How to use this Page

Well, it's a new year, so of course it's time to look back on the year that was. I hate doing my "best of" lists or my stats before the clock strikes midnight because I CAN STILL TOTALLY READ MOAR BOOKS!

But first, a look back and the highlights of this year (I'll save the lowlights for when we're sharing a bottle of wine face-to-face).

At the beginning of the year I finished up my work on Outstanding Books for the College Bound. Almost a full year later and I'm still really damn proud of that list.

Shortly after, I was able to drop the "Acting" from my job title of Acting Branch Manager. I also joined the adult collection development committee, which has been really great.

In May, I did my last storytime. I'm sure I'll do it again, maybe if it's just filling in, but it is no longer part of my regular job duties, and probably won't be again for quite some time. It's been bittersweet. (BUT! This fall, with the new storytime schedule, and me working a slightly different work schedule, there is now a storytime that I can take L to! So now I get to go to storytime, which is great.)

In June, I transferred to a much larger branch in my system, which was a big change, but one I'm really enjoying. After about a week there, I went off to Las Vegas for ALA. Angela and I got to present on tips and tricks for reader's advisory with nonfiction and I got to hang out with old friends and make new ones. We took the most epic group selfie to make Rachel jealous. But I got her twitter handle wrong when mocking her with it. And then, in the airport on the way home, I won $40 in the Dolly Parton slot machine.

In August, I started a tumblr documenting my attempts to explain pop songs to L. L now has more tumblr followers than I have on all my other social media accounts combined. And then multiplied.

This fall, I was asked to give my ALA presentation again at a staff day in a nearby library system, which was really nice. And now I'm working on updating it (highlighting new books) because I'm giving it again this May at the Maryland and Delaware Library Association Annual Conference, which is very exciting.

I also started a new project on the website, suggesting read-alikes for the books with the longest holds lists. That's been a really fun challenge that I (hope) is something our users are finding useful.

And, of course, I read a lot. After 2 years on YALSA committees, this was a bit of a recovery year. I read a lot less. I've also found I'm much more willing to drop a book part-way through if it's just not working for me at that moment. And, now that I'm no longer officially a youth services librarian and am doing more with adult collections, I read a lot more adult titles, which is a really big shift.

So... I read 147 books. 58 were YA, 7 were middle grade (?!) and a whopping 79 were adult. (yes, I know that math doesn't quite work.)

77 were by women, 67 were by men. 37 were titles I would consider diverse. 20 were translated works. 57 were comics and 11 were adult romances. 37 were nonfiction, which is a low percentage for me especially as many were 'required' but it makes sense after 2 years of nonfiction-heavy years because of my committee work. And only 43 books were required reading (so, for committee work [last minute OBCB reading and my pre-Cybils reading] and assigned reviews).

So... that's my year. Next year, I want to read more diverse titles and more works in translation and more romance.

How was your year? Oh, and here are some of my favorite books of the year:









Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

Add a Comment

Biblio File is turning 10 years old today. Yes, 10. I know, it’s insane.

A lot has happened in the past decade--I moved to DC. I stopped being a database cataloger and started being a children’s librarian at the public library. I started grad school. I bought a house. I adopted a dog. I graduated from grad school. I became a parent. I went from children’s services to youth services to adult services to management. I served on the Cybils 4 times (and am currently doing so for the 5th time) and the Maryland Blue Crab and YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction and YALSA’S Outstanding Books for the College Bound. I started reviewing for School Library Journal and RT Book Reviews website. I’ve presented at conferences at the local, state, and national level. I blogged about storytime. I made a themed book list for every day in 2013.

And Biblio File has always been here, sometimes more active than others, but always here. It’s changed over the years. The first month or so, it was just me generally talking about what I was reading. Then it was very informal reviews and then more formal ones. And then I tried to review everything I read. I've reviewed over 1600 books here. As of this morning, my backlog is over 200 and I just don't want to deal with it. It’s time to change again.

I’m burned out on reviewing here. I’m reviewing for other sources and want to take on new projects and the thought of reviewing everything I’m reading and catching up on all my backlog... It’s not fun anymore. And I don't know why, because I'm not burned out on reviewing for other sources. Maybe it's because the books are assigned? That it's only a small percentage of the books I actually read?

