Brief blurb in Variety announced that White Tiger by Aravind Adiga to be adapted for screen.
What I'm Reading: Audiobook Reviews Round-Up
11 hours ago
Monday, July 27, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Hunger Games & Catching Fire info
Monday, July 20, 2009
Entertainment Weekly's new book blog
No longer do we have to torture ourselves by looking at the slick photos of gorgeous men and skinny, young women in the pages of EW just to get to the really important stuff--their book reviews. We can get it straight from the 'net now.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
ALA 2009
ALA July 2009. Chicago IL. McCormick Place.
President's Keynote Address 8 a.m. Saturday
Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked, spoke about "Playing with Stolen Property", as he calls his technique of giving new life to characters familiar to all. He talked about playing Oz with his many siblings and giving the baby the role of the Wicked Witch and putting him by the edge of the house. That worked until the baby had wriggled himself under the front porch and started gagging on dirt....Mom's arrival to rescue the baby ended that game of Oz, but left Maguire with stories he needed to tell about Oz.
Maguire's newest project will be Matchless, a holiday retelling of the Little Match Girl, for NPR to be released this holiday season. Four stars.
Blogging and Books: Made for Each Other?
Panelists John Green, Kaite Mediatore Stover, Mary Burkey, and Nora Rawlinson held a lively discussion moderated by Keir Graff about the reasons they blog about books and audiobooks. Just looking at John Green would have been enough to make me happy, but he's also quite funny and articulate. Entertaining AND informative! Four stars.
Things That Go Bump in the Stacks: Paranormal Literature
Charlaine Harris, Marjorie Liu, and Charlie Huston spoke about the hottest new fiction trend and their own books, all of which have vampires in very different settings. The clear audience favorite on the panel was Charlaine Harris. Charlie Huston started writing out of desperation so he didn't have to continue tending bar and Majorie Liu, a very prolific writing about vampires in urban lit, clearly must be a better writer than she was a speaker. I did leave the session wanting to read at least one Sookie Stackhouse books to see what the fuss is all about. Three and a half stars.
President’s Program: Literacy Leadership and Librarian
Laurie Halse Anderson, Alan Sitomer and Jacqueline Woodson spoke about the booming field of YA literature and what impact it can have on its teen readers. Sitomer, who was California teacher of the year in 2007, has written several books inspired by his inner city students' lives. Woodson and Anderson both raved about the impact public libraries had on their lives, Anderson going went so far as to assert that they saved her life. Anderson had to leave the session early to receive the Margaret A. Evans award for her writing. She was wearing pink sneakers with I (heart) M.A.E. on them! Four stars.
Giving Maps a Second Life with Digital Technology
David Rumsey is an amazing man. After making a killing in the commercial real estate market in the 1990s, he now spends his time digitizing and making available to everyone anywhere his collection of 20,000 historical maps. He created a map island in Second Life where scholars and other map lovers can get up close to Rumsey's maps, many of which are real works of art as well as important historical documents. The fact that this man is spending so much of his own time and money to make these maps available to everyone for free is truly awe-inspiring. Four stars.
Can't miss the Parade of Bookmobiles, at which Cook and Julie Abbot did us proud. Here it is in front of McCormick Place: http://www.flickr.com/photos/libraryjournal/3716641659/
President's Keynote Address 8 a.m. Saturday
Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked, spoke about "Playing with Stolen Property", as he calls his technique of giving new life to characters familiar to all. He talked about playing Oz with his many siblings and giving the baby the role of the Wicked Witch and putting him by the edge of the house. That worked until the baby had wriggled himself under the front porch and started gagging on dirt....Mom's arrival to rescue the baby ended that game of Oz, but left Maguire with stories he needed to tell about Oz.
Maguire's newest project will be Matchless, a holiday retelling of the Little Match Girl, for NPR to be released this holiday season. Four stars.
Blogging and Books: Made for Each Other?
Panelists John Green, Kaite Mediatore Stover, Mary Burkey, and Nora Rawlinson held a lively discussion moderated by Keir Graff about the reasons they blog about books and audiobooks. Just looking at John Green would have been enough to make me happy, but he's also quite funny and articulate. Entertaining AND informative! Four stars.
Things That Go Bump in the Stacks: Paranormal Literature
Charlaine Harris, Marjorie Liu, and Charlie Huston spoke about the hottest new fiction trend and their own books, all of which have vampires in very different settings. The clear audience favorite on the panel was Charlaine Harris. Charlie Huston started writing out of desperation so he didn't have to continue tending bar and Majorie Liu, a very prolific writing about vampires in urban lit, clearly must be a better writer than she was a speaker. I did leave the session wanting to read at least one Sookie Stackhouse books to see what the fuss is all about. Three and a half stars.
President’s Program: Literacy Leadership and Librarian
Laurie Halse Anderson, Alan Sitomer and Jacqueline Woodson spoke about the booming field of YA literature and what impact it can have on its teen readers. Sitomer, who was California teacher of the year in 2007, has written several books inspired by his inner city students' lives. Woodson and Anderson both raved about the impact public libraries had on their lives, Anderson going went so far as to assert that they saved her life. Anderson had to leave the session early to receive the Margaret A. Evans award for her writing. She was wearing pink sneakers with I (heart) M.A.E. on them! Four stars.
Giving Maps a Second Life with Digital Technology
David Rumsey is an amazing man. After making a killing in the commercial real estate market in the 1990s, he now spends his time digitizing and making available to everyone anywhere his collection of 20,000 historical maps. He created a map island in Second Life where scholars and other map lovers can get up close to Rumsey's maps, many of which are real works of art as well as important historical documents. The fact that this man is spending so much of his own time and money to make these maps available to everyone for free is truly awe-inspiring. Four stars.
Can't miss the Parade of Bookmobiles, at which Cook and Julie Abbot did us proud. Here it is in front of McCormick Place: http://www.flickr.com/photos/libraryjournal/3716641659/
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Monday, July 06, 2009
Teen Fiction Plots Are Darker and Starker
Despite it's alarmist headline, this is a pretty good article about the current trends in YA literature.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Audio Book Reference Guide
This cool site allows you to search audio book narrators by name, sex and ACCENT! This would be a good resource to help those savvy and fickle audio book patrons who REALLY care about the narrators.
Doncha just love the internet??!!
Doncha just love the internet??!!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Summer Reading, a note of clarification
Unlike years past, I did not create a paper copy of the summer reading lists this summer. Since the titles are tagged in Encore, I decided we could use patrons' questions about the list as an opportunity to showcase the online catalog since it will be very useful to them during our tenure at the TLC.
An earlier post lists all the summer reading tags.
Happy summer!
ej
An earlier post lists all the summer reading tags.
Happy summer!
ej
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Books to be Burned in West Bend WI?
West Bend, Wisconsin has been battling some parents who want to ban books in their YA collection. The library board ruled against them, but they are continuing their fight in the courts!
Gotta read this one!
Gotta read this one!
Monday, June 01, 2009
Summer Reading is Upon Us
Now that summer reading is suddenly upon us, there are a few things that have been done to make finding the right book from the correct school's summer reading list a little easier.....
Community tags:
If you type: hmn into Encore, you will get you to a list of the books for Hawthorn Middle School NORTH.
Typing hms will do the same for Hawthorn Middle School SOUTH.
These books are on the Summer Shelf in the Children's Department and when we move to the TLC, all the summer reading titles for high schools and middle schools will be on one BIG shelf.
District 70 in Libertyville does NOT require summer reading, however Erin Wyatt, the popular librarian at Highland Middle School has tagged some of her favorites as: wyattwinners in Encore. Her list is still short, but I'm sure that more will be added.
The high school lists haven't changed much since last year, but the books aren't quite ready to be put out yet. There are still some cataloging issues to be resolved. Pam Strain assures me they'll be ready in a couple of days. If teens come in looking, you can get them a copy of the book from the cart in the Fiction Office or from the shelves in AV processing.
Now for the High School summer reading lists:
In Encore, searching lhs will get you to the list for Libertyville High School and
Vernon Hills hs will produce the list for Vernon Hills High School. (Thanks to Jane Trump for tagging these!)
In all these lists, the results can be further refined by clicking on the specific grade on the right side of the results page where it says "Refine by Tag."
It sounds much more complicated that it really it, but I thought it would help to spell it all out at the outset.
Community tags:
If you type: hmn into Encore, you will get you to a list of the books for Hawthorn Middle School NORTH.
Typing hms will do the same for Hawthorn Middle School SOUTH.
These books are on the Summer Shelf in the Children's Department and when we move to the TLC, all the summer reading titles for high schools and middle schools will be on one BIG shelf.
District 70 in Libertyville does NOT require summer reading, however Erin Wyatt, the popular librarian at Highland Middle School has tagged some of her favorites as: wyattwinners in Encore. Her list is still short, but I'm sure that more will be added.
The high school lists haven't changed much since last year, but the books aren't quite ready to be put out yet. There are still some cataloging issues to be resolved. Pam Strain assures me they'll be ready in a couple of days. If teens come in looking, you can get them a copy of the book from the cart in the Fiction Office or from the shelves in AV processing.
Now for the High School summer reading lists:
In Encore, searching lhs will get you to the list for Libertyville High School and
Vernon Hills hs will produce the list for Vernon Hills High School. (Thanks to Jane Trump for tagging these!)
In all these lists, the results can be further refined by clicking on the specific grade on the right side of the results page where it says "Refine by Tag."
It sounds much more complicated that it really it, but I thought it would help to spell it all out at the outset.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Lists of Award Winning Books
Yes, another page of lists and lists of books---this time all award winners, from Edgars, Pulitizers, National Book, Lambda, Nobel and many others I'd never heard of before!
So, this is a good place to find award winners on one site.
So, this is a good place to find award winners on one site.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Real Men LOVE Twilight.....
....at least Brad Meltzer does and if you click here, you can read his confession about why he loves, without qualifications, the Twilight series.
Alice Munro Wins 2009 Man Booker International Prize
The Man Booker International Prize, worth 60,000 to the winner, is awarded once every two years to a living author for a body of work that has contributed to an achievement in fiction on the world stage. It was first awarded to Ismail Kadar in 2005 and then to Chinua Achebe in 2007. Best known for her short stories, Munro is one of Canada's most celebrated writers. On receiving the news of her win, she said, I am totally amazed and delighted.'
Friday, May 22, 2009
Time Magazine's Top 100 Books since 1923
I confess---I am a list junkie, especially if it's a list of books I should read. So here is Time magazine's list of the best 100 books EVER. (It's not a new list, but putting it on the blog will help me remember where it is.)
How many have YOU read?
How many have YOU read?
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Dan Brown's New Novel: The Lost Symbol to be released
BREAKING NEWS:Dan Brown's new novelTHE LOST SYMBOLTo be published September 15, 2009
Click here for more information
Click here for more information
Thursday, April 16, 2009
When Do YOU Put Down a Book?
Interesting question that we've been talking about in my book club: at what point do you decide that you don't want to keep reading a particular book if you don't like it?
PS I hope to get some responses on this one.......hint, hint, hint........
PS I hope to get some responses on this one.......hint, hint, hint........
