The library I volunteer at has these amazing couches and chairs in the youth section that look like giant books with familiar titles on the spine. They are the most comfortable things ever. I want one. Or, well, all of them, actually.
Could you post a photo? :)
I’ll try to get a hold of a camera to take one. I couldn’t find any pictures of anything like them online.
The library I volunteer at has these amazing couches and chairs in the youth section that look like giant books with familiar titles on the spine. They are the most comfortable things ever. I want one. Or, well, all of them, actually.
It bothers me that they talk about the stereotypical librarian disappearing because of this electronic age. But I haven’t ever in my life met the stereotypical librarian.
That aside, I also feel like a lot of people are talking about books OR technology. I’m confused as to why we can’t live in a world with both.
I blame you, Mr. Carroll.
Your tumblr says you recently graduated from U of O. I want to transfer there next fall to major in Religious Studies and take some classes in folkloristics. How did you like it?
_____
Note to all: I apologize for these personal posts. But I’m stuck doing it this way until tumblr comes up with a private messaging function.
You know, so that you can read it in case you find yourself with some downtime and nothing else to do.
Next time you visit the nail salon for a pedi, bring that book you’re working on. Leave the gossip mags where they’re sitting on the stand by the door, and enjoy being pampered for an hour while you read a good book.
It’s magnificent.
P.S. Guys, it’s totally respectable for men to get pedicures, too! Just skip the polish.
My name is Briana (with one ‘n’ though), too! And my sister’s middle name is Nicole. And I’m also 19 and a resident of Southern California!
Yeah, sorry, thought that was pretty cool. =D
Why…is everyone…always picking on…the semicolon…when the ellipsis…is the real problem…in terms of overused…or misused…punctuation…in the world…today…?….?………
Hear hear!
I am now a not-very-well-paid library page. Yay me!
Editor’s Note: Proceed at your own risk. When you’re really excited about an adorable librarian, keeping your voice down might prove impossible.
“THE WALL OF DICTIONARIES BETWEEN MY MOTHER AND THE WORLD GETS TALLER EVER YEAR
Sometimes pages of the dictionaries come loose and gather at her feet, shallon, shalop, shallot, shallow, shalom, sham, shaman, shamble, like the petals of an immense flower. When I was little, I thought that the pages on the floor were words she would never be able to use again, and I tried to tape them back in where they belonged, out of fear that one day she would be left silent.”
— The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
How wonderfully frightening it would be to again look at the world through the eyes of a child.
Picked up some books from the library today including:
The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
The Poisonwood Bible by Brabara Kingsolver
Dracula by Bram Stoker (I know, I know!! I’ve just never gotten around to it!)
I’m excited!
I think I love you. What you could do with a pen and paper. How is it that you keep me so engaged with a subject that normally bores me to tears?
I love Nicole Krauss. I read The History of Love mid 2006. I loved it, but for some reason did not hunt for other books the author had written. Perhaps I had a long enough To Read list as it was. Earlier this summer I stumbled upon this book, and after recalling how much I loved the first book of hers I’d read, decided to give her debut a go.
I thoroughly enjoyed it. I read it almost start to finish without putting it down. I put it down just the once, and because I had to. I loved Samson, I love Krauss’ writing, I sympathized heavily with Anna. Maybe this book meant even more to me because Samson was the last name of a boy I once loved and lost, despite the fact that he and the character are not in any way similar.
The story is about a man, who has lived a good life, who loses his memory from the age of 12 onwards due to a benign tumour in his brain. The novel follows the aftermath, how he views the world, his interactions and thoughts, and how he feels about the people who were once very important to him. Memory loss has become a fixture in modern entertainment, from books to films, but Krauss touched upon it so beautifully and with originality, much in the same way I feel Niffenegger did with Time Traveler’s Wife with respect to time travel. That’s not to say that their styles are similar, just that they both understand that when writing about a subject so broad and so often realised, they must find a new angle in which to project from.
I definitely loved the book, and if it weren’t for the fact that I have 35 other books waiting on my shelf to be read, I honestly think that once I’d reached the end, I would just started all over again. 4.5/5.
I can’t help but think of Dylan’s “Ballad of a Thin Man” with this title and the summary you provided. Definitely have to check this book out.
While my intial reaction—because I can’t stand twitter— is “oh-no!” the fact that updates are all about words makes me want to say “oh-yes!”
What did you think of Wizard’s First Rule and The Alchemist?
I love Wizard’s First Rule, it is one of my favorite books. I have only reached up to book three, which is Blood of the Fold, but I do plan on finishing that series. Just have to finish rereading Stone of Tears and Blood of the Fold before I continue again.
