On the First Day of Blogmas, My TLT Gave to Me…
It’s December. Wait – what? It’s December already? Wow. Okay. Well, that must mean that it’s time for our second annual 12 Blogs of Christmas, where we highlight 12 of the blogs that help us do the things that we do as readers and librarians.
Today I bring you, The Nerdy Book Club. And here to tell you about it is one of my favorite nerds: Maria Selke.
“On the first day of Christmas, my TLT gave to me…
A book blog that is Nerdy”
It’s the Nerdy Book Club! http://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/ I’m helping celebrate the holiday season with Teen Librarian Toolbox by sharing some of the many reasons that I read this blog every day.
1) The Nerdies:
Have you ever sighed when the annual book awards were announced? Ever wonder how Charlotte’s Web could get passed over? Ever wish you could be on your own award team, but know you don’t have time to volunteer for the Cybils? Wish no more. You can participate in the second annual Nerdie awards. The last week of November was for nominating our favorites. The top nominees will be revealed on December 2nd. Check it out, then read – read – read! Voting runs from December 16-21st, and the final awards will be posted starting December 26th.
2) Wide variety of content:
Each day has a special theme at the Nerdy Book Club.
Mondays we get insights into one another’s Reading Lives. I guest posted on this topic and shared my love for science fiction and fantasy. http://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/2012/03/19/ode-to-a-geeky-reader/
Tuesdays we have Author Visits. We’ve heard from A.S. King, learned about how Karen Cushman reacted when she learned about her Newbery win, and heard about a fun author visit by Gae Polisner. It’s always exciting to see who will stop by this week!
Wednesdays are New Book Reviews – Want to learn about some of the newer titles? This is your day. With a variety of levels and genres, there is always something new to discover.
Thursdays we get a Retro Review. While new books are appealing, there is something to be said for the tried and true. My review of Wrinkle in Time appeared in this category, 50 years after its initial publication. http://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/2012/02/09/tessering-back-to-a-wrinkle-in-time/
Fridays we share how we Pay It Forward, with each post focusing on the many ways we try to inspire and ignite a love of reading in those around us.
Saturdays are all about Top Ten lists – every kind you can imagine. We’ve hadTop Ten Fun Math books, Top Ten Classroom Read-alouds, Top Ten Girl Power (at a variety of reading levels), and more. What kind of Top Ten list would you like to see?
Surprise Sunday You never know just what to expect on Sundays. Sunday is the day we got the link to nominate for the Nerdie awards of 2012. It is also the day we got a recap of all the Nerdy Book Clubbers at the NCTE conference.
Every once in a while we’ll get something else. Maybe a poll, asking us to contribute our thoughts. Or a contest. Whatever shows up on the blog, I know I’ll want to check it out!
3) Wide variety of writers
The Nerdy Book Club blog is written by book lovers of all ages and interests. Authors stop by to tell us about their books, their lives, or to make cool announcements. I was able to sign up for a Skype chat with graphic novel author Stephen McCranie when he posted the opportunity on the site. New teachers, veteran teachers, librarians, parents – all are welcome to share their book love at the Nerdy Book Club. No matter who you are, what you like to read, or what kinds of readers you interact with on a daily basis – you will find a great post about great books here.
4) Love books? You are already a member.
The Nerdy Book Club is always looking for people who would like to contribute to the blog. I’ve already had five posts go live this past year! Three of them were joint posts with amazing blogging buddies I never would have met without Twitter (check out the #nerdybookclub tag) and this blog. Before the blog even began, I started seeing the tag on twitter. I still remember the day I responded to @colbysharp and asked, “How can I become part of the #nerdybookclub?” His response was simple and heartwarming. “You already are.”
If you are reading this now… and you love books…. so are you.
Filed under: 12 Blogs of Christmas, Blogs, Book Discussion, Maria Selke, Nerdy Book Club, Professional Development, Reader's Advisory
About Karen Jensen, MLS
Karen Jensen has been a Teen Services Librarian for almost 30 years. She created TLT in 2011 and is the co-editor of The Whole Library Handbook: Teen Services with Heather Booth (ALA Editions, 2014).
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