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Radio Silence

So as some of you may have noticed things have been pretty quiet here on the old blog. I have honestly debated keeping it. I follow a number of other blogs and I really cannot fathom how they do it. They run such well updated blogs and they seem to be on top of everything and in the know about what is going on in the YA world. I feel like a poor representative in that respect. The truth is I have been pretty overwhelmed by things in my life lately and when I am juggling everything the blog is always the first ball to drop.

Currently I am not going to stop having my blog but I might just need to take it in a different direction. I am loving my new job and being back near family. It has been really different for me because it is my first experience with a public library, all of my previous experience has been limited to military libraries. Truthfully I think I left the federal library system just in time. There are so many cuts taking place in the defense budget and libraries are always the first thing that seems to come up, having been one of the cuts in the last defense budget slashing I am well acquainted with it. I really am happy that things fell together for me to move into the public sector. Not that things are completely peachy keen in the public/city sector for libraries. Everyone is tightening the belt and struggling to provide the same level of services with half the resources. On the upside I think it forces us as library professionals to get creative and do more with less.

So that leaves me in the public library trying to think creatively about how we can grab patrons with our budget offerings and make them feel like what we are offering is still high dollar.

As for books I am on the waiting list for the Beautiful Creatures audio book, hoping to get it in time to catch the movie.

Just got the second book in the Across the Universe series by Beth Revis

and I am in the middle of The Diviners by Libba Bray, which is super creepy and set in such a fun time period- 1920′s New York!

Posted by ImAllMadHere | February 25, 2013 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: books, Life, Public Libraries, Stress, Young Adult Fiction | Leave A Comment »

2012 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 2,800 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 5 years to get that many views.

Click here to see the complete report.

Posted by ImAllMadHere | December 30, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave A Comment »

More changes…

So in the coming weeks I am trying to sell my house, move my life to another state and get settled in a new place…again…On the bright side having a background in military spousery I am well acquainted with moving and packing so I am confident it will go alright.

Selling a house in this market is another matter altogether…but it is all for the best. It is possible I am making a move toward a more youth centric library system and therefore a place where all my loves can converge. Military libraries are great, but they serve a limited audience and their priority is mission driven.

The only downside to all of this is the likelihood that my blog will be taking a slight break as I get myself moved and settled in a new locale. I will not have a ton of reading time so there won’t be much to say.

Currently I am trying really hard to finish 1Q84, which at over 900 pages is quite the tome. I am really enjoying the book but it takes a lot to really get into the story it doesn’t read quickly, but it is not a chore to read…if that makes any sense I am about halfway through it now and things are really heating up story wise….more to come on that later.

I also recently finished The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series by Stieg Larsson

Though neither of these books are YA I think they are worth noting. The Murakami book is an intensely mental narrative with two storylines running simultaneously and an otherworldly undercurrent that keeps it from being anything expected.

The Larsson trilogy is a dark seething drama that focuses on a complex character Lisbeth Salander and a more traditionalist journalist by the name of Mikael Blomkvist. The first book delves into some extremely dark story lines but ultimately the focus is on a kind of action/mystery element, not the sexual innuendo and triggering sexual abuse that is a part of the story. The next two books in the series continue with the characters and we see them head in very different directions. Ultimately the final book in the series was decent but did not hold up quite as well as the other two. It felt a little stunted action wise , which might be due in part to the setting. Overall though a compelling and interesting read. It is quite unfortunate that the author passed away after the publication of these three books, and it is rumored that there is an unfinished fourth book which may or may not see the light of day…

Posted by ImAllMadHere | September 25, 2012 | Categories: books, controversy, Crossover, General | Leave A Comment »

My Sister Lives On the Mantlepiece by Annabel Pitcher

Hardcover: 224 pages
ISBN-10: 0316176907
Age Range: 12 years and up
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (August 14, 2012)

Annotation: At the age of five Jamie’s sister Rose is killed by a terrorist bombing in London. At ten five years after her death his family is all but falling apart. Jamie and his sister jasmine (Rose’s twin) are trying to cope as they move to a new small town. Jamie is not sure if he can be friends with a girl in his class named Sunya, because she is Muslim. Does his friendship with Sunya betray the memory of his sister Rose.

