Book Diva 1

The Joys of Summer --- reading and more reading!

2010-07-17T12:47:00.000-07:00

I have been reading voraciously all summer! I cannot remember another time period in my adult life where I've simply been reading this much. As a school girl, I read all the time. It was the perfect escape from real life. I read like there was no tomorrow-- I even read the Mrs. Pollifax story collection in my aunt and uncle's Reader's Digest Collections. Yep, I was that desperate for reading materials- we lived in the country and libraries were far, far away.
I am currently reading Women Food and God by Geneen Roth. I am hoping that this will change my life. I am sick of being unhealthy and tired of dieting. The time is now to get to the bottom of it all, once and for all.
This morning I finished another Young Adult book, Girl Stolen, by April Henry. It was an interesting little book about a girl who is blind and has been accidentally kidnapped. I think it would make a good selection for YALSA's Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers.
I literally have a mammoth stack by the bed right now. I just have to figure out what I'm in the mood for this time. I think I'll get going on Fallout by Ellen Hopkins first. It is an ARC and I've been interested to see where she takes these characters. It is the third in the Glass series. This one looks particularly good- the protagonist is Kristina's illegitimate son, now age 19. We'll see the effects of her bad choices I'm sure. It is sure to be a winner with the reluctant readers I know.
Next, up is I AM NOT A SERIAL KILLER by Dan Wells. The main character is John Wayne Cleaver and his family is in the mortuary business. He is obsessed with serial killers and basically is the school freak. That should be an interesting read-- it looks funny and I have a great affinity for geeks and freaks!

So many good books, so hard to keep up the blog!

2010-03-19T23:08:00.000-07:00

The Help by Stockett
This book was fantastic! It captured the essence of the 1960s and the Civil Right's Movement from the perspective of the household help in Mississippi. The books is told from 3 different viewpoints which makes it all the more powerful. One society lady and two housemaids take on the system. It is only after the tragic death of Medgar Evers that a total of 17 housemaids come forward and risk their lives to tell their story; only a "special" pie saves their lives in this Mississippi hotbed.

The Sweet By and By by Todd Johnson
This multi-person narrative is set in the south and is a wonderful story of love, loss, and the power of friendship. It made me laugh and cry. You will love these southern women. You will share their hopes, dreams, and grief.
My favorite moment was when the little old ladies, Margaret and Bernice, escape from their nursing home and their adventure took them to Tastee Freez for banana splits, hitching a ride to Raleigh (an hour away), and a sleepover at the Hilton. I like to think of it as one part Steel Magnolias and one part Driving Miss Daisy.

Prayers For Sale
This is one of those books you just can't stop reading. It is another book where love and loss features prominently throughout the book.
It features Hennie Comfort a long-time resident of an old mining camp in Colorado. She's lived there for more than 70 years and expects to die there. Young newlywed Nit Spindle approaches Hennie after noticing the sign outside her home proclaiming that prayers are for sale. Nit leaves a nickel (a fortune at that time - early 1900s and asks Hennie to pray for her daughter who died.
Hennie and Nit become friendly. Nit is lonely and Hennie senses this and welcomes the girl like her own daughter. Hennie shares her many stories of the camp and her life. Woven throughout the stories is their love of quilting and survival in the harsh wilds of Colorado at the turn of the century.
Although I found it somewhat predictable at times, it was a delight and there were a few surprises along the way. I really enjoyed this book.

Good books

2009-10-25T14:06:00.000-07:00

As stated previously I've been a lazy blogger. But all I can do is keep at it and try to make amends. On that note, I'll share a few reviews on some YA novels that I've read lately (one is a re-read).

Going Bovine by Libba Bray
Bray's novel, Going Bovine is insanely funny and truly remarkable. It is unlike any book I've read to date. It features 16 year-old Cameron Smith as the angsty protagonist who has the great misfortune of contracting mad cow disease. Bray use of voice is masterful and she gives Cameron the means to share his experience. It is a wild trip with a little person named Gonzo, a talking yard gnome named Balder, fire giants, and the Wizard of Reckoning. Cameron is guided by a punk-style angel named Dulcie.
This book is funny, sad, and quirky. It is on my list of must-reads for 2009.

