Library

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you!

The library will be open Dec. 26-28, 8-5 (4:30 on Friday) then closed until January 2nd.

I won't be around next week, but you can still stop in!

Maybe when I get back I'll have many new book reviews for you!  (They were the number one item's on my Christmas list!)

Coraline

Coraline

By: Neil Gaiman

Can you believe this is the first thing I've ever read by Neil Gaiman?  I can't, but that's only because I can't find my copy of Anansi Boys, so I went for Coraline.

Creeeeeeepy.

After reading reviews of this tale on other sites I was a little worried about starting it.  I am not a horror/scary book/movie kind of girl.  I like my books/movies with action, adventure, comedy and romance.  Nothing scary.  I do not enjoy freaking myself out, there are enough scary things happening every day (just watch the news).  That said, I still picked up Coraline. 

Coraline and her parents live in a flat.  Her parents both work from home and Coraline is bored.  School isn't starting for a few weeks and her parents just don't pay enough attention to her.  Miss Spink and Miss Forcible are about her only company, and they are retired actresses (with fantastic names!).  Other than that there is the weird old man upstairs who tells 'Caroline' that she is invited to see his musical mice perform.  Yes, he is training mice to sing and play music.  Anyways......

There's a door in their flat that doesn't lead anywhere when her mother shows it to her.  It's all bricked up.  There's something about the door though.....so Coraline opens it herself and discovers a passageway into a home just like hers.  Except that it's not just like hers.  Sure, the furniture is the same and the right people are there, but something is wrong.  When Coraline meets her 'mother' she knows things aren't right.  There's something wrong with her mother's eyes and Coraline takes a minute to place the problem.  Her other mother and father's eyes are black buttons.  And she's offered to give Coraline her own black button eyes.  Coraline does not want them, minor drama ensues and Coraline finds herself locked behind a mirror, with 3 children, kind of.  I'm not even going to get into that part, but suffice it to say, Coraline is in grave danger, her other mother likes to play games with people (that she always wins), the talking cat is quite curious and her parents are in peril as well.  There's just a little bit going on here!

This book is a little spooky/creepy. I agree with Terry Pratchett's blurb on the back cover of my copy about how, "you will never think about buttons in quite the same way again."  On the other hand, I found it to be a little predictable.  The ending was a give-away from the get-go for me, but I still enjoyed this book, especially since I don't think I will be having any nightmares about it.  Oh, and one of my favorite parts is when Coraline learns that the man upstairs actually has a name, and that she thinks she'd like to use it.  And no, I'm not telling!

Recommended to:

• those who like a mystery
• those who like scary/creepy/things-go-bump-in-the-night stories
• fans of Neil Gaiman - even if you usually read his adult writings (did you know he has a picture book out?)
• everyone!

Austenland

Austenland

By: Shannon Hale

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in the time of Jane Austen?  Do you love her novels like no other?  Does Mr. Darcy make you swoon?  If so, Austenland is the novel for you.  Now generally I don't really read the chick-lit/romance kind of books, but once in awhile one comes across my path that completely intrigues me and I have to read it.  The title of this one grabbed my attention.  I love Jane Austen.  I admit it, I've wondered what it would be like to wear a corset every day and behave in the proper fashion and be courted and that whole shebang, but it was more of a, 'yeah right, that'll never happen'.  Well, happen it did, but through a book!  And all the better for that too because I would probably be the black sheep of society....the neighbors would catch me running or I would be impertinent or who knows what else.

Jane loves Mr. Darcy.  Correction: Jane loves Collin Firth's Mr. Darcy and she hides her Pride & Prejudice dvd in her houseplant, shamed by her abject fascination with the literary character.  And why not?  Every relationship has failed for one reason or another (and some of them are doozies) and life's too short - she's got to kick this Darcy habit, but how?

Rescue comes from an unexpected place that sends Jane to Pembroke Park in England.  Mrs. Wattlesbrook is the 'proprietess' who oversees the whole charade, and what a grand charade it is!

When Jane enters her vacation she is determined to make the most of the situation and kick her Darcy habit for good.  Jane's modern-day sensibilities have a bit of a time adjusting to the lifestyle of Austen's characters, but she does her best to completely embrace the game (? charade?  play?    you decide).  Once submersed, she has to battle for the attention of the gentlemen.  Miss Charming is quite entertaining with her socially unacceptable 'tally-hoos', and she embraces the game, looking for the man of her dreams.  Miss Heartwright has a secret from a past romance and Jane finds a man who makes her giddy, but is it because she's forbidden to see him?  Society would recoil in horror!  But then there's also Mr. Nobley.  Jane enjoys goading him, and he seems to enjoy returning the favor, but what is true?  Jane realizes the whole thing is set up for her to be courted and wooed to her liking, and when Mr. Nobley (Darcy) makes love to her (in the Victorian standard, which means wooing and lavishing all sorts of compliments and no touching unless engaged!) and Jane's decision will effect the rest of her life.  Is she content to continue to strive to find her Mr. Darcy?  Will she turn him down and finally be free of a dream that has possibly hindered her for years?  Is there something behind Mr. Nobley's character?  Who is the real person behind Mr. Nobley?

I finished the book and wanted to read it again.  I hardly ever have that reaction!  Part of it may be that I get a little carried away sometimes and read too fast because Ihavetoknowwhathappensnext, but whatever!  It's just a good excuse to read it again!

