Addendum

So, I retired this blog for many reasons. A big one is that it has become a spammers delight. I’ve missed writing book reviews though, so feel free to follow those at a different blog. Maybe I will talk about librarianship every so often…or not.

To retirement and beyond…

I’ve been thinking about doing this for some time. This year hasn’t been a good one for blogging, mine or others. Daniel Drezner, my fave poli scientist, even gave a big unexpected send-off this week. His blog is one of my work homepages and I wanted scream “NO!!” when I saw his message. Awful. I haven’t yet removed the page. Just can’t bring myself to say goodbye.

But I am ready to say goodbye to this space, and today seems appropriate because it is my last work day of 2013. I had fun chronicling my perspective on librarianship, but my interest has lagged this year. Partly it’s been a rough year with family issues and death of a pet to welcome in the New Year. The blog was my attempt to add a voice to the rethinking of librarianship/future of librarianship dialogue, but I realized over this year that much of our librarianship rebrand efforts are about style over substance and I don’t want to play along anymore. I love my career, but I love it because I like teaching and working with students and faculty.  It is best I concentrate on those things that make me happy and cut back on the things I find pointless (or part of an echo chamber). Best for all.

I will review some books on Goodreads if you are interested. Otherwise this space will go quiet. It was fun. Now there are more important things to do…

Beach near Split, Croatia (cc license attribution 3.0)

So, here is to the blog as it enters retirement. May you feel the wind in your face and the sand between your toes. Save a space on the beach for me; I’ll see you in about 25 years.

Why I love the stories

I’ve been remiss in reflecting on my profession and work lately. Partly this is because I’ve been working … a lot … and haven’t found the time. Now that the semester is slowing down I’m more interested in just having some fun. But thinking about the release of the Desolation of Smauggggg (fun!) got me mulling over the role of the story in my life and how freaking powerful stories have been. So, in the spirit of seasonal reflection, here is why I love the stories.

Stories!

First, a little background. On September 10, 2001 I received news that completely changed the trajectory of my life. I don’t need or want to share it, but was honestly devastating. I felt like my life had ended and I wasn’t sure where the future was headed. The next morning I woke up to one of the most tragic but also surreal events in my young life. Two months later I moved away from a place that had become my home to start a new life. One of the first things I did was to go see The Fellowship of the Ring. It is difficult to express exactly how much I think that movie saved me. I know it is meant to stir emotions through score and dialogue (film critic, blah blah blah), but, you know what? It worked. It made me feel like no matter what I was going through or the country was experiencing or how crazymaking our President was, everything would be OK. No matter how much crap there is in the world, there is always still hope.

In January 2002 I moved to Croatia and had a wonderful time. After nine months though I became extremely sick with pneumonia. I spent my last month in the country trying to heal, and during that time I re-read the Lord of the Rings. Again the story kept me from feeling like a big ball of despair.

As you can imagine, I’ve been looking forward to The Hobbit for a long, long time.

Granted “fantasy” is not for everyone, but genre isn’t the point. The point is how powerful,  meaningful, and healing those stories are for me. They are like personal touchstones. I only need to think about them and I know the world can be right and good (if only in my head).

I don’t think it needs to be a particular type of literature or even fiction versus nonfiction. Some of my favorite nonfiction writers, like Tony Horwitz, are able to engage the reader by telling a powerful story. I also don’t think it has to be about books all the time. I personally could not get into the Harry Potter books because of Rowling’s writing style, but I love the movies. They are truly almost (dare I say it) magical. They transport you. They make you feel OK again.

So, I am excited about vacation and having time to engage with the stories I find emotionally resonant. I am also excited about the movie coming out. I know it isn’t the  original narrative, but I don’t care. It will still be wonderful. It will still be my story.

I wish you all a wonderful holiday season and lots of time with your stories.

