Is it Real?

Is it a real cell phone?

The girl is about three, she is wildly gesturing...

She's making quite a lot of noise.

We have a no cell phone policy.

But I can't tell if she's pretending.

The actual phone is buried under a mop of hair, what if it's Fisher Price?

How embarrassing.

She is so young can hardly form words, it's mostly babble...

People are turning to stare....She's right in front of my desk, I have to do something...

I give her father a desperate look, and he asks her to hush. She finishes up her conversation and says "I love you, goodbye."

It was a real phone.

Get thee to a Library young lady!

Very small girl approaches desk shadowed by tall willowy teenage brother.

Hi, I need some books about following rules.

Oh okay.

Begin looking...Anything specific? - what about listening, honesty...

She looks at her brother.

He looks at her.

Ah, I guess all of those things.

Brother says, "Right answer."

I get her started at the shelf with some books to find, secretly hoping her brother will help.
Instead he heads over to use the internet. We find a few dreary books.

Did your parents send you to the library?

Yes. I'm in trouble.

Then I ask, "How about getting some good books too?"

Okay.

Do you like ... Rosemary Wells?

YES!

Okay... A few were just returned, I'll go get them.

We look around, I replenish the displays with good books while she trails along looking at them.
Later on I notice her having difficulty at the checkout. Over due fines.

Well, she checked out only one book : Learning How to Say Please. How depressing.

Scared to take anything else out.

Too Many Books, Too Little Time

I finally have a day off! This auxiliary has been going full tilt! I must admit that I did have Sunday off, however I was preoccupied with planning a baby time for 0-12 month olds, and with my minimal experience with this demographic, feeling fairly anxious. So today is a REAL day off. I have so far managed to wake up, and eat chocolate in bed (dark) while reading Anderson Cooper's Dispatches from the Edge. I'm only on page 27, and it's a smooth easy read. I'm finding it a little sentimental and over the top so far...but he does make a living sensationalizing the news. Almost every paragraph ends something like this:

Post-new years reporting he heads out to cover the tsunami: "At dawn I board the plane, the first of several I'll take to get to Sri Lanka. When I sit down, the flight attendant tells me I still have confetti in my hair."

Or, "On the plane the flight attendant asks a Sri Lankan passenger if she's comfortable.

"I just lost three people in my family," the passenger says.

"Oh, that's terrible," the flight attendant says, pausing for a moment. "No duty-free then?"

On every page you find human disaster juxtaposed against something contrite or trivial. Or, simply reflections on devastation, and short diversions into Cooper's personal history, particularly so far, the loss of his father as a child.

I don't want to be too critical, because I really am enjoying it and I can see the widespread appeal this type of book will have. I perhaps find foreign war correspondent Asne Seierstad's books to be a grittier, less sentimental and more political version of this genre. However, Seierstad is Norwegian and approaches international conflicts with a much more neutral tone, part of her appeal, whereas Cooper is everything CNN stands for. America. The Great.

Anyways, overall I'm really enjoying it. A nice recreational read.

Other books I've read of late and don't have time to comment extensively on:

Girlfriend in a Coma
Finally I've read a Douglas Coupland book. I quite enjoyed the first half of the book, but then playing with reality, ghosts and time travel doesn't really appeal to me, so the second half kind of bothered me. The characterization was superb, but it seems like the message of a lost generation of youth, obsessed with consuming rather than really living was expounded on in excess. It was set in West Vancouver and featured some sort of apocalyptic events which was kind of interesting. Plus, imagine going into a coma at age seventeen pregnant, and waking up when your daughter is a teenage girl and you are grey haired. And guess what? Your boyfriend waited for you all those years. Yeah.

Tomorrow When the War Began (YA)
This is the book by John Marsden (author of Winter) that I mentioned a few years ago. It's been reissued (originally from 1993) with an enticing gorgeous cover and I couldn't resist the title. Again, it was a little slow to start, but I loved the Australian regionalism and the concept. A group of teenagers head out camping in the backwoods and when they return there is no one left. Their country has come under siege and their families are being held at the fair grounds. Mass destruction, fires, dead livestock, evidence of guerilla warfare, no power or hydro, etc. are just part of the intrigue. To add to the plot a number of boy-girl relationships intertwine as well as the discovery of an old hermit's shack with the fragments of a forgotten mans' life. I quite like that the female protagonist is a very strong and independent character.

Nelcott is My Darling (YA)
Again, this book by Golda Fried is supposed to be YA but it was classified as an adult novel at this library. It got a lot of flack because it was basically about a girl who goes to McGill for first year and is obsessed with losing her virginity (or not). I found the main character inherently insipid, wimpy, and unlikeable. Read no further if you don't want the ending spoiled! She dates a loser and it isn't until the end of the book that she hooks up with a nice guy (not even Nelcott!) and within minutes IT happens - 176 pages leading up to a few sentences - "Then she lost her virginity. It was simple. It was changing positions around on her bed. It was really quiet with no rock music to save her." Well that's just swell. Not only does this book not satisfy any potential teenage curiosity or provide any delicious details - on the opposite end of the spectrum it doesn't even mention things that maybe a teen might think about such as uh, protection? I didn't mind this book at first but in retrospect, I think I kind of hate it. Even better, my tax dollars funded it - yup, completed with the assistance of a Canada Council Grant as well as an Ontario Arts Council Grant.

I'll Sing You A One-O (YA)
This novel by Canadian Nan Gregory was quite delightful. The author has written three picture books, and this is her first novel. Unfortunately I believe this is actually J-Fic. At first I though the protagonist was autistic, then I though she was perhaps simple for her age, but soon enough I realized that however old she is, her thoughts are along the lines of a child in perhaps grade six. I think this novel is perfectly suited for that age as it explores the twisted logic that leads a girl to believe she can obtain an angel to help her by doing as other saints have done in the past. She ends up stealing to give to the poor, finding herself in hot water with her new family (recently rescued from a group home she dearly misses) as well as landing herself and her brother danger on the downtown eastside. I even shed a few tears.

Other recommended reads from the past few weeks:

Getting Near To Baby by Audrey Couloumbis (J-Fic)
An Obvious Enchantment by Tucker Malankey (Adult Fic)
Snip Snap What's That by Mara Bergman (J Pic)
Miss Bridie- Chose a Shovel by Leslie Connor (J Pic)
Eva Luna by Isabel Allende (Adult Fic) - author of House of the Spirits
When You Are Happy by Eileen Spinelli (J Pic)

Eddie Longpants

Notable Picture Book of the Week:

Eddie Longpants by Mireille Levert

Eddie get teased about his height. His teacher Miss Snowpea overhears. Her reaction: "She feels anger rising inside her. It makes her insides growl and her toes curl up." I think this is a great description of emotions that a child could definitely appreciate. When Mrs. Longpants comes to school to meet the teacher, Miss Snowpea goes onto the roof of the school. This way "they look at each other straight in the eye. They say nice things. They smile big smiles. They shake hands."

Anyways, the dialogue is quaint and simple, the book is designed to be held sideways so every two pages are actually one page (I love this for storytime) and there is a lovely ending full of divine retribution for the bullies but also a peaceful pact. Plus it's Canadian! Three cheers!

Let's All Join the Choir!

There is a group using the meeting room.

The singing is driving me insane. At first it was novel.

I can't make out the words, but it sounds...like "I can't go on, I can't go on, I can't go on" in a hymnal type chorus.

What in the world is going on?

I'm serious,the refrain repeats over and over and over, they have not paused in like fifteen minutes. Who can sing that long without running out of saliva?

I thought a doctor was giving a lecture series. Is this singing meditation? Are they in a trance or is a record on repeat? Maybe it's a cult.

Perhaps I'm a litte persnickity about noise right now. Last night I used a mop handle to bang the ceiling at 1:30 am. The music turned off. At five am my upstairs neighbour got up again though and started crashing about. When do they sleep? It's a sad state of affairs when your workplace is generally quieter than your apartment is in the middle of the night.

Things I've said at work this week:

"I know this must be frustrating, but it's not pleasant for me either." (said to angry intense man)

"Um...my birth order? Well, I'm a first born child." (said to kind woman discussing a book)

"Yes, I guess they are pretty proud of me." (Answer to question from elderly man : Are my parents proud of me?)

