• Lots of Reader’s Advisory, with people of all ages, with every interest.  i.e. a teenager looking for “slasher killer” fiction, along the lines of the Friday the 13th movies.  He was a tough cookie to crack.
• Weeding and collection maintenance.  Not as simple as it seems.  There are some absolutely amazing juvenile and Y.A. books in non-fiction that, sadly, have low or zero circulation, probably just because of their location.  This is a problem, in my humble opinion, one that needs to be given serious attention.
• Children’s programming.  I have my first solo act in 2 weeks!  I have been assigned Books & Babies in the fall, and (even more exciting) the Hallowe’en party for one of our branches.  I have so many ideas, not sure how I will be able to decide what to keep.
• Circulation.  Yup, I get to do a bit of circ, being at the branches.  I actually really enjoy circ.  I like being up and busy at the desk, and scanning the books will always be a source of great joy (yeah, laugh if you must).

Do we have “problem patrons”.  Well yeah, of course.  But nothing totally unmanageable yet.  I enjoy a challenge, anyway.  Makes for a more interesting day.  (Am I sickening you yet, with my endless optimism?)  (How about my incessant use of brackets?)

So… public librarian is clearly a role I thoroughly enjoy playing.  I wish there were more full-time positions, like pretty much everyone these days.  Who knows what the future holds, though (oops, there I go again, dripping hope and sunshiney rainbows).  It’s very easy to get discouraged, so I try not to.  Seems like there are so many negative-nancy’s out there as far as the discussion regarding the “future of libraries” is concerned.  Well, I’m done with that.  Long live libraries!  (And long live librarians.)

So, this blog is on pause.  Again.  Sigh.  A truly committed blogger would be keeping things updated, events outside the internet notwithstanding.  Hoorah for them.  I’ll be back eventually.  :-)

Perfect Snow written and illustrated by Barbara Reid

What a great book!  Barbara Reid manages to capture our imaginations yet again with her gorgeous illustrations molded out of Plasticine.  In this book, she incorporates a number of ink and watercolour comic strips, which add an interesting second window through which to see the characters in action.  Perfect Snow begins with two boys, Scott and Jim, waking up to a perfect snowy morning.  We follow them throughout their day at school, getting caught up in their delight of having fresh snow in which to play and build.  Recess is an exciting whirlwind of snow balls, snow men, snow forts…even snow tornadoes!  The book conveys a wonderful message about creativity and cooperation, without turning readers away with a too-preachy tone.  The kids at school absolutely loved the illustrations.  They wanted to touch the pages to see if they felt like Plasticine!  Every page has something amazing to look at: the expressions on the characters’ faces, the shadows in the sky, the perfect texture of the snow.  The story prompted a number of them to want to try their hand at creating art using Plasticine.  The book also got them very excited about the potential snow day tomorrow.  

Highly recommended!

The Imaginary Garden, written by Andrew Larsen, illustrated by Irene Luxbacher.

The Imaginary Garden is a warm and colourful picture book.  Theo loves to garden with her Poppa.  When Poppa moves from his house to an apartment, Theo is upset to discover that there is no space on his windy balcony for gardening.  Undaunted, Theo and Poppa create a beautiful imaginary garden using canvas and paint.  This quiet story champions the everyday relationships between family, and the special place art and creativity occupy in our lives.  The illustrations capture beautifully the imaginary space shared by Theo and her Poppa, an experience young readers, still adept at playing “make believe” with their peers, will recognize with delight.

Last week I read The Imaginary Garden to the grade 4, SK, and JK classes.  The kindergartens enjoyed the book very much, but the grade 4′s found it much too slow.  The common consensus among the older kids was that there wasn’t enough action.  The kindergartens, on the other hand, loved the bright and colourful flowers, the relationship between Theo and Poppa, and the fact that it is Theo who solves the problem of having no space to garden by suggesting that she and Poppa use their imaginations.

This book would be excellent to use as an introduction to an art project.  Its very peaceful tone also make it perfect for reading during quiet time, or just before bed.  Recommended.

