We hosted our first Monday Night Meetup at the PB Library this week, on 11/10. My plan was that we'd have a lot of folks show up who were interested in making new friends by sharing short booktalks, then rotating around the room 'Speed-Dating' style. And my hopes were high that it would happen, since the extremely cool folks at the Beach & Bay Press printed an article in the paper the Thursday prior with info on the event. However, it didn't work as I'd intended.
Instead of 20 or so people (I intended it as a way to make friends, but am intrigued with the idea that people might start romances, too), only 4 women came to the event. Fortunately, that was the only thing that didn't work out as I'd hoped. All four of the women were wonderfully engaged and shared great books that I hadn't yet read. I'd actually read just one of the books (I'm not counting the books that I read so long ago that I've forgotten pretty much everything but the title -- my memory really is atrocious), and the woman who described it touched on different parts than those which were burned into my memory, so it was lovely hearing it again from her perspective. At the end of the night I left with a long list of great books to read and a short list of really interesting people who I hope will come to our next Meetup so that we can continue our conversation.
We agreed that we'd like to do it again in December, so I'm going to look at our calendar and see which Mondays are available. Next time, I hope that you'll be able to come, too!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Must-Read: The Cruelest Miles
I've got a full bookshelf right now that is waiting for attention, but lately when I've been asked by friends for book recommendations I've find myself going back to an incredible book that I read a few weeks ago. The Cruelest Miles: the heroic story of dogs and men in a race against an epidemic is an amazing read about a nail-bitingly suspenseful moment in American history.
In 1925, the town of Nome, Alaska sat isolated amidst the snow and ice. An outbreak of diphtheria, however, necessitated officials finding a way to get anti-toxin to the residents before the local children were wiped out by the disease. Airplanes were not yet advanced enough to make it through the freezing conditions (wind-chill sometimes brought temperatures to 80 below Fahrenheit), so the children needed to count on a relay powered by sled dogs.
The stories of that harrowing journey, as well as the background about Alaska and the history of sledding, is fascinating. Each time I thought the situation couldn't get worse for them, these real-life heroes were faced with another seemingly insurmountable obstacle.
I found this remarkable book when I pulled it off my library's shelves for another reader. I read the flyleaf and was so intrigued that I placed a hold so that I could read it when it returned. This is one of the best stories that I've read in a long time; I highly recommend it.
Here's the link to The Cruelest Miles from SDPL's catalog. It is also available for purchase from Amazon as a paperback.
In 1925, the town of Nome, Alaska sat isolated amidst the snow and ice. An outbreak of diphtheria, however, necessitated officials finding a way to get anti-toxin to the residents before the local children were wiped out by the disease. Airplanes were not yet advanced enough to make it through the freezing conditions (wind-chill sometimes brought temperatures to 80 below Fahrenheit), so the children needed to count on a relay powered by sled dogs.
The stories of that harrowing journey, as well as the background about Alaska and the history of sledding, is fascinating. Each time I thought the situation couldn't get worse for them, these real-life heroes were faced with another seemingly insurmountable obstacle.
I found this remarkable book when I pulled it off my library's shelves for another reader. I read the flyleaf and was so intrigued that I placed a hold so that I could read it when it returned. This is one of the best stories that I've read in a long time; I highly recommend it.
Here's the link to The Cruelest Miles from SDPL's catalog. It is also available for purchase from Amazon as a paperback.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Wrapping Up Comic-Con 2008
We did not see very much on Sunday, because we're still feeling so pooped after getting back from Peru last week. However, we saw some cool sessions in the morning and had a lovely conversation with Llewellyn's favorite speaker from the entire event.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
If you haven't seen this FX original show yet, you're in for a no-holds barred half hour o' humor. Set in Paddy's Pub in the City of Brotherly Love, three friends (Mac, Dennis and Charlie -- portrayed by the writers/creators for the show) hatch stupid and often selfish schemes along with Sweet Dee and Frank (Dennis's sister and dad, respectively). As they guys said at the panel, there's no topic that they won't cover so long as they find it funny. The episode that they screened yesterday morning was ostensibly about Dennis and Mac hunting a man for sport, while Charlie & Dee came to embrace the idea of being cannibals after Frank told them that he'd slipped them some human meat. Sounds horrible, yes, but it was absolutely hilarious. They gave away copies of the DVD for seasons 1 & 2, so I'm going to donate a copy to the library and hope that they'll add it to our collection; so far SDPL doesn't carry the series.
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
To my shame, I have not yet seen this movie. Saw the first one, Harold and Kumar go to White Castle, in a sneak peak from the guys who put on the Asian Film Festival and was surprised at how charming it was along with the gross-out humor. Which is not to say that the gross-out humor wasn't done perfectly -- Battleshits was one of the funniest scenes I've seen in a long time.
