Gretchen's Book Addiction

Where I've been

2011-03-23T08:37:00.004-05:00

Lately, I've been unable to blog because I've been blogging elsewhere. I am now blogging for work at the blog What's on My Nightstand?. I will still occasionally blog here, but it will be sporadic.

I've also been working on a website for book lovers called How to Find and Share Books. I created it for a course I took on website design, but I intend to keep it current and eventually add more content.

I am still keeping up my book twitter GretchenBooks as well. Feel free to follow my Twitter. I tweet books I like or am interested in reading with links to either book excerpts or summaries.

Finally, I keep track of my books at Shelfari, if you want to check out what I've read, am reading, or plan to read. I also write reviews there occasionally.

Starting a Book Club

2010-10-28T14:24:00.001-05:00

Do you love talking about books? Ever thought of starting a book club? Here is some information on how to get started, pick a book, find discussion questions, and find author information.

How to Get Started

There are a few decisions you need to make before starting your club. Where are you holding it? Who are you inviting? What type of books are you going to read. Here are a few websites that provide additional clues on how to get a book club started:

Tips on Starting a Book Club Reading Group Choices has a short but sweet list of questions to ask yourself when starting a book club.
ALA’s How to Start a Book Discussion Group This wiki entry by the American Library Association gives you questions to answer on what type of book club you want, tips on structuring your meeting, do’s and don’t on selecting books, how to hold a book discussion, and more.
Starting a Book Club on Your Own Another short but sweet list by About.com that also gives suggestions on how to establish a book club and keep it alive.
Oprah’s How to Start a Book Club Oprah’s website offers suggestions on forming a group, locations to meet, how to pick books, etc.

What to Read…

Once you have set up your book club, you will need to pick books to read. Here are some great places to find books to discuss:

How to Select a Book This part of the ALA’s wiki offers advise on selecting a book. It also provides links to websites to find great books.
Check out the bestsellers lists:
- New York Times Best Sellers
- USA Today’s 150 Best Sellers
- Amazon’s Best Sellers
- Amazon’s Best Books of 2010…So Far
- Indie Bestsellers Bestsellers from Independent Bookstores.
Check out the the book award lists:
- Man Booker Prize
- National Book Award
- National Book Critics Circle Award
- Newberry Medal
- Nobel Prize in Literature
- Pulitzer Prize
Have your members make suggestions of books they’d like to discuss.
Browse in the links below under Discussion Questions. The books on these websites are popular book club books.

Discussion Questions

Need a discussion guide for a book you picked? Here are some great resources for discussion questions:

Reading Group Guides My favorite place to look for discussion guides. I’m not sure how many they have, but they have over 100 entries just for books beginning with the letter A.
Book Browse This website has over 500 discussion guides for various books.
Reading Group Choices This site provides a way to search for discussion questions by title, author, etc. Plus, it offers a search by genre option in case you aren’t sure what you want to discuss yet.
Look for discussion questions on the website for the publisher of the book (HarperCollins, Putnam, etc.). Because of the popularity of book clubs, many publishers now provide reading guides for their books on their websites.
Look in the back of the books you are selecting. You’d be amazed how many are now published with their own discussion questions.
Create your own questions!
- ALA’s Generic Book Discussion Questions ALA has some great suggestions for generic questions to ask about both fiction and non-fiction books.
- Oprah’s How to Start a Book Club This part of Oprah’s website suggests how to create your own discussion questions.

Author Information

Finally, I have always found that giving a brief bio on the author and listing his or her accomplishments adds depth to a book discussion. Here are some resources for author information:

Literature Resource Center by Gale This is a database to which our library subscribes. If this link does not work, go to the following page and pick the Literature Resource Center Gale link. Enter your MyOakton username and password to access the database from off campus.
Google the author to find their web page. Often, authors provide their own biographies.
Go to the publisher’s website. Most publishers have a brief biography of their authors.
Go to the websites under discussion questions above. Often these sites provide a brief biography in addition to discussion questions.

Good luck and happy discussing!

Paranormal Graphic Novels

2010-08-05T09:57:00.003-05:00

I've recently been in a graphic novel kick. I'm Currently reading The Absolute Sandman, v. 1 by Neil Gaiman, and I've recently finished the following:

Life Sucks

by Jessica Abel, Gabe Soria and Warren Pleece

This story tells the tale of Dave Miller, vampire and night time manager of the Night Stop convenience store. He’s stuck in this dead end job by his boss (and maker) and living off expired blood since he can’t stomach the idea of biting people. The only thing he looks forward to is seeing Rosa, a goth girl he has been admiring from afar for some time. Life gets much more complicated for Dave, though, when Rosa actually walks into his store and his life.

The art in this novel really conveys the emotions of the characters. The story is interesting and fun. It reminded me of the old adage that the grass is always greener on the other side.

The Unknown

Story by Mark Waid

Art by Minck Oosterveer

Catherine Allingham is know for her ability to solve the unsolvable mysteries, yet her intelligence cannot save her from the tumor in her brain. With six months to live, Cat continues to solve other people’s mysteries while trying to solve her own: what will happen to her after she dies?

I loved the art in this novel. As for the story, it read like a mix between Sherlock Holmes and the X-Files.

Dragon Keeper by Carole Wilkinson

2010-06-22T14:38:00.005-05:00

Dragon Keeper
by Carole Wilkinson

I was recently perusing some of the titles in 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up, and came upon this book in the 12+ category.

This young adult novel is about a young slave girl in ancient China who works for the emperor's Dragon Keeper. The current Dragon Keeper spends so much of his time bemoaning how little respect his title now confers and drinking that he has little left to take care of the resident dragons. Instead, he has his slave girl feed them for him. She ends up befriending one of them, and they run away together when the dragon's life is threatened.

This is a wonderful story that I couldn't put down. The setting is fascinating, especially the culture. The dragon is a traditional Chinese dragon, which is unique to most books about dragons that I've read in the past. The slave girl Ping is naive, yet she has a good heart. I loved her pet rat Hua as well. I highly recommend Dragon Keeper to anyone looking for a good young adult fantasy novel to read.

Off the Coffee Table

2010-05-20T14:48:00.007-05:00

I recently had the privilege to peruse some truly lovely books at work. These books are too stunning to leave on the coffee table. You need pick them up and ooh and ah over all the gorgeous images they contain.

First is The National Parks: America’s Best Idea by Dayton Duncan and Ken Burns. This book has pictures of the lush landscape found in America’s national parks, the people who helped found and develop them, the art they’ve inspired, as well as the wildlife they contain.

The second book is Next Houses: Architecture for the Twenty-First Century by Ron Broadhurst. This absorbing architecture book highlights some truly amazing new marvels of architecture. I particularly liked the Casa Tolo building, which is built on an extreme incline, and the House in Highgate Cemetery, a beautiful glass and concrete structure that overlooks a intriguing, old, and gothic-styled cemetery.

The third book which I enjoyed looking through was Great Plains: America’s Lingering Wild by Michael Forsberg with Dan O’Brian , David Wishart, and Ted Kooser. This attractive book explores the history of the Great Plains, its wildlife, and the ecological impact of civilization.

So if you want to read an enjoyable book in which the illustrations are as interesting as its text, check out these books.

The Girl Who Chased the Moon

2010-05-14T15:06:00.005-05:00

The Girl Who Chased the Moon: A Novel
by Sarah Addison Allen

I once read that Sarah Addison Allen describes her books as “Southern fried magical realism.” That’s actually a great description. This third book by Ms. Addison tells the story of Emily Benedict.

Emily’s mother recently died, and Emily both finds out that she has a grandfather and is sent to live with him in Mullaby, North Carolina. Grandpa Vance is a gentle giant of a man whose daughter abandoned her hometown, leaving resentment and scandal in her wake.

Emily must make a home for herself and overcome this small town’s prejudice against her because of her mother’s past. Her next door neighbor Julia Winterson, the owner of a local BBQ restaurant and famous baker, takes her under her wing. Julia, though, has her own tragic past with which she must come to terms.

Click here to access the except.

Best Fiction of 2009

2010-01-14T13:46:00.005-06:00

Here is another list of books compile by the subscribers of the Fiction_L mailing list (a reader's advisory listserve). This time, we have a list of Best Fiction of 2009.

Here is the list of new fiction titles that received multiple votes. The number following the title is the number of times it was mentioned.

Stockett, Kathryn The Help 12

Goolrick, Robert A Reliable Wife 8

Bazell, Josh Beat the Reaper 7

Waters, Sarah The Little Stranger 6

Mantel, Hilary Wolf Hall 5

Tropper, Jonathan This is Where I Leave You 5

Castillo, Linda Sworn to Silence 4

Hart, John The Last Child 4

Genova, Lisa Still Alice 3

King, Stephen Under the Dome 3

Verghese, Abraham Cutting for Stone 3

Chaon, Dan Await Your Reply 2

Davidson, Andrew The Gargoyle 2

Fallada, Hans Every Man Dies Alone 2

Ford, Jamie The House on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet 2

Johnson, Craig The Dark Horse 2

Nunn, Malla A Beautiful Place to Die 2

Penny, Louise A Rule Against Murder 2

Quinn, Spencer Dog On It 2

Rock, Peter My Abandonment 2

Atwood, Margaret Year of the Flood 2

Books with one vote:

Brooks, Geraldine People of the Book

Agarwal, Shilpa Haunting Bombay

Airth, Rennie The Dead of Winter

Arsenault, Mark Loot the Moon

Ashely, Jennifer The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie

Atkinson, Kate Case Histories

Bacigalupi, Paolo The Windup Girl

Baker, Kage Empress of Mars

Balogh, Mary Huxtable series

Barr, Nevada 13 1/2

Beecroft, Alex False colors

Berg, Elizabeth Home Safe

Berwin, Margot Hothouse Flower and the 9 Plants of Desire

Bolton, S.J. Awakening

Boudinot, Ryan Misconception

Box, C.J Below Zero

Bradley, Alan Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

Bruen, Ken Once Were Cops

Bujold, Lois McMaster The Sharing Knife

Butcher, Jim Turncoat

Byatt, A.S The Children's Book

Cain, Chelsea Evil at Heart

Campbell, Bonnie Jo American Salvage: Stories

Cantrell, Rebecca A trace of smoke

Cleave, Chris Little Bee

Connelly, Michael The Scarecrow

Connelly, Michael Nine Dragons

Currie Jr., Ron Everything Matters!

