Kindred Spirits discussion

Please use this thread to introduce yourself to everyone! Tell us a little bit about you. Where are you from? What makes you interested in children's/YA lit? How did you find this group?

My hope is that you'll all get to know one another, and we'll all find kindred spirits to share books with. :)

Feel free to leave links to your blog and social media accounts so we can find you as well!

Okay, I'll kick this off:

I live in Los Angeles, CA and I'm married with three cats. I used to be a movie publicist, I've worked in a major bookstore chain and in secondhand bookstores, and I used to review adult fiction for Publishers Weekly. I also do some freelance writing and editing.

I've been reading children's/YA lit all my life, and I love talking about it with fellow enthusiasts. My house is filled with bookcases, and even though I always have a million books to read, I'm always looking for new ones!

In the past, I've founded swap groups based on children's books, and it'd be fun to maybe do that here in the future as well.

10 Random Facts About Me:

1. I make a mean apple pie.
2. I tend to read at least 5 books at once. I am a total mood reader, much to my ARC pile's chagrin.
3. I once threw a gigantic Harry Potter Halloween party for 500 guests, complete with floating candles in the dining hall, trick or treating in Diagon Alley, Snapes' Potions class, and live owl demonstrations.
4. I'm good at keeping sekrets.
5. I love all vegetables, except for the much-hated lima bean. (view spoiler)[I'm also contemptuous of green peppers, but I will tolerate them. (hide spoiler)]
6. I spent several summers abroad, most fondly punting alongside swans at Cambridge University.
7. I love audiobooks but am super picky about the narrator. I generally prefer women to read me stories...unless it's Alan Rickman. Alan Rickman can read me all the things.
8. I love Firefly, Hello Kitty, Star Trek: TNG, Battlestar Galactica, and the Great British Baking Show, to name a few obsessions.
9. I could talk to you for hours about beauty and makeup products. (Ask Layla.)
10. I've been kissed by a Batman and a Bond.

You can find me at:

The Midnight Garden
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest
Facebook
Tumblr

I'm better at remembering to use some of those accounts than others. ;)

Hi everyone, I'm Brenda and live in Big Sky Country (Montana). I'm married, have one cat and one surly soon to be teenager. I used to be a speech pathologist helping people who've had a brain injury with their cognitive rehabilitation. I've always loved reading across many genres and age ranges, but rekindled my love of middle grade and ya after Harry Potter came out. And also when my kiddo and I started reading together.

Five facts about me
1. I've lived in Germany and Egypt
2. I was in the ROTC in college, but never joined the service.
3. I love broccoli but hate cauliflower, and yes they taste different to me.
4. I'm an avid fan of playing Dungeon and Dragons Online
5. I have way more books to read than I can ever get to but I'm a sucker for a pretty cover

My name is Liz, I live in the Silicon Valley in California. I'm a Senior Youth Librarian and have been one for over eight years. I love reading children's/ya novels. I'm the pet of one very large and bossy Great Dane named Sadie.

Five Facts about me:
1. I have a Disneyland Annual Pass and will find any excuse to visit the Happiest Place on Earth!
2. I hate Root Beer so much that I claim to be allergic to it so I don't ever have to accidentally taste it!
3. Even though I work at a library, I still check out so many books that I inevitably end up with late fees.
4. I am a huge Yankees fan, despite being a California native.
5. I've seen the movie the Godfather and don't really like it...there I said it! :)

I love reading all these intros! :)
I'm Katie, a Northern California native but now I live in Boston where I work as a School Librarian/Media Specialist at a small private school. I can relate to the rest of you in that I have so many books, but I'm still on the lookout for more and still check out stacks from the library. I was in the world of teaching for the last twelves years, but about a year and a half ago realized I wanted to go into the world of library science. I'm very happy to be working in a library now, but part of that still involves teaching as well.

Here are some facts about me:
1. I studied abroad in London twice and can't get enough of the UK.
2. I'm obsessed with donuts and also cinnamon rolls.
3. I love Valentine's Day and anything related to the giving of cards, baked goods, and gifts!
4. I'm easily entranced by a good time travel book.
5. I love to bake and have a huge shelf of cookbooks.
6. I collect miniatures and have a dollhouse I'm working on building.
7. I research children's literature and spirituality.

