I promise, we’re here!

First off, I sincerely apologize that the carnival has been so quiet lately.  I could give you excuses (kid home for summer, pregnancy, blah blah blah), but I’m not going to do that.

First off, some sad news.  The last couple of carnivals did not receive any submissions, so you won’t be seeing posts for them.  We may try them one more time, but I’m leaving that decision up to Alpha Heroes, Mystery Suspense and A Room Without Books Is…, the hosts of the carnivals.

We do have a couple of upcoming editions, so check your reviews and see if you have any that might go with a Children’s Book Illustration or Speculative Fiction carnival.  I’m sure The Ruby Winkle Review and Book Chick City would love to include your link.

Edition 56 hosted by: Meghan at The Ruby Winkle Review
Deadline for submission: June 18, 2010
Theme: Children’s Book Illustration
To submit a post, email: corvusbluestudio AT gmail DOT com

Edition 57 hosted by: Carolyn at Book Chick City
Deadline for submission: July 2, 2010
Theme: Speculative Fiction
To submit a post, email: bookchickcity AT dsl.pipex DOT com

As always, if you would like to host your own carnival, do not hestitate to contact the BWC staff.  We have open slots starting in August and I would love to see them filled!  I know we’ve been horrible with the email in the past, but that’s going to change. Mainly because I just acquired the new Droid and I was able to include the BWC email in with all of my others (yea for technology!), so I’ll be able to check it a lot easier.

The 3rd BBAW Has Been Announced!

The 3rd Annual Book Blogger Appreciation Week has been officially announced! Amy kicked off the event at My Friend Amy (the site for the first BBAW) yesterday.

There will be a That’s How I Blog! Blog talk radio show tomorrow night at 10PM EST/ 7PM PST to discuss the new award processes and other general information.

Registration for this years BBAW is now open, but I’m going to warn you, it’s not a simple process. I honestly have no clue why they would include this at this point, but when you register, you’ll be asked for your favorite newly published books (and we’re not talking just one or two either) since last September as well as the five posts you want considered for the BBAW Awards if you want to be included.

Speaking of the Awards process, I know there were some issues with it last year and they’ve been revamped. The entire process has been outlined and it seems like it could be a little more streamlined this time around. For one, each blog can only be nominated in one niche blog and in order to even be considered, the blog owner has to register their site first. To see the details on the Awards process, click here. For the various categories, click on one of these links: Niche Categories and Featured Categories.

Tidbits

Just a reminder, you can submit entries to the Arthurian carnival to ME at nicola327 AT hotmail DOT com. Details are here and for the extended deadline (Wednesday), here.

In other news, Marny has chosen NonFiction as the them for her carnival, coming up June 4th. Stay tuned!

Edition 52: Poetry

National Poetry Month

It’s a banner week at the Carnival, with two of our hosts posting almost back to back –or more accurately, me managing to post their round-up twice in one week.

Rebecca brought together more than a dozen entries on the subject of poetry, ranging from children’s, to romantic, to a teachers’ guide, to zombie haiku (hey, somebody had to do it, right?). If that just isn’t enough for you, check out her link to Savvy Verse and Wit’s month long Poetry event — there’s a cornucopia of linky goodness for you there.

This edition contains really a wonderful variety of surprising angles to the topic of poetry, and even for the poetry-challenged among us¹, it’s engrossing. One thing you have to admit about poetry as a topic: it tends to reveal very personal insights about the person discussing it², which makes for great reading.

So a big thanks to Rebecca for classing up the joint³ with a topic that, perhaps more than any other, indulges a bookworm’s love of words, in all their beauty and power.

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Did you miss your chance to submit to this carnival? Here are the next couple topics coming up:

Edition 53 hosted by: Nicola (yep, that’s me!) at Alpha Heroes
Deadline for submission: May 7, 2010
Theme: Arthurian Fiction
To submit a post, email: nicola327 AT hotmail DOT com

Edition 54 hosted by: Ariel at Mystery Suspense
Deadline for submission: May 21, 2010
Theme: Mystery/Suspense/Crime Fiction
To submit a post, email: ariel_heart AT msn DOT com

Remember, you can always check the “upcoming editions” tab if you need a longer planning horizon, and we have openings for your choice of themes, too.

