heaven’s sake!
-Deleted dead links
-Updated my NEPA/Friends Blog Roll
-Found new blogs that I want to add to my Book Blogger blogroll…that part still needs cleaning out, and adding.
-Cleaned up stray code issues in my css file
-tweaked my sidebar template in wordpress
-joined the 100 Mile Fitness Challenge and did my walking tonight during Chuck
-Visited new blogs, and commented
-replied to comments in my own blog
-Added some of the people I found to twitter

My goals I have yet to do are:
-Get a Gravatar
-Make decisions on the Tech Section and Quote Page, keep as RSS or actually use wordpress for that.
-Blogger Blogroll update
-Review How to Say Goodbye in Robot before I FORGET THE DETAILS (P.S. I really really liked it)
-Post -mini reviews on goodreads so they show up in my reading log
-Find a way to resize the youtube links so they don’t expand past my table…or make my table bigger

The Mini Challenges I completed were:
-The Dead Link Hunt
-The Footer/Copyright Challenge
-The Cheat Sheet Challenge
-The Tables/Labels Cleanup

Time Spent: 5 hrs yesterday 2 today

more information about the challenges can be found at: The Starting Line of the Bloggiesta!

4 mins left, and time to head over to the finish line. I know I was many leagues behind the bloggers who worked three days straight, but my site is still very small, and I review what I happen to have read, so I have no deadlines I have to meet other than my own GET IT DONE ALREADY pressure. I haven’t been reading much lately (AHHH!!!) so I haven’t had much to post on that front. I’m getting out of the Christmas drag session and back into real life so I should be reading more. I have two library books I just renewed (and here is where I need to plug in or the computer goes to sleep…made it pretty far!) “Poison Study” and “Bras and Broomsticks” so I should have something up about them pretty soon…but hard to talk about the books you are reading, when you aren’t actually reading at the moment.

Oh and HEY if you are still reading this, I do have an unrelated question….but this blog is called MELISCELLANEOUS for a reason, I can randomly be random :P My friend wants me to go on vacation with her this summer and the options she gave me are 1. Spain (which I hear is beautiful, but I know no Spanish) 2. London, Paris and the Netherlands 3. England (country side) Scotland and Wales I’ve never left the county other than Canada so I’m not sure what would make a best first vacation abroad, so suggestions would be welcome! I think my friend wants to buy Spanish Leather and I’m more of a Ghost Tours of Scottish Castles type of girl. But anything sounds amazing, and better than my usual Vacation of sitting at home, and maybe, if I am lucky, heading to the Jersey shore to get major sunburn. Melissa + Beaches =DISASTER.

As usual, I’m late to the party, the Bloggiesta party that is. Last weekend I went a bit nuts on updating my blog adding new sections, and a new layout, all of which I am very pleased with, but I still have a some tweaks I have yet to do. I kept seeing the hashtag # bloggiesta on twitter and realized that this weekend is a big blog updating party, and that I was missing out on the fun!

This weekend I am setting some time aide to get some things done around here, both little and bit:

-Update my widgets, they match the old layout

-Update my picture, and my about me page moved the about me to the sidebar instead, made more room for content

-Update my blogroll,

-transfer my Quote Page from Livejournal to Wordpress, probably it’s own subpage

-Blog entry: Book Review of “How to Say Goodbye in Robot”

=Blog Entry: Mel’s Musings (probably in the “I’m in Shape, ROUND IS A SHAPE” heading ;) )

-Update 2010 Reading Log

-Pick up some new blogs to follow

-Comment Comment Comment

-Join one (or more) mini challenges

-Try to hunt down a fitness challenge for my personal blog section, or challenge myself

perfect!! 100 Mile Fitness Challenge

-sidebar clean up

-reorganize site all entries show on main page, but Books, Diet/Exercise, Personal Blog, and Project 365 have tabs at the start that will only show those entries

I’m excited, the Blog is starting to look better, but with some tweaks, and some more CONTENT, I should be back in action. I have been updating my Project 365 daily, but everything else hasn’t been that consistent.

