How to use this Page

So, what do you think?

Was this book written by Bar Code Tattoo-Suzanne Weyn?:

Relatedly, do your Christmas books circulate year-round?

Because holy cow, MINE DO.

Yep, pretty much.

In addition to seasonal coloring pages and the Rainbow Loom and a few pom-pom makers and whatnot, I currently have supplies out for...

DRUMROLL PLEASE!

Paper bag turkey puppets:

And pipe cleaner people:

Heh. My job is fun.

WOW:

O.o

Soooooooooooooooooo:

DISCUSS.

(Interestingly, I don't think anyone dies in this one.)

At the moment, my patron base appears to skew more retiree than preschooler. 

HOWEVER.

I do have some preschoolers, and in particular, a pair of 3-year-old twins who are OBSESSED with Sophie's Squash.

Every week they come in, and every week one of them spots it, and every week, that kicks off a tagteam of, "Sophie!" "Squash!" "Sophie!" "Squash!" and then their mom saying something along the lines of, "I know you love Sophie, but you have to let the OTHER kids get a chance with her!"

And then they get distracted by the toybox, and the moment passes.

But, MAN. They do love that book.

And I admit it: so do I.

From the CBC:

Dereen filed a complaint to the library to get the book, and others like them, removed from the shelves or moved to a separate section free from the gaze of children. The library responded by saying that it did not plan to change its policies, and that the child’s guardian is ultimately responsible for the books he or she wants to check out.

Dereen then turned to Fox 59 in the hopes that it would help sway public opinion in her favour.

Is it just me, or is the dude's arm on the book cover INSANELY THIN?

Anyway, my favorite thing about this whole story is that the kid checked the book out thinking that it was about video game cheat codes. Because... well, again, I direct your attention to the cover art.

At work today, Raylan Givens helped me catalog some Amish romances:

Then he put some way out-of-date Book Review Digests in their place:

And then, finally, Josh stopped by the library and, while I was helping a patron, took it upon himself to fix Raylan's hat:

So, that was my day.

How was yours?

Just home from the library's board meeting, and, as you may have guessed from the line I quoted above, I am a happy girl.

Everything I wanted, I got:

1. The board approved my suggested changes to the days and hours we're open. In other words, NO MORE ELEVEN HOUR DAYS AND SPLIT WEEKENDS, WOOOOOOOO.

Instead, the library will be open a much more managable (and sane) eight hours Tuesdays-Fridays, three hours on Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday.

2. They also moved to start accepting physical donations again, which means I can FINALLY publicly thank Jenne at Scholastic for THE BEST CONGRATULATORY GIFT EVER--->

Note: That picture? Is only of TWO-THIRDS of her donation. SHE (and her buddies) SINGLE-HANDEDLY INCREASED MY YA SECTION BY A QUARTER, IF NOT A THIRD.

I love you, Jenne.

3. They—with no debate whatsoever—voted to shell out in order to join the library delivery van service, which will allow me to A) provide ILL services and B) host book groups.

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.

And now, as promised, here are the highlights of what I've done over the last month (in addition to the aforementioned new YA section):

• Created a HUGE book sale area. 
• Started HEAVILY weeding the adult nonfiction, which is... well, it needs to be weeded. Bad.
• Moved stuff around in the children's area and created an island display area with books faced out at actual kids'-eye-level.
• Separated the audiobooks on CD from the audiobooks on cassette (they were mixed) and catalogued all of the ACDs.
• Deep-sixed all of the VHS tapes and the audiobooks on cassette.
• Created a (very low-key) website.

Like I said, those are the highlights. There was WAAAAAAAAAY more.

But HOLY CATS, I NEED A NAP.

Tight, tight, tight, with no room for growth! Also located directly next to A) the bathroom, which makes for less-than enticing browsing and B) the children's section, which suggests that it's simply an off-shoot of kidville.

The new job is going swimmingly, but it's currently taking up the lion's share of my attention and time*.

I find myself dreaming about it, or waking up in the middle of the night and mulling over POSSIBILITIES for programming or organization or fundraising or ordering or wishlists or whatever.

All good things, but overall, exhausting! 