Dolan, Harry Bad Things Happen

Durham, David Anthony Acacia

Fiorato, Marina The Glassblower of Murano

Flynn, Gillian Dark Places

Fowler, Christopher Bryant and May on the Loose

Gardner, Lisa The Neighbor

Grafton, Sue U is for Undertow

Hall, Tarquin Case of the missing servant: a Vish Puri mystery

Harrod-Eagles, Cynthia Fell Purpose

Haywood, Smith Ladies of the Lake

Heller, Zoe The Believers

HenrÃquez, Cristina The World in Half

Higner, Charlotte Deadly Descent

Hoffman, Alice The Story Sisters

Hornby, Nick Juliet, Naked

Hornsby, Wendy In the Guise of Mercy

Huston, Charlie The mystic arts of erasing all signs of death

Jensen, Liz The Rapture

Jones, Jaida and Danielle Bennett Shadow Magic

Kallos, Stephanie Sing Them Home

Kane, Cornelius Unscratchables

Kasischke, Laura In A Perfect World

Knight, Deidre Butterfly Tattoo

Laken, Valerie Dream House

Lansdale, Joe R. Vanilla Ride

Larsen, Reif The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet

Larsson, Stieg The Girl Who Played with Fire

Lee, Sharon and Miller, Steve Fledgling

Leigh, Julia Disquiet

Leon, Donna Wilful Behavior

Levine, James The Blue Notebook

Lipman, Elinor Family Man

Lovesey, Peter The Last Detective

Macy, Caitlin Spoiled: Stories

Marston, Edward The Wolves of Savernake

Martin, Clancy How to Sell

McBride, Stuart Blind Eyes

McCall Smith, Alexander Tea Time for the Traditionally Built

McInerney, Jay How It Ended: New And Collected Stories

Mills, KE (Karen Miller) Witches, Inc (sequel to Accidental Sorcerer)

Moerk, Christian Darling Jim

Moriarty, Laura While I'm Falling

Muller, Marcia Locked In

O'Neal, Barbara The Lost Recipe for Happiness

O'Connell, Carol Bone by Bone

Parkin, Gaile Baking Cakes in Kigali

Patterson, James Alex Cross's Trial

Pears, Iain Stone's Fall

Penny, Louise The Brutal Telling

Perry, Anne Execution Dock

Perry, Anne A Christmas Promise

Pratchett, Terry Unseen academicals

Putney, Mary Jo Loving a Lost Lord

Rahka, Naseem The Crying Tree

Roberts, Nora Vision in White (Book 1 of the Bride Quartet)

Roberts, Nora Bed of Roses (Book 2 of the Bride Quartet)

Robison, Mary One D.O.A., One on the Way

Robotham, Michael Shatter

Russell, Sheldon Yard Dog

Russo, Richard That Old Cape Magic

Scholes, Ken Lamentations

Shamsie, Kamila Burnt Shadows

Shapton, Leanne Important Artifacts and Personal Property...

Shortridge, Jennie When She Flew

Smith, Tom Rob Child 44

Stockbridge, Sara Grace Hammer

Trigiani, Adriana Very Valentine

Wall, Carolyn Sweeping Up Glass

Winspear, Jacquelyne Among the Mad

Book Twitter

2010-01-14T11:31:00.004-06:00

I've found that between work and school I've been blogging less (obviously). But I have found another way to keep sharing my book interests that doesn't detract from study time. I'm now twittering about books.

If you want some quick book ideas, check out my twitter at http://twitter.com/GretchenBooks. I do promise to try to blog at least once a month until school is over.

Best Non-Fiction 2009

2010-01-14T10:56:00.004-06:00

Here is a list of books compile by the subscribers of the Fiction_L mailing list (a reader's advisory listserve) of the Best Non-Fiction of 2009.

```
Agassi, Andre - Open
```
```
Albom, Mitch - Have a Little Faith
```

Bourke, Anthony & Rendell, John - A Lion Called Christian

Burton, Gabrielle - Searching for Tamsen Donner

```
Chattman, Lauren - Cakekeeper Cakes
```

Cooper, Gwen - Homer's Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned about Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat (2 votes)

```
Cullen, David - Columbine (6 votes)
```

Editors of Fine Cooking Magazine - Absolutely Chocolate

Edsel, Robert M - Monuments Men (2 votes)

```
Eggers, Dave - Zeitoun  (2 votes)
```

Friedman, Andrew - Knives at Dawn: America's Quest for Culinary Glory at the Legendary Bocuse d'Or Competition

Grann, David - Lost City of Z: A tale of deadly obsession in the Amazon

Gulley, Phillip - I Love You, Miss Huddleston: and Other Inappropriate Longings of My Indiana Childhood

Hazleton, Lesley - After the Prophet: the epic story of the Shia-Sunni split in Islam

Hedges, Chris - Empire of Illusion: the End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle (2 votes)

Karz, Zippora - Sugarless plum : a ballarina's triumph over diabetes

```
Kennedy, Ted - True Compass
```

Kidder, Tracy - Strength in what remains (2 votes)

Krakauer, Jon - Where men win glory the odyssey of Pat Tillman

Kurlansky, Mark - The Food of a Younger Land: A Portrait of American Food Before the National Highway System, Before Chain Restaurants, and Before Frozen Food, When the Nation's Food was Seasonal

```
Lindstrom, Martin - Buyology
```
```
Lobdell, William - Losing My Religion
```
```
McClure, Tori - A Pearl in the Ocean
```

McDougall, Christopher - Born to run : a hidden tribe, superathletes, and the greatest race the world has never seen  (3 votes)

McGrath, Campbell - Shannon: A Poem of the Lewis and Clark Expedition

```
McPherson, James M. - Abraham Lincoln
```

Mezrich, Ben - Accidental Billionaires: the founding of Facebook

Nelson, Craig - Rocket Men: The Epic Story of the First Men on the Moon

Okrent, Arika - In the Land of Invented Languages

Patterson, James - Against Medical Advice

Penzler, Otto (editor) - The Lineup: The World's Greatest Crime Writers Tell the Inside Story of Their Greatest Detectives

Plait, Philip - Death from the skies!: these are the ways the world will end

Reisen, Harriet - Louisa May Alcott: the woman beind Little Women

Sabbag, Rober - Down Around Midnight: A Memoir of Crash and Survival

Satran, Pamela Redmond - How Not to Act Old: 185 Ways to Pass for Phat, Sick, Hot, Dope, Awesome, or at Least Not Totally Lame

Sayrafiezadeh, Said - When Skateboards Will Be Free: A Memoir of a Political    Childhood

Stockton, Shreve - The Daily Coyote: a Story of Love, Survival, and Trust in the Wilds of Wyoming

Thornton, Sarah - Seven Days in the Art World

```
Uhlberg, Myron - Hands of My Father
```

Wendell, Sarah and Tan, Candy - Beyond Having Bosoms: The Smart Bitches' Guide to Romance Novels

Free online book by Alexander McCall Smith

2009-09-16T10:48:00.004-05:00

The sequel to Alexander McCall Smith's online novel Corduroy Mansions will be available to read online for free starting next week. The book is entitled The Dog Who Came in from the Cold. Starting Monday, September 21, 2009 the first chapter will be available on the publisher's website here. Each succeeding week another chapter will become available to read.

If you wish to read a summary of the first book in the series, it is available here.

Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

2009-09-01T16:02:00.002-05:00

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: A Novel
by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

This book is set post WWII in England, and reads like a collection of letters to and from Juliet Ashton. During the war Juliet wrote a popular and humorous column now newly compiled in a book. After her book tour, Juliet tries to come up with a serious subject for her next book. Her inspiration comes in the form of a letter from a stranger. Juliet receives a letter from Dawsey Adams requesting help in finding a book (Dawsey found her name and address in a used book he purchased). Dawsey's letter mentions the recently ended German occupation of Guernsey (the reason he can't find his own book) and a book club he belongs to which was formed as an excuse to German authorities to hide a roast pig dinner: the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

My book club recently read this book, and I have to say I truly fell in love with it. While reading it, I was often found laughing out loud and reading quotes to friends. The story revealed an uncommon look into German occupation of English soil. The correspondence style provided ample character development so that I could truly feel I "got" the characters and could tell them apart. I loved Juliet's perspective on readers and reading; it really spoke to the book lover in me. The historical aspects of the story were brought to life through the recollections of the characters. Over all, this is a definite must read that I recommend to most readers.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

2009-08-14T13:41:00.004-05:00

Outlander
by Diana Gabaldon

In college a friend of mine gave me great advise. Don't discount romance until you've read it. She then made sure I read a good romance so that I could get truly hooked on the genre. Outlander was the book she recommended I start with, and she made a good choice. I've been hooked ever since.

Outlander tells the tale of a woman named Claire on her second honeymoon in Scotland after World War II who ends up transported back in time 200 years in Scotland's past. The story tells of Claire's struggle to survive and make a place for herself in this violent and rugged time. Gabaldon writes a compelling story and did some fantastic historical research for this book. The plot contains action, suspense, drama, and, yes, romance throughout the book. I could not put Outlander down. This story captivated both me and all of the friends I've recommended it to since. My book club loved it.

This book is the first in a (so far) seven book series. The seventh book is coming out soon, and the publisher is giving away free copies of this first book to some lucky winners in a drawing. If you want to enter, go to Diana Gabaldon's website at http://www.dianagabaldon.com/, scroll down to the entry for 24 July, 2009, and click on the link marked entry form under the picture of the alternative cover they are printing for the new release. I've added the new book cover at the end of this blog so you have the visual (plus I love the apt description on it of what the book entails).
Click here to read an excerpt.

Fun Summer Reads

2009-08-05T14:41:00.003-05:00

Here are two books I'm currently enjoying this summer:

Sharp Teeth
by Tony Barlow

This is an truly creative and addictive read. The book is a paranormal fiction about werewolves that is written in blank verse. That's right, the entire story is written in poetic form. The plot is interesting and the writing is amazing. Definitely unique. By the time I finished chapter 2 in the bookstore, I knew I had to buy it.

Click here to read the first few chapters.

The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted
by Elizabeth Berg

I'm eating up these short stories in small greedy bites. Each story is unique and fantastic so far. The stories range from breaking out of Weight Watchers and going on an eating binge, to speaking frankly with a group of girls about men, to finding meaning in life in your mature years. Each story I've read so far has made me laugh, think, and/or tear up. I'm looking forward to discussing this one with both my mom and my book club.

Click here to read an excerpt.

Read a good poem lately?

2009-04-15T15:05:00.003-05:00

I've been a fan of poetry since I was a kid and bought Reflections On a Gift of Watermelon Pickle by Stephen Dunning from the scholastic pages at school. I can still recite the poems "Why Nobody Pets the Lion at the Zoo" by John Ciardi and "Too Blue" by Langston Hughes thanks to this book.

