Teen Book Reviews

We now have a section of our website devoted to teen book reviews!

Members of out Teen Reading Club have put together six reviews so far and posted them to our website. Read them right here. They've reviewed diverse genres from romance to fantasy to fantasy romance, and plan on putting more reviews up in the coming weeks.

Having teens post their own book reviews is great, because no matter what we read as librarians about what is cool, or what teens want to read, it always comes down to the readers. So in a way we're skipping the middleman (or woman as it may be) and letting the people actually checking out and reading the books tell US about them.

...and if you're a teen who wants to get in on the action, just stop by the YA room and chat with one of the librarians there. They'll let you know exactly what you need to do to get your reviews up on the site.

Farewell

My fellow blogger and longtime co-worker Brianna finished her last hours at the library today. She's moving on to the greener pastures of Bonner to work at the school library there. It's no Hawaii, but at least she'll get to put her recent MLIS to good work. It was a bittersweet day, since we had a HUGE staff potluck of delicious food, but lost one of the best librarians we've ever had here at the library.

I'll miss working with Brianna and wish her all the best in her next job. Bonner is sure lucky to have her!

Word Woman

Welcome to another exciting episode of Word Woman's Weekly Work-Out! This week's word was brought to my attention by my co-worker, Anita, who ran across it in a library publication. Here is the relevant quotation:

Mondegreen:

"The ants are my friends/They're blowin' in the wind." New Yorker magazine's blog The Book Bench celebrated the fact that "Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary has finally found space for the word 'mondegreen,' which it defines as 'a word or phrase that results from a mishearing of something said or sung.'"

Example: For other amusing mondegreens, point your browser at "The Archive of Misheard Lyrics" -- http://www.kissthisguy.com/

Altered Books!

Wow, what a turnout! Eighty people showed up at the library last night to peruse the entries for our Altered Books contest as part of First Friday. We're anxiously awaiting the tallying of the votes to find out who won in each of the categories. There were so many great creations, I just couldn't pick a favorite, so I had to abstain from voting. Here are some pictures that Joyce took at the event:





























As popular as it was, we're considering doing it again as part of the Festival of the Book.
Let us know if the idea appeals to you.

Word Woman

Welcome to another innovative installment of Word Woman's Weekly Work-Out! Tonight is a very exciting night at the library, because this will be our premiere display in conjunction with First Friday. My co-worker and fellow blogger, Ben, has posted some great pictures and further information on this event in the last few weeks. Just scroll down and take a look for yourself. We will be showing off our Altered Books in the Large Meeting Room, so if you find yourself downtown tonight, stop in and enjoy our bookish creations! Now, let's get going with the Word of the Week:

Garrulous (gehr-uh-luhs) - excessively loquacious; talking about trivial matters; wordy. -- "The New York Times Everyday Reader's Dictionary of Misunderstood, Misused, Mispronounced Words", Laurence Urdang, Ed., Weathervane Books, 1972.

Example: There are some who accuse Word Woman of being garrulous, but really it is just her love of words speaking.