So, I am reading a book that my father gave me called Murder at the Library of Congress by Margaret Truman and I realized something... there are a lot of librarian heroines out there. Or books taking place in or about libraries. Charlaine Harris has a series about a librarian named Aurora Teagarden. I have read others that I thought of the other day, but now as I right I cannot recall them. :-(
There are even novels about archivists! The Archivist by Martha Cooley and The Archivist's Story by Travis Holland. They have recently been added to my Summer Reading List.
And of course the Noah Wile Librarian movies! And who wouldn't want THAT job?! [Admittedly, not books, but who's counting!] ;-)
I am interested in reading more fiction about librarians or libraries. Any suggestions?
I have a whole new stack of shiny books. New ones! All mine! Bwhahahaha!!!!!! In other words, my carefully plotted out attack on the exhibit hall at ALA was a complete success. I acquired the vast majority of the books that were on my want list, and even found some others-like one written by a neighbor of mine in upstate NY. I had no idea.
The top moment, however, was when I went to get Mitali Perkin's newest book autographed by her, and she remembered me from three years ago when ALA was last in DC. She complimented me on my fine attempt at bhangra dancing.
And today, I begged my co-worker to pick me up a copy of Ally Carter's newest Gallagher Girl novel, Only the Good Spy Young so I won't have to wait until after August to read it. (I had to work today, that's why I couldn't pick it up myself.) Now I feel very much like another co-worker who wanted nothing more than to take off and read Sizzling Sixteen. Maybe I will just do that!
I think I might have mentioned my participation in the 48 hour book reading challenge here, but I don't remember if I told you what my winnings were. It was a 50 book multicultural library collection to donate to an elementary school's library of my choice thanks to Reading is Fundamental. Pretty sweet, right? All those books and I don't have to put them on my own shelves. I call that a win-win situation. I donated them to my old elementary school's library. I think that was the best choice because they didn't seem to own most of the books. I'm glad that through my own stupidity and will power I was able to help so many. Or so I will think til the end of my days.
I was recently approached with the offer to move into a house with four other girls. I have thought long and hard about whether the move would be good for me. Certainly, it has financial benefits, but, I've been on my own for seven years now, and it really seems silly to move back into living with other people when I don't have to. And, just a little bit ago, I saw a friend's name on my email contact list and I just remember her saying how lovely it was to finally have a place of one's own, however small or humble it is, and I knew that there was no way that I could move. Not unless it was absolutely necessary.
I am getting ready for ALA this weekend. I'm not sure how many of you are able to attend. I'm only able to attend the exhibits portion of the conference, but, that's where are the best bits are. I'm so excited that I'm going to be able to meet one of my favorite YA authors, Jessica Day George. Or at least the attempt will be made. She is autographing books there on Sunday morning. Needless to say, I am doing weight training in order to be able to lift all the books I want to make off with. I've made a list. And it includes the exhibitors booth numbers in addition to the books that I am most longing to find at ALA as ARCs. A girl can dream, right? Except "dreams are meant to be crushed, it's nature's way." Hopefully, I will have excellent news to bring you next week.
But first, I have to get through two book discussions this week. The first, tomorrow, is on The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society followed by The Hunger Games on Wednesday. I'm currently re-reading The Hunger Games and ought to get back to that immediately!
Lately I've been reading some articles that show that mankind is not meant to be with only one person. That monogamous relationships are simply against our DNA. Now my Victorian counterpart completely agreed with this concept. She actually lived with her husband and his mistress and raised their children as her own.
I however do not think I could do this. I like the idea of one man one love one heart and whatever whatever U2 had to say. But it is an interesting question. I know a couple who have been together since they were 13 and they are now 30. Being together for 17 years by the time your thirty seems like a major commitment and let's face it, it's a longer commitment that I've put forth. My longest relationship is five years, but as I look back on it, it wasn't much of a relationship. I tend to go for long distance in relationships because the reality is, I don't want to have to change too much of my day to day life to make room for someone else.
And maybe that's the kicker with why mankind isn't the best at keeping a relationship with one person. We're too selfish. Living and loving someone else for the long term takes quite a bit and it requires lots of compromise and letting the other person win and that means you have to be the loser. Maybe we aren't conditioned for that. I don't think I'm conditioned for that....at least not right now. And when you think of adding kids into the equation it just becomes more convoluted.
So are we really meant for one person? Is there really one person out there who will complete us? Who when they win between the two of us it doesn't feel like a loss of us, but a win for our team? It's a tough call. Maybe I'm bitter and jaded which is completely possible. My last relationship couldn't remain faithful and now I look at all men as the enemy because I don't think they can be faithful either.
But I hope I'm wrong. Secretly I hope I do find the one...the one who I want to change my life for and hopefully he'll feel the same way about me.
Will it ever happen? Who knows. From experience I don't think men like bitter women. Maybe I need a change of pace. Maybe I need a change of scenery. But I do hope the one is out there even though everything tells me that the one will never be faithful.
Okay, it's true. I, Jane Austen, have World Cup fever much like the rest of the world. The only difference? I actually care about soccer every year and not just every four years.
