Bluestocking

Between excursions out into the snow.

2012-01-23T15:41:00.000-06:00

The new job is going well. Now that I've finished some parts of the training and am getting to do stuff with my department, it is more exciting. I like to see *results*. One to Nine: The Inner Life of Numbers, by Andrew Hodges. I sometimes worry about my innumeracy; this was to help me with that. The introduction was good, very basic and written in a personable style. However, once the

silly bloggy thing.

2012-01-16T16:41:00.000-06:00

I don't usually do this on here, since this isn't a personal blog, but I'm willing to try something new to humor my family. I was tagged by Jacqueline. The Rules: 1. You must post the rules. 2. Post 12 fun facts about yourself on the blog post. 3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and then create 5 new questions for the people you tagged. 4. Tag 5 people and link

re-employed.

2012-01-10T00:18:00.000-06:00

I almost don't know how to find things to read anymore. For more than two years, my method has been to write down titles that look interesting while I am doing my ordering, or to pull out titles that look interesting when I am going through new books or while helping a patron in the stacks or while weeding. I haven't been doing most of those activities lately, so it's as if I've forgotten how

Boxes unpacked!

2011-12-16T16:26:00.000-06:00

Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain, by David Eagleman. 153 Ea. Hurrah, one more for the great nonfiction survey! This was an interesting book (Dad, this is the one I was telling you about in the car). We are established in Pullman, but between full-time parenting, still-trying-to-organize-the-house, and getting-ready-for-Christmas, I don't have much time to read. We won't have

all the boxes!

2011-11-30T10:09:00.000-06:00

Book: Fire bird Author: R. Garcia y Robertson For my classes: No Comment: The story was interesting, if largely unidentifiable with the original fairy tale. I would say this book was on par with the author's other work. It was ok in nearly all respects, though not spectacular in any. The romance was pretty good, except for the" romance" (e.g. sex), which was gratuitous and poorly

7 boxes packed.

2011-11-09T17:42:00.000-06:00

Starting out with a regular review: Snuff, by Terry Pratchett. Some events from an earlier novel played an important part in this, and I didn't remember them as well as I would have liked, but I was able to swim along ok. Excellent, as always. Book: The Emperor's Babe Author: Bernadine Evaristo For my classes: Perhaps Comment: The writing style of this book was interesting; it reminded me,

i've run out of boxes

2011-11-06T16:01:00.000-06:00

and my 4-year-old is asleep. Book: Deja Dead Author: Kathy Reichs For my classes: No Comment:The writing was very good, in spite of negative elements. I disliked the author's (over)use of fragments. Also, it seemed like there were some leads the author didn't explore to their full potential, so those details ended up feeling useless and unplanned. Overall, there was alot of violence and blood

dinosaurs

2011-11-06T14:26:00.000-06:00

As I go through these, it's fun for me to guess at time lines based largely on my handwriting. My handwriting (as opposed to writing and composition skills) is something that I worked very, very hard on in college and for the few years after. Now I get complimented on it: a far cry from my teachers humiliating me in class. I guess they never heard of dysgraphia. I also don't think I ever

more archeology

2011-11-06T12:40:00.001-06:00

I am having fun digging through this old stuff. Book: Brave New World Author: Aldous Huxley For my classes: possibly Comment: It would probably be fine for high school level and I'm sure it was revolutionary for its time, but as far as more modern distopias go, this didn't say too much by comparison. It took a while to really say anything. I enjoyed the author's writing style, and the plot

from eons ago

2011-11-06T11:23:00.000-06:00

A note about the blog now in case you don't want to read to the end: content will now focus more on adult fiction, as, in my new position, I will interact with t(w)eens rarely-- the children's librarian will oversee birth through 18, and I will pick up from there. I may also experiment with including more media reviews-- in addition to traditional print, I will also be ordering all AV. So

well, that was quick

2011-11-04T19:49:00.000-05:00

Exactly one week after being laid off, I was offered a job at a library I interviewed for 10 days ago. Hurrah! I have no books to report; I've barely been reading, spending all my time on legal stuff and job applications. I can't even read at lunch anymore because my lunch break has gone from a one-hour break in the quiet staff room to a 15-minute break, mostly spent getting more juice for my

