Musings on YA libraries and madness

YA Lit:: First Annual Austin Teen Book Festival

2009-10-25T11:52:00.009-04:00

Yesterday's amazing Austin Teen Book Festival was truly unique. It was the first time I didn't have to pay an exorbitant conference fee to get a hold of multiple YA authors at once. Yup, that's right. It was all deliciously free (well, I did spend over a hundred dollars in books from Book People, who were warm and awesome). More importantly, it gave attendees of all ages a chance to meet both popular authors and up-and-comers.

So this thing was held at Westlake High School, which is more beautiful and high-tech than many colleges. The festival consisted of book-buying, a keynote speech, 3 panels of your choice, and time to get your stuff autographed. There were also bands playing and some middle school volunteers dressed as zombies doing the Thriller. This was pretty much a full day of YA awesomeness shared with good friend Veronica Goldbach.

The speech::
Okay, I've seen Libba Bray speak before, but she truly was in top form. There were laughs and there were almost tears. She has a very peculiar brand of humor that could rub some the wrong way, but the audience seemed to eat it all up. She had us when she forced her Gnome-tourage (dude dressed as a gnome a la Going Bovine cover) to call her a luminous supervixen. When she spoke of the car accident that almost took her life, you could almost hear contained gasps from the audience. She also gave some of the most memorable lines of the day. I'm totally paraphrasing this: "Some people ask me when I'm going to do a 'real' book, one for adults. And I just say, 'You know, I don't know if I can dumb it down enough for adults.' " HA! I got chills. People hollered. Good times.

Panel 1::
Fantasy with Libba Bray, Justine Larbalestier, Lisa McMann, and Rick Yancey
My one complaint about this panel is that it was poorly moderated. I find that the ones with more structure do a lot better. It really was not the fault of the authors. You could tell they were doing their best. They did grace us with a few thought-provoking statements, though.

Upon being asked how to best keep writing YA voices through adulthood, Justine Larbalestier said, "Don't grow up." Apparently many YA authors are pretty juvenile!
Rick Yancey talked about an experience early on with his writing. He apologized to his reader-to-be about the content, since he wasn't so confident in it. The response from his reader? "Never apologize for something you should be proud of."
There was talk about the process of books being turned into movies. I was pretty surprised when Lisa McMann said that only about 5% of books that are optioned actually end up as films. Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle series was optioned for 3 years but it fell through due to the expense of filming a period piece. Justine also said not to get too down if your book-turned-movie ends up sucking. It's out of your hands and she considers it a 90-minute ad for the book anyway.

Panel 2::
Real YA Voices with Matt de la Pena, Deb Caletti, and Terra Elan McVoy
This panel was probably my favorite because it felt very intimate. The moderator asked some good questions, and the audience seemed to be perfectly enthralled. Also, much of the conversation was about writing and how to be a good writer. Wonderful stuff here.

Deb Caletti affirmed that if being a writer is what you are meant to be, it will happen. Do not be afraid to become what you are.
Terra Elan McVoy said she loves teens because they're both living through the most amazing and the suckiest time ever. Tip: Don't just read what you like. If you just read vampire novels, you're just going to learn to write about vampire novels. So read stuff you don't like and analyze why you don't like it. Be an active reader and pay attention. Take it apart to see what works and what doesn't.
Matt de la Pena impresses with his good advice and youthfulness (he kinda looks like a high school student). Reading poetry is good for novelists because it can teach you about the sparseness of writing. Don't write books about yourself in the most flattering light. Take the worst version of yourself and run with it. When writing characters, it's not your job to diagnose them. List the symptoms and let the reader take care of the rest. Read a lot but also read the world. Learn from it.

Panel 3::
Local Authors with Jennifer Ziegler, Varian Johnson, Shana Burg, and April Lurie
This panel was conducted in the most labyrinthine part of the school, it seemed. It was not the best layout but it was a wonderfully touching panel nevertheless, and moderated particularly well by a librarian. I knew very little about these authors, and I wanted to take away something new at the end of the festival.

April Lurie is the only author from this panel I was familiar with, and I absolutely love what I've read of The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine. She spoke of being so painfully shy that her classmates thought she was snobby. Her first book, Brothers, Boyfriends, and Other Criminal Minds, was a re-write of her experience obsessing with a boy. Oh, how hearts fluttered while she described her feelings! And hey, that was as good an ad for writing as any. If you're crushing hard and to no avail, write your own version.
Speaking of high school crushes, Shana Burg won some serious cred from the audience when she recounted her memory of giving a passionate love letter to her crush. He was inevitably in love with her gorgeous best friend. I really admired her courage to tell it, because it was so embarrassing and real. She really connected with the numerous teens present. Her book A Thousand Never Evers about the Civil Rights movement sounds good, too.
As the only male on the panel, Varian Johnson really was the masculine point of view amidst all this romantic talk. And he used it to call boys stupid. Ha! He really wanted the mainly female audience to get the courage to just talk to the boys they want to be with. They are just as confused as girls are. His book, Life as a Rhombus, was one that he really did not want to write. It's about a high school student who tutors a pregnant classmate. I appreciate him implying that sometimes your best writing is what's most difficult to put on the page.
Jennifer Ziegler spoke very fondly of being on the 2009 Lone Star Reading List. She said she used that list as a teacher and now she gets to be on it! She "birthed" her novel, How Not to be Popular, and discussed popularity hierarchies in high school. She felt like she wasn't very popular in real-life, but she comes across people who think she was. The message here could very well be that no matter how you feel about your place in the system, others are looking up at you.

There were 4 panels but only time to do 3, so I skipped out on Zombies vs. Vampires with Cynthia Leitich Smith, Daniel Waters, Carrie Jones, and Heather Brewer. It seemed to have plenty of fans, though, so I'm sure they didn't miss me. After the panels were over, it was time to get books autographed. I had over a dozen books and only one hour, and some lines (like the ones for Libba Bray and Heather Brewer) were quite long. With some stealth maneuvering, and the kindness of Veronica and others, I was able to get all of them taken care of. Woot!

And now I end with the surreal moments of the day:

I was wearing a Vladimir Tod shirt I got for free at Hudson News in Chicago. People kept calling me the Heather Brewer fan and asking me where I'd bought it. I mean, I read the first book and liked it, but I'd think there are plenty more HB fans in the audience than I was. I felt totally typecast.
Carrie Jones was a sweetheart! She seemed honestly thrilled that I loved Tips on Having a Gay (Ex) Boyfriend. I absolutely loved her dedication to me, too. Most authors of a certain popularity level are polite and nice, but detached. I understand that they have to be. Carrie seemed to transcend that and was wonderfully warm with me, even giving me a way to get in touch with her.
I asked a question I shouldn't have asked during one of the panels, but I did it because it scared me to death. I only regret it when I forget that I'd never spoken out loud when I get that nervous.

Yeah, this is probably enough to give you a feel for how the festival went. What I loved to hear was that this is the first festival, so hopefully there are plenty more to come!

YA Lit:: 2009 Young Adult Book Challenge Part Quatre

2009-10-25T11:15:00.009-04:00

The premise to this book challenge is simple. Just read 12 young adult novels. I've interpreted this 2009 Young Adult Book Challenge as a means to entice me to read more YA novels, the old school way. No audio books, no downloads, nothing. Just my eyes on the page. Aw yeah.

This challenge hasn't been revisited since June, so I have a few books to add, fortunately. This brings my tally to 12 books, meaning I finished the challenge on October 8th. YAY! As usual, the new titles are in italics.

Reasons why each novel below was chosen for this challenge:

It was recommended.
I'd been meaning to read it for awhile.
I had an autographed copy.
It was a book written by a friend.

In any case, I'm really pleased to see variety of plots, but especially characters. Some of different ethnicities and sexual orientations. Some with supernatural powers and some without. Some that are horny, some that are funny, and others that have been forced into scathingly horrific situations. Some are just sweet. Many are memorable.

I'm trying to figure out if I want to do these challenges again next year. (I also did a 999 Reading Challenge and an A-Z Reading Challenge. Click on the challenge tag below for more info.) I like showing off the books I've read but this much structure can be hard put up with. Eh. I'll think about it.

The Possibilities of Sainthood by Donna Freitas
Sucks To Be Me: The All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton, Teen Vampire by Kimberly Pauley
Luna by Julie Anne Peters
Deep in the Heart of High School by Veronica Goldbach
Secret Keeper by Mitali Perkins
Absolutely, Positively Not by David LaRochelle
Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
Teach Me by R.A. Nelson
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer
Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

YA Lit:: A-Z Reading Challenge Part Trois

2009-10-20T16:27:00.004-04:00

I know signs point to me having forgotten about this challenge, where you read a book for each letter of the alphabet. I just didn't have a whole lot to report since May. The new additions are: F, G, H, N, Q, and Y.

Letters to go: K, U, X, and Z. Why, oh why, did I read Zorgamazoo by Robert Paul Weston in December of last year? And has it really been that hard to find a book whose title starts with the letter K?

Anyway, here it is! As usual, new entries are in italics.

A.
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party, M.T. Anderson

B.
Batman and the Outsiders: The Chrysalis, Chuck Dixon

C.
Chester, Melanie Watt

D.
Dad Runs Away with the Circus, Etgar Keret

E.
Emiko Superstar, Mariko Tamaki

F.
The Forest of Hands and Teeth, Carrie Ryan

G.
Granny's Dragon, Lisa McCourt

H.
Have I Got a Book for You, Melanie Watt

I.
Inubaka (vols. 6 & 7), Yukiya Sakuragi

J.
Janes in Love, Cecil Castellucci

K.
--

L.
Love Roma (vol. 3), Minoru Toyoda

M.
El mejor mariachi del mundo, J.D. Smith

N.
No Regrets: The Best, Worst, & MOst #$%*ing Ridiculous Tattoos Ever, Aviva Yael

O.
Ouran High School Host Club (vol. 1), Bisco Hatori

P.
Plain Janes, Cecil Castellucci

Q.
Quien esta detras de esa casa?, Graciela Repun

R.
The Rules of Survival, Nancy Werlin

S.
Something Rotten, Alan M. Gratz

T.
Tales of Beedle the Bard, J.K. Rowling

U.
--

V.
A Visitor for Bear, Bonny Becker

W.
Watchmen, Alan Moore

X.
--

Y.
Yotsuba&!, Kiyohiko Azuma

Z.
--

YA Lit:: 999 Reading Challenge Part Huit

2009-10-19T21:05:00.006-04:00

Earlier this year, I took on this 999 Reading Challenge. It basically means that I'm looking to read 9 books in 9 categories in 2009. Some of the categories have changed throughout the year. Just because.

I wish I'd been more specific about some categories, and I wish I'd created more categories for graphic novels. Ha ha. Still, this isn't so great or bad, considering it's the end of the year.

As usual, new entries are in italics.

9 teen books with multicultural characters
~The Possibilities of Sainthood by Donna Freitas
~The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party, by M.T. Anderson
~Deep in the Heart of High School by Veronica Goldbach
~The Eternal Smile by Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim
~Secret Keeper by Mitali Perkins
~The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 2: The Kingdom on the Waves, by M.T. Anderson
~Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
9 teen award-winners (Category finished! 10.08.09)
~Japan Ai: A Tall Girl's Adventures in Japan by Aimee Major Steinberger
[YALSA's 2009 Great Graphic Novels for Teens]
~Life Sucks by Jessica Abel
[YALSA's 2009 Great Graphic Novels for Teens]
~Emiko Superstar by Mariko Tamaki and Steve Rolston
[YALSA's 2009 Great Graphic Novels for Teens]
~Luna by Julie Anne Peters
[National Book Award Finalist, 2004]
~Absolutely, Positively Not by David LaRochelle
[Sid Fleischman Humor Award, 2006]
~Sucks to be Me: The All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton, Teen Vampire (Maybe) by Kimberly Pauley
[YALSA's 2009 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers]
~One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies by Sonya Sones
[2005 Best Book for Young Adults by the American Library Association]
~Teach Me by R.A. Nelson
[2006 New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age]
~The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
[New York Times Notable Children's Book for 2008]
9 graphic novels (Category finished! 05.01.09)
~The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci
~Janes in Love by Cecil Castellucci
~Skim by Mariko Tamaki
~Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore
~Watchmen by Alan Moore
~Awkward and Definition by Ariel Schrag
~Abandon the Old in Tokyo by Yoshihiro Tatsumi
~American Widow by Alissa Torres
~Blankets by Craig Thompson
9 blogs & podcasts
~YALSA blog
~The YA YA YAs
~Stuff You Should Know podcast
~Stuff You Missed in History Class podcast
~Book Lust with Nancy Pearl podcast
~Sound of Young America podcast
9 webcomics
~Unshelved
~Cyanide and Happiness
~Achewood
9 Overdrive audiobooks
~Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
~Something Rotten by Alan M. Gratz
~The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin
~True Story by Bill Maher
~A Brief Chapter in my Impossible Life by Dana Reinhardt
~Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr
9 picture books (Category finished! 04.08.09)
~Dad Runs Away with the Circus by Etgar Keret
~Chester by Melanie Watt
~Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt
~A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker
~Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel
~The Cat's Tale by Doris Orgel
~When Randolph Turned Rotten by Charise Mericle Harper
~Are You Ready to Play Outside? by Mo Willems
~Wink! The Ninja who Wanted to be Noticed by J.C. Phillips
9 non-fiction books
~Obama: The Historic Journey by The New York Times
~The Oxford Project by Peter Feldstein
~Barack Obama is Your New Bicycle by Matthew Honan
~Finding Serenity: Anti-Heroes, Lost Shepherds and Space Hookers in Joss Whedon's Firefly by Jane Espenson
~The Big Skinny: How I Changed my Fattitude by Carol Lay
~The Sartorialist by Scott Schuman
~The Impostor's Daughter by Laurie Sandell
9 titles I never thought I'd read
~The Coffee Trader by David Liss
~The Arrival by Shaun Tan

YA Lit:: Twitter chats on Tuesdays

2009-08-03T10:11:00.004-04:00

Sometimes people love young adult literature so much that they want to gobble it up like No Face in the Hayao Miyazaki film 千と千尋の神隠し (or, as it's known here, Spirited Away). Nom nom nom.

Are you a writer or "writer-to-be" of teen fiction? Then invigorate yourself with the #kidlitchat conversation on Twitter. According to the very follow-able Inkygirl (@inkyelbows), every Tuesday you can join in on a conversation on literature that ranges from board books all the way up to YA lit. It is a moderated chat with actual topics of conversation and everything. All you have to do is show up-- even if it's in your 10-year-old jammies that have been washed so much they're practically see-through.

If you are curious after the conversations are over, you're in luck because you can easily get a transcript of the whole thing, thanks to Monsieur @gregpincus.

I have not yet taken part in this but it doesn't seem like it's too late to start!

#kidlitchat:
Every Tuesday starting July 21st

PST: 6 pm
MST: 7 pm
CST: 8 pm
EST: 9 pm

Thanks to nausicaa.net for this wonderful pic of Chihiro and No Face.

YA Lit:: Barry Lyga's Goth Girl Rising

2009-07-26T13:14:00.003-04:00

The comics!
The obsessions!
The insanity!

If you enjoyed Barry Lyga's The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl and you have a thing for getting your creative freak on, then you should seriously consider entering this awesome contest that may just get you a signed copy of its sequel Goth Girl Rising.

From what I understand, the sequel will really bring to light exactly why Goth Girl is as effed up as she is.

So bust out your... well, whatever you need to make a book trailer. Or if you're just interested in seeing the trailers that have already been done, feel free to click on the link to "this awesome contest."

Jumpin' Friday:: Marfa, Fort Davis, and Balmorhea, TX

2009-07-25T15:40:00.010-04:00

Welcome to Jumpin' Friday. For those of you not in the know, here is a pretty loose description of what I call a jumpy:

A librarian (me) + a road trip + a library + a camera = a jumpy, or a picture in mid-jump

This road trip was for a destination wedding, and the following pictures show the trip back to San Antonio from Marfa, Texas. Alas, this was on a Sunday so all the libraries we came across were closed.

a) Marfa Public Library
Marfa, TX (06.07.09)

I know, you don't see a library sign here. I swear to you that this is the town library. I know that the locals (there are a little over 2,000 of them) know that this is the library, but I still think there should be more than just a book return in front of the building denoting it as such.

b) Jeff Davis County Library
Fort Davis, TX (06.07.09)

A friend of mine from college was from Ft. Davi s and I never, ever thought I'd someday find myself there. Not for lack of wanting to go-- it is absolutely gorgeous-- but it's just so far from home.
I was not disappointed, and there was something lovely about the library there. Maybe it's the fact that it helped produce one of the funniest and most intelligent men I ever met at school. I couldn't help but be thrilled to see this ode to mind travel. YEAH!

And then... there was this...

I'm all about the Boys and Girls Club, and I am all about diversity, even when it's forced. Still, I have to say that the expression on the girl on the far left left me a tad traumatized.

I told my husband, "I think she's going to EAT ME" and... um... uh... yeah. That bat isn't too inviting, either.

I'm totally going to hell for making fun of this.

c) Balmorhea Public Librar y
Balmorhea, TX (06.07.09)

I have a soft spot for this library even though I've never been inside and I don't have any connection to it. It wasn't in our GPS. I simply happened to see it on the main road, and I had my husband pull a drastic (yet completely responsible) James Bond maneuver. This is one of those cases where a clear library sign led the way.

And because Michael is so amazing every time he captures me in mid-air, I wanted to post this pic I took of him outside the Balmorhea Public Library.

Thank you, my luv!

Random:: A YA author takes on the Americone Dream

2009-07-24T12:56:00.003-04:00

Diana Rodriguez Wallach, a young adult author from Pennsylvania with Spanish words in all her titles, takes on the feat of a lifetime: getting Stephen Colbert on her side.