I will begin my reviews of the 2011 Forest of Reading nominees with Iain Lawrence’s The Giant-Slayer.  This one is nominated for the Silver Birch Fiction award, ages 7-11 / grades 3-6. *  The book takes place during the 1950′s, and centres around a group of children in a polio ward.  A young girl named Laurie Valentine visits her friend one day and begins to tell him a story, set in a fantastical world where dragons and unicorns coexist with griffins and manticores.  Laurie’s story draws the attention of the other children, and allows them an escape from their pain and loneliness.  Lawrence’s descriptions of the polio epidemic are are honest and instructive, without being overly didactic.  He paints a clear picture of the polio experience: the ever present fear of catching the disease, the immobilizing effects of the illness, the terror of being encased in an iron lung, the final possibility of death – and yet he handles the content with enough gentleness and hope that young audiences can engage with the novel.  As the plot progresses, Laurie Valentine’s fictional tale begins to blend with the children’s reality, posing interesting questions about the strength of the imagination to influence our lives.  The friendships that develop between the children are sensitive and believable.  Modern readers will feel connected to the characters and their plight, even though the book is set in a time and place far removed from current experiences.  Ultimately, the story achieves a bittersweet conclusion, leaving the readers satisfied with the plot and offering much food for thought regarding the magic of story-telling and friendship, and their power to shape our lives.  Beautiful artwork on the cover, although readers may find it misleading (I did, although I wasn’t disappointed with what I found inside).  Highly recommended.  Younger readers will benefit from having this book read aloud to them.  The book opens up terrific doors for discussion!

Check out Iain Lawrence’s website: http://iainlawrence.com/ I can’t wait to get my hands on his other titles.

* A side note:  My apologies for not posting these reviews in order, according to their award level.  I have been allowing myself to base my choice of title on my feelings at that particular moment.  This may make my reviews more favourable than if I were to force myself to read without regard for my current “reading vibe”, but I won’t worry myself too much about that.  I think it’s important to go into a book feeling at least a little bit positive  toward it!  There are so many factors that affect our reading experiences…it’s fascinating, and mysterious, and part of the magic of it all….but I digress, back up to my review!!

For the last year and a half I have been working as an elementary school technician.  This work has been stressful, exciting, hilarious, frustrating, and everything in between.  Working with children sucks the very life out of you, and at the same time fills your soul right up to overflowing.   I will be honest, the pay isn’t great, especially considering the amount of energy that goes into the job.  I can’t stress this enough.  Anyone who thinks that being a school librarian must be a nice, quiet, peaceful, gentle career is wrong. DEAD WRONG.  Libraries are busy places, and kids are busy little creatures.  Loud and messy, too.  But it is great to be working.  I know so many people who haven’t found a position yet.  More than that – it’s great to be working at something I love.  I do love it.  I love working with the kids, reading stories to all my classes, introducing new and old stories, authors, illustrators.  If you could know what it is like to pass a child a book that you have known and loved, encouraging them to read it, explaining the many reasons why it is so fantastic, and then have that child come back to you bubbling over with their own well-thought out ideas and opinions about the story, the characters, and the pictures….. it is magic!  And the feeling is no less wonderful when the kid comes back feeling very differently about the book than you yourself did (or do).  Imagine debating with an eight year old the merits, or lack thereof, in a book like The Witches!!  I know am I sounding overly gushy.  As I write this, I find myself reliving every magical moment I have experienced since taking up this library tech gig.  Of course there are downsides.  I hate, hate, hate having to discipline the kids.  I’m not very good at it.  It doesn’t matter if they’re 3 or 13, they just don’t seem to take me seriously when I am expressing displeasure at whatever it is they are doing (standing up in my rocking chair, bouncing up and down at the library desk, having a lightsaber-like duel with musical instruments in the storybook area, pulling non-fiction books off the shelf at random and then shoving them back in a completely different spot – grrrrrrrr).  That’s okay, though.  I am learning to be a better discipliner, although it’s not an easy or pleasant task, and I doubt if it ever will be.

I’m not sure how long I will stay working in the schools.  Maybe something new will come my way.  Whatever the future holds, this certainly is keeping me busy and motivated…and entertained…in the meantime.

So, what have I been up to for the past 12 months?  Last September I was hired as a Casual Library Technician with the Niagara Catholic District School Board.  I’ve been getting my feet wet, so to speak, working in school libraries, gaining some real – and much needed – experience.  I have worked as a part of a board-wide weeding team, pulling old books, many of which would make the girls at Awful Library Books cringe.  I completed long-term placements at two very different schools.  This involved such varied activities as reading to kids from Junior Kindergarten up to Grade 8, circulating materials, providing reader’s advisory and reference services to students and teachers, cataloguing materials, conducting a Scholastic Book Fair, restructuring a library after renovations, managing the OLA’s “Forest of Reading” program, and creating displays.  It has been a huge learning curve!  Every single day brought with it new, sometimes exhausting, challenges.  It is not easy providing library services to children – but it is extremely rewarding.  Some days I felt as though my brain would melt just trying to manage all of their varied needs.  Other days everything would run along so smoothly, or I would connect so well with the students, that I would leave work grinning like a kid myself.    Added to all of this was the sometimes difficult task of working as a member of a team of educational professionals.  Yup, I learned just as much this past year – if not more – about libraries and librarianship as I did during my 16 months at UWO.