I'm on Twitter as librariankatie_ and my Blog is www.bookish-illuminations.com
I'm also on Instagram as WhatKatieRead!

Wendy, I wish I could have gone to your HP party! Also, I love Swaps so if you ever get these going again, I will gladly be a part.

I'm like you--I tend to read multiple books at one time.

One thing I forgot to mention in my intro is that I love Strawberry Shortcake, the Care Bears, and Rainbow Brite....

I'm Heather, from Australia. I'm a trained Primary School teacher but currently not working due to chronic illness. Teaching is what got me into loving children's literature and I'm known as the queen of books by my work colleagues, the kids and my friends. I'm taking this time of enforced rest to read as many books as I can.

Some facts about me:
1. I love sending real mail to friends.
2. I've only been overseas once (the USA) but I have seen Uluru which is something not a lot of Aussies have done.
3. I love making lists and organising.
4. I don't like coffee or beer. Yuk!
5. I was a volunteer during the Sydney Olympics and was a driver for the Barbados team.

I'm on Twitter and Instagram as @illogicalbetty
My blog is www.kidlitcove.wordpress.com

Brenda wrote: "Hi everyone, I'm Brenda and live in Big Sky Country (Montana)."

Brenda! How did I not know you used to be a speech pathologist? You must have some amazing stories from that, AND from your time in Egypt and Germany as well.

I love that after knowing you for a few years from our previous classic readalongs, it took this to give me more a glimpse of your past life, hah.

Liz wrote: "My name is Liz, I live in the Silicon Valley in California. I'm a Senior Youth Librarian and have been one for over eight years."

Hi Liz, and welcome!

Fist bump for my fellow SoCal girl--and honestly, I'm not a huge fan of The Godfather, either. ;) Looking forward to getting to know you better!

Katie wrote: "I love reading all these intros! :)
I'm Katie, a Northern California native but now I live in Boston where I work as a School Librarian/Media Specialist at a small private school. "

Hello friend! Fancy seeing you here, hee hee.

I didn't know you were building a dollhouse, how COOL! Is it one of those Victorian type ones, or a more modern thing?

I think I'm going to post a bookish Valentine's Day card swap this weekend--I thought it might be a nice way to ease into the swapping thing. :)

P.S. and I can see that like me, you're a child of the 80s.

Heather wrote: "I'm Heather, from Australia. I'm a trained Primary School teacher but currently not working due to chronic illness. Teaching is what got me into loving children's literature and I'm known as the queen of books."

Oh Heather, I'm so sorry to hear that you're ill. I'm glad that you'll have some time to read, at least.

Where in Australia are you? I went to Sydney a few years ago and loved it so much! I'd dearly love to go back sometime. I still keep my emails from Dymocks and Fishpond and Angus & Robertson out of sentiment. It must've been very cool (and chaotic) to witness the Olympics that close!

And as I was telling Katie above, I think I'm going to post a Valentine's Day card swap this weekend in case you're interested in joining! I used to love sending/receiving real mail and bookish packages, and it'd be fun to do that in this group.

Wendy Darling wrote: "Brenda wrote: "Hi everyone, I'm Brenda and live in Big Sky Country (Montana)."

Brenda! How did I not know you used to be a speech pathologist? You must have some amazing stories from that, AND fro..."

I'm sure I have a story or two, especially about my time in Egypt :)

Wendy Darling wrote: "Heather wrote: "I'm Heather, from Australia. I'm a trained Primary School teacher but currently not working due to chronic illness. Teaching is what got me into loving children's literature and I'm..."

I grew up in Dubbo, NSW but lived in Sydney for over 10 years and loved it. Sydney is a wonderful city. I'm back in country NSW now, which is also wonderful in its own way.

Count me in for any card swap thing! I'm all about the real mail :)

Brenda wrote: "Hi everyone, I'm Brenda and live in Big Sky Country (Montana). I'm married, have one cat and one surly soon to be teenager. I used to be a speech pathologist helping people who've had a brain injur..."

What is the ROTC?

