Monday, January 25, 2010

New Feature: Back-to-School


A few months ago, my husband was reading the Penn State Alumni magazine; and he found a page devoted to books written by Penn Staters. He thought it would be a great idea if I supported our Alma mater and read some of the books. Then, he took it one step further and suggested that I could actually feature "Penn State books" on my blog.

Our household is very Penn State proud, and my husband and I even have a Penn State Christmas tree each year and a stand-up Joe Paterno in our basement (it was my 10th anniversary present -- and I didn't even mind!) As much as I love Penn State and think it's the best university ever, I realize that only a few of you probably share my adoration for all things Nittany. However, I figured that I'm not the only book blogger (or reader) out there who likes to support my school.

So.....I decided to challenge myself to read and feature more books written by Penn Staters. As a result, I am starting a Back-to-School Feature where I will occasionally feature a book written by a Penn Stater or an author who is a fellow Penn State alum. I will be tracking my Back-to-School Feature posts in the Mr. Linky below.

You might be reading this and think that it's kind of a silly idea; and if that's the case, I will just track my PSU-related books here. However, I'd love to have others join in the fun! If you decide to feature anything book-related to your Alma mater, I'd love to have you post a link below in the Mr. Linky form. In fact, if you feature a book related to any school that you attended, root for or even live near, it can count -- it's all about school spirit.

I wanted to keep this feature as simple as possible. You don't have to sign up or commit to anything. If you want to participate, all you have to do is go to the Mr. Linky below and list your name, the school, and what you are featuring (i.e. author's name or book). For example, Julie/Booking Mama/PSU (The September Sisters.) Then you can link to your post. It's that easy! And, if you have already some posts that qualify, please include them below -- the posts don't have to be new.

Oh! I almost forgot -- feel free to grab the button and share. To make things easier, I will put the Back-to School Feature button on the top of my right sidebar for easy access.

10 comments:

bermudaonion said...

I will definitely try to do this, but need to come up with some titles to read. I think Booking Daddy had a great idea!

Anonymous said...

What if my Alma Mater is a Big 10 rival of yours (Michigan)? Can I still participate?

I think it's a fantastic idea. And I do have some old posts I could already share.

Jen (Devourer of Books) said...

I think this is definitely a cute idea. If I come across any books written by UC Davis alums I'll definitely participate. Unfortunately, my school is best known for the ag and vet programs, so any books probably are about the care of cows or something. But if I find a novel, definitely.

Sandy Nawrot said...

I'm sure my school Ball State should have the cow thing covered Jen! Haha! Well, David Letterman went to Ball State! Him and Joyce DeWitt. That is our claim to fame. One of my BFF's is a Penn State alum, and I have to hear his nattering ALL THE TIME about them. I just roll my eyes. I think it is cute idea.

Beth F said...

Fun idea! I featured Jillian Cantor today on my blog and will be hosting her as a PA author in the next week or so. I'll be sure to link up.

Judi Fennell said...

You should add Jenny Gardiner's "Winging It" which is coming out in March. I beta-read for her and, OMG, is it hysterical! Her fiction (which I see on your list) is funny and so is this real-life story.

I read on the review of my story, In Over Her Head, that it was the inspiration for this column. I am honored.

And so glad you enjoyed In Over Her Head! "See" you tomorrow!

Judi Fennell said...

Another PSU Alumnus: StephanieJulian.com. An erotic romance author for Ellora's Cave. Her Magical Seduction series is wonderful.

Susan said...

What a totally fun idea! I've already posted several reviews by people from my Alma Mater - BYU - I'll try to remember to go back and link them up. We've got some great ones: Shannon Hale, Brandon Sanderson, Jessica Day George, Stephenie Meyer, etc.

Susan said...

Scratch that - Shannon Hale graduated from University of Utah, BYU's rival. Traitor.

Jenny Gardiner said...

We love Julie for supporting her fellow Nittany Lions! Hey--my stand-up JoePa story made it in the PennStater online. We'd gotten that long ago when 1st married and it ended up stored in the condo's basement storage facility--each individually separated by chicken wire & locked up. I went to the basement for something one night, turned on that naked bulb and screamed when I saw this "man" standing in our "cage." Of course it wasn't a real man, it was stand-up Joe LOL
Thanks for choosing my books as part of the PSU read-a-thon! (and thanks Judi!)