Sunlit Pages Turns One: Giveaway Winner and Future Plans

It's been a fun week for me celebrating the existence of Sunlit Pages and sharing a little bit about why I started it and why I love it. Thanks so much for your thoughtful comments! It's so much fun knowing that there are some other people out there reading this blog.

So, first things first, I am happy to announce the randomly-selected-winner of my first-ever giveaway!

Drum roll, please...

The prize goes to...

Susanna Leonard Hill

Besides being a great blogger, Susanna is an amazing picture book author. We've loved the books we've read by her (Punxsutawney Phyllis being one of them), and we currently have Can't Sleep Without Sheep in our stack from the library.

(And no, Susanna did not ask me to give her books a shout-out, but as long as she's the winner, I thought I might as well point them out to you!)

Next item of business: I know a few of you are dying to know what the book is in the header. I've had that picture at the top of my blog for a whole year, and no one has ever asked what it was, so I thought it was so funny that once I mentioned it, not knowing was driving a few of you CRAZY. So I won't keep you in suspense any longer. 

The book is...

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Thanks so much to those of you who made a guess!

And finally, I wanted to mention just a few of the things I hope to do with Sunlit Pages over the next year:

• Join Twitter. I put this one first because I can actually already check it off! My brother helped me set up an account last night, but I still know next to nothing (no, really, I know nothing). I'm definitely not ready yet to tweet or follow or whatever it is you do. I've considered joining Twitter for several months and finally decided that the only way to know if I would like it or not would be to try it. So, we'll see...
• Facebook and Google+. In a similar vein, I'm also planning on creating a separate Facebook page for Sunlit Pages and becoming more active with Google+. I already have a personal Facebook account, but I'm getting a little tired of posting book reviews there when I know that 95% of my friends have no interest in this blog. And as far as Google+, some of my favorite blogs (What Do We Do All Day, for example) are big Google+ fans. So again, as with Twitter, I figure I might as well give it a try and see if it's something that enhances or diminishes my connections with people.
• New look. I'm getting a little tired of To Kill a Mockingbird up there at the top. I also want to update my "About Me" page. And also, give the social media buttons on the side a more uniform look. These changes are all entirely dependent on Mike finishing his dissertation and having time to help me since I am totally illiterate when it comes to technology. So this change could still be several months out.
• Learn to use Photoshop (or something similar). I might follow a tutorial, or I might just wait for Mike again (it would be a fun month of date nights, right?).
• Continue reading, writing, and exploring the world of literature!

Thanks for enduring a week of blog talk. Next week, I'm excited to return to book reviews and whatever else I'm in the mood for!

Sunlit Pages Turns One: Blogging Philosophy

You'd be surprised with how much thought I've given to why I'm writing this blog. At the end of the day when there are baskets of clean laundry overflowing all over my bedroom, I sometimes ask myself, Why did I spend two hours writing that review and consequently neglect this invasion  of socks and shirts and pants? Sometimes people will say to me, "I don't know how you have so much time to blog!" But it's not an overabundance of time that's making this blog possible. It's that I've decided to cut out other things that aren't as important to me so that I'll have time for it. It's the same for everyone.

Also, as I read other blogs with countless followers, I sometimes feel a little twinge of jealousy, but then I ask myself, Is that why you started this blog? Obviously not! Aside from sharing a few of my posts on other sites, I do very little to promote this blog, and that has actually been a somewhat conscious decision.

I don't know that the why of this blog matters to anyone else, but it matters to me, and this seems like the appropriate place to share it.

