Social Media week 2

This week has been crazy!  Trying to read for school work and get everything ready for Christmas has made me a little cuckoo!
For work, I am trying to figure out how best to use social media for our programming effort.  Especially for the Blackeyed Susan Celebration we are planning for the Spring.  It is a program where we have area school read all the Blackeyed Susan books (which are books selected by school media specialists and their students) then have sort of a Jeopardy contest between the schools.  I'd like to create a Facebook page for the event but social media is limited to the system and not really encouraged for the individual branches.  Sooo, what are the alternatives that could offer similar results? https://www.facebook.com/BlackEyedSusanAwardCelebration
but for some reason, I can't get the link to work :(
I'll keep working on it...and keep you posted!
Maybe the website will work!  http://blackeyedsusan.weebly.com/

Clarion Winter session 2013!

I began this blog last summer as work blog....all full time librarians were require to  create a blog, follow a reading agenda of a variety of materials and genres, and then comment on the content in the blog.  It was very interesting, and there was a lot of different genres covered, and along the way we discovered lots of cool things to go along with genres. Like book trailers...who would have thought it but there are some really cool book trailers for new, upcoming titles.  Additionally, we had to join Goodreads which is also a social media but just keeps track of what folks are reading, and what they are recommending.  I have been using Goodreads for about 4 years now and it's a great tool to keep track of what you've read.  I use it often at work when trying to remember what I've read and in offering readers advisory.  Check it out at Goodreads.com!

Week 9!

Assignment 1

So I read the articles and poked around youtube under the search terms "Best Book Trailers"  and found a few videos. I watched "Before I Fall" by Jessica Brody, "Fault in our Stars" by John Green, and Best Book Trailers by Lindsay Mead.  All teen reads. I decided to check out a couple of books I am currently reading, "Life After Life" by Kate Atkinson and "Shine, Shine, Shine" by Lydia Netzer.

Assignment 2

Book Trailers, who woulda thunk it?!  The first time I saw one I thought, hmm...I'm not so sure about these things.  But I have to say the ones I watched for this assignment have me rethinking my position. And  I can honestly say I put a couple of books on hold after watching a couple of the trailers but then some were real duds and didn't inspire me at all.  But all in all if it got me check out or buy even one, I guess it did it's job. 
As for reader's advisory, I'm not sure it would help in my world...would I have to time to stop, and find the video, and then show it to a customer. Nah, don't think so, but it could be something I mention to a customer looking for a title.  Something like, check out this authors youtube videos of their books?  hmmm, maybe. 

Week 8!

Assignment 3

This was a hard assignment, and I also thought, a little confusing. I don't often read nonfiction but when I do, I sometimes like it to be narrative nonfiction, but sometimes I read it because the subject matter interests me.  Even so, it doesn't have to be only in narrative form for me to enjoy it, and
I do find that customers approach nonfiction the same way. 
For example, I often recommend Malcolm Gladwell's books on audio for folks who are taking a trip who like something a little different but also like nonfiction.  He's got a great reading voice and has a great way of telling a story.  His books, The Tipping Point and Outliers,  are part narrative nonfiction and traditional nonfiction wrapped up in a single package. 
So with that in mind, it was a little hard for me just to pick only pick narrative nonfiction for this part of the assignment...so I picked what I liked to recommend.
Here goes.

Crime: Columbine by David Cullen 371.58C

Memoir (but could also go under Overcoming Adversity):  A Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion  Biography

History: In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson  943.086L

Travel:  Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World by Rita Gelman  910.4G

Assignment 4

Columbine reads as well as any crime novel.  Cullen draws the reader in with an in depth history of the two boys who masterminded the Columbine High School tragedy.  Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were seeming two average teenagers when the planned to blow up their school and kill their classmates.  There is suspense and drama as Cullen weaves a tale escalates to the final day where although you know the tragic end, you hope you are wrong. Cullen uses the suburban setting to emphasize the ordinariness of the crime: it could happen in any town USA.  Cullen draws his characters carefully, so much so that the reader wants to scream to all the adults in this community to wake up and pay attention! 


A Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion  is a heartbreaking story of love and perseverance. Told in diary format Didion relays her journey through heart ache in the year after her husband passed away suddenly and her daughter fell into a coma.  Through the tone, pacing and language, she conveys the slowness and the sadness that prevail after her husbands death.  Didion has led a somewhat glamorous life, writing movies and plays, traveling and living in exotic, lovely places bu this has not exempt her from the harsh realities of life; death and tragedy, as her husband succinctly explained, all evens out, everyone gets there turn.  A love story, to be sure, but also a story of grace and resilience in the face of great sadness.

