ERHS Library

A Couple from the List

2008-10-06T13:42:00.000-07:00

So I've had a chance now to read a couple of the books from the Pop Candy Teen Survival Guide that I hadn't read before.

The first was King Dork by Frank Portman. This was a good, solid read, and I got a good number of chuckles out of it. Having spent a fair number of hours of my life trying to come up with band names, I was really amused by this pastime of main character Tom Henderson. As the guy who loves to recommend "Catcher in the Rye" to students, I was both amused and chagrined by his complaints about, well, people like me! The story meanders into lots of different areas, but always stays engaging. The author is actually a professional musician, and songs related to the book can be heard via amazon (click the book cover to go there).

The next was I Love You, Beth Cooper, by Larry Doyle, and I LOVED it. The book is a laugh-out-loud, fast-paced, teen-social-disaster that reminded me equally of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and the John Hughes films of the 80's (16 Candles, Breakfast Club, etc.). I can't recommend it highly enough, especially to those who have embraced their inner geek and can laugh at themselves. Great stuff!

I'm currently about 2/3 of the way through 2 others: Otherworldlies by Jennifer Anne Kogler (fiction), and The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - and Why, by Amanda Ripley (non-fiction). The Kogler is fun, about a girl with a mysterious past and some strange new abilities. It reminded me in many ways of the Alchemyst and the Magician by Michael Scott (not the Dunder-Mifflin one). They all follow lead characters who are thrust unexpectedly into bigger events involving long-held conflicts between supernatural forces. If you like a little magic in your teen angst stories, any of these 3 are good choices. The Unthinkable is fascinating in it's focus on extraordinary events and how different people respond to them, how quick reactions and minor personality traits can mean the difference between life an death in extreme situations. I guarantee you'll listen carefully to the flight attendant's pre-flight spiel after reading this book...

Later.
B

Oy! September Already!!

2008-09-18T05:34:00.000-07:00

OK, so here we are, back at it. Things have been a bit crazy (so what's new, right?), but I'm ready to make another crack at keeping this thing alive (thanks Mrs. Willard for inspiring this morning's post). Here are a couple of cool things I've come across lately that may be of interest:

Pop Candy is a great pop culture blog that wastes a few minutes of my day each day. Whitney Matheson's job is to explore all the cool stuff that's out there & package it up neatly for the rest of us.

A few months ago she put together this Comics Crash Course that's definitely worth a look, whether you're a comic nut or just a little interested. I've used it to inform some of my comics purchases in recent months, so many of the titles are now on our shelves.

She also recently put together a High School Survival Guide for a worried Freshman reader of the blog. With contributions from readers, she's compiled lists of the "essential" books, movies, albums and TV shows for current high school students. I've actually adapted the book list for a booktalk I'll be doing later today.

That's it for now. Later.

CIL 08 (Computers in Library Conference)

2008-04-08T07:37:00.000-07:00

Hey - checking in from the coolest conference I've ever been to - Computers in Libraries 08 near DC. This is GREAT!! I've learned more about things I had already tried (wikis, blogs), better understand some things I hadn't used yet (RSS) and discovered whole new vistas I'd never heard of before (Drupal - WOW). Chris Harris from GV Boces is here presenting fish4info (based on Drupal) - just saw his presentation & was very impressed.

I'm here with Glen Huot from Penfield HS & we're both having a great time. My brain's about to pop, but I'm really stoked to get back & start using some of the things I'm learning. More to come!

BR

Chaos Code

2008-03-24T04:48:00.000-07:00

The Chaos Code by Justin Richards starts off with a lot of promise. There's the teen being bounced between his self-absorbed techie Mom and eccentric archeologist Dad. It's fast-paced, with multiple changes of cool locations, kidnappings, ancient artifacts, hi-tech code breaking and more. But ultimately, it never really comes into focus. Some of the story elements I found most intriguing wind up as red herrings, and some of the technical elements just feel bogus. For some, the pacing and adventure might be enough, but for me, I want my adventures to have at least a hint of plausibility.

