Upside Down In The Middle Of Nowhere

This book by Julie T. Lamana  is her first novel, but she was a Literacy Specialist so that helps explain why it’s so good.

The book is about a girl named  Armani and others who experienced Hurricane Katrina.

Although I had read and seen news reports about that hurricane, this book made me feel as if I actually experienced it.

Armani is separated from family members and others she cares about and must deal with loosing almost everything, and with all the problems of the hurricane’s aftermath.

The characters are all realistic, so their emotional trauma is gripping. It’s not a book for the faint hearted, but it’s a powerful and hopeful story.

Is it Just Me?

Most of the people I know spend time watching TV or videos, often on their phones or tablets.

But I’d rather read a book.

I do turn on the TV while I’m eating dinner to watch the evening news. Once in a while I might even watch a show or even go to a movie with a friend.

But I can’t imagine going a whole day without reading.

I usually read about half a dozen Middle Grade or Young Adult novels every week and maybe one novel or non-fiction book for adults in a month. I also read the hard-copy newspapers and some magazines.

There’s something pleasurable about using my own imagination, sometimes with the help of a photo or some illustrations, to visualize what I’m reading about.

And I like to sit down in a comfortable chair and relax while I’m reading for pleasure. I spend more than enough time in front of the screen reading e-mail and other things online.

Am I a dinosaur? 

Does anyone else still prefer reading genuine, old fashioned books?

Conference

Next week I’ll be going down to the SF Bay Area for the West Coast Christian Writers Conference. Although I won’t be speaking, I will be on staff. 

That conference replaced the Castro Valley Christian Writers Conference where I spoke for many years.

I love writers conferences. Writing is a solitary business, but writers are communicators, so when we get together we just click.

Some of my favorite friends are people I met at conferences in the past.

No More

I’ve decided not to post any more Silly Sunday Words of Wisdom and Warning. I’m not sure what caused me to start those ridiculous posts in the first place, and I think it’s time to pretend I’m a grown up even though I’ll probably always be a kid on the inside. But I hope I don’t ever stop writing books for kids.