What I’ve Been Reading
I really need to post these more often–I’m losing track of what I’ve read!
Funny Misshapen Body: A Memoir: I picked this one up when I wanted to kill some time at my public library branch. (Side note? Now that I work full-time, I visit this library so much less often. It makes me a little sad. But at least I finally made good on my overdue fines!) When I was about halfway done I loaned it to the head of our art department, which meant I didn’t get to finish it until this afternoon. Aesthetically I’m not a huge fan of the art, but I love the stories. Linear thinkers may have an issue with the way the narrative hops around in time.
Brutal: As part of my book club for two, I’m now trying to stay at least a book ahead of the 12th grader who plows through anything I recommend. I picked this one up because it seemed like it might be in line with some of the Bad Things Happen-themed books she’s enjoyed in the past. At first I had a lot of trouble getting into it–the narrator struck me as one of those gratingly precocious teens–but the plot drew me in and I finished it in a single sitting.
Nonfiction Matters
[I’m such a geek when it comes to words with multiple meanings.]
After paying probably way too much attention to the changes to some of YALSA’s book lists, I’ve been thinking a lot about fiction and nonfiction. Am I marginalizing nonfiction in my library?
The evidence on both sides:
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What I’ve Been Reading
My reading has become a bit haphazard these days, as I now drive for my commute (rather than taking public transportation) and don’t usually have time at work to read (which I sometimes had in the afternoons on slow days).
Nonetheless, I seem to be getting an interesting mix in, as I catch up on some newer adult titles and try to read some of the new (or new to us) YA titles I order for the library.
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Boy Books and Girl Books
I have a pair of students I absolutely adore. They come into the library just about every day, always together, always taking their time to find the perfect book. They’re both in ninth grade, in that blissful period when friendships between boys and girls aren’t yet marred by the stunning Awkward that is puberty.
So far they’re my biggest readers–devouring books in a day or so, carrying off stacks of four and five when I have new books in, never shy about their feelings on any return.
And from the very first day, the male half of this dynamic duo has made it very clear what he doesn’t want to read: girl books.
How’s My Driving?
I almost got into a car accident yesterday.
Despite a spotless driving record, faithful adherence to the law and an almost neurotic observance to the speed limit just about wherever I go, I almost got into an accident.
After my thoughts finally moved on from “Holy crap!” to “Thank goodness no one was hurt” and “Good thing there wasn’t a cop around to see that,” it hit me: even good drivers can make bad decisions.
So what if the driver is a teenager, behind the wheel not of a car, but of their own education?
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New Librarian on the Block
Hey, remember when I used to blog? Yeah, me neither.
Things I’ve learned since starting my new job:
Wait and See Pudding
When I was in library school, there were a few things I heard over and over again in the school library teacher program. Some of them actually led to a serious student identity crisis about halfway through my time there–I was incredibly frustrated by what I saw as constant emphasis on how difficult administrators, parents, and students themselves can be.
But as I sit in my new library, among the printer carts and trophy cases stored here for the summer, staring at another stack of books telling me all about those wacky West Germans and the rise of modern America (copyright 1935), it’s a different refrain that keeps ringing in my head: Don’t try to get anything done in your first year.
What I’ve Been Reading
It’s been one of those months, apparently.
The Catcher in the Rye: Note to self: never read this on the Harvard campus again. Slash, in public. People seem to think that seeing you reading Catcher in the Rye is some kind of invitation to idiotic conversations. I love J.D. Salinger, but I’m aware that my love for him is extremely tortured. Also, this is by far his weakest work.
Escape: A friend recommended this to me. It’s not terribly well-written, but goodness is it compelling. I was struck a lot by the number of things Big Love seems to have lifted from real life, although if this book is any indication it didn’t lift any of the truly terrifying parts of life in the FLDS. Note to self: next time, get a recommendation for something lighter. Fluffier, even. Maybe puppies and unicorns.
The Vast Fields of Ordinary: I heard some people on BBYA talking about this title and realized I still hadn’t read my galley from Midwinter, so I read it in maybe two days. The ending was abrupt and annoying, but the book still really spoke to me. Though it would be nice to have a proofread version, since many of the galley hiccups were distracting.
The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing: Another I own and reread when I’m feeling particularly tortured. Dog this is a beautiful book.
Why Does History Have to Be So OLD?
Yesterday was my first day in my new library. I’m my own department head, overseer of a collection for 900 high school students, and I’m mildly terrified.
The Sagittarian Librarian 