"Unfortunately you do have to open your email account to send an email." (baffled man who want to write anonymous letters to the newspaper)

Happenings this Week:

• I was invited to an amateur comedy night for mentally ill people by one of the participants.
• A sixty-year-old man gave me his phone number and email address.
• I heard all about the problems of pregnancy in the first trimester and the need for proper nutrition.
• A homeless woman explained the difficulties of making money as we searched for grant proposal information and business books.
• I was asked how long it takes the average person to walk 1 mile. My results were confounded by the fact that the patron asking used a walker.
• A woman very recently widowed after 66 years of marriage came into the library as per her usual routine to visit and chat with staff who offered condolences.

I'm sure many more weird and wonderful things occurred but after working at 5 libraries in 6 days, the lines of separation are lost.

Small Victories

Small girl approaches desk.

Do you have books on mice and chinchillas?

Yes. Do you have a pet mouse?

No we have some mice running around in our house.

Oh no!

mischievous smirk followed by giggling.

My parent's try to kill them, but I feed them cornflakes!!

Winter: Stupid Bits and Clever Bits

It's about time I read some John Marsden, a widely acclaimed YA author. The only book still on the shelf today: Winter. I got off work 3 hours ago, and I just finished it. Short and satisfying. A bit simplistic and vague in bits (kind of like listening to a story being told with a few of the slower bits missing) but I quite enjoyed it. I am now eager to read some of his other titles that have one other awards such as Tomorrow When the War Began, which was chosen as an ALA Best Book of the last half-century.

This book is about an orphan who has been haunted by her past for the last twelve years. Set in rural Australia, she is mysteriously compelled to return to her childhood home at age sixteen. She is strong willed and hot tempered, however she still manages to make more friends than enemies and discovers a startling truth.

Excerpts:

Stupid bit: "Like with most Internet searches, I spent some time chasing shadows. I was scrolling through newspaper archives, concentrating on one date, July 9, 1989...I realized my best hope lay in the death notices, the little classified ads that people put in when someone dies." - Okay, sure all the archives of newspapers are freely available on the internet, including local papers dating back 12 years...uh huh. But CLASSIFIEDS as well? This librarian is incredulous!

Clever bit: A friend's father says to Winter, the protagonist: "Fantastic. When I was sixteen I modeled myself on my guinea pig. Hid in my pen and shut up. My God, you'll be running the country in another twelve months. Do you want a coffee? You probably live on rum and milk." I think this portrayal of her as a protagonist would appeal to any teen. Well, it appeals to me!

Anyways, I'm not sure if I can believe this character. Sixteen and ranching on her own in the middle of no where, taking singing lessons and auditioning for college fine arts classes. Gosh she's got it together for her age. I wish I had it that together. Last night I dropped my pants in the toilet. It wasn't my toilet either.

The Value of a Good Book

I recently attended the Festival of the Written Arts on the beautiful Sunshine Coast. My sole intention was to see Miriam Toews, the author of my favorite book: A Complicated Kindness. She read well, with as much dry sarcasm and wry wit as I expected from her writing. At several points I erupted into uncontrollable giggles - slightly out of discord with the mainly "grey-topped" crowd. During the question period there was a great deal of interest in the topic of the Mennonite culture. Surely that is a central theme, but I was more interested in her writing methods, ideas, etc. Now, I am a novice with author readings - but is the question period always hijacked by book-club-know-it-alls?

I'm such a novice that I didn't bring my recently re-purchased copy of her book for signing. Re-purchased because I lent the original to a random guy I dated over the holidays. After an abrupt end to things, he emailed a week later to ask if I wanted to a) talk or get together b) get my book back. Answer: resounding NO. Pride intact. Minus one book. As a good friend said, (something like) - "What an ass! Of course you want your FAVORITE book back!" Luckily the Lithe Librarian has now fallen in love with the Lithe Biologist who understands the value of a good book.

By the way- today I discussed this book lending story during a lovely gab with a co-worker and discovered that she is distantly related to Miriam Toews (no wonder this co-worker is so fun! - nah, actually it was a long string of relatives involved). You know you're a famous Canadian author when...!

Bottled Up

Bottle Collecting by Edward Fletcher, 1972.

Chapter 1 - "finding bottle sites - libraries - newspapers and magazines - town hall records - talking to old people - rivers, streams, canals and ponds." (Yes it really says all this in the table of contents!)

Chapter 7 - a group project - "the key to the success of a group project is organization; and the first step towards organization is to decide exactly what the project's aims will be. A family may decide to excavate the entire contents of a dump associated with an abandoned and isolated house..."

"Visit it often (the library) and tell the librarians what you are looking for; they will be delighted to help you in your research. Ask the librarians for Victorian diaries by local writers and any old maps or photographs that are available and any local records that are stored there."

Let me just go grab those delightful diaries that we can pour through looking for reference to a bottle dumping area! That's what I would write about in my diary! This book has managed to evade weeding for 34 years! In the Victorian era, this particular neighborhood was a forest - nope, no dumps or bottle factories. I think this book isn't terribly relevant in our country, but I may be wrong (it was published in the U.K.). I observed that during the seventies, books seem to have been written about every possible mundane hobby from silhouette cutting to aluminum foil art. Someone pointed out to me that these were simpler times, pre-internet so how else would you find out about these topics? True, and now these little gems brighten my day!

...Am now considering starting a collection of odd books.

Outdated interior design books.

Should we be encouraging people to update their homes to what was in vogue in 1993?

Of course, just because we have the book doesn't mean we promote the content, we are simply allowing people to exercise free will and furnish their homes in outmoded and distasteful styles...
Every single book, the good, the bad, and the ugly have high circulation in this section - I can't weed anything!

I couldn't even weed:

"My Name Isn't Martha, But I Can Decorate My Home (Book One of A Series)"

Tragically, we only have the first book in the series.

Other Happenings...

Don't Like Dewey?

Where is the adult non-fiction section?

It starts at zero, right behind me.

Oh. That's a lotta books (dramatic pause).

(So you think you're a Funny guy eh?)

Well do you know what one your looking for?

We find it. Author: Chris Rock. Yeah, that guy actually wrote a book.

Telephone Etiquette:

Answer Phone: Hello --- Library, Information Desk...

Ann Perry!!!

Okay, can you explain? (I'm just being stubborn, I don't like having author names shouted in my ear)

Ann Perry!!!

I'm sorry, are you looking for a specific title by the author Ann Perry (demonstrating full sentence use, much in the way one demonstrates writing full sentences for grade one students)

Hurrrumph! Yes, of course I know what title.

QUESTION OF THE DAY:

Are you allowed to smoke in the library?

Lost in the Library

Ever been lost at your place of employment?

It can be a little embarrassing.

This happened a full two weeks ago, but I needed time to recover before writing about it.

The library hadn't opened yet. And I was lost in the labyrinth of staff hallways - the back end of the library.

I wasn't truly lost - there aren't any libraries that big on the westcoast - but my difficulty was in navigating an unfamiliar workplace where hallways lead to or actually pass through workrooms and offices that have imposing titles or else no signage what-so-ever. I had the sense that I was trespassing, particularly clad in my bike shorts and tank top, trudging along with my panier and helmet, staff badge in hand. Hmmm...Public Relations Department - I think if I walk through here, I may find the entrance to level 3 - hmm....there is a man glaring at me...maybe I'll just turn around and take another route. I have since been assured that walking through work rooms is not an issue. Just do it.

To make matters worse, when I encountered an unfriendly security guard in the dimly lit back hallways, he tersely replied that I would have to just go into the public part of the library to find my way. He strode off without indicating which direction would actually lead to the public area. Once in the public area, I asked another staff member who was marching purposefully through the library, for directions on how to access the staff area that I needed (my badge didn't work). She glared at me and said, "Do you work here?" Okay. That was rude. I have a badge. Plus the library hasn't opened yet. What do you think? Basically she was saying in code: "Are you an idiot?"

What a wonderful way to start the day! All I wanted to do was change into working clothes before the front door opened to the library and the public started streaming in to find an empty reference desk. Yes, on-call librarians are definitely at the bottom of the food chain.

