ARCs are hard to come by in my neck of the woods, so I was thrilled to score three today.

For me:


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...goslings!


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Cat at work...


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Blythe Woolston's smart, painful, and singular debut, THE FREAK OBSERVER, makes me wonder what became of the fearless teen writer I once was, before becoming such a cautious adult ( Read more... )

Woke up with a song in my head-Leon Russell's ROLL AWAY THE STONE-but couldn't find it on Youtube. Here's TIGHTROPE instead. Some great lyrics.

Click to view

It's been a wet, chilly spring, but finally my daffodils are blooming and the tulips aren't far behind. I've been using most of my computer time to revise a MG novel (not done yet) and to keep the OhMG news column current on the Mixed-Up Files blog (www.fromthemixedupfiles.com). But I'm still here, still reading. Here are a few books I've enjoyed ( Read more... )

1/4 cup Natalie Babbit's Tuck Everlasting
1/2 cup Louise Erdrich's Love Medicine
1 cup Laura Ingalls Wilder's the Little House books
A dash of Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove...

and you have a recipe for my favorite book of the year: Kimberly Willis Holt's THE WATER SEEKER.

I listened to The Water Seeker on audiobook and was so bereft when it ended ( Read more... )

Now that I've got your attention, here's a collage of my recent reading-all books (and audiobooks) with four-letter titles. (What's up with that?) Mostly YA this month. Not sure why...


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Middle-grade author Rose Kent talks about ice cream, writing, middle-grade fiction and her new novel, Rocky Road, on www.fromthemixedupfiles.com today.

Stop by and leave a comment and you'll be in the running to win a hardcover copy of Rocky Road.


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Telling stories that touch families is what Kirby Larson says inspires her to write.

There's a wonderful in-depth interview with Kirby today on the Mixed-up Files. Kirby does it all -- from picture books to the Newbery honor-winning Hattie Big Sky -- and she has several new projects on the way.

http://www.fromthemixedupfiles.com/2011/02/a-peek-into ( Read more... )