Minx Comics

2008-03-14T08:25:00.000-07:00

Hey -

just finished Confessions of a Blabbermouth by Mike & Louise Carey (father-daughter team, which plays into the story a bit). It's one of several new graphic novels we have published by Minx. Other Minx titles I've read include Clubbing and The Plain Janes, and we have Good As Lily - haven't gotten to that one yet. Kimmie66 is on my next book order.

These are pretty cool. Some are British, some are US, all feature sassy teen girls making their way in the world. The art is Manga-inspired and super energetic, and the characters are fun. Fans of Georgia Nicholson will eat these up. I hope Minx will continue to produce new titles. Check them out!

Vacation Reading

2008-03-12T07:16:00.000-07:00

Over the February break, I had a chance to do a good bit of reading & thought I'd mention a few of the titles here. My favorite was the "Demonata" series by Darren Shan, starting with Lord Loss.

There are presently 5 books in the series, with the next due in April and several more expected to follow, one every six months. These books are a BLAST. They're gruesome, fast-paced and clever, and feature intertwined stories in a variety of times and places, all dealing with demons (the Demonata) and the people who protect us all from them. If you're looking for great literature, this ain't it, but for beach & plane reading, it was perfect!

So perfect, in fact, I finished them all by mid-week of my vacation. The next thing I tackled was Red Spikes, by Margo Lanagan. It's a collection of short stories, and all I can say is, I hated it. Sorry, I rarely feel so strongly negative about a book, but these stories just annoyed me. The book is well-reviewed, so maybe I just don't get it, but I found them too bizarre (and come on, I LOVE bizarre!!) and the style of writing made me crazy. I petered out after 3 of the ten stories and had to move on to...

Visibility by Boris Starling (the best thing I could find in the limited selection at Publix on Longboat Key). This is a classic-style spy/murder mystery set during the horrendous London fog of 1952 (more people died of respiratory ailments during the fog than died in the whole German Blitz! Who knew?). It's a slow burner, but full of fascinating historical facts and speculation. There are murders, double agents (British, American, Soviet), connections to Nazi medical experiments and more. All the makings of a good spy thriller. It wasn't the best one I've read, but it kept me entertained and I learned a few things.

Right now, I'm about halfway through the latest Neil Gaiman (with Michael Reaves), Interworld. So far, so good. It's more firmly in the YA range than some Gaiman, but the writing is typical for him. Joey goes for a walk and next thing he knows, he's bouncing between dimensions and a bunch of nasties are after him. Turns out he's a "walker". The good news is he can move between parallel universes, and there are others out there who want to help him. The bad news is, the nasties want to kill him, boil him down to his essence and use it to fuel their own movement between dimensions. Finished it - not the best from Gaiman, but pretty good. I'd recommend it to fans of Ender's Game.

I've also been plowing through some graphic novels. Just read the first volume of Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughn, and I LOVE it. Gotta get the rest. Yorick suddenly finds himself the last man standing when a mysterious plague wipes out every male on the planet, except him and his monkey (yep, he's got a monkey). Various factions of women are trying to put the world back together (Amazons, Uber-feminists, former Senator's wives, Yorick's mom - a Senator herself) and they all have plans for poor Yorick. Great stuff. I discovered it through Whitney Matheson's Comics Crash Course feature on the USA Today Pop Candy blog (a guilty pleasure of mine).