I really enjoyed The Alchemist. I read it in when I went to Mexico on a hammock while it was raining, near the beach :] So I adore that book. I have a great memory while reading it and the book was really good.
I have heard other books by Paulo Coelho are good and somewhat different so I have to give those a try. But first I need to finish the very long fantasy series.
I just read Coelho’s The Devil and Miss Prym but felt much the same as I did with The Alchemist, that Coelho was trying so hard to get some great point about life across, that I couldn’t get caught up in the story. I want the life lesson to be more subtle-ly intertwined in the telling of the story. I don’t want to feel like I’m being slapped in the face with it.
Speaking of which, towards the end of the Sword of Truth series, there are parts in which much slapping occurs. Goodkind gets pretty preachy (through Richard’s character) in the later books, but at least it doesn’t much detract from the story.
I know this isn’t new news to everyone but I had to share my *sigh* sadness!!! Hand me a kleenex!
“The show’s run is ending, Grant explains, because no one — not the station, not PBS, not the Corporation for Public Broadcasting — will put up the several hundred thousand dollars needed to renew the show’s broadcast rights.”
Imagine if everyone who watched the show as a child (or as an adult, if that were the case) donated $5. I’m sure that would be more than enough to bring the show back.
————-
“Grant says the funding crunch is partially to blame, but the decision to end Reading Rainbow can also be traced to a shift in the philosophy of educational television programming. The change started with the Department of Education under the Bush administration, he explains, which wanted to see a much heavier focus on the basic tools of reading — like phonics and spelling.
Grant says that PBS, CPB and the Department of Education put significant funding toward programming that would teach kids how to read — but that’s not what Reading Rainbow was trying to do.
‘Reading Rainbow taught kids why to read,’ Grant says. ‘You know, the love of reading — [the show] encouraged kids to pick up a book and to read.’”
Psh, I learned to read in school. But I learned to love reading because of programs like Reading Rainbow. Inspiring an interest, a joy, a love of reading will do far more to improve a child’s ability to read than any children’s programming could do with a focus geared more toward phonics and spelling.
What did you think of Wizard’s First Rule and The Alchemist?
Since reading WFR on the recommendation of a friend in the 7th grade, Sword of Truth has been one of my favorite fantasy series. If you decide to continue, the 5th book, Faith of the Fallen, is easily the best of the series.
I read The Alchemist earlier this year and though I liked it overall, after all the amazing things I had heard about it, actually reading it left me rather underwhelmed.
But why must he be so brutal with my heart?
I plan to pick up Jude the Obscure sometime soon and I expect nothing less than to have my heart broken every few pages.
A modern retelling of the classic Cinderella story with a disturbing twist.
And I absolutely love it.
Along with the first three books of the Vampire Diaries, the fourth Vampire Academy book, Blood Promise, and now this one, I’ve read quite a few YA vampire genre books this month.
What can I say? They’re a guilty pleasure of mine (with the exception of the Twilight series of course). Vampire Diaries was really not that good, but I was bored one day and a friend of mine had them. Reading the books did, however, spark some interest in the new CW show coming out this fall.
Touch the Dark was better than I expected, and Blood Promise actually sort of blew me away. Richelle Mead’s writing has greatly improved through out the Vampire Academy series and I’m definitely enjoying the ride.
Side Note: Tomorrow’s the last day of August and if I finish 1984 and another relatively short book, I will have read 15 books this month. I think that’s a personal record. Yay!
“To know and not to know, to be conscious of complete truthfulness while telling carefully constructed lies, to hold simultaneously two opinions which cancelled out, knowing them to be contradictory and believing in both of them, to use logic against logic, to repudiate morality while laying claim to it, to believe that democracy was impossible and that the Party was the guardian of democracy, to forget whatever it was necessary to forget, then to draw it back into memory again at the moment when it was needed, and then promptly to forget it again: and above all, to apply the same process to the process itself. That was the ultimate subtlety: consciously to induce unconsciousness, and then, once again, to become unconscious of the act of hypnosis you had just performed. Even to understand the word ‘doublethink’ involved the use of doublethink.”
- 1984 by George Orwell
What did you do? What books did you read? What movies did you watch? Where did you go? Who did you befriend? Etc., etc., etc.??????
Possibly for the whole month of August. My apologies.
Tagline: The incrdible true story of a postal worker and a librarian who built a world-class art collection.