I will openly admit to getting a little cranky over people who are all "USA USA USA" when they don't support the team any other time. Drives me a little bonkers. Either you support them all the time or you just let it go. Don't constantly update your facebook status to show how happy you are that they got a goal....it was a lousy goal. It really was. Probably the easiest goal ever scored in World Cup history.
Secretly or not so secretly I'm a fan of the Dutch and I believe this is their year to win a World Cup. I'm not the only one who thinks this. The Danes believe in the Dutch so much they scored a goal for them when the two teams met. Now that's commitment.
So far we've seen some interesting things in the Cup. Like the South African goalie getting sent off by red card. It's only the second time that has ever happened. The first time being Italy and years ago. I don't really know if it was that dangerous. Perhaps he just deserved a yellow. But that's all part of the game....the ref really sets the tune and no it isn't to one of those annoying vuvuzellas or however they're spelled. (Spell check thought I was trying to type umbrellas...ha!)
So are you watching the World Cup? It is the Dutch's year? Or do you see someone else winning? What was the most exciting bit for you so far?
Whenever I am feeling unsettled and out-of-control, I always turn to my books. And the best of those comforting books are books about books. One of my favorites is The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester. The fantastic story of the humble beginnings of the Oxford English Dictionary. What more can you ask for... a book about a book that happens to be a dictionary... and not just a dictionary... the best dictionary in the history of dictionaries. If I had the money to collect something I would start searching out history's best dictionaries. Some of the first would be prized possessions. Maybe I will start anyway, by the time I find something good maybe I will have the money to buy it!
The one I just finished is part of a series by John Dunning called The Sign of the Book. The protagonist, Cliff Janeway, is an ex-cop turned book dealer. This one was good, but not quite as good as the first one I read, The Bookman's Promise. Definitely a series worth a read, though.
What books about books do you enjoy reading? Have a favorite? I am always looking for something new to read!
On that note, I have to admit something that I am almost ashamed of. I have a Barnes and Noble gift card that was given to me in March. Yes, that is right, March. I just have not been able to decide what to get with it. Do not get me wrong, I am never short of books I want. I have a long wish list at Amazon. I just have not been able to decide on what to get now. And now, I have half of another B&N gift card. (Yes, I said half. Sort of a long story, but the short of it is that my colleague/office mate/friend and I won it at Science Boot Camp for being the newest to science librarianship. We both started on 2 November 2009.) So, what do I purchase? I am open to suggestions! Once I start searching I find too many books for my gift card!
So, why am I resorting to my standard comfort books, you might ask? June is disappearing and I have LOTS of work to do by July. My car is acting up and I am hoping it is not fatal. I desperately want to email a couple of professors about doing a PhD with them, but have not figured out how to say it. It is easier to hide in a book than to sit down and WRITE AN EMAIL! Maybe since my car is acting up and I cannot go to Pagosa Springs like I had planned I will get the gumption and just write!
I can't believe I missed last week! Actually, I pretty much missed an entire week online last week because my parents were visiting and they commandeered my internet for their own use. I guess they were storing up for the summer because where they are going, there is no internet. Dreadful thoughts, right? Actually, I kind of enjoyed my break. And the two days before they came, I was sucked into reading for 48 hour straight. No sleeping. No showers. Nothing. Just me and sixteen books. It was quite refreshing getting through a good portion of my "To Be Read" pile.
Did I mention that I won? Or at least, I tied for first place. For the second year in a row. Not to bad, eh?
I also had my dance recital this weekend. In some ways I am sad to see the end of it, but, it is nice to get my summer evenings back to myself. And, I will see most everyone I know from class again next year. Besides, there is always Facebook.
This weekend my friend visited me and I forced her (and myself) to watch a video of a French musical. We like to call them BFMs, or "Big French Musicals". These are the huge shows that play in very large theatres in France, like the Palais des Congrès de Paris. The show we watched was called "Cindy Cendrillon 2002 and it was one hot mess. Cindy (our heroine) lives with her evil stepmother (a former disco queen), and two step-sisters (one who wants to break free from the wall of man-flesh that surrounds her). Her father (a pilot) died in a crash and she never knew her mother (she was a one-night stand in Cuba). And then there is Ricky, a singer who likes to dance the jig, his sometimes girlfriend Judy (a model), and his agent. Throw in a fairy godfather/dressmaker and you have the show. Well, you have mix in a generous dash of WTF. Because Cindy knows how to dance the jig just how Ricky likes. But Cindy wants Ricky to take her to the stars like her father promised her. Basically, nobody knows what they really want.
Ok, there are so many plot lines in this show it isn't even funny. Well, bits of it are. Thank goodness this video had subtitles so we could enjoy Judy's song after her break-up with Ricky (and just before her death) all about how she is going to fax a single word to Ricky. That word? "Bastard". Or, as the song is aptly entitled "Salaud".
I have a terrible temptation now just to go fax the word "Bastard" to someone. Just because.
So, now you know a guilty pleasure of mine. BFMs. Should I be embarrassed? It can't be any worse than liking Zorro: The Musical. Heck, I even have a fish named Zorro in honor of that show!