Last night I started the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus 3 and so far, it's just not great. Omnibus 1 & 2 were pretty good, jumped around a bit in time (season to season), but had some great stories and art. Omni 3 is all fit into Season 3, and features fewer different artists, but I'm just not loving it. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood. TTFN - Finished it, and it actually DOES get better - I quite enjoyed the last few "episodes" in it. Started Pursuit of Happyness on the recommendation of a student - pretty compelling so far. BR

I'm BACK! (again)

2008-02-06T07:59:00.000-08:00

Sorry, life gets crazy, and the first thing to go is the blog postings. I HAVE been reading though, and we've got tons of new stuff in the library. Right now, I'm halfway through a couple of things:

Blasphemy by Douglas Preston: for fans of Preston's adventure stories (with or without Lincoln Child), this should fit right in. A government funded (40B$) particle accelerator project is stirring up the ire of local Navajos, a crooked televangelist, and possibly something a little more "Book of Revelations"-ish. Not his best, but so far it's entertaining. Good beach reading (though I plan to be done before I get to a beach in a few weeks...).

The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi is something I've been trying to get my hands on for months. Originally published in 2 parts, this new edition includes both.

It's a graphic novel that has appeared on every top 10 list I've seen for a year, and the hype is right on mark. I'm going to recommend this to anyone who turns their noses up at the thought of reading "comic books". It's the memoir, told in graphic form, of Satrapi's childhood and teen years growing up in (and out) of Iran in the 70's and 80's. It reminds me that not everyone over there is a crazy terrorist, and that in fact, a lot of good people have been caught up in the maelstrom of the past 30 years in the Middle East. Those that survived the Islamic revolution in Iran have amazing tales to tell. This one comes from such a smart, realistic point of view, it's really amazing. It has just been released as an animated feature that has swept Cannes and other film festivals. I can't wait to see it!

Later!

Don't Call Me Ishmael

2007-12-11T10:11:00.000-08:00

From Mrs Willard - Have you ever wondered why some parents name their kids with unusual names? Wanted to change your own name? If so, you will relate to 14 year old Ishmael Leseur. All his life his parents having laughingly told the story of how they named their first-born son after a character from Moby Dick. Ishmael isn't laughing as he is bullied in 9th grade - he just tries to be invisible. When he becomes friends with James Scobie (a classmate with strange facial ticks and no fear of bullies) and finds himself on the debate team, he learns that words have a lot of power - even the power to overcome the bullies. This book was LOL funny. And since I had to bear a name that took me a long time to grow into, (and was used in a song about about a "scarlet woman"), I could relate to Ishmael's longing to have a different name and a different life. But don't take my word for it, read Don't Call Me Ishmael by Michael Gerard Bauer.

WIKI!

2007-11-28T08:05:00.000-08:00

We've just completed the first round of my wiki book review assignment & had some fun results. Not sure what a wiki is? Check this out:

The freshmen have completed their own wiki pages & posted their book reviews there. Hopefully, they'll continue to use the pages to write about what they're reading. Several have already done so (Go Katherine & Alicia!!). There's so much potential for using wikis in the classroom & library - I'm really looking forward to exploring it more.

B

I'm BACK!

2007-11-28T05:28:00.000-08:00

Busy busy busy.... I'm mostly recovered from Electric Coffeehouse IX (pics are here & here) and Thanksgiving, so I'm back to posting. I want to thank Mrs. Willard for contributing to the blog - nice to have you on board. I'm still in the middle of several things, including Hello, Groin by Beth Goobie and Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin.

"Groin" is interesting, but I think the audience may be a bit limited. It's about a teen girl, Dylan, who is struggling with her sexual identity. SHE knows who she is, but the rest of the world doesn't and she's torn between keeping her social status and being herself. The book has a distinctly Canadian feel to it (now there's something you don't hear every day...), and I'm still on the fence about it overall. I'll post again after I finish.

"Memoirs" has more broad appeal. I think this one's going to be very popular around here. Naomi takes a header, whacks her head, and forgets everything that's happened to her in the past 4 years. It turns out that's a lot of stuff. Her parents divorced, she's dating a popular guy & hanging with his friends, she's co-editor of the yearbook, etc. As she rediscovers her life, she finds a lot to question. I think a lot of us wonder what it would be like to get a blank slate. This is an interesting twist on that idea.