Mini Challenges:
Footer Mini Challenge
Labels/Tags Clean up
Dead Link Hunt
Hours:  5

I REALLY should be turning on one of my exercise dvds, or the Wii fit right now, since I am at my parents’ house for the Holiday, and they are at the YMCA. That should be inspiring me, and also…it’s my one chance at using their TV! So I’ll post this quickly.

Other than the 50 books in a year challenge I’ve never done a reading challenge before. When I saw the 2010 New Author Challenge I thought this would be a great one to start with. Since I got on twitter I’ve heard about so many great upcoming books, and got to chat with some new authors, and I really want to support book publishing in general. Best seller’s and famous authors are fun to read I guess, I usually hide from the trendy mass population books (anything with an Oprah sticker for example) haha, but I love to find new exciting things to read.

Here is the scoop on what I am going to be doing, as explained by Kristi, you can find more information at the Story Siren’s Site:

•The objective is to read a set number of YA (Young Adult) or MG (Middle Grade) novels from debut authors published this year.* I’m going to challenge everyone to read at least 12 debut novels! I’m hoping to read at least 30! You don’t have to list your choices right away, but if you do feel free to change them throughout the year. I will also be focusing on mostly Young Adult novels.
•Anyone can join, you don’t need a blog to participate. If you don’t have a blog you can always share your views by posting a review on Amazon.com/BarnesandNoble.com/GoodReads/Shelfari, or any other bookish site.
•The challenge will run from January 1, 2010- December 31, 2010. You can join at anytime!

Look at all the great books that will be coming out:
Debut Authors
The Tenners
Class of 2k10

Ahhh! So many new books, I guess I’ll never get to my TBR Shelf that I spoke about in my last post.

Right Now, I really want Brightly Woven, as I am a sucker for High Fantasty. I have it pre-ordered. Hex Hall, Firespell, and Before I Fall, and 13 Treasures look like Melissa Books as well.

Instead of working organizing/cleaning the parts of my apartment that really need it I decide instead to focus on my living room. I have a tiny apartment, it’s larger than my last one in Binghamton which was 2 room, and the back half of a Funeral Director’s garage) but it’s in the basement of the building and very cold. Every other apartment has access from inside the building, and I have lovely wooden steps of doom that are very high and were once knocked down in a storm by a large wall (leaving me no way down to my apt.) Needless to say, I’m not going to be staying here forever. Where I live though getting an apartment is a miracle, there are only a handful of places, and there is a college right down the road, so I’m completing with lots of other interested parties (who are having parties.) I plan to stay here until I have tenure at my job (one more year!) and then look into something more settled, maybe renting/purchasing a townhouse in the area. I should probably stop probably buy less books so I can start saving ;)

So while my apartment isn’t the best thing in the world, it’s small and cute, and I like to decorate it. The focal point of my living room is the side wall, where there are two inset lights that can be turned on right above the spot. I decided to make this my reading corner, and plopped down a bookcase and my Pier One Pillow chair. But…This is also near my TV, so my bookshelf (also from Pier One) started to become a DVD shelf. I bought two more bookshelves, and also stole my brother’s that he used back in college. But this left basically one shelf per room, and everything in a bit of chaos organization wise.