I thought of a few directions--maybe only review the stuff I wanted to review or felt like it? Eh. In reality, right now, I don’t feel like reviewing anything for the blog, even stuff I love.

I could drop the blog, but I don’t want to. So much of my growth as a reader and my professional growth has been because of Biblio File. (I can actually connect the dots from the blog to some opportunities that turned into other opportunities, that turned into... etc) It taught me how to review. It's made me a better reader. It gave me exposure. It gave me a way to talk with other book people. I love this blog.

So, instead, I’m shifting focus a bit. I’ll still talk about what I read, but in a much more general, less review-y way. It's actually going to go back to the way I used to review 8-9 years ago. I’m also going to start posting more about general trends/issues I’m seeing in what I’m reading. Some bigger picture stuff. So, expect regular round-up posts of "what I read this week/month/lately" and some thoughts I've been having on deciding age range (sometimes the hardest part of an SLJ review!) or how authors show respect for their teen audience. And maybe there will still be some more formal reviews on here. Who knows. That's the great part about a blog--it can change and grow and can change and grow back.

(I find it's interesting that as I'm putting the finishing touches on this post I've been writing for a week, Kelly's tweeting about some of these same issues. If I could figure out how to link to a series of tweets, I would because you should read all of them.)

I am personally committed to reviewing the Cybils books I’m reading and I have a handful of reviews that I’ve already written, so I’ll go ahead and post those. But after that, we’ll see what happens and where it goes and how it develops.

Thank you so much for being with me these past 10 years. I hope you’ll stick around for the next 10.




Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

Add a Comment

A lot of bloggers are thinking about what the next steps are after this weekend. How do we react when negative status updates about a book can get you stalked? Is an author going to show up on my doorstep? Call me at work and harass me until I cry? Blogging isn't a job, it's a hobby. It's supposed to be fun, a way to connect with other book nerds.

It's not supposed to put you in danger.

Of the two big issues facing book bloggers right now, a major lawsuit looks like "lucking out."

That's fucked up.

And it's worse than authors showing up in your front yard and calling you at work. It's the people who automatically take her at her word that the reviewer was wrong and harassing her. She wasn't. I know. I'm shocked, too! A woman who thought that showing up on someone's doorstep was a rational response to bad status updates has a skewed version of the reality leading up to that point. Shocking! But there are a lot of people who are applauding her for "fighting back."

So, what's next? Do I seriously have to balance the safety of my family with my desire to talk about books? Is this a real live thought process I've been having the past few days? REALLY?

I blog and tweet with my real name. It's not that hard to figure out where I work. And part of this is on purpose--my blog is personal and mine and I do it on my own time, but to say it's 100% separate from work is hard. My day job (which includes regularly scheduled nights and weekends) affects the blog--it informs what I read, my library users inform my reactions to titles and my blog affects my day job-- it's opened up professional doors to me and given me opportunities I may not have had. Many of my blogging friends are also professional colleagues and part of my personal learning network. My blog is on my resume. Honestly, in the grand scheme, at this point, it doesn't make sense for me to change it to a pseudonym. But what am I leaving myself open to?

And here's another area-- I'm not just a book blogger. I'm also a professional reviewer. I regularly review for School Library Journal (paywalled) and the RT Book Reviews website. These are signed reviews and SLJ even includes my place of employment after my name. If anything, this is what makes the most sense to give up. The majority of my critical or negative reviews are professional (mostly because I'm not apt to finish a book I don't like unless it's assigned.) But, I really like reviewing professionally. It's made me a better reader and a better blogger. It has helped my career and sometimes I get paid. It's not something I'm willing to give up, and I don't think I should have to in order to protect my safety.

And then my thought process turns to the fact that the affected bloggers are much bigger than me, so it's not going to be an issue for me... except. I have had an author track me down at work about a review I wrote. This person used my library's "contact us" form to comment on my review of their book. Luckily, it was for one of the professional outlets, so I could just forward it to my editor and let them deal with it.

