One of my goals is to try to read all of the Man Booker Prize winners. Some years I do better than others. I'm happy to say that the 2008 winner, The White Tiger, by Aravind Adiga was worth every second I spent reading instead of weeding in my garden. It is a real page turner. The story is told by the protagonist, Balram, through a series of letters that he writes to the Premier of China, who is about to visit India on an official visit. Balram intends to counter what will be the Indian government's official stance on the state of poverty and progress in the country, which he does as he relates the story of his rise from the servant class to wealthy entreprenuer. The story of Balram's family and his life of servitude is at once tragic and laugh-out-loud funny. Highly recommended.
And while I'm at it, I also recommend these stories also set in India:
Sold by Patrcia McCormick,
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy, and
The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai.
All of these books are available in the library. My favorite book set in India, A Fine Balance, by Rohinton Mistry is not, but it soon will be.
Check them out, and happy reading!
~The Bloggers.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Summer Reading
Just finished Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book. Loved it. We, of course, have a copy available in the library, so you can check it out, but if you can't wait until September, and you'd like to have Mr. Gaiman read the book to you, then you can go to Neil Gaiman's Official Website for Young Readers to watch and listen.
The main character in The Graveyard Book is Bod, short for Nobody Owens. Bod lives in a graveyard. He is taken in by its residents when it is clear that he is in grave danger after all of the members of his family are murdered. He is granted the freedom of the graveyard and is protected by his new parents, the deceased Mr. and Mrs. Owens, and the mostly dead Silas. Bod is a typical boy: sensitive, curious, and sometimes impetuous. As he grows older, he longs for a normal life outside the graveyard, which is not possible until the mystery of his family's murder is solved.
Last year I was pleasantly surprised by Gaiman's novel Neverwhere, which I also thoroughly enjoyed, perhaps even more than The Graveyard Book. Neverwhere has a similar darkness, but also has an important underlying message about class and the "invisibility" of the those less fortunate in society.
I highly recommend all of Gaiman's work. If you'd like to learn more about him, check out his excellent web site. And stop by the library to check out more of his books.
Hope you are enjoying a summer of good reading.
The main character in The Graveyard Book is Bod, short for Nobody Owens. Bod lives in a graveyard. He is taken in by its residents when it is clear that he is in grave danger after all of the members of his family are murdered. He is granted the freedom of the graveyard and is protected by his new parents, the deceased Mr. and Mrs. Owens, and the mostly dead Silas. Bod is a typical boy: sensitive, curious, and sometimes impetuous. As he grows older, he longs for a normal life outside the graveyard, which is not possible until the mystery of his family's murder is solved.
Last year I was pleasantly surprised by Gaiman's novel Neverwhere, which I also thoroughly enjoyed, perhaps even more than The Graveyard Book. Neverwhere has a similar darkness, but also has an important underlying message about class and the "invisibility" of the those less fortunate in society.
I highly recommend all of Gaiman's work. If you'd like to learn more about him, check out his excellent web site. And stop by the library to check out more of his books.
Hope you are enjoying a summer of good reading.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Outstanding Books for the College Bound
Every five years the American Library Association comes out with an updated list of "Outstanding Books for the College Bound." The 2009 list is available here. Now, I confess that I am still working on a few titles from the 2004 lists, but that hasn't stopped me from picking up a couple books on the 2009 list. My first pick, from the Science and Technology list, was Mary Roach's Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers. It's fascinating, but disgusting.
To give myself a break from the decomposition discussions, I flew through Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters, by Mark Dunn. This is an entertaining work of fiction about the love of language. Some folks on the small island of Nollop idolize their island's namesake, who just happens to be the creator of the saying "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." When the letters of this pangram, posted over a statue of Mr. Nollop, begin to fall down, the island's high council take this as a divine sign from Nollop that those letters are no longer to be used. Thus begins the increasingly difficult task of communicating as more and more letters become illegal with each passing week. It is a tale of oppression, much in the vein of Animal Farm. A fun read, and a great vocabulary builder.
The library already had about half of the books on the 2009 list when it came out. I am happy to report that we now have nearly all of them. The few that I could not find at Chaucer's are on our amazon wish list.
Now, back to the cadavers...