Last year I took a class on Native American Literature. Native Americans come from a rich oral tradition, and poetry seems to be a natural extension of that tradition. Two poems that I have added to my favorites list since taking this class were "What is a Poem?" by Simon Ortiz and "Owl Dancing with Fred Astaire" by Sherman Alexie.

Ortiz's poem is extremely clever. He seems to purposely avoid common poetic conventions to make the reader redefine for herself what she truly feels makes a poem poetry. Alexie's poem seamlessly combines two contrary concepts to show, among other things, that the desire to be asked to dance crosses all cultural boundaries.

So next time you're looking for something interesting to read, try picking up a book of poetry.

The Cat Who Could Read Backwards

2009-02-23T12:27:00.006-06:00

The Cat Who Could Read Backwards
by Lillian Jackson Braun

James Qwilleran (nicknamed Qwill), an out of work investigative reporter, finally picks up a job covering the art beat at The Daily Fluxion. He writes the interest stories, while the art critic, George Bonifield Mountclemens III, does the art reviews. He quickly learns that most of the people in the local art world loathe Mr. Mountclemens, but Qwilleran ends up forming an odd friendship with the eccentric critic and his cat Kao K'o-Kung, a Siamese Qwill affectionately nicknames Koko. When one of the art sellers in town is murdered, Qwill covers the story and tries to figure out who did it- with the help of a certain intelligent cat's help.

This was a fun little book. The mystery stumped me and the cat delighted me. This is the first book in "The Cat Who..." series, and I found it an entertaining, light, and quick read. If you like cats and light mysteries, I definitely recommend this series.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

2009-02-13T08:09:00.002-06:00

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell: A Novel
by Susanna Clarke

This absorbing story is told as a history/biography of the two men responsible for bringing magic back to England. In this alternative Regency England, magic has not existed for hundreds of years, but is recognized as an integral aspect of its history. Men who study the history of magic call themselves theoretical magicians. Mr. Norrell becomes England's first practical magician in over 300 years. He doesn't just study magic, he does magic.

This book is extremely well thought out and cleverly written. The characters actions and personalities reflect the time period perfectly. Mr. Norrell is portrayed as a stuffy, socially inept scholar who wants to be recognized for his amazing skills while making sure all of his peers are shown to be inferior. Jonathan Strange is the younger, creative, unconventional, and married magician whose fascination with magic becomes an obsession. The author includes delightful footnotes to the text to add credibility to the history/biography style used to portray these characters. The multidimensional plot covers the danger of dealing with the unpredictable fairy race, the use of magic in the Napoleonic war, the growth of friendships through common interest, political connections, and societal position, the bitterness of betrayal, the effects of madness on families, friends, and subjects, and the lengths one takes to save others and one's self.

I listened to the unabridged audio version of this book (all 26 cd's). The reader had a believable (to me) British accent, and did a fabulous voice acting job. The characters became real to me, and I actually felt a loss when the book was over. These characters became important to me. I cannot give a book a better recommendation than that.

A Single Thread

2009-01-16T11:35:00.005-06:00

A Single Thread by Marie Bostwick.

Evelyn Dixon has been fascinated with color since she was a young girl. That passion for color found expression in quilting. So, when her husband divorces her for a younger woman, Evelyn moves to New England and resurrects the dream she had let die to open a quilt shop. In order to drum up business, Evelyn hosts a charity quilting event for breast cancer awareness. The inspiring stories she hears from her customers motivates her to have herself examined the day before the event. What she thought would be a routine exam changes everything. Suddenly, living alone in a town far from anyone she knows while running a business by herself becomes overwhelming. That is until she meets three women at her charity event: Margot, a recently laid-off businesswoman, Abigail, a wealthy woman with many acquaintances but no friends, and Abigail's rebellious niece Liza who forces Abigail to come to the event with threats of embarrassing her.

This was a lovely, heartwarming story that I couldn't put down. I would recommend A Single Thread for all generations of women. Two characters are a little two good to be true, but the rest of the characters are extremely well developed. I loved following both Evelyn's struggles and triumphs in her new life and the evolving relationship between Liza and Abigail. There is rumor that there will be a sequel, and I am definitely looking forward to it.

Anna Karenina

2008-12-11T15:26:00.004-06:00

My book club will be discussing Anna Karenina by Tolstoy next month.

Since this is a complex book written in a different century, I thought it would be helpful to provide study guides and other relevant information to the novel.

Until February, there will be links to helpful websites and articles on Anna Karenina on the right hand sidebar of this blog.

For anyone else interested in reading this classic, I have also provided links to free copies of the book online. Enjoy!

Children's Picture Books

2008-11-29T09:50:00.003-06:00

I spent a delightful afternoon yesterday picking pictures books for my young nieces' Christmas gifts. I thought I'd share some of the fun books I had a hard time deciding between.

Miss Spider's Tea Party
by David Kirk

This book has both a great story about not judging people based on their appearance and beautiful illustrations. It also is a counting book.

I bought the board book with the abbreviated story (Miss Spider's Tea Party: The Counting Book) since my 2 year old niece likes to rip pages. The shorter story in the board book is better for really young (0-3) children's attention span, but I'd recommend the longer rhyming story in the picture book for the 4-7 age range.

Good Night Gorilla
by Peggy Rathmann

This cute picture book has the zookeeper saying goodnight to the animals in the zoo (which teaches children animal names). It also is a funny book, because the gorilla steals the zookeeper's keys and proceeds to let all the animals out of the cages. The animals follow the zookeeper home, and his wife has to take them back to their cages when she finds them in her bedroom.

The Pigeon Wants a Puppy !
by Mo Willems

This is a new book that I fell in love with. The pigeon begs, cajoles, and demands that he get a puppy. He really wants one. Towards the end of the book, a life size puppy shows up and his size scares the pigeon. The pigeon realizes he doesn't really want a puppy - he wants a walrus. :-)

Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type
by Doreen Cronin, Illustrated by Betsy Lewin

This hilarious children's book tells the story of cows who use a typewriter to ask the farmer for electric blankets (the barn is cold at night). When the farmer says no, they go on strike. Then the chickens join the cows on strike, and the farmer no longer receives any milk and eggs. Eventually the farmer negotiates a deal with them using the ducks as mediators. The repetetive click, clack, moo of the typewriter keeps children engaged in the story line, and the illustrations are fabulous. Unfortunately, the board book isn't available until March 2009.

This Little Piggy: A Hand-Puppet Board Book
by Scholastic, Illustrated by Michelle Berg

This cute little board book is implanted in the palm of the glove whose fingers are piggy puppets. I couldn't resist getting this for my youngest niece (who is still a baby). The finger puppets are fantastic, and the illustrations are nice. They changed the rhyme so that instead of roast beef the third piggy had cookies, and the fourth piggy had fun instead of none. Otherwise, this is truly a cute baby book.

Audio Books

2008-11-18T08:12:00.003-06:00

This time of the year is really busy for me. To save time, I have been listening to books instead of reading them. That's right - audio books. My public library has a great selection of audio books that I have been thoroughly enjoying.

There are many places to listen to audio books. Besides listening to books on my long commute, I also listen to audio books while cleaning my house. I plan to listen to an audio book while decorating this weekend. Have you ever considered listening to books while you cook? I love listening to audio books while baking cookies. I also listen to audio books while working on craft projects.

Besides books on CD and cassette, public libraries have been investing in both downloadable audio books for your computer and MP3 player and Playaway digital audio books - audio books that do not require an external device to play them.

So, this fall, try something different - audio books!

Here are a few titles I've loved listening to:

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
(Abridged read by Joanne Whalley, Dennis Boutsikaris, Rosalyn Landor, Robin Atkin Downes, and Jim Ward)

This gripping modern interpretation of the Dracula legend tells the story of a scholar who mysteriously disappears while researching the history of Vlad Dracula. The story goes back and forth between the scholar's search for Dracula and his friends and family's search for him. The audio performance of this book by six talented voice actors truly brings this story to life.

Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns
(Abridged read by Richard Thomas)

If you haven't read Cold Sassy Tree, I highly recommend it. This book, set during the early 1900's in a small Georgian town, is told from the perspective of 14-year-old Will Tweedy. The story revolves around Will's grandpa who takes a new young wife weeks after his previous wife dies, the town's disconcerted reaction to this unexpected and controversial marriage, and Will's own life growing up in a town on the cusp of change. This story both touched me and made me laugh out loud. Having the man who played John Boy on the Waltons tell the tale for the audio version of this book is just icing on the cake.

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
(Unabridged read by Neil Gaiman)

The description of this book can be found in my last post. The author is the reader in this audio book, and the characters come alive through his evocative telling of this imaginative tale. Even if you've read this book, I still recommend listening to this engrossing version.

Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
(Unabridged read by George Guidall)

This book tells the story of life for Japanese Americans before, during, and after World War II on a small island in Puget Sound. A Japanese American fisherman is accused of murder, and the story of his life is intertwined with the trial of his case. The audio performance is well done, and I appreciated not having to guess the pronunciation of certain Japanese words in the story. A truly touching tale.

Great Books I'm Reading

2008-11-06T08:16:00.003-06:00

Here are two books that I am reading that I had to share.

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World
by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter

This is a heart-warming tale of the famous library cat Dewey Readmore Books. Dewey was found in Spencer Public Library's metal book drop on the coldest night of the year in Iowa. His little paws were frostbitten, but his spirit was not broken. His impact on the this small town in Iowa and its inhabitants was tremendous.

What people may not realize is that this story is also about a small farming community struggling to survive and the single mother librarian who saves Dewey and who Dewey saves in return.

I am loving this book, and I don't want it to end.

excerpt

Neverwhere
by Neil Gaiman
(audio book: read by Neil Gaiman)

Scottish Richard Mayhew moves to London, England to start a new job. Within a few years he has made a comfortable, slightly boring life for himself and become engaged to a beautiful woman well above his station who controls his life.

Door is on the run, hiding from her family's killers. When they close in on her location, she desperately opens a door to somewhere - to somebody safe. She falls bleeding, near unconscious in front of Richard and his fiancee on their way to an important dinner.

When Jessica sees the bedraggled woman who looks homeless, she merely steps over her and continues her conversation. But Richard stops. He is always giving money to the homeless, offering his umbrella, etc. They are not the unseen to him. He cannot leave her hurt on the street. When Door pleads not to be taken to a hospital because it isn't safe, Richard picks her up to take her to his flat and help her. Jessica demands he put her down and come with her or she will leave him.

He walks away with Door in his arms.