Low 8th Grade & 7th Grade Book Talk Books

2011-10-30T20:53:00.001-05:00

There was some overlap between books that I took to the regular and high 8th grade that I also took to low 8th grade and all of 7th, so below isn't a comprehensive list, just one limited by blogger's tag limit. Come on, blogger! Anya's Ghost, by Vera Brosgol. A graphic novel I really enjoyed! The art is great, how the illustrator used color and lack thereof. The story gets a little

Regular & High 8th Grade Book Talk Books

2011-10-30T16:19:00.001-05:00

Books I took to book talks before everything went down, post 1: books in the presentation to normal-reading-level and high-reading-level 8th graders. Alligator Bayou, by Donna Jo Napoli. One of the very few historical fiction books I've read recently that I thought good enough to promote. Historical fiction generally doesn't do well with my kids (well, used-to-be-my kids), but I sold this on

well, well, well

2011-10-30T14:57:00.001-05:00

It has been a busy week. Last Friday (10/21) I was out at 8th grade all day-- the first time the library has been to 8th grade in years (reviews here and here). Saturday I worked all day; Sunday I traveled all day for an all-day interview on Monday; Tuesday was fly-back day for another 15 hours of fun; Wednesday, back to the schools for 7th grade all day; Thursday was a closing shift with extra

it's all over the place.

2011-10-14T12:34:00.000-05:00

The Middle of Everywhere, by Monique Polak. This was a good book, and I'd use it for 7th and 8th grade, but about halfway through there are a few things that make me think I can't randomly promote this to kids I don't know. A great book, though. How to Survive Middle School, by Donna Gephart. This book is a really fast read, but I'm a quarter of the way through and nothing really exciting is

stuff (surprisingly) not for work

2011-10-05T12:25:00.001-05:00

Princess in Waiting, Princess in Pink, Princess in Training, Party Princess, and Princess on the Brink, by Meg Cabot. Alienated, by David O. Russell and Andrew Auseon. Theoretically a good book for boys, this totally isn't grabbing me. It's too unbelievable. For the kind of suspension of disbelief required, the book would need to start slower, not just jump right in with both feet. The

More Rejects

2011-10-05T12:19:00.000-05:00

In addition to upcoming 6th-grade booktalks in November, I now have added 8th grade. Hurrah! It's "hurrah" because we haven't been invited to the 8th grade in at least 4 years or more. However, the 8th grade reading teacher would like tailored booktalks-- one booktalk presentation for her 3 "normal" reading classes, and special one for both her high reading class and her low reading class.

(nonfiction addendum)

2011-09-20T10:48:00.002-05:00

The nonfiction from 6th grade booktalks: Ancient Medical Technology: From Herbs to Scalpels, by Michael and Mary B. Woods (AR: not yet: new book). Interesting, certainly readable and informative. Can I See Your ID? True Stories of False Identities, by Chris Barton (3). I'm not sold on the 2nd-person writing, but definitely good stories and the author does a good job getting into the heads

first book talks of the school year!

2011-09-20T10:42:00.001-05:00

6th grade, done! Also fantastic news-- the reading teachers (for this grade) would like me to come every other month! That's four more times this year. Considering how many books I promote each time, I'll need at least 80 more titles. So, if you know of any fiction books (or readable nonfiction with AR) appropriate for 6th graders that I haven't read in the last couple years, please (

my conclusion is:

2011-09-09T14:45:00.000-05:00

I really like sixth graders-- hanging out with them, talking with them, developing programming for them-- but I'm not attracted to sixth-grade appropriate literature. Why is that? Shakespeare Undead, by Lori Handeland. Who thought it was a good idea to write a book set at the crux of the 16th and 17th centuries in completely modern language? I know I've complained in the past about authors

also very old.

