Hypocritical Librarian?

So... it turns out I don't take my own advice. I've started reading "Swim the Fly" by Don Calame. I've gotten past the first 25 pages and you know what? I really just don't like it. I don't like the way it's written. I don't like any of the characters. Really. ANY of them. The plot revolves around these three teenage boys who have made a pact over the summer to see a real live naked girl. I'm wondering if it's the plot itself that bothers me. If there's something in there about men being disgusting and women being objectified. Still, I don't even think it's that. I think it's that I've read the first 25 pages and just plain don't like it.

Normally, if one of the teens in my library came to me and told me the same story, I'd be all, "Well stop reading the book and get something else." I just don't think I'm going to do that. I've already read 25 pages, ladies and gentlemen. I know they're going to see that naked girl, and I'm pretty sure I won't like it... but what if I'm wrong? You never know, right? RIGHT!? So I'm going to work my second to last overtime shift today, and I think that is the book I'm bringing with me. Not because I really want to. Because I already started it and I'm too lazy to pick up another book.

I don't think I've said this before, but reading suggestions are always welcome. Especially YA fiction, since I'm supposed to be reading/booktalking the crap out of those. See you later tatertots.

October is Sooner than You Think

Props to YALSA for being kind of organized. They are already promoting this year's teen read week that takes place in October, Why am I telling you about this? Because I already registered, so all the 'first 100 libraries' swag is totally going to me. Hopefully. I registered in like, the first 2 hours after the e-mail. A hundred people couldn't have beat me to it. I mean, hopefully.

Anyway, would it be bad if I make an event around the "We the People" books part of Teen Read Week? It has nothing to do with the theme. But it does kind of kill two birds with one stone- doing a 'read theme'd program at my library for the week, and using the books which I'm supposed to be doing throughout the year. I guess we'll see if the books are still there in October, ay?

Finally finished "Thief of Hearts" by Christopher Golden today in the DMV line. The other book I own is "Meets the Eye", so that might come up in the future as my next read. I also rejoined the Science Fiction Book Club, so I have like, actual books in my apartment now. I just never read them. And reading lately has been making me sleepy. I will try to do better. I just like comic books so much more than the regular. Don't you?

I miss you all horribly. Peace.

Life is Good?

So... I kinda won something for my library. They finally shipped all the books today- 22 in total- so it finally kind of made the whole thing real. I was super happy to see all the books displayed where I wanted them to be, and I plan on not shutting up about this for a very, very long time.

Life is kinda good. I've gotten into the work vibe better than ever. My numbers are up for almost everything, and people seem to like me. I have my 2 last overtime shifts in the next couple of weeks, then it will be summer and this big reading thing I'm hearing so much about.

Money? Still kinda tight, and getting tighter as the library is starting to feel it more and more and the costs of the MTA might skyrocket. I guess something about the price of water might go up which would increase our rent, too (which, if it does... I probably won't stay after the lease is up, 'cause that's just DUMB). I also haven't had a date in well, ever. But you know me. When it rains, it pours. And summer is just around the corner.

Later tater tots.

A Past in the Theater

So I was shamelessly googleing myself last night, and I came across the blog of this guy. He has an entry about a little play I did a few years that he happened to write. I've actually seen this before but had forgotten about it. For those of you just getting to know me, here are some pictures of me in heavy theater make-up. I played an old, old man. And got to play opposite my LPFL, the wonderful Joselyne Simonson.

These are actually the few pictures I even have. Anyway, I got a kick out of it. I thought I might share.

"Thief of Hearts" by Christopher Golden

So I finally started biting the bullet and reading "Thief of Hearts" by Christopher Golden. It's part of the Jenna Blake "Body of Evidence" series. Jenna is a college student who works as a kind of pathology assistant, basically helping people do all the Dana Scully work on dead bodies. I've only ever read "Skin Deep" before, but now own "Thief of Hearts" and "Meets the Eye" due to my Bookmooch-ing, back in the day. I got "Meets the Eye" first and realized I was reading them out of order- basically, someone really close to Jenna dies in "Thief of Hears" and it ripples through the rest of the series. Now that I'm trying to establish some series order, which is something teens coming into my library insist upon (and rightly so!) hopefully I will enjoy all the books much more. "Thief of Hearts" gets REAL good in the death scenes, which are a better read than watching the first "Scream" movie. Golden gives his victims the chance of escape, only to take it away, make them loose all hope, finally give them a chance, then kill them. REAL good, even when you know it's coming.

I'm already halfway through the book, so I'll probably post a full review on Random Buzzers and LibraryThing soon. I might stick with the series for awhile, mainly because I would like to eventually booktalk one or two of them and give an overview of a series of books when I'm doing my presentations. My only complaint is the dialogue- when Golden is writing a YA novel like this, or his Buffy work, sometimes the dialogue seems a little forced- humor is often inappropriate (the characters were making jokes in the next chapter after the major death in chapter 5, which just... didn't go with the tone). Golden should get snaps for delivering plot through the dialogue, but he's at his strongest when he's describing the truly horrific- which I would like more of in the future Jenna Blake novels, so hopefully he gets a little darker. In "Skin Deep" - he definitely does, so maybe it just took him awhile to find his rhythm. Check out the "Body of Evidence" series. It's seriously making me want to take long subway rides and read the ENTIRE time. Check them out from your local library.

Watchmen: Graphic Novel vs. Movie

Watchmen is one of the few graphic novels where the movie has done a better job. Nothing against Alan Moore, who wrote a pretty good story, but the movie does a better job at giving the readers the proper cliff notes to what the story is about. It also has a much better reason for our ultimate villain allowing humanity to unite- he really makes Doctor Manhattan the villain. That element wasn't in the graphic novel, and the gigantic-cloned-psychic-brain-alien thing that is used as the villain in the graphic novel is just... well, silly. Silk Spectre is a lot more likable in the movie version; in the novel, she was just sort of crazy yelling and complaining all the time. Her costume adaptation, which is only loosely based on the original design from the comic, is also just much nicer. Her comic costume is very dated. The movie was cast well, and giving us extended fight scenes upped the ante. I don't usually say "see the movie and read the book" but this is a good example of one time I probably should. Recommended. Go see it.