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¹ Most of my forays into poetry involved iambic pentameter and the word “Nantucket”
² Oops.
³ Not meant to imply any lack of class on the part of any other carnivals. Just, you know. Poetry is for the REALLY EXTRA classy 🙂

Edition 51: Outside the Comfort Zone

Most of the themes here at the carnival have to do with the hosts sharing our favorite kind of books. Nicole takes a different tack, and looks at sharing a particular reading experience, one that transcends genre.

Nicole says:

I spend quite a bit of time every months reading books that I might not necessarily read, and I often feel compelled to ask my guests what books they have discovered which they wouldn’t necessarily read or place in their comfort zone, but which nevertheless, they have enjoyed.

and so the common thread for this edition of the carnival is to talk about that experience, of reading something you don’t normally, and what you might get out of that. Eight bloggers answered the call, and Nicole does a wonderful job of pulling the essence of each post into her round-up, so not only are you tempted to go visit each of the contributing bloggers (and you should!) but the carnival itself is an interesting read on its own.

[Edit] D’OH!! I can’t believe I didn’t include a link. Departing the Comfort Zone. Good grief.

*walks away muttering, slapping forehead*

I hope you enjoy Edition 51, and keep an eye out for the next ones coming up:

Edition 52 hosted by: Rebecca from Rebecca Reads
Deadline for submission: Extended to April 26, 2009
Call for submission is posted.
Theme: Poetry
To submit a post, email: rebecca at rebeccareid dot com

Edition 53 hosted by: Nicola at Alpha Heroes
Deadline for submission: May 7, 2010
Call for submissions is posted.
Theme: Arthurian Fiction
To submit a post, email: nicola327 AT hotmail DOT com

Edition 54 hosted by: Ariel at Mystery Suspense
Deadline for submission: May 21, 2010
Theme: Mystery/Suspense/Crime Fiction
To submit a post, email: ariel_heart AT msn DOT com

Welcome Nicola and Emily!!

I hope everyone will join me in welcoming Nicola and Emily to the Bookworms Carnival Staff!

Nicola has the wonderful blog Alpha Heroes.

Alpha Heroes is a labor of love for me. I’ve been reading romance for more than three decades now, and I like to think I know a little bit about what makes a good one. I like talking about them. I’m not a professional writer or reviewer; at present I do not take ads and while I occasionally post a link to Amazon, I’ve yet to see a dime from that and I’m not holding my breath. Everything I post is because it amuses or entertains me to do so, and I hope there are a few people out there who will enjoy it too.

Emily blogs over at Emily’s Reading Room and I have a feeling she’s going to add to my TBR stack, much like Nicola does.

I’m Emily and I started blogging to share my love of children’s and young adult fiction with my community. I try to provide my readers with recommendations for books that they will enjoy and expand horizons. This blog is done in my spare time. I have been married since December 2007 to my handsome husband. We have a beagle named Tonks. Please feel free to contact me at anytime with recommendations and comments.

I am extremely grateful to both of them for joining me in keeping this wonderful community event going.

Call For Submissions: The Comfort Zone Departure

Over at Linus’s Blanket, Nicole has posted her call for submissions on an unusual theme:

What books have you read that were outside of your comfort zone, but you ended up really enjoying?

She is graciously stretching the deadline slightly until Monday, 4/13 at 5 pm EST.  Send a link to your post to nicole at linussblanket dot com.

Look for her roundup soon after that, or watch this space where we’ll give you a heads-up when the carnival posts.

This is a theme that anyone can participate in — we all have a comfort zone, and it does us all good to step out of it once in a while.

Edition 50: High Fantasy

If you haven’t been over to Ink and Paper yet to see what Jo put together for her High Fantasy theme, you need to get on that.  She’s put together an impressive list with more than a dozen unique blogs, many with multiple reviews available.  So if you’ve been looking for that escapist fix but are wondering where to go, you’re sure to find something appealing in this list.

Most of the reviews on this list are for fairly current releases, so if you’re like me and only dabble in high fantasy every now and then, this is a fabulous “finger on the pulse” round up for what’s going on in the genre right now.  And if you are WILD about high fantasy, this is the perfect way to find some new, like-minded bloggers to share your thoughts and TBR lists with.

