Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Tap tap! Is this thing on?

So I read somewhere else in the blogosphere that this is National Delurking Week.

Ahem. Do you know what that means?

Lurking means reading someone's blog but leaving no trace. Never commenting. Never letting your presence be known.

Not that there's anything wrong with that; it's a free country; BUT ... It is National De-lurking Week, so guess what? I want to hear from the lurkers! (And the non-lurkers, too!)

I think some people don't comment because they don't know HOW too. Okay. Guess what? It's so easy. Just try it. I think other people don't because they don't feel they have anything meaningful to add to the discussion. Hey, guys? Does that ever stop me? Is everything I write on here just jam-packed with meaning? I doubt it.

So, here's what I'm thinking. It would fascinate me to know who's reading and where from. From where. Hmm. Yes, from where, I think. So, if you feel so moved, whether or not you've ever commented, leave your name, your city, and -- totally optional here! -- your favorite children's book (since I just wrote about mine) in the comments.

And just to inspire you, or to prove that profundity is not a criteria, I give you these:

My feet on December 14:
My feet on January 2:

25 comments:

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

I'm in northeast Iowa, basking in the sun. It is 35 degrees!

My favorite picture book is HOMEPLACE by Crescent Dragonwagon. Then anything Cynthia Rylant.

(I didn't lurk...) Thanks for stopping by my blog, Hannah

Stephanie said...

Stephanie. From Austin. Austin from. Hmmm. Yes, from Austin.

You cannot possibly expect me to choose ONE favorite book. Off the top of my head I will list two: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo. And my all-time favorite kid book (which, sadly, is out of print, and our childhood copy, in all its tattered glory, was lost in Hurricane Ivan), Richard Scarry's Busy Busy World.

Did you just make up National Delurking Week?

Also, could use some advice. Certain unnamed members of my family won't comment on my blog because they have privacy concerns. Got any arguments that would convince them that they won't get their identity stolen if they leave a comment on my blog?

Hannah said...

No, Stephanie, I didn't make it up -- honest!

RIchard Scarry is indeed wonderful.

About your relatives' privacy concerns, tell them that if they comment without a user profile, anyone who clicks on their name will get NO information. For example, yesterday Amy left a comment on my blog. Because she doesn't have a Blogger profile, when I clicked on her name, it just took me to a page that said "User profile blocked" or some such thing. I just had to guess which Amy it was! Why don't they just give it a try and then if it gives more info than they like, they can always remove their own comments ...

Bill said...

Bill from just outside of Columbus, OH. Picking a favorite is tough for me, there are so many! Generally I like funny picture books that can be read VERY LOUD to a group of laughing kids! WOO HOO! Nothing better!

Michelle said...

Hi Hannah! Thanks for stopping by my blog today! I had to check you out, and I must admit that the pictures of your feet drew me in!

I'm Michelle, from Cincinnati. It's roughly 20 degrees outside right now. Lovely weather.

I absolutely cannot pick just one book as my favorite. There are so many!

Jenny said...

Jenny in Columbia, SC. :)

Favorite children's book? Going with Anne of Green Gables. Hard to beat the classics!

Maria said...

Hi Hannah,
I'm a lurker for sure. I love reading your blog and if I saw you at a conference I may not even tell you I read it! I'm usually too tired to even dream up a comment except that I really enjoy your writing. You're eloquent, funny, and honest! Thanks!
Maria Koch
Oh yeah, Evan and I live in Athens and happiness = reading Anne of Green Gables like the another commented earlier.

Anonymous said...

Niki from New Zealand, enjoying our summer - freezing wind and rain!

Favourite book - anything that makes me laugh or cry and stays in my head for a week afterwards.

Saints and Spinners said...

Hi! I'm commenting from Seattle, Washington. Earlier this afternoon, I wrote to a friend, "The sun is shining." I should not have written that. I went to put on my coat, and by the time I got outside, it was raining. This is no exaggeration.

When asked about my favorite book, I always try to imagine myself as a celebrity on an ALA READ poster and think about what wonderful book I love that might garner more readership if I posed with it. So, my answer to the favorite book question is often The Hounds of the Morrigan, by Pat O'Shea.

Unknown said...

Hi Hannah,

Rebecca M. here writing in from sunny Los Angeles, CA. I must admit, I feel pretty guilty enjoying the glorious weather over here (cheeky grin). I've been enjoying your blog very much!

Favorite children's book of all time? I don't think it gets any better (for me) than 'The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler' by E.L. Konigsburg. It is at once captivating, enchanting and delicious, and I've been meaning to go back and read it again!

Thanks for all the wonderful writing. :)

~cjoy said...

I proudly delurked a few months back and still comment more often than I thought I would - that leaves me proud. :)

I'm "cjoy" - sorry, my real name is staying hidden still, but you know it. I'm from Buford, GA at the moment. And just so you know, picking a favorite children's book is just about impossible...two of our recent favorites are Adventures of Cow and Adventures of Cow II. There are too many good, amazing books that trickle through the house, so that will have to suffice for now!