So not only does she love My So-Called Life but her attempts to get on The Colbert Report are pretty clever... This is one author I must read soon!

Author Monday:: Interview with cartoonist Hope Larson

2009-07-20T09:36:00.003-04:00

This entry marks the 5th installment of my Author Mondays, where I shall endeavor to post something “author-esque” each Monday. Whether it's an interview or a one-shot question, here is a chance for various authors to have their say.

I started reading Hope Larson's award-winning graphic novels when I was only suspecting I'd be a teen librarian. I remember picking up Gray Horses from the adult comics section of the Central Library in San Antonio. I was so completely mesmerized by Noemie's expressive features and familiarity that I wrote my first book review on it.

I couldn't find her debut Salamander Dream in San Antonio so I went through Interlibrary Loan. By the end of it, Larson had accomplished something unprecedented. I'd never reacted so emotionally to someone's entire oeuvre (she only had these two titles out at the time). Even now, reading her books this morning, I can’t help but feel she has a gorgeous way of storytelling that is unique to her.

Hope Larson was a total sweetheart by letting me interview her briefly over a year ago. The only reason why I hadn't posted it earlier was because I was waiting to interview more authors so I could post them up in a consecutive series, like I’m doing now. On an evening in June last year, I interviewed both Hope and her husband Bryan Lee O’Malley—that interview is coming next week—and I’m happy to say they were my firsts. In retrospect, I should have asked her more about Chiggers, which hadn't come out yet, and her contribution to Comic Book Tattoo. Still, this was one of the coolest things I’ve done and I’m thankful to both cartoonists for their generosity and patience.

And now, please sit back as this blog proudly presents that interview a year ago:

~

VG: Did you have a Eureka moment or did you just gradually make the decision to create graphic novels?

HL: I think I was kind of bullied into making them [*chuckle*] by the comics community. When I started drawing comics for the first time, it didn't click with me. It didn't seem like something that I was going to be any good at or something that I would want to have for a career. I moved to Toronto and started living with Mal [husband Bryan Lee O'Malley] and got more in touch with the comics community, I guess. There's a really good comics store, The Beguiling in Toronto, and I started reading a lot more different types of comics and I just felt like I could fit in. And then I just drew a book. And I can't really imagine doing much else at this point.

VG: Cool. Did your style start off from the very beginning? You have a very... very... [my husband slips me the answer] distinctive, yeah, distinctive style.

HL: Well, it's really evolving. It's changed a lot since the first book. Salamander Dream and Gray Horses-- I was really inspired by the artist Seth and by Charles Burns. They both have really slick inking. And I kind of wound up doing primarily vector work in the W Illustrator. So that was the style I was comfortable with-- like, really clean flowing lines.

VG: In my mind, both Salamander Dream and Gray Horses deal with innocence and isolation. Are these aspects that you're familiar with in your life?

HL: Yeah, definitely, especially isolation. They're both primarily nostalgia books. I was living in Canada and, you know, I missed the US, I missed the South. By the time I got around to writing Gray Horses, I missed Chicago too, a little bit, even though it wasn't the city for me. I missed things about it. As far as innocence... I don't really know. I guess I don't have anything to say about that.

VG: For me, the first one, that's what really touched me about it. Going back to childhood, seeing all the things one abandons as one grows older... It just... It touched me very much.

HL: Thanks. I think now [with Chiggers] I'm dealing more with the down and dirty version of childhood. I'm moving more in that direction.

VG: Right, right. Of all the stories you've done, this is for your youngest audience then, right?

HL: Yeah.

VG: I guess you didn't really choose that.

HL: Yeah. I just wrote the story. My agent and publisher figured out who it was going to be for.

VG: In Gray Horses, your main character is French. Was there a reason for this, as opposed to Italian or Russian?

HL: I have a lot of fondness for France 'cause I lived there for a year when I was a kid. And I sort of remember how it felt. When I moved to France, I didn't speak any French. My parents just kind of took me and chucked me in the local village school and I had to pick it up on the go. So I wanted to translate that to a slightly older character.

VG: Two more questions. Do you have a purpose for your stories other than storytelling?

HL: I don't know. That's a hard question. I don't know what else I would do with my life if I wasn't doing this. All my thoughts run into storytelling, you know? That's what inspires me. It's what interests me. It's really the only thing, so...

VG: That's awesome. It's something I don't know that I could do, so it's very admirable. Um, okay, I lied. Two more questions. [Laughter, on both sides, not just me!] Do you have advice for up and coming [cartoonists]?

HL: Draw a lot. Write a lot. Put your work on the web-- it's really important. Try and make friends in the comics community. People are really friendly and they love to help up and comers. And be patient 'cause it takes time.

VG: And the cookies question. If you could bake homemade cookies for up to three fictional characters, who would you choose and what kind of cookies would you make?

HL: I guess I should think who first, and then figure out a cookie. Okay, I'm gonna say Meg from A Wrinkle in Time. She's one of my favorites. And... for the cookies? Hmmm. Maybe just oatmeal cookies, 'cause it gets cold up in Maine or wherever it is she lives. [Laughter]

VG: That works. Thank you very much.

HL: No problem.

~

As I understand it, Hope’s new book Mercury is coming out next year and she’s hard at work on something new. Also, checkci out her lovable work on Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd as edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castelluci. If you want to follow Hope on Twitter, her handle is @hopelarson. If you are lucky enough to be at the San Diego Comic-Con, then you might see her around, too. And you will be a very, very lucky person, ha ha.

Jumpin' Friday:: Alpine, Texas

2009-07-17T17:43:00.006-04:00

Welcome to Jumpin' Friday, formerly known as my Road Map entries, which consisted of my beloved jumpies across the country. For those of you not in the know, here is a pretty loose description of what I call a jumpy:

A librarian + a road trip + a library + a camera = a jumpy, or a picture in mid-jump

I've been to hundreds of libraries in various countries. Going there is easy, thanks to my adorable and dedicated husband, who has pulled many (responsible) James Bond maneuvers whenever I squeal at the sight of a library sign on the road. It's the chronicling that's hard.

And now, here's a brief look at a solitary library-- the one in Alpine, Texas.

~~Alpine Public Library
Alpine, TX (06.06.09)

There was clearly something powerful in the desert air. These are the best jumpies I've taken in a long time. My God! I'm gorgeous!

I found the mural on the library wall very special. It's called "Libraries - Windows to the World," which was designed and painted by Carol Fairlie and the Sul Ross State University Fall 2003 student mural class. I find artistic partnerships with the library to be win-win situations. It's enough to inspire anyone.

And yet, I invite you to take a closer look at this detail from the mural:

Am I misled here by interpreting these purple squigglies, upon initial gut reaction, as flamboyant sperm? I'm not sure what is forbidden here-- making babies in the library, or procreating in general, or having the creativity to have these lines represent something entirely ethereal. After all, those squigglies are dead set on hitting that castle. Could it be that the Castle of Despair is going to get a good dose of bright colors, like the tour bus in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert?

Naturally, I kid because I love. It really does make me wonder, though, what the locals-- teens, in particular-- think of this artistic flare. We arrived on a Saturday afternoon, when the library was already closed, and we had no one to really ask.

Still, Alpine was very welcoming and at least the library was very clearly marked as such. Yay clear and present libraries!

Jumpin' Friday:: Uvalde, Del Rio, and Marathon in Texas

2009-07-04T12:55:00.012-04:00

Welcome to Jumpin' Friday, formerly known as my Road Map entries, which consisted of my beloved jumpies across the country. For those of you not in the know, here is a pretty loose description of what I call a jumpy:

A librarian + a road trip + a library + a camera = a jumpy, or a picture in mid-jump

I've been to hundreds of libraries in various countries. Going there is easy, thanks to my adorable and dedicated husband, who has pulled many (responsible) James Bond maneuvers whenever I squeal at the sight of a library sign on the road. It's the chronicling that's hard.

This particular trip was made recently so we could attend a wedding in Marfa, TX. Of course, we took the long way around to get some new pictures of libraries. And here they are!

a) El Progreso Public Library
Uvalde, TX (06.05.09)

We did not get a chance to go inside this library, since we were on the road and in need to reach other library destinations in the daylight. (Taking library pix at night with our Canon camera is not recommended as it makes for grainy mementos.) What I do remember of this library is that we arrived just as it was closing, and that the ants on the ground were the plumpest and most venomous-looking I've ever seen. I was scurred!

b) Valverde County Library
Del Rio, TX (06.05.09)

I'm not very flexible, particularly in tight jeans, so even though this pose on top of the sign looks easy, I guarantee you it was not. It was Husband-san's idea, and I agree that it makes for a cute pic.

Check this out! I frikkin' love libraries that advertise their services for both children and teens. Yay!

Del Rio was a good host town for us. We spent the night at a Motel 6 in front of a tiny mall where I tried to find a decent shirt.

c) Marathon Public Library
Marathon, TX (06.06.09)

Yeah, try getting a good picture out of a construction site, ha ha. Marathon is a very quiet and very hot town. The library was tiny and closed on the Saturday that we showed up. We still got some pretty good pictures.

More from this trip to Marfa coming later.

Thanks for viewing these!

YA Lit:: 2009 Young Adult Book Challenge Part Trois

2009-06-29T10:56:00.005-04:00

The Possibilities of Sainthood by Donna Freitas
Sucks To Be Me: The All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton, Teen Vampire by Kimberly Pauley
Luna by Julie Anne Peters
Deep in the Heart of High School by Veronica Goldbach

5. Secret Keeper by Mitali Perkins

6. Absolutely, Positively Not by David LaRochelle

So it's the end of June (halfway through the year) and I've read six novels (halfway through the 12-book challenge). Now I just need to read at least one YA novel a month before the year is over. It can be done, right?

No audio books, no downloadables, just my eyes on the page. Ah...

YA Lit:: 999 Reading Challenge Part Sept

2009-06-29T10:29:00.004-04:00

Earlier this year, I took on this 999 Reading Challenge. It basically means that I'm looking to read 9 books in 9 categories in 2009. Some of the categories have changed throughout the year. Just because. I feel like I'm on a pretty steady track. I'm still reading graphic novels and picture books even though technically those categories are finished.

As usual, new entries are in italics.

9 teen books with multicultural characters
~The Possibilities of Sainthood by Donna Freitas
~The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party, by M.T. Anderson
~Deep in the Heart of High School by Veronica Goldbach
~The Eternal Smile by Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim
~Secret Keeper by Mitali Perkins
~The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 2: The Kingdom on the Waves, by M.T. Anderson
9 teen award-winners
~Japan Ai: A Tall Girl's Adventures in Japan by Aimee Major Steinberger
[YALSA's 2009 Great Graphic Novels for Teens]
~Life Sucks by Jessica Abel
[YALSA's 2009 Great Graphic Novels for Teens]
~Emiko Superstar by Mariko Tamaki and Steve Rolston
[YALSA's 2009 Great Graphic Novels for Teens]
~Luna by Julie Anne Peters
[National Book Award Finalist, 2004]
~Absolutely, Positively Not by David LaRochelle
[Sid Fleischman Humor Award, 2006]
9 graphic novels (Category finished! 05.01.09)
~The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci
~Janes in Love by Cecil Castellucci
~Skim by Mariko Tamaki
~Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore
~Watchmen by Alan Moore
~Awkward and Definition by Ariel Schrag
~Abandon the Old in Tokyo by Yoshihiro Tatsumi
~American Widow by Alissa Torres
~Blankets by Craig Thompson
9 blogs & podcasts
~YALSA blog
~The YA YA YAs
~Stuff You Should Know podcast
~Stuff You Missed in History Class podcast
~Book Lust with Nancy Pearl podcast
~Sound of Young America podcast
9 webcomics
~Unshelved
~Cyanide and Happiness
~Achewood
9 Overdrive audiobooks
~Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
~Something Rotten by Alan M. Gratz
~The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin
~True Story by Bill Maher
~A Brief Chapter in my Impossible Life by Dana Reinhardt
~Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr
9 picture books (Category finished! 04.08.09)
~Dad Runs Away with the Circus by Etgar Keret
~Chester by Melanie Watt
~Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt
~A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker
~Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel
~The Cat's Tale by Doris Orgel
~When Randolph Turned Rotten by Charise Mericle Harper
~Are You Ready to Play Outside? by Mo Willems
~Wink! The Ninja who Wanted to be Noticed by J.C. Phillips
9 non-fiction books
~Obama: The Historic Journey by The New York Times
~The Oxford Project by Peter Feldstein
9 titles I never thought I'd read
~The Coffee Trader by David Liss

I still feel like I need to change that last category. Maybe I need a Spanish language category, or a category for the books I read out loud with my husband. Hmmm...

Author Monday:: Stephen Chbosky's homemade cookies

2009-06-15T23:09:00.007-04:00

This entry marks the 4th installment of my Author Mondays, where I shall endeavor to post something author-esque each Monday. Whether it's an interview or a one-shot question, here is a chance for various authors to have their say.

Today's Author Monday centers around the amazing Stephen Chbosky. I met him at the American Library Association annual conference in Anaheim last year. I admit, I hadn't read The Perks of Being a Wallflower yet, but I told him I had lived in Pittsburgh, and he got so excited that he volunteered to give me a hug. This remains the only time an artist I don't know has volunteered to hug me. And I *love* hugs. He was just so affable. I took a picture with him, but he made me promise I wouldn't post it online, so I haven't.

That summer, living alone for the first time in a long time and enjoying my status as a new librarian, I'd come home to a hot apartment and curl into a fetal position to read the book. What followed was pure goo. Chbosky wrote of infinity in the tunnel systems of the 'burgh, and I remembered driving through the Squirrel Hill Tunnel to get to Oakland, and I broke. It was one of those beautiful moments when you're both overjoyed and nostalgic and sad, so you don't even know why you're crying, but you are anyway.

So in Anaheim I asked him my cookie question:
If you could bake homemade cookies for up to three fictional characters, what would they be and for who?

His answer is one of the most original I've heard:

chocolate chip for Willy Wonka
(from Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)
snicker doodles for Romeo and Juliet
(you should totally know that's by Shakespeare)
peanut butter for Jay Gatsby
(from F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby)
poison cookies for Hamlet
(another quintessential Shakespeare drama)

If I were to meet him again, I'd try to capture my absolute love for this book, though I don't know if I would do it any differently than anyone else he's come across. I mean, he published this ten years ago. He's had a lot of time to hear from ecstatic readers.

Then again, I don't think I really need to meet him again. It'd be nice, of course, but it's not a necessity. I have my golden experience reading the book, my secret picture, and a short but absolutely perfect dedication in the book he autographed for me for free.

Jumpin' Friday: Castroville, Hondo, and Sabinal in Texas

2009-06-12T15:15:00.010-04:00

Happy summer, y'all!

Welcome to Jumpin' Friday, formerly known as my Road Map entries, which consisted of my beloved jumpies across the country. For those of you not in the know, here is a pretty loose description of what I call a jumpy:

A librarian + a road trip + a library + a camera = a jumpy, or a picture in mid-jump

I've been to hundreds of libraries in various countries. Going there is easy, thanks to my adorable and dedicated husband, who has pulled many responsible James Bond maneuvers whenever I squeal at the sight of a library sign on the road. It's the chronicling that's hard.

Here's my stab at describing my recent travails across hot Texas terrain.

a) Castroville Public Library
Castroville, TX (06.05.09)

I have a total soft spot for Castroville, the Little Alsace of Texas, because our French class took a field trip there back in middle school. At the time, it felt like we had driven way out of town, but it's really quite close to San Antonio. Ha!

b) Hondo Public Library
Hondo, TX (06.05.09)

Wow. For a Texas town of roughly 8481 residents, I was really impressed with their young adult collection. It was larger than most libraries of its size that I've seen, *and* there was a good representation of sexual diversity storytelling. As in, the books weren't just about straight Anglo teens. I was just so obscenely proud! In the picture below you can see me holding Ellen Wittlinger's Hard Love and Sara Ryan's Empress of the World.

c) Sabinal Public Library
Sabinal, TX (06.05.09)

It's hard to see this from the picture below, but the library has lovely hardwood floors that I wanted to slip and slide on. The librarians there were very kind and polite. I was also really tickled by their VHS collection. I found an 80's Babysitter's Club videotape that made me long for my old video player!

More to come soon!

Author Monday:: Interview with YA author Veronica Goldbach (Part Three)

2009-06-08T23:05:00.006-04:00

This entry marks the 3rd installment of my Author Mondays, where I shall endeavor to post something author-esque each Monday. Whether it's an interview or a one-shot question, here is a chance for various authors to have their say.

On Friday, May 22nd, Veronica Goldbach and I shared some happy drinks and melded our high school history with our new friendship as author/librarian.

This is part three of our 30-minute interview. Check out part one and part two here.

Et voila, part trois!

~

TBiblio: I got three questions from the “audience.” One came from my co-worker at the library, Sylvia. She was wondering what your social label was in high school. What were you in high school? The jock? The geek?

VG: That’s pretty easy. I was the geek. I was a band geek. [*laughter*] Pretty much a band geek/multilingual nerd. You were one too.

TBiblio: I was. Oh my god, yes I was. Did you feel like the high school that you went to, which is the high school that I went to, really thrived on those kinds of social labels they way they do in movies?

VG: Actually, I think movies, of course, dramatize it. They make it more extreme. Band geeks, we sort of had an inferiority complex. We’d see the cheerleaders and the jocks, and yeah, they’re in their own separate world, but it wasn’t like anyone was stuffing us into lockers. Tuba cases. We’d get our own people. No, I didn’t think it was… Did you?

TBiblio: No.

VG: I didn’t think it was that… There were the popular kids and then… I don’t…

TBiblio: To me, there was no… In those books, where they say “the hottest guy in school,” “the hottest girl in school,” there was none [at our high school].