My only satisfaction was when half an hour later, the evil unfriendly woman walked past my reference desk and did a double take. Yes, I look I'm sixteen when I have a bike helmet on - but oh, the transformation with a blouse and skirt - yes, lady I work here!

Lavender's Blue

This is the most beautiful collection of nursery rhymes that I have ever seen. I covet it. Originally published in 1954 by Oxford University Press, the gorgeous and often full colour illustrations by Harold Jones make this a wonderful book to keep in any collection.

"A wise old owl lived in an oak;

The more he saw the less he spoke.

The less he spoke the more he heard:

Why can't we all be like that wise old bird?"

This one reminded me of the entries in my grandmother's autograph book. Apparently such books were all the rage on the prairies in the 1930's. The children would write clever little sayings to each other - which they memorized in class and used to practice their handwriting. One of the pithy little sayings that I still love ...

Love many.
Trust few.
And learn to paddle
Your own canoe!

It's a suite life...

Oh, the ecstasy of solitude with books!

Mixed with the agony of a carpet cleaning company vigorously cleaning on the other side of a thin bedroom wall.

I wonder if the suite next door has a proper wall dividing the bedroom from the living room (rather than an ill fitting fabric canvas divider)? I always have suite envy, I take every opportunity to peer through other people's doorways as I see them emerge while I walk down the hallway.

Well, the roomie is gone for a few days and it's time to buckle down to work. For a self professed children's librarian like myself, that means: time to learn some new songs! My greatest weakness. The old-school tape player is out as I am currently learning some lullabies by singing along with words to "Wee Sing Nursery Rhymes and Lullabies" by Pamela Conn Beall and Hagen Nipp. I had a large repertoire of songs as a child, which is mostly what I've been falling back on for story times. I find it to be an excruciatingly slow process to learn new songs as an adult. It must be the same underdeveloped part of my brain that has in the past tried to learn new languages.

I am also attempting to write an article today on blogs of use for children's librarians - mainly focusing on blogs that are entertaining or provide book reviews that you wouldn't find in a review publications - you know, honest opinions, rather than "critical analysis." Does anyone out there have a favorite? At this point, I am short on blogs written BY children's librarians. And for obvious reasons, I can't include my own blog in this article! Please post a comment!!

A Boy of Good Breeding

Clever poignant little moments:

#1) "I knew it," said Hosea. "And I do love you." He looked at his hands, at his tapered fingers. They were pudgy, he thought. Why? The rest of him wasn't fat. Could he lose weight in his fingers? They looked childish to him.

#2) He passed a couple of kids walking down the street. Their jackets were open and they were wearing rubber boots. "Hello there," he said, "beautiful spring day, isn't it?" The kids smiled and said, "Hi." They knew who he was but the didn't respond to his comment about the beautiful day. As a rule, thought Hosea, and he must remember this in the future, kids do not respond to comments about the weather.

#3) They lay there quietly for a long time and watched the purple fade from the sky. They saw some lights go on in town and saw Johnny Dranger's yard light go on and they heard his dog bark a couple of times and the slam of a car door and Johnny yelling at the dog. If they hadn't lived in Algren all of their lives they would have smelled the liquid fertilizer on the fields. They were used to the smell of shit.

I thought reviewing books for an online journal would be easy. Until I received a Christmas picture book in July. And actually, I originally requested teen literature. I thought the book was terrible, and had a hard time being even-handed in my response. After all, who wants to read a negative book review - usually they don't get published -in print. As a result, I fallen behind on my blog, not feeling the impetus to review any more books. And furthermore, I just worked 6 days in a row, and believe it or not, nothing particularly strange or funny happened! That may in part be due to the fact that my efforts were concentrated in the children's departments and at this point in the summer, things are "readers-advisory-intensive" as parents drag their reluctant pre-teen readers in for some "good quality literature"...

All I can say about the above excerpts ... A Boy of Good Breeding, by Miriam Toews - it doesn't quite hit the mark like her more recent Governor General Award /Giller Prize winning novel, A Complicated Kindness...but it is still a meandering thoughtful read, rich with quirky characters and the dry sarcasm we have come to know and love from this author. Her novels are fully of clever moments and character that think thoughts that anyone could think but never share...their weaknesses are so real that even when the plot falls through the cracks of credulity, the strength of the story lies in the incredible characters that people it. What's with the title? Well, Hosea Funk, mayor of Canada's smallest town, was the illegitimate child of a mother who gave birth to him during a trip to the outhouse and then claimed a man on a horse gave her the baby, and so he grew up, a mystery child "kindly" cared for by a selfless young woman.

Started But Not Finished...

Becoming Chloe by Catherine Ryan Hide (YA)
--- opens with a back alley rape scene, and portrays two street youth: a traumatized girl running from the abuses of countless group homes, and a gay teenage boy with a mysterious welt on his head...felt too heavy for such a sunny day.

Heavy Words Lightly Thrown: The Reason Behind the Rhyme
--- "the seamy and quirky stories behind favorite nursery rhymes" by Chris Roberts (A British librarian!) - really interesting, but again, just too much to read right now!!

In Progress...

Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi
--- seems everyone has read this book but me, and those who haven't cast a derisive eye on it, seemingly unable to get past the word "Lolita" which actually has tragic parallels to the lives of many Iranian woman - for example, those forced to marry at age 12??

Tapas on the Ramblas: A Russell Quant Mystery by Anthony Bidulka
---Comforting like a Nancy Drew novel. Aaaah. Well, maybe Hardy Boys. Well, actually gay Hardy Boys. This was an addition to a Canadian mystery writer booklist I created - I am now trying to read all the books I annotated!

A Boy and His Bunny

This was a success in storytime. Slow start but once the kids begin to get it the absurdity of living life with a small animal on your head becomes kind of interesting...all the possibilities. The chuckles didn't really start until we got to...

"And not only that, the boy said to Fred," "You could ride a bobsled with a bunny on your head..."

"You could build a tool shed with a bunny on your head."

"You could drive a moped with a bunny on your head." And can you picture the bunny's ears blowing in the wind perched atop a helmet? Yes, quite simple and quite cute. Keep and eye out for his sister, who has a 'gator on her head!

Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi

On the cover: "author of Persepolis"

One the back: "Praise for Persepolis and Perspolis 2" followed by vague literary quotes that allow the less than alert reader to become confused and think the praise is for this exact book...rather than previous accolades. Very Annoying.

Plot: an afternoon of Iranian woman discussing "love, sex and the vagaries of men."

Significance of Title: How to fake virginity for one's wedding night.

My response: Read it in one afternoon, feeling repelled and fascinated. It was a light change from something I was struggling to finish. I feel that it can't even be compared with Persepolis however...felt somewhat disappointed in the short format and lack of plot and really felt as though the author was just trying to make a quick buck and again, perhaps **some people will be mad about this** pimping out her culture. The stories that women share when coming together in any culture can be rich and powerful, or silly and humorous. It reminds me of the movie, How To Make an American Quilt with Winona Rider, an old favorite of mine. However, I think many of these stories were simply titillating rather than conveying any messages like the plot summary actually eludes! ("teach us all a thing or two"??)This is just my take, I know a lot of people will disagree! Anyways, I wonder if any teen readers will go hunting for it....

While We Were Out

While we were out, we placed a tiny piece of navy blue thread across the door...just to see if our neurotic disturbed possibly disbarred lawyer landlord entered the suite in our absence. The results were inconclusive so we choose not to frighten ourselves by suspecting the worst! All the same it felt a little more Nancy Drew than Veronica Mars who is probably closer to my current detective ideal...

It has often frequently been the case that we have forgotten the bunny out of her cage. So far the wires have been safe as she mostly sleeps away her afternoons under either a sofa chair in the living room, or under my bed (maybe she likes the company of the other bunnies...ah the dust bunnies).

What happens when we go out and the bunny is on the loose? After reading While We Were Out, by Ho Baek Lee I began to ponder the possibilities presented... For all I know she could be powdering her nose and testing my lipstick (kind of ironic considering my feelings about animal testing)...One of the best lines in this book is accompanied by an image of the rabbit sitting at a desk in the study using a reading lamp...

