Taking Tea in the Kasbah



red dashboard of old car

~ photo by Todd Klassy

Another weekend, another chance for a Weekend Road Trip around the blogosphere! And, as always, the snacks are just as important as where we stop, so since it’s also Girl Scout cookie time, I’ve bought a few boxes to take along for the ride. Let’s head out:

This week, YA author Maureen Johnson was stirring things up with her article in The Guardian, “Let J.K. Rowling’s Magic Dispel Prejudice About Her ‘Proper Adult Novel’ “. As a writer and avid reader of YA fiction, I greatly appreciated Maureen’s defense of the genre. I have never understood why anyone would feel the need to put down another person’s reading preferences by debasing them as “less than”. And as far as J.K. Rowling’s new book goes, I agree with Maureen: let it stand on its own and be judged for its own merit. What do you think?

(Speaking of Maureen and J.K. Rowling, have you read Maureen’s blog post where J.K. “reveals” to her that there is a fifth house at Hogwarts in addition to Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin? Hilarious!)

I just loved The Wordplayer’s Manifesto from K.M. Weiland. I plan to print it out and pin it to my bulletin board. Hear that, world? I am a writer. Hear me create! (and type and think and type some more and think some more…)

Kirsten Hubbard, YA author and travel writer, takes us on the same Central American journey that her main character goes on in her new, soon-to-be-released book, Wanderlove. Check out the gorgeous photos she’s posted on her blog of the locations that inspired her book. I’m definitely placing Wanderlove on my ever-growing To-Be-Read list.

And in a post about appreciating this journey called life, Sara Walpert Foster reminds all of us that “If we spend our time worrying about what we no longer are or what we might become, we miss out on who we are and how much there is to learn each day.”

Thanks for joining me on another Weekend Road Trip and for (mostly) sharing the Girl Scout cookies. Share your thoughts, opinions or your favorite Girl Scout cookie below. I’d love to hear from you!

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7 thoughts on “Weekend Road Trip: On J.K. Rowling’s Latest, A Manifesto for Writers, A Photo Journey, and Appreciating Your Age

  1. Great recommendations, Tami. And a reminder, must get over to Sara’s site. Where did my week go?

    For Saturday road-trippers, Gloria Richard has undertaken a most curious journey. Check it out:

    http://bit.ly/wZVrh6

    • I will road trip over to Gloria’s blog to see what she’s up to today. Thanks for the link!

  2. Great mashup, Tami! I’m anxious to hear more about J.K. Rowling’s new book, but am I the only one who’s never read a Harry Potter novel? As for GS cookies, I could eat a whole box of Samoa’s on each and every road trip.

    • I have read all of the HP books and am now going through them another time as I read them to my younger daughter. And I’m with you on the Samoa’s – they go down all too easy for me. 🙂

  3. Hey Tami, your mashup’s are always so wonderful. I’m looking forward to J.K Rowling’s new book. One of my daughters gifted me with all of the HP for my Kindle, but I have yet to read them. I hate admitting it, but I think it’s only because seeing the movies somehow makes it feel “okay” not to have gotten to the books yet. As for her new book, I find it sad and very unfair that any book and author are judged even before the first page of their book has been turned.

    Lol, I gave up sweets for Lent, so I’m trying very very hard not to think of Girl Scout cookies at all — although Samoa’s– yummy!

  4. Thanks Tami for the shout-out. I LOVED the Harry Potter books and still find it odd that people separate them out as not quite adult books, whatever that means. I guess I understand why the YA book genre developed but I also think that when we separate out like that, we risk creating a hierarchy that IMHO is BS. A good book is a good book. Period.

    • I agree about the HP books, though I am glad there is a YA book genre since there seemed to be a gap between what is considered Middle Grade and adult fiction. There are some books that easily do span the genre boundaries and HP seemed to do that. But a good book is a good book no matter what. I’m with you on that. And no one should make statements to make someone feel badly about choosing to read a book that they enjoy.

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