And the wind blows us along our way.

It is no surprise that I've abandoned this blog for so long. I like to think that it's what I do. If I posted on a regular basis, then the element of discovery would be lost...right? I logged back in today after reading the beautiful blog of a coworker and her husband-- you can find it at Dream of the Woods Productions. (Make sure to check out the whole site, not just the blog.) Anyway, it really spoke to me and made me want to check up on my little abandoned lot on the internet.
So many changes in three years. I realize that I can't catch up, and that whatever guilt I feel for not checking in on this blog and the other one I have with my sister is silly. The wind really does blow us along our way, sometimes on course and sometimes off. I feel that I'm on course now, but find myself not wanting to document it here as much as I once did. I am living my life, trying to go where the wind takes me and not overthink everything. That is easier said than done. I feel the need to know what will happen next and feel some sort of assurance. Nothing is assured.
I just had my birthday and it was very relaxing and, although there is one sneaky grey hair at the front of my hairline that is bugging me, I'm mostly okay with being thirty-five. I still have hopes and goals-- I always say this, but I really would like to get back to making things. However, I'm proud of what I've achieved insofar as I have a master's degree and (new!) job in my field, I am close with my family and my dog, and I'm on my way to a new place to live with a stopover with my folks in between. I have supportive friends and I'm just kind of content, which is a big deal for me since that feeling is rare. I guess the wind knows where we should go, and I'm going. To quote Friends, "I'm breezy!"
This feeling may be temporary, but right now, I'll take it.

Ex libris,

Marissa

Putting the "m" and "e" in committee!

A few weeks ago, I applied to be on the Nutmeg nominating committee for 2015. (I KNOW-- already?) For those of you not in the fine Nutmeg State, the Nutmeg award goes like this: the nominating committee of librarians and reading teachers read a LOT of books to be considered for the nomination. Then those books are narrowed down to ten by the committee. The noms are kept TOP SECRET until their announcement. Then kids and teens across the state read the Nutmeg noms and they can choose their favorite. The award itself is given to the book that gets the most votes from kids across the state.
I grew up with the Nutmeg award, and now that I am finished with grad school, I thought I'd go for the committee. I applied for the teen committee (grades 7 and 8) and the high school committee (grades 9-12). I found out on Thursday that I got picked to be on the teen committee! (I got some disappointing news on Wednesday, so this was a welcome invitation).
I work with children and teens, so the age level I'm reading for is quite good for any reader's advisory I may do at work since I am the "bridge" between the children's and teen departments. I already got a list of eight books (of which I already finished one-- BAM!) to read before the first meeting in February. These books are not necessarily ones I'd read myself (I tend to read YA and adult books) so I will be exposed to something new, plus I'll get to meet librarians and reading teachers and other rad bookish folks from across the state. The downside is I have to read something like 80 books in several months (and I average 50-70 a year) and I will have to set aside all other books in order to get through the pile. I apologize in advance to you, dear reader...and Netgalley, where I have galleys waiting for me. I can't really review the books I'm reading since ten of them will be the TOP SECRET nominees, so I will have to figure something out for the blog.

I will post a list of my top books from 2012 soon, so stay tuned for that at least...and I will blog about awesome library programs or something while I do the Nutmeg thing.

Ex libris,

Marissa

Do you remember September?

It is a universal truth that I'm not the best blogger. I am busy or I forget. Looking at the blog archive, I realize I didn't post in September this year. I could be tricky and backdate this post, but let's pretend it's September. What was I doing in September?
I visited my Aunt Marcy in early September. In addition to being all-around cool, she's an author and illustrator. Her story "Runaway Blue" was in Highlights magazine in 2010 (alas, they used a different illustrator). She's going to hit it crazy big one day with her art and writing, I know it. If you are a publisher and you have somehow found this blog, contact her immediately (just click on her name). You won't be sorry!
I went to the Goshen Fair in Goshen, CT with my friend Andrea. I love fairs, but mostly to see the animals. I'm not big on rides, although the occasional Ferris Wheel is ok. I like the sheep best of all (see the fourth book in the list below).
Finally, here are the books I read or listened to in September (that is, I finished them in September): 
  Rabid: A Cultural History of the World's Most Diabolical Virus by Bill Wasik and Monica Murphy
  Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain
  This Dark Endeavor: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein by Kenneth Oppel
  No Idle Hands: The Social History of American Knitting by Anne L. Macdonald
  Erebos by Ursula Poznanski
  Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz


There you have it! Our trip back to September is over. Now back to your regularly scheduled December.

Ex libris,

Marissa

A REAL librarian

I am a real librarian, friends. Graduation was a few weeks ago and I'm taking a break from my final paper to write this blog post. I will turn it in and the graduate school will issue my degree in August. It feels great and also weird. Going to school and working full-time is HARD, yo. But it was worth it because I'm doing what I love!
Next week is Art Adventures, a four-week mini art history and craft program. We're doing Mondrian first. I went to the art store on Friday morning and got all my supplies. I showed actual restraint and didn't buy anything for me, which is very hard at an art store.
I say this every time I blog, but now that school is pretty well done I hope to blog more. And read more. Quick book recommendation: The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour.