"The next room is full of books. The rabbit opens one, but she doesn't understand it."

A few pages along...

"There are interesting things in the closet, too. Even skates! The rabbit has wanted to try them for a long time."

I love how all these thoughts and feelings are prescribed to the creature, and the creature is still quite simple and lovable. Very Beatrix Potter in it's way. And the dialogue is straightforward in the way it addresses the reader...making observations and even asking questions...The illustrations are simply delightful in their simplicity, and my only disappointment here is that only a few are in full and beautiful colour!

Strange Weeds

Weeding today, I came across another great find:

The Art of Aluminum Foil by Jane Hinton and Hugh Olleer (1974).

The introduction:

"Of the many new materials that offer a challenge to the artistic imagination, one of the most appealing is aluminum foil.

It is inexpensive and readily available.

It is not essential to know what foil is in order to make things with it, any more than it is necessary to understand the nature of pigments in order to paint pictures.

Among the fascinating projects described...making a model bird, a fairy princess costume, a popcorn chain (this was the best- imagine scrunched up tin foil balls on a piece of string - thank goodness we have the step by step instructions!!!)

Three small tumbling boys come trotting into the library. They survey their surroundings, zigzagging in a rag tag manner back and forth jostling one another. One spots something on the staff picks book display, and literally drags his pals over, saying "Put on your goggles" (they are fresh in from the pool) One boy does, yellow goggles in place, he stands in front of the book display, as his companion chants, "Look look!" All three boys burst into simultaneous expressions of disgust, exclaiming, "Eeeewwwww!" The boys boys swing away as if stung, with mischievous grins....

Bewildered I wander over to see what part of my newly replenished display of staff picks has offended them! This is the book cover! Oh. I hadn't even given it a thought when I put it on display...!

Gilgamesh

Rural Australia, 1937 as the world awaits a war, struggle and hardship take their toll on the surviving wife and daughters of man who was never meant to farm. As he lay dying, he thinks, "There has to be some point to it...perhaps it worked itself out in the following generations." His daughter Edith is seventeen when the visitors arrive. Her English cousin Leopold and his Armenian friend, Aram. Full of tales beyond her narrow horizon, they relate their travels beyond to an archaeological dig in Iraq. Two years later, Edith travels in search of Aram, traveling to Soviet Armenia when the war begins trapping her son Jim and herself, for the duration.

My single criticism of this fascinating novel is that the protagonist, Edith writes several letters to her dear cousin, they are long flowery and even quite literary letters. Up to this point in the tale she is actually portrayed as a mindless disappointment to her intellectual father, a girl who doesn't go beyond the eighth grade. It's hard to dispel this image as her inner life is revealed only in the third person narrative...The richness of the writing sets an seductive mood as a girl on the cusp of womanhood embarks on an epic adventure. Suspense builds as through the creation of taunt relationships intertwined with world events, geography, a melding of space and time. The environment, rugged and harsh echoes the inner struggles of each character, the relentless pace of time. Moments of clarity spin the plot hither onto interesting avenues, yet unexplored.

"It was then as Jim lay on his bed and heard their voices in the kitchen, that he realized that these sisters, the Clark girls, beneath all their travails, their air of martyrdom, their touchy pride, had never denied themselves anything that they really wanted. They did what they wanted to do , and always had, and they had a good time in their own way.

He thought of the generations of nameless dogs in the family, trained to stay at home and guard the women.

He had to get away."

~Gilgamesh by Joan London

Is this book for you?

"Is this book for you?

Think about it:

For yourself:

A. Get out of a rut
B. Break a habit
C. Earn a bit of income
D. Become more popular
E. Travel and meet interesting people
F. Or just have a challenge..."

What you may ask, is this incredible book?!?!

Silhoette Cutting for Fun and Money by Ann and Deidre Woodward.

Yes, really, silhoette cutting may change your life! The younger one has a BA in Graphic Design, so it looks like mom (a former research asst. with the US Congress!!) roped her into this! Lucky girl! It gets even better...

"This book is dedicated to the thousands who have asked, "How do you learn to cut a silhoette?"

Apparently thousands have not asked this question in our library, in fact, only eleven people in the last 19 years have pondered the possibilities of silhouette cutting...Furthermore, this is purportedly "a craft that holds the fascination of a Mona Lisa..." I love how she says, "a Mona Lisa" as if there are many...do you feel the fascination, are you being swept away by it?

By the way, this image is NOT from the actual book. The images in the afformentioned publication would only alarm or bore

The Kindness of Strangers

I had a transportation crisis this morning.

Today of all days! I've been awaiting my big chance to do my first family storytime at the downtown library. Of course at 2:00 am last night I was polishing off my preparations, having procrastinated most of the week on this, but no matter.

About two blocks from my house, the chain disengaged and became jammed on my bike when shifting gears (my bike is such an old school road bike that I try to change gears as little as possible, I think the burn is good for my figure!). After a near accident I managed to dump my heavily weighed down bike (books! books! puppets!) on the side of the road. Grease smeared up my arms and across my leg, which is tremendously bruised at this point. In near tearful frustration, knowing I would surely be late after returning home, and getting all my stuff to the car and searching for parking downtown...I in total desperation asked a nice looking couple if they knew anything about bike gears. Obviously I shouldn't be riding a bike!

Dressed quite nicely and out for a stroll, I had a feeling this muscular fellow wouldn't want to look bad in front of his lady. Soon he had my bike flipped over and was as grease smeared as myself, exclaiming, "What did you do to this thing!?"...the best is yet to come. A curious older man wandered out of a nearby apartment building and inquired if we needed anything. The couple smiled and the grease smeared fellow said, "Hey daddy, do you have a screwdriver or something that we can knock this with?" The fellow took a look, nodded and headed off, after a bit of discussion. The fellow helping me out shouted, "Thanks, daddy!"

Okay, well that 's interesting I thought. Friendly folk. The girl wandered closer and said, "Uh, do you know that guy?" He replied, "Heck no, I'm just trying to see how many times I can call him daddy!" I looked from one to the other in utter astonishment and burst out into laughter.

They had me up and running in no time at all. I have to admit that I probably pressured the guy into helping me and he was a little reluctant to actually get dirty at first (I don't blame him). I have to say things really started to happen when I said, "Oh dear, I'm going to be late for storytime down at the library!" He looked at me in surprise and said, "Are you a librarian?" On an affirmative answer, he really kicked it into high gear! And his partner asked, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

...One librarian back on the road in a mere fifteen minutes, with the help of three random strangers. Only five minutes late, grease smeared and sweaty. I think I made a terrific impression. Well, I was asked to do two more sessions there, but alas I'm already working. And this storytime was my best yet. Maybe I was still high on adrenaline!

I've never asked so much of strangers before. I feel so much gratitude towards these people who I don't even know...I would do the same but somehow you don't expect it of others.

It was the Title...

...that piqued my interest. Dancing at the Dead Sea: Tracking the World's Environmental Hotspots, by Alanna Mitchell. I recently started reading the Weathermakers but got lost somewhere in the first few chapters. Too much was happening in my life and it seemed to be a book written by a man for men. I'll come back to it later. A quick perusal of the book jacket and inside pages revealed more endorsement than I have ever encountered. Powerful Men. With names like Blair, Suzuki, Kennedy. There were others but those are the ones that I recall, which also says something.

If environmental degradation interests you, climate change etc., and you are perhaps more interested in the peoples, societies, cultures of the world and their interactions with the environment thus far, this book may be more up your alley. Allana Mitchell of the Globe and Mail was named best environmental reporter of the world in 2000, by the World Conservation Society and the Reuters Foundation which resulted in a term of study at Oxford and this publication. She travels, visiting: the evolutionary incubator of Madagascar, fossils and oil fields of Alberta, the parched land of Jordan, sunken graves in the Arctic, the rainforests of Suriname, the innovative energy options in Iceland, and the scorched lava landscape of the Galapagos. Lyrical and romantic at points, veering into the personal but staying focused on the essential humanity of the problem, the very nature of humanity which has triggered such catastrophe. A few excerpts...