A HUGE must read for 2009 is Suzanne Collins' Catching Fire. This follow up to the wildly successful Hunger Games is even better than the first title. This is quite a feat; The Hunger Games was a well crafted novel.
Catching Fire picks right up after Katniss' success in the Games. She has returned home to what is supposed to be a life of luxury as a winning tribute. But an easy life it will not be, the authorities announce that in honor of the games' 75th anniversary they will do the unthinkable and bring back all the previous winners to compete in the arena. The Capitol is reeling from a growing uprising throughout the various districts and needs to tighten their grip and control the people.
Once again Peeta and Katniss must do the impossible. This book continues to astound me. I literally woke up in the middle of the night AFTER I had finished it because I couldn't stop thinking about the story and what had happened.

Taken by Norah McClintock is a novel from Orca Publishing. This title is great for reluctant readers. It is a short book but unlike Orca's old format it is in the trade paperback size and has a great cover that is sure to grab their attention.
The novel opens up with Stephanie returning home from a day in the city. Despite offers of a ride home and concerns that a murderer is at large she decides to walk home. On the walk home, she is followed and brought down with an injection and awakens to find herself tied up in dirty shack in the middle of nowhere.
She has to find a way out or end up like the girls who disappeared before her. There is a huge twist that will leave YA readers stunned.

That's it for today. I'll set my calendar for later in the week and add some new books. I've been reading like a maniac.

Getting back into blogging

2009-08-02T23:30:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been a lazy, lazy blogger for a very long time. I'm ready to blog again.

Here's what I've been reading:
Columbine (Cullen) - still in progress

Quick Pick nominations I just finished:
Strange Angels (St. Crow)
Something, Maybe (Scott)
Just Another Hero (Draper)
The Chosen One (Williams)
Breathless (McDaniel)
Jumped (Williams-Garcia)
Perfect Chemistry (Ellekeles)
Vans: Off the Wall - Stories of Sole from Vans

Pleasure reading I just finished:
Pat Conroy's South of Broad
Catching Fire (Collins)

Time to review a few books

2008-02-26T21:50:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm at it again. I've been reading up a storm! Check out these two!

Wrecked by E.R. Frank
Life can change in an instant. Unfortunately for Anna this is all too true after she is in a serious car accident that kills her brother's girlfriend, Cameron. As the driver of the other car, Anna is wracked with guilt. That moment where life changed has truly stopped Anna and her family from living fully. Anna's guilt, her brother's grief, and her parent's issues take the family in new directions as they journey toward acceptance, healing, and ultimately greater understanding of one another. Great book!

Sucker Punch by David Hernandez
Marcus (aka "Nub") opens up the story by sharing his deepest secret; he daydreamed about killing his father. Life in their home was fraught with violence. Marcus' family harbors a huge secret-- dad is seriously abusive especially with Nub's younger brother, Enrique. After a particularly violent episode where his dad knocks out Enrique's front teeth, his dad took off leaving the family relieved. The fractured family mended itself in different ways. Marcus used drugs and alcohol to numb the pain and guilt, Enrique started therapy, received medication, and started pounding out his frustration on the walls of his room. When dad reaches out and asks to come home and this sets the boys off in new directions. They take a road trip to see their dad, with Enrique's green-haired girlfriend, Oliver (Nub's best friend), and a gun. What will they do when they see the man who nearly destroyed them?

CSLA Conference

2007-11-18T12:25:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm back in the blogging saddle again! I've been ridiculously busy lately and have been neglectful.

The CSLA Annual Conference in Ontario was fabulous! I enjoyed the workshops and had great fun with my presentation despite a little hiccup when my podcast didn't play. My presentation, "Booktalks: A Blueprint for Building Readers," touched on traditional booktalking but also innovative booktalks either through podcasting using Audacity or using MovieMaker. We were able to create a podcast on the spot to demonstrate the ease of Audacity. I have a feeling that several people will be going to buy some inexpensive microphones very soon.