Summary: Jamie at ten is dealing with a lot of complicated family problems. His mother has just left his father for someone in her grief support group and Jamie isn’t sure if she is coming back. He believes she left because his sister dyed her hair pink and pierced her nose, as Rose’s twin sister her parents clung to her as a remaining tie to their lost daughter. Now Jamie is moving with his father and his sister to a small town where his father believes they can get away from the diversity of London. Jamie’s father is crippled by anger and depression over the death of his daughter. Which has resulted in a drinking problem and a hatred of all Muslims since he irrationally believes they are all terrorists. Now living in the English countryside Jamie’s dad doesn’t think they will run into any Muslims. Then on the first day of school Jamie sees there is one Muslim girl in his class and of course his teacher tells him to sit next to her. Sunya is really nice though and loves super heroes as much as Jamie does. Now he wants to be friends with her but does this make him a bad brother to Rose? Being only five when she died makes it even more difficult for Jamie since he hardly remembers her. Now in this new town without his mom and his dad seemingly falling apart Jamie has to make some tough decisions.

Evaluation: This is a really complex story. Though the protagonist is only ten the subject matter really speaks to an older audience. This was troublesome to me at times since it felt like the voice of Jamie at ten didn’t resonate with how he understood his own situations. Then again losing your sister at age five and the resulting complexities and family complications are likely to force you tube more mature. Ultimately as the story progressed I came to appreciate how Jamie’s character was written. There are so many really touching moments and the relationship between Jamie and his surviving sister Jasmine is really beautiful. This is definitely a difficult read but worthwhile. It has a poignant message about friendship and family and for anyone dealing with grief it is really well portrayed.

Cover Judgement: I received this book as an ARC but the cover I have is the same. The title to me is what really grabs you about this book. It essentialy gives you the crux of this story immediately and lets you know what you are in for. The color of the cover and the black urn on the white mantelpiece create a great juxtaposition. It speaks to the importance of Jamie’s dead sister Rose in this story.

There are some other covers that I found which are really interesting. I really liked these two:

This one I don’t particularly like, I think this cover would appeal to adults more than a jf/ya audience definitely may compel a few pickups:

Posted by ImAllMadHere | September 10, 2012 | Categories: books, Children's Books/Juvenile Fiction, Contemporary, Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction | Tags: brothers, family relationships, grief, growing up, Juvenile fiction, loss, sisters, Young Adult | Leave A Comment »

Truesight by David Stahler Jr.

Hardcover: 192 pages
ISBN-10: 0060522852
Age Range: 12 years and up
Series: Truesight Trilogy

Annotation: In an undetermined future Earth is not the only planet with human life on it. Human’s have colonized new planets. One colony is different than the others. The Harmony Station colony follows the belief of Truesight. This belief requires that all the residents of Harmony Station be willingly or genetically blind. Being blind allows everyone to be equal and they don’t get caught up in the external beauty of the world focusing instead on the internal beauty of the people around them.

Summary: The protagonist in this story is Jacob a 12 year old boy and lifetime resident of Harmony Station. For Jacob everything seems normal enough and as this life is all he has known he is happy. His best friend Egan tries to talk Jacob into sneaking to eavesdrop on a group of ‘seers’ visiting from another colony to repair something. Egan’s father is a high-councilor and Jacob’s parents are not as important meaning there is much more risk for Jacob. His curiosity gets the best of him though and he goes. When he gets there he runs into another friend, not Egan but Delaney a music student his mother teaches. Delaney is agitated and Jacob is not sure what to think. Delaney tries to sneak off the colony and off planet she simply can’t take it any longer. Jacob doesn’t know what to think and suddenly his world begins to turn upside down. Then Jacob starts to get explosive headaches and he starts to see fuzzy outlines and then he opens his eyes and sees for the first time. Now Jacob doesn’t know what to do and with his new vision he starts to see a lot of things he wasn’t supposed to see. Everything is changing and Jacob begins to wonder if Delaney is right.

Cover Judgement: This cover at first glance is simple enough but then upon closer inspection it becomes quite interesting. Creepy even. There is a definite feel for the abnormal but this story is not paranormal. It is actually a simple community just happens to be on another planet. This story could be happening in a not too distant future. Perhaps this is part of the creepy factor. The simplicity of the clothes on the cover model most likely a representation of Jacob are interesting. The odd poles pictured on the cover are intriguing and could add to the interest in wondering what this book might be about. The end result for me was a definite interest in reading!

Posted by ImAllMadHere | August 26, 2012 | Categories: books, Dystopian, Teens, Young Adult Fiction | 2 Comments »

I am waiting for….

So I went to YALLFEST last year and met Victoria Schwab. When I told her I am a librarian she then told me about her next book…which is about a librarian in a supernatural library Which of course is what I aspire to be if said library exists and they are hiring, I am linked in should the hiring agents for this supernatural library be reading this…

So anyway this book doesn’t come out until January 2013…SO LONG TO WAIT….which I was slightly okay with until I read this review by Sara McClung. She managed to get her hands on an ARC and she included an excerpt…which has me wanting this book even more!!!! So the point of all this is that I want everyone else to be as excited as me for this new book series…I also want it to then be made into a movie because supernatural librarian movie would be a sweet reference for my profession

What I have heard about the archived has me super intrigued. The Archive is a library where ghosts known as histories are kept. The Librarians are keepers who contain the sometimes violent histories keeping them from being disturbed. Someone has other ideas though and they are altering the histories erasing them…

DID I MENTION HOW EXCITED I AM FOR THIS BOOK…

I AM SO EXCITED!