"The scary thing is that the business of species conservation is sometimes just that fragile. Sometimes, it's just a question of being in the right place at the right time. Miss the plane, cancel the trip, get a touch of malaria and, bam, a species goes extinct or gets that much closer to the brink. Mittermeier has been telling me about the Bali mynah. It's a brilliant white bird with a blue eye that lives only in Bali. There are just a handful left in the wild because the birds have been caught so efficiently for the trade of live birds.

But they breed well in captivity, and there's a program at Bali Barat National Park to increase their number. For some reason though, the program wasn't working well. Mittermeier was in Bali and happened to have some time to check it out. It turned out that the wardens who were supposed to stand guard over these mynah birds were so poorly paid that they didn't have enough money to buy gas. That meant that they couldn't keep up with the armed poachers who kept invading the mynah breeding center. A check for $6000 (U.S.) was all that was needed to make the breeding program a success."

Another example...

"Iceland's secret is that it is not a land of inert ice but of kinetic steam. It is one of the few places in the world in the throes of constant geological creation, driven by the force of heat far below the surface. Volcanoes spew lava, and geysers boil water on this metamorphic island. Earthquakes daily crack open new fissures in the land, exposing the inner workings of the planet. In ancient times, the island was thought to contain the maw of hell, a voracious opening to the eternal fires of the netherworld."

And another....

"Just beyond is a broad, flat stone the circumference and height of a table. It has the feel of a sacrificial altar. I stumble and touch it to steady myself. My guards stiffen and the other guards swirl fiercely around. Mittermeier tells me urgently to take my hand away. Then I notice the dominant carving, repeated everywhere. It is a single, wrenching face, eyes wide open, mouth stretched in terror."

Gonna read it?

Firsts and Favorites

So much has happened in the last few weeks!

My first baby time (for at-risk mothers!)

My first round of booktalking (summer reading program!)

First roomate (a good friend and no more living/drinking alone! Kidding!)

First funky old apartment (as opposed to simply old/ugly/neutral).

First time having an ocean view from my BED (small glimpse of water).

True love.

Oh yes, and my first webcam! The last two go hand in hand. Don't get the wrong idea.

Amidst all this happy fuss, I needed to unwind with something, familiar - I tend to revisit authors when there's too much going on. I laughed my way through Sue Townsend's Number 10 Downing Street a few years ago...I do love British humour, but particularly when entwined with news headlines, which she does perfectly! I recall reading about the life of the adult Adrian Mole, a somewhat pathetic anal man whose life is constantly spiraling out of control ... As a woman who in the last few weeks managed to break a toe jumping a fence in the middle of the night, and who also recently fell up a unmoving escalator, and who upon moving managed to forward my mail to the wrong address...I identify, slightly. The last little while I have enjoyed reading The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 and The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole.

Old classics dating back to the early eighties, they never failed to produce an uproar with the older classes as I booktalked and read excerpts. Two teachers muttered in disgust afterwards that they had hoped to learn about brand new materials at the booktalks. WELL. I was in clear listening distance. Let's clarify that the books were a hit. I had kids coming up afterwards to try and take them away. These teachers just wanted a shortcut for selecting read aloud materials. I was a teacher, been there, done that. But lets not forget that good literature transcends time and is new for each generation. Shall we toss Peter Rabbit? Gosh, I was a toddler when Sue Townsend wrote these books. Ah well, I leave you with some pleasing excerpts from the Growing Pains of Adrian Mole.

Sunday October 24th

The dog went bezerk and ripped the Sunday papers up today. It had no explanation for its bizarre behavior.

The hall was covered with pieces of newsprint saying "Ken Livingstone today defended" ... "Falklands upkeep rockets to 700 million" ... "Israeli soldiers watched helpless as" ... "trouser zips enquiry" ... "Fireman will accept 7 1/2 % but mood is explosive"...

I swept up the pieces and put them in the dustbin and put the lid on the outside world.

Wednesday November 10th

My mother has gone mad cleaning the house from top to bottom. She has taken all the curtains and nets down. Now anybody passing in the street can look in and see our most intimate moments.

I was examining my spots in the living-room mirror tonight, when O'Leary shouted from the street: "There's a fine pimple on the back of your neck, don't miss that boy."

It's taken me fifteen years to appreciate the part that curtains have played in civilized English life.

Monday June 7th

My mother
Clair Neilson's cat
Mitzi

What have the above all got in common?
The fact that they are all expecting babies, kittens or puppies. The fecundity of this suburb is just amazing. You can't walk down the street without bumping into pregnant women and it has all happened since the council put flouride in the water.

By the way, there are actually Adrian Mole computer games (old school!) hence today's graphic!

Quirky Encounters

Man in corner laughing with eyes closed, possible hyperventilating.

Quite elderly with cane.

Patron asked me to check on him.

Seemed annoyed with me.

Hello, are you okay?

Annoyed response of affirmation.

Yes? Just checking.

Moments late he proceeded to take a chair from one of the computer terminals and wheel it around with stack on the seat. His personal shopping cart. He has then THREW them on the circulation counter and walked away leaving the chair.

I guess he just has a breathing problem. That sucks.

Also, a nine-year old girl approached the desk.

Does the library have really old movies?

Yes, do you have one in mind?

Really old....

Ok.

Star Wars Episode 6.

I feel soo sooo old.

Wild red hair, leathery face, woman perched on scooter peering at me...

What'ya gotta do to take this newspaper outside while I smoke a cigarette?

Uh, sorry they have to stay inside (never mind the fire hazard!)

How about a magazine, they can be checked out?

Sure, I'm waiting for a friend, just need somth'n to look at.

Strong southern accent.

This is the same woman who moments earlier amazed me by zooming into the library at high speeds on an electric scooter and didn't even stop when yanking the bathroom key smoothly off the hook and sharply rounding the corner to the bathroom. That's skill!

Well-Booked

Latest entry of interest from Word Spy this week...

well-booked adj. Having access to a substantial number or a wide variety of books.

Example Citation:Bill McCoy, the general manager of Adobe's e-publishing business, says: "Some of us have thousands of books at home, can walk to wonderful big-boxbookstores and well-stocked libraries and can get Amazon.com to deliver next day. The most dramatic effect of digital libraries will be not on us, the well-booked, but on the billions of people worldwide who areunderserved by ordinary paper books." It is these underbooked - students in Mali, scientists in Kazakhstan, elderly people in Peru - whose lives will be transformed when even the simplest unadorned version of the universal library is placed in their hands.-Kevin Kelly, "Scan This Book," The New York Times, May 14, 2006

Read the whole article on google's digitization project - available from the Canadian Newstand database via your local public library website...

I think it is mean spirited, I have to go to the federal government and get forms before I can get any more money...I'm stubborn I'm half Irish, half Norwegian, and half English. Tough as nails, I wouldn't be 64 if I wasn't. I'm tough, not violent, I believe in peace. I'm going to get a studio and be an artist but right now I need to get those forms filled out. I'm about peace, not violence, I'm a hippy but all the hippies are bums or lawyers now....Why are they all so mean-spirited now?

A drunken homeless man just came in yelling, not sure what to do ... I finally just stopped what I was working on, stood up and was about to walk over when he said, "Oh I'll stop complaining I'm just waiting for the washroom." Yet it continued a bit more...

Now there is a HUGE man with special needs asking, "Who is talking in the library?" I just shrug and say, "I don't know, some man...."

What a circus tonight! He's out of the washroom and talking solely to me now rather than the entire place, I want to interject with a "please keep your voice down," but I also don't want to rile him up more. He is now complimenting me for being a good listener and apologizing for the fact that he's been drinking beer all day....hmmmm. An old man with beautiful eyes that should be someone's kindly father or grandfather at this point...

PS - several staff members expressed discomfort with how long I allowed him to go on. One was about to get a male staff member from the back when he disapeared into the bathroom. It's always hard making a judgement call as the supervising staff member, but I felt comfortable with the situation. I do find it a bit annoying that no one had any problem with him talking solely to me, it was only when he was loudly talking to the whole library...Oh no, a dozen people are trying to write emails, better keep it down!!

I like to leave alone...

Tonight I'm going to post a couple entries that I wrote during the week but couldn't post due to technical problems! Yes, Friday night and home again! Although, it doesn't feel like the weekend for those of us who work all day Saturday! I trolled the waters for fun but everyone is engaged in family commitments, studying for exams, heading to sports games, etc. That's okay, for those who know me, I've been actually having a lot of fun lately with a particularly great guy - soooo.....anyways.