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief Goes to Hollywood
If you haven't heard of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief yet, you will soon! This is Rick Riordan's popular Y/YA series (not as popular as HP or Twilight , but still growing) about a boy who learns he is half human and half god (Poseidon is is father) and is sent to a school for others like him where he finds he must get involved with the messy lives of the gods on Mt. Olympus and tackle dangerous tasks.
Great way to introduce the classic Greek gods and goddesses to a new generation of readers!
Great way to introduce the classic Greek gods and goddesses to a new generation of readers!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Google Docs!
Although the information in this spreadsheet is irrelevant, I thought you might be interested in a new way to make and SHARE spreadsheets. When put on Google this way, other people can also add to the spreadsheet. They also have word processing in Google docs that allow you to access you docs from any computer. It’s called Cloud computing and is the Next Big Thing!
So instead of putting things on the G or S or XYZ drives, this is better because it allows you to create links to it and makes it easier to find for those of us less familiar and comfortable with those internal drives. Also, it allows access from home or whereever you're on a computer.
You may now play amongst yourselves!
So instead of putting things on the G or S or XYZ drives, this is better because it allows you to create links to it and makes it easier to find for those of us less familiar and comfortable with those internal drives. Also, it allows access from home or whereever you're on a computer.
You may now play amongst yourselves!
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Library Book Lists
Welcome to Library Booklists! This website consists of four sections: original booklists on various topics, primarily but not entirely focused on themes, places, characters, and plots of crime novels; annotated lists of other booklists, primarily but not entirely focused on fiction, for adults, kids, and teens; a growing calendar of authors' birthdates, organised by month, with links; and some resources for reading groups (discussion questions, recommended books, how to start a group, etc.).
I'm also writing a weblog called Worth Reading, to share items of interest to readers, writers, and librarians.
Most of these pages used to reside on the Waterboro Public Library website; when that website was reorganised in 2007 to make it more useful locally, these lists were omitted. As the creator and maintainer of the lists, my desire is that they continue to be accessible to librarians and readers worldwide who might find them helpful or interesting. So, here they are! I will also be adding new lists as time goes by. Please report any errors or additions to me.
I'm also writing a weblog called Worth Reading, to share items of interest to readers, writers, and librarians.
Most of these pages used to reside on the Waterboro Public Library website; when that website was reorganised in 2007 to make it more useful locally, these lists were omitted. As the creator and maintainer of the lists, my desire is that they continue to be accessible to librarians and readers worldwide who might find them helpful or interesting. So, here they are! I will also be adding new lists as time goes by. Please report any errors or additions to me.
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
The Hugo Award nominations are out!
Nominations for this year's Hugo Award are out and here they are for you.
Words about words
Words about words: "
">Link
I ended last Sunday's column asking “Why are books engaging but games are addictive?” Let’s look at this some more."
Language
...
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Orange Prize 2009 Long List
For all you fans of literatooooor, here is the long list of nominees for this year's Orange Prize. On your mark, get set, READ!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
My Sister's Keeper hits the silver screen!
Movie news:
It’s official! MY SISTER’S KEEPER, starring Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin, Alec Baldwin, Sofia Vassilieva, and Jason Patric, hits theaters on June 26! Mark your calendar!
Field trip, anyone?!
It’s official! MY SISTER’S KEEPER, starring Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin, Alec Baldwin, Sofia Vassilieva, and Jason Patric, hits theaters on June 26! Mark your calendar!
Field trip, anyone?!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Harlequin to Introduce a YA Romance Line
Harlequin to Introduce Teen Romance Line
Dodie Ownes -- School Library Journal, 2/18/2009Is the teen world ready for romance novels? Harlequin is betting on it, and in April August 2009 will be launching its own Harlequin Teen imprint. To help get input from teens, the publisher has set up the online Harlequin Teen Panel, hosted by none other than BFF Quin. Teens need to get parental sign-off before they can participate, but once a membership is approved, the panel will send participants free books and invitations to enter sweepstakes. Harlequin will also be setting up online panel discussions where teens can share their opinions on the books they’re reading with other romance aficionados. Turn your teen readers on to this chance to discuss what makes a good dreamy steamy book!
Dodie Ownes -- School Library Journal, 2/18/2009Is the teen world ready for romance novels? Harlequin is betting on it, and in April August 2009 will be launching its own Harlequin Teen imprint. To help get input from teens, the publisher has set up the online Harlequin Teen Panel, hosted by none other than BFF Quin. Teens need to get parental sign-off before they can participate, but once a membership is approved, the panel will send participants free books and invitations to enter sweepstakes. Harlequin will also be setting up online panel discussions where teens can share their opinions on the books they’re reading with other romance aficionados. Turn your teen readers on to this chance to discuss what makes a good dreamy steamy book!
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Play's the Thing
Great article about a brilliant concept. All education should be based on this theory! (IMHO)
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Oscar Winning Films Based on Books, Part 2
This list screams out for a FMM display.....any volunteers??? At least a bookmark..... :-)
Friday, February 20, 2009
Oscar Winning Films Based on Books
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Encore Tagging for Beginners
Books cataloged in Encore have already been given subject headings by the Library of Congress. Subject headings are good if you want something general like vampires or westerns.
But tags can allow us to personalize lists of materials of specific interest to our patrons at Cook. For example, I have had several requests for the list of books nominated for the Abraham Lincoln High School Book Award (AKA the Abe Award). So I got a copy of the list and tagged the books on it in our catalog.
How to Add a Tag to a Title
1. Open Encore. Search for the desired title.
2. Click the title to view the full record.
4. Scroll down to the bottom of the record to the Community Tags section.
5. Click on Add a Tag.
6. Login with your barcode and password.
7. Add the desired tag (you can delete it if you change your mind).
8. Find another title to add a tag to!
The next time someone asks if we have a list of the books which have won the Abe Awards, all we need to do is point them toward the online catalog and show them how to search for them. Then they can view the list by date or alphabetically and/or print the list.
Tags added so far include:
ABE Award
The Abraham Lincoln High School Book Award , i.e. the ABE AWARD, is given each year to an author whose book is voted Most Outstanding by participating Illinois high school students. The award is sponsored by the Illinois School Library Media Association (ISLMA).
Abe Award Nominee 2009
Books nominated by HS students. Voting takes place in March at participating high schools which include LHS and VHHS ABE Award Nominee 2009.
The Michael L. Printz Award is an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. It is named for a Topeka, Kansas school librarian who was a long-time active member of the Young Adult Library Services Association. The award is sponsored by Booklist, a publication of the American Library Association.
Printz Honor titles are those which were runners-up for the Printz Award.
Cook discussion book are books of which we have multiple copies available for book groups.
Oprah Book Club are books featured by Oprah's Book Club since she began it in 1998.
But tags can allow us to personalize lists of materials of specific interest to our patrons at Cook. For example, I have had several requests for the list of books nominated for the Abraham Lincoln High School Book Award (AKA the Abe Award). So I got a copy of the list and tagged the books on it in our catalog.
How to Add a Tag to a Title
1. Open Encore. Search for the desired title.
2. Click the title to view the full record.
4. Scroll down to the bottom of the record to the Community Tags section.
5. Click on Add a Tag.
6. Login with your barcode and password.
7. Add the desired tag (you can delete it if you change your mind).
8. Find another title to add a tag to!
The next time someone asks if we have a list of the books which have won the Abe Awards, all we need to do is point them toward the online catalog and show them how to search for them. Then they can view the list by date or alphabetically and/or print the list.
Tags added so far include:
ABE Award
The Abraham Lincoln High School Book Award , i.e. the ABE AWARD, is given each year to an author whose book is voted Most Outstanding by participating Illinois high school students. The award is sponsored by the Illinois School Library Media Association (ISLMA).
Abe Award Nominee 2009
Books nominated by HS students. Voting takes place in March at participating high schools which include LHS and VHHS ABE Award Nominee 2009.
The Michael L. Printz Award is an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. It is named for a Topeka, Kansas school librarian who was a long-time active member of the Young Adult Library Services Association. The award is sponsored by Booklist, a publication of the American Library Association.
Printz Honor titles are those which were runners-up for the Printz Award.
Cook discussion book are books of which we have multiple copies available for book groups.
Oprah Book Club are books featured by Oprah's Book Club since she began it in 1998.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Tags in Encore
Taking Katie's suggestion to play around with one of Encore's newest features, I tagged a few YA award winners. If you want to know what books won the Printz Prize or were Printz Honor books, that can now be searched using tags.
I also tagged some of the Alex Award winners (adult books deemed to be good reads for YAs.)
Now we just need to let folks know what these tags mean.....
Thanks to Dave for adding good YA links to our FMM homepage. The YALSA page is especially useful for finding a good book for a teen.
Your lonely but devoted blogger.....
ej
I also tagged some of the Alex Award winners (adult books deemed to be good reads for YAs.)
Now we just need to let folks know what these tags mean.....
Thanks to Dave for adding good YA links to our FMM homepage. The YALSA page is especially useful for finding a good book for a teen.
Your lonely but devoted blogger.....
ej
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
A Dirty Little Secret: Self-Censorship: Self-censorship is rampant and lethal
Truly apropos to recent conversations between the children's department and the adult fiction department!
A must-read article!
A must-read article!
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Best of the Best: A Unified List of 2008’s Best Books by Neil Hollands
Which books were really the best of 2008? That’s a very subjective question, but to make it a little less so, I’ve compiled a unified list of the best books of the year as named by 70 different review sources and award nomination lists. The unified list shows the number of votes received by each book and contains tables for general fiction; mysteries, thrillers, and action novels; speculative fiction; historical fiction; romance; inspirational fiction; young adult fiction; poetry; graphic novels; narrative nonfiction; biographies and memoirs; and how-to nonfiction. To see the full list, download the Excel spreadsheet at http://www.wrl.org/bookweb/best2008.xls.
A bit about the unified list: which category I placed a book in was my decision and may not agree with yours. I only included books first published in the US in 2008 (although I may have inadvertently included a few reprints, 2007 books, or books published only in Britain.) The Dewey numbers listed in the nonfiction lists are based on where Williamsburg Regional Library chose to catalog the book. Books we don’t currently have in our collection don’t show a call number (I may add these later from WorldCat, but for now, you’re on your own!) The tables are sorted first by number of votes and second by title, but if you download the spreadsheet, you can re-sort them as you wish. The sources are listed in the last table of the spreadsheet. For the most part a mention in a list or a nomination for award counted as one vote, although I’ve noted a few spots where I handled the votes differently.
Such lists are never entirely fair: Any reviewer can only read a few of the thousand of books publishsed each year. Some books just receive more publicity than others or are more likely to be read by the kind of people who review books. If you’re a fan of lighter fiction, genres like romance, inspirational, or urban fiction, it’s hard to find lists of a year’s best works. The same is true for many nonfiction categories: political works, biographies, essays, memoirs, and histories are well-represented and cookbook lists aren’t hard to find, but subjects such as self-help, religion, sports, and entertainment rarely make it onto the year-end lists.
But by adding up the number of votes from as many diverse review sources as I could find (and I praise the folks at the Readers’ Advisor Online Blog and Largehearted Boy for compiling lists of the lists), I hope I’ve given a slightly more fair look at the most-praised books published last year.