As for my future….   I’ve been applying for professional librarian positions this summer.  Job searching is no easy task!  I had hoped to have something before the fall.  It all becomes very frustrating after a while, and I have to step back and take very deep breaths.  I will return to my position with the school board in September, and in the meantime continue my search for a permanent, full-time librarian position.  I have been proactive so far, volunteering where I can and keeping up contacts, but I think it is time to step it up a notch.  Overall, I feel very positive about my future.  I look forward to future opportunities to expand my understanding of the field through new volunteer and work experiences, conferences, and additional course work.

**

“The terms “summer read” or “beach read” are often applied to books that are “light”, “fluffy”, “short and sweet”, “easy to pick up and put down”.  While the warm weather certainly fits that kind of light reading, the long, hot days of summer can create the perfect atmosphere for another kind of book.  The kind of book in which you fall through the pages and lose yourself for hours…and then regret having to return to the “real world”.  The kind of book that is riveting, spellbinding…and utterly absorbing.  These three books are very different in terms of plot, style of writing, setting, mood, and character types, but they share certain elements that help to make them compelling reads.  First, all 3 are character-driven, with large, well-developed casts.  The stories are told through 3rd person narrators, and the focus shifts from character to character, giving you multiple perspectives on the action and events, and allowing you to get to know all of the character intimately.  Second, settings and plots are vividly, thoroughly described.  The authors draw you into the story – you will feel as though you are participating in the events yourself.  Because this is a mixed group of adult readers (and not necessarily interested in one particular type of story), I chose books from three different genres: fantasy, romance/chicklit & crime/caper.  I’ve also been informed that you are open to books with graphic language, sex and violence.  Just a reminder, then, that these books do include these elements!

The Fionavar Tapestry, by Guy Gavriel Kay (1984-1986-1986)

The Fionavar Tapestry is actually comprised of 3 books: The Summer Tree, The Wandering Fire, and The Darkest Road. They’re still available individually, but this all-in-one edition is convenient, and surprisingly light and comfortable to hold.  G.G. Kay is an acclaimed Canadian fantasy writer.  This book is a “High Fantasy” epic, following in the tradition of JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.  In fact, Kay helped to edit Tolkien’s Silmarillion and many elements of The Fionavar Tapestry were directly & consciously inspired by Tolkien’s mythology.  Aspects of other works of literature, cultures and folklore are also woven into the story – including Arthurian legend, and British, Scandinavian, and Native American mythology.  He uses these elements in new, creative ways, introducing unique spins on old traditions.  Kay’s world has a rich history & mythology, & it is full of interesting characters and creatures.  Think magic, dwarves, maps, invented languages, swords, perilous quests…!  He writes very dramatically, and the theatrical tone may take some getting used to.  For example, the book begins: “After the war was over, they bound him under the Mountain.  And so that there might be warning if he moved to escape, they crafted then, with magic and with art, the five wardstones, last creation and the finest of Ginserat.”  The plot is gripping: Because Kay takes so much time building the characters and the world, you become much attached to the story.  While slowly paced at first, you reach a certain point when you realize that you are completely hooked!  The story begins at Canada’s very own University of Toronto, where 5 students are gathered to listen to a lecture by a mysterious, reclusive scholar.  At a meeting with this figure later that evening, he reveals to them his true identity.  His name is Loren Silvercloak, and he is a mage from a world called Fionavar.  He explains to the disbelieving students that Earth is only one of many worlds, of which Fionavar is the “first”.  After much debate, he convinces Kim, Paul, Dave, Jennifer and Kevin to travel back with him to Fionavar to attend a festival as guests of honour.  But as they pass between the worlds, Dave has second thoughts.  He attempts to pull free, and when they arrive in Fionavar, Dave is nowhere to be found!  Furthermore, it becomes clear that Silvercloak had other reasons for inviting them to Fionavar.  An ancient evil is rising in the land, and the five U of T students are drawn into the conflict…and what happens in Fionavar ripples through ALL worlds, including our own.  As the characters battle against the dark forces of The Unraveller, they learn that it was more than chance that brought them to Fionavar.  Ultimately, each must follow their own difficult path if the enemy is to be destroyed.  Marion Zimmer Bradley (author of The Mists of Avalon) described The Fionavar Tapestry by saying, “It’s one of those rare books that change your perception of the world forever afterward.”  The book is enormous in scope.  It has violent battles, passionate love affairs, humour, pain, sacrifice, beauty and courage pitted against unimaginable horrors.  It’s definitely worthy of being called an “epic”, and, for those interested in being completely swept away this summer, it’s a great read!