Synopsis: HERB & DOROTHY tells the extraordinary story of Herbert Vogel, a postal clerk, and Dorothy Vogel, a librarian, who managed to build one of the most important contemporary art collections in history with very modest means. In the early 1960s, when very little attention was paid to Minimalist and Conceptual Art, Herb and Dorothy Vogel quietly began purchasing the works of unknown artists. Devoting all of Herb’s salary to purchase art they liked, and living on Dorothy’s paycheck alone, they continued collecting artworks guided by two rules: the piece had to be affordable, and it had to be small enough to fit in their one-bedroom Manhattan apartment. Within these limitations, they proved themselves curatorial visionaries; most of those they supported and befriended went on to become world-renowned artists including Sol LeWitt, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Richard Tuttle, Chuck Close, Robert Mangold, Sylvia Plimack Mangold, Lynda Benglis, Pat Steir, Robert Barry, Lucio Pozzi, and Lawrence Weiner.
\MIS-iv\ , noun:
1. A written message; a letter.
Origin:
Missive comes from the Medieval French lettre missive, literally, letter intended to be sent; it ultimately derives from Latin missus, past participle of mittere, to send.
— Previous Words of the Day
** 10 points to everyone who reblogs and uses it in a sentence.
sanamivera: 30 pts
girloffscript: 30 pts
Western Aristocracy: 20 pts
stillrandom: 20 pts
whatkatie-said: 10 pts
thepriest: 10 pts
bleed inklings: 10 pts
elethoniel: 10 pts
mrthespork: 10 pts
lemonadediary: 10 pts
This was a book I picked up completely by accident in at the bookstore. I’m incredibly glad I did.
The book is a detailed, beautifully written and moving memoir that elicits automatic sympathy, and yet Walls writes without self-pity. She seems to stay true to the story and include as much of the background as we need to picture. And indeed, she makes it very easy for the reader to be able to see through their mind’s eye everything she’s talking about. The book also highlights, to me at least, that while we are all born to different advantages and situations, children are, at the core, similar. They fight and laugh and are more resilient than most people give them credit for. It follows Walls from the age of three, when she accidentally sets herself on fire cooking hot dogs, up till the years just before publishing the memoir.
Jeannette Walls’ story is inspirational, without trying to be. I didn’t even think I was going to use that word in this review, but it is. A stark contrast to the other biography I read this summer - John Grogan’s The Longest Trip Home - which I did not enjoy at all. This book, whether a biography or not, is an enthralling read. 4/5 stars.
I think this was on that Top 100 of 2008 list I just reblogged. Hmm, I suppose I’ll have to go read it now …
“The flag was green, Snowball explained, to represent the green fields of England, while the hoof and horn signified the future Republic of the Animals which would arise when the human race had been finally overthrown.” - Animal Farm, George Orwell
The first time I read Animal Farm, I was ten. Needless to say, it was a long time ago and although I’ve been a relatively astute reader since I was 8, I didn’t know the history relevant to understand why Animal Farm is such an important, intelligent novel.
I decided that since I barely remember reading it the first time, it deserved another read, with more knowledge under my belt. For those who aren’t aware of the story, it’s about a farm in which the animals revolt, and take over, running their owner out. Orwell uses the animals and Animal Farm as a metaphor for communists and the Soviet Union. The novel is interesting, the parallels obvious, and the language simple. The impact is enormous. Witnessing the hypocrisy and corruption that inevitably take place makes the reader question government propaganda, amongst other things.
Not much more to say about this novel. Nothing I say will add to its merit. It’s a classic.