2011-09-09T14:07:00.000-05:00

Crochet Chic: Haute Crochet Scarves, Hats, and Bags, by Francine Toukou. I checked this out from the Kitsap County Public Library a month ago while on vacation, because I was trying to learn to crochet but had forgotten the book I checked out for that purpose. What a joke! These patterns are ok, a little advanced for me at the time, but not bad. It's stupid because the models for shots with

SRP reads, part two

2011-09-09T13:34:00.000-05:00

Elephant, by Jinny Johnson. This is one of those leveled readers for first graders to work on reading on their own, but my guy loves having leveled readers books read to him, because they are so informative. Tiny Little Fly, by Michael Rosen; illustrated by Kevin Waldron. My son picked this out because it had a tiger on the front. I don't remember what happened. Can You Growl Like a

SRP reads

2011-09-09T13:28:00.001-05:00

I'm only a month behind on this post. These are the books we read for the juvenile summer reading program. The boy reader earned four dinky little prizes, and one drawing slip for one of the grand prize drawings (which he did not win, but he had trouble focusing once he wasn't getting a physical, actual toy every few books). V is for Venus Flytrap: A Plant Alphabet, by Eugene Gagliano;

just two.

2011-09-02T12:10:00.000-05:00

Stupid Fast, by Geoff Herbach. This is a really fantastic book. The character is so perfect. But there's some strong language that would make this inappropriate for probably most 12-year-olds. But I will finish it because it is beautiful. It is such a fantastic book, well told story and believable characters. The Sinner's Grand Tour: A Journey through the Historical Underbelly of Europe,

so, I guess some people are getting some rain (?)

2011-08-27T16:08:00.000-05:00

Whale Rider, by Witi Ihimaera. The language in this so far is pretty good, lyrical enough to evoke oral histories. Unless the reader is fascinated with language, however, this book will not immediately grab. My kids don't like historical fiction-- too bad-- and this won't sell them on the genre. True (... sort of), by Katherine Hannigan. I'm loving this book so far. It's really great and

Books that Didn't Make the Cut

2011-08-23T12:48:00.000-05:00

Compiling lists for the first book talks of the season. Here are books I partially read that won't be in the limelight in front of 500 middle schoolers. Saving the Baghdad Zoo: A True Story of Hope and Heroes, by Kelly Milner Halls and Major William Sumner. Although informative, this is in picture book format, with more pictures than text. Probably it would be good for upper grade school, but

added "content"

2011-08-10T20:24:00.000-05:00

Quite a long time ago, I got a "please buy my books" letter in the mail at work. I nearly simply chucked it out like I usually do, but it was so terrible I took a closer look. Each "paragraph" was extremely short-- the whole page averaged 1.5 sentences per paragraph, and each sentence was about 10 words or fewer. Half the length of some of the sentences was made up of the long book titles.

the one book i've picked up this week.

2011-08-02T10:08:00.000-05:00

The Compass of Pleasure: How Our Brains Make Fatty Foods, Orgasm, Exercise, Marijuana, Generosity, Vodka, Learning, and Gambling Feel So Good, bu David J. Linden. This sounds like it would be right up my road-- I ordered it, in fact (612.8)-- I only read 20 or so pages. The prose part, the story part, is kind of dry and then the author launches into some heavy brain science that would require a

a nature-heavy post.

2011-07-29T12:54:00.000-05:00

with vampires on the side. Wicked Bugs: The Louse that Conquered Napoleon's Army and Other Diabolical Insects, by Amy Stewart; illustrated by Briony Morrow-Cribbs. (632.7) The entries seemed short (probably they were edited to fit the pages, which were pretty small). More scientific detail would have been nice, but the historical relevance was good. I can't say I liked the sketches included

2011-07-02T08:28:00.001-05:00

Just Dance 2 (wii), by Ubisoft. !!! This was an incredibly fun game. It's like the DDR games in that the player follows a dancer on the screen, but it only uses one wiimote instead of a dance pad or multiple game controllers, so there was no special equipment. I liked it better than other dancing games because, since it obviously focused on hand gestures/arm movements, I found it easier. Who

print? what print?

