Living the Good Life

  Science Fiction: Author: Ray Bradbury Title: Fahrenheit 451 Genre:  Science Fiction Publication Date:  1951 Number of Pages 190 Geographical Setting: Un-named Midwestern city,  near Chicago Time Period:   After 2022, after two atomic wars Series: N/A Plot Summary: Montag, a fireman, meets a young girl who is carefree and cheery, something uncommon in that time. She asks a lot of questions, making him contemplate his life. He realizes that he is not happy, his wife is not happy (proven by an attempted overdose), and that he is unsure about his future. He begins to question what he does and why it is wrong to read.  Subject Heading: Fireman, Betrayal, Determination Appeal: Mood, Characters, and Ideas     Mood: We have all had moments of self doubt and wish for moments of clarity. Montag's self analysis makes the reader empathize with him. He emits a desperation that draws us in, silently encouraging him.     Characters: A good story...

       This blog is my response to the article by Mackenzie Nichols, "How the New Celebrity Book Clubs Are Boosting Literary Sales". I would like to start by saying that I am a complete book worm. I am in favor of anything that will inspire an individual to pick up a book. I love the fact that library patrons are compelled to come in and ask if the library would be ordering a specific book, and if so, can they be put on a waiting list for it. It's fun to imagine what it would be like to be Maria Hummel, who went from "relatively unknown" (Nichols) to be a highly sought after novelist, simply from being recommended by a celebrity.      That being said, I do quite often stop and ask why this happens. Not that it is a bad thing, but, why does a movie star or athlete's opinion of a book  have so much of a leverage and influence of our thoughts? Does thinking of a celebrity relaxing with a book make them appear more "normal" than rich and famous? Do we...

      Despite it being cliche, it would be neat to pitch the horror genre the last two weeks of October, when spookiness already lingers in the air. Outlines of bodies can be drawn in tape on the floor of the stacks. Splashes of blood made of washable paint, can be flung about on the walls and windows, particularly near the true crime section. With proper planning and staff participation, we may even be able to act out a murder mystery play.     To incorporate the concept of integrated advisory, we can have a horror movie to book display. In addition, depending again on proper planning, the library can create a Clue game. It could be an evening program, where patrons would be given a scenario upon arrival. They would visit each section of the library (Reference, Young Adult, Children's, Indiana Room, study rooms, etc.) where staff members would be in character and it would be up to the patron to determine who the culprit was.      

 1. )  " Ebook only books, which are increasingly popular (especially in the romance genre) see little to no reviews in professional publications unless they have a big name author. How does this affect collection development? Unfortunately, the lack of professional reviews of  e-books make it extremely difficult for a staff member to adequately manage the collection development.  Staff members cannot be expected to know the existence of an item when there is no publicity for that material. There are short cuts around this, such as Libby, but that is barely a starting point.  2.)  One is two reviews of an ebook only romantic suspense novel, one from a blog and one from amazon. Look over the reviews - do you feel they are both reliable? How likely would you be to buy this book for your library? Both reviews of The Billionaire's First Christmas do seem authentic and reliable. However, based on the reviews, I don't think I'd purchase this for our library. The ...

  Good Night, Mr. Tom Michelle Magorian A heart wrenching story of a nine year old evacuee getting acclimated in new surroundings.  As part of the war effort, the people of Little Weirwold take in evacuees. Willie Beech ends up on the doorstep of Mr. Tom, a loner in town. He was chosen specifically because the boy's mom insisted that he be left with someone who was "religious or near a church." Tom is appalled to find that the boy is illiterate and abused. Stepping out of his comfort zone, Tom enrolls the boy in school and helps him participate in town activities. Together, they experience the trials and tribulations of over coming nightmares, healing physically, and surpassing emotional trauma. Willy discovers a life that involves love, laughter and friendship. Tom learns what it is like to be part of a caring community. Magorian does not use graphic detail, just simply alludes to certain details enough to pull the reader in and make us sympathize with the characters. Th...

 Unfortunately, the staff member at the library I visited was not very helpful. She was not much of a conversationalist. I had stated that I was interested in science fiction as a prompt, but she did not take the bait, other than escorting me to the stacks. I attempted again by asking if she had any suggestions, and she said "No, that's not quite my genre" and went back to the desk.  I give everyone the benefit of the doubt though. I don't think she was being rude; I think she really was just answering the question honestly, without know that she should try to help me find something despite not liking the genre. It could also be that she was in the middle of something that she needed to get done before the end of the day.