Thursday, October 28, 2010

New Things in Friends Shop.....


Every month I enjoy stopping at the Waterford Library's Friends Shop to check out what neat and exciting displays they have. Interesting toys, stickers, and handmade items for incredibly low prices always make me take a second look, if not buy something. Yesterday I bought this incredibly cool handmade snake that can be used as a decoration or a scarf! Make sure you take a peek next time you drop by!

Friday, October 22, 2010

Barnes and Noble reshelving "Teen"

In a sign of just how popular teen fiction has become, Barnes & Noble is in the midst of rearranging its teen fiction section chain-wide this week in an effort to improve the shopping experience and boost sales. Already teen fiction is the biggest book growth category at Barnes & Noble, according to Mary Amicucci, v-p of children’s books. In terms of volume, it is the second largest subject, behind adult fiction.

After testing the concept at a Barnes & Noble store in Hackensack, N.J., three weeks ago, the chain pushed the go button to reorganize all its teen sections by separating out the two most popular genres—paranormal romance and fantasy and adventure—from teen fiction. Teen series will be absorbed into the appropriate category, and two bays will be devoted to bestsellers. One will change weekly to reflect the top 10 teen fiction bestsellers; the other will be organized by genre and display top teen picks.

Signage heralds the new Teen Paranormal Romance section at Barnes & Noble.“It’s really about improving the customer experience,” Amicucci told PW. “We haven’t expanded or shrunk anything. That was the beauty of this—by breaking the genres out, we can really showcase the books. The key is a directed customer shopping experience that really supports browsing patterns.”

In addition to helping teens discover new books, the rearranged sections will enable them to easily filter out books they’re not interested in and go straight to the genre that they’re looking for.

The decision over which titles to put where was made in conjunction with some of Barnes & Noble’s largest publishing partners. Combined, the new paranormal and fantasy and adventure sections are slightly larger than teen fiction. “We’re getting some great feedback from our stores. We’ve seen it make an impact [in Hackensack],” says Amicucci. Although some stores have already completed their relays, the goal is for all the changeovers to be finished by the end of this weekend.

Related Topics and Links:
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/44915-b-n-divides-out-teen-fiction-genres.html

Who Moved My Cheese? --Evan H.


This is a book review authored by one of our on TAB members, Evan. Enjoy!

Who Moved My Cheese?

Who moved my cheese is a fun exciting book that you can't put down. I didn't think the book was cheesy at all. It's about two little people and two little mice who are going from cheese station to cheese station looking for their favorite cheese. One person is excited to go on, but the other one is nervous. There are many lessons in this book and I enjoyed learning them. My dad use to read a brief version of the story to me over and over again when I was a kid. All in all it's a book that sparks the interest of kids and adults alike.

Thanks Evan!

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Rolling Stone: Interviews


This is a nice book to read a chapter at a time; wherever and whenever you can fit five minutes into your day to get a glimpse of Robin Williams at his height in the 80's, or Bill Murray after Caddyshack, or even Kurt Cobain in 1994 who says very candidly at one point, "I don't even remember the guitar solo on "Teen Spirit"....it's almost embarrassing to play it."
Names like Jack Nicholson, Spike Lee, Tina Turner, Mick Jagger, the Dalai Llama, and Eminem all give their two cents on their lives, careers, and futures in this unique tome that brings together some of the biggest names in show business. It's a fun read, easy to page through if you're just interested in a few of the names, and very, very, real. Very funny at times, as well. I picked it up yesterday and am nearly done; healthier too for the numerous laughs it gave me--(Isn't Keith Richards priceless)???

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Teen Read Week


This week is Teen Read Week @ the Waterford Library. This week is dedicated to teens--just like you--who love to read and will eventually become our future generation of library users (think mom and dad...yeah, it's true). So, in an effort to show YOU, yes YOU, how much we care, we have added an interesting display designed for young adults, bought special bookmarks for the event, and have a contest you can enter at the front desk. One lucky person will win a special prize at the end of the week. So, if you are a tween or teen between the ages of 10-18, please stop at the circulation desk and fill out an entry form. Who knows? Maybe you'll be our lucky "Teen Read Week" Winner.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

October Books......




