The Book Broads

(Kim here) I think I would go for more of a serious passage. Or not. I would do serious, but everyone would have to wear clown noses. Please read If I Were The Moon by Sheree Fitch.

Such a beautiful book and it would tell everyone how much I love them. It makes me cry just writing this. An important book for a hard time. Who would read it, I don’t know. Rock, Paper, Scissor for that.

(Angela here) Why, oh why did I include this question? This is by far the hardest one so far. I’ve been thinking about it for a few weeks now and finally have an answer. It’s a poem called “On the Pulse of Morning” by Maya Angelou. She read this work at the inauguration of Bill Clinton in 1993. This passage speaks to me in particular:

“The horizon leans forward,
Offering you space
To place new steps of change
Here, on the pulse of this fine day
You may have the courage
To look up and out and upon me…”

The Book Broads’ invite you to join their 30 Books in 30 Days Challenge. Blog, journal, tweet (#30Booksin30Days), or comment on our posts.

Tweet This Post

Kim Here… I had the great pleasure of taking my kidlets to Bookfest in Nanaimo. I love this event. Run by volunteers and lovers of books, this year celebrated 25 years. Party time happened on May 7 in Downtown Nanaimo. So many great venues and everyone was helpful and supportive. My kids and have the best time.

This year we had the pleasure to hear some fantastic authors speak about writing, books, illustrations and more. Sheree Fitch, Linda Bailey, Robert Heidbreder, Marie Louise Gay, Eugenie Fernandes, Robin Muller, Andrea Spalding, Arthur Slade, and John Wilson all took part this year.

I love all the authors – my kids loves the whole thing too. The Kerplunks played at noon hour and that was very fun… if a little wet. I wish the weather would work better for outside events. Books and rain, precarious.

One of the highlights is connecting with Sheree Fitch after many years. I took her out and about for a media day over 14 years ago, and it was a great day. She remembered it too. She is such a lovely woman… and a gifted writer for kids, teens and adults.

Here is a video chat we had this past Saturday. Sheree Fitch ROCKS!

Thanks for reading!

Kim

Tweet This Post

Explore your bookish self by answering one question each day. You can record your answers in many ways:

1. Leave it in the comments on our posts at www.thebookbroads.com
2. Share it on your Facebook profile.
3. Tweet it on Twitter
4. Keep a paper journal
5. Blog about it
6. Talk about it at dinner

Kim, Peggy & Angela will share their replies starting May 1st. We’d love to see your comments to learn more about the books on your list. For more about the inspiration of [30 Books in 30 Days] read this.

Day 1: Your favourite book

Day 2: Your least favourite book

Day 3: A book that makes you smile

Day 4: A book that makes you cry

Day 5: A book that reminds you of someone

Day 6: A book that reminds you of somewhere

Day 7: A book that reminds you of a memorable event

Day 8: A book that you can recite from memory

Day 9: A book that makes you want to get up and move

Day 10: A book that makes you sleepy

Day 11: A book from your favorite author

Day 12: A book you were forced to read in school

Day 13: A book that is a guilty pleasure

Day 14: A book that no one would expect you to love

Day 15: A book that describes you

Day 16: A book that you used to love but now hate

Day 17: A book that you’ve heard read by the author

Day 18: A book that you’d like to hear read by the author

Day 19: A book from your favorite series

Day 20: A book that you reread when you’re angry

Day 21: A book that you reread when you’re happy

Day 22: A book that you reread when you’re sad

Day 23: A book with a passage to be read at your wedding

Day 24: A book with a passage to be read at your at your funeral

Day 25: A book that makes you laugh out loud

Day 26: A book that you wish you’d written yourself

Day 27: A book that in the style you would write

Day 28: A book that makes you feel guilty

Day 29: A book from your childhood

Day 30: A favourite book at this time of year

This list was inspired by a “share your songs” list Angela saw on Facebook. Her friend Leslye, got it from Joanna who learned about it from Amanda who got it from somewhere before that. We want to give credit where credit is due so thank you for the inspiration ladies!