I've also been reading the Tom Strong comics by Alan Moore. I really like some of his other stuff (V for Vendetta, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Watchmen, Top Ten). This is an odd mix of adventure/superhero, with a lot of different "devices" in play. There are stories within stories, lots of different time periods, incredibly cliched characters and dialogue (deliberately so), etc. I'm warming up to it. Top Ten was similar for me - I wasn't sure at first, but wound up really loving it. Moore is one of the most interesting comics writers out there - always pushing the envelope and bucking convention.

Later!

Wuthering Heights

2007-11-20T10:37:00.001-08:00

From Mrs. Willard: I just finished reading Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. It took me many weeks to read it, and I can't say it enriched my life much. It's a classic, but I kept asking myself, "Why is this a classic?" Heathcliff loves Catherine with a love that transcends her death, but sets out to make life miserable for her survivng family members. He just doesn't seem to be able to move on

I'm more interested in sharing why I picked it up in the first place. Stephenie Meyer mentions Wuthering Heights often in her third book, Eclipse. I wanted to see what insights I could gain to Meyer's characters from this classic book. Unfortuately, it didn't help me understand Edward or Bella any better. Maybe it reflects the deep love Edward feels for Bella, or maybe it reflects the love triangle with Jacob, Edward and Bella. Sometimes reading a book that an author mentions takes you in a direction that enriches you, sometimes it doesn't. The important thing is to keep reading, and searching until you find something that interests you. Talk with your friends about their reading, because their insights will different than yours.

Maybe someone who has read both these books will post a comment and share their insights. I hope so.

Alaizabel Rocked

2007-11-05T04:54:00.000-08:00

It took longer to finish than I expected (mostly because I've been crazy busy), but I really liked The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray by Chris Wooding. It reminded me at times of Neil Gaiman and Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen graphic novels. Wooding's imagining of a turn-of-the-20th Century London overrun with supernatural creatures is creepy and atmospheric, and the mystery he weaves there is sustained and deep. There is one "reveal" at the end that I almost wish he had left unexplained, but that's a minor quibble.

I've just been given a few of Alan Moore's Top Ten graphic novels that I've started, so I'll be reading outside the library collection for a few days. On Saturday, I went to the Rochester Children's Book Festival, which was pretty cool. The vast majority of authors/illustrators there were for younger kids, but I did get to meet Leander Watts (author of Beautiful City of the Dead, Stonecutter, Wild Ride to Heaven & 10,000 Charms). He signed our library copies of the latter 3 ("City" is always out, and my favorite of the bunch) and said he's got a number of things in various states of completion. There won't be anything new soon, but we'll likely see several in a short period of time when he starts to finish them. It's always interesting to meet an author. Unfortunately, things were pretty busy & I only got to speak to him for a moment.

There are lots of new things in the library in the past few weeks, and I'll be trying to tackle as many as I can. Stop down & see what we have, and let me know if you read something you really liked (or didn't like!!).

Blog/Wiki Assignment

2007-10-24T08:34:00.000-07:00

We tried out the Wiki book review assignment (http://erhslibrary.pbwiki.com/) for the first time today & I think it was a good start. Hopefully some of the participants will take a look here at the blog and leave a comment on how it's going for them. Onward & upward...

Clay & Liz

2007-10-22T03:53:00.000-07:00

I finished Clay by Marc Almond over the weekend. It was an interesting turn on the "good kid gets in over his head" story, but ultimately I didn't love it. One thing I really liked about it was the distinct "accent" the story has. It's set in northern England and the author's use of slang and phonetic writing brought the thick, almost Scottish brogue to life. The characters had promise, but never really got beyond 2-dimensional. Still, I wanted to finish the story and I'd recommend it as a mildly engaging tale. I just started The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray by Chris Wooding. I've been curious to read this guy for a while now & so far, I love it.

Restless Dead

2007-10-18T07:46:00.000-07:00

I finished Restless Dead (edited by Deborah Noyes) last night. Overall, I thought it was a stronger collection than her previous one (Gothic! - see my earlier post). A couple of the same YA authors are featured, along with some new ones. I especially liked Kissing Dead Boys by Annette Curtis Klause and The Necromancers by Herbie Brennan. Both collections are good, creepy fun. I'm still working on Clay - should finish tonight. It's pretty bizarre...

