I don't even want to look....

Rocket Writes a Story by Tad Hills

In How Rocket Learned to Read, a sweet and playful puppy named Rocket learned  the joy of reading. Now in Rocket Writes a Story, Rocket tries to put together all his favorite words to make a story. But what to write about? There are so many great topics, however will Rocket settle on just one? With the help of a special new friend and his teacher, Rocket learns to write his story and share his joy of reading with others.

 

   I love Rocket. I remember reading How Rocket Learned to Read for the first time and falling in love with Tad Hill’s sweet story about a dog that wanted to learn how to read. In his latest book, Rocket’s story continues with the same charm and a great message. 

Your child will be inspired to write their own stories and Rocket will show them how. Both Rocket books are great resources to teach children the power of reading, writing, and words. An essential part of a classroom or picture book collection and just so darn cute! 

Blu-rays, DVDs versus

 I submitted this a while back to I Work at a  Public Library which a wonderful Tumblr blog that will have you rolling on the floor. I forgot to post it here. Oops. Also, if you have any funny library stories, please submit them to I Work at a Public Library.

Blu-rays vs DVDs.....


A patron walked up to the desk carrying about 10 Blu-rays.

Patron: “Excuse me! None of these would play!”

Me [knowing Blu-rays are often confused with DVDs]: “These won’t work in a regular DVD player.”

Patron: “Yes, I know that.”
 
Me: “Do you have a Blu-ray player?”

Patron: “Yes.”

At this point, I become concerned and start looking them over them for obvious defects.

Me: “I just don’t understand why they won’t play. Especially if you have a Blu-ray player…”

Patron: “Oh I don’t have one of those.”

Me: “—”

Book Group Voting Part 3

So I made it  5 minutes before I added two more titles. I finally decided on Agnes and the Hitman then I found a southern mystery by Karen White that made the list. No more researching. Done. No mas. Finished.

Fiction:

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson

Defending Jacob by William Landay

The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Home by Toni Morrison

The Well and the Mine by Gin Phillips (Local Author)

The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson

Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

House on Tradd Street by Karen White 

Nonfiction:

Muddy Boots and Red Socks by Malcolm W. Browne84
Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

Quest for Justice by Richard S. Jaffe (Local Author) 

The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared by Alice
Ozma

It Worked For Me by Colin Powell 

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

Take the Cannoli by Sarah Vowell

Book Group Voting Part 2

Remember that list I posted last week with possible 2013 titles for my library book club? Well, it is been beyond butchered. I took out several titles due to page length. I also started taking submission from the members so I removed titles so I could have room for theirs. I wanted 24 books on the list, since we will be selecting 12. I figured 24 was a good number because I could fit 24 books on one page, but I might have to make the font smaller because I am thinking of adding Agnes and the Hitman or Getting Rid of Bradley  by Jennifer Crusie. I have heard wonderful things about these books.

I wish this was as easy as adding any book I heard was really good, but sadly I have worked hours on this list. Why? I had to think about what my book club liked. Some of the members have been in this group for 6 or seven years. I know I can't cater to a few particular members, but for the most part, I have noticed that my group loves mysteries. Loves them. And since we are set in the South, they love southern mysteries or mysteries by southern writers. But if you give them too many, they start complaining about reading the same thing. Double edged sword. So the last list has been revised several several several times. I am not even sure this will be the final list. I have tried to add some mysteries, but I also added a little fluff in there. For the last 3 month, we have been in a reading slump and though our current Sept. read is going over well, I intend to pay more attention to the order I assign the books. My goal is to rotate from month to month with either a heavy read to maybe something a little more fun. No more slumps!

From this list I am going to let them pick 7. From there I will take the top 12 and start to work. Since I am the moderator, I do have some pull. I am not saying that I will full out rig the voting, but executive decisions must be made. I would like for there to be at least 3 nonfiction picks and one young adult pick. I know for a fact there one title will automatically be a pick because there is a movie that can be shown as a corresponding program. We did an author visit last year, which definitely had its pros and cons. Some loved meeting the author because they got to ask additional questions, but if the author is present then it is difficult to honestly critique the work.

Anyways, here is the list. Our next meeting is on Sept. 11th and I hope to have everything finalized for them to vote. By the Oct. meeting I will have everything selected, bookmarks and flyers made, along with extra copies of the titles ordered (including LP and audio), plus meet with the Adult Dept. Head about other programs she might like to pair with the readings (ie movie showings, author talks, lectures, etc. )

Fiction:

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson

Defending Jacob by William Landay

The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Home by Toni Morrison

The Well and the Mine by Gin Phillips (local author)

The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson

Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

Nonfiction:

Muddy Boots and Red Socks by Malcolm W. Browne 

84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

Quest for Justice by Richard S. Jaffe (Local Author) 

The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared by Alice Ozma

It Worked For Me by Colin Powell 

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

Take the Cannoli by Sarah Vowell

The Thing About The Truth by Lauren Barnholdt

      Kelsey finally has a chance to start over. Now that she is starting public school she can get her life back on track. Focus on college, get good grades, and keep her past a secret. No one knows that Kelsey was recently kicked out of Concordia Prep or the reasons behind her expulsion.  Kelsey soon finds that life at Concordia Public isn’t as easy as she thought, especially since she met Isaac.

    Isaac is on his last chance. This Senator’s son has been kicked out of so many private schools that if he can’t make it work at Concordia Public he is off to boarding school. Kelsey wants to stay far away from this bad boy, but when they are forced to work on a school project together the two can’t help but grow close. No matter what her feelings are for Isaac, Kelsey must keep her secrets. As their project to bring the students of Concordia Prep and Concordia Public together draws closer, Kelsey struggles to keep her past hidden.