I'll post more about the specifics of what I've been up to soon: there's a board meeting coming up next week, so that'll be a good excuse for me to sit down and make a list of all of the changes I've made and things I've been up do. In the meantime, though, the pictures at right are of one of the first things I did: moving the YA books.

Plus, I've dived back into Super Readers' Advisory Mode... which is hugely intellectually stimulating, but again, exhausting: and, as it is, as I've said, a small-town library with only one full-time employee (ME!), I'm doing Readers' Advisory for every age group.

Which I love.

But, as I said, it is rather exhausting, LIKEWHOA.

Still plenty of room for improvement, but far more enticing! Plus, it's now located over by the adult stacks, which will allow readers to organically browse in both areas.

So, you know: YAY!

ANYWAY. Thanks again for being so understanding.

To everyone who had Labor Day off, I hope it was a good one!
To everyone who didn't, I hope you had a lovely day nonetheless!
To everyone who is starting a new school year, HAVE FUN! 
To everyone else, DITTO. 

Have I missed any BIG KERFUFFLES in the blogsphere while I've been radio silent?

________________________________

*Also taking up time: my current, possibly less-than-healthy obsession with Prison Architect, which I CAN'T. STOP. PLAYING.

This is another case in which I'm donating an item that I haven't reviewed... because while I certainly paged through it and laughed like a loon, the contents of Grumpy Cat: A Grumpy Book don't really allow for any sort of thoughtful review. 

NUTSHELL: If you enjoy the Grumpy Cat meme, you'll enjoy the book, if you don't, it'll just make you grumpy.

Anyway, while it made me (and Josh, who flipped through it as well) laugh, it's not the sort of book that has a whole lot of re-read potential.

I suspect, though, that it'll have a happy (or, well, satisfyingly grumpy) home in the YA section of the library.

_______________________________

*In case you missed it, I took over the running of my town library last week, and every day that I've worked, I've donated a book. For instance.

As I've said before, I don't do audiobooks.

If I was capable of listening to them without driving myself off of a cliff like Toonces, though, THESE WOULD TOTALLY BE THE ONES I'D LISTEN TO.

Because, OH MY GOD.

Matilda, narrated by Kate Winslet?

The BFG, narrated by David Walliams?

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, narrated by MORIARTY?

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, narrated by the actor who's currently playing Willy Wonka in the musical?

FREAKING. SWOON.

There are a bunch of others in the series, too, performed by a Who's Who of cool UKians: Peter Serafinowicz, Richard Ayoade, Bill Bailey, Tamsin Greig, Chris O'Dowd, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, OH MY GOD, THE WONDROUSNESS OF IT ALL!!

ANYWAY. I have no doubt whatsoever that some of my patrons*—young AND old AND in-between—are about to get super-duper happy.

_____________________________________

*In case you missed it, I took over the running of my town library last week, and every day that I've worked, I've donated something. For instance.

Today, I'm donating* Rival, by Sara Bennett Wealer:

The girls take turns narrating their story in the present and the past, providing both perspectives on the arc of their friendship. Rival is a solid contemporary YA drama: Brooke and Kathryn have distinct voices and they're both flawed yet relatable. Sara Bennett Wealer deals with both characters fairly: They both do some really rotten things and some really decent things. Even better, she never tips the balance: It never feels like one character is supposed to be more In The Right than the other. Because of that, I never chose one to root for -- and never even wanted to -- which is a rare (and welcome) thing when it comes to this sort of story.

_____________________________________

*In case you missed it, I took over the running of my town library last week, and every day that I've worked, I've donated a book. Or two.

Last week, I took the reins at my town's library, and since then, I've been donating a book every day that I work.

I'm doing so partly because I'm working within the constraints of a small collections budget that has to be stretched across all areas of the library, but mostly because I have MORE BOOKS THAN ANY ONE PERSON COULD POSSIBLY NEED, and it'll make me happy to share.

Today's book: No Safety in Numbers, by Dayna Lorentz:

...while the book veers more Generic Action Movie (lots of conflict, characters defined by a few major traits, not much depth or development) than Critic-Pleasing, Soon-to-Be-Award winner (for example), I enjoyed it unreservedly. The tension ramps up nicely as people start turning on each other, and even more so as characters begin to realize just how Little Brother-creepy their situation is, what with the government controlling the flow of information in—and out—of the mall.