Who do I forward the scary lady on my front lawn too? What happens when someone defames me in an international newspaper? What happens if the it's the blog, where I'm the editor? Will my professional reputation be dragged through the mud and affect my ability to put food on the table?

Where do I go next? Do I give into my fear? Is that letting the terrorists win (in the parlance of our times?) Do I accept the risk, knowing there are more Kathleen Hales out there and if they can write well enough (and let's be honest, that article was fascinating and compelling. She can clearly write. She just can't recognize dangerous and probably illegal behavior) people will just take her word at it without even trying to hear the other side of the story?

In a month and a half, Biblio File will turn 10. Yes, a decade of book blogging. Posting has been spotty at times, and this is not the first time I've seriously considered stopping. But, every other time it was because of internal issues--do I really want to devote the time it requires or do I want to prioritize other things in my life? Do I still have the passion to make it worth the brain space? And I've always just taken a break or powered through. It's never because of something external before. And... I just don't know now.

I just don't know.


Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

Add a Comment

If I had a subscription box service, this month's theme would be Summer Reading, and here's what you would get:



Personal Library Kit so you can lend your favorites to your friends in style (and know who to bug to get them back!)



This Superfudge shirt from Out of Print Clothing to wear your reading pride, even when you aren't actually reading.



This "Feeling Austentatious" tote bag from the awesome people at Forever Young Adult so you can tote your books to your favorite summer reading spot.



Moleskine Book Journal to help keep track of everything you read.



Two Moons in August by Martha Brooks-- a perfect summer book that I reread every summer.

Check out the Pinterest board for more Summer Reading Goodness!

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

Add a Comment

I love subscription boxes. The Kung Fu Princess's birthday was this week (3!) and my parents signed her up for Kiwi Crate. I'm a user of Birchbox and Ipsy (let me know if you want invites) and am currently lusting after a For the Makers subscription. I'm also part of WORDs of Love club and BookRiot's Riot Read (and lusting after their Quarterly box). I love getting monthly packages in the mail and opening them up to see the surprises inside.

So, just for fun, I thought it would be fun to put together a hypothetical monthly box. SO, if I had a monthly box, here's what you'd be getting in June...

I love a good garden party--something fancier than a normal cookout, with a cute dress or suit jacket and wine and cocktails and heavy h'ordeuvres. So, this box will help you with all your garden party needs...



Tanto Tempo by Bebel Gilberto is the perfect soundtrack to set the mood.

Slurp: Drinks and Light Fare, All Day, All Night by Nina Dreyer Hensley covers all your drink and food options from morning to night.

Hinterland Trading Air Plant Tillandsia Bromeliads Kit Teardrop Terrarium with Pebbles and Moss Great Little Houseplant to bring the garden party inside

And of course, you need something to wear. I love all of Frosted Willow's bangle sets, but think this honey bee bangle set is perfect for a garden party. I also think t this ombre polka-dot pocket square from J. Z. Richards is a must for your coat pocket.

Thanks for indulging me. What do you think of the box? Would you subscribe? What would you put in your box if you got to curate one?

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

Add a Comment

There's been a lot of talk for years about lack of diversity in children's and teen publishing. Lately, as mainstream media picks it up, it seems to have reached a critical head. As part of this groundswell, there is the We Need Diverse Books Campaign. It's supposed to start on Thursday, but the hashtag is already all over Twitter.

A lot of people are sharing stories and feelings about not being able to see themselves in the books they read. Or talking about the youth they work with who can't see themselves. I used to work in an area where the vast majority of my users were African or African American. I was always told they wanted a book about kids "like them" (read: black) that "wasn't old, or sad" (read: not historical fiction about slavery or civil rights). And I had books to give them! But not enough to get them through a school year, even if they could/would read every age/reading level. And they need diverse books.

But you know what? White kids do, too. And not just in a feel good "diversity is good for everyone" way (even though I firmly believe that.)

I grew up in NorthEast Wisconsin. When I was growing up, the largest group of non-white people were Hmong immigrants (or, at my age level, children of Hmong immigrants.) Name a book with Hmong people.

There's The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures, which came out in 1998 (the year I graduated from high school) with is nonfiction and for adults.

