Girls in STEM: A Guest Post With Chelsea from 'Books For Thought'

Today, we have a guest poster for the Summer Blog Promo Tour. This was originally started by The Book Bratz. Check them out here. Without a further ado, here's Chelsea from Books for Thought. 

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Hey everyone! Today, Wren has invited me to talk to you all about my experience being a female in a STEM job. For those who don't know (and I didn't at first) a STEM job refers to a job in one of four fields: science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The issue surrounding these fields is that it's mostly men in these jobs, since women weren't allowed to do these kinds of things a long time ago. Now that women have (should) equal rights they can do these jobs but they're still mostly men. Maybe women don't think they can do certain jobs or maybe they're scared to be surrounded by men all the time. Both valid reasons since society makes us believe that we aren't as good as men.

1) What is your STEM job, and why did you choose this job?

I'm a web developer (computer programmer) and also a graphic designer. I actually took design first and in that course we had a little taste of web developing. When I couldn't find a design job in my area I went back to school to learn more about web development because I was interested and liked to do it. I didn't even realize at the time that there would be few girls in my class. We started with 30 people, 5 of which were girls, and then ended with 6 people where there were 2 girls. I do feel good about myself for completing the course where so many people dropped out.

2) What is your favorite part about your job?

I just like the whole idea of designing and building websites. People go online every day and have no clue what's behind the scenes. It's cool getting to be a part of that.

3) Why do you think girls don't seem to go into STEM jobs?

I feel like a lot of girls just don't see it as an option. They're also probably scared to be in such a male dominated industry which I don't blame them for. I think schools need to bring more awareness to these specific areas.

4) What are your thoughts on the gender gap between men and women in STEM jobs? (For example, the difference in wages.)

This isn't something I've ever experienced and I've been lucky that way. I'm not sure if it's not as big of an issue here in Canada but I'm sure it still happens. Obviously it's unfair but it's difficult to change the mindset of so many people at once. I think (hope) this gap won't be there in the future but all we can do right now is to fight to eliminate it.

5) What's your favorite book about girls in STEM?

I really love The Lunar Chronicles and love Cinder for being such an awesome mechanic. It's funny how she mentions the looks she sometimes gets when people realize she's Cinder first of all because she's young and secondly because she's a girl. But she's awesome at it! Also Mercy in the Mercy Thompson series is a pretty awesome mechanic and I love her a lot.

I haven't read any books with a female programmer yet.

6) What would you like to see in fiction about girls in STEM?

Just more of them in general! There's nothing wrong with not being in one of these jobs but we don't see a lot of it in books. I also tend to read a lot of YA books so those characters are usually in either high school or college. Even when they are in college a lot of the time it's in an English course, which there's nothing wrong with! We just see a lot of the same things. That goes for anything in books these days. There's always trends and the authors always follow them.

As you can see, we still have lots of progress to make so that women in STEM jobs isn't an issue anymore. It's not just about getting them in these jobs, it's about them being treated fairly. If a woman is in one of these jobs they're often questioned more than a male would be and lots are sexually harassed. I'm lucky enough to have a good job where my gender doesn't influence anything (even though I still get the "You're a programmer look" from outside clients). We're progressing slowly but I don't think it's enough.

What is a Literacy Volunteer? A Guest Post by LaLa from 'LaLa in the Library

Today, we have another Summer Blog Promo Tour! My guest today is LaLa from LaLa in the Library. Please welcome LaLa!

Wren took a peek at my blog bio and saw that I am a literacy volunteer and asked me to talk about it for SBPT, so here we go...

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When I went for my second college degree I had decided to go at the last minute and all of the work study positions had been filled, so my advisor suggested that seeing I already had course work which qualified me to tutor in the learning center, I should apply there for on campus employment.

Because I was taking American Sign Language as an elective, one of the tutees they assigned to me was a deaf student. She told the learning center's administrator how patient I was being with her and they began to assign me all of the more challenging students I was qualified to tutor (you had to have had an A or B grade in the class the student needed help with, or an applicable class). When they saw how well I was getting on with my ESL students, they added Barry (not his real name) to my tutoring schedule.

Barry was an EOP student who was struggling in all of his classes because his reading had been tested at a fifth grade level. I was not assigned to teach him reading skills, he was getting help for that in the reading lab, but was to read the assigned text he had for homework in his Biology course with him, and help him answer any questions the assignment contained. When it became apparent that whatever they were doing in his reading lab sessions was not helping him raise his reading level, I started brainstorming.