Posted by ImAllMadHere | July 16, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave A Comment »

Program: Movie Night @ the Library

Our library purchased a license to do movie showings. It has factored in greatly to our summer reading program this year as a kind of supplement. It is especially hot in the south right now so the cool of the library works well as a venue for any program. We have done a number of movie nights for various age groups all with a focus on our Summer Reading Program theme: Reading is So Delicious. We visited France one week watching Ratatouille for the children’s program, The Three Musketeers for the teens and Julie and Julia. We incorporated a cheese sampling and fresh apples and of course french bread, for dessert we had creme puffs and eclairs. The library offers Transparent Language services which we shared with program attendees. To additionally promote library materials we coordinated displays with books on France, French cooking, and fiction with a french relation.

Tonight we had an Adult Movie night…it is awkward telling people we are having adult movies at the library…movies for adults..it can be hard to market. We had a great turn out for our Julie & Julia movie night but tonight we showed Chocolat. There was an error in the original calendar that was published in the local paper with the wrong date for the program and I am afraid that the small error was enough to derail attendance. The people who did come had a great time though. In addition to Chocolat we served chocolates! We got a selection of chocolate from different countries as well as some odd ball chocolates like Vosges Mo’s Milk a milk chocolate with hickry smoked bacon bar and a chipotle dark chocolate. The best surprise for our attendees was the Chocolate Soda.

Monday we are doing an India program for the teens with Indian food and bollywood movies!

Really enjoying the response from patrons, they are excited by our new programs and pleasantly surprised by the movies at the library.

Posted by ImAllMadHere | July 13, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: children, programs, Summer Reading Program, Young Adult | 2 Comments »

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Review: The White Glove War (The Magnolia League) by Katie Crouch

There is something about the south, some areas you just feel a certain creepiness in the way the spanish moss hangs in the oaks that stretch out eerily over roads and bend in unnatural ways across the earth. So to read a book set in such a place and be familiar with it really adds to the fun. The voice of this book is pitch perfect and could only be written by someone familiar with the south and bless her heart Katie Crouch has got me hooked!

I told you the trees could be creepy

Pub. Date: July 3, 2012
Publisher: Poppy
Format: Hardcover , 320p
Age Range: Young Adult 15 and up
Series: The Magnolia League Book 2
ISBN-13: 978-0316187503

Annotation: In Savannah Georgia the Magnolia League women have it all. This group of rich, beautiful, powerful women have everything everyone thinks they want. It is not luck though, unless you too conjure your luck with spells, potions and conjures hoodoo style. There are family secrets threatening to tear the league apart old members and new.

Summary: Picking up right where we left off after The Magnolia League the drama and intrigue of southern charm and hoodoo magic sucks you right in. I really enjoyed the first book in this series and eagerly anticipated this one so having received an ARC for it I was super excited. Let me just say I have of late been supremely disappointed by sequels so I was ready for the potential let down of the middle book syndrome, but that was not an issue in this story. This book is quite possibly even better than the first. I don’t want to give away too much of the story given this is the second book of the series so lets just speak generally. The first book had to build you into the world of southern etiquette that these Savannah debutantes and future stakeholders of the Magnolia League. In this second book you are already familiar with the league and the story is able to jump right into the intrigue and complexities that surround the use of magic and spells for beauty, youth, power, wealth, luck and the like. Add to that a complicated past among senior league members and sudden strange happenings surrounding Alexandria Lee new to town it girl and the voodoo is just around the corner. Alex is not on the best of terms with her league sisters Hayes and Madison but sisters need to stick together. Alex seems hell-bent on pushing everyone away though and Hayes has had just about enough of her. Madison is busy with her new boyfriend Dex leaving Hayes on her own and steadily crumbling under the pressure from her grandmother and frequently intoxicated mother. Meanwhile Alex seems to do everything right leaving Hayes looking like a failure at every turn. Hayes just knows Alex is out to get her and with a little spirit consultation she finds Alex might really be out to get her… This was a non-stop read for me, I started and didn’t stop till I finished reading and now I am desperately waiting to see what happens next since Ms. Crouch has left me on the edge of my seat wondering what will become of Alex, Hayes and Madison.