VG: Yeah, there really wasn’t.

TBiblio: It just depended on your taste. There were cute girls and cute boys.

VG: Something for everybody. [*laughter*]

TBiblio: Exactly.

VG: But it wasn’t, “Oh, the band. We don’t talk to the band.” Everybody mixed.

TBiblio: Exactly. This question comes from a teen who is actually a very good artist. Her name is Marci with an “i.” If you were an inanimate object--

VG: Oh dear.

TBiblio: --what would you be?

VG: Gosh. Thanks Marci! [*laughter*] What would I be? I can’t think of anything really clever at the moment. If you asked me what animal, that would be easier.

TBiblio: Okay, well, what animal would you be?

VG: I’d be a dog [*laughter*]. One of my dogs. Lay around, get up, run around if you want to, have someone bring you food, [*laughter*] run around some more, eat the couch, eat some shoes. It’d be great. I guess for an inanimate object, maybe I’d be a pillow. Right now I’m feeling very tired. I’d be there to comfort people when they need it.

TBiblio: That’s good. Thank you, Veronica. That’s a really hard question.

VG: It is, Marci. [*laughter*]

TBiblio: Thank you, Marci! Jean Canosa Albano from Springfield, Massachusetts was wondering about the dichotomy of being a team player in a band but also the solitary process of writing a book. Have you found it hard to balance the band-y nature of your life versus the write-a-book nature of your life?

VG: Yes. Basically when I was writing the book, and kinda now too, I don’t really have a life. I spend my nights writing. I work as a teacher all day and then I come home and write. It doesn’t leave a lot for being very social. My team-playerness—I didn’t tell anyone I was writing the book, except the people I was living with because you kind of have to. I told my mom and my brothers. My brothers didn’t really care. [*laughter*] I just told them and nobody else. Because it was kind of, almost embarrassing ‘cause everyone’s going to write a book. So it went against sort of my grain ‘cause I’m not a big secret keeper. I’m shy but I’m not a quiet person. When I’m around people, I’m really shy and quiet, but once you get to know me, it’s TA-TA-TA-TA-TA. [*laughter*] And I tell you everything. I’m not big into keeping secrets. I just don’t think before I talk. I just say whatever. So that was really out of character for me, not to tell anyone I was writing a book. But that’s how tender it was for me. I’m not a writer-type person. I didn’t see myself as a writer and I thought people would get me down. Maybe that’s some good advice for future writers. Maybe you don’t want to tell everyone you’re writing a book. People will just brush you off or discourage you or crush your dreams. [*laughter*] No, my mom didn’t, but other people might.

TBiblio: Do you feel more validated now that you’ve been published? That’s hard to do, especially before you’re 30. Some people find that very… very… nice.

VG: Yes. The day I got the email saying I was going to get the contract, I was just on cloud nine. I said [to myself], “I’m never going to be unhappy again. If I ever feel bad, I’ll just remember that I’m gonna get published and it’ll be all good.” That worked for a couple of months. [*laughter*] Yeah. It’s nice. It makes a big difference to other people. Now that I say, “Oh yes, I’m getting published,” and people are like, “Oh!” Whereas if I just say, “I’m writing a book…” Whatever. I found that I have a lot more friends now that the book has come out. [*laughter*] They’re coming out of the woodwork. And it’s not even a big book, it’s just a little book. A lot of people haven’t heard of it. People are calling me and emailing me and I’m just like, “Oh, where were you when I was writing the book?”

TBiblio: Future projects? Are you working on something right now?

VG: I’m working on a lot of somethings. I have a book with my agent that is sort of my scary book, my ghost story. I don’t know how much I can say. I’m working on sort of a ghost story. It’s a trilogy, also set in San Antonio but not set in a public school. This was when I was really down about not getting Deep in the Heart of High School published. It wasn’t called that then. It had been rejected by everybody, so I said, “You know what? I’m going to write a different book. Maybe I was wrong to set it in an inner city school.” So this is set at a private school but not at a rich private school. [It’s a] falling-apart private school. And it’s set in middle school so it’s a little bit [for a] younger [audience] and a little bit more romantic. We’ll see. My agent has it right now and nothing’s really happening with it. But it got me an agent. Actually, I think getting published got me an agent. I got published without an agent, which is really are. He’s working with that. I wrote another story for younger kids that I sent to him and I didn’t hear back from him about it so I don’t think he liked that one. I’m working on one set in LA about a girl who moved from San Antonio to Los Angeles. Then I’m working on another one with my sister, a sort of post-apocalyptic one. So I’m working on a bunch of stuff at once.

TBiblio: Cool.

VG: And that’s kind of weird for me ‘cause I need to just focus on one thing and then do one thing. So basically, if I had to really explain it, the ghost story is kind of sort of done. I’m waiting for revision notes on it. The kid story is kind of forgotten, ‘cause I think it’s dead. My kids at school liked it, I read it to them. The LA story is in its first draft. It’s sitting. The post-apocalyptic one, I’m in the process of writing it right now. So when that one’s finished, I’ll go back to the LA one. I’ll work on some rewrites and maybe send it to my agent and see.

TBiblio: What was the original title for Deep in the Heart of High School?

VG: The original title was Fitting in the Glass Slipper. When I was writing it, I wanted to combine my favorite things. I really like teen romantic comedies—I just, I love them—and I like fairy tales. So I thought I’d combine them, set it in San Antonio, have the girls’ lives take on fairy tale aspects. It was this whole cool thing with this old book from the library. It was great. But my publisher thought maybe not so great. So we took all the fairy tales out. But if you read Deep in the Heart of High School carefully, you can still see a little bit of Cinderella in Olivia’s story, a little bit of Little Red Riding Hood in Vanna’s, a little bit of Rumpelstiltskin in Fatima’s story. You have to look really, really carefully. A lot of the stuff got taken out, but there’s still little hints of it in there.

TBiblio: So this is the question that I ask all the authors that I come across who will speak to me. I call it my cookie question. If you could bake homemade cookies for up to three fictional characters, who would they be for and what would you make for them?

VG: Hmm. Well. Baking cookies. First, I would bake something really sugary and fattening and not good for you for Emmy from Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat [by Lynne Jonell and Jonathan Bean]. Poor Emmy, Miss Barmy and those awful health food things she would give her. For Ron, my favorite Harry Potter character, ‘cause he’s so cool… What would I bake him? I’d bake him cupcakes with frosting.

TBiblio: Yeah, I see that. Definitely.

VG: That’s a cool question. I’m a baker. Not a cook but a baker. I don’t know, I’ll just have to leave it at those two for now.

TBiblio: Good! Those are good answers. There are no bad answers to this question. That’s what I love about this question. Everyone has something different and so clever to bring to the table. Last question—any book signings coming up?

VG: Why, yes there is! (*laughter*) I’m having one at the San Antonio Public Library, the Central Branch in the teen section on August 22. I’m having a Writer’s Workshop at 12 and then a party, which I’m looking forward to, at two. So that should be pretty cool.

TBiblio: Well, we wish you the absolute best of luck, Veronica Goldbach. You’ve been so wonderful and accommodating and charming and I’m really, really, really happy that we’ve kind of struck up the friendship again.

VG: Yeah. You’ve been so nice to me, too. VG connection!

TBiblio: VG connection! That’s right! [*laughter*] Oh we have stories. But those will go for another time. Alright, well thank you for listening! Take care! Bye!

~

If you want to check on my amazing transcribing job, or if you want to hear two girls giggling, feel free to listen to the actual audio file of the entire chat.

So what is the VG connection, you ask? Veronica and I have the same initials, we were born three days apart so we have the same astrological sign, we sat next to each other during graduation, and people mistook us for sisters for a long time. We called it the VG connection for some time, although as I've said before, Veronica is now stunning and I'm cute.

Anyway, thanks for "tuning in." I'd say more but my cat is currently demanding love.

Gracias again to Veronica for her generosity and time!

Author Monday:: Interview with YA author Veronica Goldbach (Part Two)

2009-06-01T11:01:00.006-04:00

This entry marks the 2nd installment of my Author Mondays, where I shall endeavor to post something author-esque each Monday. Whether it's an interview or a one-shot question, here is a chance for various authors to have their say.

On Friday, May 22nd, Veronica Goldbach and I shared some happy drinks and melded our high school history with our new friendship as author/librarian.

This is part two of our 30-minute interview. Check out part one here.

Et voila, part deux!

~

TBiblio: As for your new author life, at the recent party we had here, one of the attendees made it sound like everyone wanted to talk to you so you were holding court at this party—

VG: [*laughter*] Oh dear.

TBiblio: -- because there was so much to do. Do you feel like life has gotten glamorous now that you’re an author?

VG: Actually, it’s interesting that you mention the party, I just felt totally the opposite. I felt like I was being so anti-social in the corner and shy because I didn’t know any of these people. And it’s like, do I go up and say, “Hey, I wrote a book, you want to talk about it?” It was just… And so some really nice people came up to me but I felt kinda bad, like I wasn’t doing my part. But as for it being glamorous? No. It’s not what I would think. It’s a lot of work and it’s a lot of trying to just sell yourself and it feels so… wrong. “I wrote a book! You should buy it!” [*laughter*] The signings have been fun. A little bit of attention is nice, but it’s really just a lot of work. Even publicizing the book, it’s just finding people and emailing and emailing and trying to get… It’s not as glamorous as I thought. And it’s come so late. I mean, this book, I’ve been working on it for six years. The last rewrite was New Year’s Eve last year and then all of a sudden, all the hard work is way behind me and then “Oh!” A little bit of recognition comes.

TBiblio: Some people say that everybody has a good novel in them somewhere. They just don’t have the whereabouts, the capacity, or the discipline to bring it forth. What do you think is the magic key to getting your story out there or getting published?

VG: Well, getting your story… Discipline. Discipline, discipline, discipline. Just making yourself write it. I know lots of people—great ideas! Way better than any of my ideas. And they just don’t actually get the physical… Finish the novel and rewrite it and rewrite it. And getting your story out there? Just, sending out those query letters. Now they’re e-queries. It’s so weird. When I started out, it was actual query letters. Just a few years ago. And now, I was trying to get an agent for the next novel and it’s all e-queries now. You just gotta send them out, send them out, send them out. Discipline, discipline, discipline, discipline, discipline. Just don’t quit.

TBiblio: This might be a little bit of a strange question. I read this interview with Jessica Biel, the actress, and she was talking about how being beautiful is a problem and that she envies—

VG: Oh dear.

TBiblio: -- the careers of Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman. Are there any authors who—either, their careers, you envy them or that, if you were to meet them, you would just kind of go speechless? If you were just to meet these random authors?

VG: Meet random authors? Well, definitely, Stephenie Meyer. I mean, she’s like, oh my goodness! Twilight was her first novel, right? And it’s just this phenomenal hit. I would love to just meet her. I don’t think I’d ever be able to speak to her. I met Meg Cabot at a signing once, and of course, I didn’t say anything. And I wanted to say, “I read your blog all the time! You’re why I got published! All your good advice!” Blah blah blah. I didn’t say anything. [*laughter*] I was totally tongue-tied. So, yeah. Pretty much anybody, I think I’d be totally tongue-tied. Those are my dream meets, I guess.

TBiblio: About your dedication? [*laughter*] To your book? You dedicated it to your mom, which is really sweet, and you called her the Dream Crusher. [At your book signing] your brother called her the Crushinator. [*laughter*] This is supposed to be a compliment, right?

VG: Yeah. Okay, it’s a long story for this dedication. And now, thinking back, maybe I shouldn’t have done it ‘cause it’s really an inside thing and I’ve gotten so much flack about it. It made my mom cry, so that was good. Cry in the good way.

TBiBlio: Good, good.

VG: The Dream Crusher, there’s two sort of stories that go with it. The first thing is that, in my family, well, you do know a little bit about my family. We tease but we love. We have a sort of biting sense of humor. We are kinda mean to each other. My mom is very practical. This is the way she explains Dream Crusher. She wants to see the practicality in dreams. My brothers and my sister had these huge, you know, great dreams for their lives. Always growing up, my sister was going to be either this famous flamenco dancer or this famous director. Those were her big dreams, and my mom was always, “Okay, but you’ve got to get your degree. Get your degree in teaching.” My other brother, he’s an amazing guitar player, but he was going to be in a band and he was going to hit it big. And my other brother, he went between being a tennis star, a golf star—a golf pro, I guess. They all had these big dreams. And my dream? I didn’t have any dreams because I wasn’t really good at anything. I danced, I was in band. But I didn’t have these great aspirations like they did. So she was always encouraging me, but I just wanted to be a teacher. That was my plan. So one day, the last time we were all really together, I forget what the occasion was. We were going out to dinner and my sister was between moving places, and my brothers actually came out with us, and we were having this discussion. They told my mom that if she had a super power, it would be crushing dreams. And they started calling her the Dream Crusher. ‘Cause, you know, she was just saying, “Yes, yes, yes, it’s great you want to be a tennis player but you should go to college and get your degree in teaching.” And so the Dream Crusher kind of evokes that whole time, the last time we were all together, and just how she’s always supported me. She’s the person who told me to write a book. It’s just kind of weird, they call her the Dream Crusher. And yeah, she was the Dream Crusher for them, but for me she was the Dream Builder Upper.

TBiblio: Ah, that's good!

VG: It was just sort me being ironic with her. A lot of people think it’s an angry dedication. But I said it was all her idea, and it really was! She’s the one who told me, “You should write, you should write, you read so much, you should write.“ I didn’t take her seriously for a long, long time. It’s a complicated--.

TBiblio: It's a complicated... but it's a good... Yeah, I figured there was a beautiful story behind it. [*laughter*]

VG: It’s the last time we were together and it’s sort of my thing, you know. “You’re not really the Dream Crusher that everybody thinks you are.” Everyone thinks my mom is really this hard, practical, strict mom, ‘cause she comes off that way. But she’s not. She’s a softie. [*laughter*] She is.

TBiblio: Advice to any teens out there—or anybody, really—who wants to get their work out there? Besides discipline.

VG: Besides just writing, even when you don’t want to, because it’s not always fun? You just gotta do those query letters. What really helped me is I got The [Complete] Idiot’s Guide to Getting Published. I know it sounds lame, but they tell you how to write the query letter. And on Meg Cabot’s blog, she recommended the Jeff Herman’s Guide to [Book Publishers,] Editors and [Literary] Agents. And I got it, and you can just check it out from the library.

TBiblio: YEAH!

VG: And it has a list of agents and editors and what they’re looking for, so you don’t waste your time querying agents that are only doing adult romances if you’re doing YA or only doing Christian romances, you know. So it tells you who to send [query letters to], and what they’re looking for. Write a really good query letter. Really spend a lot of time on that. Because if you don’t, you won’t get your foot in the door. Write a really good query letter, send a bunch out, and be ready for those rejection letters. Don’t let them get you down.

~

The last third of this interview will be available the next Author Monday. (Click here for it!) If you want to check on my amazing transcribing job, or if you want to hear two girls giggling, feel free to listen to the actual audio file of the entire chat.

Happy June, everyone! And happy first day of the Teen Summer Program at the San Antonio Public Library!

YA Lit:: Twilight love/backlash?

2009-05-31T11:59:00.004-04:00

A good friend passed on this hilarious take on Twilight on NPR. The gist? Author Brad Meltzer pulls out the big guns and defends his glee over Twilight because he should be allowed to openly love the famous vampire love triangle. Even if he's not *supposed* to. After all, he's heterosexual and other big men might call him a pansy.

I love Meltzer's argument. It's sweet, articulate manna from a kindred spirit. Dude, I can so relate. Twilight is a guilty pleasure for me too because I'm
~ a librarian
~ an educated feminist
~ a twenty-something looking into my thirties.

I'm supposed to leer at Meyer's simple writing style. I'm supposed to scoff at Bella's weaknesses and insecurities. My girl parts shouldn't melt when-- *Eclipse spoiler*-- Jacob keeps Bella warm with his body heat and Edward has to suck it up.

It's really the second book that cemented my bond with this series. *New Moon spoiler* When Edward abandons Bella and she does idiotic things to bring his voice back... I was sincerely touched. I lost my mother to breast cancer a few years ago and I still hear her inside me sometimes. I still cry when I see round women with the familiar Mexican hips and big booty. I suppose my only consolation is the memories and the fact that my body seems to be headed in the adorably rotund direction too.

I recently looked back at my old MySpace profile that I haven't updated in months. In the section where you get to list the books that mean a lot to you, Twilight is right there, big and bright. You see, I read the book long ago, before the characters were associated with movie actor faces and before avid teen fans turned their backs on it when it became too popular. I saw it there on my profile and cringed. I even thought about editing it away so that it no longer bears shame on me.

But why should I? Yes, in a way, the series' phenomenal popularity has spiraled out of control. And yes, I absolutely despised the ending, which lessened my love for it significantly. Still, the books capture a little something that many books can't fake. For me, these were the books I was reading when I was studying to be a librarian and I was getting ready to get married. They're like songs that remind you of your youth. The Twilight series will forever be tied to my mid-twenties through love and backlash and whatever the future holds for it.

Road Map:: Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas (Mexico)

2009-05-29T19:37:00.006-04:00

As many of you may or may not know, I spent a big chunk of my childhood living on the border, speaking Spanish and watching 80's cartoons like She-Ra and G.I. Joe. I still have family there, so on occasion, we make the trip to my parents' homeland.

It's greatly disheartening that this second hometown of mine has become a battlefield for drugs and violence. The current economic outlook has affected everyone around the world, but Nuevo Laredo started its decline long ago. If you're a citizen of Nuevo Laredo, you take a great risk going out, sometimes even in daylight. Tourism is way down and shops have been going bankrupt for years. The club scene is not as carefree as it was a decade ago. Newspapers aren't reporting incidents ever since the newspaper offices got sprayed with gunfire. Such is the fear that drug lords can create.