I like broccoli and cauliflower but I do know they taste quite different. Do people say they don't?

I'm such a sucker for a pretty cover. Even though I prefer reading classics on my Kindle, and for free no less, I still want to own a beautiful edition of it.

Heather wrote: "Wendy Darling wrote: "Heather wrote: "I'm Heather, from Australia. I'm a trained Primary School teacher but currently not working due to chronic illness. Teaching is what got me into loving childre..."

The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) is a college training program to be an officer in the United States Armed Forces. I'm not sure if people think they taste the same or different, but it's been an ongoing debate with my hubby.

Wendy,
The dollhouse is an older style--more like a Victorian--which I love! I just need the space to work on it--need to get a table just for that, etc. I'm excited about the V-Day Card swap!!

Hi, I am Stephanie,
I live in Farmingdale, NY
I am married almost 4 years
I am a librarian in the children'r room
I also have a side job-I sell pampered chef- love to cook when I have the time!

Hi! I'm Jess, I'm from the midwest US, currently working on my MA in Mass Communication and working full time in an office. I love YA lit because it tends to be more original than modern adult books. While the books repeat plots sometimes, their overall stories tend to be more creative, and more of an "escape" from every day issues.

I blog at JessKiddingBooks

Hello! I'm Catie,

I live in Salt Lake City, Utah. And have a background in marketing and communication.

I absolutely love reading everything and anything. But I especially love the classics, crime fiction, YA and neo-Victorian literature. I first came to love reading because of my 3rd grade teacher who introduced me to the Little House books and also by my grandfather who used to take me on book dates to the bookstore. I was about 8 years old and determined to find the biggest book I could find, it happened to be a collection of the Anne of Green Gables books and The Hobbit. Which are still favorites!

My house is filled with bookshelves and books and more books, and I can't wait for the day to have my own Beauty and the Beast library. :)

When I was little I wanted to be an archeologist or a mermaid. I still want to be both!

I've been following The Midnight Garden blog for quite some time, and was so glad when I happened to come across the Valentine exchange on Twitter and then invited to join this book group!

I also have a blog that I'm currently working on, and post almost everyday to my IG account. Where I discuss, books, food and a few other things.

You can find me at the following:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catebutler/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Cate_Butler

Can't wait to get to know you all better!

Catie Xx

I must say it's quite lovely to be part of a group from the beginning, as we slowly meet each other and chat!

I found this group after finding the Midnight Garden blog, which I discovered after reading Harriet the Spy and needed to find reviews stat. So happy to have found that blog and leading me to this group.

I look forward to getting to know you all as we chat books :)

Hello! I live in Chicago. I'm very much looking forward to Bookcon being here in May and sad I can't seem to find a way to attend BEA before.

I love to go to book related conventions. I typically go to Worldcon most years and I've gone to RT Booklovers Convention in the past. I also love to go to Harry Potter themed conventions and will be attending LeakyCon this fall in LA.

I read just about any genre but have never stopped reading Children's Literature and YA.

Growing up some of my favorite books were those series that grew up with you such as the Betsy Tacy Tib series, All of A Kind Family, Little House, and Anne of Green Gables. I was also a big fan of fantasy and loved the Narnia series, The Dark is Rising series, and the Green Knowe series.

In my middle grade years I went through a big Girl Detective phase and read every Nancy Drew, Judy Bolton, and Trixie Belden book I could get my hands on. A friend and I even started a Trixie Belden fan club (of 2!) and tried to solve mysteries.

As a teenager my favorite author was Madeleine L'Engle. Adam Eddington was one of my first book crushes. I also was very obsessed with The Keeping Days series by Norma Johnston.

Now as an adult, so many new children's and young adult books have come out which have captured my imagination. The Harry Potter series, of course. Shadow & Bone, The Raven Boys, Cruel Beauty, and A Court of Thorns and Roses are all titles that I have loved recently.

Katie wrote: "I collect miniatures and have a dollhouse I'm working on building."
Me too! My dollhouse is the Malfoy Manor aka the miny!Manor complete with miny!Lucius, miny!Narcissa, and miny!Draco. It's nowhere near complete but I'm in no rush as the only thing left to do when it is complete is dust it.