• I started this blog because I love books. On Tuesday, I explained more about the reasons for starting this blog.
• I think best when I'm writing. I've noticed this again and again, which is one of the reasons why I am so militant about writing in my journal every day. If I read a book and don't follow it with writing, the whole book is as good as gone to me in about three months. Sad, but true. But if I write about it? Then I've captured something that I can return to again and again. And that's really important to me.
• I want to connect with other readers in real ways. Last summer when I was reading Quiet by Susan Cain, this statement really resonated with me: "Here's a rule of thumb for networking events: one new honest-to-goodness relationship is worth ten fistfuls of business cards." That perfectly encapsulates the way that I feel! Over the past year, my blog has grown only a little bit. But I think it's safe to say that all of you who read this blog do it because you want to, not because I've begged you to follow me or bribed you to subscribe. Over the last year, I've made new friends and rekindled old friendships. I am definitely trying to reach out because I know it's unrealistic to think that people will find this blog just because it exists, but I try to connect on a personal, individual level.
• I write about what I want to write about. Even though this is called Sunlit Pages and was started primarily because I love books, I'm going to write about whatever strikes my fancy. That's why occasionally you will see some posts that have absolutely nothing to do with reading. I am not going to maintain five blogs (one for adult lit, one for children's lit, one for picture books, one for the occasional craft, one for spiritual insights, etc.). This blog is a reflection of who I am. And while it's fairly obvious that the greater percentage of my interests fall in reading and mothering my kids, I do have other things I love as well.
• It's impossible for me to separate reading from my life. One of the reasons I love reading so much is because of the way the things that I read impact and intersect with my own life. I gain new ideas; many of my old notions are challenged; forgotten memories resurface. When I read other people's reviews, I want to know the back story: why did they decide to read that book? why did they like (or dislike) it so much? why did they relate to that particular character? And that is why you now know about dancing at my family reunion, my parents' parenting philosophy, and my addiction to my space heater.
• I try to give very honest reviews. With picture books, I usually only review books that I want to buy (I've made one exception to this, and I've regretted it ever since), and with other books, I openly share what I liked and didn't like.

A few months ago, I read Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale. It was a wonderful sequel to Princess Academy, and I highly recommend it. But even if I hadn't liked anything else about it, I would have loved this paragraph because it spoke to my soul:

Lately she did not quite know what she thought until she wrote it down. Letter writing was a lot like quarry-speaking--a soundless call from far away. Would Marda have similar enough memories to understand what Miri was trying to say? How could she communicate the whole world to a quiet sister on top of a mountain? She would try. She needed a pen and paper and a way to see her thoughts.

Ultimately, I think that that is the real reason why I blog and why I've decided that even though it takes a lot of time, it is most definitely worth it.

Sunlit Pages Turns One: A Few Memorable Posts

I've rambled a little too much over the last few days, so I'll try to keep today's post more succinct. I thought it would be fun (for me at least) to revisit of few of my more memorable posts over the past year.

Nostalgic: My Hometown Library (Even though I love the sheer volume of books to be had from my current library, I will always have very fond memories of my "teeny-tiny library," as Aaron calls it.)

Star-struck: In Which I Meet One of My Very Favorite Authors (Shannon Hale is as awesome as her books.)

Rant: A Pet Peeve of Mine, or Why Parents Are a Big Fat Bunch of Hypocrites (This post felt good to write. I still agree with everything I said here, and I've been trying to personally apply my own advice.)

Habit: Running and Reading (This was one of the first posts I wrote. I still like to run with a good audiobook.)

Personal: What I Envy (I've already tweaked some of my dreams (maybe I'll do another post in the future), but this was still really fun (and enlightening) to think about.)

Holiday: Read Your Way to Christmas (We will definitely be making this activity an annual tradition. I've already acquired a few books to replace the ones I wasn't terribly crazy about last year.)

Book Review: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (I couldn't choose a favorite review, but this was my favorite book from last year.)

Preschool: Snowmen At Work (This was one of my favorite preschool lessons that I put together this last school year. I actually have gotten really behind with the preschool posts and have at least six that I still need/want to write up.)

KidPages: Cold Snap by Eileen Spinelli (This is one of the few reviews I've written on a whim with very little forethought. We read it in the morning, we loved it, and I wrote about it that very afternoon.)