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I asked him what they were doing with him in reading lab and he said flashcards and reading for comprehension sheets that he had to read and answer questions about. He let me see one of the sheets and they were all boring paragraphs about people going in to apply for jobs, or taking clothes to the dry cleaners. I figured he wasn't gaining any reading skills because it was boring and a chore, so I set out to make reading more exciting for him. I used comic books and found easier reading children's chapter books that would be a little more interesting to a nineteen year old, like A Wrinkle In Time. I couldn't work with him during our regular tutoring sessions, so I started meeting him in one of the student lounges when we both had free time, instead of playing cards with my friends.

By the end of the semester Barry didn't need the reading lab's services any longer and when he came back for his second year of school, not only was he not a tutee, he was a tutor! I am sure the reading lab instructor thought she was the reason for Barry's success, but I knew Barry felt differently and that is all that mattered to me.

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What did Barry go on to be? I don't know because I lost touch with him, but I know that he had decided he wanted to teach after experiencing being a tutor himself. And my experience in helping him discover a joy for reading made me want to be a literacy volunteer!

Over the years my literacy volunteerism has taken on many forms. In fact, my first official volunteering was a complete failure. At that time, after you had completed your training, you had to go to the person's home to tutor. I was at college all day so my assignments were at night and not in the best of neighborhoods. I also took public transportation and had to wait at the bus stops alone, so I quit. A while later it was suggested that I would be useful at the Urban League's teen weekend program and I tutored there until I graduated.

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Post graduation my life was filled with day jobs and night music gigs, and then my son came along. After getting an instructional book from the library, and teaching him to read when he was two years old, my passion for teaching reading was reignited and I started teaching the kids I babysat to read, too. Ha ha! We had moved to the countryside when my son was three, but moved back into the city limits when he was eight and I found out that the literacy tutoring program was now library based. I would be giving my lessons at the library, so I signed up and retrained.

I did this for four years until my ex left and I had to get a full time job, but now that I am semi-retired, I volunteer for a program that matches up nonprofit daycares, after-school programs, and food banks with organizations that supply children's reading materials for free. When I am fully retired you will find me back at the library tutoring. I would also like to put together a free program for single mothers, relying on assistance programs, to help them teach their preschoolers to read.

To me reading is important because it is how we gain a lot of our knowledge; especially knowledge about places, people, and things we don't come in contact with in our day to day Iives. Knowledge and understanding of these things is what is going to catalyze world peace and bring an end to bigotry and racism. Consider this... if you help one person to read and in turn they help their children learn to love reading, or they decide to be an educator like Barry, you have made a solid contribution to a better world. Being a book blogger and making other people excited about reading is a wonderful contribution. Those of you who blog to promote a love of books, and a passion for reading among others should be truly proud of yourselves!

La La is a 59 year old book blogger who reads mostly YA, has a 24 year old son at university, is learning Japanese, makes a fab pumpkin pie, and likes a couple of martinis on Friday nights. You can find her pushing indie authors and talking books at La La in the Library and on Twitter @LaLaTOadstOne 

A-Z Survey: Guest Post by Dejah from 'Legend of Lost Books'

Today, I have Dejah from Legend of Lost Books for SBPT. She's going to be doing the A-Z Survey from Perpetual Page Turner. Check out the original post here.

Author You've Read The Most Books From:

Lemony Snicket and Lynne Ewing (Tied with 13) (Want an easy way to figure this out if you have Goodreads and keep good track of your stuff? Go to your account, hit “my books”and on the left hand side under your shelves you will see “most read authors”)

Best Sequel Ever:

Hunger by Michael Grant and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Currently Reading:

The Assassin Game by Kirsty McKay and Sing by Vivi Greene

Drink Of Choice While Reading:

Ice Water

E-Reader Or Physical Book:

Physical when I'm home, E-Reader when I'm at work

Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated In High School:

Cabel Strumheller from Wake by Lisa McMann. He is so protective and insecure but he is so adorable!

Glad You Gave This Book A Chance:

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Hidden Gem Book:

Jinx by Meg Cabot

Important Moment In Your Reading Life:

Starting My Blog

Just Finished:

How To Disappear by Ann Redisch Stampler

Kinds Of Books You Won't Read:

Erotica and Historical Fiction

Longest Book You've Read:

Hunger by Michael Grant (590 pages) ( Go to your Goodreads “read” list, scroll down and there will be this little tab on the bottom that lets you choose how you want to sort or how many books you want display. Choose num pages)

Major Book Hangover Because:

Last Seen Leaving by Caleb Roehrig

Number of Bookcases You Own:

None. That's why my books are all over the place

One Book You Have Read Multiple Times:

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Preferred Place To Read:

My couch or anywhere that isn't my bed

Quote That Inspires You:

"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind" - Dr. Suess 

This was really hard because majority of my favorite quotes come from music

Reading Regret:

The Child Called It by Dave Pelzer

Series You Started And Need To Finish:

The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare, The Heroes Of Olympus by Rick Riordan, Gone by Michael Grant, Maximum Ride by James Patterson, The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer AND A LOT MORE!

