Adventures in Librarianing

Musing Mondays (10/1)

Musing Mondays is hosting by MizB at Should Be Reading

Where is your favorite place to find new books to read?Blogs? The library? Newspapers? Magazines? In the backs of other books? Suggestions from friends/family? Online bookstores? On the shelves of the local bookstores? (I don’t necessarily mean, ‘where do you find books to buy’ — I mean, ‘where do you discover new titles that you add to your to-be-read lists’?).

For me, finding new books is split three ways: blogs, friends and the library.

If I’m looking to buy a book it is usually based on reviews I have read on various blogs, or on the recommendation of a small number of people whom make up what I refer to as my “booky friends”. My book buying budget is, regrettably, limited and even more pressing, the shelf space to store them is nearly out. So if I buy a book it is usually done after a bit of research.

If I’m just looking for a new book to read I head to the library. Once there I spot titles or authors that I have seen reviewed on the blogosphere (again, putting blogs back up there in place #1). I will occasionally pick up an unknown book based on title or cover, but it’s true that most of my ‘new’ books are picked up because I recognise them from reviews.

Teaser Tuesdays (11/1)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

“I could never let that happen to Prim. Sweet, tiny Prim who cried when I cried before she even knew the reason, who brushed and plaited my mother’s hair before we left for school, who still polished my father’s shaving mirror each night because he hated the layer of coal dust that settled on everything in the Seam.”

The Hunger Games (p. 33), Suzanne Collins

Wordless Wednesday

Twelve Apostles, Victoria Australia

Teaser Tuesday (4/1)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

“The cabins were decorated with tiny flickering lights, like Christmas lights, except they seemed to be balls of real fire. More lights glowed in the woods, and, weirdest of all, a fire flickered in the attic window of the Big House, where the Oracle dwelt, imprisoned in an old mummified body.”

Percy Jackson and the Titan’s Curse (p. 53), Rick Riordan

Books Read in 2011

Baum, L. Frank - The Life and Times of Santa Clause
Benjamin, Melanie - Alice I Have Been
Cleary, Beverly - Beezus and Ramona
Cohn, Rachel and David Levithan - Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
Collins, Suzanne - The Hunger Games [x2]
Collins, Suzanne - The Hunger Games II: Catching Fire [x2]
Collins, Suzanne - The Hunger Games III: Mockingjay [x2]
Congrave, Timothy - Holding the Man
Dunford, George - The Big Trip
Hanff, Helene - 84 Charing Cross Road
Hoggart, Simon and Emily Monk - Don't Tell Mum: Hair-Raising Messages Home from Gap-Year Travellers
Kitamura, Satoshi - UFO Diary
Logue, Mark and Peter Conradi - The King's Speech: How One Man Saved the British Monarchy
Marsden, John - Tomorrow 2: The Dead of the Night
Marsden, John - Tomorrow 3: Third Day, The Frost
Marsden, John - Tomorrow 4: Darkness Be My Friend
Marsden, John - Tomorrow 5: Burning for Revenge
Marsden, John - Tomorrow 6: The Night is for Hunting
Marsden, John - Tomorrow 7: The Other Side of Dawn
Marsden, John - Ellie Chronicles I: While I Live
Matheson, Richard - I Am Legend
McDonald, Megan - Judy Moody #1: Judy Moody
McDonald, Megan - Judy Moody #2: Judy Moody Gets Famous
McDonald, Megan - Judy Moody #3: Judy Moody Saves the World!
McDonald, Megan - Judy Moody #4: Judy Moody Predicts the Future
McCarthy, Cormac - The Road
McGraw, Eloise - The Moorchild
Mitchell, Todd - The Secret to Lying
O'Malley, Bryan Lee - Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life
O'Malley, Bryan Lee - Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 2: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Murray, Todd and Jenn Brisson - Rubber Rocks and Apple Boxes
Picoult, Jodi - House Rules
Rhue, Morton - The Wave
Riordan, Rick - Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse
Rosoff, Meg - Vamoose!
Sapphire - Push
Shanower, Eric, Skottie Young and L. Frank Baum – The Marvelous Wizard of Oz
Stead, Rebecca - First Light
Stevenson, Seth - Grounded: A Down to Earth Journey Around the World
Thomson, Alexa - Antartica on a Plate
Willingham, Bill - Fables, Vol. 6: Homelands
Willingham, Bill - Fables, Vol. 7: Arabian Nights
Willingham, Bill - Fables, Vol. 8: Wolves
Willingham, Bill - Fables, Vol. 9: Sons of the Empire
Willingham, Bill - Fables, Vol. 10: The Good Prince
Willingham, Bill - Fables, Vol. 11: War and Peices