This week, I helped an incredulous seeing impaired fellow find literary quotations, jokes, and photocopied an article on immigration for him, all the while trying to change the topic or express non-verbal disapproval of his rants about "letting all the immigrants in." Eventually he got around to questioning my age, my education, and finished off by asking me what time I'd be getting off work. I vaguely replied, oooh, pretty soon (5 hours away!)...early enough to enjoy the good weather (or not)...

Someone asked me the other day what things I'm scared of...and I didn't really think much of it...but I'd have to say my personal safety sometimes as a woman living in this city after dark...I can handle all the characters you can throw at me within the walls of the library, there's strength in unity and power in a nametag (yeah right) but when I leave at night, I just hope no one is waiting. Ever.

Unless he has four legs...

Home on the Bayou: A Cowboy's Story by G. Brian Karas

I love the illustrations, the yellows, the greens that permeate each page as a child moves from "the west" to "the swamp" to unhappily join his widowed grandfather. In the car ride over, he remains silent, in fact, "he rather eat cactus spines than answer his mom." I remember the aura that "new kids" always brought, fully of stories that soon become tiresome of some other, better, place. When I was teaching, I had a student from West Africa (Dutch?) who was always trying to fit in and always failing and who was always speaking of his homeland and the father who was still there. I love children that talk about their fathers, especially at the age of eleven or twelve.... I wanted to tell him - you don't need to fit in with all the other little monsters, just be yourself and it will get better. For any child that's ever moved this is a great book!

From the sentimental side of things with the children's picture book featuring strangely neutral and washed out rabbits...My Wishes for You by Adele Geras and Cliff Wright.

"I wish you...

Light from behind the hill spilling into the sky...

A path that goes from here to everywhere...

Trees wide enough for you to hide behind and drifting shadows, pieces of the dark ...

which vanish as the sun moves through the leaves..."

Barcode Bonanza

Elderly male patron approaches reference desk.

He places a paperback novel on my desk: Gaywyck by Vincent Virga and addresses me:

I have a complaint to make.

You see the barcode here, is placed in a way so that you can't see the face of the second person. It would be better to know the gender here. That's all. Thank you.

OK!? I very kindly wrote a note for the patron and affixed it to the cover, setting it aside, smiling and nodding (but inside I was full of the giggles). You see there were a number of other clues that may have lead the library patron to fully comprehend the subject matter of this particular literary choice...

The title, or the cover... I mean there are other features besides the face that are almost obscenely male...! And just a few lines from the back of the book...

Robert - "his soft blond hair, emerald eyes, and porcelain skin," "a seventeen year old sent to catalog a mansion's vast library..."

Donough - "Master of Gaywyck" is the "epitome of elegance and sophistication..."

Another librarian observed that the barcode was placed further to the left than usual. She suspected the catalogers were having a little fun with it!

"A single molecule from a sea of information"

Morgan O'Brien investigates research fraud for the "National Council for Science and Technology" in Ottawa. This adventure (or misadventure?) finds her heading to Vancouver's beautiful "University of Southern British Columbia" which sounds just like UBC, right down to the description of "C-Lot" parking...hmmm....The characters in this novel are fairly colourful, yet not always believable and unfortunately the "who-dun-it" plot drags out a bit at the end. I somehow doubt that the science is at all credible, though the idea of crooked professors siphoning funds into research that may cripple the fishing industry is novel and provides a unique backdrop for this mystery.

One other fascinating aspect of the Morgan O'Brien mysteries is the emergence of many characters of varying sexuality and the undertones of questioning in regards to her own sexuality. It never dominates or drives the novel, but adds a unique element. My favorite character is Sylvia, formerly David, who is now dying of cancer and providing research assistance to Morgan utilizing her skills as...you guessed it... a librarian! (Although it appears her route to the career is somewhat unrealistic as you may notice...!)

"After finishing her PhD in physics, Sylvia left the labs to get a second doctorate in Library Science, where the level of tolerance was higher than in the sciences. She quickly became an EXPERT in LARGE scientific databases and is known for her ability to PLUCK a single molecule from a sea of information. While officially there is no such thing as a forensic librarian there should be, because Sylvia's online searches could expose scientific fraud like an x-ray reveals a bone."

Just me and the blog...

Friday night and it's just me and the blog. I'm keyed up and yet totally exhausted from a day of car troubles and apartment hunting! Nothing like sitting on the couch watching a good movie- I'm going to recommend it even though I've only seen the first half hour- Le Role De Sa Vie, a Montreal film festival winner in 2004. The case is all in French so I had no idea what I was in for...so far it features the downtrodden good girl, pleasing everyone but herself...her perpetually late with the rent roomate, her new selfish actress friend, and her oblivious employers. I am anticipating an explosion or cartharsis may be coming soon...Anyways, I think I'll save watching the movie in entirety, for another night!

Doc Film Next Sunday

I've been kind of hooked on documentaries lately, what I like to think of as "real films." So, this is just a heads up on an interesting documentary that will be shown on the Passionate Eye (CBC) next Sunday night, the 3rd of June. I believe I've seen the second half of it, but not the entire film. Here's the synopsis direct from the website!

"At the heart of Thomas' programme are the powerful personal testimonies of people, aged from eight to eighty, who have suffered because they are "different". As these stories unfold, a radically new view of human sexuality begins to emerge. With the help of contributions from some of the world's leading experts as well as access to their latest research, Middle Sex examines the key influences that shape sexual identity and sexual orientation .

The conclusions are startling. In the words of neuro-biologist, James Pfaus: "There are as many sexual orientations as there are faces.""To suggest that the simple categories, male/female, hetero/homo are adequate to describe the whole range of human sexuality is to ignore science and the evidence of nature."

"One thing we have to remember from Darwin to Kinsey to any great thinker about sexuality," says sexologist Professor Milton Diamond, "is that variation is the norm. Biology loves difference. Society hates it."

Filmed in eight countries - from the Americas to the Far East - Middle Sex is also a fascinating study in repression and denial, revealing how culture and religion shape (and frequently distort) our attitudes to sex.While the scope of this programme is hugely ambitious, it remains intensely personal from start to finish. The trust shown all the participants as they share their most intimate feelings and experiences is unforgettable, and makes Middle Sex such a profoundly humane and profoundly disturbing experience."

Today I sought out contact information for Captain Nichola Goddard'sfamily. She was the first Canadian soldier to be killed in action since World War II. She was the same age as myself.

A library patron wanted to send a card expressing condolences. As it is a fairly common last name in the area, we ended up finding the contact information for St. Barnabas Anglican Church, the location of the memorial service. Sending a card to express condolences is hard enough for me when dealing with loved ones, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances, so the idea of writing to a complete stranger seems rather radical. On the other hand, it is truly touching they way people are compelled to reach out to complete strangers.

In other less sober contemplations, how do you politely ask a co-worker to stop talking to you? You know, the type of co-worker that provides a continual stream of conversation framed as advice for the new professional but constantly side-tracking into the personal, the bizarre and the deep depths of workplace gossip. It was a very entertaining afternoon, time passed quickly, however, I am assuaged with guilt, undone tasks, and just more guilt. I'll have to go home and clean out a closet or something.... But I must say that I've observed that the chattiest libraries are the happiest libraries when it comes to staff job satisfaction. I myself am guilty of quite a lot of chit-chat, particularly when I'm am happily working alongside any of my favorite co-workers that I may not have seen in a week or two.

I'm off to a librarian party and it's supposed to be a rager. My brother smirked and said, "Oh really? You've been waiting two years for this!" My friend and partner in crime is unable to make it out with me due to illness, (feel better soon!) and now I'm dragging my feet a bit not knowing who will show. Truth be told, it's an archivist party and that's a whole 'nother thing.

Quit it!

Has anyone ever quit a job?

Not just quitting for the sake of moving into another position, or returning to school...but quitting because you can't take it anymore, it is sucking all pleasure in life or work right out of you, and no amount of money on this earth will make one more minute worth it?