French Relations, by Fiona Walker (1994)

French Relations belongs to a different genre, but it’s no less captivating than The Fionavar Tapestry. Fiona Walker is a British writer whose work falls under the heading of “chick lit”, but what makes her novels stand out from the mob is the depth of her characterization, the cleverness of her use of language, and the richness of her settings and plots.  To date, she has written 10 novels (the first of which was French Relations).  Characters from previous books often make appearances in later stories.  The novels are full of humour, tears, sex, and (of course) love.  French Relations begins with the heroine, Tash French, unemployed, out of shape, broken-hearted and generally bewildered, en route to France where she’ll be spending the summer with her fabulously rich mother and step-father at their vast, crumbling chateau.  The trouble is, the rest of Tash’s eccentric family & their glamorous lovers will also be there!  As the sultry summer heats up, Tash (lumpy and overlooked for most of her life) suddenly finds herself the centre of everyone’s attention.  In particular, that of rich, arrogant, cruel, but OHHHhh so devastatingly attractive Hugo Beauchamp, and staggeringly gorgeous, tremendously famous…and seriously disturbed Hollywood leading man Niall O’Shaunessy.  It’s a scorching summer in France – there’s no end to the booze, bed-hopping, and bad behaviour.  The novel has an enormous cast of larger-than-life characters, all with intriguing pasts (even the dogs play important roles)!  Fiona Walker is a master of comedy.  The snappy dialogue is full of double entendres, word plays, and clever references to pop culture, and the characters always manage to end up in the most ridiculously funny situations.  French Relations is absolutely riveting.  You’ll grow to love every character, even those whose behaviour has been deliciously naughty.  And when you reach the gratifying conclusion to this great summer read, don’t despair, because the sequel “Well Groomed” is also a great read!

Stormy Weather, by Carl Hiaasen (1995)

Stormy Weather is the shortest of the three, but no less compelling.  Carl Hiaasen has written several books, all of which tell darkly funny, twisted stories about Florida and the Everglades, murder, sex, and corruption.  He’s been a columnist for The Miami Herald since 1985, and (quoting from his official website) his column has “at one time or another…pissed off just about everybody in South Florida, including his own bosses.”  The humour in Hiaasen’s novels is sustained by the absolute deadpan tone of the narration.  He writes about absurd characters in positively bizarre situations, and maintains the same dry, prosaic tone throughout.  A word of warning: these novels are stuffed full of graphic language, graphic sex, and graphic (and sometimes truly disturbing) violence.  You will be exposed to the grittiest characters imaginable, partaking in strange, unpardonable criminal acts…..and if you share Carl Hiaasen’s dark, cynical sense of humour, you’ll find yourself laughing out loud.  Stormy Weather is set in Florida in the wake of Hurricane Andrew.  All semblance of law and order has evaporated, and Florida’s criminal underworld, both the clever and the crazy, senses its advantage.  Mixed up in the mayhem are a few ordinary people, although Hiaasen’s depiction of “ordinary” may seem somewhat…extraordinary.  The book features an assorted, motley crew of characters, from all acts of life, demonstrating every kind of corruption and depravity.  There’s a recently married couple on an ill-fated honeymoon, a seductive con artist and her ex-convict partner, a mobile salesman with a shotgun and an eye to make a quick buck, a skull-juggling law school dropout, a band of marauding monkeys gone mad, an escaped lion with a ferocious appetite, two state troopers, and one former governor, no less mad than the monkeys.  As the characters crash and clash in the post hurricane state, violence erupts, hostages are taken, gruesome crimes are committed & grisly “accidents” occur.  The story shifts from character to character, and as the plot progresses their follies are exposed.  Stormy Weather is sardonic, shocking, and outrageously funny in a very dark, off-beat way.  But it isn’t without romance – you’ll find yourself cheering for a few likeable characters before the end!  Will order and justice be restored? Will the lion sate his hunger? Will the mad monkeys and the wild governor be contained?  ….. and….should they be?  Carl Hiaasen’s captivating story will absorb and entertain you, and make you question law, order, and man’s role in the Nature of things.

So, if you’re looking for a book to lose yourself in this summer, The Fionavar Tapestry, French Relations, and Stormy Weather may just be your perfect summer read!

While researching information about libraries and Web2.0, I stumbled upon an interesting program created by the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.  The “Learning 2.0 Program” was designed to encourage library staff to learn about web2.0 technologies by completing a list of 23 Things.  I’m going to try to complete the 23 Things myself.  Although I’m familiar with a few of the “things” already, I will definitely benefit from more learning.  Besides, it sounds like a fun project to do on the side.

That’s it for this post.  I spent far too much time reading “A Prayer for Owen Meany” this morning.  If I don’t get back to work, I’ll have accomplished very little by the end of this rather gloomy day.  *sigh!*