Anyway, very glad to have found this group! Looking forward to getting to talk with everyone and finding new book finds!

Stephanie wrote: "I am a librarian in the children'r room
I also have a side job-I sell pampered chef- love to cook when I have the time!"

Hi Stephanie! *waves*

So nice to see another librarian in our group! Our own Kim is studying for her MLIS degree at the moment.

And wow, I remember buying some pampered chef stuff from a co-worker ages ago! How fun. I enjoy cooking, too. Well, I mostly enjoy eating, but I do like recreational cooking. ;)

Jess wrote: "Hi! I'm Jess, I'm from the midwest US, currently working on my MA in Mass Communication and working full time in an office. I love YA lit because it tends to be more original than modern adult book..."

You have a lot on your plate, then. o.O Thanks for joining the group!

I read YA for escape, too--it sort of cuts to the chase in a way a lot of adult books don't. I also like that you often get a more emotional reading experience as well, comparatively.

Catie wrote: "I especially love the classics, crime fiction, YA and neo-Victorian literature. I first came to love reading because of my 3rd grade teacher who introduced me to the Little House books and also by my grandfather who used to take me on book dates to the bookstore."

I love all three of these things, too. What a lovely grandfather to have! My mother was the one who encouraged a love of books in me--when I was little, she took me to the library every week, and when we went to the bookstore I was allowed to pick out one book. I kind of made up that last rule myself, hah.

It's nice that you found your way here after following the blog! I'm glad you finally said hi, and that you joined the card swap.

Heather wrote: "I found this group after finding the Midnight Garden blog, which I discovered after reading Harriet the Spy and needed to find reviews stat. So happy to have found that blog and leading me to this group. "

Oh wow, I had no idea--thanks for telling me that!

It's so interesting--I don't look at our blog stats all that often, but we get a lot of traffic from all different sources, and I always knew we had a lot of lurkers! I'm so pleased you guys are finding this group easier to communicate with us in.

Indiana, I'd hit the "reply" function except that I'd want to copy your ENTIRE post. Omg! So many of your favorites are my favorites, too.

We've done Anne, Farmer Boy, Trixie Belden, A Ring of Endless Light (Adam Eddington! *sigh*), All-of-a-Kind Family (a series more people need to read!), and THE GOLDEN COMPASS as part of our blog classics discussions, and we've talked about doing a few of the other titles you mentioned.

I'd especially LOVE to do at least one of the Betsy-Tacy books as a readalong here in the group! It's just hard to figure out which one.

I went through a huge detective phase as a kid, too. Did you ever read The Three Investigators series? That's my favorite! I've never read Judy Bolton, but have always meant to.

Every last YA book you mentioned are among my favorites (and hey! we just revealed the cover to Rosamund Hodge's new book and we're giving away ARCs if you're interested), and it's so cool you've gone to so many conventions! I've only been to ALA a few times, though mostly when it's somewhere nearby, so it doesn't look like I'll make it anywhere this year.

Layla and Kim, my co-bloggers, often go to BEA, and I think Kim at least is going to try to go this summer. Layla goes to NCTE too, since she's a teacher!

Hello :)

I'm Michelle, I'm married and have a 4 year old daughter. I work as an Office Manager / Jane-of-all-trades. Reading is my obsession and I read about 300-400 books a year.

The Most Shocking fact about me that I like to get out of the way so that I can casually refer to my past in everyday conversation: I spent 10 years in a cult, during which time I lived in a pop culture bubble, and during which I was forced to stay in a horrible marriage because divorce was not allowed.

How this has impacted every aspect of my life:

1. I am now a completely transparent person. Ask me Anything!

2. I see my life as a fairy tale. After a lifetime of barrenness I had a surprise pregnancy at age 36 and am now married to a man I love more than anything and have an amazing and beautiful daughter.

3. I see the power of books in a whole new way. Information and ideas are life-changing, and I experienced how limiting access to different ideas can be used to control people.

4. I learned that it's much better to be hated for who you are, than to be loved for who you are not.

Actual random facts that are light and fluffy now that I have the crazy stuff out of the way:

1. I hate to travel, I find it all very inconveniencing. I'd much rather experience vicariously via book. I might change my mind if they ever invent star trek-esque transporters.

