Teaser Tuesday (On a Wednesday)

Today's Teaser comes from Max by James Patterson. It is the fifth book in the Maximum Ride series. Enjoy!

"Fang dropped my hand to put his arm around my shoulders, his warmth searing my skin through my jacket. I really, really hoped that I hadn't suddenly sprouted a catrillion new nerve endings."

Random Reading Stuffs

I'm currently in the middle of The Wizard Heir by Cinda Williams Chima. It's pretty good. It is the middle book in a trilogy, and the first book was very good as well. I have so many books in my TBR pile that it isn't funny. I also committed to reading 20,000 pages this summer for the adult SRP, and I have about 8,000 pages left to read in the next month. This morning I found an excellent reading list at www.teenreads.com. The list consists of 300 books that they considered must reads. Some of the books are adult books, some are classics/required reading, and the rest are YA books. I think that I am going to try to read my way through this list. I'm not really going to put a time limit on it, 300 books is a lot, but there were several books I have been meaning to read on the list. There were also several books that I have never heard of. Everyone should check the list out and met me know how many of the books you have read or have been on your TBR lists. One last thing, it is almost book ordering time and we are always looking for suggestions. So if there are books you love, from picture books through YA, please let us know! Leave suggestions in the comments!

Thanks Hagrid!

So....this is Alissa today. I wanted to talk about my anti-reading reputation. First, I feel like I need to clear some things up. I am going to try and concentrate but Rochelle is to my right makign horrible noises over some communist Chinese candy her brother gave her. Random, I know. Anywho so I have a reputation for hating reading. This is not true. I actually read all the time. I love children's books so I read a lot of picture books and novels like "The Mouse and the Motorcycle." (don't judge me) I also LOVE self-help books. There is something about someone else confirming to me that I am totally mental and need a lot of therapy to undo years of damage that makes me want to read more and more. What I don't read is fiction. I used to, then a few depressing books kind of ruined it for me. People are always coming into the library and asking us about Young Adult novels and I am not help at all. Instead I'm like, "No, I don't know that, but I CAN tell you about Suri Cruise's new haircut."......I can hear the John Greens of the world pulling the triggers on their suicide guns. I know, I know. Reading is super important and valuable. I get it. I have a better time with movies of books! Last night we went to see "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince." WHOA man. If you haven't seen it you should. Neville looks like he is about 37 now and the kids that plays Tom Riddle is scarier than the guy from "The Omen." So much happened in the movie that it actually made me want to read the "Harry Potter" series finally. It has only taken me about seven years to finally crack. Today is day one of my Potter Quest. I am going to need moral support from all of you to keep reading. When Rochelle told me the last one is about 4000000098739847298798797529349287341 pages long, I almost wet myself. So any cool Harry Potter websites, crafts, recipes, or encouragement you can send to help me keep reading for the next 7 books would be super helpful. HOLY MERLIN'S BEARD BATMAN....Alissa is going to read....!!!!

Summer Reading Program

Don't forget that Summer Reading Program has started. It isn't too late to sign up! We have programs every Wednesday for teens and we would love to see you! I am going to be gone for the next two weeks but Alissa will be here (and will probably need some help.) I will try to update from the road with book reviews and other randomness.

Iran, Florida, and The Man

And once again we are straying from the primary purpose of this blog (to let you know about library stuff, books, and reading related things.) However, Alissa and I are both pretty passionate about the things I am posting on. Ally is really into politics as a whole (me not so much...I kind suck at politics) and I am always into protesting and standing up for what you believe in (her too only not as loudly as me!) Also, we both think that it is pretty important for you to be aware of what is going on in the world. This week there was a (possibly rigged) election in Iran. I don't know a lot about it. I know the basic facts but I am not really up-to-date on my Iranian politics. John Green seemed pretty informed in this video though. You can also type in "Iran election" into any search engine and get a huge amount of information. The point is that I don't think we have to know everything there is to know about Iran to know that if this election was rigged (which since they are recounting the votes seems pretty likely) that it is wrong. If you are going to ask for the opinions of the people then make sure you listen to what they say. Many of the YA authors that we love and support are sending their support to the Iranian people. Scott Westerfeld has a wonderful blog post here explaining the new time change in our posting. Basically in Iran there are censors who are looking at all blogs with Tehran local settings in order to find and shut down any blogs protesting the election. Since changing the settings to GMT +3:30 makes it harder for them to do their jobs, he is encouraging everyone who has a blog to change the settings. It is a wonderful blog post and you should all go read it. Like him I would like to tell any Iranian censors that I pretty much think oppression sucks and so do rigged elections. I hope that in the time you wasted reading this post that some people who actually know what's going on there were able to continue their protests! Have a wonderful day killing the spirit of your people!

