What in the World is Emily Reading....

Right now I'm Reading the "Possibilities of Sainthood" by Donna Freitas. I pulled it off the shelves because of its pretty cover and after reading the dust jacket promptly decided that it HAD to come home with me. I put the audio version on hold as well as I like to deviate from reading sometimes and listen instead in my car on the way to work (this is a great way to really fly thru a book, wink, wink). I found this review on TeenReads.com and thought you might enjoy it! It's really a neat book (particularly for girls, I think), but the premise is hilarious (and sweet). Cheers!

This review is from: The Possibilities of Sainthood (Hardcover)

Fifteen-year-old Antonia Lucia Labella lives in Rhode Island with her mom and grandmother. She helps out in the family's Italian grocery store located beneath their apartment and goes to the all-girls Catholic school with her best friend, Maria. She spends most of her remaining free time learning about her favorite subject: saints.

Antonia prays to the saints everyday, and her favorite section in the school library is the one with anything a person ever wanted to know about saints. In fact, she has a secret goal, known only to her grandmother and Maria, which is to become the very first living saint in the history of the Catholic Church. Every month she writes a letter to the Pope, suggesting an area lacking in saint representation --- for example, the Patron Saint of Figs and Fig Trees. And every month she humbly suggests herself to fill the role. The Vatican hasn't shown much interest thus far.

Antonia has another secret, this one known only to Maria. At the age of 15, Antonia has yet to experience a real, romantic kiss. And she is determined to do something about it. The object of her affections is the gorgeous Andy Rotellini, who goes to the boys' Catholic school. So far, he doesn't seem to know she exists, but after her mom hires him to work at the family store, the situation seems to take a turn for the better.

There is one other fellow in Antonia's life, a guy who utterly confuses her. Two years ago, she met Michael McGinnis, and they hung out all summer, quickly becoming friends. But then Michael had to go and ruin it all by trying to kiss Antonia. Two years ago, Antonia wasn't ready for her first big kiss, and she ran away from Michael. She's been pushing away his attentions ever since. But Michael is persistent, and Antonia finally agrees to try the friendship thing again. Will Michael behave himself this time? After getting to know him better, does Antonia really want him to?

Donna Freitas has created a warmhearted story filled with humor, reflections and life. Antonia is amazing: very goal-orientated, determined, guided by her heart, a character who almost becomes a real friend. Freitas has a writing style that invites a reader to step into the story, to become part of it, and really feel the emotions and actions of her characters. THE POSSIBILITIES OF SAINTHOOD is a charming and witty book, and her newly-acquired fans will be demanding more.

Pool Party Pics....

The pool party to mark the end of the Summer Reading Program was a hit and we gave away lots of prizes and had tons of fun (despite the tornado)! Although we had to hunker down for five minutes in the hallway, we managed to still enjoy our time at the Baymont: squirting water, splashing around, eating pizza, and throwing "water bombs"! Hope you all are enjoying your last weeks of summer and remember the Ice Cream party is on August 3rd from 2-3 p.m!

Camp Half Blood (for real)......

Did you know there's a real camp Half Blood (based on the Rick Riordan series) in Austin, Texas??!!! If that's not enough to flip your lid, the camp offers Percy Jackson themed games, contests, and storytelling. They even have a "lava wall" that you can climb. Apparently, the 2010 season filled up fast, but if you were interested in attending you could find information on the 2011 season here: http://web.mac.com/camphalfblood/Camphalf-blood.com/Camp_Home.html

Books on the Nightstand.....

If you ever have a lack of something to read (gasp!), please check out a blog called booksonthenightstand.com. Not only do the authors offer free pod casts, they give reviews of books they've enjoyed as well as links to other book blogs. I just checked it out today for the first time and was greatly impressed---I pulled three books from their selections and that was only from the first page of the blog! I have enough to read on my nightstand so I didn't want to delve further and read "past" blogs or else I would become an island unto myself--just me and a mile high pile of books! Hmmm...doesn't sound so bad now that I think about it.