October’s roundup of Cool New Books includes REVOLUTION, the highly anticipated novel by Jennifer Donnelly that weaves together the stories of a depressed, modern-day teen and a young heroine of the French Revolution; FORGE, Laurie Halse Anderson’s page-turning sequel to CHAINS, which tells of a young slave’s struggle to survive the American Revolution --- and somehow forge a path to freedom; THE SCORCH TRIALS by James Dashner, the second installment of The Maze Runner Trilogy that follows Thomas and the Gladers as they try to cope with the challenges of life outside the Maze; BIRTH OF A KILLER, the riveting prequel to Darren Shan’s Cirque du Freak series that sheds light on the mysterious origins of Larten Crepsley; part two of Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan Trilogy, BEHEMOTH, which chronicles the ongoing conflict between the Darwinists and the Clankers as it plays out on board a British airship; and DASH & LILY’S BOOK OF DARES, Rachel Cohn and David Levithan’s story of a girl who tries to find the right guy by leaving a notebook on the shelf of her favorite bookstore. » Click here

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Handling the Undead? Easy in this book.....


*This Review Contains Spoilers

I must say, as an avid reader of zombie-type fiction, I was anticipating this book with every breath. And although I stayed up ALL night (ok, most of it), to finish this book, I have a few complaints:
1. Its end suggested its not really over. Are we going to be dealing with ANOTHER trilogy here?
2. The Zombies just aren't very scary and can talk (!!) which every Romero fan knows, is a big no-no.
3. The undead, while showing bits and pieces of ferocity, aren't really that terrifying...nor do they seem to like to eat people. And, let's face it. That's really the best part of any zombie plan.
4. I had a hart time identifying with any of the main characters whom I found to be extremely one-dimensional and "typecast."
5. The whole butterfly/cocoon connection is a bit beyond me. A great scientific example would be "28 days later", but the whole insect thing just didn't seem plausible in the least.
6. Lastly, the best scene in the book, (the drowned man coming back to life) had very little gore and was "taken care of" using "positive thoughts and singing."
Okay, maybe it's just me. But this was a bit too fluffy for me to take seriously. Perhaps the author's intention was to add some humanity to the whole zombie genre, I don't know. But what I do know is that when I pick up a book with the term "Undead" on the cover....I expect some great brain-eating action

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Beethoven's Hair....


As a lover of music, and an admirer of Beethoven's, I stumbled upon this book at a CCBC conference last year and made myself promise to read it. If you like detective non-fiction, are a lover of music, or just enjoy a good biography then this book is right up your alley. It combines all of these elements and the ending really surprised me and prompted me to read more books on the subject.
While it is fairly common knowledge that Beethoven struggled with illness all of his life, scientists dissect the only known piece of Beethoven left--a lock of hair--to try and determine what was the cause of his unknown ailment.
The Milwaukee symphony recently conquered Beethoven's ninth symphony which received rave reviews from New Yorker magazine. If you were able to go, I'm supremely jealous, as I meant to and was stuck writing my Master's thesis (har, har)while you were able to bask in the glory that is "the Ode to Joy" chorus. Is there a piece of music that captures the dignity of the human spirit more than that piece?
I did a study abroad in Austria when I was in college, and everywhere I went (particularly in Vienna), I'd come across bits and pieces of Beethoven gossip, history and ephemera so he'll always hold a certain personal meaning to me as I could hardly escape his presence. Beethoven, after hundreds of years, still captures our hearts and minds.....which is why you should read this wonderful little book dedicated to discovering the truth behind the man's mysterious ways.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Hamburger refuses to decompose....


I just thought you might enjoy this article via Yahoo! news:

Vladimir Lenin, King Tut and the McDonald's Happy Meal: What do they all have in common? A shocking resistance to Mother Nature's cycle of decomposition and biodegradability, apparently.

That's the disturbing point brought home by the latest project of New York City-based artist and photographer Sally Davies, who bought a McDonald's Happy Meal back in April and left it out in her kitchen to see how well it would hold up over time.

The results? "The only change that I can see is that it has become hard as a rock," Davies told the U.K. Daily Mail.

She proceeded to photograph the Happy Meal each week and posted the pictures to Flickr to record the results of her experiment. Now, just over six months later, the Happy Meal has yet to even grow mold. She told the Daily Mail that "the food is plastic to the touch and has an acrylic sheen to it."