2011-06-19T18:41:00.000-05:00

Although I wanted the Nook as a toy, I didn't think it would massively change my reading life. I estimated I'd read about 30-40% on it and the rest in print, as always. Instead, I'm a little bit infatuated with it; I'd rather read a so-so downloaded book than a print version of a title I was more excited about. Every time I see a title I might be interested in, I immediately check for

Toys and Things.

2011-06-14T21:50:00.000-05:00

I had this post ready to go a week ago; then I wanted to check one thing before posting, and before I knew it, I had a bunch more books to add. I just can't keep up. The Fall, by Robert Muchamore. There are getting to be kind of an unwieldy number of characters. And the topics are starting to get pretty heavy. But I like the action and the main character so much that I started this at

meh.

2011-05-18T15:55:00.000-05:00

Thanks for the comments from some of my readers following my last post. And Ms. Yingling, I promoted your blog at a conference earlier in the month-- I did a presentation on YA Collection Development at a district-level conference, and on the topic of online collection development resources, I used your blog as an example of the sorts of blogs I like to follow: bloggers for whom librarianship

I fail at blogging.

2011-05-15T21:32:00.000-05:00

I get home and I'm like, "I really should do that. No, I'll do it after the boy is in bed." And once the boy is asleep, I promptly go to bed, too. So I always forget to do this, and thus the fail. Heart's Blood, by Gail Dayton. I was in the mood for a quick paperback and, to a point, this sufficed. That point was about half way through. The first part of the book is quite good, setting up

regular reviews, plus added content

2011-03-26T13:00:00.000-05:00

Rampant, by Diana Peterfreund. A decent book, and one I think could easily be sold to 8th-9th grade girl readers (and boys targeted to sell "girl" books to-- plenty of fight scenes and blood in here). It's definitely suspenseful and the main character was pretty well fleshed. I did rather feel like some things weren't explained as well as they could have been; it felt like perhaps the author

(mostly) nonfiction I quit (mostly)

2011-03-15T14:16:00.000-05:00

The Evolution of the Human Head, by Daniel E. Lieberman. I admit, I ordered this because I thought it would be fun to read. What a drag. In the book's defense, I have a head cold and so maybe wasn't giving this reading experience my all. In the book's offense, it reads like an upper-undergrad-level textbook. This was not fun or interesting. It didn't pull me in or intrigue me like good

lists

2011-03-15T14:09:00.001-05:00

Below is the list of books I took to 7th graders. I realized too late that it skews to sci-fi/dystopia/post-apocalyptic. I did get very good interest in just about all the titles from the high achieving class, but the rest of the classes were hit or miss. (Harry Potter Should Have Died, How to Write About Charles Dickens, The American Muslim Teenager's Handbook, and Vampire Haiku) I did not

two more.

2011-03-07T18:51:00.000-06:00

White-Out, by James Vance Marshall. This is another title that I felt compelled to weed from Fiction because it hadn't checked out in 10 years, but the story line sounded so interesting I had to take it home. This was a fantastic book! I deeply cared about the character, I couldn't put the book down, the writing was superb... leave it to my patrons to not recognize a good thing when they see

and now 7th grade.

2011-03-07T16:32:00.001-06:00

The day after I did 6th grade booktalks, I got an email from the 7th grade teacher to schedule more of the same. Excellent, because the library has never worked with this grade's teachers before. So I'm back to the task of finding another 20 books I can sell to 250 13-year-olds. Most of the book below will be promoted tomorrow to the kiddies. The Recruit, (Cherub: Mission 2:) The Dealer and

Hurrah, 6th grade!