On another note, I've recently moved and have began cooking a bit more as now I have more room in the kitchen to do so. I've been picking up cookbooks here and there and wanted to share two with you that I'll be taking home tonight. The first is "Hungry Girl" by Lisa Lillien who now has an entire franchise built around that name. "Hungry Girl" is the first of the series and has a large selection of recipes that are all low calorie, low fat and most can be made in a matter of minutes! The only qualm I have with these books is that there aren't many pictures in them and I have a tendency to be a very visual cook :P

The other in my book bag is "The Conscious Cook" by Tal Ronnen which contains a myriad of healthy (mostly organic) recipes that make my mouth water just thinking of them! Each recipe also contains a picture with it, so that's a nice bonus. On tomorrow night's menu: Whole wheat penne with San Marzano tomatoes and some pan roasted summer vegetables. Yummy!

Just Add Water Photos......

The "Just Add Water" food program was a great success and we were able to taste and make a variety of tasty edibles. We also made our own cookbooks (I made two) so that we could try out some of the recipes at home. Here are some pictures in case you weren't able to make it......

Pool Party Thursday......

Okay, so we have 20 signed up and only 9 permission slips in. Remember that if you do not have a SIGNED permission slip in to the YA librarian, you cannot attend this party. To those of you who HAVE turned in the slip, we are meeting at the Baymont Motel from 6:30-9:30 p.m.--Soda and Pizza will be provided. We will also be handing out the teen prizes at that time.
Looking forward to seeing many of you there!

Young Artists in Waterford.....

The other day I received this gorgeous picture by Amanda Dyer and wanted to share it all with you. Amanda gave me a great idea! If you have any artwork, pictures, sculptures you would like to see posted on our blog, let me know. I'd be more than happy to share it with everyone--and give you the publicity! Just ask for me, Emily, or email it to at escherrer@waterford.lib.wi.us

Good job, Amanda!

A Site for Teens.....

Hey There...

I found an interestsing new website: http://www.teenrc.ca/booklists where you can create book lists, write reviews, talk about books with other teens in web forums, and even publish your own writing! I really love this site and if you fill out an online form for a book review, you enter to win a prize. The prizes are given out weekly, so you have a good chance of winning. Check it out if you have the time. I know you'll love it :)

It's a Canadian webpage but I'm sure they'll let us "borrow" some of their recommendations. Enjoy!

July 15th Fun Fact....

July 15 is St. Swithin's Day. Tradition says that whatever the weather is like on St. Swithin's Day, it will continue so for the next forty days.

Here is the weather rhyme that has been around in the British Isles since Elizabethan times.
'St. Swithin's day if thou dost rain
For forty days it will remain
St. Swithin's day if thou be fair
For forty days 'twill rain nae mair.'

It's also a day to make an apple dessert or at least eat an apple. St. Swithin is the patron saint of apples and apple growers used to ask St. Swithin for his blessing each year because they believed:
•Rain on St. Swithin's day 'blesses and christens the apples'.
•No apple should picked or eaten before July 15th.
•Apples growing at St Swithin's day will ripen fully.

Pretty Little Liars.....

HarperTeen has reissued Shepard's first volume with a TV tie-in cover photo featuring the show's promotional poster: dressed to the nines and looking flirtatious, the four main cast members are perched atop a pile of dirt, which also covers their arms and faces, and appear to have just dug up-or covered over-something juicy. Given the show's popularity, this book will fly off library shelves. However, Shepard's series stands firmly on its own merits, with a solid word-of-mouth following among teens and more than one million copies of the first seven titles sold. Easily identifiable by their familiar covers-doll versions of the story's female characters set against pastel backdrops-the series has kept fans on the edge of their seats with an enticing combo of cleverly placed red herrings, jaw-dropping scandals, and tantalizing suspense. The eighth and final volume, Wanted, has just been published, with the promise of tying up loose ends and perhaps throwing out one or two more dramatic twists. Readers can visit HarperTeen's dedicated website and the "Pretty Little Liars" official website, both replete with photos of the TV cast and links to the show, for info about the characters, books, and author as well as quizzes, a "Doll Yourself" feature, and the opportunity to sign up for news, giveaways, and more.

Kurt's Journals......