Books! “Together we’ll make magic” #cbr5

“Together we’ll make magic” probably sums up this entire novel. Ruth Ozeki’s A Tale for the Time Being is all about the magical interplay of truth and lies, writer and reader, fiction and fact. It is a wonderful novel, difficult to put down and hard to understand.

I can give you the basic story, but it may not make sense. A novelist living on an island off the coast of Western Canada finds a freezer bag washed up on a beach. The bag contains a diary, some letters, a composition book, and a watch. The author of the diary is a young girl living in Tokyo who starts to tell the history of her grandmother, an old zen Buddhist nun. Instead she tells her own difficult story. Interwoven with the diary entries is Ruth’s tale of finding out what happened to the diary writer and if she is still alive. I say “Ruth’s tale” because she (or some form of she) is a character in the novel along with the author’s husband Oliver (also named Oliver in real life).

In the end, she gives us a diversion into quantum physics, which was the only part of the book I felt was lacking. It is like she is trying too hard to tell us what is going on, to wrap up this story with a neat little bow. But Ozeki redeems herself in the Epilogue when the author writes a letter to the young girl diarist. She says “I’d much rather know, but then again, not knowing keeps all the possibilities open. It keeps all the worlds alive.”

Ultimately when I got to the final page of the book I wanted to go back and start all over again. See what I missed along the way. It is that good.

Books! nothing green can stay #cbr5

I might be the only person in the world who liked Beautiful Creatures. I didn’t love it, but for YA fantasy I thought it was pretty good. Hell, I kept reading it and wouldn’t mind finishing the series. I couldn’t say the same for Twilight or the Sookie Stackhouse series both of which got exactly one page. Or Inheritance (one book). I’m still on the fence about finishing The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flammel. I’ve read so many of them. I just want to know if they ever take a bathroom break! Stop running!.  Uh, sorry, just a little obsessed with that one.

I read BC because, oh why not, it is mind candy and I need some magic in my life. Plus the movie looks so horribly bad that I just must see it. And City of Bones was checked out. Overall I thought it was better than the reviews made out. The story is a bit derivative, but all fantasy is derivative at some point. And it has some misplaced high lit pretensions — a character throws out some mad T.S. Eliot moves a few times.

The narrator, Ethan, lives in small town South Carolina (so you should feel sorry for him already) and falls for the new girl in town named Lena who is a bit of weirdo and lives with the town shut-in (He is compared to Boo Radley at first). Ethan finds out that she is part of a large family of casters (the preferred term over witches) and magical hijinks ensue primarily revolving around Lena’s claiming, or when she will become a bad witch or a good witch. Oh, and the most important part: there is a librarian and a load of books thrown in for good measure.

Overall Ethan as a narrator doesn’t annoy me and certainly annoys me less than Lena would as a narrator as she is a bit of the cliche. The only part that grated on my nerves was the droppin’ of the g’s to indicate that everyone is as Southern as fried green tomatoes. Supposedly one of the writers is from North Carolina so I can only think this was a bit of the SC hate with which all North Carolinians  are born. Seriously.

Beyond that, it is a fun story that kept me reading. And I might even read the series. Don’t hate.

Books! a ghost in joyland #cbr5

I haven’t read a Stephen King novel in many years. Probably the last was It. Even that is hard to say because he is so prolific. My favorite work was always “The Body” in Different Seasons. Admittedly Pet Cemetery  and Misery were much scarier, but The Body is a beautiful atmospheric coming of age story with a bit of the creepiness (and the basis for Stand by Me). With his new novel, Joyland, part of the Hard Case Crime series, King creates another fine story about the fall of innocence.

Joyland is about a young college student in the 1970s who decides to spend a summer away from his northern university and his lukewarm girlfriend. He gets a job at an amusement park called Joyland (more like a carnival) in North Carolina that also happens to have a dark story lurking in its horror house along with a ghost.  After the summer season, he decides to take a break from school (and seeing his ex) and stays on at the park. In the meantime he meets a local family that has a big impact on his life and on Joyland.

