Meet the Panelists : Amanda from Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Only 2 days until the Cybils Awards are announced!  To get you excited, I'm featuring a Fantasy & Science Fiction panelist (or two) every day until the awards are announced.  Today's Meet the Panelist is Amanda from Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs .  Amanda was a great addition to our panel because she reads all over the kidlit map.  She was also a good indicator of what books were waiting in the mail for us since she always seemed to get the boxes first!

When did you start blogging and why?

I kept a handy dandy notebook of what I read for years, but sometimes it wasn't with me when I wanted it and I thought a blog would always be online for when I was traveling or away from notebook (notebooks really - I have 5 thick full ones in the archive).  My blog is just a glorified reading log. When I discovered the kidlitosphere of bloggers, I was blown away by some of blogs out there.

What are some of your favorite posts?

I like giving myself challenges and the blog is a good way to stay accountable. For 8 months or so I read an animal fiction chapter each month featuring a different kind of animal - gerbils, ducks, bears, foxes, bats. I had a lot of fun looking for a different kind of critter starring in an appealing chapter book. I was going to do this challenge for a year, but then there was a looooooong list of Cybils nominees to read and I fell off the animal fiction wagon.

What was your favorite part about being a Cybils panelist?

A ready made reading list and a whole bunch of cool book junkies to discuss it with. . . what's not to love?

Any advice for future panelists?

Start reading as soon as you can and read as much as you can! There's never enough time to read it all (unless you read like the wind - still in awe of Charlotte's total books read for the panel - WOW!)

Why do you blog about teen books?

Teen years have all that heightened emotion and angst which is fun. Plus, I swear some of the BEST writers out there are writing YA these days. I just love these books.

If you were a Cybils judge, which category would you like to judge?

Fantasy/Sci-Fi is probably a perfect fit for me. I love reading speculative fiction, dystopia, supernatural romance, and high fantasy.

Where is your favorite place to read?

On trains and buses. . . you get to go somewhere with the author of your book while getting somewhere in the real world.

Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experiences with us, Amanda!