I am very excited to announce that we now have 6 Kindles for student check out. Are you interested in reading a book on an ereader? Stop by the library and check one out. You and your parent must sign a user agreement. Once the agreement is on file you are able to reserve, check out, and renew a Kindle. We are building the Kindle book collection by request. So far we have over a dozen titles loaded. You can see what titles are available anytime by visiting the library catalog and clicking on the Kindle Book Reading List
Sitting Behind a Wall of Books
So here I am, sitting behind a wall of books, listening to one author after another. All of the books you see here will end up on our library shelves. Many of them have the author’s signature inside. This year’s theme was “Looking for the Real Me: The Search for Self in Young Adult Literature.” I fully expected that Suzanne Collins, author of the Mockingbird series to be there, but she was not. Still there were plenty of good ones there.
Here is a photo of PJ Haarsma author of the Softwire Series. He’s a dashing looking fellow isn’t he? I am not familiar with his books, but they look like a fun read and I’ve just ordered them for the library. He also has a free game website called The Rings of Orbis
Here is a photo Ellen Hopkins signing our copy of her latest book
ALAN Workshop 2010
Last week I had the privilege of attending the 2010 ALAN Workshop at the Coronado Springs Resort in Disney World. It’s a dirty job, but somebody’s got to do it. ALAN stands for Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of the National Council of Teachers of English. Every year they host a workshop that pulls together at least 100 young adult authors who come to talk about their books. Their publishers pay for their attendance and the best part is that attendees get a box of free books from the authors and you can get the books signed after the author speaks. The Coronado Springs campus was lovely and the weather was overcast and rainy but warm while I was there.
This was the view outside my room (aka casita).
Here are some other views I had along the walk to the conference center.
Tomorrow I’ll talk about the authors…..
What’s in your ereader?
Digital books and ereaders are a topic of discussion this year at St. Pius X Catholic High School, so we in the library have decided to start buying some and letting the faculty and staff have a look at them. We have selected seven readers and tablets: the Sony Reader, Barnes and Noble Nook, Kindle, Kindle DX, Velocity Micro Cruz, iPad, and the Entourage eDGe.
Some of our goals include:
- Satisfying the curiosity of those who have not used an ereader and may be considering one for purchase.
- Educating our community about digital books and the possibilities for enhancing reading and education.
- Evaluate the pros and cons of circulating ereader devices in the library.
It’s going to be great fun and I think we will learn a lot. We do have plans to let students use these devices as well, but we’re going let our teachers have them first.
I plan to follow up with posts about my first impressions on each device, and a full-blown evaluation of this pilot study when we are done. Stay tuned.
Photo Credit: Kindle 3 byKodomut
My Farm Dream
So I have this crazy fantasy that some day (even though I am in mid-life) I want to live and work on a farm. Nothing too ambitious; maybe 5 acres with a few chickens, a couple of horses, maybe a cow, and enough crops to sustain my husband and me along with our extended family. Sometimes I would love to leave all the technology and consumption behind and just get out and work with my hands — actually make (grow)something. I’m also smart enough to know that this will never happen. Life on a farm is HARD WORK and I know I would quickly lose my enthusiasm once reality set in. So I am happy to live my dream vicariously through books. 
My current read is The Dirty Life: On Farming Food and Love by Kristin Kimball, a Manhatten journalist turned farmer in upstate New York. It’s the true story of how in 2003, she travels to a Pennsylvania farm to interview a farmer named Mark. Shortly after she falls in love with him and the farm life and the two set out to start from scratch a community sustained farm near Lake Champlain. Kristin Kimball describes the beauty and satisfaction that comes from working hard with someone you love to achieve a dream. The book describes on a personal level how farms could be again – family owned, community supported, and most importantly sustainable. If you have a farm dream or have an interest in the slow food movement you’ll enjoy this book.