Hmmm. Well, I recently dropped myself from the on-call list of one particular department at one particular branch for this reason. The environment and the supervisor were making me re-think my entire career choice, which is a terrible thing because 99% of the time I truly love my work, even the dull bits.

Unfortunately, I fired off a hot little email - I lost my head completely... Always let the resignation letter percolate overnight!

Well, today my blog has been bombed with comments from some hot-headed reader- It isn't a big deal because I approve all comments. I allowed the comment on my posting, "Knock Knock Knock" even though the writer takes a rather aggressive stance towards me--ie. "Well let me tell you my lithe hussey, though I am not quite the tender young (and oh so special) spring chicken you portray yourself as..." But enough is enough, 4 other comments so far this afternoon! All of them are pretty harsh towards me and my inaptitude with Dewey.

The long and short of it is, that I am beginning to wonder if this is my OLD BOSS posting comments?

Tssk tssk, I know that blogs can become very self-indulgent, but that's the very nature of the beast. Certainly, I will be a little more careful with my postings, another bit of self-censorship enters the equation, and if this continues tomorrow I'm afraid comment posting will have to cease and this will simply become the one-way-ramblings of the lithe librarian....

The Dog Who Cried Wolf

"Moka was a good dog. He and Michelle loved to be together. Life was perfect, until one day, she read a book about wolves...."

And so begins his discontentment. There's a great big world beyond Eden...

"And look at the way I live, Moka sighed. I'm nothing but a house pet. He felt like a failure, especially when Michelle made him dress up for her tea parties. He wanted to be a wolf."

You can pretty much guess what happens. You can almost close your eyes and imagine a discontent spouse. Hmmm. Inspiration perhaps? This is a good children's book however, the illustrations done in watercolour are quite good at portraying the imagination and the reality of a dog's life. It is quaint and lighthearted without pushing the realm of possibility, and older children appreciate that. I had a mother with her suprisingly old daughter ILL every book written by this author. Thanks R. for passing this on!

DVD Copy

A friend asked me about getting a copy of My Flesh and Blood-there's one copy at the downtown library with 4 holds on it. I'm #4 - so if anyone wants to come over and watch it when I get it, that would be good * a cryfest, but good.

This Week's Bits and Bites from the Public

Overheard in Children's Department (mother speaking to three-year-old):

You better start managing yourself if you want to get Star Wars.

Are you going to manage yourself?

Sit up, there are other choices!

Manage yourself!

A Troubling Reference Interview:

I'm looking for books about retirement.

Any aspect of retirement?

No. Why are they all over the library?

I explain that they are often sorted by the primary topic, such as financial planning, health, etc.

I do a subject search. It's a tiny little branch, there is very little available. I notice one particular subject heading with some titles and ask without looking up, "I don't suppose your interested in books on early-retirement?"

Innocently glance up, and find myself captured in the evil glare of an enraged baby-boomer.

Ah, nevermind.

Do you know what, I think I am better off going to a bookstore! Woman flounces out.

--Note: Why do patrons always jab that to us as an insult. I say, great! If you can afford to buy a book, go and do so, you're not my primary target audience. If you have a burning interest in a particular topic, the bookstore may have more current information to suit your niche interest. The library is for general edification, education, recreation...we do the best we can with your meagre tax dollars! So there!

Found in Library:

One Chinese passport.

One pink princess purse, complete with compact, hairbrush, tube of glitter, candy wrappers.

One backseat drivers license (enscripted with: "The individual named herein has official license to criticize, annoy, aggravate and disturb operator of the car. The individual may also utilize invisible brakes on the passenger side of car when vehicle travels at excessive speeds. Authorized signature : Mathew)

Knock, Knock, Knock!

This has been a rather odd day. I thought it would be a day off, however I was called in on a last minute shift (40 minute lead time)...so besides being completely befuddled running around retrieving half-finished laundry and looking for my car (2 blocks away due to lack of parking), I made it with minutes to spare. Today, was not meant to be a normal day however.

1. I met a city engineer. He started the conversation by handing me his business card and I thought, oh no not another middle aged guy hitting on the librarian...Apparently I have become completely conceited, he simply wanted permission to take pictures of the library interior as a part of a proposal to put in air condition. I was all for it! It was hot today, I had a fan on the reference desk blowing in my face until I decided it was impairing my hearing and I had to point it elsewhere.

2. 5 minutes before the end of my shift, a man alerted me to the fact that he had been waiting to use the men's washroom for a rather long time...Oh dear. I went over and knocked - nothing, but the sound of running water and a locked door. He advised me to wait a few more minutes (I did and began to wonder if I could stretch it out to the end of my shift, but that seemed wrong). I went to ask about a spare key, a lib. tech and another librarian then enthralled me with stories of bathroom unlockings gone wrong. Yes, yes, knock VERY VERY LOUDLY first.

3. A co-worker asked me to fill out a personality questionnaire. Yes, this library technician hunted me down in the stacks and explained that he gives it to all new employees, and has for years. Over 300 surveys have been completed. Okay...I agreed before looking at it, feeling mildly concerned about providing such personal information for a co-worker/stranger.

A few examples of the odd questions I savoured during some down time on the desk...

You seem modest, even shy. YES NEUTRAL NO
You have a greater than usual resistance to physical and psychological fatigue. YES NEUTRAL NO
You have many friends and are well liked by them. YES NEUTRAL NO

Well the survey ended with information about my birth. No not just my birthdate, the time, the type of birth (c-section, clamps, anesthetic, mid-wife, etc.) and related complications, where I got this information from, and the planetary alignment. I didn't really know the answers to this part. Apparently he will email the results to me later in the week. He is trying to pinpoint some differences between clerical staff and librarians, however as the pool of librarians is much smaller, he feels the results have been all over the map. Yeah, maybe that's it...Hmmm.

My Flesh and Blood

Susan Tom, a single mother has 2 birth children and 11 adopted children with special needs. The challenges she faces with patience and perseverance are unimaginable. Faith was burned as a baby, Xenia was born without legs, and Anthony has painful genetic disease called Epidermolysis Bullosa. Most troubling of all is Joe, featured right with Bipolar Disorder and Cystic Fibrosis, who has been passed from home to home and is consumed with rage and hatred towards his siblings. Your gut reaction may be, what a nut house, why would one person take all that on? But the family seems to find strength through their united chaos and Susan Tom proves to be a woman who has been truly called on to fill this role, even when one of the children unexpectedly dies.

I stumbled across this documentary on the Passionate Eye this evening and only caught the second half. I was moved to tears, and soon I dissolved into a full out puddle of sobbing. Really, it was a fun experience. I had just spent the evening with some really frustratingly narrow minded people and needed to cleanse through a good cry. (At one point this evening, someone declared that Brokeback Mountain was an example of moral disintegration - let's just say that I was so angry, I was literally shaking and had to leave...well I tried to leave, but I didn't know the way home, so I had to wait)...ahhh, so to come home and watch something so truly about love was wonderful. It wasn't just my frame of mind that made this a great documentary though, it's won many awards, including two at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival.

If you work at a library, buy it and if you visit a library, request it!

"I really love documentaries. I really believe truth is stranger, weirder, more bizarre, wonderful, frightening, and poignant than fiction," says Jonathan Karsh, director of My Flesh and Blood (the link leads to a pretty good interview with him).

Watch the trailer on the Chaiken Films website.

Interesting ways that I have been addressed this week...

"lady do you have national geographic type of books?" (elderly woman) "Ok, thank you lady..."

"Hi new person." (teens)

"labaaarian" (snot congested preschooler)

"teacher lady" (grade 2 class)

"Hello Librarian, how are you today?" (On the phone, often, as though I am a robot) My response next time - "Why, I'm very well, Library Patron thank you for asking."

"Hello, I spoke to your secretary earlier...and I wondered if..." (this is the best yet, WOW, my SECRETARY!!!)

This Really Happened Today

Mommy, can we get some nice books?

No, they only have boring, outdated, crappy books here.

(I am within clear range of overhearing this)

Child toddles over to display.

Come along, there's nothing here.

(apparently they come in for the internet and computer games)

Pushkin sure Pushes my Buttons!

