The Birth of New Content: Weblog Love on Wednesdays

I don't have a typical "Wednesday" post (like I do with my occasional and/or routine participation in Musing Mondays, Teaser Tuesdays, Booking Through Thursdays, Friday Finds and my weekly posting of the NY Times Best Seller List on Fridays). That got me to thinking, "Heather, you need to have a 'Wednesday Thing.'"

Hence, the birth of my weekly Wednesday Wrap-Up. So named because I (heart) alliteration.


Each Wednesday (I hope), I'll post a wrap-up of the best of the best (book-related things) that I've found on the web-o-sphere in the previous week. It might be book reviews that flipped my trigger, a new blog that I got hooked on, or goodies galore. Just you wait.

Here's a sample (for this week):

• Thanks to the beauty of Book Blogger Appreciation Week, I started getting addicted to the fantastic content over on 100 Scope Notes (a children's book blog hosted by a fantastic--presumably by his taste on his blog--children's librarian). I've been hot and heavy to read his stuff, and was geeked out when he brought to my attention the forth-coming Harry Potter Theme Park at Universal Studios (Florida).


• I harbor (very unlikely) dreams of some day becoming a published author of YA books who will never be able to give up her day job because she writes for the "pure love" and not some other silly commercial reasons (like some day paying off her student loans). That being said, I have such a sickness for reading snarky publishing-related blogs, that I simply cannot keep away from The Rejectionist. This week (s)he gave salient advice to all the would-be children and YA authors, reminding us that racism isn't a good idea to include in your proposal, nor is stupidity. (You have to read her/him routinely to fall in love with the beauty of the advice. So go do that.)


• The Story Siren and Reviewer X have brought back their (semi-weekly) YA Connection update. Check that out to get the deets on contests, author interviews, and books released this week.


• In other Story Siren-related updates, she posted some highly unscientific findings from a Twitter query regarding blog-related pet peeves that people have. Am I guilty? I don't think so, but check it out and let me know if/how I'm getting on your nerves. Also check the list, and correct yourself, lest you be a hypocrite.


• Because this is my first post, I'm going to allow myself the freedom to stretch back beyond a week and give you a goodie from the fantastically-talented YA author John Green regarding book reviews. I respect his philosophy (except for his views on The Fountainhead). I find it near impossible to stop reading a book because there's something worth learning from it (even if it's, "Don't do this when you write a book"), and therefore worth reading. Related to that, I hate reading book reviews that mark a book down just because they didn't "like" the character or the book wasn't "fun" to read. That's crap!


• Yeah to Tom of Omnivoracious for posting a round-up of newspaper reviews of upcoming books (not everything is so internet-y these days). He features some good books, and honest reviews. (And pretty much everything else on his site is awesome as well... it's definitely in the Google reader.)


• Forever Young Adult cross-posted a round-up of YA debut author Claire Zulkey's list of back-up YA book titles/hooks. And as witty as that all was, none of it was as great as the concept of Zulkey's book An Off Year which I added to my TBR pile this week.

So what did you find this week that got you excited about the internet (and books) all over again?

(The image source for my logo above is here.)