To give myself a break from the decomposition discussions, I flew through Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters, by Mark Dunn. This is an entertaining work of fiction about the love of language. Some folks on the small island of Nollop idolize their island's namesake, who just happens to be the creator of the saying "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." When the letters of this pangram, posted over a statue of Mr. Nollop, begin to fall down, the island's high council take this as a divine sign from Nollop that those letters are no longer to be used. Thus begins the increasingly difficult task of communicating as more and more letters become illegal with each passing week. It is a tale of oppression, much in the vein of Animal Farm. A fun read, and a great vocabulary builder.
The library already had about half of the books on the 2009 list when it came out. I am happy to report that we now have nearly all of them. The few that I could not find at Chaucer's are on our amazon wish list.
Now, back to the cadavers...
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Best Books of 2008
The end of the year is approaching and that means that lots of folks are thinking about the best books published in 2008. I thought I'd share the links to a couple of those. The first one is from School Library Journal. If you see something on the list that sounds appealing and is targeted for young adults, but you can't find it in the library, slip your title request in the suggestion box; we'll try to get it for you.
The second link is from The New York Times. This list of "100 Notable Books" includes works in three categories: fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. These books are for adult readers, but, of course, many of them will appeal to Midland students. In fact, we already have several of them.
These two lists should keep you busy until the Best Books of 2009 lists come out. Happy reading!
The second link is from The New York Times. This list of "100 Notable Books" includes works in three categories: fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. These books are for adult readers, but, of course, many of them will appeal to Midland students. In fact, we already have several of them.
These two lists should keep you busy until the Best Books of 2009 lists come out. Happy reading!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Welcome Back!
Due to my malfunctioning camera, I haven't been able to post photographs of the fine work Jim Quick and his crew have been doing in the library this summer. I'm still having trouble, but I hope to get photos up for you in the next few days. In the meantime, here's what's been happening...
The Willrich side...
The Willrich side is complete, and, if I do say so myself, looks pretty darned spiffy. (This is where fiction and biography live.) My new favorite thing is the beautiful Midland walnut mantle that Tom Rogowski made so that we could put the busts of Paul Squibb and Carl Munger above the fireplace. They look cozy up there, and will soon have a backdrop of Midland art. The Squibb map of the property is moving to Main House where folks will be able to see it better.
My second favorite thing is the new magazine shelving also built by Tom. Last year a survey of the students led to the purchase of several more subscriptions, and we needed more space to show them off.
My third favorite thing is the wooden letters spelling out "fiction" and "biography." Last year's students expressed a very clear desire for better signs in the library so that it would be easier to find things. We're making that a priority this year. Look for more of these signs as we continue to work on the Webb side.
Speaking of the Webb side...
This is the side where all of the nonfiction lives. Unfortunately, we aren't going to be done on this side until the end of September. We tried so hard to get good used library shelving from the Santa Maria Public Library, but it just didn't work out the way we hoped. So, we will not have shelves until September 29. This is not the end of the world. This afternoon, Cymbre, 2007-2008 library intern extraordinaire, put the reference books back on the metal shelves that we kept on that side. We'll also pull out nonfiction topics that folks will be teaching in September. And we're looking forward to firing up the new, efficient wood stove that is located on the windows side of the room.
The Computer Lab...
We still have a few things to finish, but the room is ready. We knocked out a wall and expanded into Jose Juan's old classroom. (Jose Juan's classroom now occupies half of his old classroom and all of what was the old computer lab. It's a beautiful space!) Phil began setting up our 25 new computers today. We have a new printer that also functions as a scanner and photocopier. You'll find all of the prefect, council, and captains boards hanging in this room.
We're looking forward to seeing you all in the library.
~The Bloggers
The Willrich side...
The Willrich side is complete, and, if I do say so myself, looks pretty darned spiffy. (This is where fiction and biography live.) My new favorite thing is the beautiful Midland walnut mantle that Tom Rogowski made so that we could put the busts of Paul Squibb and Carl Munger above the fireplace. They look cozy up there, and will soon have a backdrop of Midland art. The Squibb map of the property is moving to Main House where folks will be able to see it better.
My second favorite thing is the new magazine shelving also built by Tom. Last year a survey of the students led to the purchase of several more subscriptions, and we needed more space to show them off.
My third favorite thing is the wooden letters spelling out "fiction" and "biography." Last year's students expressed a very clear desire for better signs in the library so that it would be easier to find things. We're making that a priority this year. Look for more of these signs as we continue to work on the Webb side.
Speaking of the Webb side...