Which books were the big winners? I may still add a few more sources to the list as they come out or as I find them, but here are the top vote-getters so far, which I’ll list without commentary. For the full list in all categories, download the spreadsheet.
A bit about the unified list: which category I placed a book in was my decision and may not agree with yours. I only included books first published in the US in 2008 (although I may have inadvertently included a few reprints, 2007 books, or books published only in Britain.) The Dewey numbers listed in the nonfiction lists are based on where Williamsburg Regional Library chose to catalog the book. Books we don’t currently have in our collection don’t show a call number (I may add these later from WorldCat, but for now, you’re on your own!) The tables are sorted first by number of votes and second by title, but if you download the spreadsheet, you can re-sort them as you wish. The sources are listed in the last table of the spreadsheet. For the most part a mention in a list or a nomination for award counted as one vote, although I’ve noted a few spots where I handled the votes differently.
Such lists are never entirely fair: Any reviewer can only read a few of the thousand of books publishsed each year. Some books just receive more publicity than others or are more likely to be read by the kind of people who review books. If you’re a fan of lighter fiction, genres like romance, inspirational, or urban fiction, it’s hard to find lists of a year’s best works. The same is true for many nonfiction categories: political works, biographies, essays, memoirs, and histories are well-represented and cookbook lists aren’t hard to find, but subjects such as self-help, religion, sports, and entertainment rarely make it onto the year-end lists.
But by adding up the number of votes from as many diverse review sources as I could find (and I praise the folks at the Readers’ Advisor Online Blog and Largehearted Boy for compiling lists of the lists), I hope I’ve given a slightly more fair look at the most-praised books published last year.
Which books were the big winners? I may still add a few more sources to the list as they come out or as I find them, but here are the top vote-getters so far, which I’ll list without commentary. For the full list in all categories, download the spreadsheet.
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Williamsburg Regional Library
WRL has a great page for RA with lists of all different genres. Good for making recommendations for those genre's we're not as familiar with. They have read-alilkes too.
I have website-envy.
I have website-envy.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
2009 Reading List Council Awards
2009 READING LIST COUNCIL AWARDS --
for the best in genre fiction in eight genre categories:
ADRENALINE: "Blue Heaven" by C.J. Box
Shortlist: "The Dirty Secrets Club" by Meg Gardiner; "Hold Tight" by Harlan Coben; "L.A. Outlaws" by T. Jefferson Parker; and "Rules of Deception" by Christopher Reich;
FANTASY: "Veil of Gold" by Kim Wilkins
Shortlist: "The House of the Stag" by Kage Baker; "Ink and Steel" by Elizabeth Bear; "Shadowbridge" by Gregory Frost; and "Small Favor" by Jim Butcher;
HISTORICAL FICTION:"The Steel Wave" by Jeff Shaara
Shortlist: "Dreamers of the Day" by Mary Doria Russell; "The Given Day" by Dennis Lehane; "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows; and "The Whiskey Rebels"
by David Liss;
HORROR: "Sharp Teeth" by Toby Barlow
Shortlist: "Coffin County" by Gary A. Braunbeck; "Infected" by Scott Sigler; "The Killing Circle" by Andrew Pyper; and "The Wolfman" by Nicholas Pekearo;
MYSTERY: "The Garden of Evil" by David Hewson; shortlist: "The Black Tower" by Louis Bayard; "The Calling" by Inger Ash Wolfe; "The Cruelest Month" by Louise Penny; and "Vienna Blood" by Frank Tallis;
ROMANCE: "The Spymaster's Lady" by Joanna Bourne
Shortlist: "My Lord and Spymaster" by Joanna Bourne; "Private Arrangements" by Sherry Thomas; "The Seduction of the Crimson Rose" by Lauren Willig; and "Your Scandalous Ways" by Loretta Chase;
SCIENCE FICTION: "Hunter's Run" by George R.R. Martin
Shortlist: "The Automatic Detective" by A. Lee Martinez: "City at the End of Time" by Greg Bear; "Matter" by Iain M. Banks; and "A World Too Near" by Kay Kenyon;
WOMEN'S FICTION: "Every Last Cuckoo" by Kate Maloy
Shortlist: "Belong to Me" by Marisa de los Santos; "Certain Girls" by Jennifer Weiner; "The Sugar Queen" by Sarah Addison Allen; and "Thank You for All Things" by Sandra Kring.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
The Triumph of Readers by Ann Patchett
By ANN PATCHETT
I've just come in from a meeting of the Nashville Public Library Foundation Board (of which I am a dutiful member) and after sitting through the dismal report on the state of our endowment, the conversation turned to more positive news: the use of the library computers is way up since people have been filling out more online job applications, the puppet truck is enjoying high levels of popularity, the after-school program for teens is thriving. "But listen to this," our excited director of libraries, Donna Nicely, tells us, "according to our survey, patrons say the main reason they're coming to the library is for books! We have to get the word out. It isn't over. People still want to read!"
According to a recent report from the National Endowment for the Arts, our Nashville library is bearing out a national trend. For the first time in more than 25 years, the number of people reading fiction is on the rise.
Am I surprised? No, but then I see the world of reading from a very particular angle. I spend a lot of time speaking in schools and town halls and public libraries where people who read and read and read pack the auditoriums because they want to talk about literature. Inevitably someone in the audience raises their hand to ask me how worried I am about the crisis in publishing, the rise of electronic books, and the death of the reading. "What death of reading?" I say. "Look at all of you." I have long refused to participate in the last rites of what is both my passion and my profession. I meet too many people who stay up half the night racing towards a final chapter. We are a hardy bunch, we readers. The rumor is we'll play around with a Kindle or an I-Book for awhile but eventually give up on the whole endeavor, the logic being who would want to read a book when there are so many enticing video games to play and Web sites to surf. But I'm more of the Charlton Heston school: you'll get my paperback of "One Hundred Years of Solitude" away from me when you pry it out of my cold, dead hands.
In these new and improved numbers of readers given to us by the NEA, the most heartening rise is in the 18-to-24-year-old group, the ones who seem to have been born with iPod buds stuck in their ears. They've recently taken the biggest bump up in readership after years of the most significant decline. But doesn't it make sense? This is the first crop of newly minted adults who were raised up on Harry Potter novels. They came of age attending midnight release parties at their local bookstores and then faking mysterious illnesses the next day for the absolute necessity of staying in bed to read. Some of these children were lucky enough to have their Potter novels banned by witch-hunting school boards and micro-managing ministers. Is there any greater joy than a book you're not allowed to read, a book you could go to hell for reading? When I was a child I had to make due with a purloined copy of "Valley of the Dolls" which I thought was forbidden because it was dirty and now know was forbidden because it was just so badly written.
Like the chicken pox, getting infected by the desire to read is best when it hits us early. As a child I was so committed to "Charlotte's Web" that I pleaded for, and received, a pig for my ninth birthday, a gift that segued nicely into my "Little House on the Prairie" obsession. Was I, with my American classics, more noble than today's middle-schooler who reads and rereads his copy of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid"? Was I less noble than my straight-A sister who read "Le Petit Prince" in French? No on both counts. I am a firm believer in the fact that it isn't so much what you read, it's that you read. Reading fiction not only develops our imagination and creativity, it gives us the skills to be alone. It gives us the ability to feel empathy for people we've never met, living lives we couldn't possibly experience for ourselves, because the book puts us inside the character's skin. Whether you're in the life of Wilbur the pig, or Greg Heffley, the wimpy kid, or that little blonde prince in the desert, you've stepped outside of yourself for awhile, something that is beneficial to every child. Even if you're stepping into "Valley of the Dolls," it's better than nothing. I'm all for reading bad books because I consider them to be a gateway drug. People who read bad books now may or may not read better books in the future. People who read nothing now will read nothing in the future.
There will be those who attribute the rise in reading to our current decline of cash, and if that is actually the case I would at least be able to think I forfeited my retirement account to a worthy cause. It's true, as a source of entertainment reading ranks somewhere between cheap and free, depending on where you get your books. A movie can give you two hours of entertainment, but a book can go on for days or even weeks. My friend Lucy loved to point out that she started reading "War and Peace" on the first day of the first Gulf War and was still reading when the war was over. But I do not give all the credit for reading's rise to the collapse of the global financial markets. I believe as a nation we have touched the cultural bottom and are ready to be smart again. I think we're reading more because we've seen as many episodes of American Idol as our collective consciousness can bear and even if we weren't flat broke we'd still be in the mood for a book. Everyone improves under good leadership, which is why we all appreciate a teacher, a librarian, or a bookstore clerk who is willing to steer a child toward a copy of William Steig's "Doctor DeSoto." When Barack Obama, our soon-to-be-author-in-chief, announced on "60 Minutes" that he'd like to see poetry readings in the White House, I found myself thinking that change was going to come.
Perhaps you've worried about the numbers of American readers in the past. Maybe you'd like to shore up this new trend but you're not exactly sure how to help. It's easier than you might think: read a book. Don't just read it at home. Read it in a coffee shop, on a bus, in a waiting room. When you're finished, loan it out. Join a book club or start a book club or, if you don't like book clubs, avoid them at all costs. Give a book as a gift. Write something nice on the inside cover. Oh, but I cherish the copy of Ray Bradbury's "Dandelion Wine" with my mother's birthday wish, the copy of Ezra Pound's Cantos that says Merry Christmas from Dad. If you can afford to buy a book, then buy it. They aren't that expensive and the publishing industry is one that isn't getting bailed out. If you can't afford a book, or you want to try a couple of different books on for size before making a commitment, then use your local library. If you use the one in Nashville you can also enjoy the free summer concerts, story hours, and, of course, the puppet truck. If you've got a little extra money you might think of giving it to your public library as most of their operating budgets have been trimmed beyond recognition. Recommend the books you like, even to strangers. I do it all the time. As someone who always has thirty books stacked in my office and beside my bed and beside my dog's bed that I'm meaning to read, it's easy to forget that other people don't know what to choose. They walk into a bookstore and feel utterly lost in the face of all those titles, and so they walk out empty handed. I have a similar experience when trying to buy a bottle of red wine. I make reading lists for anyone who will listen. Real readers can never keep their opinions to themselves, which is why I think Oprah is a hero. I shout the books I love from the rooftops. Listen to me on the subject of contemporary fiction -- read "The Maytrees," by Annie Dillard, and "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao," by Junot DÃaz, and "Lush Life," by Richard Price. If you like your stories true, read "Brother, I'm Dying," by Edwidge Danticat, and "An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination," by Elizabeth McCracken. Poetry? "Fire to Fire: New and Selected Poems" by Mark Doty, of course. And if you're looking for something older, something a little more obscure, I can do that too, "The Leopard," by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, and "Independent People," by Haldor Laxness, and "Love in a Cold Climate," by Nancy Mitford. I can go on like this forever. You have no idea how much I'm leaving out, Grace Paley, William Maxwell, Henry James. If someone gave you a device with which you could see entire worlds just by holding it in front of your eyes, worlds of such beauty and complexity that they took your breath away, worlds of suffering and redemption, love and suspense and enlightenment, all of them there for the taking, wouldn't you want to show this device to everyone you knew? Why are more people reading? Because they are either discovering or remembering just how good it can be. I've got a book for you, my friend, all you've got to do is open it up.