Last week, I took the reins at my town's library, and since then, I've been donating a book every day that I work.

I'm doing so partly because I'm working within the constraints of a small collections budget that has to be stretched across all areas of the library, but mostly because I have MORE BOOKS THAN ANY ONE PERSON COULD POSSIBLY NEED, and it'll make me happy to share.

Today's book: The Friday Society, by Adrienne Kress:

Considering the cover art, it’s not surprising that Adrienne Kress’ The Friday Society has been billed in more than one place (including here at Kirkus) as a sort-of steampunk Charlie’s Angels.  And while it’s not always safe to judge books by their covers, in this case, what you see is what you get.

So far, I've only donated books* that I've already read and reviewed.

However!

Occasionally, publishers send me audiobooks, which I'd love to listen to while I'm driving, but can't because they make run red lights.

So I'll be passing these two right along.

Massacre Pond is the fourth in an adult crime series about a Maine game warden: although I won't be listening to the audio, we have the first three books at the library, so I'm totally going to snag the first one this week, because A) it sounds super and B) I need to bone up on the grown-up books.

Theodore Boone, of course, needs no introduction. The Activist is the fourth book in the series.

____________________________________

*In case you missed it, I took over the running of my town library last week, and every day that I've worked, I've donated a book. For instance.

I live in a small town with a small library, and unsurprisingly, my small library has the sort of small budget that calls for lots of creative thinking and whatnot.

And since now—as of last week!—I'm RUNNING THE SHOW at the library, I've decided to donate a book every day that I work. After all, I have PLENTY, and it'll make me happy to share.

Today's book: Starstruck, by Rachel Shukert:

On the scale of realistic-yet-frothy historical fiction starring female protagonists—with What I Saw and How I Lied on the OMG, IT'S AHMAZING end, Vixen on the OMG, WHAT AM I READING end, and The Luxe squarely in the middle—Starstruck has more in common with The Luxe than the others. It has a similar format, in that the focus rotates through the main characters; it has some of the same character archetypes, including the not-so-pretty girl who resents the ridiculously sweet & pure ingenue; and it has a similar feel, in that it's super-soap-operatic and somewhat over-the-top and totally entertaining.

Unless otherwise noted, all donated books come from my personal collection, and have been reviewed by me, either here or at Kirkus Reviews.

I live in a small town with a small library, and unsurprisingly, my small library has the sort of small budget that calls for lots of creative thinking and whatnot.

And since now—as of Monday!—I'm RUNNING THE SHOW at the library, I've decided to donate a book every day that I work. After all, I have PLENTY, and it'll make me happy to share.

Today's book: Rapture Practice, by Aaron Hartzler:

...one of the main threads of Hartzler’s narrative is his journey towards understanding that the beliefs to which his family so wholeheartedly, devotedly and genuinely subscribes...aren’t necessarily the same as his. Much of the conflict centers around faith, the form it takes and how we display it, but the harder emotions he grapples with—doubt, anger, confusion and heartbreak—are universal to adolescence, and to coming-of-age. Rapture Practice is about how he finds his way through all that and ultimately makes peace not just with how he’s different from his family, but how they’re different from him.

Unless otherwise noted, all donated books come from my personal collection, and have been reviewed by me, either here or at Kirkus Reviews.

I live in a small town with a small library, and unsurprisingly, my small library has the sort of small budget that calls for lots of creative thinking and whatnot.

And since now—as of today!—I'm RUNNING THE SHOW at the library, I've decided to donate a book every day that I work. After all, I have PLENTY, and it'll make me happy to share.

Today's book: Catch Rider, by Jennifer H. Lyne:

Sid is hardscrabble and feisty, and her dry delivery and her distinctive narration made me think of a younger version of Dairy Queen's D.J. Schwenk. Like D.J., she's also got working class roots, a crazy-strong work ethic, a you-say-stubborn-I-say-persistent nature and she lives in a small town where everyone knows everyone. Sid and the setting reminded me of Dairy Queen, but her drive and her knowledge reminded me of the heroines in Joan Bauer's earlier books: in those, they always have a passion for a particular topic, and Sid's passion is just as inspiring and contagious and impressive as any of theirs.