When you've finished reading every last thing by a famous writer, literary convention holds that you move on to his or her letters, the DVD extras peddled by publishers. I have friends who have read the letters of Philip Larkin, Sylvia Plath, Allen Ginsberg, John Cheever — you name it; I have very pretentious friends. So it always embarrasses me, as a writer myself, to admit that the only complete set of journals I own are those by Kurt Cobain, a rock star — not just any old rock star, but one who used to cross-dress and rhymed the word "mosquito" with "libido" in his most famous song.

Admittedly, Cobain was no Larkin or Ginsberg, even if he had the habit of lapsing into adolescent beat poetry. He was also severely challenged by things like spelling, and wore unwashed flannel, and on his notebooks he wrote "if you read you'll judge," which sounds a little more sinister when you learn that his widow made $4 million for the publication of these private diaries — the going rate for a man's soul these days, apparently.


Journals
By Kurt Cobain
Paperback, 304 pages
Riverhead Trade
List price: $19.95
But for the naysayers who think that the Journals have little worth beyond being a pacifier for weepy fans who've been mourning Cobain since he killed himself at the age of 27, I'd like to say: You clearly don't know Cobain the writer.

Cobain the writer is funny and self-aware and snotty with a knack for off-the-cuff profundity. Remarking to a friend that his band will be called "Nirvana," he scribbles next to it the words "oooh eerie mystical doom." He also jokingly refers to himself as "the moody, bohemian member of the group," which is pretty much how most folks remember the man behind that amazing, ulcerous voice.

Better still, there's a trashy, throwaway quality to the pages that makes them a lighter read than you'd expect, like you've accidentally Googled your way onto someone's blog. Page after page of Cobain's terrible handwriting is reproduced in faithful facsimile, covering such topics as forthcoming gigs, favorite songs, prophecies of fame, janitorial wages and, of course, the firing of terrible drummers, complete with gory sketches to drive home his point.

What isn't present here, for better or for worse, are hyperconfessional entries that can be used to further dissect why Cobain took his own life. Even in ranting about drug abuse and the pressures of stardom, he comes across as a smirky young man who appreciates his luck and can see the comedy of having turned into a national icon — as I'm sure he'd have seen the comedy of having these journals discussed in the same breath as a literary heavyweight like John Cheever.


Enlarge
Karan Mahajan was born in Stamford, Conn., and grew up in New Delhi. He s the author of the novel Family Planning.


Karan Mahajan was born in Stamford, Conn., and grew up in New Delhi. He s the author of the novel Family Planning.
But that's how much reverence I feel for Cobain and his music.

Novelists get to say plenty in their massive tomes; rock singers only get four-minute songs with two verses and a chorus' worth of lyrics; and so there's a real pleasure in accessing the intelligence behind the music, even if it doesn't qualify as "great literature."

And hey, I'm not the only one who thinks these are better than mere DVD extras — just ask the poor publisher who had to pony up $4 million for a bunch of chicken scrawl.

Hunger Games #3 Remember....party in August!!

Scholastic Announces 'Mockingjay' Print Run, Tour Details


Teens, tweens, and adults alike are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Mockingjay, the third and final book in Suzanne Collins’s dystopian Hunger Games trilogy. And come August 24, they shouldn’t have trouble getting their hands on a copy: Scholastic has increased the book’s initial print run to 1.2 million copies, up from 750,000 copies. Additionally, the trade paperback edition of The Hunger Games will go on sale in the U.S. and Canada on July 3, with a 500,000-copy first printing.

Scholastic also announced early details about a 12-market tour for Collins, which will begin on Mockingjay’s pub date and last through November. Collins will visit bookstores in New York City, New Jersey, Connecticut, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington DC, Chicago, Minneapolis/St. Paul, California, Seattle, and Vancouver.

“Excitement for The Hunger Games trilogy continues to grow each day as new readers discover Suzanne Collins’s indelible heroine Katniss Everdeen,” said Scholastic Trade president Ellie Berger in a statement.

The Hunger Games was originally published in September 2008, and has been a bestseller list standby since; the book’s sequel, Catching Fire followed in September 2009, joining its predecessor on bestseller and best book lists. There are currently more than 2.3 million copies of the two books in print in the U.S. and Canada. In May, Collins was named to the TIME 100 list of Most Influential People.