Total Books Read: 49

Total Pages Read: 12, 373

Total Authors: 34

New Authors: 18

Graphic Novel Challenge

The challenge starts January 1, 2011 and ends December 31, 2011. You can start anytime you want to especially if you want to start early.
The level of participation: Beginner (3 comics or graphic novels),Intermediate (3-10 books), or Expert (10+)
Overlaps with other challenges is definitely okay
Re-reads count
Feel free to post your list at any time

I’m just going to make my list and see which category I land in.

2011 Public Domain E-Book Challenge

Pick a level of participation for the year:

"newbie"level-read and review 3 public domain books (non bloggers will just post reviews in the reviews comments page)

"advanced" level-read and review 6 public domain books (non bloggers will just post reviews in the reviews comments page)

That's about it-easy peasey:) You pick the book, genre, length, etc. Readers who don't own a e-reader are welcome as well (e-reader apps on phones, etc or just read on your PC). You can cross this over with other challenges as well.

Total: 0/6

52 Books in 52 Weeks

The challenge will run from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011.

Our book weeks will begin on Sunday.

Participants may join at any time.

All forms of books are acceptable including e-books, audio books, etc.

Re-reads are acceptable as long as they are read after January 1, 2011.

Books may overlap other challenges.

See Books Read in 2011

Still following the Yellow Brick Road

The Marvelous Land of Oz Eric Shanower, Skottie Young, and L. Frank Baum
Published 2010; 192 pages

First cab off the rank this year is Eric Shanower and Skottie Young’s adaption of L. Frank Baum’s The Marvelous Land of Oz. Much like its predecessor The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (adapted by same), I was highly impressed by its loyalty to the original. Not only is its plot accurate, it has captured the spirit and youthful energy of Baum’s world superbly.

For those not familiar with the tale, The Marvelous Land of Oz tells the story of Tippetarius, known more commonly as “Tip”. Unlike Dorothy, Tip is a native of Oz who, when he runs away from the evil witch who is his guardian, finds himself entwined with the politics of Oz.

General Jinjur and her army of Ozian girls have marched onto the Emerald City, revolting against the Scarecrow King and the long standing patriarchal rule of Oz... which would be more impressive if the soldier-girls were a little more skilled in their work and noble in their intentions.

Tip and his magical creations Jack Pumpkin Head and Saw Horse join the Scarecrow and the Tin Man in restoring order to Oz.

As I said, this is a faithful adaption of Baum’s book, yet it possesses a charm unique to its form. Skottie Young’s highly stylistic artistry is beautiful and lends the perfect degree of whimsy to Shanower’s treatment of Oz’s political scene.

4/5

Reading in 2010

I learnt two things in 2010*:

Working full time and studying part time will have a MAJOR impact on my reading. I know, seems fairly straight forward, but I live in a state of denial most of the time, so it was still a shock when my reading stats dropped by 50%.
I miss book blogging – seriously miss it. And the part I miss most? How much book blogging kept me up to date with new books.

So my aims for 2011 is to at least maintain my reading count (hit 54 books in 2010), and get back into reading blogs, hopefully you’ll see me around a little more.

JANUARY

The No Excuses Guide to Soul Mates – Stacey DeMarco and Jade Sky (120p) **ARC**
The Other Boleyn Girl – Phillippa Gregory (532p) **Book Club**
Ariel – Sylvia Plath (81p)
The Babysitter’s Club Graphic Novels – 1 – Kirsty’s Great Idea – Ann M. Martin and Raina Telgemier (187p)
The Babysitter’s Club Graphic Novels – 2 – The Truth About Stacey – Ann M. Martin and Raina Telgemier (141p)
The Babysitter’s Club Graphic Novels – 3 – Mary Anne Saves the Day – Ann M. Martin and Raina Telgemier (158p)
M is for Magic – Neil Gaiman (249p)
Let it Snow – John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle (352p)