2011-02-18T12:26:00.000-06:00

I was finally able to get back in to the middle school and do booktalks; a problem with our spam filter at work kept me from receiving or sending emails to my contact there, and she thought I was ignoring her, while I thought she was ignoring me. Once we got our tech dept properly staffed, that was quickly sorted out. Any hoodle... These are the books I took: Artemis Fowl, by Eoin Colfer. I

retroactively January

2011-02-10T12:59:00.000-06:00

Normally, the three feet of snow we've had since Christmas would mean evenings and weekends find me tucked up on the couch, coffee in one hand, book in the other. The addition of the little man mean that I get to read on my lunch break, however long I can stay awake before bed, and naptimes. I don't think I'm going to come anywhere near my normal 120-ish books this year-- unless I can count

work work work

2011-01-11T10:28:00.000-06:00

Dark Voyage, by Alan Furst. I read exactly 43 pages of this book; a patron question about a name that appeared, and I couldn't get a clear picture for what was going on by reading just that page, or a few pages. It's not my normal choice-- based on both writing style and setting/time period-- but I was really getting into it, even though I wouldn't pick the author's writing style-- very short

etc.

2011-01-02T12:16:00.000-06:00

A Pearl Among Princes, by Coleen Murtagh Paratore. This is an ARC; I'm not sure where I got it, I think a colleague shunted it over to my office. I really want to not recommend this book, because the writing wasn't very good. As I think about that statement in my mind, I find that the characters were deep enough for a work for this reading level and the story moved along pretty well. It was

Happy etc. etc.

2011-01-01T21:32:00.000-06:00

Here are the ones that wouldn't fit in the post from half an hour ago. Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan. Adapted by Robert Venditti, art by Attila Futaki, and color by Jose Villarrubia. Worst. Adaptation. Ever. The original is such a good story, and a graphic novel seems like it would be the perfect medium, since so much of the book is action. But the

Happy etc.

2011-01-01T21:14:00.000-06:00

My house is full of 3-year-old. Here's what I remember from the last 2 months. Caught in the Middle: America's Heartland in the Age of Globalism, by Richard C. Longworth. This was assigned/suggested reading for a community class thingy I'm doing. I couldn't get in to it, and that's only partly because I'm not really interested. The writer doesn't help by making it interesting or anything.

Thief!

2010-10-14T18:50:00.001-05:00

Despite the fact that I liked the book quite a bit, I meant to mention that the Tracey character in Gifted: Out of Sight, Out of Mind was lifted from an old episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (yes, I watched them all). When I looked into it, I found that a little bit more than the character circumstances were stolen: the episode in question is titled "Out of Mind, Out of Sight." (!!!) The IMDB

Booktalks Happen

2010-10-13T12:08:00.000-05:00

I showed up at my assigned Middle School on the morning of my booktalks to find... a 2-hour delay due to fog. Once things actually got underway, though, my first solo booktalks were a roaring success! Go, me! Here are the books I promoted to my 6th graders: Little Blog on the Prairie, by Cathleen Davitt Bell. Read several weeks ago. Got a good response, mostly from the girls in the front few

just keep reading, just keep reading

2010-09-29T12:59:00.000-05:00

Oh, I did ask my grandma if she knew anything about The Starvation Experiment, but she didn't remember hearing about it. She was only a teenager at the time, and she talked about some of the things that were on her radar then, but this wasn't something she remembered. She asked me to email her the title, and I'm happy to say that her local library system has 2 copies at branches. Meow! (There

motivating a reader

2010-09-27T16:25:00.001-05:00

I'm on vacation again, so that means picture books and more picture books! Since the last time I visited, the Little Reader has learned two letters! He just celebrated his 3rd birthday and he can pick out the letters "C" and "O" (although he isn't close to being able to write them). I think he knows "C" because of Cookie Monster's "C is for Cookie" song (which we watch on youtube frequently),

mmmmm...

2010-09-27T12:10:00.002-05:00

...mmm. Finishing post while drinking peppermint mocha coffee. :D Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things, by Randy O. Frost and Gail Steketee. This was a very interesting book. It's not exactly a comprehensive look at the problem-- toward the end, the author talks about his surprise at the number of hoarders who have no idea that they have a problem. Their drain on local

on and on and on

2010-09-11T16:32:00.000-05:00

Hero Dogs: Courageous Canines in Action, by Donna M. Jackson. One of our frequent patrons is a the leader of a Girl Scout Troop. Their first meeting of the year will be here and I'll be giving then a library tour. She's also asked me to prepare a book list for them on September 11th, certainly one of the harder tasks I've been handed as a librarian. The girls are a mix of 6th through 8th

eclectic collection.

