It was a good idea, in theory

My supervisors independently decided it would be a good idea for me to attend a workshop on the best new YA literature. I thought it was a great idea, too--hey, I LOVE YA lit, what better way to spend the day than just talking about all the great new stuff out there?

The workshop was today, and it was enjoyable. The presenter was an absolutely astounding booktalker--she only referred to her notes a few times, and she must have booktalked dozens of books. And we all got to take home this huge handbook with tons of resources, booklists, ideas, etc. The workshop was geared more towards teachers and school media specialists, so there were parts that didn't really apply to me--projects, reports and stuff--but I did get several ideas for projects I can do with my teens. I've read several of the books in the handout, but not many of the ones discussed at the workshop, which was surprising. The presenter also spent a decent amount of time on new non-fiction, which is not one of my strengths, so that was a bonus for me.

But when the day was done, and I was driving home, I made an observation: was it really a smart idea to send a YA-book-geek to a workshop about YA books? Could anyone not foresee that I was going to come home with dozens of titles to add to my already overflowing to-read list? Did no one notice that I already spend more time reading than I probably should (according to my husband; I get dinner on the table most nights, keep the house reasonably clean, and the kid is growing up happy and healthy; I personally think I'm balancing reading with real life OK.)? A woman who currently has 24 books in her to-read pile (plus countless others on her nook) and keeps a journal of to-reads according to release date has NO RIGHT attending a workshop that will only ADD to said to-read lists!

I know sarcasm is hard to read in a blog post, so I hope you can all understand that my complaints are tongue-in-cheek. I really did enjoy the conference and I did come up with several titles I want to read; the problem now is finding the time to read them all!

Here are some of the titles that caught my eye; any opinions on them? (Note that some of them have already been on my radar!)

• Tension of Opposites by Kristina McBride
• Rikers High by Paul Volponi
• Blank Confession by Pete Hautman
• Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
• They Called Themselves the KKK: Birth of an American Terrorist Group by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
• Dirty Little Secrets by CJ Omololu
• Short: Walking Tall When You're Not Tall at All by John Schwartz
• Payback Time by Carl Deuker

Enjoy your reading!
Christi