Regan's Summer Reads

2007-10-11T17:19:00.001-07:00

I spent a lot of the summer doing yard work (which was a good thing), but I also managed to squeeze in some reading. As promised, here's my list of summer reads, with quick notes:

Fiction:

Rowling - Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows (obviously!!). What can I say? I loved it, but I was sad to be at the end of the journey with Harry. I was SO proud to see so many of "my kids" waiting in line for their copy at midnight.
Dietrich - Napoleon's Pyramids - my favorite genre (adventure, with ancient artifacts, intrigue & mystery), but not the best. Good historical context, but kind of a chore to finish.
James - Pure Sunshine - interesting, gritty look at a drug problem, from the inside.
Cohn/Levithan -Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist - one of my summer faves. The story of a guy & girl who meet unexpectedly & spend the night chasing bands in NYC, told from both points of view. Just really well-written.
Clare - City of Bones - dark, gritty, supernatural creatures in NYC... loved it, but I was frustrated by the fact that it's first in a trilogy, and the other two aren't written yet.
Mieville - UnLunDun - maybe the strangest thing I read all summer. Very clever, in a Lewis Carroll Through the Looking Glass kind of way. A fun read for those who can handle a bit of the absurd.
Vizzini - Be More Chill - I really like this guy. I read his It's Kind of a Funny Story earlier this year. He's got a great voice as a writer. Strong characterization, interesting stories.
McCarthy - The Road - heavy, really heavy, but it blew my mind (in a good way). As the father of a 7-year-old, it really resonated. Really more adult than YA.
Westerfield - Peeps & Last Days - a cool twist on the vampire idea (scientific rather than supernatural), Last Days is only a sequel in the sense that it takes place in the same "world". I really like these.
Hamamura - Color of the Sea - this one got under my skin. It's historical fiction about a Japanese-American before, during and after WWII. He's drafted while most of his friends & family are in interment camps. Really well-written, and thought-provoking.

Graphic Novels:

Hellboy 1-8 (Mignola) - really fun stuff - ancient evil, Nazis, and a big red guy who kicks butt.
Ultimate X-Men 1-4 - not as much fun as Hellboy, but not bad.

2007-10-11T10:21:00.000-07:00

Restless Dead came back yesterday, so I started it. Loving it so far! I've read 3 of the 10 short stories & they were great. Very creepy. I went shopping last night & picked out some new Graphic Novels - mostly superhero kind of things. I'm going back tonight to pick out more & seal the deal, so those should be hitting the shelves in the next week. The shop I went to is light on Manga, so I'm going to order some of those from Amazon. I'm hard at work on setting up a wiki for the freshmen to start writing reviews. This is exciting new stuff - can't wait to get it up & running. I kept a list of what I read over the summer & I'm going to post that with some comments in the next few days.

2007-10-10T07:46:00.000-07:00

Just finished reading Gothic! 10 Original Dark Tales, edited by Deborah Noyes. It's 10 creepy short stories by well-known YA authors (Neil Gaiman, Celia Rees, Garth Nix among them). It was kind of a mixed bag - some I liked a lot, others not so much. It's definitely worth a look if you're in the Halloween mood. We just got a similar new collection, same editor, called The Restless Dead. I'm definately going to check it out (when it's returned!).

Just started 2 new ones: Clay by Marc Almond and Black Swan Green by David Mitchell. They're both set in England & focus on teen boys, but otherwise have very different vibes. Reviews to come...

I'll be going shopping for new Manga & comics in the next couple of days - stay tuned...

Welcome to the ERHS Library Blog

2007-10-09T07:35:00.000-07:00

Regan enters the 21st Century!! I'll use this space to muse on things I've been reading and what's happening in the library. Students are encouraged to post comments.