2010-08-26T18:28:00.001-05:00

I Can't Keep My Own Secrets: Six-Word Memoirs by Teens Famous + Obscure, edited by Smith Magazine. We have to write these little "news" articles for our library website, and my latest one was an overview of our YA Nonfiction section before school started. This is one of the lovely not-just-for-school nonfiction books we have available, and I really enjoyed it. It certainly would have been

It isn't 80 degrees today.

2010-08-18T11:03:00.000-05:00

Making Money, by Terry Pratchett. I really do think I missed this title before. I didn't remember it at all, and I have no notes on it, so this adds to my justification for reading the whole series (mostly) in order. I was at lunch the other day, reading Unseen Academicals, and the server was very excited, as he had not yet read that title, and I mentioned how I am just finishing reading the

more pratchett

2010-08-05T13:10:00.000-05:00

Monstrous Regiment and Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett. Thud, by Terry Pratchett. After several books of no noticeable errors at all, we get missing words, missing letters, and printing errors like "alI" and a zero instead of a capital "o," etc, Other than that, it is a good story. I like that we are back to main characters after a few side stories. The mystic monster that turned out to

Vacay Reads parte el dos.

2010-07-26T10:56:00.001-05:00

Here are the rest of the books we read while on vacation. It's quite a list, I now realize! The Moon Might Be Milk, by Lisa Shulman; illustrated by Will Hillenbrand. On our last visit to the library, the Little Reader was asking for a "book about cookies," and this is one of our choices. It's a good book for his age: a cumulative story featuring animals who are having a disagreement. I

Vacay Reads

2010-07-22T19:51:00.002-05:00

Since I complained about those spam postings, I've been getting even more of them. Anyone know any blogger.com people I can contact? It's getting pretty annoying. I've been internet-dead for nearly 2 weeks while I was on vacation. We were spending some time with family in our lovely home state, and got to spend quite a bit of time with the boy we will soon be adopting. We did a lot of

Now I'm making up for lost ground

2010-07-08T17:28:00.000-05:00

Carpe Jugulum, by Terry Pratchett. The Wee Free Men! How could I have forgotten! I knew this plan (or, perhaps, PLN) was a good idea. There was actually a small character in Feet of Clay that seemed sort of like a Nac Mac Feegle prototype, but here they are, fully realized. Minor errors continue to crop up, but I'm still in love. First Contact, or, It's Later than You Think (Parrot Sketch

I don't think I'm making 2 a week.

2010-06-24T18:42:00.000-05:00

I'm going to blame my lessened reading on the TV. We took it out of the second bedroom, which we are preparing for our soon-to-be-son, but we didn't want it to be in the family room, where it might become a focal point; we don't want to be that kind of family. But it's a small apartment, so the only place left was our bedroom. Now, instead of reading for a full hour before bed, I geek out and

Summer 1

2010-06-11T09:51:00.000-05:00

So it's been a while. I meant to take part in the 48-hour reading challenge, since I actually had a nice long weekend, but I ended up being busy with other stuff. It's crazy busy here at work, and home isn't any better, so I haven't gotten much reading done in the last 2 weeks at all-- just a few pages every night before I can't keep my eyes open any longer. These are mostly books I didn't

old old old old

2010-06-02T15:17:00.000-05:00

Lords and Ladies, Men at Arms, Interesting Times, and Maskerade, by Terry Pratchett. I prefer the watchmen stories, followed closely by the witches stories. I don't really like the wizards all that much, and the stand-alone books... meh. I've been trying to read them in order, but the order listings are slightly different in the beginnings of different books. I guess I'm close. Strange

Whew!