There's Pa Lia's First Day: A Jackson Friends Book. There are 4 books in the Jackson Friends series. I read the last one first--Stinky Stern Forever: A Jackson Friends Book, so I didn't know Pa Lia's name from the title, but she appears on the first page.

Pa Lia. I read it and stopped. Really? I read it again. And again. Pa Lia? REALLY?! It couldn't really be... no... PA LIA? And I read on and there were other cultural clues and OMFG YES THERE WAS A HMONG KID IN THIS CLASSROOM.

Finally, there was a book with a classroom that looked like mine looked for 12 years. I didn't realize how much that was lacking, and how much I needed a classroom to look like mine, until I saw that name in that book. I literally cried with relief. I was in my late 20s, crying with relief and joy that an early chapter book had a classroom that looked like my classroom.

If I need a Hmong character in books so badly, because I need my world reflected, even as an adult, how the hell did my Hmong classmates feel, never seeing themselves anywhere? What kind of disservice have we done to children, when the page denies their very existence? The 3 books I mention here, plus the other 2 in the Jackson Friends series are the ONLY books I know of with Hmong characters. So, 1 series. 1 adult nonfiction. That's it.

Seriously. All I want are books that reflect the world I live in. I'm a white girl with a middle class background. The books we have on our shelves are supposed to be reflecting me, but their all-white pages aren't even doing that. My experiences are more than me. They are the people around me. I'm white, but my world isn't. Why are my books?


Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

Add a Comment

Thank you for bearing with me on this unscheduled blog break.

In the meantime, I've been to ALA, which was awesome. I got to connect and hang out with a lot of great people, met some new friends, and got a ton of ideas for programming and better ways to serve my customers. (Before ALA I started having some pretty interesting conversations and THOUGHTS about customer service in the library setting, and so some of these sessions timed perfectly for me that way. But that's a whole 'nother blog post.)

Plus, my committee meetings went really well. I'm so excited about the work we're doing. It's a great year for Nonfiction.

The big news though is...

I have a new job. I start week after next. It's still youth services, but in a different system in the DC area. I don't have any time off between jobs either, so there's been a lot going on as I try to tie up all my loose ends and prepare to start someplace new.

AND! While all that was going on, there was the dreaded DERECHO. Or land hurricane.*

It was pretty awesome when it hit. We screened in the porch last summer, so we had a drink and watched the storm. I'm surprised we kept our trees-- that wind was crazy. Half the time I couldn't tell if the rumbling was thunder or just the wind in the trees. And the lightning! As one of our friends said, "It looked like there were huge strobe lights behind the clouds."

We lost power for about a day. Friends of ours kept power, so there was a big party at theirs. Of course, shortly after we all arrived, THEY lost power for a few hours. Ha ha ha ha ha ha. The library was out for a few days, too. The craziest was the day we had power back and then lost it again. The circ department kept checking books out (old skool-- BY HAND) and we stayed open until the AC started to wear off. I was super-impressed with many of the library systems in the area that stayed open late (some were even open on July 4th) to serve as cooling stations for their communities.

I lost internet in the Derecho. While I legitimately lost if for a few days, it was out even longer because I forgot that I had unplugged the FIOS box shortly after the power blew because that was the only way to make it stop beeping. There's nothing worse than BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP that won't end at 4 am when it's 90 degrees in your bedroom. Luckily the KungFu Princess dropped a toy behind the couch a few days ago and when I was fishing it out, I noticed that the internet was unplugged. D'oh.

But, no internet = limited TV (most of our TV is via iTunes and Netflix) which means LOTS of reading.

But, it's really, really, really hot. And with everything else going on, I'm more whiny and lazy than productive. I should have some reviews up this week though.

*Land Hurricanes bring Land Sharks. FYI.

Add a Comment

Hello All!

Just a post to say that Biblio Baby arrived at 2:18 on Saturday morning. 6lbs, 14 oz and a whopping 20 3/4 inches long. (She's almost tall enough to ride the roller coaster!) We're home now and both doing really well, even if I am a bit bleary-eyed.

As this was slightly earlier than expected (she's just making sure we understand who's boss!) I didn't get my posts pre-scheduled.