Davies -- whose art has been featured in numerous films and television shows and is collected by several celebrities -- told The Upshot that she initiated the project to prove a friend wrong. He believed that any burger would mold or rot within two or three days of being left on a counter. Thus began what's become known as "The Happy Meal Art Project."

"I told my friend about a schoolteacher who's kept a McDonald's burger for 12 years that hasn't changed at all, and he didn't believe me when I told him about it," Davies told us. "He thought I was crazy and said I shouldn't believe everything that I read, so I decided to try it myself."

Davies' friend was the person who should have done the additional research. Wellness and nutrition educator Karen Hanrahan has indeed kept a McDonald's hamburger since 1996 to show clients and students how resistant fast food can be to decomposition.

As for Davies, she said that she might just keep her burger and fries hanging around for a while as well.

"It's sitting on a bookshelf right now, so it's not really taking up any space, so why not?" she said. It ceased giving off any sort of odor after 24 hours, she said, adding: "You have to see this thing."

[Video rewind: Gay-friendly McDonald's ad goes viral]

In response to Davies' project, McDonald's spokeswoman Theresa Riley emailed The Upshot a statement defending the quality of the chain's food. Riley's email also blasted Davies' "completely unsubstantiated" work as something out of "the realm of urban legends."

"McDonald's hamburger patties in the United States are made with 100% USDA-inspected ground beef," Riley wrote. "Our hamburgers are cooked and prepared with salt, pepper and nothing else -- no preservatives, no fillers. Our hamburger buns are baked locally, are made from North American-grown wheat flour and include common government-approved ingredients designed to assure food quality and safety. ... According to Dr. Michael Doyle, Director, Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia, 'From a scientific perspective, I can safely say that the way McDonald's hamburgers are freshly processed, no hamburger would look like this after one year unless it was tampered with or held frozen.'"

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Zombie Walks

In our TAB meetings, we've recently been discussing the phenomenon known as "Zombie Walks". Zombie Walks are increasing in popularity rapidly due to the dissemination of zombie literature, movies, and books (think 'Zombies v.s. Unicorns'due out this month). BTW, I have first dibs!
Zombie parties are also an incredibly popular idea with teens right now and we've been potentially discussing having one at our library....or even a zombie "lock-in."
Many of you had questions of what a "Zombie Walk" looks like and so I've posted one for your to view. There's many on Youtube.com as well if this is something that interests you. Enjoy!

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Mysterious Benedict...Personality Test?


That's right. I took it today and found out that I am a bit of a "sticky" character. Check it out yourself by following this link: http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/features/mysteriousbenedictsociety/games/personality/game.html

In addition, the site provides opportunities to play games, test your skills and discover your inner genius! I just picked up the book recently and am enjoying in heartily---sort of a combination of Harry Potter and Mathilda by Ronald Dahl (who has a new biography coming out on him shortly, if you're interested; the New Yorker says it's pretty good).

If you've never read the Mysterious Benedict Society, I would give it a try. It's geared towards grades 9-12 but most adults that have read it have enjoyed it as well. And I definitely think the above average intelligent Waterford library tweens could handle it (hint, hint).

Basically the story revolves around Reynie who views an advertisement in a newspaper offering special opportunites for gifted students. Four special children are chosen and must go on a secret mission that only the most intelligent and resourceful children could complete. To accomplish it they will have to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules.

This is an older book, but one that definitely stands the test of time. Go on the website and find out what sort of intellectual you are.....

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Last Night I Sang to the Monster....


This book has been in YALSA's top ten for awhile now and I've been reading it lately and strongly recommend it.
Here's a review:
Zach is eighteen. He is bright and articulate. He’s also an alcoholic, and he’s is in rehab instead of high school, but he doesn’t remember how he got there. He’s not sure he wants to remember. Something bad must have happened. Something really, really bad. Remembering sucks and being alive—well, what’s up with that?

I have it in my head that when we’re born, God writes things down on our hearts. See, on some people’s hearts he writes Happy and on some people’s hearts he writes Sad and on some people’s hearts he writes Crazy on some people’s hearts he writes Genius and on some people’s hearts he writes Angry and on some people’s hearts he writes Winner and on some people’s hearts he writes Loser. It’s all like a game to him. Him. God. And it’s all pretty much random. He takes out his pen and starts writing on our blank hearts. When it came to my turn, he wrote Sad. I don’t like God very much. Apparently he doesn’t like me very much either.

