My Scribbler's Heart Archives - Page 42 of 80

Are You Under-Utilizing Goodreads? Tips for Readers and Writers

Published by CAstfalk on 09/25/2017

(Updated 9/15/2019 – Just added: Kindle Notes and Highlights!)

Maybe you log books you read on Goodreads, but are you taking advantage of its other features?

For instance, did you know you can post a general update on Goodreads, like you would a status on Facebook or other social media? You can!

While logged into Goodreads, look in the left-hand column beneath what you’re currently reading.

All it takes is a little time browsing and clicking to discover what’s there. Pro tip: Scan the WHOLE page, including the sidebars, menus, and widgets for links. I guarantee there’s more there than you realize.

You may wonder, what’s the difference between a Goodreads “Friend” and a Goodreads “Follower.” Simple: Being a friend means the flow of information goes both ways. You see what your friend posts, and your friend sees what you posts. Being a follower means the flow of information goes one way: only the follower sees information; their posts are not shared.

For tips on establishing a new account, Dave at Kindlepreneur provides a good step-by-step guide and highlights some Goodreads features.

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Relevant Fiction Reviews: High School Theater

Published by CAstfalk on 09/18/2017

Relevant Fiction Reviews

I was a behind the scenes gal when it came to high school theater, but I still have many happy memories tied to our musical productions. As a proud member of the stage crew for four years, I was able to identify with the closeness and camaraderie that comes from putting on a show together.

The following are three excellent YA novels that stand on their own merit, but have something just a little extra special if you are or were a high school theater geek.

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Seven Quick Takes

Published by CAstfalk on 09/15/2017

My Childhood Picture Book Favorites Edition

I write frequently about my current favorite books, including those I read to and with my children. However, I don’t think I’ve ever listed MY favorite books from my own childhood – until now!

Unlike my current home, my childhood home didn’t hold a ton of books. I remember being read to from a very small stash and from the books I checked out of the school library. And, my mom was very indulgent with my requests from the Scholastic Book flyer.

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An Open Book

Published by CAstfalk on 09/06/2017

Welcome to the September 2017 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart AND CatholicMom.com! I’ve been swapping chapters for critique with author…

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Catholic Fiction and Where to Find It

Published by CAstfalk on 08/28/2017

Updated: February 2021

I’ve spent the better part of the past decade connected to a variety of online circles in which Catholic fiction is not only known, but loved and nourished. So when I step outside that literary bubble, I’m sometimes surprised to be reminded that many people – even practicing Catholics who are voracious fiction devourers – have yet to discover contemporary Catholic fiction.

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Interview with Author Michelle Buckman

Published by CAstfalk on 08/21/2017

Turning In Circles is permeated with what is – to me, anyway – a Southern fiction voice. What characteristics do you see as setting Southern fiction apart from general fiction set throughout the United States? (Because I wouldn’t necessarily call everything set in the American south, “Southern fiction.”)

Because I was born in New York and raised in Canada, I arrived in North Carolina as an outsider when I was at the critical teeny-bopper stage. That experience permitted me to observe the South from a different perspective than those who have always lived here. There is a difference in mannerisms, in how families interact, in how people interact in public, and even in the social structure of small communities.

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Refocus Your Lens In Changing Seasons

Published by CAstfalk on 08/14/2017

By Guest Blogger Billie Jauss

I’m feeling old. “Life flies by so fast.” I hear myself saying this more and more often now that I am ‘over 50’ and my baby boy just turned 21 and is heading into his junior year of college. It seems that I have seen a lot of the past flash by in front of me. Panic creeps deep into my spirit. I become focused on the past and what I think I have lost, not the truth of who I am. I focus on me, not on Jesus.

The yearning to change my focus sent me on a spiritual journey to rectify my panic, my selfish spotlight. Being a consummate list maker, I began to list the positive truths of who I am now.

Seven Quick Takes

Published by CAstfalk on 08/11/2017

Seven Most Recent Reads Edition

As if I didn’t blather enough about books already, right? Between An Open Book (here and at Catholic Mom), Sabbath Rest Book Talk with Erin McCole Cupp and Rebecca Willen, and my Relevant Fiction Reviews posts, you’d think I’d be covered on the book front. But, no, I’ve read such a strong string of books – fiction and nonfiction – that I thought they’d earned their own post. Here are the seven books I’m reading or have recently finished, in order from currently reading to already read.

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Category: My Scribbler’s Heart

My Childhood Picture Book Favorites Edition

By Guest Blogger Billie Jauss

Seven Most Recent Reads Edition