Week 7!

Assignment 2

The Next Big Thing YALSA; The Hub, Oct 2012
Been loving teen reads for sometime now, so, like the author of this article, I'm not surprised! I'm not sure what the great appeal for others may be but for me, it's the fact, that YA reads are often just good stories, with good character development. So, I keep reading and recommending them!
I commented on Katie McGowen's and Karin Kinzel's blogs...two friends who also love good books and good ya stories!

YA Comes of Age Publisher’s Weekly, Oct 3, 2011
Basically is saying the same thing....The are telling great stories!  I love that Tamara Pierce is commenting on this page, and offering suggestions! 

Assignment 3

John Green is hysterical, and I've been enjoying his Vlogbrothers and his TUMBLR for sometime...
I'll continue to keep an eye on these but will also take a look at some of the other stuff, like TeenReads and Stacked and post thoughts later

Assignment 4

I was poking around the teen sites, checked out Little, Brown Books for Teens but it's really out of date; the dates on the new Teen Fiction are books published in 2012.  Guess I'll be following some of the others.  Harlequin Teen is similar to Adult Harlequin; it has the vampire and spirit thing going on, some fantasy and of course regular teen age angst.  It has a good selection, has links for read a likes, and has a place for comments. 

Week 6!

Assignment 1

Discoveries on the Street Fiction include: this site has a great section just for Christian Urban fiction and also divides the fiction by the city where the book takes place. And not only are there titles listed under Maryland, there are also titles for Baltimore and DC.  It also breaks it down into different topics ranging from abuse to trials.  It's a good database that's well organized and easy to use.

Assignment 2

The Prezi was impressive!

Assignment 3

Finding fan fiction is hard!  But here is what I have so far...
Horror-gothic
Western - Native American          https://sites.google.com/site/oldwestwateringhole/sub-genres-1
Stories told from the Native American perspective, and often provide historical information into the culture of the old west. 
Authors:  Tony Hillerman is one of the great western authors and often writes from the Native American perspective.

Science Fiction - Cyberpunk        http://bestsciencefictionbooks.com/cyberpunk-science-fiction.php
Offers some great information regarding all kinds of science fiction books, including cyberpunk, and also offers lots of lists of great titles of the this genre. 
Hallmarks of the genre include: Science is a huge deal with Cyberpunk, technology, all kind of cyborgs, and cybernetics all play a huge role in Cyberpunk.  Also important is the changing relationship between hunmanity and technology.

Authors: Cyberpunk  William Gibson  Gibson is considered the father of cyberpunk with his title Neuromancer

Fantasy Fiction - Comic  I went to http://www.fantasy-fan.org/ and looked around; this is a great site, but didn't have what I needed. There is also  http://www.sfsite.com/home.htm which is also a very good database.  Still searching!

Week 5!

Assignment 1

Useful Info ~  Street Fiction website is the resource I've been following, and I have to say, this site is jammin!  It's an easy site to search, with access to resources by author, title, genre, subgenre, links to author interviews, and librarian resources to name a few. It also links to WorldCat and Amazon for easier searching.    The author list is huge! The database even includes a search for a city.  All cool stuff and easy to use. 

Assignment 2

New Resources, hmmm.....I look at Publisher's Weekly, and occasionally check out NPR. I've been a long time user of IndieBound and have gotten some good titles from there but the resource I use most and find the most reliable information is Entertainment Weekly. It has great reviews for ALL things from movies, to books including audiobooks and ebooks,  to video games and podcasts, all sorts of things. I like to be able to use a wide array of materials to chose from when offering readers services. 

Assignment 3

Well this is a tricky assignment, as there is nothing to go on regarding any of the books other than the cover and the author. With that in mind, I chose Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane

 

Gaiman is a popular author who has strong following.  He tends to lean toward the scary and fantasy  and from the cover picture, it would be safe to say, this title will follow suit.

Gaiman writes a meaty story often full of allusions, and interesting plots and characters. Readers of his previous works will probably already be in line for this most recent title.   



Week 4!

Exploring Goodreads! 

 

I've been exploring Goodreads for about 4 years now.  I started out using WeRead but found Goodreads to more user friendly.  I do like the sharing feature especially when it comes to graphic novels.  I have several Goodreads friends who enjoy the same type of graphic novels I do and we suggest titles to each other. 