2. I'm learning French, for fun. My goal is to eventually be able to read books in french. Technically I can do that, but they are on the level of Les Oeufs Verts au Jambon (Green Eggs and Ham). So I won't be tackling Les Mis anytime soon!

3. I want to have Joss Whedon's metaphorical babies.

4. I am a crazy incessant re-reader / re-watcher. I will have piles of books tbr, or shows that I've been reading to watch, but I will ignore all that to read/watch favorites.

5. My husband says he could easily pick out a book I'd like to read, he'd just look for a cover with a picture of a girl in a dress, holding a sword.

6. I use the name dichotomygirl because I refuse to be anyone person (Anne has a great quote about this), in reality, I am a pessimistic optimist, a naive cynic, and a happy melancholic.

Hello! I usually never join groups but since it's Wendy who invited me here I am.

I'm Nafiza which is Arabic and means precious and my last name is Azad which means freedom. So I guess I am precious freedom? Haha. Unlike my name, I'm not Arabian. I'm from Fiji (Lautoka to be precise) and I battle a lot of identities as a course of daily life.

I have an MA in Children's Literature and I am currently job hunting...I just need a job where I can read all day, hehe.

Some facts about me:

1. I tend to read books written by women and featuring female protagonists esp. in the high fantasy genre. I have had some really bad experiences and...*shudder*
2. I hate celery.
3. I like going on foodie adventures.
4. I can speak about 4 languages among them English (obv. hee), Korean, Fiji Hindi and Urdu.
5. I am currently working on a novel which means I talk to myself a lot.
6. I like taking pictures of flowers so spring is always awesome for me.

Nice to meet all of you!

Hello everyone!!! I'm Ronyell and I have been reading children's books and YA books ever since I was little! Some fun facts about me:

1. I love reading comic books and my favorite comic book characters are Batman, Flash, X-Men and Spider-Man!
2. My favorite food is fried chicken and anything with Peanut Butter in it.
3. I love drinking tea and coffee, especially Green Tea and Hazelnut Caramel Coffee!
4. I'm currently working at Dollar General (even though I'm trying to find another job).
5. I'm a huge fan of Joss Whedon's works, with my favorites being Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Avengers and Astonishing X-Men.
6. I'm a huge Rabbit Ears Productions fan, with my favorite books being The Fool and the Flying Ship , Pecos Bill, John Henry and Brer Rabbit and Boss Lion.

Wendy Darling wrote: "Indiana, I'd hit the "reply" function except that I'd want to copy your ENTIRE post. Omg! So many of your favorites are my favorites, too."
So lovely to find such kindred reading spirits here!

I think its impossible to read just *one* Betsy Tacy book. They move in packs - the first four or the four high school ones or the last two. But I would love if we did read at least one here for a readalong.

I have never heard of The Three Investigators series. I shall have to check it out. The best thing about Judy Bolton was she aged and the series went from when she was in high school to when she was married and working.

Very much looking forward to Rosamund Hodge's next book. She was at Worldcon last summer and I got my copy of Cruel Beauty signed. Shall have to check out the ARC giveaway.

Hello everyone.
my name is anna, from albuquerqure, nm. im a stay at home mom to my husband, 12 year old son, 3 cats and dog. I love reading. books are my best friends, they understand me, never judge, and are always there. Im a pretty eclectic reader, but ya fiction is where my heart is. I love the fact that so many ya novels dont follow the same writing equations as "adult" books. To me they seem more imaginative....anything is possible. I look forward to discussing books with people who enjoy my fave genre.


some interesting-ish facts about me:

1. my favorite books are The Perks of Being a Wallflower and also The Girl Next Door.

2. my least favorite book has been Sharp Objects

3. im afraid of the dark

4. i set yearly goals for how many books i wish to read

5. i only read on my phone because i can increase the text size. (poor eyesight)

6. my spirit animal is an english bulldog

7. i am currently craving crumpets.