Please bear with me as I try to figure everything out. I have lots of books to review, lots of reviews written, and lots of books to read.

Posting will resume on as regular of a schedule as we get around here as soon as it can, but who knows when that will be.

Display Comments Add a Comment

Hello All!

Just a post to say that Biblio Baby arrived at 2:18 on Saturday morning. 6lbs, 14 oz and a whopping 20 3/4 inches long. (She's almost tall enough to ride the roller coaster!) We're home now and both doing really well, even if I am a bit bleary-eyed.

As this was slightly earlier than expected (she's just making sure we understand who's boss!) I didn't get my posts pre-scheduled.

Please bear with me as I try to figure everything out. I have lots of books to review, lots of reviews written, and lots of books to read.

Posting will resume on as regular of a schedule as we get around here as soon as it can, but who knows when that will be.

Display Comments Add a Comment

No review today, but rather a post of news and the like.

Things in my real life have been cray-cray lately. We had the holidays! Then ALA Midwinter! Then my parents came to visit and rearrange my entire house as we bought new furniture and got rid of furniture and started converting the guest room/office into a nursery (wait, I'm sorry-- it's now called Multipurpose Room 1). Then I went to China for a few weeks.

Hopefully things should settle out here soon. I am really behind in writing reviews and the ones I have written lately are for books that aren't coming out for a few months, so I'm not going to post them yet. (Although I'll tell you know that I loved Withering Tights and Where She Went blew me away even more than If I Stay. And you will all need to read Back When You Were Easier to Love when it comes out.)

I will update my YALSA election page soon. I'm really excited about the opportunity to run for the Excellence in Nonfiction Award Committee and I hope my regular readers know my passion for nonfiction and I hope that new readers will be able to see it.

I'm also working on a big presentation on multi-cultural and international literature for teens for this spring's Maryland Library Association Conference. When I have notes and slides and a book list, I'll post them here. Also, that should give you a hint for what types of reviews you'll be seeing from me this spring.

At Midwinter, I was talking to some fellow librarian bloggers about the possibility of a story time blog. Would you read it? Basically, once or twice a week (depending on my story time schedule that week) I would post what I did for story time-- which rhymes I read, which books I read and any notes on how it went. I do a weekly story time for infants (newborn-12months) and every few weeks do one for 3-5 year olds (it happens 3 times a week at our library, I'm just person doing it every few weeks.) I also envision occasionally posting videos demonstrating how I act out various rhymes. (My Hickory Dickory Dock is not to be missed.) I have to prep all the material anyway, so if people are interested, I might as well share it, right?

AND! As we rearrange the house (and our lives) to make room for the upcoming birth of our daughter (yes! it's a girl!) this June, I've had to do some serious weeding of my books. Starting this weekend I'm starting a HUGE! GIVEAWAY! SERIES! titled "My baby needs a place to sleep" it will hopefully happen every week and let me find a new home for my books.

So that is the news from here. I should be back on schedule soon. Thanks for bearing with me!



Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

Display Comments Add a Comment

I bought the book almost a year ago, during the most horrific week of my entire life. And I don't say that lightly, or melodramatically. It really was the most horrific week of my life. It was the third week in July; THE SWEET LIFE OF STELLA MADISON had come out a handful of days before. I was in Rite Aid, waiting on a prescription, and saw the trade paperback version with Meryl Streep and Amy Adams on the cover. I snatched it up with the same sort of relish I have buying a bag of Herr's Creamy Dilly Pickle Potato Chips (pun unintended but definitely present), which is to say that I felt naughty and righteous all at once; indulgent but deserving.

This is how I became the owner of a priced-to-sell copy of Julie Powell's foodie/spiritual rebirth memoir JULIE & JULIA: MY YEAR OF COOKING DANGEROUSLY (though my particular trade paperback version didn't bear the subtitle). The movie was debuting the next month - in fact, it was coming out the Friday before STELLA's launch party. At one point, I'd been planning on leaving the bookstore and heading straight to the theater, because it seemed sort of fitting to celebrate my foodie YA novel by watching a foodie movie.

But this was all before the most horrific week of my life unfolded. I didn't actually get to see the movie until it had been out on DVD for a couple of weeks.