Richard life is forever altered by this one choice. By associating with Door he loses his identity, becoming one of the unseen - the unwanted. Richard falls into a world of danger and magic in the undercity of London. His life becomes crazy, scary, surprising...

and definitely not boring.

excerpt

Haunting tales for Halloween

2008-10-30T12:38:00.007-05:00

Here are some books to get you into the mood for Halloween.

Frankenstein
by Mary Shelley

If you've never read Frankenstein, you need to. This book is nothing like the movies. The story is told in layers. First is the tale of Victor Frankenstein, who is on the run from the creature he created. The next layer tells the story of young Victor and his experiments into finding what creates the spark of life. The inner story tells of the monster Victor creates. Yet the book makes you wonder who the true monster is - the man or the creation. This is a fabulous classic that I feel everyone should read at least once.

I, Strahd: The Memoirs of a Vampire
by P.N. Elrod

This book is written like a memoir. It tells the story of Baron Strahd Von Zarovich, his forbidden love, and the hard choices he makes that eventually lead to his being transformed into a vampire. This book is actually part of a series, but I feel it works well as a stand alone book very reminiscent of Dracula. I've also listened to the abridged audio, and I can definitely recommend it.

Kitty and the Midnight Hour
by Carrie Vaughn

This is the first in a series about Kitty the werewolf (she was Kitty before she was bit by a werewolf, so the name is not her fault). Kitty is a DJ for a nighttime talk show called The Midnight Hour. None of her listeners know she is a werewolf. One night she decides to ask her listeners if they believe
in paranormal beings. Then a vampire calls the show to say he does exist, and ends up asking for advise. The next thing you know, Kitty is running a radio program focused on issues in the supernatural community, and her ratings are skyrocketing.

Some people think what she is discussing is fake; others believe it is real. Unfortunately, not all of the paranormal community is happy to have their secret discussed on the radio, and they try to get her to stop - permanently.

World War Z: An Oral History Of the Zombie War
by Max Brooks

This is an amazing book that follows the global spread of a zombie virus and the eventual fight for the survival of mankind. The book is written like a non-fiction: the author's forward tells why he compiled these stories from survivors, each story is told in a different voice, terms have footnotes, etc. It is extremely gritty, eerily true to life (minus the zombies, of course), and extremely well written.

The Dresden Files

2008-10-24T19:36:00.010-05:00

I'm a big fan of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series. These urban fantasy books are set in Chicago and follow the investigations of one Harry Dresden. Think of Harry as a spell casting Sam Spade whose street informants are pixies and whose bad attitude and sarcasm gets him into lots of trouble. Harry's ad in the yellow pages reads as follows:

HARRY DRESDEN — WIZARD

Lost Items Found. Paranormal Investigations.

Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates.

No Love Potions, Endless Purses, Parties or Other Entertainment

(excerpt from chapter 1 of Storm Front at Jim-Butcher.com)

Harry is always struggling to make enough money to pay his rent. Not enough people take his ad seriously. Luckily, His steadiest form of income comes from being hired as a paid consultant for the Chicago PD. Most cops think he's a scam artist, but Karin Murphy in Special Investigations has seen enough weird stuff to realize that the world isn't as pretty as we'd like it to be, and some of the creatures from nightmares actually exist.

This series is fantastic. It's dark, gritty, and humorous. The stories are inventive and gripping, the cast of characters are diverse and well fleshed out, and the fantastical elements are set in a very realistic Chicago (this coming from someone whose lived in and around Chicago for the past 17 years).

The thing that truly amazes me is that the books just keep getting better. Normally when a fantasy series reaches book 8, I'm starting to get disappointed. Either the plot gets formulaic, the character's power has grown to deity status, or the storyline has become so convoluted that I need a road map to find my way.

I can happily say the Mr. Butcher has succeeded in avoiding all these pitfalls. Each book is unique and gripping. Throughout the series Harry has grown as a person (and boy, are there some growing pains), but his powers haven't grown out of hand as a result. He merely starts using his brain a little more after realizing that brute force won't always succeed, and he starts building a power base. It's not what you know; it's who you know. Finally, the storyline has branched out through the aforementioned connections, but each branch leads directly back to the main character. It isn't a friend of a friend of a friend of Harry's whose uncle's sister's child suddenly plays an important role in the plot.

So far The Dresden Files consists of 10 books, 6 short stories, 1 graphic novel, and 1 TV spinoff series that unfortunately got canceled.

If you like either hard boiled detectives or gritty urban fantasy, you've got to give The Dresden Files a try. Start with Storm Front, and be prepared to be spellbound.

YouTube Playlist

2008-10-18T23:57:00.003-05:00

I added a cool new widget on the blog's sidebar that shows my YouTube playlist. You should check it out. :-)

Included in my playlist are:
Colbert Report - Communist Library Threat
Disney Copyright Law
Simon's Cat 'TV Dinner'
Banned Book Week: I'd Like To Find

and much, much more!

One Book, One Oakton

2008-10-15T08:29:00.003-05:00

I'm excited to announce this new program happening at Oakton Community College in February.

Nonfiction that reads like fiction

2008-10-07T14:14:00.008-05:00

Here's a great reading list I found in The Book Club Companion: A Comprehensive Guide to the Reading Group Experience by Diana Loevy called "non-fiction that reads like fiction."

Devil in the White City: murder, magic, and madness at the fair that changed America
by Erik Larson

Foreign Babes in Beijing: Behind the Scenes of the New China
by Rachel DeWoskin

In Cold Blood
by Truman Capote

Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster
by Jon Krakauer

Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil
by John Berendt

Parallel Lives: Five Victorian Marriages
by Phyllis Rose

The Planets
by Dava Sobel

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail
by Bill Bryson

Free Alexander McCall Smith Book Online

2008-10-01T16:58:00.005-05:00

Alexander McCall Smith, the author of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, is writing his first online novel, and he is letting people read it for free!

The book is called Corduroy Mansion. Mr. Smith is issuing a chapter a month in both audio (ITunes) and print (electronic format). They currently have published up to Chapter 14.

The homepage is here.

Chapter 1 (in print) starts here.

Enjoy!

You can even have the chapters sent by email or feed!

Yellow Raft in Blue Water

2008-09-25T15:44:00.002-05:00

Yellow Raft in Blue Water
by Michael Dorris

This entrancing novel follows the lives of three generations of Native American women. It starts from the point of view of Rayona, a 15 year old half Native American, half African American girl who's mother escapes a hospital, packs their belongings, and abandons Rayona at her Grandmother Ida's house on the reservation. Rayona's reaction to this change of events unfolds from there. Next we learn the life story of Christine, the free spirited, energetic, and somewhat selfish mother of Rayona. Her story unfolds, explaining some of her eccentricities and the reason behind her abandonment of the daughter she truly loves. The final story covers Ida's life and how she came to be Christine's mother. Each story adds a new layer of depth to the story, twining the lives of these three women to tell a story of love, loss, suffering, and endurance.

I recommended this book for my book club. The book starts a little slow, but picks up speed by the time you are a third of the way through Christine's story. By the end, I was so amazed at how their stories tied together that I kept flipping back and forth between the three women's story to compare their different viewpoints. I wish that Ida's story was a little longer, but I am satisfied with the ending otherwise. There are so many nuances to this book to enjoy that our book club ended up getting kicked out of our meeting room before we could finish discussing it. If you are looking for a well crafted novel told from a Native American perspective, I recommend that you try Yellow Raft in Blue Water.

Non-fiction favorites

2008-09-23T08:04:00.006-05:00

I admit, I read more fiction than non-fiction in my spare time. I sometimes find some non-fiction books so dense that I am only able to swallow them in small bites. Fortunately, some truly talented non-fiction authors write books that read like fiction - the story flows without getting bogged down by technicalities. I gobble such books down with greedy relish. Here are two non-fiction books I devoured in big, yummy bites.

Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother
by James McBride

This touching book tells the story of two lives. In alternating chapters James tells both the story of his life growing up half African American and half Jew with eleven brothers and sisters in the Brooklyn projects and the story of his mother, the daughter of a rabbi, who runs away from home, marries a African American minister, raises 12 amazing children, and helps found a church. His mother's views on color and life are an inspiration to all. James is an amazing writer whose book is both heart-warming and inspiring. I recommend it to everyone.

The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls

You can tell Jeannette wrote for a newspaper, because she knows how to grab your attention right from the beginning. In the first two pages, she's on her way to attend a Park Avenue party. Her cab stops at a red light, and she looks out the window and spies her mother digging through a dumpster in a nearby alley. You then find that her mother lives the life of a vagrant by choice.

Jeannette goes on to tell the story of her life growing up in an eccentric family who live a nomadic existence, doing the "skidaddle" whenever either bill collectors get too close or her parents feel too hemmed in. Her parents are smart and unconventional. They are also selfish and abusive in their neglect. Yet, Walls writes her memoir with love in every sentence. Her life growing up may not have been traditional, but it did make her the strong, intelligent, and creative person she is today. This story is at times funny, unnerving, touching, and poignant. Truly an addictive read.

My Favorite Female Fantasy Characters

2008-08-22T09:43:00.012-05:00

Ever since I borrowed The Sword of Shannara from my brother in middle school, I've been a fan of fantasy books. Since then, I’ve noticed that my favorite female fantasy characters have some things in common. They all have a troubling childhood in some way shape or form, they all leave home to avoid the fate chosen for them to follow their dreams, and they all end up becoming better people as a result. Each one of them suffers in order to achieve her dreams, and that suffering ends up making each one a stronger person - heroic in fact. Here are a few of my favorite female fantasy characters.

Paksenarrion from The Deed of Paksenarrion series

Sheep Farmer's Daughter, Divided Allegiance, and Oath of Gold

Author: Elizabeth Moon

Since Paksenarrion was young, she dreamed of becoming a mercenary like her cousin. When her father tries arranging a marriage for her, Paksenarrion instead runs away from home and joins a mercenary company. The trilogy follows her development from mercenary, to knight, to Paladin (a holy knight in service to a god). Paksenarrion is the best representation of a Paladin I have ever read, and a truly heroic female character.