Hi Everyone,

My name is Julie and I live in the Los Angeles area. I recently moved from AZ to CA. So happy to be in beautiful Cali! It's been a dream of mine to live in LA since I was a little girl. I'm a freelance writer and aspiring screenwriter and novelist. My favorite activities include reading, drawing, spending time with my family and taking walks around my new neighborhood with my Shih Tzu Abbie. I read a variety of books but my favorite genres are mysteries, fantasies, dystopians, and historicals in YA, Adult and MG. I had a book blog for a long time but gave it up to focus on my writing. However, I started a new book blog because I missed blogging.

Random Facts About Me:
1. I play golf. I was on the girls' golf team in h.s. and played in two women's leagues in college.
2. I have been drawing cartoons since I was little. I have huge collection of Promarkers and Copics.
3. I love Korean entertainment! I'm obsessed with Kpop (SHINee, EXO, BIGBANG, GOT7, APink, SISTAR, Winner...I could go on and on) and Kdramas (don't get me started on those). I also like Japanese dramas.
4. I love learning about history and foreign countries and cultures. History was my favorite subject in school.
5. I'm self-studying Korean, some Chinese and Japanese.
6. I'm a HUGE TV buff (hence the Kdramas). I watch tons of American, European and Asian dramas.
8. I would love to visit Europe and Asia -- London, Paris, Seoul and Tokyo are on my bucket list.

Hi everyone--welcome, welcome! It's so fun to read everyone's mini bios, I'm even learning new things about people I've been talking to for years.

I'm just emerging from an awful cold (ONE MONTH as of yesterday), so I'm playing catch up, but I'll pop back in here to respond to everyone soon. So glad you've all joined us!

Indiana wrote: "Hello! I live in Chicago. I'm very much looking forward to Bookcon being here in May and sad I can't seem to find a way to attend BEA before.

I love to go to book related conventions. I typically ..."

Indiana, that's so cool that you have a dollhouse too! I'd love to see a picture of it sometime! :D The Malfoy Manor sounds fascinating!

Hi, we are the Dixon family, we live in a teeny tiny fishing village on the East Coast of New Zealand. I (Kirsten) am a home schooling Mum to 3 children (Alex 7, Joshua 5 and Louisa 3). I am always looking for quality, inspiring books to read to my children, Ones that extend their literacy and that evoke passion.... we've read about half of what was on your 'reading list' intro so I thought we would stop in here to find some other great recommendations and maybe read along with you all at some stage :) Arohanui, Kirsten.

Hi, my name is Trisha and I live about a half-an-hour north of Milwaukee, Wisconsin with my husband, one-year-old daughter Isabelle, and our dog.

I read mostly adult fiction (mostly historical fiction and best seller sort of books), but have always loved children's and YA books. I have been reading ever since I can remember and started posting reviews on goodreads and my book blog a few years ago. I started reading to my daughter when she was about a month old and keep track of all of our books here. We read a lot of board books and picture books, but have also read and listened to some longer chapter books as well.

I am also an Adult Services Librarian in Germantown, WI and am very much looking forward to (finally!) being done with library school next fall.

That is so brilliant that you are tracking all the books you have read with your daughter Trisha. I wish I had a list of every book I had read as a kid! What a special memory and keepsake for your family.

Kirsten wrote: "Hi, we are the Dixon family, we live in a teeny tiny fishing village on the East Coast of New Zealand. I (Kirsten) am a home schooling Mum to 3 children (Alex 7, Joshua 5 and Louisa 3). I am always..."

As soon as I read village and New Zealand I wanted to pop on a plane and visit. Are you homeschooling by choice or because of location? I have a couple of friends who homeschool their kids by choice and am always interested in hearing their family stories.

Katie wrote: "Indiana, that's so cool that you have a dollhouse too! I'd love to see a picture of it sometime! :D The Malfoy Manor sounds fascinating!"
Maybe at some point we can have a dollhouse thread here and we can exchange pictures! I'd love to see yours as well.

Heather wrote: "That is so brilliant that you are tracking all the books you have read with your daughter Trisha. I wish I had a list of every book I had read as a kid! What a special memory and keepsake for your ..."

Thank you!! It was a lot of extra work at first, but it helps that I work at the library full-time now and just scan them into goodreads as I check them back in - then I only have to worry about adding the books we own at home!