Ann Patchett is the author of seven books, including the novel "Bel Canto." Her most recent novel is "Run."
I've just come in from a meeting of the Nashville Public Library Foundation Board (of which I am a dutiful member) and after sitting through the dismal report on the state of our endowment, the conversation turned to more positive news: the use of the library computers is way up since people have been filling out more online job applications, the puppet truck is enjoying high levels of popularity, the after-school program for teens is thriving. "But listen to this," our excited director of libraries, Donna Nicely, tells us, "according to our survey, patrons say the main reason they're coming to the library is for books! We have to get the word out. It isn't over. People still want to read!"
According to a recent report from the National Endowment for the Arts, our Nashville library is bearing out a national trend. For the first time in more than 25 years, the number of people reading fiction is on the rise.
Am I surprised? No, but then I see the world of reading from a very particular angle. I spend a lot of time speaking in schools and town halls and public libraries where people who read and read and read pack the auditoriums because they want to talk about literature. Inevitably someone in the audience raises their hand to ask me how worried I am about the crisis in publishing, the rise of electronic books, and the death of the reading. "What death of reading?" I say. "Look at all of you." I have long refused to participate in the last rites of what is both my passion and my profession. I meet too many people who stay up half the night racing towards a final chapter. We are a hardy bunch, we readers. The rumor is we'll play around with a Kindle or an I-Book for awhile but eventually give up on the whole endeavor, the logic being who would want to read a book when there are so many enticing video games to play and Web sites to surf. But I'm more of the Charlton Heston school: you'll get my paperback of "One Hundred Years of Solitude" away from me when you pry it out of my cold, dead hands.
In these new and improved numbers of readers given to us by the NEA, the most heartening rise is in the 18-to-24-year-old group, the ones who seem to have been born with iPod buds stuck in their ears. They've recently taken the biggest bump up in readership after years of the most significant decline. But doesn't it make sense? This is the first crop of newly minted adults who were raised up on Harry Potter novels. They came of age attending midnight release parties at their local bookstores and then faking mysterious illnesses the next day for the absolute necessity of staying in bed to read. Some of these children were lucky enough to have their Potter novels banned by witch-hunting school boards and micro-managing ministers. Is there any greater joy than a book you're not allowed to read, a book you could go to hell for reading? When I was a child I had to make due with a purloined copy of "Valley of the Dolls" which I thought was forbidden because it was dirty and now know was forbidden because it was just so badly written.
Like the chicken pox, getting infected by the desire to read is best when it hits us early. As a child I was so committed to "Charlotte's Web" that I pleaded for, and received, a pig for my ninth birthday, a gift that segued nicely into my "Little House on the Prairie" obsession. Was I, with my American classics, more noble than today's middle-schooler who reads and rereads his copy of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid"? Was I less noble than my straight-A sister who read "Le Petit Prince" in French? No on both counts. I am a firm believer in the fact that it isn't so much what you read, it's that you read. Reading fiction not only develops our imagination and creativity, it gives us the skills to be alone. It gives us the ability to feel empathy for people we've never met, living lives we couldn't possibly experience for ourselves, because the book puts us inside the character's skin. Whether you're in the life of Wilbur the pig, or Greg Heffley, the wimpy kid, or that little blonde prince in the desert, you've stepped outside of yourself for awhile, something that is beneficial to every child. Even if you're stepping into "Valley of the Dolls," it's better than nothing. I'm all for reading bad books because I consider them to be a gateway drug. People who read bad books now may or may not read better books in the future. People who read nothing now will read nothing in the future.
There will be those who attribute the rise in reading to our current decline of cash, and if that is actually the case I would at least be able to think I forfeited my retirement account to a worthy cause. It's true, as a source of entertainment reading ranks somewhere between cheap and free, depending on where you get your books. A movie can give you two hours of entertainment, but a book can go on for days or even weeks. My friend Lucy loved to point out that she started reading "War and Peace" on the first day of the first Gulf War and was still reading when the war was over. But I do not give all the credit for reading's rise to the collapse of the global financial markets. I believe as a nation we have touched the cultural bottom and are ready to be smart again. I think we're reading more because we've seen as many episodes of American Idol as our collective consciousness can bear and even if we weren't flat broke we'd still be in the mood for a book. Everyone improves under good leadership, which is why we all appreciate a teacher, a librarian, or a bookstore clerk who is willing to steer a child toward a copy of William Steig's "Doctor DeSoto." When Barack Obama, our soon-to-be-author-in-chief, announced on "60 Minutes" that he'd like to see poetry readings in the White House, I found myself thinking that change was going to come.
Perhaps you've worried about the numbers of American readers in the past. Maybe you'd like to shore up this new trend but you're not exactly sure how to help. It's easier than you might think: read a book. Don't just read it at home. Read it in a coffee shop, on a bus, in a waiting room. When you're finished, loan it out. Join a book club or start a book club or, if you don't like book clubs, avoid them at all costs. Give a book as a gift. Write something nice on the inside cover. Oh, but I cherish the copy of Ray Bradbury's "Dandelion Wine" with my mother's birthday wish, the copy of Ezra Pound's Cantos that says Merry Christmas from Dad. If you can afford to buy a book, then buy it. They aren't that expensive and the publishing industry is one that isn't getting bailed out. If you can't afford a book, or you want to try a couple of different books on for size before making a commitment, then use your local library. If you use the one in Nashville you can also enjoy the free summer concerts, story hours, and, of course, the puppet truck. If you've got a little extra money you might think of giving it to your public library as most of their operating budgets have been trimmed beyond recognition. Recommend the books you like, even to strangers. I do it all the time. As someone who always has thirty books stacked in my office and beside my bed and beside my dog's bed that I'm meaning to read, it's easy to forget that other people don't know what to choose. They walk into a bookstore and feel utterly lost in the face of all those titles, and so they walk out empty handed. I have a similar experience when trying to buy a bottle of red wine. I make reading lists for anyone who will listen. Real readers can never keep their opinions to themselves, which is why I think Oprah is a hero. I shout the books I love from the rooftops. Listen to me on the subject of contemporary fiction -- read "The Maytrees," by Annie Dillard, and "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao," by Junot DÃaz, and "Lush Life," by Richard Price. If you like your stories true, read "Brother, I'm Dying," by Edwidge Danticat, and "An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination," by Elizabeth McCracken. Poetry? "Fire to Fire: New and Selected Poems" by Mark Doty, of course. And if you're looking for something older, something a little more obscure, I can do that too, "The Leopard," by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, and "Independent People," by Haldor Laxness, and "Love in a Cold Climate," by Nancy Mitford. I can go on like this forever. You have no idea how much I'm leaving out, Grace Paley, William Maxwell, Henry James. If someone gave you a device with which you could see entire worlds just by holding it in front of your eyes, worlds of such beauty and complexity that they took your breath away, worlds of suffering and redemption, love and suspense and enlightenment, all of them there for the taking, wouldn't you want to show this device to everyone you knew? Why are more people reading? Because they are either discovering or remembering just how good it can be. I've got a book for you, my friend, all you've got to do is open it up.
Ann Patchett is the author of seven books, including the novel "Bel Canto." Her most recent novel is "Run."
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Twilight Sequel Speeds Ahead
Good news, Twilight fans! New director, new release date, same great actors!
Monday, December 08, 2008
Recorded Books & OCLC settle dispute
Perhaps I'm the last to know, but it looks like OCLC and NetLibrary have decided to 'play nice' and settle their dispute. The press release states that a 'media center application' will be available to help patrons manage and access their content.
Twilight Director Not Returning
Breaking news! Read all about it!!
This Twilight series really has legs and they're getting longer since the movie's debut.
This Twilight series really has legs and they're getting longer since the movie's debut.
Friday, December 05, 2008
Lit Mot
Reviews books for the more discerning and hip readers. (and doesn't that describe us?!?) Probably won't find too many James Patterson or Danielle Steel books reviewed on this site!
Kirkus Reviews online
For anyone who might have missed an important review or just wants to stay up with the latest of Kirkus's snarky reviews, it's all here online! (It does beg the question: why should anyone pay for a subscription if it can be read for free online?)
Anyone have an answer?
Anyone have an answer?
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
What Girls Want
Excellent article from The Atlantic which illuminates the complexities of female adolescent desire and what the vampire craze has to do with it all.
Fantastic Fiction
Here's a site to help with those pesky series and prolific authors----it seems more up-to-date than the KDL site, PLUS its biggest advantage is that it also has the yet-to-be-published books by an author! And it includes YA authors!!!
Give it a try next time and let me know what you think of this site!
Your loyal (and lonely) blogger......
Give it a try next time and let me know what you think of this site!
Your loyal (and lonely) blogger......
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Stephenie Meyer's Blog about the Twilight Movie
Another tidbit for you vampire fans---Stephenie Meyer's own thoughts about the movie made from her book.
Now that you've found the FMM blog, feel free to post anything you think might be of interest or of use to others.
Now that you've found the FMM blog, feel free to post anything you think might be of interest or of use to others.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
New York Public Libraries Lists of Good Books
This is one of Haley's favorite sites to use when recommending good books to patrons. If it's good enough for New York, then it has to be good enough for the rest of us, right?!?
Thanks to Haley for this tip!!
Thanks to Haley for this tip!!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
New pix from upcoming Twilight movie!
Greetings Twilight fans. Here is some eye candy for you to enjoy in anticipation of this weekend's release of Twilight!
Saturday, November 15, 2008
NoveList's Readers' Advisor Newsletter
November 2008
In This Issue
Fiction as Life Preparation
Teaching Popular Materials
Reading Group Therapy
National Scene
Books and Covers in Vanity Fair
Readers Respond
Write!
Fiction as Life Preparation
Life isn't fiction, is it? No, but sometimes it's like fiction. And sometimes fiction helps us to lead our lives. Some research shows that fiction is a way to prepare for reality, and certainly a way to engage in a social, empathic (and probably interesting) life. Read on.
Teaching Popular Materials
If you were asked to teach a course for readers' advisors, introducing students to the vast array of popular materials out there, what would you select? Or, more immediately, what would you tell me to select?Read on ...
Reading Group Therapy
In a recent informal talk at the Cameron Village Library in Raleigh, NC, on "Reading Group Therapy," I offered several suggestions for making changes in reading group procedures and routines. Personalities, energies and ideas in these groups can become stale or problematic over time, in my experience. Here are a few suggestions from my talk.Change at the Start In order to assure everyone of having a chance to speak up at the start of the group, I like to move around the reading circle, inviting each participant to answer these three questions, or variations on them, for one minute each - always having the option to say "No thanks, I'll pass for now."
What experiences and expectations have I brought to this book?
How did the reading match those experiences and expectations?