Talia from the Heralds of Valdemar Trilogy
Arrows of the Queen, Arrow's Flight, and Arrow's Fall

Author: Mercedes Lackey

Talia is Holderfolk. Hold communities are male dominated and puritanical. Men are allowed to have multiple wives, and it is common practice that girls are married off at the age of 14. Talia runs from her home and spends the night in her favorite hiding spot after being told that her marriage has been arranged. Before she can go back to the Hold to accept her fate, Talia is chosen by the Companion Roland to be a Herald (people who act as arbitrators, soldiers, messengers and, at times, spies for the queen). By being chosen by Roland, though, she also becomes the Queen’s Own Herald. Basically, the Queen’s Own becomes the close companion and advisor to the queen. The three highest ranking people in the kingdom are the queen, the heir, and the Queen’s Own. Of course, Talia needs to complete Herald training first. Unfortunately, the last Queen’s Own was murdered, and unknown people are plotting to get rid of Talia as well

Menolly from The Harper Hall Trilogy

Dragonsong, Dragonsinger, and Dragondrums

Author: Anne McCaffrey

Menolly loves music. As the youngest of many siblings to the Lord Holder of Half Circle Sea Hold, she was mostly ignored. She became fast friends with the Harper of the Hold who recognized a kindred spirit who loved music as much as he did. The Harper teaches Menolly everything he knows, and she becomes a talented musician and composer of songs. But tradition says that females cannot become Harpers. When her beloved friend dies, her father lets Menolly temporarily fill the position of Harper until a new Harper can be sent. When the new Harper arrives, Menolly not only has to turn over her classes, she is not allowed to tell the new Harper what she did. In fact, she is forbidden to sing or play instruments again so that the new Harper could not guess who had so ably instructed the students until his arrival. Menolly ends up choosing to live Holdless (on the planet Pern on which she lives, this is considered deadly) in order to keep her music, and manages to Impress 9 dragon lizards (creatures native to the planet, but so rarely seen that some people think them myth). Meanwhile, the Master Harper of Pern continues his frantic search for the missing male apprentice whose music was sent to him by the late Harper of Half Circle Sea Hold.

Online Tools and Applications

2008-08-20T16:06:00.007-05:00

The last assignment for my Library 2.0 program involved checking out various online tools and applications. Here is a list of what sites I checked out and what I thought of them:

Google Docs: This is a handy tool to share documents with your co-workers. You can create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and forms to share on this site. You can also convert similar Microsoft Office files to share. One of my Excel spreadsheets converted with no problem, but some of my signs made in Word didn't fair so well. The converted sign had no graphics. Also, as a result, the line spacing was thrown off. To my disappointment, Publisher documents can't be uploaded unless they are made into a html or pdf documents. Hopefully this will be added as a feature in the future.

Zoho: This one seems to be a major competitor of Google Docs and seems to have similar features. I like the look of Zoho Projects. I'm going to be trying this one out in the near future.

Basecamp: Basecamp looks very exciting. It is a way to collaborate online with your co-workers on a project. After touring it's options, I can see how useful a tool this can be. I was extremely disappointed, though, to learn that it isn't free. When you click on "Sign up for Free" it takes you to a payment page with an option of a 30-day trial. The minimum monthly cost is $24 a month for a basic subscription. Sigh. Zoho Projects looks very similar, and it really does have a "free" project subscription. I will be trying them instead.

Rollyo: Rollyo is a customizable search engine. Very cool. I've added it to my del.icio.us account.

Snipshot: This is a handy picture editor. I am definitely going to be using it at home. It has also been added to my del.icio.us account. This picture I took of Lake Point Tower to your left was edited using Snipshot. I was able to tilt the image and crop it. I love that it shows you the last picture you worked on and lets you re-open it in case you realize you missed something.

fd's Flickr Toys: I enjoyed playing with the Jigsaw puzzle creator. I wish you could make an online puzzle to play with, though. I love the Flickr Uploader. This tool makes uploading to your Flickr account a breeze. It also lets you add descriptions and tags as you upload. Definitely a time saver.

RedKid.net: This is a fun site that lets you make fun banners, signs, etc. for free. The smiley face sign on the top of this blog comes from RedKid.

Shelfari and LibraryThing: Both of these websites let you create and organize a list of your books online. LibraryThing has a little more flexibility, but they charge when you have more than 200 books. I use Shelfari. They don't charge (which is a good thing, since I've already listed 177 books in about 2 months), and they have a cool looking shelf widget that you can add to your blog. I used both the shelf widget and the list widget on the right sidebar of my blog. Clicking on either will get you to my Shelfari bookshelf (if you're interested). :-)

Zotero: This site helps you organize, collect, and site research resources. I plan on trying this one out with my next research project.

Library video on YouTube

2008-08-20T09:04:00.003-05:00

Thought I'd share this video my friend Ann made with some teens for a summer program at Park Ridge Public Library. The musketeers at the end are SCA fighter folk Ann and I both know. I love their garb!

Garden Spells

2008-08-14T10:27:00.003-05:00

Garden Spells
by Sarah Addison Allen

Last night I finished reading Garden Spells, and I have to say I truly loved it. This is a light, fast read that was truly touching.

Click on the title of this blog for a summary of this book.

I loved the rebuilding of a relationship that takes place between Claire and Sydney. The reality of the pressures of being labeled as different in a small community rang true to me even though, in this case, some of those differences were paranormal in nature. The uniqueness of the budding relationship between Claire and her neighbor amused and delighted me. While this book isn't for people who only like serious, dense reading, this book is great for someone looking for a poignant and unique story with a touch of romance.

My IM life

2008-07-30T08:23:00.007-05:00

I always tell people that the reason I type 60 words a minute is because of chatting online. When I was in college, my friends introduced me to muds. Muds are online text-based adventure games. At first, I was interested in the game, but too soon, I was more interested in the other players. I made friends online from all over the world. On average, I was usually conversing with 2-5 people at a time while playing the game. The only problem was, I couldn't keep up with them. I would comment on something someone said, but it would show up ten comments and three topics later. I was left in their conversational dust. This wouldn't do. So, I kept pushing myself to type faster until I was finally able to keep up with the conversation. When I got out of college, though, I stopped playing in the mud and moved on to other hobbies.

10 years later, my friend Serena introduced me to IM, Instant Messenger. She was always online. We used to talk on the phone, but we found IM was easier. You see, she has 2 young children. With IM, our conversation wasn't interrupted every few minutes by "don't put that in your mouth," don't hit your brother," "yes, I'm talking to Gretchen," "put that down!" etc. It's amazing how much easier it was to understand each other without all the interruptions.

With IM, you know when your friends are online at the same time you are (though they can change their settings so that you can't see this). Occasionally, my friends will send a brief hello, a conversation will follow, and then we say our goodbyes. If I see something I think they'll like while I am websurfing, I can copy and paste the URL into the IM chat window to share it. The IM programs instantly make it a link they can use. It's faster than logging into my email, pasting the link, making it a link, and sending it. IMing is a nice way to keep in touch, and you don't have to drop everything for a chat online like you do for a phone. By IMing instead of talking on the phone, I don't have to ignore my husband or miss the best part of my favorite TV show.

Similar good things can be said for using IM while working at the library. If you are helping a patron, you don't have to drop everything to answer the phone. Once you get back to your desk, the IM window will be flashing so that you know someone wishes to ask you something. You can also pause your conversation without the other person having to be tied to a phone until you come back. If I need to go step away from my desk, I simply type brb (be right back). The other person can continue working until I am back. Plus, I find that patrons are less willing to interrupt a phone conversation to ask a question than they are about interrupting typing.

My favorite part of IMing at work, though, is the quiet. I don't have to raise my voice to be heard by the librarian nearby. My phone conversations aren't bothering the students studying nearby. Plus, I can sometimes say more without being worried about being overheard. Of course, this only works when my co-workers are using the same IM program that I am. :-)

This leads me to meebo. Meebo combines multiple IM programs so that they are all in one place. Logging into meebo logs you in to all the IM programs you belong to that they support. So far, they support aim, yahoo, google talk, msn, icq, and jabber. This is a handy tool that I like. My only problem with it is that it isn't kept on my bottom right toolbar like other IM programs. I have to keep their webpage open to use it. I've accidentally closed it a few times.

One other IM that I've started using that isn't supported by meebo is facebook. When you are logged in to facebook, on the bottom toolbar of the webpage, it shows you which of your friends are also logged into facebook. You can click on "online friends" and then click on your friends name. This will open a IM window in which you can converse. It works the same as other instant messengers.

Occasionally, I've used online chat session help desks. I find them more useful than email. You can get immediate help and immediate answers to your questions. You can discuss the problem without sending multiple emails back and forth. I also like online help better than a help desk person on the phone; accents aren't an issue online. Plus, I tend to get to a real person online faster than I do on the phone. This is probably because they can help multiple people at once.

Using chat sessions for reference help at our library would be neat. During library hours, a student could "chat with a librarian" from home. Other employees of the college could also use this feature without leaving their offices or being tied up on the phone. The librarian could paste links into the chat session to share their finds. It would have to be advertised well in order to be used effectively, though.

Future books wish list

2008-07-16T15:37:00.011-05:00

Since I'm such a book addict, I'm always keeping a list of books I want that aren't available yet. On this list I keep the title, author, and street date (the day the book is available for sale). This way, I can run to the store the day the book is available, snap it up, and greedily devour it as quickly as possible.

I'm constantly revising the way I keep this list. At first, I would keep it in a little notebook. This had a lot of limitations. It was hard to keep the list in date order, and I would sometimes misplace the notebook.

Next, I started putting it in my PDA's calendar. Since it wasn't a list, though, it didn't work as well. Plus, I would occasionally leave my PDA at home, thus making the list inaccessible. So, I switched to the internet.

For a long time, I kept my list on Amazon in my wish list. The problem with this method is that you can't sort your wish list by release date. Also, in order to see a future street date, you have to be in the specific book record. It doesn't show in the list view. Bummer.

I considered using my "I plan to read" section on Shelfari, but immediately discarded this idea. There are times I have the street day for a book a year in advance because I stalk, em...visit, the author's websites and blogs. The books wouldn't be found in the import book search, and I'm just too lazy to add it.

Finally, I have found a decent tool to keep track of my book list. I have an iGoogle page. On it, I added the gadget Google Notebook. This handy dandy gadget is great for jotting down lists of stuff you want to remember. You can insert new items in between current entries. To delete, you simply click the little drop down arrow on the right side of the entry and select delete.

This picture is the small view of my list. In the small view, you can click the + sign to view the full entry. You can also "Open in full page" in order so see the full list. The little side bar to the left with the arrow will get you to the list of notebooks you've made (you can make more than one list!!!). Oh, and the words in green are tags. Yep, tagging your entries is an option. Whoever created this tool, thanks! I haven't missed a street date since I've found this gadget.

Social Networks

2008-07-10T14:49:00.003-05:00

This week I learned about Social Networks. We worked primarily with Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn. I was extremely nervous, at first, about putting my personal information out on the web. Who would be able to see it? What could they do with it? So, I looked around a bit before I leaped into setting up an account.