Lynda Barry
Llewellyn saw cartoonist Lynda Barry speak on Friday afternoon and raved that it was the best talk he's seen in the 4 years that we've been attending Comic-Con. She was signing her newest book, What It Is, in the Exhibit Hall yesterday afternoon so we went to pay homage. I think that there were about 7 or 8 people ahead of us in line, and it ended up taking ~40 minutes or so for us to reach Ms. Barry. And the reason that it was so slow was what makes her so captivating -- she actually spoke with each of the people waiting in line, and offered to make drawings for each of them, too. She didn't rush people through so that she could get another book signed -- she really seemed interested in making a connection (however brief) with each person and engaging with them. What It Is is on order at SDPL; a full list of her work that SDPL carries is available here. The guy just ahead of us in line raved that Cruddy changed his life, and Llewellyn first fell in love with Lynda Barry when he heard her spoken word collection The Lynda Barry Experience.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
If you haven't seen this FX original show yet, you're in for a no-holds barred half hour o' humor. Set in Paddy's Pub in the City of Brotherly Love, three friends (Mac, Dennis and Charlie -- portrayed by the writers/creators for the show) hatch stupid and often selfish schemes along with Sweet Dee and Frank (Dennis's sister and dad, respectively). As they guys said at the panel, there's no topic that they won't cover so long as they find it funny. The episode that they screened yesterday morning was ostensibly about Dennis and Mac hunting a man for sport, while Charlie & Dee came to embrace the idea of being cannibals after Frank told them that he'd slipped them some human meat. Sounds horrible, yes, but it was absolutely hilarious. They gave away copies of the DVD for seasons 1 & 2, so I'm going to donate a copy to the library and hope that they'll add it to our collection; so far SDPL doesn't carry the series.
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
To my shame, I have not yet seen this movie. Saw the first one, Harold and Kumar go to White Castle, in a sneak peak from the guys who put on the Asian Film Festival and was surprised at how charming it was along with the gross-out humor. Which is not to say that the gross-out humor wasn't done perfectly -- Battleshits was one of the funniest scenes I've seen in a long time.
Lynda Barry
Llewellyn saw cartoonist Lynda Barry speak on Friday afternoon and raved that it was the best talk he's seen in the 4 years that we've been attending Comic-Con. She was signing her newest book, What It Is, in the Exhibit Hall yesterday afternoon so we went to pay homage. I think that there were about 7 or 8 people ahead of us in line, and it ended up taking ~40 minutes or so for us to reach Ms. Barry. And the reason that it was so slow was what makes her so captivating -- she actually spoke with each of the people waiting in line, and offered to make drawings for each of them, too. She didn't rush people through so that she could get another book signed -- she really seemed interested in making a connection (however brief) with each person and engaging with them. What It Is is on order at SDPL; a full list of her work that SDPL carries is available here. The guy just ahead of us in line raved that Cruddy changed his life, and Llewellyn first fell in love with Lynda Barry when he heard her spoken word collection The Lynda Barry Experience.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Comic-Con Highlights
There is one day remaining to this year's San Diego International Comic-Con, and it has been (as always!) great. This year I haven't made it to as many sessions as I normally try to attend, due to post-Machu Picchu exhaustion, but here's my highlights so far.
Spotlight on Jim Butcher
Friday, July 25
Jim Butcher is the author of two popular series of books: The Dresden Files, and the Codex Alera. I came across one of the middle books in the Dresden Files a few years back and immediately tracked down the rest in the series. They feature Harry Dresden, a modern wizard who is listed in Chicago's yellow pages and also helps the police to solve supernatural crimes. Butcher has created a full world, with Harry as a protagonist who always tries to fight the good fight, but doesn't always make the best decisions. At last night's talk, Butcher described Harry as less black & white about good/evil than he is dark gray. Which I think makes him a more interesting character than a traditional knight in shining armour.
Butcher told of how the Codex Alera series originated with a bet about whether tired story elements could be reworked into a fresh story, or if a new idea was paramount over the storytelling. He accepted the challenge to write a story incorporating a lost Roman legion and Pokemon, and has finished writing the fifth book in that series. I had not yet delved into this series, but am adding them to my Library Reserve/Hold list.
Cartoon Voices
Saturday, July 26
Every year that I've attended Comic-Con I've attended Cartoon Voices, and it has never failed to delight. It always features a panel of actors who lend their voices to animation. They start out by doing samples of their most famous voices/characters, as well as more obscure work that they've done. Then they do a cold reading of an old radio play (today's was "The Adventures of Superman"), where each actor is assigned multiple parts and then given less than a minute before starting the performance. Of course, they add an extra wrinkle: periodically the moderator will call out "Change!" -- at which point the actor must repeat the line but with a totally different voice. It is both hilarious and incredibly impressive to watch these skilled actors demonstrate their craft. Cartoon Voices repeats on Sunday with a different cast of actors performing the same script; it is well worth seeing twice.