What do I want most to discuss about the book in the group?When everyone has a chance to express a response, the whole group gets a sense of who has deep feelings or specific perspectives on the reading. Everyone has had a chance to be heard. Dominant personalities are more likely to respect the opinions of others. By the time four or five people have spoken, the conversation has begun with a vocabulary that lasts for the entire discussion. Provide a "Reading Group Bookmark"Using similar questions, libraries might supply printed bookmarks at the circulation desk in order to suggest ways to focus reading experiences and move them toward talk. If we encounter a good question every time we find our place in a book, I think it tends to settle into our minds and keep working as we read. Eventually, our reading-inspired feelings may find their way toward our conversations (in a group or out) with another person. Here are the questions I would put on my bookmarks:
What part of my own experience is touched or changed by this book?
What questions do I feel the need to ask or answer as a result of reading this?
What part of this reading experience do I want most to speak about? Putting these questions on card stock is cheap and easy (in landscape mode, an 8.5" x 11" page can hold three bookmarks, roughly 3.5" x 8.5"). I am a note-taker when I read seriously, and my card bookmarks help me to recover lost thoughts when I look back. Would a simple device like this help readers to find their words when the reading group gathers to talk?Establish the Vocabulary Even simpler, give everyone an index card and ask them to write three words to describe the book (nouns, adjectives, characteristics, events, places in the book). Collect and shuffle the cards, then redistribute them. Do it again. And again. Then start talking about some of the words and how they fit the reading as experienced by others.
National Scene
The National Book Award Finalists have been announced, and you can see them at http://www.nationalbook.org/nba2008.html, a fine web site for librarians, with useful graphics and links. Seeing small presses listed - Graywolf, Coffee House, Turtle Point - and being reminded that great, fresh American poetry is still being written is gratifying news. (I have read only one of these books so far, The Suicide Index: Putting My Father's Death in Order by Joan Wickersham (Harcourt), and it was a fine, extraordinary experience.) Now I am after several others on this list. The winners will be announced during the week of November 17.There are two other "national" items on my desk, and both are new to me. Take a look at the National Best Books 2008 Awards from USA Books, self-described as "the premiere online magazine and review web site for mainstream and independent publishing houses." Evidently this is the fifth year for this PR and marketing-based list. I don't quite know what to make of it, but it seems to be an unusual mix of winners in 140 categories. I seem also to have missed National Reading Group Month, sponsored by the Women's National Book Association, a number of notable publishers and the excellent blog from Booklist, Book Group Buzz. The great event was in October, alas; perhaps a little more publicity might be possible? Most of the books listed at the site are by women authors, and it's a diverse, enticing gathering, though it seems duplicative of other resources. The site also lists additional places to go, like Book Movement, an item I will now bookmark and refer others to see.Oh, and the Man Booker Prize has gone to . Aravind Adiga for The White Tiger, one of only four first novels to receive this award. A review in the Times of London says it is "quick, entertaining and full of vividly drawn types: the scheming servant, the corrupt businessman, the spoilt wife. Its lack of subtlety can be wearying, as can its cynicism. But it is a useful counter to optimistic tales of India's roaring economy." Coming to a library near you.Two articles of interest:"Reviving Literary Discussion: Book Club to Go Kits," by Virginia Hermes, Mary Anne Hile, and Johnetta L. Frisbie. Reference and User Services Quarterly, 48(1), Fall 2008."Urban Fiction Goes from Streets to Public Libraries," by Anne Barnard. New York Times, October 28, 2008. ("Barbara Orlandi . reads about the dangerous life she remembers . 'It actually helps you to understand what's going on around you,' she said, 'instead of walking around blind.'") See "Fiction as Life Preparation," above.
Books and Covers in Vanity Fair
In observance of its 25th anniversary, the magazine Vanity Fair has listed the 25 best non-fiction books, and the 25 best book covers, among other "25 Best" lists on its Web site. There is much to disagree with! Visitors to the Web site can vote for their favorites.
Readers Respond
Catherine Nashak, of the Deer Park Public Library in Deer Park, NY, writes about my request for experiences of film/fiction combinations:
"Last spring, I began a daytime "Book & Movie" group. We have a large senior population, and many do not drive at night. Finding the right book has been challenging though. I had a fair turnout for the classic mystery, The Maltese Falcon, while showing the Humphrey Bogart version. The Manchurian Candidate was not successful. Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone was better; we had a brief discussion along with the Masterpiece Theatre version. We're giving it one more try with a discussion of Wuthering Heights, again followed by a Masterpiece Theatre production in November. This program seems to attract mainly women; getting more men to attend is a challenge. Depending on the turnout for Wuthering Heights, choosing classic mysteries may be the key." Catherine also notes that she has been leading a discussion group for nine years, fiction and nonfiction, sometime using documentary films to develop good discussions. Thank you, Catherine.
Write!
What would you add or subtract on my course reading list? What fiction would you recommend to President-Elect Barack Obama? What questions do you use to defrost a reading group? Would they fit on a bookmark?And, of course, I invite you all to interview yourselves, one at a time, anonymously if you wish, for RA NewsThe editor is always grateful to readers who share responses or lessons. Please write to us at mailto:RAEditor@ebscohost.com?subject=RA%20News%20Feedback%20November%2008
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In This Issue
Fiction as Life Preparation
Teaching Popular Materials
Reading Group Therapy
National Scene
Books and Covers in Vanity Fair
Readers Respond
Write!
Fiction as Life Preparation
Life isn't fiction, is it? No, but sometimes it's like fiction. And sometimes fiction helps us to lead our lives. Some research shows that fiction is a way to prepare for reality, and certainly a way to engage in a social, empathic (and probably interesting) life. Read on.
Teaching Popular Materials
If you were asked to teach a course for readers' advisors, introducing students to the vast array of popular materials out there, what would you select? Or, more immediately, what would you tell me to select?Read on ...
Reading Group Therapy
In a recent informal talk at the Cameron Village Library in Raleigh, NC, on "Reading Group Therapy," I offered several suggestions for making changes in reading group procedures and routines. Personalities, energies and ideas in these groups can become stale or problematic over time, in my experience. Here are a few suggestions from my talk.Change at the Start In order to assure everyone of having a chance to speak up at the start of the group, I like to move around the reading circle, inviting each participant to answer these three questions, or variations on them, for one minute each - always having the option to say "No thanks, I'll pass for now."
What experiences and expectations have I brought to this book?
How did the reading match those experiences and expectations?
What do I want most to discuss about the book in the group?When everyone has a chance to express a response, the whole group gets a sense of who has deep feelings or specific perspectives on the reading. Everyone has had a chance to be heard. Dominant personalities are more likely to respect the opinions of others. By the time four or five people have spoken, the conversation has begun with a vocabulary that lasts for the entire discussion. Provide a "Reading Group Bookmark"Using similar questions, libraries might supply printed bookmarks at the circulation desk in order to suggest ways to focus reading experiences and move them toward talk. If we encounter a good question every time we find our place in a book, I think it tends to settle into our minds and keep working as we read. Eventually, our reading-inspired feelings may find their way toward our conversations (in a group or out) with another person. Here are the questions I would put on my bookmarks:
What part of my own experience is touched or changed by this book?
What questions do I feel the need to ask or answer as a result of reading this?
What part of this reading experience do I want most to speak about? Putting these questions on card stock is cheap and easy (in landscape mode, an 8.5" x 11" page can hold three bookmarks, roughly 3.5" x 8.5"). I am a note-taker when I read seriously, and my card bookmarks help me to recover lost thoughts when I look back. Would a simple device like this help readers to find their words when the reading group gathers to talk?Establish the Vocabulary Even simpler, give everyone an index card and ask them to write three words to describe the book (nouns, adjectives, characteristics, events, places in the book). Collect and shuffle the cards, then redistribute them. Do it again. And again. Then start talking about some of the words and how they fit the reading as experienced by others.
National Scene
The National Book Award Finalists have been announced, and you can see them at http://www.nationalbook.org/nba2008.html, a fine web site for librarians, with useful graphics and links. Seeing small presses listed - Graywolf, Coffee House, Turtle Point - and being reminded that great, fresh American poetry is still being written is gratifying news. (I have read only one of these books so far, The Suicide Index: Putting My Father's Death in Order by Joan Wickersham (Harcourt), and it was a fine, extraordinary experience.) Now I am after several others on this list. The winners will be announced during the week of November 17.There are two other "national" items on my desk, and both are new to me. Take a look at the National Best Books 2008 Awards from USA Books, self-described as "the premiere online magazine and review web site for mainstream and independent publishing houses." Evidently this is the fifth year for this PR and marketing-based list. I don't quite know what to make of it, but it seems to be an unusual mix of winners in 140 categories. I seem also to have missed National Reading Group Month, sponsored by the Women's National Book Association, a number of notable publishers and the excellent blog from Booklist, Book Group Buzz. The great event was in October, alas; perhaps a little more publicity might be possible? Most of the books listed at the site are by women authors, and it's a diverse, enticing gathering, though it seems duplicative of other resources. The site also lists additional places to go, like Book Movement, an item I will now bookmark and refer others to see.Oh, and the Man Booker Prize has gone to . Aravind Adiga for The White Tiger, one of only four first novels to receive this award. A review in the Times of London says it is "quick, entertaining and full of vividly drawn types: the scheming servant, the corrupt businessman, the spoilt wife. Its lack of subtlety can be wearying, as can its cynicism. But it is a useful counter to optimistic tales of India's roaring economy." Coming to a library near you.Two articles of interest:"Reviving Literary Discussion: Book Club to Go Kits," by Virginia Hermes, Mary Anne Hile, and Johnetta L. Frisbie. Reference and User Services Quarterly, 48(1), Fall 2008."Urban Fiction Goes from Streets to Public Libraries," by Anne Barnard. New York Times, October 28, 2008. ("Barbara Orlandi . reads about the dangerous life she remembers . 'It actually helps you to understand what's going on around you,' she said, 'instead of walking around blind.'") See "Fiction as Life Preparation," above.
Books and Covers in Vanity Fair
In observance of its 25th anniversary, the magazine Vanity Fair has listed the 25 best non-fiction books, and the 25 best book covers, among other "25 Best" lists on its Web site. There is much to disagree with! Visitors to the Web site can vote for their favorites.
Readers Respond
Catherine Nashak, of the Deer Park Public Library in Deer Park, NY, writes about my request for experiences of film/fiction combinations:
"Last spring, I began a daytime "Book & Movie" group. We have a large senior population, and many do not drive at night. Finding the right book has been challenging though. I had a fair turnout for the classic mystery, The Maltese Falcon, while showing the Humphrey Bogart version. The Manchurian Candidate was not successful. Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone was better; we had a brief discussion along with the Masterpiece Theatre version. We're giving it one more try with a discussion of Wuthering Heights, again followed by a Masterpiece Theatre production in November. This program seems to attract mainly women; getting more men to attend is a challenge. Depending on the turnout for Wuthering Heights, choosing classic mysteries may be the key." Catherine also notes that she has been leading a discussion group for nine years, fiction and nonfiction, sometime using documentary films to develop good discussions. Thank you, Catherine.
Write!