I started with facebook. I soon realized that I couldn't see everyone's profile. Sure enough, I found out that you can set different levels of privacy. You can decide what data you are comfortable sharing and set the limits accordingly. I decided to only share things on my page that I would share with a total stranger. I was also careful not to add anything I wouldn't want my parents to see. :-)

I like all of the applications available that seemed geared towards libraries. I was able to add my shelfari, del.icio.us, flickr, and rss feeds to the page. I was also able to add a WorldCat search engine to my page. Another cool feature I figured out only today was the IM feature. You can chat with any friends that are on their Facebook page at the same time as you are. It is the button on the bottom of the web browser marked "Online Friends." The number indicates how many people are available for chatting.

The best part was that my social networking actually worked! In one week, I have made 8 friends. 1 was a friend I told about the project, 3 are co-workers, 1 is my husband's co-workers wife who found my profile on her own, one is a friend of a friend who knows we read similar stuff (we've only met once for about 15 minutes), and the last 2 are student employees. Social network indeed. This is pretty great for 1 week. I'm curious to see how many more friends I make next week.

I next set up an account in LinkedIn. This one is geared toward professionals, so I was excited. Well, I set it up today, and I felt like I should have had my resume in front of me. Actually, I still feel like I should double check my data to make sure I am right. I feel it's primarily set up as a way to search and be searched in the job market. This is great for those job hunters and for their perspective employers. It also has a question feature that asks questions of other professionals. I haven't tried this feature yet, so I can't say how well it works. If it does, then it succeed in being a professional network. The artistic side of me wished I could play with the layout and add other features, though. Adding my del.icio.us bookmarks to share with other professionals makes sense to me if LinkedIn is intended for more than job searching. I turned off my public profile because I'm not looking for a job.

I also set up a MySpace account today. I have to say that people seem to be able to play around with their backgrounds more in MySpace. People can also add music clips to play when you open their page. Privacy settings, though, are not as streamlined. You can either make your page public, over 18, or friends only. You can't pick which parts are visible and which aren't. It's pretty much all or nothing. I'm not sure I like that. I also wasn't able to find as many applications that I liked, either. The only application I found in common with the ones I've used in Facebook was Shelfari. On the plus side, I was able to find one of my friends with which I've been trying to get in touch.

Finally, I looked at some of the libraries out there using various social networks, and I was impressed. It seems many libraries use social networks to target their teen audience. That makes sense as they are probably the highest amount of users. I've discussed this with various co-workers, and we all think this is a great way to introduce programs to that age group as they are used to instant gratification when looking for information. Denver Public had a great teen page called "eVolver - Denver Public Library Teens" which is geared to teens, has lots of current information, and seems really popular based on the amount of friends connected to the page. Some libraries gear their information to all audiences with a slight focus to younger generations. Skokie Public Library's facebook account was great in this way. It wasn't too busy and it had lots of up-to-date information.

I am starting to see how these social networks can help people connect. I also realize how addictive it can be to look for new applications to add to your pages. If our library sets up some social network pages, I think they would be a great way of both advertising our library to new people and getting information out to our current patrons.

Paranormal Fiction

2008-07-08T20:51:00.004-05:00

I can't say when I started reading paranormal fiction, but I can honestly say that it is my favorite genre of books to read right now. In the last 8-10 years this genre has generated a huge following. Now there are tons of books to choose from and new combinations to try.

So, what is paranormal? Well, it is something that is beyond normal, scientific explanation. Usually this can involve psychic abilities, ghosts, UFOs, vampires, telekinetics, werewolves, fairy, time travel, and any other things that aren't "normal." To make things stand out as abnormal, books tend to have normal settings as a contrast. Paranormal books need that balance of the normal in order to make the book believable.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge best described the use of the supernatural to its best effect in his Biographia Literaria: "...my endeavours should be directed to persons and characters supernatural or at least romantic yet so as to transfer from our inward nature a human interest and a semblance of truth sufficient to procure for these shadows of imagination that willing suspension of disbelief for the moment which constitutes poetic faith." (English Prose (1137-1890) By John Matthews Manly)

"The willing suspension of disbelief" is the key. People need to find the unbelievable close enough to human nature that they can identify with it and willingly go along with it. Yet that supernatural aspect can add a level of interest, humor, suspense, danger, intrigue, and/or passion to the story. This is why I find supernatural stories so appealing.

So what kind of supernatural stories can be found out there?

Urban fantasy: this is a fantasy book set in a modern, urban setting. The world stays normal with paranormal characters. Sometimes the paranormal characters are in hiding; sometimes they are not. Books such as Storm Front by Jim Butcher, Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton, and Moon Called by Patricia Briggs are good examples of urban fantasy.

Paranormal romance: this is a romance book with paranormal aspects. You can either have a paranormal character or characters in the normal world or you can have a normal character put in a paranormal situation. Either way, there is a romance subplot to a paranormal story. A few of my favorite paranormal romances are Eternity by Maggie Shayne, Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, and Stealing Shadows by Kay Hooper.

There are a few rare romance authors who have successfully combined both paranormal characters and situations without losing enough of the human element to lose that "suspension of disbelief." In those cases, sometimes the romance itself becomes the human element. Nalini Singh's Slave to Sensation is the best example of this rare skill.

Paranormal mystery: These are mystery books with paranormal characters in a normal setting. Good examples are: Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris, The Trouble with Magic by Madelyn Alt, and Bloodlist by P.N. Elrod.

Paranormal chick lit: If you haven't guessed, these are chick lit books with paranormal characteristics to the story. Think Sex in the City with vampires, magic, etc. Good examples are: The Girl's Guide to Witchcraft by Mindy Klasky, Charmed and Dangerous by Candace Havens, and Undead and Unwed by Mary Janice Davidson.

There are probably more sub-genre to paranormal fiction, but I will end my list here. As a side note, every book I gave as an example is the first in a series. I'm a big fan of series, so I couldn't resist!

My experience with del.icio.us

2008-07-02T10:36:00.005-05:00

Well, I kind of did things backwards. I did read the explanation of this week's activity for Library 2.Oakton and the related articles. I even started working on Activity #1. Then... well I jumped to Activity #3.

Activity #3 is an optional activity to set up your own del.icio.us account. I figured I could better understand how this tool works and how it can be implemented elsewhere if I actually tried it for myself.

So, Monday I started adding my bookmarks (I didn't realize until I was done that I could import them...sigh). While adding, I started tagging like a mad woman. Tags are social subject headings you give to a link in del.icio.us. I figured more tags would be better. Well, for me, that was wrong. I quickly got overwhelmed by the amount of tags listed on the right. There were so many search terms that my eyes started skipping lines.

Tuesday I edited my tags so that I only used the bare minimum. I also made sure I didn't use multiple variations on the same idea or word. Ex. book and books, research and reference, library and libraries, etc. This made things much more manageable.

At this point I start seeing the benefits of having a del.icio.us account.

I can access my bookmarks from any computer. If I am helping a student, I can access reference bookmarks I use at the public computers. If a teacher asks me something as I pass their office, I can show them on their computer. Whether I'm at home or work, all my bookmarks are available.
I can share my links with others. People can peruse my links and see if any are useful for them as well. I can also send them to other people's del.icio.us accounts. Talk about networking!
I can subscribe to other people's del.icio.us accounts. This could really help us help each other. I can access others bookmarks. I can also be notified when new ones are added.

Wednesday, I looked at the settings available on del.icio.us. My organizational heart went pitter-pat.

I was able to "bundle" my tags into smaller categories. You can even put a tag in multiple categories if need be. Now I only have 4 categories in my account with lovely tags under each for easy use.
No longer will I add a bookmark and forget it. If I tag it, it will stay in a subject heading, and I can find it when I actually go looking for something in that vein. Talk about better work flow.
I can still add links I don't want others to see. I can mark certain links "private." That way I can store them in my del.icio.us bookmarks without having to share them with the world. Who wants a link to the webcam at my husband's work anyway? I really can keep ALL my bookmarks in one place.

Finally, I figured out with the help menu (which I found extremely easy to use) what a Subscription was. You can actually subscribe to a tag. If anyone using del.icio.us uses the same tag, that link is added to your subscription page. You'd better believe I'm adding InterlibraryLoan to that page. :-)

My thoughts on A Thousand Splendid Suns

2008-06-26T08:26:00.004-05:00

Well, I finished A Thousand Splendid Suns last night, and slightly upset my husband in the process. Why, you ask? Well, because I was weeping during the last 1/8th of the book. I had to put the book down for a short time before continuing on. He didn't understand why I would want to read a book that made me cry. Maybe it is a girl thing. I like movies that make me cry, too. Beaches was one of my favorite movies when I was a teen.

This book was amazing. It is a tale of the enduring strength of love, the hardships of living in a war zone, and the tribulations suffered by women in Afghanistan. It follows the life of two women growing up in Afghanistan since the 1980's. The book tells the story of the Soviet occupation, the wars that broke out between Islamic factions after they left, and the ruling of the Taliban.

What made the book so moving for me was that I knew that the saddest parts of the story were actually based on true stories. I attended a lecture during Women's Day in 2001 on the plight of women in Afghanistan. Women from RAWA told stories of their work in both the Afghani refugee camps in Pakistan and their secret schools in Afghanistan. One woman told us how she teaches women to read, even though she would be executed for doing so if found out.

The public could not take pictures at the event because it would actually endanger the lives of some of the presenters. We were told that women in Afghanistan are forbidden to work. Women cannot be seen outside the home without being accompanied by a man. We saw what a burka looked like and were encouraged to try it on. I saw pictures of the punishments and executions held in arenas for various crimes. One that still sticks in my mind was of a young boy holding up a string of decapitated hands from thieves.

Needless to say, this book is not an easy read. But, it is still a worthwhile read. I am looking forward to my book club discussing it this afternoon.

Books and Video

2008-06-25T07:55:00.002-05:00

Book of the day that kept me up 3 hours last night (yawn...):
A Thousand Splendid Suns
by Khaled Hosseini
Borrowed from: Oakton Community College :-)

Audio book in the car:
The Historian
by Elizabeth Kostova
Borrowed from: my friend Ann

Both are great so far.

Since I'm a little sleepy this morning, I will end my blog with a new installment of Simon's Cat from YouTube entitled "Let Me In!":

YouTube

2008-06-24T14:02:00.004-05:00

First off, I have been working on the YouTube part of this week's activity today. I visited YouTube in the past, but I never set up an account. I really recommend doing this. You can mark your favorite video clips, subscribe to other users channels, and create a playlist of videos to share with others.