The book, by the way, had been sitting on the shelf of my nightstand since that third week in July. I never got past the first chapter.

I'm not entirely sure why it was so difficult for me to read JULIE & JULIA. It could be that since it was purchased during the most horrific week of my life that it carried with it the stink of something ugly. Even tonight, as I finally got to "The End" - the third "The End," because if you read the book you know that Powell drags that ending out for about 14 pages too many - I couldn't help but think, "I can't believe I bought this the week X happened."

No one could call me a private person, because I'm not - not really. But I don't talk about the most horrific week of my life publicly, because it's not exclusively my story. Someday you may learn that I've published a darkly comic adult novel that is really just a thinly veiled fictional account of several major life events that, yes, began during the most horrific week of my life. And maybe then it will be something I'm ready to talk about, or maybe I'll deny that any part of that book is autobiographical (which will be a lie, since everything a writer puts out is autobiographical in some way).

In last couple of years, as I've grown more and more jaded about the book business, I've found myself reading less and less. Sometimes I get excited about a book I've scored at a conference (WINTERGIRLS, WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON) or that I've bought because everyone else on the planet has both read and adored it (THE HUNGER GAMES, which was edited by the amazingly talented David Levithan, who's every bit as good an editor as he is a writer, or vice-versa). And when I get excited like that I'll go on a bit of a reading tear, and the stacks and stacks of Books I Hope to Read Someday gets a wee bit shorter.

And then there are books like JULIE & JULIA, which I'd wanted to read since I read the first reviews. The book I purchased as a reward to myself for merely because I had the fortitude to pick up a prescription during the most horrific week of my life.

Add a Comment

Three-day weekends always throw me off. There's a good chance that blogging's going to be light the next two weeks, with the exception of all the blogging that will go on next weekend for MotherReader's 48 Hour Book Challenge. Basically, I'm behind in my reviews and have a lot on my plate this week, reading-wise, so it will be all-reading, and just a little bit of reviewing.

Speaking off the 48 Hour Book Challenge, I am still asking people to sponsor my reading endeavors. I am raising money for Room to Read, which builds libraries and trains people to run them. They are trying to build 11,000 libraries in Asia and Africa by the end of 2010. I have a fundraising page here that you can donate to directly or if you want to wait to see how I do, or donate based on how much I read (books, pages, hours, number of pots of coffee I drink... you can do that, too!)

I'm looking forward to it! As always the number of books I plan to read is impossible, but it's nice to dream.

Which leads me to another "problem" (really, I can't complain. As a friend reminded me awhile ago, I have awesome problems.)

Thursday is the library's annual Teen Notables Discussion, where teen librarians and librarians with an interest in teen books get together to discuss about ten notable books that came out the year before. The reading list was announced a few months ago and you don't have to read *all* of the books on the list, even though I have every year, because well... I'm just like that. I have 3.5 books to go.

I also have several books that are overdue at the library and should really get returned, but I WANT TO READ THEM.

So, my reading's cut out for me.

But.

Jacyln Moriarty's new book, The Ghosts Of Ashbury High comes out today and the UPS man is bringing it to my house AS WE SPEAK.

OH! Whatever shall I read?!!!


Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

Add a Comment

So, in general, I stay away from blog envy. Jealousy is a harsh mistress and I have better ways to spend my time. Every so often though, a bunch of blogs will get an ARC of a book I can't wait for and... oh, it twinges. It really does.

This happened recently with Meg Cabot's new book, Runaway. And of course, I will be out of town and no time to get to a bookstore when it *does* come out.

But late last night, I realized something. There is a bookstore near my house that seems to have no concept of what "release date" means. I think they put all the books out as soon as they come in. I frequently find things on display a week or two early. So today, I went with fingers crossed, and sure enough, there it was on the shelf.

I know that I shouldn't encourage this type of behavior but...

In other news, I seem to have some odd sort of review writer's block. It's not that I'm in a blog malaise, but when I try to write more than a basic plot description, all of my words sound stupid. I'm going to try to bust through it later tonight. I have a huge stack of reviews to write, mostly on overdue library books, so I really should get on that!