This is the side where all of the nonfiction lives. Unfortunately, we aren't going to be done on this side until the end of September. We tried so hard to get good used library shelving from the Santa Maria Public Library, but it just didn't work out the way we hoped. So, we will not have shelves until September 29. This is not the end of the world. This afternoon, Cymbre, 2007-2008 library intern extraordinaire, put the reference books back on the metal shelves that we kept on that side. We'll also pull out nonfiction topics that folks will be teaching in September. And we're looking forward to firing up the new, efficient wood stove that is located on the windows side of the room.
The Computer Lab...
We still have a few things to finish, but the room is ready. We knocked out a wall and expanded into Jose Juan's old classroom. (Jose Juan's classroom now occupies half of his old classroom and all of what was the old computer lab. It's a beautiful space!) Phil began setting up our 25 new computers today. We have a new printer that also functions as a scanner and photocopier. You'll find all of the prefect, council, and captains boards hanging in this room.
We're looking forward to seeing you all in the library.
~The Bloggers
Monday, July 14, 2008
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
We promised a review of The Host, so finally, here it is. I confess that it took me a while to psyche myself up to read it, but I am really glad that I got myself into the right frame of mind. I loved it, even when I knew what was coming in the end.
For marketing purposes, this is Meyer's first novel for adults. It's true that most of the characters are adults of varying ages, most in their twenties, but this is a book that young adults can also read and appreciate, and it does appeal to a wider audience than the Twilight series.
The book is described as a modern take on an "invasion of the body snatchers" theme, which I suppose is true, but what makes this book so unexpectedly satisfying is Meyer's deft development of relationships between characters, some of whom live in the same body. It is at times a profoundly sad tale, and I'll admit that I shed a few tears. There were also times when I hadn't a clue as to how Meyer was going to resolve some of the escalating conflict within the plot. These twists take it above the typical sci-fi tale. And, really, it's hard to think of this as science fiction. Readers who don't typically enjoy a good sci-fi read will not be turned off by The Host.
OK, I know you're all ticking down the minutes until the release of Breaking Dawn so that you can get back to Bella and Edward, but while you're waiting, get yourself a copy of The Host. You're going to love Wanderer, Melanie, Ian, and Jared.
Hope you're all getting in some good recreational reading this summer.
~The Bloggers
For marketing purposes, this is Meyer's first novel for adults. It's true that most of the characters are adults of varying ages, most in their twenties, but this is a book that young adults can also read and appreciate, and it does appeal to a wider audience than the Twilight series.
The book is described as a modern take on an "invasion of the body snatchers" theme, which I suppose is true, but what makes this book so unexpectedly satisfying is Meyer's deft development of relationships between characters, some of whom live in the same body. It is at times a profoundly sad tale, and I'll admit that I shed a few tears. There were also times when I hadn't a clue as to how Meyer was going to resolve some of the escalating conflict within the plot. These twists take it above the typical sci-fi tale. And, really, it's hard to think of this as science fiction. Readers who don't typically enjoy a good sci-fi read will not be turned off by The Host.
OK, I know you're all ticking down the minutes until the release of Breaking Dawn so that you can get back to Bella and Edward, but while you're waiting, get yourself a copy of The Host. You're going to love Wanderer, Melanie, Ian, and Jared.
Hope you're all getting in some good recreational reading this summer.
~The Bloggers
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Don't read "The Other Boleyn Girl"....yet
Dear Readers,
If you are planning to read The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory, I have a tip for you. DON'T read it UNTIL you have read The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory. The Constant Princess is about Queen Katherine's becoming Queen of England. If you read The Constant Princess first, it will help you to understand the secrets of The Other Boleyn Girl and give you a completely different (and somewhat shocking) perspective as to the Queen's choices in the situations presented to her. Of course, if you have already read The Other Boleyn Girl, that doesn't mean you should miss out on these advantages. You should still read The Constant Princess and discover the secrets of Queen Katherine and her family.
Enjoy your summer and keep up the reading!!!
~The Bloggers
If you are planning to read The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory, I have a tip for you. DON'T read it UNTIL you have read The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory. The Constant Princess is about Queen Katherine's becoming Queen of England. If you read The Constant Princess first, it will help you to understand the secrets of The Other Boleyn Girl and give you a completely different (and somewhat shocking) perspective as to the Queen's choices in the situations presented to her. Of course, if you have already read The Other Boleyn Girl, that doesn't mean you should miss out on these advantages. You should still read The Constant Princess and discover the secrets of Queen Katherine and her family.
Enjoy your summer and keep up the reading!!!
~The Bloggers
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