On searching in YouTube for useful information for work, I looked up "The Common Craft Show" that is featured each week in our Library 2.Oakton weekly activity explanations. They provide great explanations of various online technology in "plain english." What I didn't know is that they had a Halloween spoof called "Zombies in Plain English." I about died laughing. Here it is for your enjoyment.

Flickr

2008-06-23T16:35:00.003-05:00

Well, I spent part of my day today uploading, tagging, etc. photos on Flickr. This is my first photo account online, and I can see how it can become addictive. Flickr seemed very easy to use. I uploaded my favorite pictures of my cats and my Chicago Botanical Garden visit. I quickly reached my maximum upload for the month (I usually use the highest resolution when I take pictures). I know I could get unlimited uploads with a paid subscription, but I am going to resist for now.

I can see some of the personal benefits I can derive from Flickr. First, it is an extra place to store photos so that you don't lose them from either natural causes or computer failure. Second, it is a great way to share pictures with friends. I like the fact that you can request an rss feed of an account on Flickr that you like.

On a professional note, I can see Flickr coming in handy.

Since Oakton has two campuses, we could post pictures to share between libraries of physical changes made in the library or innovative ideas to share.
Scanning forms and other objects could be used with the libraries website to instruct the public.
We have had many events and open houses at the library, and I can see the benefit of posting them online to share. It would be a great way of promoting the library. My only worry is in posting pictures from previous events. People knew we took their picture, but we never declared we would post them online for the world to see. Could we still post them?
This article Richard gave us for our Library 2.Oakton project lists many other uses of Flickr that libraries have employed.

The only trouble I had was making a slideshow I liked for my blog. I started with the slideshow feature of blogger (which is currently displayed on the sidebar), but I was disappointed that it didn't show all the pictures in my photostream. One article I read recommended slideflickr.com. I checked it out, and tried making a slideshow this way. I liked the idea of creating a slideshow of specific sets I had created. After filling out the form, the preview looked great. But when I used the slideflickr html for a widget on my sidebar, the pictures got cut. I played with the html measurements, but it still seemed a little off. *shrug* I'll ask Richard to take a look at it on Wednesday.

All in all, I'm a big fan of flickr. I just need to be careful of my upload limit next month. :-)

The Wiki World

2008-06-19T09:09:00.009-05:00

Now that I know more about how wikis work, I think that they can be a wonderful tool in the right hands when used for the right reasons. Wikis can be used on a small scale to coordinate and share information between small groups. They can also be used to share information to the world at large. On the larger scale, it is up to the contributors and the moderators to make sure that it stays current, relevant, and reliable.

Wikis are fairly easy to use. The edit features are similar to many email, blogging, and word processing softwares. If you log in, you can save a draft of what you are working on so that you don't have to work on a document from start to finish (something I didn't realize right away). I wish there was a back or undo button. Maybe I am missing it.

On a side note, I'd like to know copyright procedures for pictures found on the web. If you add an image to your wiki by linking to the originating page, do you have to ask permission?

I think the 24/7 page could use a little more graphics and color. I think people are used to scanning for images more than words. Think about how easily you can find a brand name item in a grocery store. You are scanning for the label you identify for that item. Too many words on a page can be intimidating and overwhelming. The idea is to make the page user friendly for those seeking information.

Today's society are great at scanning. But the eyes sometimes miss what they are searching for in word lists when they are longer than 7 lines. Breaking up the long lists by grouping them into smaller subtopics would make sense to me. If you make sure every subfolder has a back button, then you're good to go. People love to click that mouse button. Maybe it gives them a sense of control over their web environment.

I find that younger people expect immediacy for information. That is what makes Wikipedia so appealing to them. If it takes longer than five minutes to figure out where to navigate on a page, many give up and move on to a more appealing and user friendly medium, even if the new source isn't as reliable. Sigh.

As for Wikipedia, I find it an excellent place to start looking for information. It provides a general overview on a topic, a basic vocabulary to use for key words, and links to further sources.

For academic research, I treat Wikipedia like a tertiary source. Because anyone can add to and edit Wikipedia, it can't always be reliable. Sometime when people put things in their own words, they get their facts a little bit wrong. You need to trace the resources used to make an entry to their primary source. If no information is provided to do this, you need to look elsewhere fast. That's why I see it as a starting point for research and not an end point. An end point would be a primary source when possible or a reliable secondary source.

Of course, if you aren't doing academic research, Wikipedia is a free and easy way to get a quick answer. I've rarely had a wrong answer when using Wikipedia this way. Also, if you are looking for cutting edge new information and popular media information, Wikipedia sometimes beats traditional sources.

For instance, look up Joss Whedon in Wikipedia. It provides tons of information on Joss Whedon, including the new TV show Dollhouse he's currently filming that will air in 2009. Josh isn't listed in the Encyclopedia Britannica or CultureGrams. He is in Literature Resource Center, but the most recent update on that entry was 09/12/2006 . Wikipedia was last modified 6/19/2008 - today.

Should college students be encouraged to use Wikipedia as a research tool?
As the only tool, no. As one of many tools, yes. Let's use my example from before. If a student was doing a paper on Joss Whedon, I would suggest using the Literature Resource Center for the main data. For information more current, I would tell the student to follow the links on Wikipedia about his most recent work to their primary sources. For instance, the source for the tip on Dollhouse on the Joss Whedon page was from USA Today. The wiki page on Dollhouse has 25 References. Wow.

For general use of Wikipedia, I would tell the students to check the References listed for a Wikipedia entry. If no or few references are provided, they shouldn't trust it.

Schools are starting to teach students how to evaluate a source found online. This education should include training on how to evaluate an entry in Wikipedia. "Just say no" doesn't work. Students may feel that a teacher or librarian either doesn't understand or is afraid of this new resource. In my mind, explaining how to weed the bad from the good is what people need to use modern technological resources effectively.

Publish or Perish

2008-06-18T01:53:00.007-05:00

Publish or Perish has long been a phrase used in academia.

1. publish or perish

used to refer to an attitude or practice existing within academic institutions, whereby researchers are under pressure to publish material in order to retain their positions or to be deemed successful.

(From The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable in Mythology & Folklore)

Well, I am also finding modern connotations for this phrase.

Blogging Publish or Perish: If one does not Publish a post regularly, the blog may Perish.

This could well be true. I was discussing ways of keeping my Google Reader from overwhelming me with Richard. He showed me the trends tab which shows how often a RSS feed publishes and what percentage of the articles you actually look at.

Richard recommended deleting feeds that don't publish regularly. Makes sense, but am I not labeling any person's blog which doesn't publish regularly as dead? Perish the thought.

Wikis Publish or Perish: If you don't Publish, will not the idea Perish?

When I first started working on editing an entry in Wikipedia, I looked up Opus Teutonicum. It is a form of medieval whitework. Amazingly enough (okay, maybe not to you), it wasn't listed. The whitework listing didn't even mention it as a style. *gasp*

So I considered writing my own entry. But, then I thought about the time I would have to spend to do it right. So, instead, I put in a few punctuation marks in another entry to meet the criteria of my assignment.

Later, I thought about what I just did. The information I could add would eventually perish if I don't share it. Publish or Perish. Sigh. I can't have that happen. Yep, I'm working on adding a new entry.

Why?

Well, Publish or Perish can also refer to your creativity. If you don't actually follow through with your thoughts and ideas, won't they, too, perish?

So, I'm challenging myself to keep publishing. I will be entering that wikipedia entry. I will also re-write it for the local SCA group newsletter. Finally, I will be attempting 4 blogs a week in order to keep my Addiction blog from fading into obscurity (or simply being weeded from your Reader).

Book List

2008-06-17T13:49:00.004-05:00

After seeing this list in my friend's blog, I thought I'd give it a try.

What we have here is the top 106 books most often marked as "unread" by LibraryThing’s users. As in, they sit on the shelf to make you look smart or well-rounded. Bold the ones you've read, underline the ones you read for school, italicize the ones you started but didn't finish.

Here's the twist: add (*) beside the ones you liked and would (or did) read again or recommend. Even if you read 'em for school in the first place. (I'm putting a # next to the ones I own-- or the ones that I *think* we own-- but that I have not read.)

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell #

Anna Karenina (reading in November for book club)

Crime and Punishment #

Catch-22

One Hundred Years of Solitude

Wuthering Heights

The Silmarillion

Life of Pi : a novel

The Name of the Rose

Don Quixote

Moby Dick

Ulysses

Madame Bovary#

The Odyssey *

Pride and Prejudice #

Jane Eyre *#

The Tale of Two Cities *#

The Brothers Karamazov

Guns, Germs, and Steel: the fates of human societies

War and Peace

Vanity Fair

The Time Traveler’s Wife *

The Iliad

Emma

The Blind Assassin

The Kite Runner

Mrs. Dalloway

Great Expectations #

American Gods

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

Atlas Shrugged

Reading Lolita in Tehran : a memoir in books

Memoirs of a Geisha #

Middlesex

Quicksilver

Wicked : the life and times of the wicked witch of the West #

The Canterbury Tales #

The Historian : a novel #

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

Love in the Time of Cholera

Brave New World

The Fountainhead

Foucault’s Pendulum

Middlemarch

Frankenstein #*

The Count of Monte Cristo

Dracula

A Clockwork Orange

Anansi Boys

The Once and Future King #

The Grapes of Wrath#

The Poisonwood Bible : a novel #

1984

Angels & Demons

The Inferno*

The Satanic Verses

Sense and Sensibility #

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Mansfield Park

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

To the Lighthouse

Tess of the D’Urbervilles

Oliver Twist #

Gulliver’s Travels#

Les Misérables

The Corrections

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Dune #*

The Prince

The Sound and the Fury

Angela’s Ashes : a memoir

The God of Small Things

A People’s History of the United States : 1492-present

Cryptonomicon (I own Snow Crash…does that count?)

Neverwhere #

A Confederacy of Dunces

A Short History of Nearly Everything

Dubliners

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

Beloved

Slaughterhouse-five

The Scarlet Letter #*

Eats, Shoots & Leaves

The Mists of Avalon #*

Oryx and Crake : a novel

Collapse : how societies choose to fail or succeed

Cloud Atlas

The Confusion (I guess I bought the wrong book...)

Lolita

Persuasion #

Northanger Abbey

The Catcher in the Rye (I even taught it)

On the Road

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Freakonomics : a rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance : an inquiry into values #

The Aeneid

Watership Down

Gravity’s Rainbow

The Hobbit

In Cold Blood : a true account of a multiple murder and its consequences

White Teeth

Treasure Island #

David Copperfield #

The Three Musketeers

RFID Chairs

2008-06-16T11:25:00.003-05:00

My friend Brian sent me this article about RFID chairs that follow a patron around the library in case they need to sit down. I guess this would be good for the elderly and handicapped, but how fast is it? Will it stop if someone walks in front of it? How lazy are we really getting?