What would you add or subtract on my course reading list? What fiction would you recommend to President-Elect Barack Obama? What questions do you use to defrost a reading group? Would they fit on a bookmark?And, of course, I invite you all to interview yourselves, one at a time, anonymously if you wish, for RA NewsThe editor is always grateful to readers who share responses or lessons. Please write to us at mailto:RAEditor@ebscohost.com?subject=RA%20News%20Feedback%20November%2008
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Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Readers Advisor Link Farm
For those of us who haven't read every book in the library and can barely remember those which we did read, here is a "farm" of links. That's right, a farm. Not sure why it's called a farm, but it certainly has lots of links to genre reviews, book discussion guides and book reviews from a wide variety of sources.
It's a MUST for anyone toiling in the fields of RA. Especially if you have come to accept that it's impossible to read everything that you might want to read.
Check it out!!
It's a MUST for anyone toiling in the fields of RA. Especially if you have come to accept that it's impossible to read everything that you might want to read.
Check it out!!
Monday, November 03, 2008
Love and Pain and the Teenage Vampire Thing
For you Twilight fans out there, here is an article from Friday's NY Times. It's countdown time for the movie which opens on November 21st.
Here's a link to the IMDB information about the upcoming movie:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1099212/
Here's a link to the IMDB information about the upcoming movie:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1099212/
Monday, October 27, 2008
Reading Maps AKA Google Lit Trips
Different Way to Read Great Literature!
This site is an experiment in teaching great literature in a very different way. Using Google Earth, students discover where in the world the greatest road trip stories of all time took place... and so much more!
Designed for literature teachers, but certainly of interest to all of us as well!
Check this site out. It looks way cool!
This site is an experiment in teaching great literature in a very different way. Using Google Earth, students discover where in the world the greatest road trip stories of all time took place... and so much more!
Designed for literature teachers, but certainly of interest to all of us as well!
Check this site out. It looks way cool!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Book Club Resource site
Formerly "Rachel's Compendium of Online Book Discussions," Book-Clubs-Resource.com is a complete guide to book clubs, reading groups, and reading group guides.
This looks like it could be a great place for our book club leaders to get some ideas for questions and even book titles!
This looks like it could be a great place for our book club leaders to get some ideas for questions and even book titles!
What Are You Reading? Online Grapevine for Book Clubs
Book clubs unite! Whatareyoureading.com is the newest spot on the web for book club members to exchange reading lists and weigh in on which books are best (and worst) for discussion.
The book recommendations you'll find here are from book club members like you who pride themselves in finding not-so-run-of-the-mill selections. Whatareyoureading.com brings together this collective grassroots knowledge and gives book club members an easy way to swap ideas and build great reading lists.
Spread the Word We need your help! Let us know what your book club is reading this month. If your book club has been around for a while, send us your cumulative reading list. We will post this information for everyone to enjoy.
Finally, help us get the word out. Tell your book club friends to tell their book club friends about whatareyoureading.com. Remember, this is a selfish undertaking -- the more book clubs that join in, the better our reading lists!
The book recommendations you'll find here are from book club members like you who pride themselves in finding not-so-run-of-the-mill selections. Whatareyoureading.com brings together this collective grassroots knowledge and gives book club members an easy way to swap ideas and build great reading lists.
Spread the Word We need your help! Let us know what your book club is reading this month. If your book club has been around for a while, send us your cumulative reading list. We will post this information for everyone to enjoy.
Finally, help us get the word out. Tell your book club friends to tell their book club friends about whatareyoureading.com. Remember, this is a selfish undertaking -- the more book clubs that join in, the better our reading lists!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
National Book Award finalists announced
The finalists for this year's National Book Award were announced today in Chicago by Scott Turow and it looks like there are some great books on this list. By American authors. Despite whatever the head of the Nobel Prize committee thinks about American writers!!
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Based on the Book
'Based on the Book' is a compilation of over 1,250 books, novels, short stories, and plays that have been made into motion pictures. Utilizing the Internet Movie Database as the authority, all movies in this collection have been released as feature-length films in the United States, in English, since 1980.
Friday, October 03, 2008
Moo List confusion made clear by Nancy
There still seems to be some confusion on the part of patrons and some staff about
placing holds on DVDs that are on the Movie on Orders list. If you have the Bookletters
link sent to your email, you can connect directly to Encore.
This is what you will see.
Hancock [videorecording]
[United States] : Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 2008.
Available Online
13 copies ordered for Cook Park Adult DVDs on 10-01-2008. 2 copies ordered for Bookmobile Adult DVDs on 10-01-2008. 5 copies ordered for Evergreen Adult DVDs on 10-01-2008.
__________________________________________________________
Since there is no shelf status for items that are still on order
you will see the following instead
Available Online
If you click on Available Online, all you will get is a picture.
You must click on the TITLE. When you do, the following will appear
Find out more
Request this title Hancock [videorecording].
[United States] : Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 2008. Widescreen ed. 13 copies ordered for Cook Park Adult DVDs on 10-01-2008. 2 copies ordered for Bookmobile Adult DVDs on 10-01-2008. 5 copies ordered for Evergreen Adult DVDs on 10-01-2008.
You can then click on Request this title and place your hold from there.
placing holds on DVDs that are on the Movie on Orders list. If you have the Bookletters
link sent to your email, you can connect directly to Encore.
This is what you will see.
Hancock [videorecording]
[United States] : Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 2008.
Available Online
13 copies ordered for Cook Park Adult DVDs on 10-01-2008. 2 copies ordered for Bookmobile Adult DVDs on 10-01-2008. 5 copies ordered for Evergreen Adult DVDs on 10-01-2008.
__________________________________________________________
Since there is no shelf status for items that are still on order
you will see the following instead
Available Online
If you click on Available Online, all you will get is a picture.
You must click on the TITLE. When you do, the following will appear
Find out more
Request this title Hancock [videorecording].
[United States] : Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 2008. Widescreen ed. 13 copies ordered for Cook Park Adult DVDs on 10-01-2008. 2 copies ordered for Bookmobile Adult DVDs on 10-01-2008. 5 copies ordered for Evergreen Adult DVDs on 10-01-2008.
You can then click on Request this title and place your hold from there.
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Award Winning Books List
Amazon.com has done another wonderful thing---they have created a page listing all award-winning books--both adult and children's. You can find the Pulitizer, James Beard, Man Booker and many others. It's a good site to bookmark for easy reference.
Monday, September 08, 2008
OverDrive article
I know some of you get the very informative 'Library Link of the Day' which recently featured an article from the Christian Science Monitor on the OverDrive downloadable service.
OverDrive article in CSM
OverDrive article in CSM
Friday, September 05, 2008
Interactive Calendar of Upcoming Releases
USA Today has a very cool and easy-to-use calendar listing the release dates of upcoming books, movies and music CD's.
Quite handy and fun!
Quite handy and fun!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Blog's New Look
In case you didn't notice yet, our blog has some new widgets----a daily selection of art from classic kid's lit, a newsreader from Billboard magazine, a cool website area and "What We're Reading".
In order to add your OWN information (hint, hint), click on the little tool icon in the lower right area next to the widget and you'll be taken to a new page where you can add what you're reading, or a new website that you'd like to share with the rest of us!
Go ahead now----blog amongst yourselves.
Young Adult Books Will Save Science Fiction
Controversial because some hard core sci fi fans don't believe that their genre is in danger of fading away!
Good MP3 Players for AudioBooks
I thought this article was quite interesting, especially the part which mentioned the number of hours of listening per gig.
Might be of use when helping patrons think about what sort of mp3 player to use for our wonderful new Overdrive service.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
2 Cool Tools
For all you internet lovers, here is a site with new and exciting websites for your edification and exploration pleasure!
As my dad always says, "It's a sad, sad day when you don't learn something new!"
As my dad always says, "It's a sad, sad day when you don't learn something new!"
This R.A. blog post was mentioned in Katie's latest 'Good Web Sites for Librarians' email. You probably already know about 'em but let me know if we want any added to the FMM staff page. -
http://librarianinblack.typepad.com/librarianinblack/2008/08/sarahs-referenc.html
http://librarianinblack.typepad.com/librarianinblack/2008/08/sarahs-referenc.html
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Twilight Guy blog
Just in case you Twilight fans might think this phenomenon is simply a girl-thing, check out this guy's blog about reading Twilight. He's even added a soundtrack for your reading pleasure.
If you haven't finished Breaking Dawn yet, do NOT read today's USA Today because it spoils the ending and gives away the entire plot! Grrrrrr. Doncha just hate it when people do that? Well, now you've been warned!
If you haven't finished Breaking Dawn yet, do NOT read today's USA Today because it spoils the ending and gives away the entire plot! Grrrrrr. Doncha just hate it when people do that? Well, now you've been warned!
Monday, August 04, 2008
David Wroblewski, author of Edgar Sawtelle blogs !
Right now, David Wroblewski, the author of the amazing new novel The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, is blogging at Barnes & Noble. I don't know about others, but I was left with questions I wanted answers to, and perhaps he'll answer them.
(click on the title of this post to access the blog.)
(click on the title of this post to access the blog.)
Funeral for Audiobooks on Cassette
In case you missed the article in the NY Times recently, here is a link to it. Might be something of interest to those patrons who are having trouble letting go of this format.
(click on the title of this post to go to the article.)
(click on the title of this post to go to the article.)
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Your Tuesday Twilight Update
Twilight fans----the excitement is building and here are some more tidbits about Bella, Edward and Jacob AND Stephenie Meyer.
Enjoy.
Enjoy.
Friday, July 25, 2008
All About Romance
This cool site is for romance lovers---it lists what they claim are the top 100 romance novels according to their poll. Anyway, it might come in handy someday out on the RA desk, especially for those of us who aren't big consumers of this genre.
Twilight Lexicon
The ultimate site for the true fans of Twilight---movie trailers, trivia, and adulation and speculation. Even a countdown widget for the release of Breaking Dawn!
Exploring Twilight
For all you Twilight fans who just cannot get enough of Edward, Bella and Jacob (and who can?!), this is a cool new site developed by another library to give readers good read-alikes AND music to listen to while reading.
Check it out!
Check it out!
Monday, July 21, 2008
Literature Map
This is a useful site for Readers' Advisors and finding new authors for readers who know what author's they've liked in the past.
It's also a very cool use of internet technology. There is also a companion site for music.
Check it out!
It's also a very cool use of internet technology. There is also a companion site for music.
Check it out!
I'm YA and I'm OK
Sunday's NY Times Book Review had an interesting article about publishers and authors views of the category of YA. Sounds like the publishing industry is ruthless.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
YA Book into Movie!
According to today's VARIETY, Avi's THE TRUE CONFESSION OF CHARLOTTE DOYLE is in pre-production, will shoot in the fall, and has Danny DeVito writing the screenplay and directing. Morgan Freeman is attached, as is Saoirse Ronan in the title role.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Complete Review's Links to Literary Blogs
This site is definitely a place one could waste a lot of time. So check it out, bookmark it, and come back to it when you have a lot of time on your hands!
It's also a good place to get inspired creatively when you want to start your own blog......
It's also a good place to get inspired creatively when you want to start your own blog......
Readers Advisor Online
This is an awesome place to read about what new and coming out soon in both fiction and nonfiction! Plus, it is available as an RSS feed!
If you click on the little yellow star and the green plus sign at the top of this page, it will ask you if you'd like to add it as a feed. Then the next time you read our FMM blog, you will be able to click on the yellow star and read what's new on the Readers Advisor Online blog.