 

Recommending a title on Goodreads:

 

I'm recommending

"When David Lost his Voice" by Judith Vanistendael  to Karin Kinzel

based on a previous title, "Stitches" by David Small she had enjoyed.  And while graphic novels are not her first choice for selecting a title. she had enjoyed the depth of the Stitches and the subject.  It is also are very relatable title with strong character development. 

 

Week 3!

Let's see I read the RA Conversation by Wyatt...all great advice! I try to incorporate a little or all of the suggestions when I start up a RA conversation. I tend to begin with conversational tones, and also try to end it with "let me know what you think of it" so it ends friendly and it also (hopefully) brings them back.

I love Nancy Pearl! I don't always like her a suggestions but am always impressed by her sheer memory of so many titles! She does offer a great book talk on this podcast, although I don't know how far you could get in

in the RA conversation with having such a lengthy description. I find you have to be quick and concise in order to sell it. But it's good info to use for librarians looking for read alikes and quick reviews.

CONVERSATION 1:

For someone who liked "Eat, Pray, Love" I might suggest "Under the Tuscan Sun" by Frances Mayes, which is similar in travelogue style and adventure. I might also suggest "The Poisonwood Bible" by Kingsolver which has the traveling theme and is also a book that either had been an Oprah book, or should have been. I might also try Ann Patchett's "State of Wonder" which is similar in theme to Kingsolver's story.

CONVERSATION 2:

Vampire stories without angst, hmmm....that's a toughie! I guess I would suggest Anne Rice's series of "Interview with a Vampire" or Charlaine Harris "Dead" series although that might have too much angst.

CONVERSATION 3:

For adventure stories like "River of Doubt" I might suggest "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer or "Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson. Or again, I might also suggest "The Perfect Storm" by Sebastian Junger.

Week 2!

Reading with Appeal in Mind

Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk

By Ben Fountain

       Billy Lynn and his fellow marines from Brava Company have been returned from Iraq to tour the country as heroes after surviving a firestorm.  The last day of the whirlwind hero’s tour finds them at Cowboys Stadium on Thanksgiving Day where they will be the honored guests and halftime participants of the Dallas Cowboys.  The author carefully sets the pace to match the pace of a tour in Iraq, it is slow moving but with a lot going on with Billy Lynn’s world.  This is an antiwar book at its heart; where the protagonist struggles to understand what his purpose is and why he is in the fight at all. 

      Camaraderie and loyalty are themes that prevail throughout the storyline as Billy Lynn struggles with his decision to return to Iraq or remain in Texas.  Fountain allows us to follow Billy Lynn, a smart young man, who, because of an impulsive decision, got thrown into a life that should have been different.  He should have gone to college after high school and spent the next four years partying and studying. Billy is everyman, and so the language of the novel is for everyman as well; it’s easy to understand and follow along.  Life and death, loyalty and family, grief and love are things Billy struggles to understand and are expertly conveyed through the language and tone throughout the story.  

 

 

 

 

Looking for Alaska by John Green



John Green’s Looking for Alaska is not your typical teenage angst book, this book is more Separate Peace and Catcher in the Rye.  The main character is Miles Halter, not your typical teenager,he has decided to leave his nondescript hometown in Florida and head off to boarding school in Culver Creek, Alabama where he hopes he’ll find a life more than ordinary.  He has memorized the last words of many famous people including dying poet Francois Rabelais  who’s last words spoke of a Great Perhaps.  Miles hopes to find his Great Perhaps at boarding school.  His roommate Chip, also known as the colonel introduces him to another classmate, the beautiful, Alaska Young. Soon Miles, now nicknamed Pudge by the Colonel, is on his way to his own Great Perhaps.

The book is set in an non airconditioned boarding school in Alabama where you are first introduced to the setting by way of the sweat pouring off Miles as he unpacks his suitcases to set up his room. The tone of the book is not like your typical teen book, there’s no whining or angst: the characters are real kids with quirks, lives and problems, richly characterized and developed.  There are the rich kids called Weekday Warriors since they come to school for the week but leave for the weekend. And then there are scholarship kids, kids who are not rich who know that being at Culver is a way to move ahead, but are also still just kids, who like to play pranks, and are also growing up and learning about themselves.  But these are not typical teens using just teen lingo and language, these are smart kids and proud of it.  Proud of the fact that while they may not be the best athletes, they are the smartest! But they are still kids, kids who make impetuous decisions and face the consequences of the decisions. 

 

Week 1!

Reading makes me as happy as being at a Buffett concert!

Looking forward to the training and seeing what others are reading, as well!

 

Reading Urban Fiction will be my challenge!  and helping me out with keeping track of it will be my GoodReads account!