Popular: Christ the Savior is Born: Advent Calendar (Sometimes I laugh when I see how many views this post has had (which I'm glad of, by the way). I'm sure anyone who comes to my blog for that post probably leaves disappointed when they realize that everything else here is about books. The runners-up for most views, but still lagging far behind this post, are The Boy Can Read and Bartholomew and the Oobleck.)

Not counting the reviews I put up before my first official post, I have written 167 posts over the last year. I can't wait to write another 167 (give or take) during Year Two.

Do you have a favorite post? Do tell!

P.S. If you haven't already, you can still enter the giveaway going on this week by leaving a comment on this post.

Sunlit Pages Turns One: Before the Beginning

I have always loved to read. Always. I don't remember learning to read, but I do remember the first chapter book I read all by myself. It was Karen's Witch by Ann Martin, the first book in the spin-off series of The Baby-sitters Club. I distinctly remember carrying it with me when my family went out to eat at Olive Garden and curling up with it in the booth while I waited for everyone to finish eating. I was a very loyal reader of Karen's for a couple of years and probably got up to #2452 before I finally got sick of her two families.

After a childhood filled with books (and dozens of resulting memories, which I will be only too happy to share at a later date), I left for college and embarked on the Dark Years, that period of my life where The Goose Girl, Jane Eyre, and a few others were the only bright spots in an otherwise book-less existence. (Thankfully, there were many other non-book-related bright spots during those years which made up for the lack of reading. They were only dark as far as books were concerned.)

After graduating, I read regularly, but I wouldn't say avidly. It wasn't until Aaron was about seven months old that I started picking up books again in earnest. It was prompted by the intellectual rut I found myself slipping into. I thoroughly enjoyed being a mother, but I definitely needed something to occupy and stretch my brain, and books were my answer. It was at this same time that a friend recommended audiobooks as a way to make mundane tasks less mundane. Up until that time, I had been adamantly opposed to audiobooks (That's not really reading, I had sneered), but I quickly changed my mind when I realized how wonderful it was to fill up time washing the dishes with a good story.

That year (2009), I read 56 books (yes, I'm a nerd, so I keep track of these things). Had I ever read 56 books in one year before? I didn't know. But I had found my rhythm, and I couldn't stop.

After that, I found books creeping into all parts of my life: I happily took Aaron to baby story time at the library; I read to Aaron often throughout the day; I started making lists of books I wanted to read and books I had already read; I couldn't have a conversation with anyone without saying at some point, "So...have you read anything good lately?" I started wanting to share some of the great things I was reading with others.

I started not just rating books on Goodreads but writing about them, too. We had a private family blog where I would occasionally share favorite picture books (I called those posts "A and A's Favorite Books" because there was only Aaron and me back then). I also started reading a lot of book blogs for more recommendations.

The more I read, the more I wanted to have my own voice. I wanted to be able to comment on some of the blogs I was reading, but I wanted my name to be more than just a name. I was bursting with picture book recommendations, but honestly, I didn't think a single person who read our family blog cared one wit about our latest favorites. My reviews on Goodreads were getting obnoxiously long (hard to believe, I know), and I felt pressed to record them somewhere else. I wanted to weigh in on the Newbery, Caldecott, and other awards and book news. I wanted to share my obsession with the library. I just wanted to talk about books with other people who loved books as much as I did.

My frustration and irritation with not having an organized place to write everything down was driving me crazy. Every time I wanted to write about a book, I would think, See? You need a blog. A book blog. And then I would instantly come back with, I am not going to be one of those people with a million different blogs highlighting a million different interests and passions. I am not starting something so narrow as a book blog. But then I would find an awesome new picture book, and I would go through the same cycle of thoughts all over again.

Finally one day, I tentatively mentioned it to Mike: "I've been thinking about starting a book blog." I thought he would laugh at me or, more likely, just not give it serious attention. But he didn't do either of those things. I think by that point, he was well aware of how far my love of books and reading had gone, and he probably thought it would be an excellent outlet.