Thanks for a great, inspiring blog and for being a good friend!

Beck said...

Hello! Not a lurker, just a cruddy commentor.
I live in Northern Ontario. My name is Beck. My favorite children's book? Oh, let's say Beezus and Ramona.

jessica said...

I'm a lurker, I confess!

My favorite children's book these days is The Cat in the Hat (maybe because I'm asked to read it three times a day??)

Jessica
Oklahoma City

Anonymous said...

Hi Hannah! I found your blog through Anne and I must confess that I have meant to leave a comment a million times! Especially when you were writing about Japan. I'll be stealing many of your ideas when I get to that part of my curriculum later in the year. :) I think I never leave comments because facebook has made me very lazy. I always want to click the "like" button...
I'm a homeschooling mom of a 9 year old boy (I also hs'd my 17 year old until he was in the 10th grade). We live in sunny Las Vegas!
I loved to read Nancy Drew when I was a kid, but could never get my boys to for some reason.

madelyn said...

I'm in Arlington, Va., where it's above freezing for the first time in a few weeks. And for the favorite kid's book (which changes) I'll go with The Phantom Toolbooth. And I'll mention that I saw somewhere that Betsy at School LIbrary Journal is doing a poll in an attempt to compile a top 100 list of chapter books. (She did picture books last year.) As long as you have people thinking about favorites, I'll post the link here:
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/1790000379/post/1570051557.html

Michelle Gibson said...

National Delurking week ~ that is great!

Michelle ~ signing in from Wyoming. Cold, snowy Wyoming that is.

Inez Vanderburg said...

I will delurk! I read your blog and enjoy the photographs, your writing, and your take on family life. My favorite series of children's books has been discussed in your blog: Little House on the Prairie.

Inez Vanderburg
Austin

Vanessa said...

OK, you have a lot of comments! You should feel special :)

This is me, from Texas. . .about ten minutes from you.

My favorite children's book is Little Women. I am now a fan of the Curious George Collection.

Michelle L said...

I try to come to your blog site at least once a week because I find it enjoyable. Its not easy (in my opinion) to maintain a blog. But since I comment probably less than once a month, I think that qualifies me as a lurker, here in Austin, in you back yard. (Yawn!) As for children's lit, I'm a big fan of the Chronicles of Narnia series!

Tim said...

[delurk]
I'm your husband. I live in your house, and it's raining here.
As a kid, my favorite was Richard Scary's Cars and Trucks and Things that Go!. As an adult, I think I most enjoyed reading Farmer Boy (Laura Ingalls Wilder) with my kids.
[relurk]

Tim said...

Narnia was a lot of fun too, and so were the Rosemary Sutcliff (Eagle of the 9th, Lantern Bearers...) books. And The Hobbit. And The Last of the Really Great Wangdoodles. I love reading with my kids. It's one of my favorite things.

jenn said...

Hi Hannah, I'm Jenn from Boulder, Colorado. From the Mixed-Up Files of Ms. Basil E. Frankweiler is one of my favorite children's books, which shouldn't be a surprise since I named my blog after it. I posted about another old favorite of mine today on my blog--The Baby-Sitters Club.

Anonymous said...

oh, my word, hannah. this is my first time to visit your blog. you seriously need to be a writer. i'm deadly serious. if no one has ever told you that before, they are all on crack. btw, i am from fort worth and still make my home there. there are so many children's books i like, that i will have to make a list and share them with you at a later date. any particular age group? anyway, one thing i have noticed about you that i really appreciate is that you seem really jesus-ly human. emphasis on the human. the reason i appreciate this human aspect (and maybe this is just b/c of my perception of people) is b/c i am really turned off by religion, i.e. religious people. and, yes, unfortunately there are some of those in the CL. i can smell them 100 miles away. but you are not like that at all. you are just who you are and don't seem to worry what other people think (like i do constantly). i love that! keep it up! :) b.h.

Jenni said...

Hey, Hannah! Jenni, here. I'm your brother's sister. :) I live in Elgin, TX (about 30 min from Austin). And I'm not looking forward to the day when the cousins live more than 30 minutes from us.

My favorite books from when I was a kid have to be the Chronicles of Narnia and the James Herriot series.

I appreciate Hannah's human-ness, also. You're more brave than I, in that I have a hard time admitting my true thoughts and feelings at times. I admire that in you.

Nancy Meredith said...

Hi Hannah, Nancy Meredith here delurking from Manchaca TX. Actually, I commented once before when I first read your blog. Not only do I lurk/read, I subscribe so Google Reader will tell me whenever you have a new post. I always have trouble picking favorites, but when I was young, I devoured all the Nancy Drew books, plus anything with horses and dogs (Misty of Chincoteague, Lassie,...okay, I'm probably one of your older fans). For the past 40+ years, since my first daughter's first Christmas, my all-time favorite children's book — long before the movie — has been Where the Wild Things Are. I think it's the line about wanting to be in a place where someone loves you most of all. Thank you again for you blog.