Three Of Your All Time Favorite Books:

Where The Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein and Inkheart by Cornelia Funke (I'm just going to say 2. It starts with a T anyway)

Unapologetic Fangirl For:

The Maximum Ride Series by James Patterson. It doesn't get talked about enough and I mention it in almost every post.

Very Excited For This Release More Than All Others:

Tied between Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake and Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Worst Bookish Habit:

Looking online for more books as if my TBR isn't big enough

X Marks The Spot: Start At The Top Left Of Your Shelf And Pick The 27th Book:

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Your Latest Book Purchase:

The Problem With Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout, Suicide Notes From Beautiful Girls by Lynn Weingarten, and Down With The Shine by Kate Karyus Quinn (All from Barnes & Noble)

ZZZ Snatcher: Last Book That Put You To Sleep:

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. Yeah I DNFed that one...

About the Blogger

Dejah is a 19 year old part time college student studying biology. She loves all things Disney and Marvel super heroes. Here favorite book genres are mystery/thriller and retellings of the Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland variety. If she isn’t reading, you can find her dancing and listening to music. Feel free to check her out at Legend Of Lost Books and follow her on twitter at Legend Of Books .

Around the World in Two Blogs: A Guest Post With Divya from Endless Pages

Today, we have a guest poster for the Summer Blog Promo Tour. This was originally started by The Book Bratz. Check them out here. Without a further ado, here's Divya from Endless Pages.

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Hey guys! Tell me, is there anyone who's reading this post right now NOT love travelling? Going with our friends, seeing new places, and learning more about new cultures and places? That'd be so wonderful. So, even if I don't get to travel often IRL, I make up for it by reading books about travelling. So, without further ado, let me tell my favorite travelling reads, and the ones which are in my TBR!

MY FAVORITE TRAVELLING READS:

 

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse-Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy's mom finds out, she knows it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he'll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends -- one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena -- Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.

This book goes without saying. Almost all of the books in the PJO and Heroes of Olympus series feature road-trips (or Argo-trips or Festus-trips), and all of them are awesome. Riordan is the king of mythology AND travel :D Seriously, if there's anyone who's not read this series yet, go! Read it! AND THEN COME TELL ME WHAT YOU FEEL. 

 

Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson

Gold is in my blood, in my breath, even in the flecks in my eyes. Lee Westfall has a strong, loving family. She has a home she loves and a loyal steed. She has a best friend—who might want to be something more. She also has a secret. Lee can sense gold in the world around her. Veins deep in the earth. Small nuggets in a stream. Even gold dust caught underneath a fingernail. She has kept her family safe and able to buy provisions, even through the harshest winters. But what would someone do to control a girl with that kind of power? A person might murder for it. When everything Lee holds dear is ripped away, she flees west to California—where gold has just been discovered. Perhaps this will be the one place a magical girl can be herself. If she survives the journey. The acclaimed Rae Carson begins a sweeping new trilogy set in Gold Rush-era America, about a young woman with a powerful and dangerous gift.

This book is one heck of a genre mishmash and I LOVED IT! Almost all my favorite tropes were included in it, and I was flailing throughout it. Read it, you all! 

BOOKS IN MY TBR:

 

Thou Shalt Not Road Trip by Antony John

When sixteen-year-old Luke's book, Hallelujah, becomes a national bestseller, his publishing house sends him on a cross-country book tour with his older brother, Matt, as chauffeur. But when irresponsible Matt offers to drive Luke's ex–soul mate, Fran, across the country too, things get a little crazy. On the trip, Luke must loosen up, discover what it truly means to have faith, and do what it takes to get the girl he loves. Told with Antony John's signature wit and authenticity, and featuring smart, singular characters who jump off the page and into your heart, this story is a spiritual awakening and rockin' road trip in one.

I've read and loved Antony John's Five Flavours of Dumb (featuring a deaf girl as the manager of a band), and am very excited to read TSNRT. I hope this is as good as FFoD!)

  

Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Amy Curry is not looking forward to her summer. Her mother decided to move across the country and now it's Amy's responsibility to get their car from California to Connecticut. The only problem is, since her father died in a car accident, she isn't ready to get behind the wheel. Enter Roger. An old family friend, he also has to make the cross-country trip - and has plenty of baggage of his own. The road home may be unfamiliar - especially with their friendship venturing into uncharted territory - but together, Amy and Roger will figure out how to map their way.