Now, some people may totally not like this novel.  If you absolutely abhor Jane Austen don't even pick this up.  There are character references to (I believe) all of Austen's novels - they are cleverly incorporated into the text as Jane struggles to figure out just what her role is and it would be beneficial to know what types of characteristics are being referenced.

Recommended To:

• hopeless romantics
• Jane Austen fans/addicts
• those looking for a flirty, fun romp
• Shannon Hale fans (her other books are Young Adult and no, I haven't read them - I can't find them on my bookshelves, but when I do you'll be the first to know!)
• Young Adults/Juniors will love this book as well - it's not just for adults!

E-mail Santa Site-of-the-Week

So this is not exactly an "educational" site, but for those of you who know a small child who still believes in Santa and would like to make their Christmas a little more special, send them to this website so they can e-mail Santa a letter:

 http://www.emailsanta.com/

Heck, I bet even a few of you 'bigger' kids might enjoy doing this!

 There very well may be others out there, but this looked like it would be fun.  While there, you can find jokes, check the "Naughty or Nice" list, Christmas coloring pages, and a countdown 'til "Santa" arrives (which is cute because it's in 'sleeps' instead of 'days').

IM a Librarian

Hello!

In case you hadn't noticed, we've put a chat box on the library's website.  This is so you can ask us a question from the comfort of your home or dorm room.  We're still getting used to this service, so please bear with us as we work out any kinks that may come up.  Also, don't be discouraged and exit the chat box right away.  It may take us some time to notice your question as it doesn't always alert us when there is a new chat started.

 So, for the person who wanted to know about writing research proposals, I'm sorry I didn't get to you right away!  I wasn't alerted, but if you check out this website it may help:

http://www2.smumn.edu/deptpages/~tcwritingcenter/Forms_of_Writing/ResearchProposal.htm

Fly by Night

Fly by Night

By: Frances Hardinge

Oh my!  I love me a good British writer!

This book is set in a fractured realm where civil war has been around since before Mosca Mye was born.  While I love her name, the fact that she's named after a fly is quite entertaining - that and her goose who has one of the biggest attitude problems I have ever seen that I completely enjoyed!

When we meet Mosca she is hiding out with her goose, Saracen.  They're waiting to steal some keys so she can set Eponymous Clent free from the stocks.  Why would she do this you ask?  Because Mosca knows how to read (quite an accomplishment, actually) and she has a thirst for words that was inspired by her now-deceased father, and Clent has been spouting words she's never heard of, but she wants to hear more.  She's been living with her uncle and aunt and things hadn't been going particularly well for Mosca.  Her decision to leave was hastened a bit by her 'accidentally-on-purpose' setting her uncle's mill on fire. 

Eponymous Clent really does have a way with words.  I would say he almost convinced me of some of his lies a couple of times, but once you know who he is you have a really hard time believing anything that comes out of his mouth.  Mosca feels he's a better fate than the one awaiting her back at her uncle's mill, so the two set off (and Clent really isn't too happy about it).  After trying to ditch Mosca a couple of times, he resigns himself to the fact she will be helpful in his job - of course, this is after Mosca figures out what the papers he keeps hiding say, and THAT is reason enough for him to keep her around - he has to make sure she can't tell anyone else what she knows.

Mosca is naive, but she's also bright and voracious to help the Lady Tamarind, figure out what Clent is up to, learn who to trust and who to avoid, and just what exactly her father did that practically cast her last name like a plague.

Mosca and Clent have adventures that are almost too numerous to count: a run-in with a highwayman that changes all of their lives, the accidental meeting of Lady Tamarind, the wedding house where they stay, their stop at one of Clent's old 'friends', a barge-riding experience that leaves Saracen, Clent and Mosca in some hot water, snooping, sneaking and spying, joining a guild, riding the coffeehouses on the river (oh yes, you read that right!) and figuring out who is behind the printing press, why they're trying to cause trouble, what is really going on and who exactly to trust.

That's not even getting into a murder, the Beloveds, the Guilds, secrecy and betrayel. 

Mosca's innocence, perserverence and audacity are amazing.  She's a beautifully described character who, I hope will be back with her continued adventures.  And you just may be surprised by who she chooses to stay with at the end. 

OH!  And something I loved were the chapter titles: A is for Arson, K is for Kidnapping and, well, you get the idea!

Now, something to be aware of.....this novel is a little dark, and it is a little complex - you just may have to think a bit to make it through this one!

This is Hardinge's first book.  I believe I will be ordering her second book, Verdigris Deep very soon!  Oh, and I had to order this one online as Barnes and Nobles here in town didn't have it - but it looks like you can get it at the public library.  (And probably here in a month or two....depending on when we get to order more children's books)

Recommended For:

• Fans of Tolkien, Pullman, Dickens
• Adults - you're never too old and this book is a gem!  The language is beautiful!
• Readers who like a challenge, or who are interested in stories set in places that don't 'really' exist
• Everyone!

Virtual Reference Shelf - Site-of-the-Week

Homework got you down?  You've spent hours trolling the library's website for information (you did start there, right?) and your professor's tell you that Google searches are not an acceptable source, so what's a student to do?

Check out the Virtual Reference Shelf of course!

http://www.loc.gov/rr/askalib/virtualref.html

This website is a service from the Library of Congress that has more information than you can probably imagine efficiently organized in one place.  We're talking directories, consumer information, politics, science, government, abbreviations, associations, geneology, language and so many more resources! 

So if you're having trouble finding that one little piece of information that's holding you back (assuming you've started of course!) check out this site!  After looking at the library's!