He started helping me think of a title (more on that tomorrow) and design a layout. And within a few weeks, I had a blog. It wasn't perfect, it wasn't impressive, but it was all mine.

Sometimes I feel self-conscious when people I actually know ask me about my book blog. A book blog! It seems so...so...insipidly nerdy. Some of them seem curious (what an unusual interest!); some of them seem baffled (you actually read and then write about all those books?); some of them seem genuinely interested (I love you!).

Regardless of what people think, I have just decided to own this part of myself. I love books. I love writing about them. I love talking about them. I love reading them. I love looking at them and holding them and feeling them. I love sharing them.

That is why I started this blog.

P.S. Don't forget about the giveaway going on this week! You can go here to leave a comment and be included in the drawing. Thanks so much to those of you who have already entered! I think one of my biggest fears was that only two people would comment, and that would have been such a lame giveaway.

Sunlit Pages Turns One: GIVEAWAY!

On May 22, 2012, I wrote the first official post of Sunlit Pages. Prior to May 22nd, this blog had been in the works for a looooong time, and there was something so indescribably satisfying about clicking "Publish" on that first post. Sunlit Pages had launched.

Even though I have a million book reviews to be writing (okay, four), I have decided to spend the entire week celebrating the advent of this blog. Yeah, maybe a little overkill. But honestly, I've found so much joy and personal fulfillment in the existence of this blog and in having a place to record anything I want to about my little obsessions and interests, and so, by golly, I can't let the week just pass by without a little extra notice.

Hey, I even have a schedule for the week. That's how much I've been thinking about this anniversary. You'd think this blog was one of my kids. I guess it kind of is--my afternoon child, when all my real children are sleeping! :-)

Here's a look at the not-in-any-way-official, subject-to-change schedule for the week:

Monday, May 20th: Happy Anniversary/announce giveaway
Tuesday, May 21st: Why I Started This Blog
Wednesday, May 22nd: Why I Named This Blog Sunlit Pages
Thursday, May 23rd: List of Most Memorable Posts
Friday, May 24th: Blogging Philosophy
Saturday, May 25th: Sunlit Pages of the Future and Giveaway Winner Announced

Who would have thought I could waste an entire week talking about my blog? Well, stick around and you'll see it done.

And now, I'm excited to announce the first-ever giveaway on Sunlit Pages!!! I wanted some way to thank my loyal readers (whether I personally know you or not), and what better way to say thank you than with a book? So I am happy to be able to give away to the winner his/her choice of one of two books:

First choice:

A hardback edition of one of my all-time favorite books: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

(For my recent review of this book, click here.)

Second choice:

A hardback copy of the picture book All the World by the fabulous Liz Garton Scanlon and Marla Frazee.

(Sorry for the poor-quality photos. See that "Sunlit Pages of the Future" on May 25th? Yeah, higher quality photos are definitely on that to-do list!)

In order to enter the giveaway, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post telling me how much you ADORE Sunlit Pages. Ha! Just kidding. I mean, you DO need to leave a comment to enter (because how else am I supposed to know if you would like one of these fabulous books?), but you can forget the adoration. However, it would be super, super helpful if your email address was either linked to your profile or included in the comment so I can personally contact you when you win.

Sorry, one more thing. Don't think that this is a giveaway solely for the people I know personally. It's not! If you read this blog, then it's for you! This is a blog with a small readership, true, but not because I'm trying to keep it hidden. So comment away! Introduce yourself! I can't wait to meet you!

(The contest will officially end at midnight, choose your own time zone, on Friday, May 24th. I will announce the winner on Saturday, May 25th.)

(Sorry, because I'm not wealthy, this giveaway is for readers in the United States only. However, if you are a reader outside the U.S., I would still LOVE to hear from you, and hopefully sometime in the future, I'll be able to do a giveaway for you, too!)