Valentine's Day Quiz Answers

1. Approximately 85% of Valentine's Day cards are purchased by women.

2. Cupid is Venus' son.

3. Candy manufacturer NECCO made the first "Conversation Hearts" (then called "Motto Hearts") in 1866.

4. 3% of pet owners will give Valentine's Day gifts to their pets.

5. About 36 million boxes of chocolate were sold for Valentine's Day in 2003 according to the Chocolate Manufacturer's Association.

6. Valentine's Day is mentioned in Hamlet when Ophelia sings "Good morrow! 'Tis St. Valentine's Day; All in the morning betime; And I a maid at your window,; To be your valentine!"

Valentine's Day Trivia

Watch tomorrow's blog for answers!

1. Approximately what percentage of Valentine's Day cards are purchased by women according to the Greeting Card Association?

2. Cupid is whose son?

3. In what year were conversation hearts first made?

4. What percent of pet owners will give Valentine's Day gifts to their pets?

5. Approximately how many boxes of chocolate are sold each year for Valentine's Day?

6. In what Shakespeare play is St. Valentine's Day mentioned?

American Library Association announces 2012 Youth Media Award winners | American Libraries Magazine

American Library Association announces 2012 Youth Media Award winners American Libraries Magazine

Pay special attention to the Michael L. Printz and the Alex awards for teen reads.  What have you guys read off of the list?  I loved Scorpio Races!

Anna Dressed in Blood Review by Jacqui

There have been love stories between humans and vampires, and there have been love stories between humans and werewolves, but where are the love stories between humans and ghosts?  For all of you that have been waiting for a human and ghost love connection, your prayers have been answered!   The new book Anna Dressed In Blood by Kendare Blake takes the reader into the world of Cas Lowood, a teenage boy who moves around the country finding and killing murderous ghosts.  Cas and his mother move to a new town to find the so-called ghost, Anna dressed in Blood.  When Cas eventually comes face to face with Anna and tries to kill her, Anna’s strength overcomes him, but for some reason she spares his life.  Cas teams up with a local witch and the homecoming queen to help uncover the truth about Anna’s mysterious death, but they find out more than they ever could imagine.  The book takes many twists and turns, leaving the reader wanting more.  There is mix of romance, horror, gore, and humor throughout the book that keeps you entertained and horrified at the same time.  This book is for anyone who likes the supernatural and enjoys a bit of romance thrown in the mix.  If you end up really enjoying the book, you are in luck; Kendare Blake is coming out with a sequel that will be released sometime this year!   

Friday the 13th!

Superstitions

A superstition is a belief or notion, not based on reason or knowledge, in or of the ominous significance of a particular thing, circumstance, occurrence, or proceeding. It is also an irrational fear of what is unknown or mysterious, especially in connection with religion. The word, as we know it, is most commonly associated with the second definition. There are lots of superstitions out there, but to name a few of the common ones they are:

Friday the 13th (Bad luck associated with Judas being the 13th member at the Last Supper and Jesus being crucified on a friday.)

Breaking a mirror (7 years bad luck)

Finding a Horseshoe (Good luck, but make sure you pick it up with your right hand!)

Opening an umbrella inside (Bad luck will "rain" on you.)

Knocking on wood (Knock on wood 3 times after mentioning good fortune or the evil spirits will ruin things for you.)

Tossing spilled salt over your left shoulder (By doing this, you are driving away the evil spirits lurking around to cause to misfortune.)

Black cats (It's bad luck if you cross one of these because they are associated with evil witches.)

Again, these are just a few of the superstitions out there, but there are quite a few books about superstitions available for adults and children. Some that we have here at the library are:

Dictionary of Superstitions by: Iona Archibald Opie

A Treasury of American Superstitions by: Claudia De Lys

Blue Monday and Friday the 13th by: Lila Perl

Jinxed: Baseball superstitions from around the Major Leagues by: Ken Leiker

So, what do you think? Are you superstitious?

BONUS: Did you know the official term for fear of Friday the 13th is paraskevidekatriaphobia?

Bleach by Kubo Noriaki

I am currently going through a graphic novel phase. This has got me obsessed with the manga Bleach. If you don't know what manga is, it is basically Japanese graphic novels. My friend Staci recommended the series to me and now I can't stop. This series is the adventures of Ichigo Kurosaki after he obtains the powers of a Soul Reaper—a death personification kind of like a Grim Reaper—from another Soul Reaper, Rukia Kuchiki. His newfound powers force him to take on the duties of defending humans from evil spirits and guiding departed souls to the afterlife. There are two different types of souls. There are regular souls that still look like humans. Then there are Hollows, that look like monsters and are evil. The hollows attack other good spirits and humans to eat their souls. This series is action packed and has a good plot. Plus, there is still humor in them. Sometimes I even catch myself laughing out loud from these books. Anyone will be able to finish these in a small amount of time since they still are basically pictures. The only downside to these is the characters all have Japanese names so it's kind of hard to pronounce. I would recommend these graphic novels to anyone who wants something to read that is short, adventurous and funny. - Alyson

Prove That Teens Use (and Love) Libraries

Prove That Teens Use (and Love) Libraries