Pushkin Meets the Bundle by Harriet M. Ziefert and illustrated by Donald Saaf. This is a great team. The pictures are both classic and naive with a sprinkle of sweet. The story is quaint and ripe with emotion but straightforward without bein sickeningly perfect and pat.

The story begins with a dog wearing a sweater doing a handstand, the text reads, "I am Pushkin." This puppy is spoiled and happy, he has a child size bed with a bedside table and lamp and each night owner Kate says "Sweet dreams" and owner Michael says "Sleep tight, big boy," "We love you"....Aawwwww.

Until one day they come home with A BUNDLE. What a delightful way to describe a baby. That's really all it is to a younger sibling. Exactly, he or she is an "it" and everything changes. Pushkin thinks of running away. "Kate stays home. She pats the baby, but she doesn't pat me."

Things obviously worked out, because today I picked up Pushkin minds the Bundle which is even more fun! Pushkin's imperfections are endearing. When berry picking with "the bundle" (now a toddler) they eat lots of berries, and "Sometimes Pierre gets just the one I want. And we fight." -- the illustration depicts a dog wearing boots and a backpack pushing a little boy who is flinging a berry over his head. The little rascals! All in all, the absurdity is lovely, especially when Pushkin plays the guitar and notes that "Michael and Kate like my melancholy tunes." Nevermind the bundle, I need to get myself a Pushkin!

Latest Non-Fic

I'm trying hard to branch out. I've realized that I basically read the same book over and over, because I tend to choose things that appeal to certain interests and even though I was a English major, I have grown up treasuring reading as a form of escapism. Historical fiction? Yes!

I'm not a cyclist, though I have some aspirations that way. I have read Lance Armstrong's first biography mostly because of his fight with cancer, but I found myself fascinated with the sport of cycling. I began watching the Tour de France a few years ago. I was talking to a friend about this and we were wondering what is interesting about a 6 hour race? Not sure, maybe the high level of athleticism, single minded determination, the beautiful scenery, the spandex (no no NO - just kidding)...

Anyways, Inside the Postal Bus by Michael Barry was a nice light read. So light in fact, that at one point, I mixed up my book mark and picked up reading about fifty pages ahead and didn't really notice. Later I realized I missed a whole chunk...I went back of course. This book really jumps around and I have to say that it seems a lot like a PR campaign, the endless name dropping, no one can keep track on all the people that parade across the pages...everything is PC, there is no criticism of rules, sponsors, race officials, athletes...But I'm not athlete, and this guy, he's not a writer! A lot of things got past the editor, some sentences don't make a lot of sense. Here's one that is a little interesting...I've never managed to start and finish a sentence with the same word.

"Summers in Spain are hot, hotter than anything I ever experienced back in the muggy Toronto summers."

Little guest features really spiced this book up, the following from George Hincapie...

"Riding on a team like U.S. Postal means winning a lot of races, a lot of the time. It means riding with some incredible teammates who do amazing things."

Yup. Hmmm... well anyways here's what the athletes say... (7/10 on PedalPushers.com)

"For any reader who enjoys following the exploits of professional cycling teams, and the U.S. Postal Team luminaries in particular, this book is filled with the kind of details and statistics that allow such a reader to "talk shop" for hours with a similarly inclined competitive cycling aficionado. There are interesting flashbacks to the author's youth and his motivation to compete. There are asides about the author's wife, also a competitive cyclist, and a fair number of insights into what makes other team members tick, and on occasion, not tick. There are the required obsequities to The Lance Armstrong legend and a fairly in depth examination of the role the team plays in elevating the team hero to his winning status."

Something I noticed today...

There is only ONE person who can wear rollerblades in the library without persecution. Who?

The paperboy!

Rolls in, rolls out. Thank you!

---Is it PC to say paperboy??

What about Mary?

Quite Monday afternoon, children's department.

Phone rings (it's the adult info desk)

"A woman is coming up, her son just had two teeth pulled, he's not a happy camper, thank god he's in the car, but she's in a real rush."

"Okay, she's here."

Woman stands panting, sweat glistening on her face, gesturing to indicate she's in a rush.

I race her over to the shelf.

"We're not a violent family."

"Ok...so how old is your son?"

"Ten. But we don't like violence."

"Okay, he doesn't watch Disney or cartoons anymore?"

"No."

"Here's the Secret Garden."

"I'm not familiar with this version...I don't know if it's too...dark..."

"Here's Babe, it's really good."

"No...that movie is much too dark."

"Oh. Ummmm.... how about White Fang? Shiloh? Tuck Everlasting?"

Woman looks horrified and asks, "Um, what about Mary Poppins?"

Thank goodness, it was on the shelving cart...

All I can say, is Babe is too dark???!! Babe??!!

Sometimes, it is so good to get back to reading adult material (no not that kind, you know what I mean). I randomly picked up this one off the shelf of biographies one day while working, despite the fact that I have never read any works by this bestselling author, Victor Villasenor.

I am glad I read the entire book, though right away I was tempted to toss it aside. It has a fairly gripping opening, as the author finds himself thrust into the unexpected position of keynote speaker at a conference due to illness. He is one of the most little known and inexperienced authors present. No one at this conference for teachers has any idea what they're in for. In fact part of his speech goes like this...

"I was TORTURED by teachers! You hear me, TORTURED!" I yelled jerking the whole podium off the floor. "Hell, I flunked the third grade twice because - BECAUSE- " I was crying so hard that I had to wipe the tears out of my eyes with the back of my hand, but this wasn't going to stop me. I was all guts up front now." Okay so basically he loves using capitalization (not for artistic symbolism like annoying Mr. Fry) but basically as a constant mechanism for emphasis. Unfortunately his editors forgot to suggest italics. You actually may begin to feel he is yelling at YOU the READER.

I loved the insight this book gave me to a certain time and a certain place in American history. In light of this week's protests across the US regarding immigration, it puts some things into an interesting historical perspective (although the author grew up as a privileged well of full citizen, he experiences abuse and prejudice like I never would have imagined). Villasenor is a passionate writer, bold and unafraid to write what some might find vulgar, what some might find unbelievable...but it works well. The impossible seems possible as one person's faith is realized in such a way that is vastly different from our rather conservative, doubting Western perspective. The only thing that was a bit hard to deal with is that a certain degree of repetition enters into the narrative in terms of events and dialogue, and also the fact that the tale ends when he is still a child. Midway through the book, I can hardly believe he is still only eight years old. I also began to feel a little incredulous that anyone could remember such early years so vividly.

Oh, and this book cover is truly awful...

It's been a little while, things have been busy. Against all odds, however, I'm determined to clear the slate of books on my desk, write up on them and return them! I was at a stagette until the wee maws, and now I am coping with a very painful incision on my left pointer finger, the result of an overzealous rabbit ripping a piece of banana from my grasp...

The Hippie House by Katherine Holubitsky.

I heard a lot about this Canadian YA novel before picking it up, and I found it a little difficult to get into at first...probably in part because it's written a bit like an autobiography, as though the author is looking back into the past from a great distance in the future. And this is fiction, so I actually expected it to be a little grittier, particularly as the book is based on the discovery of a body and the changes brought to a community by the fear of an unknown murderer lurking in their midst. The protagonist is fourteen year old girl living growing up in a rural community during the 1970's. Emma is a pretty straight and narrow character, equal measure of perfect little achiever who sews and spends time with her family, and mildly rebellious and bored teenager... sounds like the way your mother would want you to picture her as a child, regardless. Half way through the book, however, I was really fascinated, and beginning to enjoy this nostalgic take on small town life, until in one of the final scenes it all falls apart becoming ridiculously contrived...but I won't spoil it for you!

What I think the author did really well, was to capture the emotions, reactions, and response of all the various members of the community to a shocking crime. And this was one of the unique aspects of this novel that made it such a worthwhile read in the end.

"Feeling powerless to fight back, the entire town was left in a heightened state of terror. After news of the second murder, doctors heard more than the normal number of complaints; unexpected illnesses - headaches and stomach aches - and absences from school rose. People developed phobias of things that didn't exist. Megan said that every time she walked somewhere she heard footsteps behind her. She was getting a stiff neck from turning suddenly to check it out....Those already predisposed to a general fear of life were paralyzed completely."