I’m also pretty impressed with Jo’s ability to pull out short but personality-filled quotes from each blogger, so you can get a sense of their review before you even click.  There is a lot of material in this post, but you should be able to quickly and easily find the stuff that’s MOST appealing to you.

If you’d like to discuss the question of  “What, in your opinion, makes a good high fantasy?” please visit Ink And Paper’s host post.  You are invited to discuss in comments, create a post on your blog and link in comments, or visit some of the contributors’ linked posts and see what they have to say about it.

If High Fantasy or Epic Fantasy is just not your bag,  one of these upcoming carnivals is bound to be:

Edition 51 hosted by: Nicole at Linus’s Blanket
Deadline for submission: April 9, 2010
Theme: Out of the Comfort Zone: Books You Thought You’d Never Read, But Enjoyed When You Did
To submit a post, email: nicolebonia at gmail dot com

Edition 52 hosted by: Rebecca from Rebecca Reads
Deadline for submission: April 23, 2009
Theme: Poetry
To submit a post, email: rebecca at rebeccareid dot com

Edition 53 hosted by: Nicola at Alpha Heroes
Deadline for submission: May 7, 2010
Theme: Arthurian Fiction
To submit a post, email: nicola327 AT hotmail DOT com

One last thought:  I’m helping Jackie out with handling BWC, so if you notice a change in style (or, um, say, timeliness?) now know why.

46th Edition: Food Books

Beth Fish Reads has posted the 46th Edition of the Bookworms Carnival and she’s talking about one of my favorite topics – food.  Just like in the food world, there are a variety of different foods available and Beth received that during submissions.  She has reviews for cookbooks, fiction novels and even a review for The Billionaire’s Vinegar by Benjamin Wallace, which involves a bottle of wine.  I didn’t realize there were so many books about food out there, in some form or another, and I can’t wait to get over there and explore all the various links.

If you’re a foodie like I am, then definitely head over and check out what Beth has gleaned for us.  She also introduces us to a whole new weekend meme that looks to be a lot of fun for any foodie out there:

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog’s home page. For more information, see the welcome post.

If you don’t have anything for this edition, what about these?

Edition 50 hosted by: Jo at Ink and Paper
Deadline for submission: March 26, 2010
Theme: High/Epic/Traditional Fantasy
To submit a post, email: joannestapley AT googlemail DOTcom

Edition 51 hosted by: Nicole at Linus’s Blanket
Deadline for submission: April 9, 2010
Theme: Out of the Comfort Zone: Books You Thought You’d Never Read, But Enjoyed When You Did
To submit a post, email: nicolebonia at gmail dot com

Edition 52 hosted by: Rebecca from Rebecca Reads
Deadline for submission: April 23, 2009
Theme: Poetry
To submit a post, email: rebecca at rebeccareid dot com

45th Edition: Series

I’m really late in reporting this, but Secret Dreamworld of a Bookholic has posted the 45th Edition of the Bookworms Carnival and Kathrin featured novels that were involved in series.

I had picked series as my theme – and I was refering not to a specific series, but to each and every series you can come up with. In case you’re wondering why I picked this theme: I have been hosting the Series Challenge for the past 3 years and we’re now in the 4th year.

Kathrin was sent a bunch of different reviews – for the first novel, non-first novels and even whole series – so there is a ton to go explore.  If you’re looking for something new or simply want to see what is out there, make sure you stop by and browse through her topics.  I know I will be.

If you don’t have anything for this edition, what about these?

Edition 50 hosted by: Jo at Ink and Paper
Deadline for submission: March 26, 2010
Theme: High/Epic/Traditional Fantasy
To submit a post, email: joannestapley AT googlemail DOTcom

Edition 51 hosted by: Nicole at Linus’s Blanket
Deadline for submission: April 9, 2010
Theme: Out of the Comfort Zone: Books You Thought You’d Never Read, But Enjoyed When You Did
To submit a post, email: nicolebonia at gmail dot com

Edition 52 hosted by: Rebecca from Rebecca Reads
Deadline for submission: April 23, 2009
Theme: Poetry
To submit a post, email: rebecca at rebeccareid dot com