    Told from alternating view points of Isaac and Kelsey, The Thing about the Truth, keeps readers on the edge of their seat as Kelsey’s lies start to unravel. Author Lauren Barnholdt chose to write the story from a before and after standpoint, which only adds to the suspense of finding out about Kelsey’s past. The Thing about the Truth is a great story and a quick read. The characters are real and the author does a great job conveying their emotions.

Discards find new home!

Oooh these were being deleted from my library bc we have multiple copies. I snagged them before they went to the friends! These are two of my favorite YA authors. Super excited! :)

Sorry...all out of voter registration forms.

Patron (18 years old): Hi, um...can I get a voter's registration form?

Me: Sure! (hands him the form)

Patron: Is this good for the presidential election?

Me: Yes.

Patron: Um...do you know who is running? For President?

Are you kidding me?

What I wish I could have said:

Sorry...all out of voter registration forms. Try again in four years

Grave Mercy....ahhhhmazing!

I could write a really nice review about Grave Mercy and you might say "Hmmm, sounds like a good book. Maybe I'll read it." Fast forward 3 years later and it is still on your Goodreads To-Be-Shelf. That is not where this book belongs!

 

or you can absolutely trust me on this and go read this book. Like right now. Stop reading this blog and read this book. Why? Here are some simple reasons:

1. With a tag line, "Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?" how can this book not be awesome?

2.  The first chapter will hook you in!

3. Devious plots and lots of intrigue.

4. Assassin nuns.

If reason 4 isn't enough for you, then I don't know what is. I would have put amazing cover, but lots of YA books have awesome covers, but it's the material that's crap. 

Seriously, this book is a great YA read and it is one of the books that I intend to buy for my personal collection (ie, I'm about to spend money for a book.....librarians don't really tend to do that). You will not regret moving this book up to the top of your TBR list. Trust me.

Huff & Puff by Claudia Rueda

Everyone knows the story of the three little pigs and the big bad wolf. In Claudia Rueda’s new picture book, Huff & Puff: Can You Blow Down the Houses of the Three Little Pigs, this classic childhood story gets a new twist. With simple texts and sketch illustrations, Huff & Puff is a great way to introduce your toddlers to this classic tale. Rueda does add her own spin though. The reader is the wolf! That’s right. After each pig is introduced there is a cut out in the book with the text “Huff and Puff”. But don’t worry, there is a delightful surprise at the end of this story. 

Book Group Selecting

I know it seems far away but 2013 is slowly creeping up on me, especially when it comes to the book group.

For those who aren't familiar, I took over my library book group back in February. Since then a new head of Adult has created two additional groups, but I was able to keep mine. The previous moderator only held the group 9 months out of the year (Sept to May), so that was the first thing I changed. Back in March we voted for books for June to Dec. 2012. Let me say, I loved this. I took to Twitter and posted the polling results as the members voted via surveymonkey. Very exciting! 

  

How the selecting process works is that I compile a list of books from tons of research. I also allow members to nominate books.  We read mostly fiction, but I do like to have at least 3 nonfiction scattered in there. There I weed out books on my list and their suggests that don't work (ie, too many pages, repeat author, previously read books, etc.) then I post the selections online and let them pick a certain number. From the results, I decided on the final list. 

I have already started taking selections, but I wanted to post the list that I compiled. Here it is so far....

Fiction:

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Spring Fever by Mary Kay Andrew

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The World in Half by Cristina Henriquez

A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson

Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Well and the Mine by Gin Phillips

Causal Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

The Thirteen Tale by Diane Setterfield

The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson

Maisie Dobbs  by Jacqueline Winspear

Nonfiction:

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote                                                                                                             

The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared by Alice Ozma                                         

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roa                                                                

Rabid: A Cultural History of the World's Most Diabolical Virus  by Bill Wasik  and Monica Murphy

I want to do a Teen book every year and our current 2012 YA book is Hunger Games. I am secretly pulling for The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian for 2013, though maybe someone will suggest Catching Fire. I know that there is one book from this list that will be removed because I double checked the page number and it went over the usual and preferred 300 to 400 page limit. 

I will post another list soon with the new picks from the group. 

So Shiny.....

Eeek they are so shiny! Nothing like a new book... Especially when its free :)
Thanks to Sandra Brannan for autographing each one! Very excited. 

Me no listen to you

Patron: Can I get a voter registration form?

Me: Sure. (Hands her the form) When you fill it out you can either turn it back into us and we will mail it in for you or you can mail it in to one of the addresses on the back of the form.

Patron: What do I need to give you to fill it out?

Me: Nothing, just fill it out with your correct address and information  and either hand it back into us to mail in or you can mail it yourself. 

Patron: So what do I do when I’m done? 

Me: (Slightly annoyed because she wasn’t listening): You can either turn it back into us and we will mail it in for you or you can mail it in yourself to one of the addresses on the back.

Patron: So I can turn it in back to you?

Me: Yes, ma’am.

Patron: Or I can mail it in to one of the address here on the back?

Me: Yes.

Patron: Well, how do I know which address to mail it into to?

Me: They are listed by county. Just pick the county you live in. 

Patron: What county do I live in?

Goodreads Giveaways

Since I just don't have enough books to read (pure sarcasm) I decided to enter into some Goodreads Giveaways and I guess this is my lucky week because I have won a total of 8 books. Yup, 8. Sidenote: I hope I haven't used up all my luck because I need all of it for my Vegas trip in December.

I thought I would post the books I have won and see if anyone is familiar with any titles. Also, I need to know which one I should read first.