2010-05-20T19:02:00.000-05:00

It's been early mornings to go out and do book talks, late nights to do programs, and meetings, meetings, meetings. I've got some end-of-the-year programs to get through, then it's on to Summer Reading! Speaking of which, I haven't got any decorations for the YA Room figured out in the slightest. OK, one big gasping breath and go! Soul Music, by Terry Pratchett. My husband the musician

here are some books.

2010-05-06T17:09:00.001-05:00

Ok, apparently May is crunch time. It's been quite the 2 weeks. The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed America, by David Hajdu. Free Comic Book Day came and went, and we had a program. I wanted to do a little reading-up, to be a little more on my toes re: comics, and this certainly sounds like an interesting title. It isn't readable nonfiction, however;

Salt.

2010-04-26T10:55:00.002-05:00

My Best Friend, the Atlantic Ocean, and Other Great Bodies Standing Between Me and My Life with Giulio, by Jane Harrington. I'm kind of put off by super-long titles like this. I picked it because it has "Atlantic Ocean" in the title and I was hoping it would work out to tie in to my SRP booktalks. Unfortunately, the ocean doesn't really come up at all. Fortunately, it is still a pretty cool

my busy week.

2010-04-20T08:49:00.001-05:00

How to Make a Wave, by Lisa Hurst-Archer. This book was similar in a few ways to Drawing the Ocean, but generally not as good. I thought it was interesting how little dialogue there was (practically none, really), which is uncommon, in my experience, in a book for an audience this young (6th-8th grade or so). It was written in third person present tense, which really didn't work at all. If

Things I Read in the Sun :D

2010-04-15T17:55:00.000-05:00

What the Librarian Did, by Karina Bliss. I have a counterpart in the extension office. We do the same jobs, just for different locations in the system, and we seem to be similar in many other ways as well. Don't get us started on romances, especially when we're both in the same room, for example. This is a book she mocked the last time we were complaining together of having to spend the

Books and stuff.

2010-04-07T13:35:00.000-05:00

I am going to get this post done today no matter what! (I've been working on it for a week.) Between XX and XY: Intersexuality and the Myth of Two Sexes, by Gerald N. Callahan. It wouldn't be doing a disservice to readers had this book been longer. It was mostly science (hurrah, science!), but it could have gone into more depth. I was really hoping for more discussion on the historical

referencing in the sun-- hurrah for windows.

2010-03-30T11:53:00.000-05:00

Pool Hall Pro, by PlayLogic. This multiplayer game is good for small groups, but wouldn't work with big groups: it's not a very fast-paced game, so people not set up in the tournament bracket would be rather bored. The game is rated E but it's not a kid's game; the characters are rather thug-ish, like mobsters or something. Also, although I'm not an expert at the actual game, I don't think

Yarns

2010-03-26T13:33:00.000-05:00

I oversee a knitting group that meets here at the library once a month. The other day, I had a phone call from a Girl Scout Troop leader who would like to bring her group by; they have to learn knitting, crocheting, or embroidery for a badge. So I'm looking for books for kids 7-13 on basic stitches. Here are a selection from my library's Children's Department: Start To Embroider, by Claire

Hurrah! Hurrah! Reviews. (and) Boo!

2010-03-23T10:48:00.000-05:00

Nearly four years after the first post, we have made it to double digits: the blog now has 10 followers. Huzzah! I feel like I should do something to celebrate, but I'm not sure what. I'm excited that so many people think my opinion is worth reading. Thank you! In other exciting news... Although I love being a librarian, it was not my first career choice: I got that B.A. in English for a

For the First Day of Spring...

2010-03-20T10:42:00.000-05:00

... we have forecasted snow. Skippyjon Jones and the Big Bones, by Judy Schachner. In a non-library related endeavor, I've started doing some volunteer work with the my local Junior Achievement program (This website doesn't have our town information yet-- it's our first year here in this city, and none of us know what we are doing yet.) :) This week was my meet-the-class day and as soon

This, That, Etc.