See this bumper sticker? It says "Paz en los 2 Laredos vale la pena," which means "Peace in both Laredos. It's worth it." By the 2 Laredos, one means Nuevo Laredo on the Mexican side and Laredo, Texas on the American side. Both cities are physically divided by the Rio Grande (or el Rio Bravo, as I always knew it) but now they're divided by a contrasting number of daily crimes.

I remember the one and only library in Nuevo Laredo in the 80's. It was as large as a normal classroom in the middle of a park square. I have a vague memory of going in once with my mother but not being impressed with the dearth of kiddie books.

Now, though, there are two new-ish options for the literate, and I was able to visit both of them. YEAH!

a) Biblioteca Pública Municipal Profr. Rubén Miranda Villalba
Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas (03.14.09)

My street smart cousin drove us to the library but felt a tad uncomfortable by my jumpy tradition. I realize that I shouldn't call too much attention to ourselves, even in the daytime, but we couldn't resist. This library is really close to a park, where a few men watched me do my ridiculous jumpy "dance."

I wanted to take a light-hearted picture in a somber setting, but don't I look like a bit of a dumbass? My pose either belies my glamourous librarian nature or confirms my dorkiness. I'm fine with either.

More pictures to come, including those taken at Estacion Palabra, a lovely building dedicated to the first man I ever wanted to marry, Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

YA Lit:: 2009 Young Adult Book Challenge Part Deux

2009-05-29T19:29:00.005-04:00

I've interpreted this 2009 Young Adult Book Challenge as a means to entice me to read more YA novels, the old school way. No audio books, no downloads, nothing. Just my eyes on the page. Aw yeah.

Luckily, I have two new titles to report. As usual, the new titles are in italics.

The Possibilities of Sainthood by Donna Freitas
Sucks To Be Me: The All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton, Teen Vampire by Kimberly Pauley
Luna by Julie Anne Peters
Deep in the Heart of High School by Veronica Goldbach

I'm currently reading a couple of other candidates, which will hopefully end up on this list by next month.

Here's to YA lit!

YA Lit:: A-Z Reading Challenge Part Deux

2009-05-29T19:16:00.005-04:00

So this is part deux of my A-Z Reading Challenge. Alas, not much has changed. I was able to add a title to the letter "M"-- a charming picture book in Spanish-- but other than that, I'm dry this month

I also decided to go easy on the list. Instead of listing every single title with the same first letter, I figure one can suffice.

Does anyone out there have the title for a picture book that starts with the letter "X"? Ha ha.

A.
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party, M.T. Anderson

B.
Batman and the Outsiders: The Chrysalis, Chuck Dixon

C.
Chester, Melanie Watt

D.
Dad Runs Away with the Circus, Etgar Keret

E.
Emiko Superstar, Mariko Tamaki

F.
--

G.
--

H.
--

I.
Inubaka (vols. 6 & 7), Yukiya Sakuragi

J.
Janes in Love, Cecil Castellucci

K.
--

L.
Love Roma (vol. 3), Minoru Toyoda

M.
El mejor mariachi del mundo, J.D. Smith

N.
--

O.
Ouran High School Host Club (vol. 1), Bisco Hatori

P.
Plain Janes, Cecil Castellucci

Q.
--

R.
The Rules of Survival, Nancy Werlin

S.
Something Rotten, Alan M. Gratz

T.
Tales of Beedle the Bard, J.K. Rowling

U.
--

V.
A Visitor for Bear, Bonny Becker

W.
Watchmen, Alan Moore

X.
--

Y.
--

Z.
--

YA Lit:: 999 Reading Challenge Part Six

2009-05-29T19:01:00.006-04:00

Another 999 category finished. We are about to hit the mid-year mark, but I think I'm doing aight.

As usual, new entries are in italics.

9 teen books with multicultural characters
~The Possibilities of Sainthood by Donna Freitas
~The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson
~Deep in the Heart of High School by Veronica Goldbach
~The Eternal Smile by Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim
9 teen award-winners
~Japan Ai: A Tall Girl's Adventures in Japan by Aimee Major Steinberger
[YALSA's 2009 Great Graphic Novels for Teens]
~Life Sucks by Jessica Abel
[YALSA's 2009 Great Graphic Novels for Teens]
~Emiko Superstar by Mariko Tamaki and Steve Rolston
[YALSA's 2009 Great Graphic Novels for Teens]
~Luna by Julie Anne Peters
[National Book Award Finalist]
9 graphic novels (Category finished! 05.01.09)
~The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci
~Janes in Love by Cecil Castellucci
~Skim by Mariko Tamaki
~Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore
~Watchmen by Alan Moore
~Awkward and Definition by Ariel Schrag
~Abandon the Old in Tokyo by Yoshihiro Tatsumi
~American Widow by Alissa Torres
~Blankets by Craig Thompson
9 blogs & podcasts
~YALSA blog
~The YA YA YAs
~Stuff You Should Know podcast
~Stuff You Missed in History Class podcast
~Book Lust with Nancy Pearl podcast
9 webcomics
~Unshelved
~Cyanide and Happiness
9 Overdrive audiobooks
~Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
~Something Rotten by Alan M. Gratz
~The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin
~True Story by Bill Maher
~A Brief Chapter in my Impossible Life by Dana Reinhardt
~Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr
9 picture books (Category finished! 04.08.09)
~Dad Runs Away with the Circus by Etgar Keret
~Chester by Melanie Watt
~Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt
~A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker
~Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel
~The Cat's Tale by Doris Orgel
~When Randolph Turned Rotten by Charise Mericle Harper
~Are You Ready to Play Outside? by Mo Willems
~Wink! The Ninja who Wanted to be Noticed by J.C. Phillips
9 non-fiction books
~Obama: The Historic Journey by The New York Times
9 titles I never thought I'd read
~The Coffee Trader by David Liss

And in the face of the often traumatic summer reading programs at public libraries across the nation, I send all you children's and teen librarian a hug for your summer headaches.
(^-^)/

Author Monday:: Interview with YA author Veronica Goldbach [Part One]

2009-05-25T18:14:00.015-04:00

This entry marks the beginning of my Author Mondays, where I shall endeavor to post something author-esque each Monday. Whether it's an interview or a one-shot question, here is a chance for various authors to have their say.

On Friday, May 22nd, Veronica Goldbach and I shared some happy drinks and melded our high school history with our new friendship as author/librarian. (I type this as I listen to My Morning Jacket's sumptuous song "Librarian.")

So when we were nice and warmed up, this is what followed.

TBiblio: So this is TeenBibliotecaria’s Author Monday—even though today’s not Monday. I have this plan now where the first Monday, starting in June, until as long as I can carry it, I’m going to have some kind of author-related blog post. And I’m gonna see how this one goes.
So my guest today [*laughter*] is young adult author Veronica Goldbach. She is a San Antonio native and she has just published a really charming young adult novel called Deep in the Heart of High School. And it’s published by… The pronunciation? I never get it right.

VG: Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux.

TBiblio: Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux.

VG: I don’t know, I could be getting it wrong, too.

TBiblio: No, no, that’s pretty cool. So, first of all, what kind of pushed you to write this book?

VG: Hmm. Okay, well, I was teaching at Irving Middle School here in San Antonio and I got some money from Title I funds—federal funds—to buy books for my classroom library. And I went to Barnes and Noble and started looking for books, and at the time, I couldn’t find a lot of teen books that I felt my 7th and 8th graders could relate to. It seemed like everything was set up north, with upper middle class families with upper middle class characters. And I was looking for something, you know, more working class—more like my own background and my students’ background. So I thought, hmmmm. Maybe I could write a book set here in San Antonio and have my characters be more like people I know.

TBiblio: And was it always a young adult novel from the very beginning or did that come later?

VG: Yeah, it was always a young adult novel ‘cause I was aiming it at my students, my Irving students. And I like young adult novels.

TBiblio: Good! A convert!

VG: [*laughter*] Yes. For researching, I started reading just a lot of YA, and I kind of skipped that when I was, you know, in middle school. I went from [Ann M. Martin’s] The Baby-sitters Club to romance novels. I kind of skipped the whole young adult genre.

TBiblio: Do you think that was because there wasn’t that great [a selection of young adult] literature back then?

VG: It feels like it. I didn’t see a lot of stuff that I was really drawn to.

TBiblio: Now with this young adult explosion, there’s kind of this need to either be romantic or have vampires or be really high-tech.

VG: Yeah.

TBiblio: But your book has some of those elements, but at the same time it’s very organic, there’s not as much technology. Was that intentional from the get-go?

VG: No, it wasn’t really intentional. I just didn’t really… I’m not really a big technology person so maybe that’s why, you know. I’ve got a cell phone. A computer that sometimes works. [*laughter*] That’s about it.

TBiblio: But that’s also what makes it not a fad.

VG: That’s what I was… You know, I was worried about making it sound dated. I thought if I threw iPods in there all the time and then, you know, a few years from now when iPods are passé, it’s gonna be, like, you know.

TBiblio: Exactly. I like the fact that the story could happen at any time ‘cause the characters themselves are pretty timeless archetypes, if that makes any sense.

VG: Cool.

TBiblio: So some writers say that their characters feel like children and that it’s really hard to choose a favorite one. Did you have a favorite one or was there one that you felt you had to be really careful with in terms of what happened to this character?

VG: I shouldn’t say I had a favorite. I’ve said that before but it was more of a misstatement. Fatima has a special place in my heart because she was my editor’s favorite. And so I feel like she kind of got me in with my editor, and a lot of people like her so she’s kind of got a special place in my heart. Olivia, I was real careful what I did with her. She needed a lot of care, I thought. Perhaps I was a little bit too careful with her and her story got a little boring at first, but during many rewrites, I had to toughen her up a little bit. And then I was kind of harsh on her, but she needed it [*laughter*].

TBiblio: School Library Journal mentioned how they liked the development of your male characters? What do you think made them different from what’s out there in young adult fiction right now or from what’s expected of male characters? […] Because they’re lovable but they’re also flawed. They’re not Edward Cullen. […] What do you think made them different from, say, something in Gossip Girl or something in Twilight?

VG: Well, they’re kind of insecure. They’re not really that cool. Carlos thinks he is, but the rest of them… They’re not really very cool. They’re just… But they’re lovable.

TBiblio: They are lovable. Like I said in my review before, one of them doesn’t even have money to pay for a movie ticket. So he may think he’s all that, and he’s in a band, and he feels that all the girls worship him, but—

VG: They’re insecure. I guess they don’t have the money of the Gossip Girls or even the Edward Cullens. What are you gonna do?

TBiblio: Exactly. Another thing I noticed about Olivia, at least, is that one point she mentions that even though she’s half Hispanic, she has a Jewish last name so she feels like she doesn’t get the street cred for being Hispanic. Was that from a personal experience?

VG: [*laughter*]. Yes. Yeah, going to school where we went to school, a Goldbach was not exactly, you know... I’m a light-skinned Goldbach and people didn’t exactly believe that I was Hispanic. Sometimes I’d introduce people to my mom and they’d be, like, “Ooooooh, so you really are Hispanic.” [*laughter*] Just don’t listen to me, okay?

TBiblio: Right right.

VG: Maybe that’s another insecurity of mine, big time. My sister goes out of her way to seem really Hispanic and I pass myself off as Irish sometimes. It just depends, you know. [It's easier to let people think i'm Irish or whatever than to try and explain my complex background. I get tired of trying to prove my Mexicanness and some people never believe me which can be annoying and sometimes hurtful. Then it just gets weird because I feel like I'm trying too hard to be Hispanic so does that mean I'm ashamed of my German or Italian or Irishness? I could go on and on about this.]

TBiblio: [Your book is set in] San Antonio. Vanna starts off idealizing Plano and having a hard time adjusting to San Antonio but then she winds up falling for its charm. What would you say to people who have, maybe, slightly negative preconceived notions of San Antonio or Texas?

VG: There are a lot of those out there.

TBiblio: There are a lot of those out there. Oh my god. They’re shameless!

VG: Yeah. I lived in California for a year and you would not believe what they think of Texas and San Antonio. Thanks to the LA/Spurs tension. People still think we have horses and guns and crazies, and there are some horses and guns and crazies here but… [*laughter*] I’d always tell them, because they’d be like, “Oh you’re from Texas? You don’t have an accent?” In San Antonio we don’t have an accent. In South Texas, it’s different. And I just love San Antonio. I couldn’t stay away from it. I tried for a year but it’s a really great place. We have so much culture and so many different things going on.

TBiblio: What did you miss the most when you were gone?

VG: Well, of course, the Tex Mex food but you’d be surprised. Chicken fried steak! In California, their chicken fried steak is country fried steak and a lot of people don’t know the difference. But there’s a difference! Food, oh, food, big time. And just the pace of San Antonio. We think we’re a small town. Everybody talks to everybody. You can have these long conversations at the checkout, with people you barely know, about the Spurs or whatever’s going on. Whereas in other cities it just seems like, you know, they’re nice. They’re just busy, faster. San Antonio has this nice sorta slow feel. We walk slower, we talk slower. I just like it.

TBiblio: Another thing about San Antonio is, in some ways it’s Little Mexico because we’re practically in Mexico. So there have been political issues regarding immigration and you took a pretty risky step by making Fatima, one of the main characters, part of an immigrant family. Was that intentional or did it just kind of come about?

VG: Like I said, it was written for my students at Irving and I taught ESL there. My students were immigrants. I felt that maybe that needed to be portrayed and not be so… You know, just make it normal. Because there are lots of immigrant families in San Antonio and it’s a pretty normal thing. It’s not, you know, a big deal. And I didn’t realize it was such a risky stance until later on when all the [protests against harsh immigrations laws] were going on. It worked for [Fatima].

TBiblio: That’s wonderful, though, because more stories like that need to be told, I think.

~

This is just the first third of our glorious 30-minute chat. If you're patient, you'll wait for me to put up the rest of the interview in the future. (Actually, you're in luck. Check out part two and part three here.) If you're immediately curious, feel free to click here for the audio podcast, with all its imperfections.

Wow. I had no idea how many times I say the word "um" when on tape, or that I had the recorder closer to me than to Veronica. Well done. Ha ha.

Enjoy and may the force and the YA fandom be with you.

Review:: Deep in the Heart of High School by Veronica Goldbach

2009-05-10T20:08:00.014-04:00

Know what a quinceañera is? A cumbia? A birthday money corsage? How do you give someone ojo?

Veronica Goldbach's charming debut novel Deep in the Heart of High School does what few YA books have done before: cash in on thousands of past and present band geeks by telling a story similar to theirs. This is the tale of three sistah girls brought together by band practice. Vanna has to move to San Antonio from Plano after her parents' divorce, much to her disillusionment. Olivia (pictured on the cover of the book) is a product of family loss and tries desperately to please her mother. Fatima is the resilient and rotund latina who occasionally works construction with her father and helps raise her little brothers. Though their origins are vastly varied, these amigas support each other through their romantic leanings and family issues.

Like most YA lit, this book touches on family dysfunction and death, but breaks free of the mold with themes of extreme shyness, cheating in school, and even immigration. This is a book where mexicanos are-- surprise!-- normal, hard-working people and don't have to prove their worth to anyone for any political purpose.

At times the book feels like it was written for another time. There is little mention of modern technology as it is currently being explored by teens. You'll find no iPods, YouTube, or IM chatting excerpts. In fact, for a book with a heavy theme of music, most of the bands mentioned are old school acts like the Beatles, Santo & Johnny, even Selena. However, this lends a timelessness to the story, almost as if all teens are destined to see oldies-but-goodies Sixteen Candles and Buffy the Vampire Slayer as touchstones of their youth.

And that's what makes this book precious. Instead of trying to capture idealized youth as experienced by so few (ahem, Gossip Girl), this is a book where the parents are actually around to be parents. Here, teens have crappy cars and don't have money to pay for movie tickets. The usual plot formulas don't always apply. After all, how often have you found a story where the chunky girl has the most exciting love life without having to be a slut?

Goldbach paints Texas as a place that really feels like a different country. San Antonio is forever steeped between the cultures of two nations-- the United States and Mexico-- and its presence is as crucial to the story as the girls' choices. San Antonio natives will connect with this story rather easily, given the ingeniously engineered landmark mentions-- ie, the Alamo, the White Rabbit, and China Latina. Still, you don't have to be Hispanic or San Antonian or lost to find this story highly enjoyable.

Rating::
8.21 of 9
Pacing::
Moderate. I mean, this isn't Bring It On or American Pie. Thankfully, there are no catty cheerleaders or band geek playas/dominatrixes. So if that kind of conflict moves the plot along for you, then you might find this slow.
Audience::
Tweens and up. This book is clean, clean, clean. A brief mention of drugs was handled in such a clever fashion that I doubt many parents would protest.
Like it? Try this!::
Well of course I'm going to say Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares. But if you liked this book, you might very well enjoy this review by Alea.
Further Notes::
A friend who also read the book felt that he wanted to "smack" Fatima (playfully, of course) because he found her self-deprecating mentality really grating. When I pointed out that she was so real she felt like someone any of us might know, he kind of stared off into space and agreed. In a world of forced female heroines and neat perfection, it's so refreshing to be exposed to a real girl with real curves and a real brain.

Deep in the Heart of High School. By Veronica Goldbach. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2009. 208 pages. $16.95

YA Author:: TV interview with Veronica Goldbach

2009-05-02T10:51:00.004-04:00

Looking for a book that's *not* set in NY for a change?

Author/teacher Veronica Goldbach-- who was also a good friend of mine in high school-- just came out with her debut novel "Deep in the Heart of High School," which Kirkus calls "enjoyable and notable for its Texas milieu." I have not read it yet because I want to buy it at one of her book signings, but it sounds like the kind of book I would enjoy tremendously.