Unless otherwise noted, all donated books come from my personal collection, and have been reviewed by me, either here or at Kirkus Reviews.

I live in a small town with a small library, and unsurprisingly, my small library has the sort of small budget that calls for lots of creative thinking and whatnot.

And since now—as of Monday!—I'm RUNNING THE SHOW at the library, I've decided to donate a book every day that I work. After all, I have PLENTY, and it'll make me happy to share.

Today's book: Black City, by Elizabeth Richards:

You've probably already guessed where the story is headed, and you aren't wrong: but that's not to say that there aren't some twists along the way. Since the prose stylings are neither squee-inducing nor remotely offensive, it'll be the plotting, the characters, and the world-building that attract or repel readers: and as Black City has a lot in common with other recent bestsellers, it should be pretty easy to figure out whether or not you should pick it up.

Unless otherwise noted, all donated books come from my personal collection, and have been reviewed by me, either here or at Kirkus Reviews.

I live in a small town with a small library, and unsurprisingly, my small library has the sort of small budget that calls for lots of creative thinking and whatnot.

And since now—as of yesterday!—I'm RUNNING THE SHOW at the library, I've decided to donate a book every day that I work. After all, I have PLENTY, and it'll make me happy to share.

Today's book: Far Far Away, by Tom McNeal:

An impending foreclosure; a runaway mother; a father who won’t leave his bed; a televised trivia challenge; special cakes that are rumored to make people fall in love; a new friendship and a prank turned ugly; a suspicious sheriff's deputy; a baker who looks like Santa Claus; an unlikely act of forgiveness; a mysterious antagonist; and through it all, a sense of impending doom, dread and darkness: You name it, Far Far Away probably has it.

I live in a small town with a small library, and unsurprisingly, my small library has the sort of small budget that calls for lots of creative thinking and whatnot.

And since now—as of today!—I'm RUNNING THE SHOW at the library, I've decided to donate a book every day that I work. After all, I have PLENTY, and it'll make me happy to share.

Today's book: Shadow and Bone, by Leigh Bardugo:

The onion domes suggest Russia. The font suggests historical fiction, while the red lines in the font point more specifically toward a war story. The title and color scheme suggest dark and spooky. The swooping lines suggest romance, either lurrrve or heroism. And the whole package suggests classic fairy tale.*

And that’s sort of what it is.

Unless otherwise noted, all donated books come from my personal collection, and have been reviewed by me, either here or at Kirkus Reviews.

From Quill and Quire:

It may be sacrilegious and antithetical to everything libraries stand for (and as librarians, we appreciate this more than most), but we ardently believe it nevertheless: libraries should get into the business of selling books. Now.

Click on through, read, and then, if you are so inclined: DISCUSS.

This kind of says it all:

*sniffle*

Ah, well. I'll read a bunch! And keep an eye on the shenanigans via Twitter.

HAVE FUN, Y'ALL!

No, I'm not pregnant.

(It seems that every single time I say that I have Big News, people immediately jump to that conclusion. So I figured I'd cut you all off at the pass this time.) 

The news is:

Earlier today, I was offered the position of Head Librarian at my town's public library, and I accepted.

I can't even express how happy I am about it: it's a library that the town's residents LITERALLY built themselves, and so the community is really actively invested in it, and I'm so excited and pleased that they are trusting me with it.

SO VAIR VAIR EXCITED AND PLEASED. 

Anyway, starting in early August, that's what I'll be up to in my library-life.

First item on the agenda? Building them a website.

Going forward? We shall see what we shall see, but I'm sure it will be awesomesauce unchained.

(I might sound somewhat blasé about it (for me), but I am SO. EXCITED. And, as Josh, Amber, my sister, Amanda, and a few others can attest, I've been so revved about the application/interview process, etc., that I've been a tad difficult to be around. So thanks to everyone for A) putting up with me and B) being so amazingly supportive. YAY!)