Roller Derby Librarians?

Miss the Younger and I love roller derby. Our favorite team is The Chicago Outfit (one of whom is Miss's hairdresser by day).

So I thank Shushie for noting this CNN.com article in her blog: Tiny librarian is hell on wheels, about Beth Hollis, Ohio reference librarian by day, and her alter ego MegaBeth, roller derby girl by night. Take that, librarian stereotypes!

All Zombies, All the Time

I just finished two entertaining books: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith (author and film producer), and The Zombie Survival Guide, by Max Brooks (author and screenwriter; hmm... I sense a trend here). It's been a slimy pile of fun. Both take the zombie scourge very seriously. Although Brooks didn't mention the infestation of Regency England in his book, I'm sure it was just an oversight in his research.

I enjoyed the way Grahame-Smith interspersed Austen's wit with zombie-stompin' action sequences. Elizabeth Bennet, inseperable from her Katana sword, is as strong as she is smart. I especially loved, when Darcy made his first, insulting proposal, that Liz kicked him into a fireplace. You go, girl! Although Darcy believes her Chinese training was inferior to his family's vaunted Japanese ninja-style training (which Liz debunks by killing said ninjas), he nonetheless admires her ability. He also makes regular double-entendres (blush), which Liz understands (gasp)!

I'm hoping Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, by Ben Winters, will be as well-staged... er, I mean -written.

And then there's The Zombie Survival Guide, a thorough analysis of the long history of zombie attacks, and list of the best weapons and tactics for protection from zombies. The author debunks movie fallacies: machine guns and flamethrowers are NOT practical civilian weapons against zombies, but plain old crowbars and pitchforks work well. He reminds us repeatedly that physical fitness will be our primary weapon in escaping zombie attacks.

Brooks goes on to provide practical advice (and encourage well thought-out planning) for surviving a world potentially overrun by zombies. I think this book might serve well for surviving other apocalyptic world events, as well.

Twilight Convention

Yes, for all my avid Twilight readers, you have your own local conference now: www.creationent.com/cal/twilight_il.htm October 2-4, 2009

And, just for fun, a musical spoof of the Twilight movie, by The Hillywood Show.

THE NATIONAL PARKS: My Parks

Nominate your favorite librarian!

Nominate your librarian today for the Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award!

It's that time again: nominate your favorite librarian (public, school, or academic) for the I Love My Librarian! 2009 Award, sponsored by ALA, The New York Times, and the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Nominations close 9 October 2009.

Let your local librarians know how much they mean to you and your family, school, or college.

How to Say Goodbye in Robot

Finished another advance reader from ALA, by a new author, and loved it.

Beatrice claims to have no sense of peoples' feelings. Yet, her claims are sometimes disingenious, as she proceeds to make very empathetic observations. However, her reactions also seem true to teens' lack of understanding of their parents' feelings (even if it seems obvious to adults, reading her descriptions).  Loved it.

May I Have Another?

Early this morning, I was off to a bad start. I was so tired, I almost fell asleep at the wheel, so I had to stop and take a breather, making me late to school. While stopped, I noticed that my sick dog had wiped snot on my pants. After a 45-minute commute, it was too late to go home and change.

Then, it turned into a great day:

A boy came in to return Paul Volponi's Black and White. He said "I really liked this. Can you find me another book like this one?" He wasn't very articulate about why he liked the book, so I tried to think of story parallels. I showed him several of Walter Dean Myers' books, Chris Crutcher's Whale Talk, Ben Mikaelsen's Touching Spirit Bear, and the two Volponi books I had left (all our Freshman English classes were in for book talks last week). He considered them all, and left happy with another Volponi, The Hand You're Dealt. No story parallels at all - must be the writing.

Later, a girl came to return Marked, by P.C. Cast, and begged for the second book, Betrayed. She was devastated that someone else was reading it. Several periods later, it was returned. Before I even checked it in, the first girl walked by on her way to a class in the Computer Lab. She saw the book in my hand, and literally jumped up and down with joy. Another happy customer.

Oh yes, and an English teacher asked if I could help him find two book lists, one for his Honors classes, and another one for his reluctant readers. I handed him YALSA's Best Books for the College Bound, and Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers.

I felt like a genius by the end of the day. I love my job!

BBAW 2009: Vote for me! Or just vote.

Let me make one thing perfectly clear: I am not boycotting the BBAW 2009 Awards. So you are welcome to use this BBAW link to vote for me:We blog about books because we enjoy reading, and enjoy talking about books, and most of all because we enjoy chatting with other people who enjoy books. Nobody is in this for fame and fortune, and none of us will get a Pulitzer for our blog (unless we convince the powers that be to add blogs... hmmm...).

Book bloggers depend on publishers to supply the books. Publishers encourage us to review their products by giving us free copies and advance reading copies, tchotchkes, and prizes to give away, etc. There will always be fine lines to cross, but in a Web 2.0 world, they're scratched in shifting sands. As long as we're all honest about our connections and intentions, let's just enjoy ourselves.

I discovered Book Blogger Appreciation Week for the first time this year. Through being nominated, and following the judging process on Twitter, I've found great new book blogs to read, and many new friends to chat with about books. What result could be more enjoyable than that?

Happy Ramadan

For the next month, a few new students will be joining our usual "I'm avoiding lunch in the H.S. Cafeteria" crowd: Muslim students who are fasting for Ramadan find a food-smell and food-fight-free haven in the Library over their lunch hours. And, hopefully, a quieter, more contemplative setting... although I can't always guarantee that.

In honor of Ramadan, I'm thinking of books I've read recently by or about Muslims. I finished Deborah Rodriguez's non-fiction Kabul Beauty School. I enjoyed the peek at womens' social lives in Afghanistan. And how timely the topic is again, with recent news about the Afghani election, the Taliban's interference with it, women's difficulty getting to the polls, and controversy over the United States' role in that country!

Speaking of Afghanistan and controversy: if you enjoy it, you must read The Reluctant Fundamentalist, by Mohsin Hamid. It's a fictionalized (and one-sided) conversation with a young Afghani man who was educated at Princeton, found a lucrative job and beautiful girlfriend in the United States, and gave it all up over the way he was treated after 9/11. He returned to his home country, where he became even more radicalized. Even in Lahore, he couldn't escape involvement with Americans who distrusted him. A peek at men's social and political lives, and how history can affect them both.

Catching Fire at the Hunger Games

I finished the advance copy of Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, and it is definitely another winner. Students ask me every day "When will it be released, and how soon can I check it out?"

Catching Fire picks up after Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark have returned to their village, but not to their homes. They each have a spacious house in the Victor's Village now, near Haymitch. The three of them haven't been seeing much of each other. Gale Hawthorne is working in the Section 12 mines now, so Katniss can only meet him in the woods on Sundays, to hunt more than talk.

It's time for the mid-year Victory Tour, to parade last year's winners through all the Districts, and get everyone anticipating this year's Hunger Games. But, something has changed. Once again, Katniss and Peeta must pretend to be star-crossed lovers, while they notice strange happenings in other Districts, and worry what is happening to their families back home.

Naturally, Collins keeps the action speeding up, the dangers for Katniss and her loved ones increasing, and you won't believe the surprises she saves for the newest Hunger Games. Can Katniss manage competing threats, stay true to her ideals, and still protect her family and Gale?

It's such a teaser to have to wait for the third book now. We'll plan a big party for the eventual movie release.