Benjamin Alire Saenz is a prolific novelist, poet and author of children’s books. Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood, his first novel for young adults, was a finalist for the LA Times Prize and a YALSA Top Ten Books for Young Adults pick in 2005.

Here's a video of him reading from his novel....

Friday, October 1, 2010

Paris Fashion Week: Sporty, Chic, Preppy.....


September 30, 2010 Milan, London and New York have had their fashion weeks, and now it's Paris' turn. The world's fashion designers, editors and buyers have descended on the city to see the latest styles — which will trickle down to the rest of us before you know it.

Designer looks "reach the consumers more quickly than ever — in all sorts of different ways," says Sally Singer, editor in chief of T: The New York Times Style Magazine.

For Spring 2011, Singer tells NPR's Ari Shaprio that she's seen a "profusion of stripes — a return to kind of preppy flag colors — colors you'd associate with BMWs," she describes.

Look out for bright orange, royal blue and "taxi cab" yellow — set against white and cream. "You have this very sporty, very accessible, upbeat sense of pattern," Singer observes.

Singer — who spent many years at Vogue magazine — has seen countless new designs this season, and yet she says it's still possible to pick out the common themes.

"You can see 12 shows a day," she says, but "at the end of the day, for some reason, certain trends just bubble up, and they're unmissable."

Singer rattles off a few:

Skirts are lengthening; hemlines now hover mid-calf.
Pant waistlines are getting higher.
Shoulder lines are getting slightly "sloppier" and larger.
Jackets and sweaters are more cropped.
"Proportions are changing, and they're getting far more 70s-y," Singer says. Designers are "reacting to a uniform culture. People are seeing the same movies, they're reading the same books, they're going to the same museum shows."

She cites Tilda Swinton's outfits in the 2009 film I Am Love as particularly influential this season.

An educated fashion consumer will buy the right things for the right reasons. They'll stop buying things just to have them.

- Sally Singer
The economy is looking stronger now than it was during last year's Paris fashion week, and retailers say customers are shopping again — but shopping in a different way.

"She's shopping in a curatorial way," Singer reports. "She's shopping by the piece, not by the look." Customers aren't buying a whole wardrobe at the start of the season — now they just buy a coat, or shoes, or a bag — and that's not necessarily a bad thing.

"The good thing that's come out of all of this is that an educated fashion consumer will buy the right things for the right reasons," Singer explains. "They'll stop buying things just to have them."

In a tight economy, shoppers are less inclined to purchase items "for a life that would never be lived" — those garments often languish at the back of closets.

Now, Singer says, people are simply buying enough new clothes to "make them feel connected to their time."

Penguin defends "Speak"


Responding to an attack by an associate professor in Missouri who called Speak "soft pornography," the Penguin Young Readers Group took out a full page ad in today’s New York Times to defend the novel by Laurie Halse Anderson. In an op-ed piece earlier this month in the Missouri News-Leader, Wesley Scroggins, associate professor of management at Missouri State University, wrote that Speak was not appropriate for students of the Republic School District and also challenged Slaughterhouse-Five and Twenty Boy Summer. “That such a decorated book could be challenged is disturbing,” said Penguin’s Shanta Newlin about the decision to run an ad. With Banned Books Week now in full swing (Sept. 25-Oct. 2), Penguin believes the ad points to the larger issue of books still being challenged in large numbers across the country, Newlin added. The ad, in fact, notes that "every day in this country, people are being told what they can and can't read," and it asks Times readers to "read the book. Decide for yourself."

First released in 1999, Speak was a National Book Award finalist, and is a staple backlist title for Penguin. Scroggins’s op-ed touched off a heated debate in the bookselling and library communities, and Anderson’s response and blog posts have received thousands of hits.

An editor's note at the end of Scroggins’s original piece from the Republic School District superintendent Vern Minor stated that Slaughterhouse-Five had already been removed and Twenty Boy Summer was under review, and while Scroggins is working to get Speak removed from classrooms there was no word if he has been successful.