RSS Experience

2008-06-16T10:26:00.002-05:00

Well, I created my first RSS aggregator (RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication”), and I have to say that, at first, I was a little overwhelmed. It's my own fault. Whenever I try something, I go at it full force, going overboard in order to get as much knowledge from the task as possible. This may have not been the right idea. I set up about 5 RSS Feeds Wednesday night just before leaving. That was fine. Then, I added 31 more Feeds on Thursday morning. Next thing I know, I have 101 unread items. Sigh. I did read the article Richard provided on managing your RSS, and the article helped. Over the weekend, I looked at my Google Reader page daily; I then weeded out the feeds I didn't really need. I now only get 17 posts a day on average. Yeah! I now love having Google Reader set up, and I have it as my home page at home.

So what do I like about RSS feeds and aggregators?

Well, I find it helpful to have one place to look for updates instead of looking at multiple sites. I also found that some of the weekly updates I was getting via email can now be sent by feed instead. RSS fees are a great way to keep up with the mass of information available on the web.

How do you think you might be able to use this technology in your work or personal life?

Feeds in an aggregator will help with productivity in the long run: I'll waste less time visiting various websites to keep up to date and have less to deal with in my email in-box. I also like using the aggregator as a teaching tool. I am getting lots of data on books that I can use for my book club. Other libraries and librarians often post great suggestions that I'd like to try. Comparisons of software from other people save time in collating the information myself. For instance, I learned that LibraryThing will start charging once I enter more than 200 books. I've since switched to Shelfari. I can keep track on new posts from my co-workers blogs now without wasting time going from page to page. For comedic relief I have a feed of LOLCats and the "Frank and Ernest" daily cartoon (my favorite). For personal use, I get my daily devotion now sent as a feed. Using RSS feeds seem to help keep a person up to date with less time commitment. Of course, if you overdo it like I did at first, you will end up wasting time trying to keep up with all the information out there. You need to find a balance.

How can the Library use RSS or take advantage of this new technology?
The library can use rss feeds various ways.

Debbie and I were discussing the possibility of setting up subject oriented feeds for various classes.
You could feed various blogs and updates to a feed for "What's new in the library."
Having feeds from BookList, NoveList, Publisher's Weekly, etc. could help with collection development.
Library faculty and staff can keep up with each other's blogs with this tool.
You could set up a aggregator collecting feeds from the local libraries to keep our patrons current on the local library world.
You could set up an aggregator of local news for patrons to access on our webpage (I think this one is someone else's idea that I like).
The ideas are just limitless...

What kind of an impact can it have on the work of students and faculty?

It can provide another teaching tool for the teachers to provide up to date information in their field to the students.
It can be used as a group project communication tool for students (set up separate blogs, and feed them together to keep up to date on all the participants ideas, comments, progress, etc.).

My only worry is that I won't always remember from where I got my information. For instance, I know I discussed ideas for use of RSS feeds with people, and read other's blogs, but I don't know if some of these ideas listed above were all mine or inspired from other's thoughts. I'd hate to take credit for ideas that aren't mine, but, with such a mass of new information, I'm finding it hard to sort out in my head what is my idea and what ideas may have been inspired by others. The idea is to share information, not steal it. I'll just have to be more careful in the future, I guess.

For a Good Read

2008-06-11T09:45:00.002-05:00

I've been told I am good at recommending books for people. Part of it comes from my working in bookstores and libraries for the last 17 years, and part of it comes from my memory with books. I guess I'm good at asking leading questions to find out people's tastes, too.

Earlier this year, I did a 5 minute radio show with Bob Burton on the Radio show "Impact" which airs Sunday mornings on WTMX-FM 101.9. I talked about books I would recommend based on the types of movies people like (a common technique I use with new readers). Bob told me that they recently re-aired the show. He and I are also talking about doing another show about starting a book club. If he is still interested, I may do one around Halloween about paranormal themed books.

If you are interested in hearing the original broadcast, I put the link on the top right of my blog. I also couldn't resist putting another picture up that I took. It breaks up the space in the right column to make it more visually appealing. Plus, my cats are cute. :-)

Book of the Day:
Title: World War Z: an Oral History of the Zombie War
Author: Max Brooks
from Gretchen's Library

Book ADD

2008-06-10T16:18:00.002-05:00

So I was in my book ADD phase for the last week. Basically, I want to read, but nothing can keep my attention for more than hour. It isn't always the book's fault either. Sometimes, I just can't decide what type of book I want to read. I float about from book to book until I hit one that knocks me out of this flighty state. Then, I'm nose deep in a book that requires blunt force trauma to remove from my hands. Weird, but true.

So, the book of the day seems to have knocked me back to my senses - finally.

Book of the Day:
Title: World War Z: an Oral History of the Zombie War
Author: Max Brooks
from Gretchen's Library (I swear I bought it before Christmas)

Book Hoarding vs. Interlibrary Loan

2008-06-09T15:52:00.003-05:00

I admit, I hoard books that I like. But there comes a time when you run out of room in your home, no matter how creative you get, and you need to weed your collection. I am reaching saturation point in my home collection very soon. So how do I decide what to weed?

Some people would tell me to weed the stuff I don't like. But I'm usually good at not buying books that I don't like. Interlibrary loan has saved me from buying untested authors. The few bad books I do purchase usually go for credit at used bookstores for yet more books (the number of books is smaller coming back, but that is good at this point). But what to do when you have too much of stuff you really like?

Well, I'm planning on looking at my collection and weeding out the stuff I like instead of love. Before I weed it, I will check for availability in WorldCat. If there are over a thousand libraries that own the book (and the book is more than 5 years old), then I will assume that I will be able to get it in the next 10-15 years by interlibrary loan with no trouble. After that, I'm assuming my tastes will have changed.

Wish me luck. Until I weed, I am going to *sob* avoid book sales, and desperately try to curtail my book buying habit. I'm also going to look into ebooks from mainstream publishers when I can't wait for brand new books.

Knowing my excessively meticulous nature (a kinder phrase that doesn't confuse our ESL students into believing that I am over-sharing about bodily functions), I should start my weeding project fairly soon. If you have any other weeding suggestions that doesn't involve my books moving to your own personal library, I'd love to read them. :-)

Book of the day:
The Darkest Fire (pre-quel to Lords of the Underworld)
by Gena Showalter
e-book
(I actually read very little this weekend - my computer addiction got in the way).

Books of the day for Thursday

2008-06-05T17:10:00.003-05:00

2 books of the day (lunch was messy, so I started with an e-book):

The Darkest Fire (pre-quel to Lords of the Underworld)
by Gena Showalter
e-book

A Thousand Splendid Suns
by Khaled Hosseini
Lender: Oakton Community College (yippee!!)

Blog Thoughts for Library2.Oakton

2008-06-05T16:32:00.005-05:00

Well it is the end of the week for my blogging project, and (if you can't tell) I'm loving having my own blog. People are so nice about leaving feedback, and many people have made great suggestions to improve my page. My friend Carla recommended that I simplify the side bar. I'm planning on trying that in the future. Right now, I'm having too much fun playing with it. In fact *blush*, I added more instead. Oh, the pictures on the side bar are ones I took a few years ago that I am proud of.

Blogging is a cool way to share your thoughts and feelings on different topics. I love having comments on my thoughts, too. That's a great way to learn and share ideas. I had no problem setting up my page, but I'm a computer geek with a math background, so things that were easy for me may not have been so easy for others.

I can see how a blog would be a great marketing tool for the library. It really can spark interest from the public, and it is a fast way of communicating new programs. Plus, professionals can use it to communicate ideas, thought processes, nifty tips and tricks to help others, etc.

I'm looking forward to next weeks project. :-)

Word Nerd

2008-06-04T12:52:00.011-05:00

As David Cook from American Idol, I am a self-confessed word nerd.

It kind of makes sense. Reading builds vocabulary, and there is nothing I do more than reading. Well, maybe talking...

I've actually been told by some that I shouldn't use so many big words. They think I do it to make myself look better. Well, that just isn't the case. Big vocabulary words just fit what you are saying better and usually take up a lot less space and time.

So, I have a rule with all of my student employees. If I use a word they don't know, they can ask me what it means. I will not only tell them what I think it means, but I will also look up the official definition to make sure I am right.

At first, I checked the official definition to make sure I was explaining it right, but I have since found that it is also to make sure I am using it right. :-)

See, most readers build vocabulary by looking at the word in the context of a sentence or paragraph and figuring out what the word means by what the author is trying to say. You eventually get pretty good at this, too. But mistakes are bound to happen.

In the last few years of clarifying word meaning to my friends and co-workers, I have found the following interesting mistakes on my part:

1.Vixen (in relation to a woman):
Gretchen says: a woman who is a sly temptress.
Dictionary definition: a shrewish, ill-tempered or quarrelsome woman, a shrew, a termagant.

Now, I don't think I am the only one to mess that one up. Foxes (a female fox is a vixen) have been know to be sly in many fairy tales. I believe that this word has evolved in pop culture. It happens sometimes. Hopefully I am right, and the dictionaries will add my definition.

2. Divot (as a noun):
Gretchen says: golf term, describing the hole a wedge makes in the ground when you miss.
Dictionary definition: Golf. A piece of turf cut out with a club by a player in making a stroke.

Oops. Which came first? The hole or the dirt thrown out...
I'm definitely not an avid golfer. Now it shows.

So, I highly recommend looking up words besides figuring them out in context. The library is great for this, as we have multiple dictionaries on the shelves and online.

Now my favorite is the OED (Oxford English Dictionary). It not only gives you the definition of the word as it is currently used, but how the word was used in the past as well. This can be highly amusing at times.

I even like word games. I've added a few word games I like on the sidebar.

1. The Book Worm Adventures game is a scramble word game where the book worm defends the library from invaders with words as weapons. For some reason, this game doesn't work in Firefox. Sorry. Try Explorer instead. I've almost beat Master level multiple times. Darn those Norse gods....

2. Free Rice builds your vocabulary as you help donate rice to the UN World Food Program. Warning: it is highly addictive.

So, if I use a word you don't know in this blog, please ask me what it means or look it up. Don't be intimidated; be curious instead. I even provided dictionary links on the side bar. I'm not trying to be snooty. I'm just your average book worm word nerd.

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

My First Blog

2008-06-03T14:44:00.000-05:00

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.