Waaaaaay cool! Try it. You'll like it!
If you click on the little yellow star and the green plus sign at the top of this page, it will ask you if you'd like to add it as a feed. Then the next time you read our FMM blog, you will be able to click on the yellow star and read what's new on the Readers Advisor Online blog.
Waaaaaay cool! Try it. You'll like it!
Friday, July 11, 2008
Susie's LEEP blog--Running Away...to college!
">Link
I'm going to try to keep a little journal here of my daily activities at the LEEP program July 16-26 in Champaign, aka "Boot Camp." It will be a way to keep in touch with you all. I'm still working on my homework to prepare, but feel pretty, no really, good about what's upcoming. I've finished my first paper due next Friday, so I've got that under my belt. I work on Monday, July 14, go for my Illinois State Library grant on Tuesday, July 15 (cross your fingers), and leave for Champaign on Wednesday, July 16--I might come in for the FMM meeting, though--not sure yet.
If you want to know more about the LEEP program, see http://www.lis.uiuc.edu/programs/leep/.
If you just want to have a little fun with a hilarious website, check outhttp://www.lipsticklibrarian.com/.
I'm going to try to keep a little journal here of my daily activities at the LEEP program July 16-26 in Champaign, aka "Boot Camp." It will be a way to keep in touch with you all. I'm still working on my homework to prepare, but feel pretty, no really, good about what's upcoming. I've finished my first paper due next Friday, so I've got that under my belt. I work on Monday, July 14, go for my Illinois State Library grant on Tuesday, July 15 (cross your fingers), and leave for Champaign on Wednesday, July 16--I might come in for the FMM meeting, though--not sure yet.
If you want to know more about the LEEP program, see http://www.lis.uiuc.edu/programs/leep/.
If you just want to have a little fun with a hilarious website, check outhttp://www.lipsticklibrarian.com/.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
All Books All the Time
This amazing site (also called an aggregator) collects in ONE place the newest information about books from the NYT, the Guardian, book blogs, librarian blogs, bookstore sites, etc. etc.
If you love books and reading about what newest in the book world, this is the place for YOU!
http://books.alltop.com/
If you love books and reading about what newest in the book world, this is the place for YOU!
http://books.alltop.com/
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Our blog gets RSS Feeds!
What??!!, you ask. RSS feeds are like daily newsletters sent to our blog on topics relevant to FMM. So far, we have mostly book-related feeds, but I'm hoping that Someone on the AV side of FMM might add some useful movie and music feeds....hint, hint, hint......
To read our feed, follow the simple directions below.
You view feeds on the Feeds tab in the Favorites Center. To view your feeds, click the Favorites Center button (HINT: it's the yellow STAR shaped button at the top left of this blog) , and then click Feeds.
To read our feed, follow the simple directions below.
You view feeds on the Feeds tab in the Favorites Center. To view your feeds, click the Favorites Center button (HINT: it's the yellow STAR shaped button at the top left of this blog) , and then click Feeds.
100 Useful Reference Sites You've Never Heard Of
The internet is an amazing place, but sometimes it can be overwhelming. This site which is worth bookmarking, identifies and describes 100 sites for teachers that might be useful for anyone! Don't have time to explore it completely? Don't worry! Just take a glance and scroll down the list, put it on your list of favorites and remember it when you just can't find the answer you need using good ol' Google.
Happy surfing!
Happy surfing!
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
July Monthly Report
The past twelve months have been very active for the Library and Adult Services! The following is a sampling of key accomplishments and events over the past year. Thanks to all Adult Services staff members for their hard work and dedication over the past year.
- Fiction, Movies and Music area opens in summer 2007, with new a new service desk and improved shelving and signage.
- YA staff implements video gaming as part of their programming, attracting non-traditional users to the library.
- Periodicals collection moves to new self-serve shelving near reference stacks. Back issues of magazines are now shelved with the most recent copy, enabling patrons to easily browse the collection.
- Bookletters expands to include different genres and formats, including new e-newsletters for genealogy, business, and library news.
- Cook Library Genealogy Networking group debuts in April.
- Job descriptions updated for many Adult Services staff members.
- DVD checkout limit doubled to 10.
- Harry Potter Lock-In Party attracts 32 teens who enjoyed an overnight of fun as the highly anticipated book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was officially released in July.
- Nearly all of the library’s 4,500 adult videocassette titles are sold to the public in order to proceed with the relocation of the DVD and CD collection to the main floor.
- New Family Film Collection is completed, offering over 550 family-friendly DVD titles.
English Language Learning collection is established, consisting of books and multimedia materials to help adults improve their reading and comprehension. - ELL reading and discussion group established, offering book discussions for non-native English speakers in a leisurely, fun setting.
- Instant messaging implemented, enabling patrons an additional means to communicate with reference librarians.
- Adult Services shelving operations reorganized, including naming 2 lead shelvers.
- Legal Forms and Small Business Resource Center databases added.
- After months of preparation and training, new online catalog system, Millennium, is launched in February.
- Monthly Pioneer Press column begins in April, exploring historical topics and events local to Mundelein, Vernon Hills and Libertyville.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Public Libraries 2.0
Recently in a conversation, Dan Armstrong told me he envisioned our library as being the "third place." I asked him what it meant and like many other new concepts, I've been hearing about it everywhere since. The third place refers to the several places you spend significant amounts of time, the first being your home. As I understand it, the Second Place can include your church, your children's school, Caribou, a favorite bar or restaurant--it's where you go and everybody knows your name.
The attached article talks about libraries as the Third Place for people in their communities and I'd be interested in your thoughts about this concept. Do you think Cook is already the Third Place for some? What can we do to make the new branch in VH the Third Place for that community?
ej
The attached article talks about libraries as the Third Place for people in their communities and I'd be interested in your thoughts about this concept. Do you think Cook is already the Third Place for some? What can we do to make the new branch in VH the Third Place for that community?
ej
Hot Summer Reading!!
Stumbled upon a great website that claims to connect librarians and publishers by Nora Rawlinson. She is a Readers' Advisor and recently spoke at BEA about how she goes about selecting books for her library. Her system might not be for everyone, but I thought it was worth reading about and sharing with all of you!
To get to the site, click on the title above: Hot Summer Reading.
Enjoy!
Yours,
Ellen
To get to the site, click on the title above: Hot Summer Reading.
Enjoy!
Yours,
Ellen
Friday, May 16, 2008
100 Must-Read Books: The Essential Man’s Library
Just found an interesting list of manly books on a website called The Art of Manliness. Great list of classic books with an emphasis on testosterone and heroic adventures. Here is their introductory blurb to their list of the 100 Essential Must-Read Books for Men:
There are the books you read, and then there are the books that change your life. We can all look back on the books that have shaped our perspective on politics, religion, money, and love. Some will even become a source of inspiration for the rest of your life. From a seemingly infinite list of books of anecdotal or literal merit, we have narrowed down the top 100 books that have shaped the lives of individual men while also helping define broader cultural ideas of what it means to be a man.
Whether it be a book on adventure, war, or manners, there is so much to learn about life’s great questions from these gems. Let us know in the comments which of these you loved, hated, and the books that meant a lot to you and should have made the list (you can even get really indignant about your favorite book). And without further ado, this is our list.
">Link
There are the books you read, and then there are the books that change your life. We can all look back on the books that have shaped our perspective on politics, religion, money, and love. Some will even become a source of inspiration for the rest of your life. From a seemingly infinite list of books of anecdotal or literal merit, we have narrowed down the top 100 books that have shaped the lives of individual men while also helping define broader cultural ideas of what it means to be a man.
Whether it be a book on adventure, war, or manners, there is so much to learn about life’s great questions from these gems. Let us know in the comments which of these you loved, hated, and the books that meant a lot to you and should have made the list (you can even get really indignant about your favorite book). And without further ado, this is our list.
">Link
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Harry Potter updates
The emotional rollercoaster that the Harry Potter court case seems to be in danger of becoming (Shelf Awareness, April 15, 2008), continued when Steven Vander Ark "broke down and cried on the witness stand Tuesday as he faced off in court against his idol J.K. Rowling," according to the Associated Press (via USA Today). Described in the article as stammering and "choking on his words," the man accused of infringing upon Rowling's copyright testified, "It's been . . . It's been . . . It's been difficult because there has been a lot of criticism, obviously, and that was never the intention. . . . This has been an important part of my life for the last nine years or so."USA Today reported that Vander Ark "acknowledged that he, too, had substantial concerns all along about whether publishing an encyclopedia based on Rowling's Potter universe would constitute copyright infringement. He said he was talked into doing it by the publishing company [RDR Books]."
--- In an editorial entitled "J.K. Rowling may own Harry's world, but we own her words now," yesterday's Times of London (©News Corp.) offered this take on the issue:"A generation has now grown up besotted (©Milton) with Quidditch and Hogwarts. However, it is not astonishing that J.K. Rowling is using a court case to remind the writers of a zany (©Shakespeare) Harry Potter lexicon, now making the jump from cyberspace (©William Gibson) to print, that it is not common property and she did invent it all. She may succeed in persuading the court that her copyright is violated by some parts of the proposed encyclopedia. Indeed, she may have a respectable commercial case, but not much of a cultural one. However, unless she employs a mole (©le Carré) to oversee our every conversation and written exchange, she should not try to suppress a collection of her invented words. For Voldemort, Muggles, Horcruxes and all Rowling's other serendipitous (©Walpole) coinages are ours now; it would be pig-headed (©Jonson) not to let us use them as we wish."English is so full of the neologisms of authors that if we had to credit each one, we would assassinate (©Shakespeare) our prose, and make readers chortle (©Carroll) mightily. Without being didactic (©Milton), Rowling can be assured that she is in good company in contributing words, gratis, to the language. The best she should hope for is that her words become as widely adopted as those of other authors. Perhaps the highest honour has been bestowed on the quark (©Joyce), used as the name for a sub-atomic particle. As there are quarks across the Universe, Joyce may be our most disseminated author. Rowling should be proud if Doxies, Thestrals or Butterbeer make it as far as a lexicon."
">Link
--- In an editorial entitled "J.K. Rowling may own Harry's world, but we own her words now," yesterday's Times of London (©News Corp.) offered this take on the issue:"A generation has now grown up besotted (©Milton) with Quidditch and Hogwarts. However, it is not astonishing that J.K. Rowling is using a court case to remind the writers of a zany (©Shakespeare) Harry Potter lexicon, now making the jump from cyberspace (©William Gibson) to print, that it is not common property and she did invent it all. She may succeed in persuading the court that her copyright is violated by some parts of the proposed encyclopedia. Indeed, she may have a respectable commercial case, but not much of a cultural one. However, unless she employs a mole (©le Carré) to oversee our every conversation and written exchange, she should not try to suppress a collection of her invented words. For Voldemort, Muggles, Horcruxes and all Rowling's other serendipitous (©Walpole) coinages are ours now; it would be pig-headed (©Jonson) not to let us use them as we wish."English is so full of the neologisms of authors that if we had to credit each one, we would assassinate (©Shakespeare) our prose, and make readers chortle (©Carroll) mightily. Without being didactic (©Milton), Rowling can be assured that she is in good company in contributing words, gratis, to the language. The best she should hope for is that her words become as widely adopted as those of other authors. Perhaps the highest honour has been bestowed on the quark (©Joyce), used as the name for a sub-atomic particle. As there are quarks across the Universe, Joyce may be our most disseminated author. Rowling should be proud if Doxies, Thestrals or Butterbeer make it as far as a lexicon."