2010-03-18T19:28:00.000-05:00

Wyrd Sisters, by Terry Pratchett. Apparently the last pre-bind I read was an anomaly: this copy (and the next book, which I'm currently reading) didn't have any problems with the words being swallowed by the binding space. I have noticed a few typo-type errors in these editions, but nothing too major. This book is best (probably) if you know something about Shakespearean plays or at least a

Candor, Candidly

2010-03-11T18:48:00.000-06:00

Candor, by Pam Bachorz. This was the book that we chose as "the book" for our Teen Tech Week 2010 activities. A co-worked discovered that Pam offers presentations through the Skype an Author Network, which we took advantage of, and she was totally awesome! I clicked randomly on some of the other authors signed up for the network, and very few of them seem to do free visits, or, if they do,

Is that... sun...?

2010-03-04T14:50:00.000-06:00

Gender Blender, by Blake Nelson. I'd heard this title tossed around online in a couple of list servs and it seemed interesting, but perhaps not something kids would go for. I like books that look at things from the outside, like books with aliens and the like, so this called to me. But last week, one of my regular tweens mentioned that he read it and liked it, so I was sold. Having finished

Weekend Reads

2010-03-01T15:02:00.004-06:00

Num8ers, by Rachel Ward. This sounded like a very interesting book. It was pretty good, but not phenomenal. There isn't really anything I can point to and say "this let me down," but I guess the book just didn't speak to me. It didn't really grab me. The main character is a good character, but she was missing some little thing and that kept me from really connecting with her.It is the best

Viewing thoughts.

2010-02-25T19:08:00.006-06:00

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, with Logan Lerman; directed by Chris Columbus. I don't frequently review movies, but since this is based on a current, popular book, it may be worth sharing my opinion. I saw it last weekend, and it's the first movie I've seen in theaters since P.S. I Love You (2007).I enjoyed the movie, actually, which surprised me a bit. It was better

All Sorts.

2010-02-25T12:49:00.006-06:00

Sourcery, by Terry Pratchett. A word to the publisher: we purchased this book to fill a hole in our series holdings, and this binding was the only one available through our distributor. Please stop making (p)rebinds. You make us pay four times the cost of a paperback for a book that is... a paperback, but remade with hard covers. Only those hard covers won't protect the book, because you

sigh

2010-02-18T12:17:00.007-06:00

Just Desserts, by G.A. McKevett. I started this book several weeks ago and only made it through 60 pages. It's another themed mystery series, and I've recently ordered the 15th book in the series. *sigh* The main character is one of those no-way-i'm-graying, middle-aged, single, horny female detectives, of course partnered with a slightly older, gruff, unreadable male partner. The writing is

Post Lock-In

2010-02-11T17:27:00.005-06:00

Race for the Dying, by Steven F. Havill. Like the Bernard Cornwell books, I liked the historical detail, but the rest of the elements weren't very enthralling. The plot seemed at times unsure of what it wanted to be when it grows up; it meandered between historical fiction and mystery. The denouement was surprising and sudden; while it tried to place the book in the mystery genre section, the

Thpbt!

2010-02-04T19:33:00.007-06:00

Ice, by Sarah Beth Durst. I am really carried away by this author's storytelling style. It falls apart a little, though, when I step back and say "hey, wait a minute..." Despite being captivated while actually reading, the plot is, basically, a poor romance novel without the titillating bits. This will be a big circer, I'm sure, and it's not "bad" (not swears, no sex descriptions) but it's

I didn't proof-read this.

2010-02-01T14:29:00.019-06:00

A disclaimer just in case. :) Equal Rites, by Terry Pratchett. This is the book where it really starts to be the Discworld the rest of the books take place in, and the storytelling and writing style I've come to love from this author. Granny Weatherwax is in fine form, and I was interested and excited to see alot of ideas that look like they were the basis for the Tiffany Aching character

I may never actually finish this post...

2010-01-20T11:34:00.022-06:00

Sword Song, by Bernard Cornwell. I'm pretty sure some of the author's little tics are becoming more frequent. It's not just that I'm noticing them more, I do believe they are happening more. Especially annoying to me is his habit of ending every chapter, and frequently, sections within chapters, with these little fragments that drag on for paragraphs, like so: "... and