Speaking of oppression...the lovely Maureen Johnson is still having trouble with her book censoring friends in Florida. Go watch her hilarious/heart warming video here to see what she thinks of censorship...(hint she's not a fan)... Here's the thing. I know that I have had several "book challenging" tangents on here...but I HATE IT!!! Seriously. Yes, you have the right to say "I don't want my child to read this," but you do not have the right to say that other children shouldn't read something. I am a librarian, I order a lot of books, I read a lot of books (obviously), I love YA lit. I have no problem telling the parent of a 12 or 13 year old that they should look at a book before their kid reads it, or that a book has mature content. That is part of my job (in my opinion) and it is helpful because I don't get a lot of challenges. However, I have about 20 teens who come and check out books. It is a lot easier for me to police my YA section than it is for librarians at larger libraries. And truthfully, it isn't our job. It is a parents job to be aware of what their children are reading. They should read entire books though, not just passages of books before they make the decision that a book is inappropriate. *Deep breath* Okay, now that my tangents are over, I hope that all of you are equally as disgusted as I am about Iran and Florida book challengers, and that you all have wonderful days!

Geektastic ARC

I am sooo excited! When I got home today an ARC of Geektastic was waiting for me! I didn't get it free but I did find a copy on eBay for like $4.00 after shipping, which was pretty awesome. I already read over half of it tonight and can say that I will most definitely be ordering a copy for the library come September! I'm sure that none of my teens are as excited about this as I was, but they will be once they have the book!

Teaser Tuesday June 9, 2009

Here's the first Teaser we've put up in a long time. It's from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I am literally one of the last people on Earth to read this book, but so far I am enjoying it.

"I keep seeing Rue speared, my arrow piercing the boys neck. Then I realized...he was my first kill."

This is such a happy teaser! I hope you enjoy it.

We're Back!!!

After an unusually long absence we are back! Things have been so hectic/crazy around here. First, Ally and I both found out that we each have 30 extra hours of holiday time that we haven't used. This sounds great, but in reality it means that we each have almost 60 hours that we have to take off work before the end of June. We found out the last week of May. Also, Summer Reading Program starts in June, so it is really hard to find time to take off. We also had a huge meeting in Richmond in May and we were out of town for three days. It was an unusual experience. We had to drive five hours to the Library of Virginia and then spend one whole day in a meeting. We talked about next year's SRP as well as some other boring library related things. Ally and I spent most of our free time shopping and spending tons of money that we didn't need to spend. After all that excitement, I took the next several days off because my brother left on June 3rd. He will be in country for the next 45 days, he will have a four day leave at the end of July, and then he will be on his way to Iraq. So, except for his four day leave and his two-week leave once he is overseas, I won't see him again for 400 days. That is a lot of days! So all of my free time was spent hanging out with him instead of reading/working/blogging. Once I finally got back to work I discovered that for some strange reason my computer wouldn't let me get on blogger. After messing with various settings for a few days I finally got things under control. So, I should be back to blogging on a semi-regular basis. Summer Reading Program does start on June 19th and it takes up a lot of our time, but I will hopefully still be able to update you guys on what's going on! Happy Monday!!!!

Review: Peeps by Scott Westerfeld

From Barnes and Noble: A year ago, Cal Thompson was a college freshman more interested in meeting girls and partying than in attending biology class. Now, after a fateful encounter with a mysterious woman named Morgan, biology has become, literally, Cal's life.
Cal was infected by a parasite that has a truly horrifying effect on its host. Cal himself is a carrier, unchanged by the parasite, but he's infected the girlfriends he's had since Morgan. All three have turned into the ravening ghouls Cal calls Peeps. The rest of us know them as vampires. It's Cal's job to hunt them down before they can create more of their kind. . . .

First of all I have to say that I really adore Scott Westerfeld. All of his books are a little bit dark and twisty and involve plots where the main characters find out that the "good guys" aren't always good. However, this is one thing that makes his books remarkable. Peeps is a new take on vampirism. Instead of people running around biting other people, vampirism is a disease that is spread through saliva and other bodily fluids. The parasite that cause vampirism causes the people who are infected to hate everything they once loved and to go a little crazy. Cal is lucky enough to only be a carrier. He works for an agency that tracks down people who are "parasite positive" aka Peeps. As far as heroes go, Cal is decent. The reader doesn't really get to know him, the story and his search for every girl he has come in contact with since his infection is where the story focuses. One unique element in this book was that every other chapter is devoted to a different parasite. As you read these chapters about real life parasites that humans come in contact with every day and how they manifest and mutate, your skin will crawl. However, these chapters really do add to the story. The parasite chapters help you understand the parasite that turns humans into vampires. I really enjoyed Peeps. The ending is a little strange, but that is because there is a sequel. Many questions are left unanswered that are hopefully dealt with in The Last Days. I would recommend Peeps to anyone who enjoyed Twilight, Anne Rice, or any other vampire book. Scott Westerfeld has an incredible ability to weave a story. I have enjoyed everything of his that I have read, but Peeps is my favorite so far.

Chelle's Life According To...The Beatles

Okay, so most people know that I have a sick obsession with The Beatles. Basically, I don't think that there is any situation that their music won't help. So, here is my life according to The Beatles. We will have "Ally's Life According To..."next Friday. Feel free to link your meme in the comments section!



The Rules: Pick an artist, and using ONLY SONG TITLES from only that artist, cleverly (preferably) answer these questions. This is harder than it seems! ADDITIONAL RULE: You cannot use the same artist I did, or duplicate song titles even if they were performed by another artist.