For a peek at the book, here's her TV interview yesterday morning:

Random:: Nice.

2009-04-30T21:04:00.004-04:00

Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net

YA Lit:: 999 Reading Challenge Part Cinq

2009-04-30T20:12:00.005-04:00

You may remember my 999 Reading Challenge, comprised of 9 books in 9 categories in 2009. Looks like I've finished off the easiest of the groups: picture books. Aw hells yeah!

Now, when will I get cracking on those non-fiction books? And what the hell did I mean by my "titles I never thought I'd read" category? Like, books in Hindi or Greek or something?

As usual, new entries are in italics.

9 teen books with multicultural characters
~The Possibilities of Sainthood by Donna Freitas
~The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson
9 teen award-winners
~Japan Ai: A Tall Girl's Adventures in Japan by Aimee Major Steinberger
[YALSA's 2009 Great Graphic Novels for Teens]
~Life Sucks by Jessica Abel
[YALSA's 2009 Great Graphic Novels for Teens]
~Emiko Superstar by Mariko Tamaki and Steve Rolston
[YALSA's 2009 Great Graphic Novels for Teens]
~Luna by Julie Anne Peters
[National Book Award Finalist]
9 graphic novels (non-manga)
~The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci
~Janes in Love by Cecil Castellucci
~Skim by Mariko Tamaki
~Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore
~Watchmen by Alan Moore
~Awkward and Definition by Ariel Schrag
~Abandon the Old in Tokyo by Yoshihiro Tatsumi
~American Widow by Alissa Torres
9 blogs & podcasts
~YALSA blog
~The YA YA YAs
~Stuff You Should Know podcast
~Stuff You Missed in History Class podcast
~Book Lust with Nancy Pearl podcast
9 webcomics
~Unshelved
~Cyanide and Happiness
9 Overdrive audiobooks
~Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
~Something Rotten by Alan M. Gratz
~The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin
~True Story by Bill Maher
~A Brief Chapter in my Impossible Life by Dana Reinhardt
9 picture books (Category finished! 04.08.09)
~Dad Runs Away with the Circus by Etgar Keret
~Chester by Melanie Watt
~Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt
~A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker
~Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel
~The Cat's Tale by Doris Orgel
~When Randolph Turned Rotten by Charise Mericle Harper
~Are You Ready to Play Outside? by Mo Willems
~Wink! The Ninja who Wanted to be Noticed by J.C. Phillips
9 non-fiction books
~Obama: The Historic Journey by The New York Times
9 titles I never thought I'd read
~The Coffee Trader by David Liss

And now, on to May of '09!
(^-^)/

Road Map:: The Bridges (and Libraries) of Allegheny County, Part I

2009-04-26T14:51:00.008-04:00

I have this thing about putting up library jumpies (pictures of me in front of libraries in mid-air) in the order they were taken, but I'm *so* far behind, you know? I'm starting to feel like the order just isn't important anymore.

So I'm currently on a trip to the Three Rivers so that Husband-san can defend his PhD proposal. This, of course, means I have time to rekindle old friendships, walk across bridges, and jump in front of libraries. Of course, ne?

One of my best friends took me to Mount Washington for a quick bite overlooking the city. Then I saw a woman with a Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh bag, asked her where she got it, and the rest is predictable.

a) Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh- Mount Washington
Pittsburgh, PA (04.25.09)

Ta-da! The last time I'd been to Mount Washington was two and a half years ago at night. People were dressed to the nines as there was a wedding nearby. One of these days I need to jump in my wedding dress... OMG that's brilliant!

Review:: Luna by Julie Anne Peters

2009-04-21T15:25:00.013-04:00

If all civilizations are built upon gender expectations (hunters vs. gatherers, "fathers who want their sons to play baseball" vs. "mothers who want their daughters to take ballet lessons"), then individuals who don't fit their man/woman mold are bound to become very familiar with uncomfortable silences.

In Julie Anne Peters' sisterly/brotherly novel Luna, Liam is technically born a boy but has always felt like a girl inside. He spurs his metamorphosis forward by calling himself Lia Marie or Luna and exploring feminine clothes. And Luna isn't even the main character of the book. It's Luna's sister Reagan, with the boyish name, who tells the story as she squirms and tries to protect her brother. While Liam/Luna is marked by movement and mimicking of feminine body language, Reagan is comparatively immobile. She is indecisive, beats out Bella Swan in the complete-klutz-on-a-date category, and sometimes despises her sibling. In other words, she is the "every teen" while Liam and Luna are both larger than life.

I've read criticism of Luna's "stereotypical" qualities. True, not all male-to-female transgender teens like pink. Not all of them crossdress. Is it so wrong, though, that this one does? I will say, though, that I'd like to see more character flaws in Luna. You're meant to desperately love Luna because she is the kind of sister you might envy-- someone who is brilliant and independently well-off, loves you to bits, and gives you the answers to the Chemistry test you're about to bomb. More importantly, she is meant to put the reader at ease with the thought of being transgender and SRS (sex reassignment surgery).

So, if Luna's near-perfection allows readers to not feel so icky about the gender swap, then I don't mind so much.

Rating::
8.57 of 9
Characterization::
The conversations between Reagan and Liam/Luna really brought this home to me. They could be lighthearted one moment and downright cruel the next. Those two were definitely the most touching part of the equation. Their friend Aly was a minor character but a realistic one, especially with the way she deals with Liam's truth. The rest? Eh. The mother and father could both be rather disconnected and surreal, and I don't know any teen boys who would put up with the way Reagan consistently blows Chris off.
Pacing::
It took me nearly five months to read this book, partly because I started it when I had too many projects going. Each time I picked it up, though, I was completely engrossed. So it's not because it's slow, per se, but because I wanted to enjoy it.
Audience::
Obviously, it's too easy to say this is geared to LGBT readers. The book itself claims it's for anyone who's ever felt invisible. I think this could be a life-changing read for some, and opinion-changing for others.
Like it? Try this!::
I haven't read Ellen Wittlinger's Parrotfish, a novel about a female-to-male transgender teen, but I imagine it's pretty good, especially since I'm a *huge* fan of her novel Hard Love.
Further Notes::
This National Book Award finalist might feel somewhat dated in twenty years, but having the courage to accept the things about you that you cannot control will never go out of style.

Luna. By Julie Anne Peters. Little, Brown, and Company, 2004. 248 pages. $7.99

YA Lit:: A - Z Reading Challenge

2009-04-06T10:15:00.008-04:00

And she can't be stopped. By "she," I mean me, of course.

Through Twitter I found @yalitgoodbadugly, a vivacious teacher-to-be who is really into YA lit. Looking through her blog, I found yet another reading challenge that called my name-- the one where you read books with titles starting with every letter in the alphabet! I'm on it, baby.

Popularity Scale:
So Five Minutes Ago-- Personality Quizzes
In-- Reading Challenges!

My tweaking of the rules for this: I'm including both YA and children's titles read in 2009.

Et voila!

A.
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party, M.T. Anderson
Are You Ready to Play Outside?, Mo Willems
Awkward and Definition, Ariel Schrag
Abandon the Old in Tokyo, Yoshihiro Tatsumi

B.
Batman and the Outsiders: The Chrysalis, Chuck Dixon
Batman: The Killing Joke, Alan Moore
Bad Kitty, Nick Bruel

C.
Chester, Melanie Watt
The Cat's Tale: Why the Years Are Named After Animals, Doris Orgel
The Cardboard Piano, Lynne Rae Perkins

D.
Dad Runs Away with the Circus, Etgar Keret
Dairy Queen, Catherine Gilbert Murdock

E.
Emiko Superstar, Mariko Tamaki

F.
--

G.
--

H.
--

I.
Inubaka (vols. 6 & 7), Yukiya Sakuragi
Into the Woods - Warriors Tigerstar and Sasha (vol. 1), Erin Hunter

J.
Janes in Love, Cecil Castellucci
Japan Ai: A Tall Girl's Adventures in Japan, Aimee Steinberger Major

K.
--

L.
Love Roma (vol. 3), Minoru Toyoda
Loveless (vol. 1), Yun Kouga
Life Sucks, Jessica Abel

M.
--

N.
--

O.
Ouran High School Host Club (vol. 1), Bisco Hatori

P.
Plain Janes, Cecil Castellucci;
The Possibilities of Sainthood, Donna Freitas

Q.
--

R.
The Return of the Killer Cat, Anne Fine
The Rules of Survival, Nancy Werlin

S.
Something Rotten, Alan M. Gratz
Skim, Mariko Tamaki
Scaredy Squirrel, Melanie Watt
Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach, Melanie Watt
Sucks to Be Me: The All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton, Teen Vampire, Kimberly Pauley

T.
Tales of Beedle the Bard, J.K. Rowling

U.
--

V.
A Visitor for Bear, Bonny Becker

W.
Watchmen, Alan Moore
When Randolph Turned Rotten, Charise Mericle Harper

X.
--

Y.
--

Z.
--

For the record, this is a reading challenge I don't mind leaving unfinished at the end of the year. I mean, am I really gonna find a book that begins with 'X'? We shall see...

YA Lit:: 2009 Young Adult Book Challenge

2009-04-05T23:04:00.006-04:00

And 'cos I'm a tool like that, I'm embarking on another reading challenge (in conjunction with my 999 Reading Challenge). This one is relatively simple, though.

Just read 12 young adult novels. One a month. Easy as petting my lovable kitten. Depending on his mood. Sometimes he's a little punk. But sometimes he's like buttah.

Thanks, J. Kaye, for inspiring me to add to my reading pile.

The trick to this one, I think, is reading actual novels the old school way. As in, no downloadable audio books. Just my eyeballs for seeing, my brain for interpreting, and my fingers for turning pages. Oh yeah.

...

Aw man. This is harder than I thought. So far, these are the ones that qualify.

The Possibilities of Sainthood by Donna Freitas
Sucks To Be Me: The All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton, Teen Vampire by Kimberly Pauley

Is this possible? Of the 40 books I've inhaled this year, I only read 2 YA novels? I mean, 22 of those 40 have been YA books, but they've been audio books or graphic novels or manga...

Wow. I need to get on the ball with my old-style reading self.

YA Lit:: We'll miss ya, Minx

2009-03-30T23:32:00.005-04:00

Wait, WHAT???

I honestly had no idea.

Today I finished reading Mariko Tamaki's wonderful graphic novel Emiko Superstar, which I gleefully put on my Goodreads. I do love to see the list add up. :D Then, in reading others' reviews of this wonderful volume, I found out that Minx-- the lovable girl-powah graphic novels line from DC Comics -- bit the dust. And not even recently. This was last fall.

Why?

Was it the economy? Was it the storylines that were relatively clean (read: low on parental piss-off factor)? Was it the "rumor" that girls don't read comics?

It wasn't for lack of hype. The New York Times was a fan. They got accomplished, award-winning authors like Tamaki, Cecil Castellucci, and Andi Watson to write the stories. And the books themselves were pretty well-received.

Gyaah!

Guys, tell us these things. If sales were so murderously disappointing, then let librarians in on the secret. We'll buy those copies off you. Okay, maybe not all of them, but I do think we could rise as one and slay the rumors that these inspiring and enjoyable comics weren't good enough.

Meh.

Road Map:: Seguin and Corpus Christi, TX

2009-03-29T21:04:00.015-04:00

a) Seguin - Guadalupe County Public Library
Seguin, TX (06.06.08)

Scandalous, I know. Showing that much skin in a library pic. You know what's even more shocking? The fact that, at the time of this visit, MySpace was not allowed on *any* of the computers. Yup, it's blocked completely, as if all patrons were still in high school. Granted, I don't know the story that goes with this decision, but I don't understand why they couldn't provide even one computer for this. Surely it's not a bandwidth issue.

They did, however, have a copy of Yasmina Khadra's The Swallows of Kabul. It's easily the most depressing book I've ever read. Easily. I had to read a chapter a week, it made me so emotional. And yet it has one of my favorite quotes:

"In love, even beasts are divine."

b) Corpus Christi Public Library
Corpus Christi, TX (06.20.08)

Believe it or not, this was my first trip to Corpus, home of Selena and the beach. I was surprised to find that the library does not have a teen librarian at all, and I'm sure that hasn't changed, given the current economic depression. The staff was uber friendly and helpful, though.

c) Cafe Maya Restaurant

This is the first time I sneak a restaurant experience into my jumpy entries, but oh!

The margaritas!

The salsa!
The chips and salsa!

My svelte Mexican figure! (Ha ha. :D)

And I couldn't leave Corpus Christi without a Facebook profile pic of me and the water.
Libr'ry roads, take me home.

Random:: Twitter teachings in YA lit

2009-03-28T20:57:00.007-04:00

Remember those books you used to read as a kid about the ghosts of decades past? A book on the 60s would make sure to mention JFK, Twiggy, and the Beatles. The 80s? The Brat Pack, Reaganomics, and Boy George.

Speaking of, what are we calling this decade? We're months away from 2010, which will probably be fashioned after the Roaring Twenties . Will they be the Tantalizing Tens (if the economy magically ameliorates)? Toasty Tens (if global warming continues doing its thang)? And will this current decade be known as the aughts? According to Urban Dictionary-- and we all know they are an impeccable and infallible source, ha ha-- this is so.

But I digress.

This is for the history books / decade celebrations. March of 2009 is, like, the month of Twitter. I'd heard of Twitter as early as 2006 or 2007 and mostly resisted it, until I realized it's chock full of info goodies that any librarian would gasp over. Now, though, it's out of frikkin' proportion. I've heard the words Twitter and tweets in the media as often as audiences woot for Stephen Colbert.

So, behold! Things I would have never, ever, EVER known had it not been for Twitter, thereby not making it the Devil's Spawn.

@maureenjohnson. This woman thinks in Twitter status updates. Seriously. Check her out.
@mitaliperkins. I've met Mitali so I know how gracious she is. Even better, she posted an awesome Twitter list of YA authors. Much needed!
@realjohngreen. He wonders if, now that he has more Twitter friends than Facebook friends, Twitter is taking over. Oh, Real John Green. Yes, gauchos will soon be texting haiku to their Twitter. It's here and not going away.
@halseanderson. As I type this, Laurie Halse Anderson is an hour's drive away signing books in Austin. Curses! Had I known about it, I would have made the effort to go. Although now that I know about it and can't do anything, I'm a tad disillusioned.
@hopelarson. She loves to tweet about food. So she's talented, adorable, *and* a foodie. Amazing in more ways than one.
@rclementmoore. I've heard of the Printz. I've heard of the Pura Belpre. The RITA is relatively new to me. Congrats to Rosemary Clement-Moore, who is a finalist in the YA romance category. RITA is sponsored by the Romance Writers of America, and I'm thrilled that such an organization is keeping track of YA romances!

And oh, we're just getting started! Alas, I have to be logging off. My friend's tweets are encouraging me to take part in Earth hour.

Ta!

YA Lit:: 999 Reading Challenge Part Quatre

2009-03-22T13:55:00.009-04:00

It's only been a couple of weeks or so since my last update but I want to *slay* this challenge. The more I think about it, the more likely I am to, you know, do it. The more I post about it... you get the point.

Plus, I'm beginning to see the dangers of the list I created, in terms of overlapping. Technically I've read graphic novels (category 3) that are also award-winners (category 2). Some non-fiction books (category 8) are books I never thought I'd read (category 9). Does that mean each book can only apply to one category, or shall I apply some cheating rules here?

Would that make me a naughty librarian?

As usual, new entries are in italics.

9 teen books with multicultural characters
~The Possibilities of Sainthood by Donna Freitas
9 teen award-winners
~Japan Ai: A Tall Girl's Adventures in Japan by Aimee Major Steinberger
[YALSA's 2009 Great Graphic Novels for Teens]
9 graphic novels (non-manga)
~The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci
~Janes in Love by Cecil Castellucci
~Skim by Mariko Tamaki
~Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore
~Watchmen by Alan Moore
~Awkward and Definition by Ariel Schrag
9 blogs
~YALSA blog
~The YA YA YAs
9 webcomics*
9 Overdrive audiobooks
~Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
~Something Rotten by Alan M. Gratz
~The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin
9 picture books
~Dad Runs Away with the Circus by Etgar Keret
~Chester by Melanie Watt
~Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt
~A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker
~Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel
~The Cat's Tale by Doris Orgel
~When Randolph Turned Rotten by Charise Mericle Harper
9 non-fiction books
~Obama: The Historic Journey by The New York Times
9 titles I never thought I'd read
~The Coffee Trader by David Liss

* So I put webcomics on here to kind of kick start me into the regular perusal of such jewels. Well, it hasn't worked. I love webcomics but they don't keep my interest over a period of time. I'll tell you what I *do* enjoy, though. Podcasts. Next time, I think I'll have a new category: "webcomics and podcasts." Why the hell not?

And to welcome my podcast category, voila! Here's a comic by Greg Williams of the Tampa Tribune doing a pretty amazing job of capturing the essence of Chuck and Josh of the How Stuff Works podcast.

Ha!

Road Map:: Small-town Texas

2009-03-21T18:50:00.012-04:00

I know.

I know you see the date on these pictures. They were taken in June last year and they're just now going up. I know. I've been trying to spread out the love, keep some pix just in case I go through a dry library spell, but this is just ridiculous.

In any case, here are some pictures of what appears to be a leisurely drive down Texas roads. Though, of course, it wasn't. We were moving from Pennsylvania, this was our second day driving, and we were exhausted. And even then, we stop for library pictures.

Speaking of Pennsylvania, my homegirl from Bethlehem visited me in SA once and said she couldn't take the skyline. There aren't mountains to fill up the view so the sky just looks too big. Well, miluv, here ya go:

She's right. That's a whole lot of sky. But not as threatening as going from Pittsburgh-level sunshine (2 on a scale from 1 to 10) to San Antonio-level sunshine (152 on a scale from 1 to 10).