Marc McPhee really inspired me to use a wiki to host my presentation docs and that was further enhanced when Heather Gruenthal, Western High School in Anaheim suggested that I move the docs stored on my yahoo group Library Resources. So, a bigger better wiki was born and I'm excited about the possibilities for collaboration! Woo hoo.

Week 9, Things 20-23

2007-08-26T21:24:00.000-07:00

#20 YouTube
YouTube is great, but it can be a huge time-waster. I have spent some time on it and found this video featuring a Japanese game show that is basically a human tetris game. It is absolutely hilarious.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=0bK63uSTTNs

I also loved March of the Librarians and checked out the 2.0 and Reilly clip on the definition of Web 2.0. Interesting stuff. I just wish my connection at home was as fast as the one at school. For some reason my Mac stutters on the video clips. Annoying, kind of like a cell phone that is breaking up.

#21 Podcasts
As much as I enjoyed looking for interesting podcasts, I remain a frustrated user at this point. I cannot figure out why computer continues to play videos in a stuttering manner. I have changed my settings and player choice. Grrrr. I will check more out at work, hopefully things will be better with a T3 line...

22. eBooks and Audio eBooks
I spent some time browsing and found a great deal of the classics and all for free. That is a great resource for teachers. I like that things are available in a variety of formats-- mp3, pdf, etc. I listened to a few of the audio recordings and they were of high quality and well done. I can really see how this would be a great help to students who are ELLs or who have handicapping conditions and need a little help in a different format. This is great scaffolding to bolster those who need it.

23. Summarize your thoughts about this program.
This CSLA program is another outstanding example of what our membership produces. Once again you all have given a gift that will keep on giving as we share our new Web 2.0 skills with our students and staff. I was pleasantly surprised quite a few times with the 2.0 tools. It truly is a dynamic addition to our tool belt. Old applications and exercises are so dry compared with the new applications that I've experienced. I can't wait to rework my lessons and teach my staff/students some awesome new skills.
Thanks so much for your support and encouragement. The 2.0 deserves a big round of applause. Thanks again for putting together such a great program!

Week 8, things 18-19, Online Apps & Tools

2007-08-26T17:24:00.000-07:00

#18
I took a look at Zoho Writer. I love the concept! I cannot begin to figure out the number of times that I've sent or received a document that could not be read. (I'm a big fan of saving things in Rich Text Format.) But this will never be a problem again while ZoHo Writer is available. With this program you can create, edit and share documents completely online. I did have a little difficulty, but I noticed that it is a Beta version which means that the kinks will be worked out. Great tool for students and staff. Love it.

#19- Library Thing
Okay, that was a huge time sucker. I know I was only going on for a little while to check it out and next thing I know I'm on for a couple of hours immersed in the book world. A few of my favorites are fairly popular. I'm in my vampire phase right now so Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse from Stephanie Meyer was listed quite a few times. Those books also rated great attention in the book reviews and YA Lit group. Fun stuff. I had heard about LibraryThing awhile back but just didn't take the time to get on it. I'm in now and will add more books to my virtual library. I only had time to put in 35 books.
http://www.librarything.com/catalog/BookDiva1

Week 7, Things #16-17, Wiki World

2007-08-26T15:54:00.000-07:00

#16 I have always been a Wiki snob of the highest order. I have battled their use (Wikipedia specifically) and find that its strength is that it is essentially a one-stop shop for information. It is easier for a student to find what he/she is looking for when they go straight to Wikipedia. That said, after experiencing the sample wikis I can see some good uses for a wiki.

I can see it being used by teachers as a tool for students to share their knowledge (class project), I love that it is an unofficial tool for the CSLA annual conference in November, and I saw a variety of uses by all types of libraries. I can see myself using one to share knowledge with teachers and library professionals or with students to share book reviews.

So, for now I've called a truce with the Wiki world.

