Books | Cathy C. Hall Writes

Remember the old Irish Spring ads where the very handsome Gaelic lad and lass are discussing the merits of this fine soap? That it’s strong and keeps perspiration odors at bay? And then the lass says, “Strong, yes, but I like it, too!”

That’s the way I feel about this contest. Imagine me as a fetching Southern lass, talking to a group of teens about all the books they can read if they check out the monthly contest at teenreads.com. And then one of the teens (we’ll say a girl because girls always think they know everything. I know because I’m a girl) says to me:

“These books have teen protagonists and youthful angst-driven plots. They’re for teens!”

At which point I fetchingly reply, “Teens, yes. But I like them, too!”

If you’re writing for teens, it’s a good idea to read what teens are reading. The monthly Grab Bag of Books Contest at teenreads.com is a cool way to win the books. And after you finish reading them, you can give them to a teen!

Which is more than I can say for a used bar of soap.

You should probably know that I get a little crazy at Christmas. And that includes my blogs.

But honestly, this time around, I was just going to add snow falling on my blog. Easy as filling up the old stocking! But the snow didn’t look quite right on the original background. So I thought, hmmmm. I’ll just change my blog background.

But then I saw this new template with customizable headers. I LOVE customizable headers! So I changed my whole blog and added the Christmas pic. Easy as stringing popcorn. Then, whilst checking over the merry old blog, I noticed that eeek! I hadn’t changed my books in FOREVER! So I added a few Christmas favorite reads.

Which brings me to finding a few good books for you to read. At the end of the year, all kinds of folks share their “Best of…” lists. So, instead of racing around from one spot to the next, why not check these links for a few good lists of award-winning books from 2010? Because honestly, in another month, you’ll have to catch up on award-winning books of 2011.

Here’s the 2010 list of Books to Share and Read from the New York Public Library (if you can make it there, you’ll make it anywhere).

And here’s the link to the Parents’ Choice Award Winners (Fiction) but you can look around and find picture books and non-fiction, too.

Here’s the School Library Journal’s list of Best Books 2010, Fiction (also look for picture books and non-fiction).

And here’s the Kirkus Review’s list of Best Children’s Books as well as the Kirkus Review’s list of Best Books for Teens.

I’ve got some seriously fine reading ahead of me. And I’ll get to it, soon. As soon as I finish hanging candy canes all over the house. (P.S. What’s YOUR favorite read from 2010? I’d love to hear all about it!)