In any case, on to some small-town Texas libraries.

a) J.B. Nickells Memorial Library
Luling, TX (06.06.08)

b) Tri-Community Library
Prairie Lea, TX (06.06.08)

Do you *see* those summer hours? They're only open twice a week. Wow. Voici my anime trapezoid mouth of alarm.

And the thing is, this was last summer. The climate for libraries is getting worse. My library system is no longer hiring and I feel so fortunate that I was able to sneak in less than a year before this unfortunate decision.

Road Map:: Carnegie in Texas

2009-03-16T11:04:00.006-04:00

a) Carnegie Memorial Library
Lake Charles, TX (06.06.08)

And so I put on my San Antonio Spurs shirt as we entered Texas through Louisiana.

Seeing Carnegie libraries in Texas makes me ecstatic because they're not as common as they are in, say, Pennsylvania. Yeah!

Road Map:: More Louisiana love

2009-03-16T10:49:00.007-04:00

a) State Library of Louisiana
Baton Rouge, LA (06.05.08)

Occasionally we park illegally to get the right library pic. This was one of those cases. Luckily we haven't had the cops come after us-- for parking anyway. More on our getting-surrounded-by-cop-cars story later.

b) West Baton Rouge Parish Library
Baton Rouge, LA (06.05.08)

Dang. That's a lot of CliffsNotes.

Random:: Twitter posse

2009-03-12T22:11:00.005-04:00

I'm on Justina Chen Headley's Twitter Mosaic.

Guess which one is me... Hint: I'm towards the very bottom and I have bright green hair. :D

Random:: Nothing in particular...

2009-03-12T21:34:00.002-04:00

Mind if I share my racing thoughts?

summer reading oh my GOD and i'm totally in love with rilo kiley more than ever and i need to finish this book before tonight but i haven't even touched it even though i've been really enjoying it plus i have a downloaded book that i've been meaning to listen to but i'm also all over my podcasts and oh i wanted to check out the how stuff works blog. or blah-oog, as i like to call them. and we've done the best that we could to advertise this author visit and i really REALLY hope it pays off especially the workshop and i hope she's not disappointed and did i mention that i've also been enamoured with cat power again? but mostly rilo kiley. something about them. i need to read and watch. maybe i'll just do what i want to do and pet the cat in the closest resemblance of peace i can muster?

Lately it feels like my brain is doing this ALL. the. TIME. I'm exhausted.

So instead of letting my mind wander the way Elizabeth did in Eat Pray Love--wait, they're making a movie of it? And Julia Roberts is going to be in it? Quoi??? Ugh. Um yeah, instead of doing that, let me wander around online and catch up on my blogs and everything... Oh! Well I *have* to try this:

::Cinco cosas I'm addicted to::

Being a teen librarian. Sometimes it feels like I have a decent grasp on my profession but other times I feel like I've only barely scratched the surface. So I do what I can to catch up. And I absolutely love it. Most of the time.
Visiting libraries when I travel. I mean, have you *seen* my jumpies? Ha ha.
Watching TV when it's not actually on TV. Whether it's borrowing DVDs from the library (Ugly Betty, The Office, Freaks and Geeks) or letting Hulu do the work (Daily Show, Colbert Report, Dollhouse), there's nothing better than snuggling with husband in the evening and going PLOP.
Sticking to my "non-diet" diet. I'm doing well so far but if I even get slightly distracted, I'm toast. :D
Finding a slash. I'm a librarian, right? Sometimes that doesn't feel like enough. What about "librarian/linguist"? Or "librarian/weaver of non-descript awesomeness." Something!

YA Lit:: 2009 Tayshas Reading List

2009-03-04T12:31:00.004-05:00

When the idea of becoming a librarian was barely a twinkle in my eye, I remember having a conversation with a young adult librarian. She told me she was on a reading committee and received boxes of books on a near constant basis. How glamorous!

Seriously, Perez Hilton can have his funky hair and his celebrity sightings. I'd rather be in my grotty capris at home, dreaming about boxes of free books. (Some of which I wouldn't actually read to the end, but still.)

So I asked her, with *such* glee: "Are you on the Printz committee?" She said no, she was on the Tayshas committee. I didn't even know how to spell that when she said it.

They basically compile a reading list of various current books for Texas high school students. Out of the 69 books on this year's list, I've only read 4. Four! Ah, the shame.

These include:

Alexie, Sherman. Flight.
Friedman, Aimee. Breaking Up.
Green, John. Paper Towns.
Kim, Derek Kirk. Good as Lily.

Wow. Does this mean I need to get cracking?

YA Lit:: 999 Reading Challenge Part Trois

2009-03-04T12:16:00.005-05:00

Just a wee update, now that we're in the beginning of March. New additions in italics. :D

9 teen books with multicultural characters
~The Possibilities of Sainthood by Donna Freitas
9 teen award-winners
9 graphic novels (non-manga)
~The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci
~Janes in Love by Cecil Castellucci
~Skim by Mariko Tamaki
~Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore
9 blogs
9 webcomics
9 Overdrive audiobooks
~Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
~Something Rotten by Alan M. Gratz
9 picture books
~Dad Runs Away with the Circus by Etgar Keret
~Chester by Melanie Watt
~Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt
9 non-fiction books
~Obama: The Historic Journey by The New York Times
9 titles I never thought I'd read
~The Coffee Trader by David Liss

I don't have very long to really get cracking!

ALA '09:: Chicago? I'm so there.

2009-02-18T14:17:00.005-05:00

So I just found out yesterday that I, fo' sho', am going to Chicago for the ALA conference. Yeah! I've never been to Chicago, which is kind of weird since I'm pretty well-traveled and I did drive through Illinois once or twice. Just not Chicago.

Before my suga momma gave me the green light to start booking flights and whatnot, she told me, "Do us good."

I. Will totally. Represent.

Road Map:: Animoto Jumpies, Part Deux

2009-01-31T13:37:00.002-05:00

SAPL branches galore!
Or, as many as would fit within 30 seconds.

Road Map:: Animoto Jumpies, Part Un

2009-01-31T11:41:00.004-05:00

Thanks to groserita for reminding me about the existence of Animoto.

And here is something I've been wanting to do for a long, long time. These jumpies are from Colorado, New Mexico, New York, Texas...

YA Author:: Interview with James Kennedy

2009-01-30T12:50:00.005-05:00

During the ALAN '07 conference, John Green called his spiel "OMFG. Can we please give teens some credit? OMFG!"

During a presentation by M.T. Anderson (which you can listen to for free if you subscribe to the Seattle Public Library Teens Podcast), Tobin insisted that he felt he didn't have to dumb down his Octavian Nothing novels for a youthful audience. After all, teens can read inquisitively and intelligently too.

For further proof of the sheer brilliance of teens, watch the Evanston Public Library Teen Advisory Board interview award-winning YA author James Kennedy, soulful creator of the fantastic novel The Order of the Odd-Fish.

I mean, wouldn't you agree that these teens ask pretty damn good questions? Well done, seriously, guys.

For more Odd-Fish fun, try looking through these reviews: O D D

Road Map:: New Orleans

2009-01-30T11:24:00.011-05:00

This is the way many of us want to remember New Orleans:

The light shining just right. Bourbon Street being called "Rue Bourbon." Iconic buildings.

My husband and I were so looking forward to our trip there to, you know, do our thing. Take pictures. Explore. Eat lots! We wanted to inhale Creole and Cajun and everything we had yet to discover. Alas, that was not our experience.

The food was expensive and not all that exciting. The service was, well, just okay. A man with an eye twitch asked me where I was from, and I rarely answer this type of question honestly, but I did tell him I'm from San Antonio. What ensued was an uncomfortable silence and my secret wish to be a better liar. I should have used Poteet, Laredo, Waco, anywhere! Just not the city that shamefully tried to steal their football team as they struggled to keep their community together.

And keeping it together is exactly what they're working so hard to do. How can I really complain about my "diminished New Orleans experience" after what the community has endured?

All I really could do was take my library jumpies and be on my way. The thing is, though, that I know I simply must go back in the future. The community needs the support and I do appreciate how the library realm is doing its part, in a way. The 2011 Annual ALA conference will be in New Orleans, and I do believe ALA was the first conference to go there after Katrina back in '06.

We traveled long and hard on the day we went to New Orleans, so I could not fully appreciate their library by going in. Still, here's the finished product.

a) New Orleans Public Library
New Orleans, LA (06.05.08)

Road Map:: Alabama and Mississippi

2009-01-30T10:59:00.008-05:00

a) Ben May Main Library
Mobile, AL (06.05.08)
b) Biloxi Public Library
Biloxi, MS (06.05.08)

Our rather credible source told us that the library in Biloxi was here, but when we arrived, it was obvious that it was no longer there. A passerby informed us that there was a library trailer nearby, but seeing as how I suck at directions, we simply took this pic in front of the old building. This was my attempt at doing a trapezoid mouth, so common in manga, to vent my frustration. After what the area went through during the Katrina disaster, though, I wonder if this picture is a bit... inappropriate. Still, I'd rather document and not censor our experiences during our adventurous library travels.

Road Map:: Florida

2009-01-29T23:50:00.008-05:00

[As some of you know, I go to libraries around the world and take a picture in front of them in mid-air. This seems a bit too whimsical in light of the possibility that Florida libraries may no longer get state funding. I want to remind people, though, how essential libraries are to our communities! --vg 05.02.09]

a) Volusia County Library Center
Daytona Beach, FL (06.01.08)

b) Robert Morgade Library
Stuart, FL (06.01.08)

c) Pensacola Public Library
Pensacola, FL (06.05.08)

YA Lit:: 999 Reading Challenge Part Deux

2009-01-29T23:26:00.004-05:00

Thanks to my GoodReads account, I'm able to verify that I'm already ahead on some of these.

9 teen books with multicultural characters
9 teen award-winners
9 graphic novels (non-manga)
~The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci
~Janes in Love by Cecil Castellucci
9 blogs
9 webcomics
9 Overdrive audiobooks
~Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
~Something Rotten by Alan M. Gratz
9 picture books
~Dad Runs Away with the Circus by Etgar Keret
9 non-fiction books
9 titles I never thought I'd read
~The Coffee Trader by David Liss
(I mean, it's a historical financial mystery. Not my average fare, fo' sho'.)

YA Lit:: 999 Reading Challenge

2009-01-29T12:51:00.005-05:00

I love making lists. Filling them out and-- *drool*-- crossing them out. I'm all about a sense of accomplishment.

For those of you who also crave a little structure you may think about taking up the 999 Reading Challenge. No, you don't need to read 999 books. You are, however, encouraged to read 9 books in 9 categories in '09. You know, if a similar challenged had been cooked up back '01, I would sooo have been there.

So here are the categories I'll be sure to revisit later in the year:

9 teen books with multicultural characters
9 teen award-winners
9 graphic novels
9 blogs
9 webcomics
9 Overdrive audiobooks
9 picture books
9 non-fiction books
9 titles I never thought I'd read

What might yours be?

SAPL 23 Things: Cosa Numero 23

2009-01-28T15:33:00.006-05:00

Yay! Now I can go back to blogging about the things I normally discuss: library jumpies, personal experiences, and the like.

You know, I'm glad I've been doing these 23 Things because:
a) it got me blogging again on a regular basis
b) I now have more experience with certain things I'd ignored like Rollyo and Google Reader

I have to say I wasn't originally so interested in doing this program because I technically already knew a lot of this. However, the prizes were definitely a nice incentive and I did surprise myself by finding new websites-- ie, obsessions to explore ad nauseum. Yes, if there were another program like this, chances are good that I'd do it again.

My favorite activity, by far, was the image generator. To commemorate this awesome Cosa Numero 5, here's my very own LOLcat image.

SAPL 23 Things: Cosa Numero 22

2009-01-28T13:44:00.004-05:00

An exercise in hatred and love.

I pretty much despise NetLibrary. I think it's a fantastic resource but one I would not use personally. I'm just not an e-books gal. The techie revolution is not a bad thing in my mind. I love printing out online articles so I don't have to mess with a copy machine. I love listening to audio books that I can easily download. I will *not* read a book online. I would read it too fast and not really absorb as much as I would on the printed page. So yeah. Maybe I could deal with DailyLit but no NetLibrary for me.

Overdrive, however, is a blessing. Yes, it's clunky, and yes, the titles aren't always the best, but I *luv* listening to books while cooking/cleaning/driving. When sick, I just download one of those babies and press play. Oh, it's glorious.

I continue to be an Overdrive fan. In fact, it's my goal to listen to at least 9 titles this year, as part of a self-imposed 9 books in 9 categories in 2009 scheme, thanks to the folks over in Children's. Upon checking my trusty GoodReads account, I can see that I've already done 2 this year: The Dairy Queen, which is fabulous, and Something Rotten, which is based on Hamlet, so it's also pretty good.

SAPL 23 Things: Cosa Numero 21

2009-01-28T13:33:00.006-05:00

We've gotten to the techie part that's currently running my life. Podcasts. Specifically, Stuff You Should Know and Stuff You Missed in History Class, which you can get from the How Stuff Works website, under the podcasts tab. I've just been getting them off iTunes for the past couple of weeks, but I suppose it's easier to do it through Google Reader.

My absolute fervor over podcasts is unequalled, except maybe for when I discovered Facebook. Maybe. It's relatively easy to log on to Facebook. Getting a podcast to my phone or wimpy mp3 player is slower, like a religious tradition. In knowledge we trust.

When did I get this nerdy? And wait, there's an Ask a Ninja podcast?! YEAAAAHHH~!

SAPL 23 Things: Cosa Numero 20

2009-01-27T12:36:00.005-05:00

Throughout my intimate history with YouTube, I don't think I've found a more rad video than this one.

Kudos to Sister Salad, who I now feel I know personally.

I chose this video because it's an entertaining and hilarious take on English grammar and how it's being butchered by the so-called YouTube generation. You know what I love best about this video? It's done by a couple of beautiful and talented young women.

SAPL 23 Things: Cosa Numero 19

2009-01-27T12:16:00.003-05:00

Wow. So apparently everyone can be Rachael Ray.

I'm Cooked is the first place winner by Web 2.0 Award in the food category. You can share recipes and even videos of you cooking up a storm. Of note are the videos by "muscle meals." He is prolific and, man, does he love to be seen wearing a muscle shirt. I suppose it's his shtick. He has a recipe for goat cheese po... I'm salivating so much I can't even type it. Goat. Cheese. Polenta. *drool*

A while back, one of our librarians at our department hosted vegetarian cooking classes for our teens. I can see how she could have filmed herself and participants could have gone over her "performance" on a computer if she had an account with I'm Cooked.

I love that it's like Goodreads but with recipes. There is something powerful about a site that allows you to amass your own posse.

SAPL 23 Things: Cosa Numero 18

2009-01-27T12:04:00.002-05:00

I've been using Google Docs-- especially the document and spreadsheet features-- for almost a couple of years now. I'm currently sharing some of my files, but I'd rather not publish them. They're personal and top secret. Mua ha ha.

I have used Google Docs both at home and work. In fact, the friend who married my husband and me sent his rough draft of his speech to us through Google Docs so we could review it. Ah, good memories.

I did run into a problem with Google Docs, though. You can share your document with specific people, but you can upload a document to share it with the general public unless they have a Google Docs log in. This kind of made matters a bit difficult for us, but Zoho Viewer was much easier to share in that respect.

SAPL 23 Things: Cosa Numero 17

2009-01-27T11:48:00.003-05:00

Well, this was kind of exciting.

I was able to create a list of my favorite restaurants in SA on this wiki. You'll be able to tell which is mine:

Favorite Restaurants:: San Antonio, TX
Guillermo's Deli
El Milagrito
Turquoise
Niki's Tokyo Inn

I think I captured a pretty good blend there: glorious sandwiches, Mexican, Mediterranean, Japanese... Man, now I'm starving.

Bad, bad idea.

SAPL 23 Things: Cosa Numero 16

2009-01-27T10:42:00.004-05:00

Ah, wikis. They make me think of Chewbacca the Wookie.

The Book Lovers Wiki by the Princeton Public Library is one that I find could be very interesting and useful, although on a personal level, I would love to see some teen reads. Go Librarian Chick wiki! Thanks for giving some love to young adult literature.

I've found wikis about library conferences uber useful. I was able to find a roommate that way, so rock on. What a way to take the edge out of planning for a conference trip. :D

SAPL 23 Things: Cosa Numero 15

2009-01-25T13:25:00.003-05:00

I've recently heard someone describe a co-worker as being "very 2.0." Fascinating. It's amazing how technology affects day-to-day terminology.

I'm all for Library 2.0, especially when Michael Stevens refers to the library as human. Absolutely! As Jennifer Velasquez frequently says about teen services: "We're not in the book business. We're in the relationship business." Brilliant!

I'm still a relatively new librarian so there is much that I'm willing to learn and explore. Bring it on.

SAPL 23 Things: Cosa Numero 14

2009-01-25T13:13:00.004-05:00

Let me just say that I hate the way the Technorati website looks, but I do think it's an amazing website.

So part of the exercise is to do the following: "Explore popular blog, searches and tags. Is anything interesting or surprising in your results?"

Yes. I'm always amazed at the top searches. Like when you keep seeing Britney on Yahoo's top searches when she hasn't done anything interesting for months. (And I realize that the term "interesting" is subjective when it applies to her.) Although check this out. Technorati Top Search #4: Jennifer Garner. Really? I mean, I know she just had a baby and she is pretty awesome. But #4? Really? I'm surprised that Vanessa Minnillo is on the list but Stephenie Meyer is not. Am I missing something?

On a positive note, I commend Technorati for having decent, legible Captcha words during the registation process. MySpace insists on having users fill out Captcha fields when they're not real words and the letters run together.

Okay, rant over. That is all.

