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This is not my desk, I swear. My desk isn't nearly is only almost that bad...

Well guys, April wasn't exactly what I wanted it to be. You see, I had all these plans for April. I wanted to highlight several causes that are very important to me, personally. I was hoping these causes might be important to you, too, and we could come together through our mutual love of books. Unfortunately, life keeps getting in the way of my grand blogging plans.

I try really hard to not make excuses or apologize for my lack of posts because when it comes down to it, I blog for me. However, it is very difficult to suppress the guilt that comes with my absence from the blogging community. I hate that I get stuck in review ruts. I hate that I have to spend so much time working and can't get paid for blogging. (Any takers?) I hate that I made a commitment to featuring important issues during the month of April and failed miserably.

So, I'm taking the time now, even if it is a little late, to finish what I started back in this post.

I love that April is School Library Month, but I hope everyone appreciates both school and public libraries throughout the year.

• Sarah at Y.A. Love does an amazing job of supplementing her students' book needs despite losing their librarian due to budget cuts. In light of such a sad situation, Sarah gets her students excited with author interaction, reviews posted to the blog, and an outpouring of support via donations to her classroom library. Sarah, if you're reading this, I think you are amazing! I pray my (future) children will have teachers as dedicated as you. (Also, I still have those books to send to you, but I've been gathering a few more surprises!)
• Jen at I Read Banned Books is a youth librarian who earlier this year called for book donations for the Austin Children's Shelter. They gathered over 500 books in just a month for children and teens in need. Just imagine what they could do in a longer timespan! I am amazed by this fellow Southerner - she makes me proud to be a part of this community.
• My friend Tiffany blogs at Mighty Little Librarian where she shares her latest adventures since scoring her dream job as a middle school librarian. I suppose I'm partial since I actually know Tiff in real life, but her blog is pretty freaking fantastic. She has literally transformed her library just since January, and she's making steps every day to incorporate technology into her students' and teachers' lives.

Abuse - be it physical, emotional, sexual, or psychological - is a very scary and unfortunately very real thing in today's society. Thankfully there are YA authors out there willing to shine a light on tough subjects like abuse. Courtney Summers, Ellen Hopkins, Laurie Halse Anderson, Elizabeth Scott, Thalia Chaltas - all have undoubtedly changed lives with their beautiful words. If you or anyone you know is a victim of abuse of any kind, please know that there is help.

I did something very important this month - I registered with my state as an organ, eye, and tissue donor. This is something I've been meaning to do for a long time, and I finally did it. The next thing on my to-do list is to register as a bone marrow donor. This process is a little more involved than clicking a few links and typing in my information, but to me it is equally important. I briefly mentioned the loss of a friend in a previous post. He was diagnosed with ALL - acute lymphoblastic leukemia - and received a bone marrow transplant that failed. While the transplant did not work for him, it has worked for countless others. It is certainly a huge decision that should not be made lightly, but I encourage everyone to do the appropriate research to see if bone marrow donation is right for you. To those of you looking for something immediate, donate blood. Blood donation can occur several times a year, and can be done at most hospitals any day of the week.