FEBRUARY

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood – Rebecca Wells (356)
The Sandman: The Dream Hunters – Neil Gaiman and Yoshitaka Amano (128)
13 Little Blue Envelopes – Maureen Johnson (321)
Portrait Photography – Mark Cleghorn (128)
The Bermudez Triangle – Maureen Johnson (320)
Little Brother – Cory Doctorow (373)
84 Charing Cross Road – Helene Hanff (230)
The Looking Glass Wars – Frank Beddor (376)

MARCH

Girl, Interrupted – Susanna Kaysen (169)
Virgin Suicides – Jeffrey Eugenides (249)
Tomorrow, When the War Began – John Marsden (286) **Book Club**
You Better Not Cry – Augusten Burroughs (206)

APRIL

Anne of Green Gables – L.M. Montgomery (256)
Poems to Live By in Uncertain Times – Joan Murray (ed.) (125)
Anne of Avonlea – L.M. Montgomery (252)
Flowers for Algenon – Daniel Keyes (216)
The Dresden Files Graphic Novel: Welcome to the Jungle – Jim Butcher and Ardian Syaf (160)
The Colour Purple – Alice Walker (261)
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – J.K. Rowling (223)
Much Ado About Nothing – William Shakespeare (271)
Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World – Vicki Myron (277)
The Uncommon Reader – Alan Bennett (160)
The Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger (192) **Book Club**

MAY

Raw – Scott Monk (340)

JUNE

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief – Rick Riordan (375)
Looking for Alibrandi – Melina Marchetta (320)
Away – Michael Gow (51)
A Property of the Clan – Nick Enright (57)

JULY

Fables, Vol 1: Legends in Exile – Bill Willingham (118)

AUGUST

Eat Pray Love – Elizabeth Gilbert (349) **Book Club**
Fables, Vol 2: Animal Farm – Bill Willingham (128)
Fables, Vol. 3: Storybook Love – Bill Willingham (190)

SEPTEMBER

Nil

OCTOBER

The Secret Life of Bees – Sue Monk Kidd (374) **Book Club**
Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters – Rick Riordan (265)
Battlestar Galactica: The Manga – Echoes of New Caprica – Emily Salzfass (192)

NOVEMBER

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz [Marvel] – Eric Shanower, Skottie Young and L. Frank Baum (192)
Handle With Care – Jodi Picoult (477)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – J.K. Rowling (341)
Will Grayson, Will Grayson – John Green and David Levithan

DECEMBER

The Guild [Comics 1-3] – Felicia Day (96)
Fables, Vol. 4: March of the Wooden Soldiers – Bill Willingham (240)
Fables, Vol. 5: The Mean Season – Bill Willingham (168)
Serenity, Vol 1: Those Left Behind – Joss Whedon (104)
Serenity, Vol 2: Better Days – Joss Whedon (80)
Superman/Batman, Vol 1: Public Enemies – Jeph Leob and Ed McGuinness (160)
Astonishing X-Men, Vol 1: Gifted – Joss Whedon (152)

UNFINISHED BOOKS OF 2010

Eragon – Christopher Paolini
The Turning – Tim Winton
Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy – Richard Brian Davis
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – J.K. Rowling
The Complete Calvin and Hobbes – Bill Waterson

Total Books Read: 54
Total Pages Read: 12, 434

*I’d like to think I learned more than two things, but hey, I’ll take what I can get.

Awesome book posters

Growing up, I was never allowed to have posters on my wall and because of this I have a special fondness for nice posters. When I came across these one I pretty much fell in love and knew I had to share.

Postertext reproduces the text of the book, arranging the words to show a key event from the book. Posters already created include Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Moby Dick and Alice in Wonderland – with more coming all the time. I can’t decide which one I like best…

…hi?

*walks up and knocks on screen*

Is anyone still out there?

So I have learnt three things from my self-hibernation.

It was warranted – I have been so crazy busy that I hardly read a thing (sad).
When going into hibernation, it’s probably a good thing to make sure you don’t have a heck of a lot of scheduled posts sitting there.
I miss you guys! I miss JOMP and I miss book blogging. And of course, the moment I decide not to blog is when I want to.

So! Medium-sized story cut short: I’m back. I will DEFINATELY be light on reviews, but I’m back all the same and am looking forward to chatting to you guys again.