Armchair BEA Introduction

I just signed up for Armchair BEA since I can't actually go to the Book Expo America and the Book Bloggers convention, so this is the virtual alternative.  It will be fun, too!  The first task as an Armchair BEA blogger is to introduce myself.  Questions were posted here: http://www.armchairbea.com/2013/05/armchair-bea-is-coming-prep-your.html



Design credit: Emily of Emily's Reading Room

1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging?   I am a gifted intervention specialist teaching 4th grade accelerated readers.  I will be moving on to the intermediate building in my district next year, so I get to teach this group of 4th graders two more years!  I will be teaching accelerated 5th/6th grade ELA (English/Language Arts).  I've been blogging for almost a year now.  I got started last summer when I was taking Teachers Write!, sponsored and facilitated by Kate Messner.  I wanted a place to write about teaching and books.
2. Where in the world are you blogging from? Tell a random fact or something special about your current location. Feel free to share pictures. I am blogging from Lebanon, Ohio.  We are an historic town, settled by pioneers after the American Revolution.  Lebanon's most famous site is The Golden Lamb, Ohio's oldest hotel!  We also host a beautiful event every year, the Christmas Horse-Drawn Carriage Parade.  It's especially amazing at night because of all the lights donned by the horses.
3. Have you previously participated in Armchair BEA? What brought you back for another year? If you have not previously participated, what drew you to the event? I have not participated in the Armchair BEA before, but I started seeing other bloggers write about it, and I love to talk about books!
4. What are you currently reading, or what is your favorite book you have read so far in 2013? I am currently reading The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton for my book club and am listening to The Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor.  One of the best adult books I read so far in 2013 was The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe.  One of the best children's books I read in 2013 (I read it first in 2012, but read it again aloud to my classes in 2013) was The One and Only Ivan, the 2013 Newbery Award Winner by Katherine Applegate.
5. Tell us one non-book-related thing that everyone reading your blog may not know about you. I grew up in the country and loved to hunt, fish, and participate in 4-H.  I showed ducks, chickens, and a goat in the Warren County Fair!  
6. Name your favorite blog(s) and explain why they are your favorite(s). That is SO hard because I love so many of them.  I would have to say it's a tie between Watch.Connect.Read and Nerdy Book Club because Mr. Schu, Colby Sharp, and Donalyn Miller are book experts for kids, and I learn a lot about teaching reading from them.
7. Which is your favorite post that you have written that you want everyone to read? I think it would have to be Parent/Student Book Club at the Cincinnati Zoo because it was such a wonderful day, and I'm so glad I had a place to record the memory.
8. If you could eat dinner with any author or character, who would it be and why? Wow.  This seems like an impossible question because there are so many!  Living author: Maya Angelou because I saw her speak once and was transfixed by her wisdom and presence.  Deceased author: E.B. White because I love everything about him and his writing. Character: Harry Potter because I miss him.
9. What literary location would you most like to visit? Why?  Real Place: the Tuscan countryside from Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes because of her descriptions of how beautiful it is!  Imaginary Place: Hogwarts, of course.
10. What is your favorite part about the book blogging community? I love the ideas I get and the sense of camaraderie among book-lovers.

I'm looking forward to participating in all the Armchair BEA events and hope to get to know more bloggers!