SAPL 23 Things: Cosa Numero 13

2009-01-25T12:59:00.004-05:00

I can see why social bookmarking is hot. I really do. I just haven't caught on to it. A year or two ago, a friend sent me an invitation to use StumbleUpon. A few months ago, another friend sent a pretty wonderful bundle of links. Eh. To this day, I haven't done anything with Delicious or StumbleUpon. It's useful. It's informative. It's easy to use. I still ignore it.

However, poking around websites led me this fabulous Nancy Pearl Flickr album. I feel like a bit of a tool for becoming her latest fangirl but I simply bask in her glorious author podcasts. And hey, she got an action figure made by simply being awesome and not kicking ass in the literal sense. Go Nancy!

I have to say, though, I love that first video on the 23 Things site explaining social bookmarking. It does a beautiful job of making the whole aspect of tagging not confusing.

SAPL 23 Things: Cosa Numero 12

2009-01-25T12:44:00.005-05:00

My Rollyo, which I'm experiencing for the first time, has been one of the more difficult projects because I would have loved to do a manga one, but that was already one of the examples. I want to be different! So I chose to do one on hot teen reads. You may think that this was easy for me since all I do is breathe teen vibes all day long but it took me awhile to really get the creative juices flowing.

That may be 'cos my kitten wants lots of love right now, though.

SAPL 23 Things: Cosa Numero 11

2009-01-25T11:02:00.003-05:00

This entry is dedicated to Goodreads, the online catalog I've been a fan of for the past year. I have a LibraryThing account-- in fact, I've had it for several years-- but I love how accessible and friend-friendly Goodreads is. I love to see what other people are reading, how often, and all that. I love lists so knowing that others can see what I read definitely kicks my reading booty in high gear.

You'll be able to see my book montage to the left here. What are you reading?

SAPL 23 Things: Cosa Numero 10

2009-01-25T10:43:00.006-05:00

Okay, this has been my favorite activity so far. My best gal is in Pittsburgh and I miss her terribly, so I felt the need to give her this gift. She's gonna love it!

Click here if you want to use this image generator. It's made of awesome.

SAPL 23 Things: Cosa Numero 9

2009-01-24T22:21:00.003-05:00

Okay, now we're really getting rolling. Yeah!

So in terms of RSS feeds a la 23 Things, I can honestly say that I'm having a grand time with Wowbrary's presence on both my iGoogle homepage and my new Google Reader account. I've been a huge fan of Wowbrary ever since a colleague shoved it down my throat, and that's because it's AMAZING! Well, now I can view each entry, item by luscious item, through my Reader. If I had doubts about using Google Reader before, they're gone now, because I really am obsessed with Wowbrary. And really, could they have found a more lame name than "Wowbrary"?

But I digress.

I'm not entirely convinced that DailyLit is for me. I've long realized that I read books but I skim websites. Something about the screen's brightness... or maybe knowing that I have so much information in front of me... It's just too much. So I have signed up for DailyLit because I might enjoy Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (in 37 installments) or some of Rudyard Kipling's stories, like How the Leopard Got His Spots. I have a special place in my heart for Rudyard Kipling since my mother was such a fan.

SAPL 23 Things: Cosa Numero 8

2009-01-24T13:56:00.002-05:00

Yay! As fun as the other projects have been, this is the first one where I feel like I'm learning something new. I'd heard of Google Reader but I hadn't really experienced it like this before. Thanks, 23 Things!

So I now have a Google Reader account and my eyes can rest easy. It's easy to read. Although, like my Twitter account, this will take some getting used to. Not in the sense that it's hard to maneuver-- as I find most Google stuff pretty self-explanatory-- but it's not currently in my repertoire. Maybe I can make it my homepage on Firefox for a few days so it just becomes second nature. Although, I'm going to need a lot of time to actually go through the content.

That, my friends, is something that no amount of technology can help me with. I can usually find stuff to fill my day pretty quickly. :D

SAPL 23 Things: Cosa Numero 7

2009-01-24T13:43:00.002-05:00

Ah, technology. When I was 12, I was the family expert on recording TV and movies onto VHS. I'd bring my small stereo close to the TV speaker and record my favorite Disney songs onto a cassette tape, which I'd then slaughter by playing too often.

Now, I can listen to the "Stuff You Missed in History Class" podcast on my Bluetooth headphones and cell while I cook. I can watch a DVD on my laptop as I go to sleep. I can check my email on my phone, even if I'm driving through desolate New Mexico. Life is beautiful.

It seems like every year brings something new, you know? I've only had email for 10 years now but I can't imagine life without it. I've only had a CD burner for 5 but it's been wicked. I've only had a portable mp3 player for 1 but it keeps me happy on the bus without too much fuss.

And this is where you might go, "You've only had a portable mp3 player for one year?" Well, yeah. I couldn't afford one. I felt really out of the loop for years because it was the type of technology everyone wanted, and usually had, but I didn't. I remember what elementary school was like when everyone had L.A. Gear tennis shoes but my parents couldn't buy me any.

So while technology connects, it also divides.

SAPL 23 Things: Cosa Numero 6

2009-01-24T00:10:00.002-05:00

As much as I loved Flickr's Montager, I truly got a kick out of the "librarian trading card." Isn't mine adorable?

The picture was taken in February of 2008 in front of Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh - Main. We sure don't get that much snow here in SA! :D

SAPL 23 Things: Cosa Numero 5

2009-01-23T23:45:00.002-05:00

I've had a Flickr account for quite some time but I'm not a fan of having to pay once you reach the 200 photo limit. I'm a bigger fan of Picasa nowadays...

However, in keeping with the 23 Things Project, here's a recent picture of my beloved Rumi. He keeps scratching and biting, but with that face, it's hard not to forgive.

SAPL 23 Things: Cosa Numero 4

2009-01-23T14:17:00.002-05:00

I have to say, especially at the tail end of a year, it's so easy to want to evaluate little things. How much did I exercise? How many classes should I have taken? How many books did I read?

An entry from the library blog Off the Mark makes me want to take a look at all the books I read last year, and Goodreads helps tremendously. If my math is correct, I read a total of 86 books in '08, which amounts to a little over 7 per month.

Still, the thing about evaluating a year's worth of reading, though, is that it makes you wish you'd tackled more.

SAPL 23 Things: Cosa Numero 3

2009-01-22T23:44:00.002-05:00

Cosa numero 3 is all about getting a blog, something that I believe I've already done a while back. I'd get a new one, but I really want to show off my jumpy pictures!

SAPL 23 Things: Cosa Numero 2

2009-01-22T22:15:00.004-05:00

I realize that I have a little over a week to learn what the 23 Things should have taught me for the past 2 months, but I'm a late bloomer and I can make more time for this now. So here I am, a student of... good stuff, for lack of a better term at the mo.

As I get older I realize that I'm a bigger nerd than I could have imagined. I'm a lifelong learner, baby! So here are the 7.5 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners.

1. Begin with the end in mind.
2. Accept responsibility in your own learning.
3. View problems as challenges.
4. Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner.
5. Create your own learning toolbox.
6. Use technology to your advantage.
7. Teach and mentor others.
7.5. Play!

I have to admit, #3 may be the hardest for me. I feel like I'm not a sourpuss when it comes to problems but it would be pretty sweet to look a problem in the eye the way Clint Eastwood might. Ha ha.

As for what comes easiest, I'd say it's a tie between #5 and #6. I do seek out filler for my "toolbox" through research and trial and error. I do have a book, mp3 player, GPS, and mobile phone internet pretty much wherever I go. I also am having a blast with technology. I'm currently enamoured with downloaded audiobooks and library podcasts. I think I might have to be a Nancy Pearl fangirl!

Road Map:: South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida

2009-01-19T19:28:00.008-05:00

And so I'm back to post more luscious jumpies from the past summer.

a) Charleston County Public Library
Charleston, SC (05.30.08)

b) Carnegie Library
Savannah, GA (05.31.08)

You know? I don't remember which one this is but I can hopefully keep looking. Till then, check out this magnificent list of Carnegie Libraries in South Carolina.

c) Ormond Beach Regional Library
Ormond Beach, FL (05.31.08)

d) Holly Hill Public Library
Holly Hill, FL (05.31.08)

Random:: That meme again ('cos it's so awesome)

2009-01-18T17:54:00.004-05:00

* Get the book nearest to you. Right now.
* Go to page 56.
* Find the 5th sentence.
* Write this sentence as status.
* Copy these instructions as commentary of your sentence.
* Don't look for your favourite book or your coolest but really the nearest.

"Negi can't answer you right away so please don't ask her difficult questions."
--Love Roma, vol. 5

Road Map:: South Carolina

2009-01-18T17:31:00.013-05:00

I had the second best BBQ in SC, at a place called Palmetto's. Student discounts. Deliciousness. *drool*

a) Spartanburg County Public Library
Spartanburg, SC (05.30.08)

Correct me if I'm wrong but I do believe this is the Headquarters.

b) Richland County Public Library
Columbia, SC (05.30.08)

c) Holly Hill Library
Holly Hill, SC (05.30.08)

Road Map:: North Carolina

2009-01-18T17:09:00.008-05:00

In some ways, this was the promised land. I mean, Tori is originally from here. ("Do you know Carolina / where the biscuits are soft and sweet?") Plus, two of my favorite cartoonists live there. :D And they were gracious enough to spend a bit of time with us.

a) Coffee with Hope Larson and Bryan Lee O'Malle y
Asheville, NC (05.29.08)

b) Pack Memorial Library
Asheville, NC (05.30.08)

c) Henderson County Public Library
Hendersonville, NC (05.30.08)

d) Soft and sweet biscuits at The Moose Cafe
Asheville, NC (05.30.08)

Road Map:: Back to Maryland and Tennessee

2009-01-18T16:58:00.004-05:00

These pictures are from my move from up there (the northeast) to down here.

a) Elkton Central Library
Elkton, MD (05.27.08)

b) Enoch Pratt Free Library
Baltimore, MD (05.27.08)

c) Johnson City Public Library
Johnson City, TN (05.29.08)

Road Map:: DC, MD, DE

2009-01-18T16:28:00.013-05:00

As in, District of Columbia. Maryland. Delaware. Aw yeah.

a) Ah... The Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress... Hott!
Washington, DC (05.06.08)

b) Washington County Free Library
Hagerstown, MD (05.06.08)

c) Wilmington Public Library
Wilmington, DE (05.27.08)

d) New Castle County Library
New Castle, DE (05.27.08)

Road Map:: Pittsburgh, DC, and more DC

2009-01-18T15:52:00.013-05:00

Playing catch-up, indeed.

I usually have some kind of brief commentary with my jumpies, but I really am trying to catch up, so... Here we go.

Notice the length of my hair from Avalon to Cleveland Park.

a) Avalon Public Library
Pittsburgh, PA (05.01.08)

b) Cleveland Park Neighborhood Library
Washington, DC (05.05.08)

c) Carnegie Library/Historical Society of Washington DC
Washington, DC (05.06.08)

d) Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library
Washington, DC (05.06.08)

Road Map:: New York and New Jersey

2008-11-30T21:08:00.010-05:00

New York and New Jersey, back to back with the previous entry, except in different order.

This was a time for second chances. Remember the dark and grainy pix of the New York Public Library from the previous trip? I hated them when they were first taken but now I have to say... I'm a fan.

Still here are some of me doing my solo thang.

a) New York Public Library
New York, NY (05.26.08)

Re: second pic
So does my hair look like a duck's butt or what?

b) Brooklyn Public Library: Bushwick Branch
Brooklyn, NY (05.26.08)

A family member of mine lives relatively close to this branch so my husband and I had to come check it out. :D

c) Trenton Free Public Library: Main
Trenton, NJ (05.27.08)

Two very distinct buildings...

d) New Jersey State Library
Trenton, NJ (05.27.08)

We will say that this trip through NJ inspired us to definitely get a GPS...

Road Map:: New Jersey and New York

2008-11-30T20:34:00.010-05:00

And so, now that it's November, it makes sense to wait no longer and post previous jumpy pictures-- these from May of this year.

a) Parsippany Troy Hills Public Library
Parsippany, NJ (05.24.08)

This library was very much closed and the day was almost done but that's never stopped me. I'm so super human even my hand moves at the speed of light. (See second picture).

b) Brooklyn Public Library-- Central Library
Brooklyn, NY (05.25.08)

Man, talk about feeling tiny in front of a ginormous landscape ...

c) Pierpont Morgan Library
New York, NY-- midtown Manhattan (05.26.08)

It's amazing how both ends of this library look so very, very different.

I have many more to post so the commentary here is pretty slim. I'm positive you won't mind...

Random:: Facebook status! Oooh!

2008-11-30T03:05:00.002-05:00

Rules (for your new Facebook status)

* Get the book nearest to you. Right now.
* Go to page 56.
* Find the 5th sentence.
* Write this sentence as status.
* Copy these instructions as commentary of your sentence.
* Don't look for your favourite book or your coolest but really the nearest.

For me, it's my friend James Kennedy's book, The Order of Odd-Fish:
Everyone in heaven will snicker and make catty remarks about my shoes!

Man, I dig this!

YA Lit Symposium '08:: Meeting a hero and keeping my dignity

2008-11-28T14:41:00.004-05:00

Written November 9th at the Nashville Airport:

This was one of those weekends-- kinda like that "I Want To Hold Your Hand" movie I caught on TV when I was a teen-- where you're trying to meet someone... and they're consistently just out of your reach. This was no Beatles gathering, though. This was Gene Luen Yang in all his dorkilicious glory.

I loved "American Born Chinese" of course but I was really moved by "Loyola Chin and the San Peligran Order." The whole reason I came to the YA Lit Symposium was because I wanted to see him do the preconference on graphic novels. Then I registered and discovered it had already been capped and I wouldn't be able to participate. Gyaaaaahhh! Bah humbug.

After the first day of the symposium, I occasionally ran into some preconference attendees who glowed about how deliciously funny he was. Meanwhile, I growled inside. I say that jokingly, and at the same time, not really...

So all I could really do is sit in the front row of his Meet the Author session and he wound up sitting there too, but not next to me, because I'd put my stack of papers and flyers in the chair to my right. I wound up realizing my mistake, taking the papers away, and Terry Trueman sat there instead. And he is a trip. And fun. But not Gene Yang. Ha.

The rest of the conference was wonderfully informational. I got to hang out with some old friends and meet some new ones. It can be hard to function like a human being at these things. It's, like, almost imperative to network even if you feel like you're one of the few out there who isn't a part of some clique.

Ah well. Before I knew it, it was time to go home. To beat the influx of librarians trying to get to the airport on time, I decided I would miss out on the closing session and just get out early. I got the last seat on the shuttle, only to realize that the guy in front of me...

That haircut... Those cheekbones...

My first sighting of authors at TLA~ God, I was an ardent obsessive bee-yotch who just wanted a picture with a writer, even if I didn't know who that person was. Now, behind Gene Yang in a small van on the way to the airport, I was able to I guess have a librarian moment with him, however short.

Once past security and at my gate, I spotted him walking, by himself, along the American Airlines concourse. He looked just like any guy carrying his luggage. There was no "I am a Printz Award Winner" glow. No "I have librarian groupies." Just a random guy. I thought, "Aw man I never asked him if he had a copy of his book on him that I could buy and get autographed." But I left him alone.

I didn't want to be the fanatic librarian who can't resist bugging an exhausted author. I'm not that much of a newbie anymore.

Road Map:: San Antonio, TX

2008-10-20T14:18:00.010-04:00

Yes, I haven't been posting lately, but that's because I'm finally a full-fledged librarian. And I'm uber busy! I love it!

I was told that within 3 months, some of the shine would wear off. Ha ha. While there have been some very difficult times-- ones I was not necessarily prepared for-- I'm still very much in love with this profession. More on that later.

I now present to you my latest library jumpy travails through the city.

a) Memorial Branch Library
San Antonio, Texas 10.13.08

This library is right in front of St. Mary's University and its patron base is mainly Hispanic. If you're a teen and long for chess tournaments in your community, this is the place to go.
b) Great Northwest Branch
San Antonio, TX 10.13.08

Here is yet another highly active branch-- one I was not familiar with due to its distance from my neighborhood. Alas we went on a Monday morning, when it was closed, so I was not able to partake in the viewing of library services here. Maybe next time.

b) Edmund Cody Branch
San Antonio, TX 10.13.08

This is one of 3 public libraries in San Antonio with its very own full-time teen librarian. There is a focus here not just on teens but tweens-- something that SA has been lacking thus far. A highlight from this visit was the banned books display. I've seen many of these but never one complete with a poster on why certain books were challenged.

More to come when my internet at home goes back up!

Muchos abrazos y besitos a todos!

Random:: My next profession

2008-08-29T10:30:00.008-04:00

Wow. Talk about being typecast. Apparently this attractive young woman is only asked to do one thing for pictures: turn to the side, close the eyes, put on a mysterious smile, and have long tresses of hair whip about romantically.

I can't help but wonder though how awesome it is to be a book cover model. I could have my own signature pose... You guessed it. I could jump for every single book cover. You know you'd read it if you saw me on it!

Random:: Breaking Dawn, so far

2008-08-05T18:24:00.005-04:00

Okay, so I'm not one of these uber fast librarians who read books in an hour. I've always been a relatively slow reader-- that is, for someone who's frequently seen with books. I could say that I prefer to savor my books, but that would be adorning the truth a bit much. I'm just not as quick.

I'm three-fifths done with Breaking Dawn but it's seriously taken over-- the way a fulfilling story does.

I know Stephenie has her own playlists on her website. I very much approve of Muse and Coldplay as partners-in-crime. However, most songs I listened to today could apply to what I've read in the Breaking Dawn storyline.

Voila the alternate playlist!