Me too!! I started keeping track of book I've read when I was about 15 (per the suggestion of my Grandmother who reads way more than I do!), but I wish I had started keeping track earlier. I sometimes add them to my list when I think about a book I read that had a big impact on me growing up, but I feel like I am missing so many!! Looking forward to re-reading some of them in this group :)

Trisha wrote: "Hi, my name is Trisha and I live about a half-an-hour north of Milwaukee, Wisconsin with my husband, one-year-old daughter Isabelle, and our dog.

I read mostly adult fiction (mostly historical fi..."

You are an extra-specially kindred spirit! I was born and raised in Sheboygan. We are taking a camping trip up there in June. My 4 year old is very excited about going to "eh-sconsen" as she calls it. My family is still all up there, so I am jealous of people who still live there, lol.

Indiana wrote:
Maybe at some point we can have a dollhouse t..."

Indiana, that is a brilliant idea!

Trisha wrote: "Hi, my name is Trisha and I live about a half-an-hour north of Milwaukee, Wisconsin with my husband, one-year-old daughter Isabelle, and our dog.

Congrats, Trisha, on almost being finished with library school. I just started this semester and am enjoying it but glad I'm not the only one working full time and taking classes. It's nice to have support from and camaraderie with other classmates.

Dichotomy Girl wrote: "Trisha wrote: "Hi, my name is Trisha and I live about a half-an-hour north of Milwaukee, Wisconsin with my husband, one-year-old daughter Isabelle, and our dog.

I read mostly adult fiction (mostl..."

Fun!! Lol, I love how crazy Wisconsin cities are to pronounce!!

Katie wrote: "Trisha wrote: "Hi, my name is Trisha and I live about a half-an-hour north of Milwaukee, Wisconsin with my husband, one-year-old daughter Isabelle, and our dog.

Congrats, Trisha, on almost being ..."

Awesome!! I really enjoyed all of my courses, but it will be nice to finally be finished after almost five years! I've been working full-time since I started and since my daughter was born last year, it was even more slow going!! Luckily I was able to take most of my classes online and it was so nice to have others that were in the same position as I was!! Are you leaning towards public or academic...or other?

Trisha wrote: "Katie wrote: "Trisha wrote: "Hi, my name is Trisha and I live about a half-an-hour north of Milwaukee, Wisconsin with my husband, one-year-old daughter Isabelle, and our dog.

Congrats, Trisha, on..."

I am actually in a School Library at the moment, in a private school, but way later down the line I might be interested in being in an Academic Library! But we'll see....You're working in the public library sphere, right?

Katie wrote: "Trisha wrote: "Katie wrote: "Trisha wrote: "Hi, my name is Trisha and I live about a half-an-hour north of Milwaukee, Wisconsin with my husband, one-year-old daughter Isabelle, and our dog.

Congr..."

Yep! I started out in public and then moved to academic while I was getting my undergrad and stayed on for a few years after. I liked Academic, but am very glad to be back in the public library world again!!

Trisha wrote: "Katie wrote: "Trisha wrote: "Katie wrote: "Trisha wrote: "Hi, my name is Trisha and I live about a half-an-hour north of Milwaukee, Wisconsin with my husband, one-year-old daughter Isabelle, and ou..."

That's wonderful! It's good to be where you are really and truly happy!

I am a retired middle school teacher and I live in Toronto.I love children's literature and young adult books. I have two daughters who also live in Toronto. One is the mommy of a five year old boy and her sister is having her first baby in April. I love to travel, read, learn new languages and play with Flint, my grandson.

I have just been reading some of your introductions and enjoyed reading them. It nice to join a group that has a sense of fun.
Wendy Darling, I love Alan Rickman and he will be forever missed. He was the absolutely perfect Snape. My daughter Jennifer told me about Pinterest. I have an Alan Rickman/David Bowie board and a Harry Potter board, among many others!
Do I need to say that I love the Harry Potter books and movies?
Some of you made comments about vegetables, and the vegetable I have issues with is eggplant(aubergine). If it's not properly cooked I really don't enjoy it.