Saturday, August 29, 2009

The Sunday Salon: What We Read, Said & Wrote

It's amazing how quickly things can change. Some personal challenges are looming but that's why it's good to have family and friends and a life outside of work. Thanks to the upcoming Book Blogger Appreciation Week, I have had plenty to keep me busy. While we have certainly been having a good time here before, I confess knowing BBAW panelists are evaluating our blog has led to me completing projects I've had sitting on the back burner.

It's like having out-of-town guests. You pick up new towels and curtains for the guest room, straighten up the closets (you never know). Of course, I'm not talking simply cosmetic changes. I want to share what projects I've completed this week because I think they will enhance your enjoyment while here.

Look up. Check out the new tabs across the page. New additions include About Us. For all of you who didn't know our history, learn about our beginnings and our vision. Check out Book Loan. We've had this program for some time promoted at our discussion forum and always linked here but never actively promoted on our blog until now. I hope you'll take advantage of it. I want to share great literature with you. Our Contact tab tells you in one place how to email, send donations and tweet with us. There's more, check the sidebar for our new meu buttons: writers' links and features. Easily access specific areas on site and off. One button link in particular, Feature Legend. Find out what our regular features are so you can find the posts you're most interested in.

We are close to ending our August Color Me Brown Book Challenge. To date, we have more than 100 links. Amazing! This is what we can do. If you haven't check the sidebar daily for links to participants' reviews. And you see Color Online member reviews here, too. Every Tuesday, we will have a kidlet/YA review and on Wednesday, you'll find an adult book review. Thank you to all participants. In addition to CMB, there is CORA Diversity Roll Call that Ali at Worducopia and I co-host and Diversity Rocks! Challenge. Color up the blogosphere, people.


Very happy to share this week for COLA, we have Renee Ting from Shen's Books. Show her some love and do check out her latest feature, the "Multicultural Minute," a great vlog clip.

Full week as always. Three days left before our random drawing for posting to our Color Online quiz. Select the 'quizzes' tab and search for unanswered quizzes.
Deadline is August 31st.



Check out this week's reviews: Good Enough by Paula Yoo reviewed by Tari and Another Faust by Daniel and Dina Nayeri reviewed by Tina.

This week for "What Do I Read Next?" we looked at titles about friends. Thanks for your feedback and request. Monday, we'll talk about bullying.

Camile is her usual naughty self. Check out "Kryptonite for The Uber Mom."

For Poetry Friday, we revisit the debut collection Underlife by January O'Neil. You won't want to miss her selection, "The Ripe Time."

New Crayons is a favorite feature of mine. Any chance, any of you are going blog a New Crayon post, too?

I only finished one read this week, If A Tree Falls At Lunch Period by Gennifer Choldenko. This is my surprise read of the year. Fantastic!


Hope you have a great week a great read.

5 comments:

rhapsodyinbooks said...

I'm not sure why my links won't post, but I had one more that never made it to the August POC list: "Here I Stand" by Paul Robeson which is here:

http://rhapsodyinbooks.wordpress.com/2009/08/19/review-of-“here-i-stand”-by-paul-robeson/

Zetta said...

love the tabs--great idea! you're ever evolving, Susan...

Doret said...

Its so easy to find great things to click over to on this site. I will add If A Tree Falls At Lunch to my TBR.

I've really enjoyed reading all the reviews linked to Color Me Brown Challenge. I've left comments on a few.

Ali said...

Looks great! (I want tabs for my blogspot blog, too--maybe I'll get a tutorial from you at some point).

The rest of my Color Me Brown reviews won't be posted by the end of August, I'm sorry to say. I've got the review of Bil Wright's book half-written, and Miracle's Boys and The Brothers Torres read and in line for review, but I won't be able to post much until mid-September. I have books piled up from as far back as June, waiting to be written up! I promised myself not to stress about reviews this summer, and I haven't. Enjoying this time with my family, instead. Hope to catch up by mid-fall.

Color Online said...

I hear you, Ali. We can do only so much. I'm brown all year long. When you post your reviews, I'll be reading and linking to them.

Write about the tabs. Warning, I'm not tech savvy. I've learned some out of necessity and most of the tech stuff, my guy does for me.