Tweet This Post

We seem to have an over abundance of fresh eggs these days. We have been going out to markets, flea markets, farms and I have a need to buy fresh eggs. Don’t know why, maybe I want to support our local chicken farmer,

Recently we found some gorgeous, soft green shelled eggs. So pretty. Here is a picture.

So, with all these lovely eggs, we have to do so me cooking. We have made egg salad sandwiches, plain-jane boiled eggs and today, Little Book Broad, Grace, makes Deviled Eggs from Cory Parsons Cookbook. http://www.coryparsons.com/. Grace is not a devil… ok, maybe once when she was 2, but she out grew it. Here is her video of making deviled eggs. She does like to cook and create and Cory’s book is great for that.

Cory lives in Nanaimo, a local dude for us. He also did some time in Kitimat, just like moi. Many reasons to like him – he is cool, a great cook, he is kind and inspirational. All that in one guy! Check out his cookbook – get inspired and live your life to the fullest!

Thanks for reading!

Kim

Tweet This Post

Kim here. Some days are just so great! Today is one of them. I just found out that Joss Whedon has a book coming out about the Dr. Horrible Sing-a-Long Blog. Happy Day.

Joss Whedon has teamed up with Titan Books to create DR HORRIBLE’S SING-ALONG BLOG: THE BOOK! It looks like it will be released on March 29. Here is the Titan link for some more info. I am will get the book that day for sure.

For those of you who do not know about Dr. Horrible – here’s the 411 (I am so hip, huh?). It’s the story of a low-rent super-villain, the hero who keeps beating him up, and the cute girl from the laundromat he’s too shy to talk to. Here is a video for your viewing pleasure – the first of it. Check out the whole, short, series too.

Dr. Horrible – Act 1

Peggy, Angela and I LOVE this web series. Peggy has this thing for Nathan Fillion, Angela and I are Neil Patrick Harris kind of gals. I think we, like many others, can song every song – loudly and proudly.

Have fun, get your freeze-ray, find Bad Horse, save the day. do some laundry….

Kim

Tweet This Post

(Angela here) When we formed The Book Broads we knew we were going to learn and grow as we shared our various talents. And I have to say that Peggy’s contribution has been largely about podcasting and ebooks. She’s taught Kim and I how to do audio and video podcasting, encouraged us both to write ebooks. (Mine’s a work-in-progress, Peggy, I promise!)

Peggy has personally contributed to more than 150 ebooks so far including some technical how-tos, her wildly successful book on rain water collection systems and lots of other writing under various pseudonyms. Yes, Peg’s got some alter egos!

Folks in Nanaimo and Vancouver have the opportunity to learn both podcasting and ebooks from Peggy over the next few weeks. Check out her website for exact details. If you’ve ever considered publishing an ebook or getting into podcasting, you must attend!

Tweet This Post

(Kim here) I know Angela will not write it here. She does not want to be braggy or anything – but I can do it! Angela’s new book is out!  The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Creating A Social Network (written by Angela Crocker is available from these fine retailers and your local bookseller: (ISBN 978-1-61564-060-7)).

Here is a picture of her and her new book – she looks like a proud mama, huh?

A cute couple - Angela and her book.

Angela and her new book have been seen out in public lately. It’s an official author/book relationship that is now up front for the public to see. Check out Angela and the book on Global TV.  Angela on Global TV – March 13th, 2011

On Tuesday, March 15th at 11:30 am PAC, Angela is on with Bill Good on CKNW. Sweet. Listen live, and call in if you have a question. 980 am on the radio dial, or listen live on line at www.cknw.com.

As you can tell, I am so pleased and proud for my friend. I want to celebrate all the successes of her new book and I hope you can join me in cheering her on!

Thanks!