I also mentioned that I'm going out of town later this week-- it's time for the Maryland Library Association conference. I'm looking forward to it. If you're going, be sure to come see Sarah Campbell talk about her Blue Crab nonfiction winner, Wolfsnail: A Backyard Predator, which is such an awesome book. Also, I'm part of a panel entitled "The Millennials Turn 30" about how those crazy millennials are more than just those damn "kids today!"

Also, crab cake! All my meals are booked, but I have to see if I can find an excuse to go the hotel restaurant, where they have crab and Boursin stuffed mushrooms that I'm still drooling over from last year!

And of course, which books will I bring to read? And what audio book should I listen to on the drive? Or should I burn off my Lady Gaga MP3s, because given how early I need to leave, I'll need the peppy?

Hmmmm...

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

Add a Comment

Sorry for the unscheduled break folks! After the week of being shut up in the house, I needed to not look at my computer more than necessary for awhile. Then I took a trip to New York. BUT! I'm back now with the biggest "to-review" stack in the world!

And let's not mention the to-read stack, shall we?

Add a Comment

The end of my vacation is drawing near.

My library system closed at the regular time on December 23rd and it won't reopen until Monday morning. This was a combination of days we would have been closed anyway for the holidays, and furlough leave. (Not to mention that our hours were wonky December 19-23 because of the snowpocolypse!)

The kids of my county only had virtual library service over their winter vacation.

These furlough days we've had this week aren't the only ones we have this year. We're also closing early one night a week. Other branches lost entire days.

But, we haven't had to close any branches, or cut staff hours, or lay anyone off. It could be worse.

Next year will be worse. We don't know how, we just know that, once again, the state has a huge budget gap, which will mean cuts that will find their way down to us. Cuts on top of the ones we've already made.

It's rough out there, not just in my county. Philadelphia almost lost all of its libraries, for good. Here in Virginia, Fairfax county had to lay off 300 librarians. Hawaii is begging for money, and looking at at least twelve furlough days between now and the end of May. And that's just what I can come up with off the top of my head.

When systems are faced with budget shortfalls like these, service, staff, and hours are the last things to be sacrificed. Before they make such noticeable cuts like these, acquisition budgets are slashed, so they wait until a book comes out in paperback before buying it, they buy conservatively, with titles and authors they know will circulate well, making it much harder for new authors to get a spot on the shelf. Hiring freezes are implemented, so branches and departments are frequently understaffed.

At the same time, usage rates are skyrocketing. Everyone's trying to save money, so instead of buying books, they come to the library. They check out movies instead of renting them. They've canceled internet at home, so come use the library for ours. They're depending on librarians to help them find and apply for jobs, often with unfamiliar technology.

Write to your city council, your county board, your state rep, your congressperson, your senators.

Tell them that libraries are important. In this economic crisis, budgets will be cut, because they can't give us money they don't have, but tell them that libraries are important. Tell them how much you need and use your library. I often laugh at library stereotypes of quiet, dusty rooms, and old ladies with severe buns shushing anyone who rustles too much paper, but these stereotypes are hurting us. We're seen as old and outdated, an easy target for budget cuts. But these budget cuts hurt all of us.

And it sucks.

Add a Comment

Just checking in to say "Hi!"

Today is officially Biblio File's 5th birthday.

Here's my first post:

Currently Reading: The Opposite of Fate: Memories of a Writing Life Amy Tan

Yep, so here's my new website to talk about the books I'm reading/have read etc. etc. Soon, there will also be a spoiler site, so there will often be links to the spoiler site where I will continue my train of thought, but give away crucial details, so I won't ruin the book for other people on this site. I'm not really going to start posting right now, just get things set up.

Ah, those were the days.

Tonight, I'm celebrating with Cybils reading, a bottle of champagne, and the Glee season finale.

Display Comments Add a Comment

Well, I joined The Sunday Salon. Kinda, I mean, I signed up with my info. It's something I've been meaning to do for awhile. Even though I'm not officially a member yet, I thought I'd do a post anyway, because I have several blog-related things that I'm thinking about and wanted to share, and it is Sunday, so I might as well, right? Right.

View Next 11 Posts