Again, this is the atmospheric coming of age Stephen King at his best. It is nicely edited, the perfect length, and avoids most of the typical King excesses (see It).  Not much more I can say beyond that you should read it.

Book! the white princess #cbr5

My first negative review of the year was for a Philipa Gregory novel, The Kingmaker’s Daughter (The Cousins’ War #4). Keep in mind that I’m not a Gregory hater, but I fully realize that she is a certain type of historical novelist and there are certainly better writers out there. She can spin a decent yarn and they go by quickly.  This one just goes quickly.

So, The White Princess is the newest in the series. I had to finish out The Cousins’ War series just because I can be a purist. The Cousins War is a fictional retelling of the War of the Roses from the perspective of the primary women–Jacquetta, Margaret Beaufort, Elizabeth Woodville, Anne Neville, and Elizabeth of York–each book dealing with a different woman. Elizabeth of  York who marries Henry VII is the subject of The White Princess. Apparently there will be one more book on Margaret Pole, Elizabeth of York’s sister.

While Elizabeth of York is a much more compelling character than Margaret Beaufort (windbag) and Anne Neville (dull, dull, dull), there are some definite flaws in the telling. For one thing, Elizabeth constantly talks about how she was born to rule and Henry VII wasn’t and yet she seems amazed that a king in a troubled kingdom might want to dispose of some pesky rival heirs to his throne.  Plus she seems amazed to find out that, yes, her mother, Elizabeth Woodville probably did scheme against Henry VII. Even if you could overlook Elizabeth of York’s lack of worldliness, the paltry love story doesn’t hold much interest for them or the reader. I didn’t even feel sorry for Elizabeth and Henry when they finally realize they hate each other. Basically I could see why.

I applaud Gregory’s tenacity in wanting to tell the story from all sides, but some historical figures just don’t make for interesting reading. Elizabeth of York in The Kingmaker’s Daughter was an interesting minor character, especially when she begins her affair with King Richard III. But after she marries Henry VII she turns into a mind-numbing doorpost. She’s just there to help tell the larger story and, oh, to have Henry VIII. That’s it.

THPPFT.

Beach read. Maybe. Goes by quickly.

Government Information Sessions @NCLA Conference

Join us at the NCLA conference for the following sessions hosted by the Government Resources Section. They are sure to the best sessions in Winston!! Also don’t forget that we have a free webinar coming up on September 25!

Wed., October 16, 2:15-3:15: For the Record: The History and Development of the Congressional Record from its Inception to the Present (Bryna Coonin, East Carolina University)

The Congressional Record, first published in 1873, is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress.  For government information professionals, the Congressional Record offers a wealth of information available nowhere else, but the magnitude of the publication over time can be intimidating. In this session we will explore the history and development of the Congressional Record in a simple and enjoyable fashion, while we learn how to use this unique primary resource to help our researchers delve more deeply into our country’s history and political life.

Fri. October 18, 8:30-9:30: Emergency Preparedness:  How Ready is Your Library? (Michele Hayslett & and Fred Stipe, UNC-Chapel Hill)

In the wake of various shooter and terrorist incidents across the U.S., libraries may want to consider how well prepared they are for emergency situations.  The co-chairs of the Libraries’ Emergency Preparedness Committee at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will describe two recent emergency response exercises that were held in June 2013.  Since the two exercises involved different levels of staff participation and resources, participants will gain insight into a range of options for organizing planning events in their own libraries.  Appropriate for public as well as academic libraries

Fri. October 18, 9:45-10:45: Using Government Resources to Support Small Business (Jaime Huaman & Beth Kaylor, UNC-Wilmington)

One of the many ways libraries can help with the economic recovery of their communities is to assist entrepreneurs, start-ups and small businesses.  Libraries are uniquely positioned to facilitate connections—to reliable information, quality resources and more, and thereby, to contribute to the improvement of the communities and region.  This session will show how readily available government resources provide a wealth of information to help support small business in your community with information needs including market research, business law and regulations and much more.