Kim

Tweet This Post

(Kim here) This past week, my family and I skipped work and school for an adventure. We drove for almost 2 hours to Sidney, BC.  There was a Lego exhibit at the Sidney Museum we just had to see and we also HAD to check out the Mineral Museum. Yes, we are proud to be geeks! That is why, when I saw this site (Evil Mad Scientist) and the books they were talking about, it made us so happy.

Check out No Starch Press’s Snip, Burn, Solder, Shred – a collection of technically oriented how-to projects; sewing projects, music projects, electronics projects and others. Also check out Lego Technic Idea Books: Fantastic Contraptions, Simple Machines, and Wheeled Wonders. And these are a phenomenal collection of assemblies and subassemblies providing the kind of masterful insight into Lego construction that comes from many years of careful study.

Geek books for those of us who are gosh-darn proud of our glasses, pencil in pockets and plans to take over the world, on Lego piece at a time.

Tweet This Post

(Kim here) Peggy and I live in mid-Vancouver Island… really nice spot! We are also volunteer members of  Nanaimo-Ladysmith Community Literacy Council. One of the initiatives for the Council is a great website called, www.myreadingtree.com, it provides local information about events, literacy programs, resources, games and tools, cool links and there are audio books for all ages. One of the other things it does is it features community members and the book they are reading. This month the website features two local Mayors! Below are pictures of the Mayors taken by Nanaimo’s own, Lance Sullivan. Press release below too.

Mayor Hutchins

Mayor Ruttan

March 2011- Nanaimo, BC – What are our local Mayors reading? Lantzville to Ladysmith’s www.Myreadingtree.com, an initiative of Nanaimo-Ladysmith Community Literacy Council, finds out. This March we hear what Nanaimo Mayor John Ruttan and Ladysmith Mayor Rob Hutchins are reading… and why reading means so much to them.

Rob Hutchins tells www.myreadingtree.com, “I remember falling in love with reading while in grade five. I devoured books as a teenager and as a young adult. When our children were young we collected a small library of excellent children’s literature and now many of those same books are being read to our grandchildren. “  What’s Mayor Hutchins Reading? Plan B 4.0 – Mobilizing to Save Civilization by Lester R. Brown.

Mayor John Ruttan says. “The book that I just finished was Maps, Mountains & Mosquitoes by Nanaimo author Ms. Katherine Gordon. It details the history of the McElhanney group of surveying, engineering and mapping companies through years of service and work in Western Canada. It is a fascinating read of the growth of one of the largest surveying companies in British Columbia.”

Every month, the non-profit website, www.myreadingtree.com, highlights local people and what they are reading. Some great stories are shared by people like: Bruce Williams, David Gogo, The Kerpunks, Joelle Rabu and others!. The soon-to-be one year old, www.myreadingtree.com, also provides local information about events, literacy programs, resources, games and tools, cool links and there are audio books for all ages.

Tweet This Post

Our hair has changed so much!

(Kim here) I was just talking to Angela and Peggy. We were talking about how we first met.  People are surprised about how short of time The Book Broads have actually been The Book Broads. We started in June 2009… around there anyway.

I had know Angela for an awful long time, if fact, she was my boss at Whitecap Books. She was at my wedding, I was at hers, together, we have drank enough tea to fill Nanaimo Harbour.

Peggy and I met because of Diana Bonder. Peggy was watching the PR stuff for Diana, and phone her to see who was doing the work. Diana told her about me, so Peg picked up the phone and called. We met for tea at Starbucks. Loved, loved, loved Peggy from the start.

I ended up talking to Angela about Peggy, talking to Peggy about Angela. I finally said, we all have to get together! We did, on Gabriola Island. We chatted, drank tea, chatted some more, drank MORE tea and that day we created The Book Broads. We continue talk (um, sometimes we talk numerous times a day – thank you Telus and Skype) and drink tea and have fun! We are friends who love each other, our families, books, business and connecting with others… oh, and tea.

Tweet This Post