">Link
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Oprah's Book Club selections
- Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
- As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
- Back Roads by Tawni O'Dell
- The Best Way To Play by Bill Cosby
- Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen
- The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
- The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton
- Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat
- Cane River by Lalita Tademy
- The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
- Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton
- Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
- The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard
- Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz
- East of Eden by John Steinbeck
- Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons
- Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald
- A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
- Gap Creek by Robert Morgan
- The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
- The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
- The Heart of a Woman by Maya Angelou
- Here on Earth by Alice Hoffman
- House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III
- I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb
- Icy Sparks by Gwyn Hyman Rubio
- Jewel by Bret Lott
- A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines
- Light in August by William Faulkner
- Love in the Time of Cholera By Gabriel GarcÃa Márquez
- A Map of the World by Jane Hamilton
- The Meanest Thing To Say by Bill Cosby
- The Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier
- Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
- Midwives by Chris Bohjalian
- A Million Little Pieces by James Frey
- Mother of Pearl by Melinda Haynes
- A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle
- Night by Elie Wiesel
- One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel GarcÃa Márquez
- Open House by Elizabeth Berg
- Paradise by Toni Morrison
- The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
- The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve
- The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
- The Rapture of Canaan by Sheri Reynolds
- The Reader by Bernhard Schlink River
- Cross My Heart by Breena Clarke
- The Road by Cormac McCarthy
- She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb
- Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
- Songs In Ordinary Time by Mary McGarry Morris
- The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
- Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail by Malika Oufkir
- Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi
- Sula by Toni Morrison
- Tara Road by Maeve Binchy
- The Treasure Hunt by Bill Cosby
- Vinegar Hill by A. Manette Ansay
- A Virtuous Woman by Kaye Gibbons
- We Were The Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates
- What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day by Pearl Cleage
- Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts
- While I Was Gone by Sue Miller
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
How to Get Boys to Read
Marc Aronson
How to get boys to read
Deerfield Public Library
March 10, 2008
Marc Aronson has clear ideas about why boys today are considered nonreaders and how we can change that perception as well as help boys improve their reading skills. Aronson, an award-winning YA writer and lecturer, spoke entertainingly on Monday, March 10 to a packed room of parents, librarians and educators at Deerfield Public Library.
According to the recent study by the NEA, fewer people are reading today than ever before. Aronson argues, however, that the NEA defines reading as the reading of fiction and this study didn’t measure other types of reading activities, noticeably the sort of reading most often done by men and preferred by boys---nonfiction. He told us that his flight that morning from New Jersey was full of mostly men who were all reading newspapers, magazines and work-related papers. He said, that according to the narrow definition of reading by the NEA, all those men would be considered non-readers.
He then turned his attention toward the public school system in which most reading involves ‘story.’ Stories, by definition, are usually narrative fiction which allows the reader to identify with a character and learn something about him or herself as they enter that character’s world. Aronson claims that many boys are not engaged by stories and would prefer to read facts and information about topics of interest to them. He gave the example of his five year old son who struggled with basic sight words in his reading book because he just didn’t care about Bob and Tom and their simple stories. But when Aronson gave him, a Yu-Gi-Oh trading card of his favorite character, that same five year old was able to sound out multi-syllabic words describing this character and his actions. Boys want a schematic, not a romance. For boys, reading is about knowing more facts that someone else. Reading is done in order for them to win or dominate—so they know more about their teams for the NCAA office pool. Boys want to learn how to live the story himself, not to find himself in literature. Yet, our public school system is designed to teach reading through stories which doesn’t work for about half the student body. Then when boys don’t respond or when they act out, they become the problem. The problem becomes the boys and not the way we’re teaching them. We, in fact, end up blaming the victim.
Those of us who want to help boys become better readers must recognize that reading can be logical and linear such as reading about how to do something, like build or repair something. Some boys want mastery of a subject they care about or the tools to master his field. Aronson suggested that boys want to learn to BE an electrician, not to read about one.
Aronson believes that video games should or could have a place in the classroom. He cited one successful social studies teacher who had his students place the simulation game Civilization which then motivated them to read the history of great rulers, in order to win at the game. He mentioned one surgeon who believes that playing an hour of the video game Marble Madness before an operation enhances his surgical precision and attention to detail.
Boys’ competitiveness is a double-edged sword, however, said Aronson. Boys’ egos can be fragile and they can be easily frustrated. The trick is to harness their competitiveness to help them read more, but not raise the bar so high that they become frustrated and likely to give up too easily. To increase boys’ vocabulary, give them new words about topics they want to know about. If they are a football fan, he suggested getting them books, magazines and newspaper articles about their favorite team.
Aronson concluded his talk by going back to his problems with the NEA’s conclusions that boys don’t read. He suggested renaming the non-fiction section of libraries the Knowledge section. He said that non-fiction is the only category in our lives defined by something it isn’t. That demeans boys’ interests because the term non-fiction doesn’t have the same cachet as fiction.
If we give boys things to read that match their interests, he said boys will read. He said it is going to take a paradigm shift in public schools and libraries to recognize and validate boys’ reading preferences. Going back to the airplane filled with men reading non-fiction, he suggested that if we allow boys to expand their reading to include non-fiction and let them follow their interests, we would go a long way toward helping boys become better readers.
Throughout his talk, Aronson recommended twol books for those who are interested in thinking more about the subject of boys and reading:
Reading Don’t Fix No Chevys; Literacy in the Lives of Young Men by Michael W. Smith and Jeffrey Wilhelm
How Computer Games Help Children Learn by David Williamson Shaffer
">Link
How to get boys to read
Deerfield Public Library
March 10, 2008
Marc Aronson has clear ideas about why boys today are considered nonreaders and how we can change that perception as well as help boys improve their reading skills. Aronson, an award-winning YA writer and lecturer, spoke entertainingly on Monday, March 10 to a packed room of parents, librarians and educators at Deerfield Public Library.
According to the recent study by the NEA, fewer people are reading today than ever before. Aronson argues, however, that the NEA defines reading as the reading of fiction and this study didn’t measure other types of reading activities, noticeably the sort of reading most often done by men and preferred by boys---nonfiction. He told us that his flight that morning from New Jersey was full of mostly men who were all reading newspapers, magazines and work-related papers. He said, that according to the narrow definition of reading by the NEA, all those men would be considered non-readers.
He then turned his attention toward the public school system in which most reading involves ‘story.’ Stories, by definition, are usually narrative fiction which allows the reader to identify with a character and learn something about him or herself as they enter that character’s world. Aronson claims that many boys are not engaged by stories and would prefer to read facts and information about topics of interest to them. He gave the example of his five year old son who struggled with basic sight words in his reading book because he just didn’t care about Bob and Tom and their simple stories. But when Aronson gave him, a Yu-Gi-Oh trading card of his favorite character, that same five year old was able to sound out multi-syllabic words describing this character and his actions. Boys want a schematic, not a romance. For boys, reading is about knowing more facts that someone else. Reading is done in order for them to win or dominate—so they know more about their teams for the NCAA office pool. Boys want to learn how to live the story himself, not to find himself in literature. Yet, our public school system is designed to teach reading through stories which doesn’t work for about half the student body. Then when boys don’t respond or when they act out, they become the problem. The problem becomes the boys and not the way we’re teaching them. We, in fact, end up blaming the victim.
Those of us who want to help boys become better readers must recognize that reading can be logical and linear such as reading about how to do something, like build or repair something. Some boys want mastery of a subject they care about or the tools to master his field. Aronson suggested that boys want to learn to BE an electrician, not to read about one.
Aronson believes that video games should or could have a place in the classroom. He cited one successful social studies teacher who had his students place the simulation game Civilization which then motivated them to read the history of great rulers, in order to win at the game. He mentioned one surgeon who believes that playing an hour of the video game Marble Madness before an operation enhances his surgical precision and attention to detail.
Boys’ competitiveness is a double-edged sword, however, said Aronson. Boys’ egos can be fragile and they can be easily frustrated. The trick is to harness their competitiveness to help them read more, but not raise the bar so high that they become frustrated and likely to give up too easily. To increase boys’ vocabulary, give them new words about topics they want to know about. If they are a football fan, he suggested getting them books, magazines and newspaper articles about their favorite team.
Aronson concluded his talk by going back to his problems with the NEA’s conclusions that boys don’t read. He suggested renaming the non-fiction section of libraries the Knowledge section. He said that non-fiction is the only category in our lives defined by something it isn’t. That demeans boys’ interests because the term non-fiction doesn’t have the same cachet as fiction.
If we give boys things to read that match their interests, he said boys will read. He said it is going to take a paradigm shift in public schools and libraries to recognize and validate boys’ reading preferences. Going back to the airplane filled with men reading non-fiction, he suggested that if we allow boys to expand their reading to include non-fiction and let them follow their interests, we would go a long way toward helping boys become better readers.
Throughout his talk, Aronson recommended twol books for those who are interested in thinking more about the subject of boys and reading:
Reading Don’t Fix No Chevys; Literacy in the Lives of Young Men by Michael W. Smith and Jeffrey Wilhelm
How Computer Games Help Children Learn by David Williamson Shaffer
">Link
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Les Miserables movie in French
I have had several requests from HS students in French class about the movie Les Miserables in French. The version they are watching in class (and some want to/need to watch again at home for a paper or upcoming test) is the 1996 version by Warner Brothers. It was directed by Claude leLouch and is only available from a few libraries in VHS. It apparently has not yet been made into a DVD.
However, there is hope for these desperate students..........
After some searching, I have discovered that this film is available through Amazon.com as a download for just $2.99. Below is the link for that service. It might be their best option since there are so few local libraries that have this movie and most students seem to need it RIGHT AWAY.
http://www.amazon.com/Les-Miserables/dp/B0012QQNF2/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&s=digital-video&qid=1204669099&sr=8-17
">Link
However, there is hope for these desperate students..........
After some searching, I have discovered that this film is available through Amazon.com as a download for just $2.99. Below is the link for that service. It might be their best option since there are so few local libraries that have this movie and most students seem to need it RIGHT AWAY.
http://www.amazon.com/Les-Miserables/dp/B0012QQNF2/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&s=digital-video&qid=1204669099&sr=8-17
">Link
New way to search for movie titles
Can't remember a movie title, or just looking for something new to see? You can use the "movie:" operator to search for films related to a specific actor, director or plot detail.
Just go to Google.com and start your search query with:
movies:
After the colon, add whatever details you (or your patron) can remember about the movie.
You will get a list movie-based answers that hopefully contains the name of the film for which you're searching.
Isn't the internet amazing?!
Just go to Google.com and start your search query with:
movies:
After the colon, add whatever details you (or your patron) can remember about the movie.
You will get a list movie-based answers that hopefully contains the name of the film for which you're searching.
Isn't the internet amazing?!
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