Books! TransAtlantic #cbr5

Writing about the books I love the most is difficult. I feel like I can’t convey the way it made me feel to read such an amazing book. TransAtlantic by Colum McCann is definitely one of those. Although I loved Bring up the Bodies I think this is by far my favorite novel of 2013.

To be honest I am not one of those readers who can sit and read a book all day, who stays up all night trying to get through one more chapter, and one more. I read in short spurts because my mind wanders and my body gets restless. But McCann’s novel grabbed onto my pathetic attention span and wouldn’t let go. I stayed up late reading from sheer enjoyment for the first time in ages.

The beauty and economy of his language grab you first. He can say in 10 words what I would say in 60. Plus his language is gorgeous and I couldn’t stop reading it. It flows like a poem with every word chosen for its perfection.

The characters are the second highlight. In a sense this is historical fiction because his four main characters in the first half of the book are prominent figures–George Mitchell (diplomat of the Good Friday Accords), Frederick Douglass, Alcock and Brown (pilots of the first non-stop Transatlantic flight)–but it is amazing how human he makes them. George Mitchell was especially an accomplishment considering he is still alive and able to tell his own stories. The second half of the book focuses on a fabulous family of women whose lives touched and intersected with these famous men.

Finally there is the story. He is describing the crossings and connections in our lives, in terms of our transatlantic heritage (huge academic buzz word nowadays), but also how individuals influence and impact each other. While at times it seems he stretching a bit to make these lives intertwine, I liked the people and wanted to know what would happen so much that I was willing to go along. The last chapter in particular felt a bit slow because he is trying to set up a new crossing, but by then I was willing to let him take me wherever.

This is my favorite book of 2013 so far. I’ve been recommending it to everyone. Worth the read and it is not a trilogy.

Books! The life of a “Tongue”

I came across The Winter Palace: A Novel of Catherine the Great by Eva Stachniak while browsing a Goodreads list of new historical fiction. Even though it had some strong praise from the Washington Post and others, the cover was a bit bodice-ripper looking for me and I almost passed it up. But I’m glad I did not.

Stachniak tells the story of the rise of Catherine, who becomes Great, through the eyes of Varvara, a young ward of Empress Elizabeth. Varvara comes to live at court as an orphan and is recruited by the Russian Chancellor to become a “tongue” or a spy. Her job is to be the eyes and ears for Empress Elizabeth in the large and unruly court that surrounds her. When Catherine arrives to become the wife of Grand Duke Peter, and subsequently is used and abused (by everyone), Varvara allies herself with the young (future) Grand Duchess.

Stachniak descriptions of the court are well-written and imaginable. In some historical fiction works, the research seems laid on top of the narrative without the two meshing well. Stachniak interweaves what is obviously a tremendous amount of research with a strong and engaging tale. She does this not only with the chronological history but also the “set” in St. Petersburg. During the story, the palace is undergoing renovations that will make it into the grand Winter Palace. Her narrative makes it easy to imagine their surroundings.

I think the book does not have the correct title though as in many ways it is more about the life of Empress Elizabeth than Catherine. Because it is focused on Catherine’s early years and because it takes a really long time for her to become Empress, at the close of the book I felt I knew more about Elizabeth as a character than I did Catherine. I even know the name of Elizabeth’s cats. This may partly be intentional because the story is told from Varvara’s perspective and Varvara is ultimately burnt by her benefactress. In other words, we only know as much as Varvara does and in the end she doesn’t seem to know enough about Catherine and the power of court intrigue.

If you like historical fiction, this one is a keeper. Intrigue, power, sex, and … cats, lots of cats.

PS: Just noticed that it is listed on Goodreads as Catherine #1. Oh dear, another trilogy …