Cover Judgement:

Book two in The Magnolia League series

I love this cover! The first book had a very simple typography and didn’t have quite the same draw that this one does. I love how this one just speaks to the stories southern roots and the cover models stance and posing in some beautiful house with a grand fireplace and huge gilded frame of some war hero is so Magnolia. Truly both books have nice covers I love the selected ladies for the books I can picture them as Alexandria and Hayes easily… as compared to the first book with the boring font:

I believe they have re-released the first book with new cover art to match the styling of this one which makes me super happy since I am in love with this one so much so now you can get both books to match, it is the little things in my life but I love when books just look nice on a shelf together, so here is the new release:

New pretty cover…

Based on how things have gone thus far I anticipate the third book to focus on Madison and have her for the cover. Now to wait…well if you like me don’t want to wait you can at least read more about the inspiration behind the books over at the blog for the books written by the Author Katie Crouch ( A South Carolinian of Charleston haunts no less) http://magnolialeague.katiecrouch.com/

Posted by ImAllMadHere | July 8, 2012 | Categories: ARC, Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction | Tags: Hoodoo, Magic, Paranormal, Savannah, South, Southern, Voodoo | Leave A Comment »

Review: H.P. Lovecraft’s the Dunwich Horror

H.P. Lovecraft’s the Dunwich Horror by H.P. Lovecraft
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a really enjoyable graphic novel to break up my work day with. A very fast read. This is actually two stories The Dunwich Horror and The Hound. The first story was the stronger of the two for me but only because the second story was practically impossible to read. The script font they selected was really small and the scratchy to imply a hand written account, which looked really cool but the reality was that I had to guess on a number of words since I couldn’t truly read all of them. Overall though it is a nice edition to the lovecraftian collected works.

View all my reviews

Posted by ImAllMadHere | June 26, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave A Comment »

Review: The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge

Pub. Date: February 2011
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young People
Format: Hardcover , 512pp
Age Range: Young Adult
Series: The Iron Codex #1
ISBN-13: 978-0385738293

Annotation: Aoife Grayson is the only girl in a school for engineers, Lovecraft Academy. She is also approaching her sixteenth birthday, which was the start of both her brother and her mother’s descent into madness. Aoife is determined to succeed as an engineer and avoid the madness.

Summary: The city of Lovecraft is bound to machines. Machinations of steam power and feats of engineering mastery. Aoife Grayson is studying at Lovecraft academy as a ward of the state, she has an innate ability with machines. Everyone knows there is something off about her family. Her mother is in an asylum bound by a madness that Aoife may have inherited. Aoife bears the scars of the madness her brother exhibited when his sixteenth birthday came. Now it is almost her birthday, but a note has arrived from her brother in a coded script and Aoife starts to question if he is truly mad. She decides that she has to go to him. Her friend Cal is determined to go with her, to keep her safe from the various scourges of Lovecraft, the dark infected that haunt the streets and underground, spreading the virus.

Aoife and Cal set off for the house of her father, a man she never met, who left Aoife and her brother to the orphanages. They come upon their guide Dean along the way and begin a journey out of Lovecraft and into a whole different world of problems and complications.

Evaluation: There is a lot to learn in this book. It is an entirely different world, steampunk concepts mixed with lovecraftian and orwellian concepts of horror and societal control. The setting is an imagined Boston in this alternate steampunk timeline in the 1950′s, there is a map in the cover to assist with imagining things. The story gets started immediately and truly you are thrust into the thick of things and you have to just stick with it for the first 1/4-1/3 of the story and eventually it comes together. That being said, it is not an easy story to stick with, the lack of initial exposition left me with a complete disconnect and so it took me much longer to get through this story than I expected. The story was worth sticking with though. Things are starting to come together for me and I have really enjoyed the progression of the characters. I think that Aoife is a strong female lead and I look forward to seeing where the next book goes. I wish it were easier to get into initially as I can see the complications of the story turning off a lot of readers who want to know what is going on from the beginning.

Cover Judgement:

I like the colors of this cover the dark greenish blue speaks to the dark world and the steam/smoke of the city. The girl clutching her blouse to her breast however overly sexualizes a story that is relatively chaste, and even the elements of sexuality that exist within the story are minimal in comparison to the depth of the rest of the story. The birds are nice as well since they play into the story. Seeing this cover I would definitely pick it up, but it would take a compelling jacket to make me take it home, the cover is not a complete sell…Plus I wish it showed the steampunk nature of the story more explicitly

Posted by ImAllMadHere | June 3, 2012 | Categories: books, review, Teens, Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction | Tags: Paranormal fiction, Steampunk, Young Adult | 2 Comments »

YA Lit and other Loves :) Young adult book reviews, programming, and general obsessions and interests