  Everyone and their dogs have read and loved this book to pieces, and I don't even know what's stopping me from reading this. I hope I'll fall in love with it too! 

 

How to Repair a Mechanical Heart by J C Lillis

Eighteen-year-old Castaway Planet fans Brandon and Abel hate bad fan fiction—especially when it pairs their number-one TV crushes of all time, dashing space captain Cadmus and dapper android Sim. As co-runners of the Internet’s third most popular Castaway Planet vlog, they love to spar with the “Cadsim” fangirls who think Cadmus will melt Sim’s mechanical heart by the Season 5 finale. This summer, Brandon and Abel have a mission: hit the road in an RV to follow the traveling Castaway Planet convention, interview the actors and showrunner, and uncover proof that a legit Cadsim romance will NEVER, EVER HAPPEN. A Brandon and Abel romance: also not happening. Brandon’s sick of his struggle to make “gay and Catholic” compute, so it’s safer to love a TV android. Plus Abel’s got a hot new boyfriend with a phoenix tattoo, and how can Brandon compete with that? But when mysterious messages about them start popping up in the fan community, they make a shocking discovery that slowly forces their real feelings to the surface. Before they get to the last Castaway Planet convention, Brandon’s going to find out the truth: can a mechanical heart be reprogrammed, or will his first shot at love be a full system failure?

Doesn't this book sound like the most wonderfulest thing of ever? I'm in love with the cover and the blurb and I know I'll love the story too when I finally get around to reading it. Also, almost everyone who read this loved it, and that only just makes me get even more excited for it! 

That's all I have for you! Thank you, Wren, for having me here today!   

About: 

Hello everyone! I’m Divya, a fifteen-year-old bookworm from India. When I’m not reading, I can usually be found listening to music, or procrastinating on my homework ;) I’m a fan of all things Marvel and superheroes. Connect with me on my blog Endless Pages, or find me on Twitter: @literary_dragon

Sushi Book Tag: A Guest Post By Anna from 'Unquenchable Reads'

Today, we have a guest poster for the Summer Blog Promo Tour. This was originally started by The Book Bratz. Check them out here. Without a further ado, here's Anna from Unquenchable Reads. 

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Hi everyone! I'm Anna from Unquenchable Reads and I'm the first stop on the Summer Blogger Promo Tour for Wren. I'm so excited for this year's tour and it is going to be a ton of fun! Wren and I emailed for a little bit before deciding on what we should do. So, I am doing the Sushi Book Tag (because sushi is one of the best foods ever in my opinion <3 ) and you'll have to keep checking back on my blog to see what post Wren does on my blog later on :) This tag was created by Unicorn Hunter Books on Youtube. 

Unagi: 

What book sounds strange but is really amazing? 

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. 
Someone at school asked "what is that even about?" so I explained it. They replied "that's weird" then turned around. But it's a super amazing book! I don't think it sounds weird, but I thought that was an opportunity to tell that story quickly. I know it isn't a great story, but I thought I would tell it anyway. 

Rainbow Roll:

What book has too many layers? 

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski.
I haven't read House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, but I've flipped through the book multiple times at Barnes and Noble and wow. It looks super complicated. There looks to be so many layers of plot in that book. I can't think of one that has too many layers that I've read so...... 

Inari:

What series should have more books? 

The Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare
Maybe The Infernal Devices trilogy? It's my favorite series so far that's in the Shadowhunter world. I feel like a lot more could have maybe been explained or maybe just have everything at a slower pace with more side scenes. OOH! 

Mara Dyer trilogy by Michelle Hodkin
Or the Mara Dyer trilogy. That series needs so much more to be explained and I feel like one more book in Mara's POV would help explain it. 

Fish eggs

What book do you feel bad for not reading? 

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare, Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas, The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey

I have too many. I feel bad about not reading City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare, Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas, and The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey are just a few examples (yet, I feel bad for not reading them yet). 

Sashimi: 

What book is great even without a crucial element of its genre (i.e. a sci-fi book without aliens, a fantasy without magic)? 

The Island by S. Usher Evans is a fantasy novel that doesn't have magic and is amazing. If you don't know what it's about, The Island is about a kingdom and a rebelling land. There is a war going on that interferes with two people's lives, forcing them to meet. They have to learn to survive if they want to live. 

Avocado Roll:

What book is great in its simplicity? 

The Kiss of the Rose Princess by Aya Shouto
The Kiss of the Rose Princess manga was very simple, yet it was so good! I loved the series. 

What is your favorite kind of sushi? 

My favorite sushi roll is one of the following: the Crazy roll, Philadelphia roll, or the Spicy Tuna roll. 

Thank you Wren for having me! I hope you booklovers have a lovely day and happy reading!