Tori Amos: Merman
Tori Amos: Sweet the Sting
Kate Bush: Cloudbusting
Kate Bush: Hounds of Love
Los Tres: Cerrar y Abrir

Yes, this is short, but can you blame me? I've been reading the book most of the day! I can't listen to music the whole day. Ha ha.

Okay, back to the world of Forks...

Road Map:: Bellefonte, Milton, and Hazleton, PA

2008-07-28T11:01:00.003-04:00

Hi all. I haven't forgotten about jumpy pictures-- I have dozens more to share!

a) Centre County Library-- Bellefonte
Bellefonte, PA (05.24.08)

To me this is an iconic type of library. Small town, green lawn... I love it!

b) Milton Public Library
Milton, PA (05.24.08)

Stick 'em up! This one used to be a bank and still has the bank vault to show for it. Wouldn't you have loved to go here as a kid and play banks and robbers around books?

c) Hazleton Public Library
Hazleton, PA (05.24.08)

Believe it or not, I remember every library I go to. What sticks out about this one? Well it was closed so we couldn't go in, but I shan't forget how hard it was to get this shot below. It seems like every time we tried to get a picture I almost got run over.

Ah, what I do for jumpy pictures...

Spotted!:: Tattoos of the literary kind

2008-07-13T12:48:00.011-04:00

My mother's opinion of an individual would instantly plummet if she found out that his/her skin was in any way inked. Little did she know that I was planning to get the word "honey" in Arabic on my right hip. Thankfully for her, I realized that spreading Mexican hips should not be decorated in any type of permanent art, since I would start off with the word "honey" but over time, it would eventually say "horse" or "mackerel buffalo."

Thankfully for us, some people have gotten creative. They use the poetic words of masters-- ones that do not get lame with time, like poorly researched kanji. A special soul has gotten together a website with anthologies of tattoos.

Some are still fresh and inflamed.

Others are group tattoos with shared meaning.

All are intoxicating.

It's not surprising to see that Shakespeare, Saint-Exupery, and Vonnegut inspired many a tattoo enthusiast-- the latter of which is credited for the picture to the left. As a YA librarian, however, I was particularly moved by Stephen Chbosky's contribution to body art.

I met this Pittsburgh homeboy at ALA in Anaheim just a couple of weeks ago, and I hope he knows that his words are also eternal.

And speaking of tattoos and grand muses...

The most influential performer in my life, the monolithic Tori Amos, is adding to her repertoire by coaxing visuals out of her girls-- as she calls her songs. Various graphic novelists, including Hope Larson and Lea Hernandez, are coming out to interpret Tori's work in the new volume Comic Book Tattoo. You can see a few articles here, there, and everywhere.

This, to me, is an orgy of the things I love best. I would never have imagined, ten years ago, that something like this could be possible. For me to sway my hips to "Caught a Lite Sneeze" as I read liquid drawings.

Spotted!:: Breaking Dawn Sneak Peek!

2008-07-09T23:18:00.005-04:00

You know, Entertainment Weekly sure can publish absolute drivel but here is a gem. Un diamant brut.

.the beginning.
of Breaking Dawn is here.

Can you believe that I refuse to read it? I want to read the whole book all in one go and I shall close my ears to the world for fear of spoilers. I want to innocently discover
.the end.

Spotted!:: Yet another reason why Australians are da bomb

2008-07-07T00:05:00.004-04:00

Yes... YES... YESSS!

Now all we librarians need to do is rise up as militant and radical revolutionaries to get this on American TV.

Man, if I had moved to Australia the way I wanted to back in '05, I would probably be able to watch this without a problem. Then again, I'd probably be a waitress or something. I wouldn't really have an MLS, I don't think. It's one of those Sliding Doors phenomena.

Ah yes...

Anaheim ALA '08:: Days Four through the end

2008-07-03T10:47:00.005-04:00

I truly had every intent on blogging at least twice a day while I was at the conference but the following got in my way:

Limited internet access.
It came and went as it pleased without ever really asking for my input.

Flawed human energy.
I started the event with great enthusiasm but then it dwindled as time went on. I was still going to programs, just not rushing to write stuff about it.

Wimpy arms.
I carried my laptop around the first couple of days. Yeah... I learned not to do that.

So instead you get a quick run-down of the programs that were memorable enough, in no particular order.

The Pura Belpré Award reception was pretty fabulous. I was so moved when Yuyi Morales, the winning illustrator, began her speech by acknowledging the presence of her family and friends. She said, "You're all here," in this sublimely grateful and amazed tone of voice, and I instantly thought of my family. Y no les miento cuando les digo que empezé a chillar. I kept my sobs to a minimum and all, but I was an instant mess. Then the pachanga became the center stage for the ultimate weapon of mass emotion: a group of elementary school mariachis started singing everything from "De Colores" to "Es Demasiado Tarde." All they had to do was sing "Si Nos Dejan" or "Amor Eterno" and I would have had to flee like La Llorona. One little girl could barely hold up her violin but she was a star in her beautiful mariachi clothes. I was all kinds of nostalgic there.

The YALSA president's program was stupendous, and not because I was hooked up with Dr. Bernier by my boss. It really got me thinking about both physical and digital teen space-- something I had not really given that much thought to. All presenters had something very real to offer, both in content and charisma. It's hard to do a presentation that really keeps the audience's attention, let me tell ya.

That said, I have to admit that there were some programs I found really disappointing, and not necessarily because of substance. You have to sell it, you know? Most librarians are not used to being in a classroom setting for hours and they really want to take away something solid into their work space. Simply reading from a cheat sheet is just not good enough. So bring some flava into it!

More reflections and pictures later. Ta!

Anaheim ALA '08:: Day Three

2008-06-28T15:22:00.006-04:00

Part One:: Morning (10am)

Huff... Puff... Ay ay ay... Hijole...

Reporting from the first hour of exhibits at ALA. I'm frikkin' exhausted and the hour ain't even over yet. I was among the first in line by the 2700 stacks, as youth librarians everywhere have been talking about the special edition Twilight book bag. Meaning, I got there an hour before it even opened.

Have you ever seen teen librarians on a war path? Let me tell ya. It's a special, special sight.

I realize that I've collected way too many arcs of authors I've never even heard of. How am I going to get these home? I'm hoping to see Laurie Halse Anderson, Pam Munoz Ryan, and the scrumptious John Green within the next hour or so.

I'm just resting right now, taking a deep breath... And hoping I don't pass out.

Part Two:: Afternoon (12:30 pm)

I'm not even gonna lie. I'm at the hotel room right now. I'm resting and having a grand old time watching VH1. The exhibits sucked the life right outta me.

I'm feeling only slightly less lonely right now. I'm wishing for a bit more energy and a bit more charisma. Just a tad.

Anaheim ALA '08:: Day Two

2008-06-27T18:17:00.007-04:00

Part One:: Morning

So what's happened on my first full day (*GASP*) of my first national library conference (*DOUBLE GASP*)?

Eh. Not much. Whatever. I didn't really realize that there isn't much to do today if you haven't signed up for any pre-conferences. That's fine. After the madness that was trying to get on the right plane yesterday, I figured I deserved some morning down time.

The great part about traveling from Texas to California?

Suddenly you have 2 extra hours that you didn't have before. I woke up early but I got a lotta sleep. Aw yeah.

My discoveries on a day like this?

a) The world sans a bulletin board
Yeah. My roommate cancelled, thoroughly ticking me off. And for security reasons, there is no physical bulletin board here. In other words, I'm stuck not having a roommate. It's lovely to feel free to do as I wish, but not joyous for my credit card.

b) The world sans gumption
I'm friendly when I feel confident, and quiet when not. This is a national conference with all types of librarians. I mean, there are so many personality types here, and most people are here with a group of people. I've been wanting human interaction, but I haven't been all that extroverted just yet.

My suggestions for the conference?

a) We need a forum for attendees to contact other fellow librarians who don't mind reading a billion and a half messages. This morning a librarian was trying to give away a ticket for a tour but didn't know who might want one. A simple post to a message board would have solved that problem. And curses, I really need a roommate. Anyone out there interested in sharing a room with my awesomeness? :D

b) Host a desperate librarians corner somewhere for people who came here by themselves. Or call it a networking table if you don't want to offend. Take me, for instance. Just because I'm quiet doesn't mean I don't want interaction. I want to meet people, but either they're already in a group or loners look really busy reading their conference info packets. Thankfully, I have approached women who look thoroughly bored and gotten some very nice conversations out of it. Note to self. AbsoLUTEly target the bored types.

Other thoughts?
I'm currently blogging from the Anaheim Public Library where I was given an awesome tour by a very friendly teen librarian. I feel good! Although I just realized I haven't had anything to eat since morning. So yeah. I'm off like a library magazine cover. Ta!

Part Two:: Evening

Ah, the adventures just kept on coming.

I have to say I'm so grateful that the YALSA Happy Hour was so uninviting. It was held at this slightly space-challenged bar. It was loud. I didn't really know anyone. I hate paying for majorly marked-up booze. It might have been great fun for some, but for me it sucked. Big time. I left after barely 4 minutes. Thank goodness.

I wandered into the International Relations Orientation, which was pretty much over. It was fate! Looking for something else to do, I stumbled upon the "Many Voices Many Nations" program. It's been the most stellar experience I've had at a library conference. Ever. I couldn't believe it.

See this picture here? That's Sherman Alexie, baby. Me and Sherman. Yeah. We tight.

He's one hilarious and magical dude with nicely shaped fingernails and heartbreaking woven stories. He brought flashes of my husband, my mom, my dad-- everyone who's special to me, in just a few minutes of spoken poetry.

Good times, man.

Anaheim ALA '08:: Day One

2008-06-27T01:48:00.007-04:00

Gyaaaaaaah!!!

What should have been a 4-hour flight turned into a 14-hour debacle. Grrr. But I digress. The point is, I'm in Anaheim and I've seen the paradise that is librarians crashing Orange County. Yeah!

I'm serious. They're everywhere and they're taking over.

I'm so touched by the friendliness of the ALA attendees I've met so far. Even just taking a hotel shuttle turned out to be an experience. People are very willing to chat and chill together, and from what I can tell, they really are from all over.

I have to admit, I was wondering what I was going to do once I got here. It looks like librarians don't let other librarians wallow in solitude, though.

Ha!

Librarian Glamour:: ALA Sweetness

2008-06-26T00:13:00.004-04:00

Nothing like a lovely email from a stranger appreciating your work to offset a particularly horrendous day. Thank you so much. You know who you are. Don't give up on that dream of becoming a glamorous librarian!

That said, I'm off to Anaheim for my first ALA conference *ever* and I'm mega excited. If you know someone who needs a roommate at ALA, please let me know ASAP at narajaponesa@yahoo.com.

I send you all many hugs and smiles!

Random:: Realization

2008-06-22T22:42:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow. Tomorrow.

It's the one-year anniversary of my wedding. It's also my first day employed as a librarian. Whoa!

Here's to many more years of married joy and sexy librarian-ness!

Road Map:: New Bethlehem, Du Bois, and Clearfield, PA

2008-06-20T22:58:00.004-04:00

More! Library! Jumpies!

The day I left the Burgh for good I did not get all that emotional. I enjoyed the ride, taking pictures of occasional bridges-- the kind I love, which is just about any type of bridge. I also made my last treks around PA, which naturally included libraries along the way.

a) New Bethlehem Area Free Public Library
New Bethlehem, PA (05.24.08)

I've learned about the library architectural aesthetic over the past year. Some libraries are blessed and others are just cursed. Guess for yourself on this one...

b) Dubois Public Library
Du Bois, PA (05.24.08)

Alas the library was closed when we dropped by, so there's no way to tell if the inside was more attractive than the outside. Yeah. I hope so.

c) Joseph and Elizabeth Shaw Public Library
Clearfield, PA (05.24.08)

Warmth and a beautiful library. Yay. A spring in my jump, fo' sho'.

My husband and I hope to one day own a home with a turret like in the picture above. Once I start rolling in those librarian bucks, maybe.

Random:: Always on my mind, as Elvis said

2008-06-18T23:45:00.003-04:00

I realize that it may seem as though I've abandoned my blog but I assure you that is not the case. Much has happened since the last time I posted.

I took the library jumpy project on the road over something like 13 states. It was a glorious 2 week trip. But yeah. Basically I moved from PA (the state) to SA (the city) and my internet is still a tad shoddy.

I have many pictures and other surprises coming up, I promise!
Muchos kissies to all!

List:: Libraries-- The Hot and the Fugly

2008-05-11T12:37:00.007-04:00

As a graduation present to myself, I am dishing the dirt on awesome and not-so-awesome libraries as I've witnessed them over the past year.

Some of these libraries I've frequented over months. Most of them, I just happened to visit for one day, so I am by no means an expert on them. Some of the negative experiences I had were inevitable and not entirely influenced by the libraries themselves. This is mostly a look back on the fun and the crappy things that have happened during my travels. To protect the libraries where I've had bad experiences, I've omitted the name and location in the text I've written.

The Hot Library Mamas!

~Sexiest Overall Library~

Thomas Jefferson Building @ Library of Congress
Washington DC

So... sexy... Couldn't... breathe...
Thomas Jefferson's books!... Hot!

~Hottest Teen Section~

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh - Main
Pittsburgh, PA

I mean, I know I work here and all... But it really is a glorious space with plenty of computers, lots of happening programming, and an awesome staff.

~Most "Sad but Awesome" Teen Section~

Washington County Free Library
Hagerstown, MD

This library does not actually have a teen librarian but they do have a pretty sweet teen loft with all types of materials for teens.

~"Warmest Atmosphere" Library~

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh- Homewood
Pittsburgh, PA

The first time I went, a teen told us, "Welcome to the best library in town." The second time, I got a tour from the teen librarian. Good times!

~Most Personally Inviting Library~

Martin Luther King, Jr. Library
Washington DC

I got kicked out of this teens-only area. However, being invited to apply for a position in their system because I'm multilingual-- now that's hospitality!

~Most "In a Touristy Area With No Parking So Let's Do This Quick" Library~

Free Library of Philadelphia - Independence
Philadelphia, PA

This one was taken while our ride drove around the block. A true drive by shooting!

~Most Beautiful Natural Light Library~

Julia Yates Semmes Public Library
San Antonio, TX

Glass windows. Access to a park. This is the first library I worked at and it really nurtured my teen librarian spirit. Thanks Semmes!

~Most "I Can't Believe I'm Here!" Library~
Gettysburg Library
Gettysburg, PA

Yup. The Gettysburg. As in the Address. And this is their library! Wicked.

~Most Surprising Library~
Avalon Public Library
Avalon, PA

A former Christian Science church. Nice. This is a small library and a lot of moolah went into it. Fancy chairs, fancy earth globe, fancy grandfather clock.

~Most "It's Freaking Cold Here But Gotta Have My Jumpy Picture" Libraries~

Alderman Library @ University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA

Good god! So *cold*! I may never have been this cold in my life.

~Most Nurturing Library~

Coates Library @ Trinity University
San Antonio, TX

I first debated going to library school when I worked here as an undergrad. Look at me now!

~Most Awesome Surroundings Library~

Wilderness Branch Library
Orange County, VA

It's in the wilderness! Aaaaaaaahh! Being swallowed up by trees! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

~Most Majestic Library in a Small Town~

Greensburg Hempfield Area Library
Greensburg, PA

This library is so big that this is the best picture we could take without getting me run over!

~Most "Icon of Modernity" Library~
Central Library
San Antonio, TX

My future home!

This library is very special to me. When it was first built, many people didn't like it so much. They started calling it the "enchilada-red library." I always thought it was a very cool building, though it is a bit of a space hogger.

The Inevitably Fugly

~Most Aesthetically Challenged Library~

Man, we have seen some fugly library buildings in our time. But geez. This one. Like an unfortunate dog whose front looks much like its rear, we could only assume that this was the entrance to the library.

Not much to see here, folks.

~Most Disappointing Library~

This library is housed in a building that's not quite atrocious. The service, however, has much to be desired. Not only do they not have Wi-Fi, but at least one staff member appears to be largely unaware that there is such a thing as wireless internet. They just may, in fact, call it "the internets" on the rare occasion that someone asks for help.

~Most "What? You're Closed Already? It's Not Even Five Yet!" Library~

We drove a long, long way to see this library only to... have it be closed when we got there. Before it was even supposed to be closing time, it looked dead dead dead. Thanks for the info, library!

~Most "What? You're Never Really Open, Are You?" Library~

The "Bibliotheek" sign in the picture here should give you a clue that this one is not located in the States.

And it was open 2 hours a week. Weekdays only. At different times. It was so easy to show up on the wrong day, wrong time, wrong planet!

As much as I loved it there, I pretty much figured that I couldn't really be a librarian if I were ever to move there.

~Most Elusive Library~

Where is this library? We printed out maps... We drove around for a while... We found the address... It was completely gone... It just... disappeared...

~Most Predatory Library~

I know I look happy in the picture, but this was before the $17 parking ticket we got in the shady parking lot next to it. A sign made it sound like one does not have to pay after 6pm but we were wrong to hope that a parking lot close to the library would be at least straightforward.

~Most Obnoxious Red Tape Library~

The librarians I spoke with personally were helpful. When I showed interest in their library and they saw my camera, I was basically told that I would make some people very unhappy, since it is a popular library for a peculiar cult following. There was just so much red tape so that I could take a picture of their library-- a major setback to the feeling of warmth. This is the worst experience I've had, I'm afraid to say.

~~~

As a whole, I do try to see the positive. These fugly libraries are-- well, let's face it. They did not harm me permanently or anything. I'm positive that there are things that they must do very well that I did not see at all. I just have to describe my experience the way I saw it. After all, being on the other side of the desk-- a patron like any other-- helps me see what works and what doesn't in libraries. I'm always on the lookout for ways to help patrons have pleasant trips to the library, whenever possible.