Tuesday, June 3, 2008

My First Blog

Well, I guess I should introduce myself.

My name is Gretchen, and I am a Senior Library Assistant at Oakton Community College Library. I work in Circulation and Interlibrary loan.

I have been a book addict since I was three, so I doubt this will ever change. I've spent most of my adult life working in either book stores or libraries. I even contemplated teaching English at one time. I'm also a bit of a computer geek, so I am really excited about the Library 2.0 project here at Oakton.

I joined a book club for faculty and staff here at Oakton about 5 years ago, and have since become the leader. I just added the list of books we've read since I've joined the group, and will add to it as the list grows (we meet once a month).

The picture on my blog is of my cats Grace and Shadow in my library at home. They are another addiction, but I will refrain to only one picture on this blog (probably).

As for me reading predilections, I tend to read mostly Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance in my free time, but I love diversity and frequently branch out into other genre. I'll try to list the book I am currently reading on my lunch break here at work. To list all the books I am reading on my pda (ebooks), in my car (audio), at home (non-fictions, essays, magazines, books on the history of embroidery for my personal research), and any other books I've put down but plan to pick back up when I am in the mood would take FOREVER. Like I said, I am an addict. I even haunt the book stores some nights after working all day at the library. Trust me, Interlibrary Loan is my friend, but sometimes I just can't wait for a book to be cataloged; I hit the store on the street date and devour. Whenever I am reading a book from Interlibrary Loan, I will post the library for fun.

Book of the day:
Poltergeist: a Greywalker Novel by Kat Richardson.
Borrowed from: Warren-Newport Public Library in Gurnee, IL

Gotta love Interlibrary loan! If it wasn't for libraries, I'd go bankrupt.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is awesome!

I have my own MS/HS/YA book blog at http://kateshort.vox.com/ if you want to check it out. I've read 33 books so far since January, but I'm behind in posting my reviews of those. (Gee, I wonder why?)

Anyway, from your list on the side, I've read:

* Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (loved it)

* Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (loved it until the last few chapters, at which point I wanted to throw the book at the wall)

* My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok (read this a looooong time ago; liked it but it was a long read)

* Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (this was pretty cool and a bit deep)

* Stranger by Albert Camus (from way back in high school! but I liked it)

* Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind (well, DUH. Finally finished this series; have the last one to write about still)

* Year of Wonders: a Novel of the Plague by Geraldine Brooks (good, but some of the stuff is really harsh!)

Can't wait to see your list of what you're reading!

Gretchen Schneider said...

Hi Kate!

I'm glad you checked out my blog. I'm so excited. I agree on the Lovely Bones comment. Oh, and I hated The Stranger. I'm not much into apathetic antiheroes - same reason I don't like Catcher in the Rye. I know, some English Lit. Prof. is rolling in his grave as I type. I appreciate the literary style, imagery, etc. of Catcher, but I wanted to bonk him upside the head and tell him to do something instead of whine. Sigh.

Gretchen

rich said...

Great job with your blog! Your love for books definitely comes across :) Have you tried LibraryThing? or some other site for booklovers to keep track of what they're reading?

Gretchen Schneider said...

Hi Rich,

Thanks for your comments. I actually tried Shelfari, but got overwhelmed with the amount of time it took to enter all the books I like, own, etc. I decided to try LibraryThing and only list the books I am currently reading. That way, it won't take up much time, and it is a way to track my reading.

Anonymous said...

Gretchen your blog is awesome. You make me look like an underachiever. I love all the links. I can't wait for you to post some more!

Julia said...

Great great blog Gretchen! And I love the picture of the kitties!

Gretchen Schneider said...

Thanks Julia and Karen! I'm really enjoy this.

The picture I thought was apropos because they are in front of my book shelves at home (which are legion).

Anonymous said...

I can tell you enjoy it. Your bubbly personality translates well to the webpage. :) I'm excited to hear more from you.

Gretchen Schneider said...

*Blush* Thanks!

rich said...

Hi Gretchen, did you know that you can add a librarything widget to your blog? It's a great way to share what's on your shelf with others!

More info can be found on the tools page when you're logged into librarything.

Gretchen Schneider said...

Just found it. Took me a few minutes to figure out how to paste the html. It worked! Thanks. Now I just have to read faster on my lunch so more variety can be seen.

Anonymous said...

Gretchen,

Great blog! I'll use it as my inspiration.

Gretchen Schneider said...

You are sooooo sweet! Thanks! If you see something you want to try, give me a call. I'd be happy to talk you through it.

Gretchen