TV Funhouse with Robert Smigel
Thursday, June 24
Robert Smigel does the great cartoons that are shown on Saturday Night Live, including 'The Ambiguously Gay Duo' and 'Fun with Real Audio.' In 2000-2001, Comedy Central broadcast 'TV Funhouse' as its own series, where 'Anipal' puppets mingled with real animals, and live action segments were interspersed with animation. I remember seeing it on tv a few times when it originally aired, but didn't follow it closely. Apparently, based on the clips that they showed on Thursday, that was a mistake on my part. The humor is very silly and occasionally crude, but funny is funny. I'll be looking for a copy of the DVD (SDPL doesn't carry this title).
Of course, there are also the workshops that "got away"...
HBO's True Blood
Charlaine Harris has written several series of books, including those featuring librarian/detective Aurora Teagarden, bodybuilder/cleaning lady Lily Bard, and psychic-after-being-struck-by-lightning Harper Connelly. They're all good, but her most popular books by far are the 'Southern Vampire' series with telepathic barmaid Sookie Stackhouse, who has gotten involved in the supernatural community after vampires were able to 'come out of the coffin' thanks to the Japanese having manufactured a synthetic blood substitute, Tru Blood. I adore the Sookie books (they're all available at SDPL and can be sent to your branch for free by reserving them. Sadly, the session was full by the time I arrived so I wasn't able to hear Ms. Harris speak directly about the new series that Alan Ball (creator of "American Beauty" and "Six Feet Under") has crafted based upon her books. The reviews that I've looked at online have been mainly positive, so I'm looking forward to it. Regardless, the books are great fun.
Mythbusters Q&A and Sneak Preview
Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman from Discovery Channel's "Mythbusters" were at Comic-Con tonight to talk about how their show uses science to determine the truth behind urban legends, and to give a peek at their upcoming episode on whether the NASA moon landing might have been a hoax. The show is fabulous, both entertaining and educational, but we were just too pooped to stay all day at the Con. I heard that they're returning in the fall, though, so we might try to see them later. At the very least, There's always Wednesday nights on the Discovery Channel...
Spotlight on Jim Butcher
Friday, July 25
Jim Butcher is the author of two popular series of books: The Dresden Files, and the Codex Alera. I came across one of the middle books in the Dresden Files a few years back and immediately tracked down the rest in the series. They feature Harry Dresden, a modern wizard who is listed in Chicago's yellow pages and also helps the police to solve supernatural crimes. Butcher has created a full world, with Harry as a protagonist who always tries to fight the good fight, but doesn't always make the best decisions. At last night's talk, Butcher described Harry as less black & white about good/evil than he is dark gray. Which I think makes him a more interesting character than a traditional knight in shining armour.
Butcher told of how the Codex Alera series originated with a bet about whether tired story elements could be reworked into a fresh story, or if a new idea was paramount over the storytelling. He accepted the challenge to write a story incorporating a lost Roman legion and Pokemon, and has finished writing the fifth book in that series. I had not yet delved into this series, but am adding them to my Library Reserve/Hold list.
Cartoon Voices
Saturday, July 26
Every year that I've attended Comic-Con I've attended Cartoon Voices, and it has never failed to delight. It always features a panel of actors who lend their voices to animation. They start out by doing samples of their most famous voices/characters, as well as more obscure work that they've done. Then they do a cold reading of an old radio play (today's was "The Adventures of Superman"), where each actor is assigned multiple parts and then given less than a minute before starting the performance. Of course, they add an extra wrinkle: periodically the moderator will call out "Change!" -- at which point the actor must repeat the line but with a totally different voice. It is both hilarious and incredibly impressive to watch these skilled actors demonstrate their craft. Cartoon Voices repeats on Sunday with a different cast of actors performing the same script; it is well worth seeing twice.
TV Funhouse with Robert Smigel
Thursday, June 24
Robert Smigel does the great cartoons that are shown on Saturday Night Live, including 'The Ambiguously Gay Duo' and 'Fun with Real Audio.' In 2000-2001, Comedy Central broadcast 'TV Funhouse' as its own series, where 'Anipal' puppets mingled with real animals, and live action segments were interspersed with animation. I remember seeing it on tv a few times when it originally aired, but didn't follow it closely. Apparently, based on the clips that they showed on Thursday, that was a mistake on my part. The humor is very silly and occasionally crude, but funny is funny. I'll be looking for a copy of the DVD (SDPL doesn't carry this title).