#17
http://calcurriculum.pbwiki.com/Online-Applications-and-Tools Check out these great ideas for infusing online applications into your classroom. My idea was #8 which was my favorite thing of the 23 things I've learned about. The Sand Box is a good idea for the Wiki, but a little confusing. I ended up posting to the Online Applications page but it seemed appropriate. Someone could always edit mine out if they didn't want it there I suppose. ; )

Week 6, Things 13-15

2007-08-26T13:07:00.000-07:00

#13 Del.icio.us is just that! Delicious. At first glance it is just so simple, I couldn't see it's brilliance. This tool is simply incredible. I checked out some great sites using the SJLibraryLearning2 bookmarks and was thoroughly intrigued. There were some great articles tagged about Information Literacy (more accurately Info Illiteracy). Very cool stuff indeed. I know that when I've got more time (ie: when I finish this training) I'll go back and really gather some more info and continue my learning.

#14 Technorati
What a cool idea! In this exploration of the 2.0 tools I have been nothing short of amazed. Technorati is another brilliant concept. I love how it employs tags and connects us to blogs and postings. When I searched the School Learning Library 2.0 there were more than a thousand posts with just 14 blogs at that time registered. So much to see and experience. I can't wait to go back to this when I have some time and explore some more.

#15 I love tagging! I like that it is free form and self-selected. People who think like me will love it. Don't get me wrong I love the discipline behind cataloging (love to catalog), but for the Internet this is appropriate.

Tagging is interesting- the pros include the ability to find things that you are interested in, connecting groups and participants to material, and it's free form style. For me some of the pros can also be considered a con, for example, the fact that the tags are self selected means that some may not find what they need because they are dependent upon the tagging of others. If someone's tags are not extensive enough some information seekers may not find some great info they need.

It really seems to me that Web 2.0 is really going to revolutionize how we all teach and learn. There are some great tools to really enhance lessons and bring concepts to life. As a collaborator it is overwhelming to consider all the options to teach and share with our teachers. Of course, that is just what I'll do jump right in. But there is just so much it is difficult to know where to start.

Week 5, Things #10-12, Playing

2007-08-10T23:58:00.000-07:00

#10

Make your own customized heart - http://www.acme.com.look-for.us/heartmaker/

The heart maker was fun and easy. What a cute idea. I tried a few others including a Simpson's comic strip maker. The Simpson's generator was not as much fun because you couldn't see your effort unless you emailed it to yourself. I had assumed that I would get to see it first, but ended up never seeing it. Image Chef was cute and nice for use on blogs. I made a cute license plate. It was cute-- you could personalize everything from a carved heart on a tree to tattoos and sidewalks.

#11
This was a blast! I was looking for a program to run a book club/review type of program with a forum for threaded discussions. Here is the link to my new Ning! Woo hoo!!!
http://librarygoddess1network.ning.com/

I loved working with this program! In a short period of time I was able to create a resource that links students to books and resources. This program had everything I wanted from a discussion forum, pictures, video, audio, and so much more. It was so easy and very customizable. I can't wait to get this linked to my pages on our school website. This could be what gets my book club off the ground.

#12. Roll your own search tool with Rollyo.
This is a very interesting concept. I like how easy it is to use and it could be a very good tool to share with teachers to help get focus the students on particular sites, rather than have them roam aimlessly all over the Internet.

Week 4, Thing #8 & #9, RSS Feed

2007-08-10T20:30:00.000-07:00

I've always wondered about the RSS symbol and now I have the answer and my own one-stop info shop for all my news needs. I am going to put this on my Ning for sure.

This is a great technological tool that can really help clean up websites and webquests. I like how it can be customized. I could easily introduce the tool to teachers to liven up their lessons and create a one-stop info spot for their students.

In looking for feeds to add to my collection, I found the Blogline set up to be the simplest of the ones I tried. The google reader set up was easy, but a little clunky. It was great to see all that was out there. I didn't like using the Feedster application. I was looking for something very simple that had been easy to find on the Google Reader program.