I haven’t quite decided which books to put on what shelf, I change my mind often, but I do have my YA shelf all arranged in the computer room (it’s my tall shelf of course.) I was looking at my living room the other day and thought it looked a bit bare and I wasn’t getting enough use out of the space 9plus I had books that had been kicked off the shelf to make room for the DVDs that were now homeless, and laying on top of my old PC:

So I kidnapped the matching shelf from the backroom (computer and laundry room) and stuck them together in that spot. I grabbed many of the books I have yet to read from all the other bookshelves and make a TBR shelf (well the first two shelves, the last shelf is some of my favorites/classics:

I like the space better now, I guess Sadie does too. I still don’t know where to put those decorative wall shelves you see on my couch, but I’ll find a place, I mean it only took me a year to finish hanging my paintings. Yes, that is a Shirley Temple Poster on my wall, judge me all you want :P

Now, I am ashamed to post this, because I KNOW that trouble I will be in.  But here is a closeup of the To Be Read Shelf. I know there are so many great books on there, especially the conclusions to two of my favorite series (Funke and Bray…and my unread new Shannon Hale Book.) I know how bad this looks, but I was waiting until I got out of my reading slump to enjoy them, and then Library books happened and got in the way. No more excuses, posting this here will MAKE me finally get to those books on the shelf….after I finish my three Library Books I have out

-The Awakening

-Bras and Broomsticks

-Poison Study

Then I’ll start back to work on this pile:

If anyone is interested in new shelving, I would recommend these bookshelves. I have these two of the 3 shelves, and one of the 5 shelves. They have made moving (from State to State, or just moving from one room to another) much easier as they are folding shelves, but still very solid. They are from Pier 1 as I mentioned, there is a non-iphone photo you can view here

If you are really bored, or love to look at how people decorate (or fail to) I have a Flickr photo-collection of many of the apartments and rooms I have lived in. I have yet to update it with the decorating I did in the new place, but I will get to that next week, as I get to work on the rest of the rooms.
The Ghosts of Apartments Past

I spent much of the first day of 2010 tweaking css coding, trying to get my website into shape (I fully expect my own attempts at getting into shape will fail, so I’ll have to make do with my website.) Since bringing my site back after I…well, murdered it accidentally, I really never had a good picture of what I wanted it to be. At the time I was reading so many book blogs, that I felt this would be a great direction to go into, but I couldn’t get away from my personal blogging (ahem *babbling*) and felt the entire site was just a mishmash, and had no center.

Today I started breaking it apart. I was planning to perhaps made one book blog, and one personal, and I had already made a photoblog, when I had a thought: I have enough trouble keeping one blog going…three? really? Crazy much?

I happened upon, quite randomly, a plugin for Wordpress called Blog-in-Blog which has become a real lifesaver. It allows me post things from certain categories straight onto a wordpress “page” not the main /blog, so that when readers come they will mostly see my book related posts (from this point on) as soon as they get there. If they want to read about silly adventures my Day2Day Blog is available from the menu. Basically, things are more grouped, and you can pick what type of content you would like to read about, so it’s less of a mixed bag. I made sure you put the tag cloud wordpress tag back in, so one can use that to navigate as well. I’m pretty sure everything I post, in any category will be cross-posted to Livejournal per usual.

I changed the blog name to MELIScellaneous Reader since the first blog items available when you visit will be the Book-ish Content. I found this free template online that I tweaked color-wise and wordpress tag-wise. I made this background forever ago (using PaintShop Pro 7.0!) for myspace, but I have always loved how it looked, so I thought I’d get some more use out of it here. The whole site just feels more calm, less cluttered, and more me (except I am not calm, and AM very cluttered haha.) but color wise, it’s girlie without making me want to drown myself in pink glitter.

I also started Project 356 today, where you post one picture everyday for a year. I’ll mostly be uploading the pictures straight from my iphone using the Flickit ap. I can even blog them here from my phone directly. I’m trying very hard to streamline my web content, and how I produce it. I have the wordpress ap for my phone but…I don’t think I’ll want to be typing long posts on my iphone)

My goals for the site in 2010 are:

-More Content in general
-More Book Reviews, and have them be more detailed
-Less typing errors (*coughs* Typos and I are very close friends)
-Update Project 365 daily
-Transfer the Quote Page from LJ to Wordpress
-May Transfer my Education Blog to this wordpress account as well
-Get my blog out there more, often times I’m just talking to myself LOL