1. Are you a male or female?
Lady Madonna

2. Describe yourself.
Blackbird

3. How do you feel about yourself?
I Feel Fine

4. Describe your EX.
The End

5. Describe your CURRENT significant other.
If I Fell

6. Describe your current location.
Octopus's Garden

7. Describe where you want to be.
Penny Lane

8. Your best friend?
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds

9. Your favorite color is?
Mean Mr. Mustard

10. You know that...
Can't Buy Me Love

11. What's the weather like?
Here Comes The Sun

12. If your life was a television show what would it be called?
Revolution

13. What is life to you?
The Long and Winding Road

14. What is the best advice you have to give?
All You Need Is Love

15. If you could change your name what would it be?
Sexy Sadie

Teaser Tuesday: May 5, 2009

Today's Teaser comes from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

"How dare you approach me! How I wish I could kill you with one blow and bring back to life the two people you have cruelly murdered."

Enjoy!!!

Reading Suggestions

Okay, I don't really have time for a long blog post. So, instead of lots of words I am just going to leave you with a short list of books that you can read that fit into the body image challenge that I am focused on.

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Go Figure by Jo Edwards
The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler
The Confessions of Georgia Nicholson Series by Louise Rennison (this series is great because it shows that you don't have to be "beautiful" to be fantastic)
Fat Kid Rules the World by K.L. Going

These are only a few of the books that are out there that focus on loving yourself for who you are. Tomorrow we are going to be gone all day, we have a meeting in Radford. I'm not really sure how the blog posting will go, but I've already failed BEDA so it's not really a huge deal if I miss another day! Happy weekend everyone!!!

Body Images

Today when I opened my blogger homepage, I saw that some of the bloggers that I subscribe to (Lenore and The Story Siren) were asked to be guest bloggers for a special theme week (well more than a week because it is lasting until the end of April) that is being hosted by SpeedReader at MyFavoriteAuthor. The idea is that it isn't just teens who have negative self images, but that we all should try to love ourselves more. Obviously this is a problem that we associate most with teenage girls. We have all seen the horrible pictures of anorexic girls who have ribs sticking out of their skin and look like they are about to die. However, just because we aren't starving ourselves or binging and purging doesn't mean that we love who we are. For example, I recently lost about forty pounds, and I am still losing weight. I didn't radically alter anything in my life, I just stop eating when I'm full. I also run around and play with my younger cousins. Even with the recent weight loss and all of the people who tell me that I look good, I still have days (most of them actually) when I look in the mirror and think "Ugh." This is horrible!!! And I hate it about myself. It's true that I also have really great days where I wake up and look in the mirror and think "Wow grrrllll...you are FINE!!!" However, these days don't happen as frequently. Positive reinforcement is always nice. This past weekend two of my brothers friends questioned me about my body consciousness. I told them that I there were times I felt uncomfortable in clothes even though I have a rockin' bod. Their response? Simultaneously they turned around, looked at me, grinned, and said "yeah ya do!" And that was nice!!! Two attractive 20 year old guys complementing me? Yeah, I felt really good. Unfortunately, I can't count the number of times that someone says "I love those pants you look so good in them" and I respond with "yeah okay..." THIS MUST STOP!!! Part of the challenge is that when compliments are given you accept them. You are also supposed to find one thing about yourself that you like each day and concentrate on that. The third part is that you also let the people around you know that they are awesome too. So here is the blog post where the challenge is issued. I think that everyone should participate because it is a wonderful way to help feel better about who you are. If you decide to participate sign up at MyFavoriteAuthor and let us know in the comments!

Teaser Tuesday: April 21, 2009

Today's Teaser comes from Identical by Ellen Hopkins.

"Nothing less sexy than stubble
when you're leg to leg
with an amazing guy.
And, teacher or no teacher,
ten years (or maybe more) my
senior or not, he is def amazing.

I love Ellen Hopkins (even though I've only read one of her books) and I really think that everyone should experience her style of writing once in his/her lifetime. However, if this teaser doesn't excite you then you can always find more here.

The Library In Our Pants-Banned Books Edition

It's not Banned Books Week, but there has been a lot of noise this week about books that are banned for offensive subjects/language/etc. so I decided to dedicate this week's Library In Our Pants to some frequently banned books. It just seemed appropriate.

* And Tango Make Three (In My Pants)
*I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (In My Pants)
*The Great Gilly Hopkins (In My Pants)
*The Witches (In My Pants) (by Roald Dahl)
*The Headless Cupid (In My Pants)
*Where's Waldo? (In My Pants)
*The House of Spirits (In My Pants)
*The Misfits (In My Pants)
*One Night (In My Pants)
*Doing It (In My Pants)
*Daughters of Eve (In My Pants)

So, most of you that are patrons know how I feel about challenged books and censorship. Basically it's a load of bull. I hate when people make judgements about what is okay for everyone. If you have a problem with a book don't recommend it or don't let your own child read it...don't try to keep other people from reading it as well. Also, I am generally more eager to read a book if it has been challenged or banned. So, in the long run all challengers are doing is helping book sales!