Of course, there are also the workshops that "got away"...
HBO's True Blood
Charlaine Harris has written several series of books, including those featuring librarian/detective Aurora Teagarden, bodybuilder/cleaning lady Lily Bard, and psychic-after-being-struck-by-lightning Harper Connelly. They're all good, but her most popular books by far are the 'Southern Vampire' series with telepathic barmaid Sookie Stackhouse, who has gotten involved in the supernatural community after vampires were able to 'come out of the coffin' thanks to the Japanese having manufactured a synthetic blood substitute, Tru Blood. I adore the Sookie books (they're all available at SDPL and can be sent to your branch for free by reserving them. Sadly, the session was full by the time I arrived so I wasn't able to hear Ms. Harris speak directly about the new series that Alan Ball (creator of "American Beauty" and "Six Feet Under") has crafted based upon her books. The reviews that I've looked at online have been mainly positive, so I'm looking forward to it. Regardless, the books are great fun.
Mythbusters Q&A and Sneak Preview
Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman from Discovery Channel's "Mythbusters" were at Comic-Con tonight to talk about how their show uses science to determine the truth behind urban legends, and to give a peek at their upcoming episode on whether the NASA moon landing might have been a hoax. The show is fabulous, both entertaining and educational, but we were just too pooped to stay all day at the Con. I heard that they're returning in the fall, though, so we might try to see them later. At the very least, There's always Wednesday nights on the Discovery Channel...
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Gen Ivy Hot Springs Spa
This isn't directly book related, but yesterday I had the most enjoyable day that I've experienced in a while so would love to see others also try it. I went with some friends to the Glen Ivy Hot Springs Spa in Lake Elsinore (just a bit more than an hour north of SD). It was great!!!
You can enjoy the natural hot mineral baths, give yourself a full-body mud treatment in Club Mud, lounge poolside at one of the cool pools, then heat back up in the sauna or steam room. And, it's very affordable -- all that comes with the $35 admission fee. You can sign up for extra treatments or massages, too, if you'd like. I enjoyed the Grotto (they literally paint an aloe vera/sea kelp masque onto your skin!), and one of the other ladies loved how her Olive Sage Wrap left her skin feeling.
You can enjoy the natural hot mineral baths, give yourself a full-body mud treatment in Club Mud, lounge poolside at one of the cool pools, then heat back up in the sauna or steam room. And, it's very affordable -- all that comes with the $35 admission fee. You can sign up for extra treatments or massages, too, if you'd like. I enjoyed the Grotto (they literally paint an aloe vera/sea kelp masque onto your skin!), and one of the other ladies loved how her Olive Sage Wrap left her skin feeling.
Monday, March 31, 2008
PLA it again, Sam...
I just got back from the PLA (Public Library Association) Conference in Minneapolis. Learned a lot at the workshops and from talking with other librarians. Amongst what I brought back...
Good books, of course! One of my fave authors, Kim Harrison, signed free copies of her latest: The Outlaw Demon Wails. Even though I'd already read it, I got one for myself and another to take back for the library. Laura Lippman also signed copies of Another Thing to Fall -- it was great, and I finished it just before my plane returned to San Diego.
Plenty o' programming ideas. I need to speak with PB's Friends of the Library group, our Youth Services Librarian and the system's Visual Arts Librarian about implementation, but I'm hoping that we can try some of them out.
Corrected pronunciation. I met some Australian librarians who made a point of telling me that they are not AUStralians (like Ostriches) but A-stralians (pronounced more like an Asteroid).
Lots more, but I'll need to sort through my notes from the past week in order to straighten it out in my head.
Lots more, but I'll need to sort through my notes from the past week in order to straighten it out in my head.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Feng Shui Gardening Workshop
The PB Library is hosting a free workshop on Thursday, March 13 (1:00-2:30p) on Feng Shui Gardening: Inside and Out.
The lecturer will offer ideas on how you can mindfully incorporate Feng Shui into your garden, as well as how to connect your garden to the rest of your home, creating a sense of harmony and balance from the outside in. Registration is required. Please sign up by calling the Pacific Beach Branch Library at 858-581-9934.
I'm hoping that even neophyte gardeners like myself will be able to learn how to make the most of their space, creating a more harmonious, restful home.
The lecturer will offer ideas on how you can mindfully incorporate Feng Shui into your garden, as well as how to connect your garden to the rest of your home, creating a sense of harmony and balance from the outside in. Registration is required. Please sign up by calling the Pacific Beach Branch Library at 858-581-9934.
I'm hoping that even neophyte gardeners like myself will be able to learn how to make the most of their space, creating a more harmonious, restful home.
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