It was fun to look at the various feeds that were readily available. I found some obscure things as well as some very mainstream things. There were some for knitters and crocheters that I found interesting, but uninteresting to most people. I liked the fact that many sites separated feeds for technology and gadgets for men or women. I am looking for something very different than many men technologists. I personally don't need to see the more technical aspect of technology-- I am more of a wysiwyg kind of person (which is probably why I'm a Mac person).

Week 3, Thing #7, Technology

2007-08-10T19:15:00.000-07:00

I use technology all the time. It is funny how much it is in my everyday life. My phone has web capabilities, a scrabble game, calendar, a camera, camcorder, calculator, mp3, email and so much more.

Lately I have been really utilizing technology to do a much less techy activity-- scrapbooking. I use my digital camera to capture all kinds of moments in my life and my family's lives. I find that it is a great release of my creative energies. The digital camera is so much better than the old film cameras because you can see all the photos prior to printing to be sure that you have what you need, that your subject's eyes are open. Funny enough I keep lots of bad pics and use them in various ways on my layouts.

Technology is fabulous but can also be a huge burden-- my vacations are great especially when my phone doesn't work. I love when I get away from it all. But for all it gives, it is worth it. I can do so much when I utilize technology.

Week 3, Thing #5 & #6, Flickr

2007-08-10T17:39:00.000-07:00

I love the goth sock puppet pictures. I've been reading about them on the yalsa-bk listserv for a few weeks so it was cool to see the different creations that kids came up with during this activity. I enjoyed seeing the different library ideas and creative things people are doing in their libraries.

The picture I posted is one from Hood and Hat's Flickr photostream. Her settings were open for photo sharing. Permission was clear. (Tags: gocks, puppets)

A cool 3rd party application is shown in this link:
http://www.pimpampum.net/bubblr/?id=9722
You can take your photos and add text bubbles and run the strip of enhanced photos. Fun, fun, fun! It was great fun to look at all kinds of goofy photo strips. Cute to the max!

The mashup concept was interesting-- it amazed me to see that I've been doing some of that. When I created my Ning I utilized Google maps to connect my pictures to locations. Cool ideas.

Week 2, Thing #4, Registered

2007-08-10T16:57:00.000-07:00

I am registered and on my way! Woo hoo!!!

Week 2, Thing #3, Blog and Avatar

2007-08-10T16:47:00.000-07:00

The blog is no problem, this is my third blog I've created. But the avatar was a pain in the rear. Actually it was the blogger site that wasn't responding properly, then when I loaded the page again there were two of them posted via both html and jpg. I hate it when technology and I get tangled up. I wasted a lot of time thinking it wasn't posted.

Oh well, we'll move on- no sense dwelling on it.

Week 1, Thing #2, 7 1/2 tips for lifelong learners

2007-08-10T15:17:00.000-07:00

I am definitely a lifelong learner. As I ventured through the tutorial I found that I am well ensconced in the learning process. In looking at the 7 1/2 habits of lifelong learners I feel that the easiest for me is #4, making every obstacle a learning opportunity. My entire life-journey has been filled with obstacles from drug addicted parents to simple, ever-present obstacles such as old technology in my library. I find that attitude is everything. I know that I can overcome anything. My background has given me that strength.

The hardest habit for me is the littlest yet most important one #7 1/2-- PLAY. Most often I forget to take time to play. I am so busy that I set myself in motion and just keep going instead of pausing and having some fun. I do infuse fun into my day but in small doses. I just need to keep it in mind and set it up in my learning contract. I want to be like kindergarteners-- learning is fun all day long.

Week 1, Thing #1, CSLA 2.0 thoughts

2007-08-10T14:08:00.000-07:00

I'm off to a late start, but am excited nonetheless. I've had a crazy summer with my mother falling and getting her through a hip replacement. She is back home and

I am under the gun to finish this, but I know I can. This is a great comprehensive program that will add great skills to my "bag of tricks." I am excited to extend my skills and learn some new things that I can put to great use in the library and classroom.