I read this for the first time a couple weeks ago and really just had no idea what to say about it. Thanks for putting my thoughts into words, Laala. =P
Updated 1/14/2009 9:49 PM
Compiled from the USA TODAY Best-Selling Books list:
1 Twilight Stephenie Meyer
2 New Moon Stephenie Meyer
3 Breaking Dawn Stephenie Meyer
4 Eclipse Stephenie Meyer
5 A New Earth Eckhart Tolle
6 The Shack William P. Young
7 The Last Lecture Randy Pausch, Jeffrey Zaslow
8 The Tales of Beedle the Bard J.K. Rowling
9 Brisingr Christopher Paolini
10 The Appeal John Grisham
11 Eat, Pray, Love Elizabeth Gilbert
12 Three Cups of Tea Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin
13 The Audacity of Hope Barack Obama
14 The Host Stephenie Meyer
15 The Secret Rhonda Byrne
16 Marley & Me John Grogan
17 Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules Jeff Kinney
18 The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel David Wroblewski
19 Eat This, Not That! David Zinczenko, Matt Goulding
20 Dreams From My Father Barack Obama
21 Diary of a Wimpy Kid Jeff Kinney
22 Skinny Bitch Rory Freedman, Kim Barnouin
23 The Lucky One Nicholas Sparks
24 The Friday Night Knitting Club Kate Jacobs
25Water for Elephants Sara Gruen
26 Nights in Rodanthe Nicholas Sparks
27 The Kite Runner Khaled Hosseini
28 The Pillars of the Earth Ken Follett
29 The Power of Now Eckhart Tolle
30 The Hollow Nora Roberts
31 The Christmas Sweater Glenn Beck
32 90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Death and Life Don Piper, Cecil Murphey
33 Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World Vicki Myron, Brett Witter
34 Nineteen Minutes: A Novel Jodi Picoult
35 Playing for Pizza John Grisham
36 The Other Boleyn Girl Philippa Gregory
37 When You Are Engulfed in Flames David Sedaris
38 Cross Country James Patterson
39 The Road Cormac McCarthy
40 Atonement Ian McEwan
41 The Pagan Stone Nora Roberts
42 A Thousand Splendid Suns Khaled Hosseini
43 The Secret Life of Bees Sue Monk Kidd
44 Fearless Fourteen Janet Evanovich
45 Duma Key: A Novel Stephen King
46 Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 4: The Battle of the Labyrinth Rick Riordan
47 StrengthsFinder 2.0 Tom Rath
48 Audition Barbara Walters
49 Outliers: The Story of Success Malcolm Gladwell
50 The Alchemist Paulo Coelho
51 The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town John Grisham
52 To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee
53 What to Expect When You’re Expecting Heidi Murkoff, Sharon Mazel
54 The Tale of Despereaux Kate DiCamillo
55 The Memory Keeper’s Daughter Kim Edwards
56 Into the Wild Jon Krakauer
57 Double Cross James Patterson
58 A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity Bill O’Reilly
59 Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea Chelsea Handler
60 Watchmen Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons
61 World Without End Ken Follett
62 The Purpose of Christmas Rick Warren
63 Sail James Patterson, Howard Roughan
64 Hot, Flat, and Crowded Thomas Friedman
65 Scarpetta Patricia Cornwell
66 The 6th Target James Patterson, Maxine Paetro
67 Change of Heart Jodi Picoult
68 The Calorie King Calorie, Fat & Carbohydrate Counter 2008 Edition Allan Borushek
69 Just After Sunset: Stories Stephen King
70 Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1: The Lightning Thief Rick Riordan
71 The Good Guy Dean Koontz
72 I Hope They Serve Beerin Hell Tucker Max
73 Twilight: The Complete Illustrated Movie Companion Mark Cotta Vaz
74 American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House Jon Meacham
75 My Sister’s Keeper Jodi Picoult
76 The Choice Nicholas Sparks
77 Guinness: World Records 2009 Guinness World Records
78 The Darkest Evening of the Year Dean Koontz
79 High Noon Nora Roberts
80 The Official SAT Study Guide College Board
81 The Glass Castle: A Memoir Jeannette Walls
82 7th Heaven James Patterson, Maxine Paetro
83 Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics Ina Garten
84 Goodnight Moon Board Book Margaret Wise Brown, art by Clement Hurd
85 Wicked Gregory Maguire
86 Bratfest at Tiffany’s: The Clique #9 Lisi Harrison
87 Oh, the Places You’ll Go! Dr. Seuss
88 Sundays at Tiffany’s James Patterson, Gabrielle Charbonnet
89 Green Eggs and Ham Dr. Seuss
90 You’ve Been Warned James Patterson, Howard Roughan
91 Book of the Dead Patricia Cornwell
92 Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox Eoin Colfer
93 Love the One You’re With Emily Giffin
94 Dead Until Dark Charlaine Harris
95 The Catcher in the Rye J.D. Salinger
96 The Love Dare Stephen Kendrick, Alex Kendrick
97 The Book Thief Markus Zusak
98 The Five Love Languages Gary Chapman
99 Marked P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast
100 Step on a Crack James Patterson, Michael Ledwidge
I have read only the bolded titles…I need to read more current titles!
I have read: Twilight; New Moon; Eclipse; Breaking Dawn (first half anyway); The Last Lecture; Tales of Beedle the Bard; Eat, Pray, Love; The Secret (mostly); Skinny Bitch (parts of); The Kite Runner; Pillars of the Earth; The Alchemist; To Kill a Mocking Bird; The Memory Keeper’s Daughter; Watchmen; World Without End; The Official SAT Study Guide (does this one count?); Wicked; Oh, the Places You’ll Go!; Sunday’s at Tiffany’s; Green Eggs and Ham; The Catcher in the Rye
I wonder how many of these were actually published in 2008.