Ex libris,

Marissa

Poor neglected blog.

It has been awhile. I read somewhere that some ridiculous percentage of blogs are abandoned after a few posts. It's sad. I have joined and am posting on DNBRD lately. And there's the 1001 Books too. So I am around on the web, and I really don't want to let go of this blog just yet. So hang in there, blog!

Ex libris,

Marissa

Do Nothing But Read podcast of awesomeness.

About six months ago, Jill Thompson, an awesome cartoonist, tweeted about Do Nothing But Read Day, launched by a library student named Amanda. Since then, Amanda and I have become, I like to think, thick as thieves. We are Twitter friends and I hope we get to hang out in real life one day! In addition to running her own Do Nothing But Read Day blog, she also contributes to another blog called the Modern Day Pirates. On said blog, she collaborates with her longtime friend Brandon on a podcast about reading! They've done seven episodes to date, and it's great and funny and interesting and you should check it out. I never really understood podcasts, but I subscribed to this one and I love it. I listen to it while I'm shelving in the library, and I have laughed out loud and earned weird looks from library patrons. I also have added a bunch more titles to my "want to read" list. So go subscribe now and enjoy! And check out those blogs, which are updated way more often than mine and have better web design!

Ex libris,

Marissa

In which I profusely apologize for blog neglect and name some MUST READS.

Dear blog, I am sorry for neglecting you. I will not make excuses for my behavior. Just know that I am sorry.

I read 76 books in 2009, and now, almost halfway through 2010, I'm up to around 30. Here's the best so far, January through May.

1. Going Bovine by Libba Bray. This book won the Printz award this year, and rightfully so! I laughed, cried, sang Man of La Mancha, and gained new respect for yard gnomes. Libba talks about the book here.
2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Teens fight to the death in a gigantic arena. Dystopia, scifi, romance all in one, plus it's a trilogy, so the amazingness is not confined to one book! The third in the trilogy, Mockingjay, comes out in August. Kudos to Suzanne for not drawing this series out longer than it needs to be.
3. Little Brother by Cory Doctorow. Another YA dystopia novel. Actually, this whole list is YA because that's one of the courses I took this past semester, and YA literature is AMAZING right now. In this one, there is a terrorist attack and San Francisco becomes a police state. Marcus, a tech-saavy teenager, has to bring down the Department of Homeland Security. There is a lot of tech-speak in here, but it is fascinating. Cory Doctorow allows his book to be downloaded for free and this guy Bill Clementson has created a hyperlinked version of the bibliography which you will appreciate once you finish the book!
4. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan. Two of the greatest YA authors + two boys named Will Grayson + a chance meeting = GOLD. I so don't want to give anything away, so I won't, but go read this nownownow.
5. Gentlemen by Michael Northrop. I feel that this book has flown a bit under the radar, but it's definitely one of the best I've read so far this year. What would you do if you thought your teacher had murdered your best friend? The three protagonists of this book suspect their English teacher of kidnapping their friend and stuffing his body in a barrel after the teacher starts acting strangely toward them. The power of suggestion looms large in this mystery. A great read.

Blog for the 1001 Books Project

I've created a blog for the 1001 Books Project. Please follow us and comment often! Also, any motivational tools, such as carrot cake, would be much appreciated.

Ex libris,

Marissa

Coolness discovered.

So I was reading through all the back issues of American Libraries Direct that are emailed to me weekly and I found this cool blog of a librarian up in Massachusetts. It's witty and I think the guy (yes, an actual male librarian) is pretty cute. So I thought I'd pass along the coolness. I like librarian blogs because I can relate to them. You may not, but give this one a look-see just once, just for kicks.

Ex libris,

Marissa

Further thoughts on "Busted!" post

I wrote in a previous post that librarians judge patrons on the books they read and talk about them behind their backs. Also, I have posted a few patron stories of my own about silly things that have happened to me, mostly in the children's library. That article really made me nervous, so for my own peace of mind I want to put down some thoughts.

First: judging patrons by what they read. I think that "judging" may be the wrong word. Rather, I can learn a lot about people by what they borrow from the library. Some people are just into reading bestsellers while others read all the James Patterson they can get their hands on. (Side note: James Patterson is a machine. Every other day there is a new one.) Some patrons are into high literature while others just read fluff. There is a psychology experiment in there somewhere just waiting to be analyzed.

Second: talking about patrons behind their backs. I think in every job, especially where one serves the public, there is behind-the-back mumbling. It is the way of the world. In libraries, know that we talk about the good patrons as well as the difficult ones. And also, pay your fines. It would make us a lot less grumbly.

Third: blogging about patrons. I find this to be a rather harmless activity (although I am clearly spooked by what happened to that Michigan lady). I am not looking to make money from my blog, I am sharing experiences that I found amusing. It is kind of like those TV specials about "The World's Dumbest Criminals," except there is (usually) no crime involved, just silliness. Also, my blog isn't just about library patrons. It is about books and art and library school and reading and all sorts of book-related stuff.

Ok, so I've said my bit. What do you think? Am I wrong to discuss my work experiences in this way?

Blogging librarians

As I troll around the interwebs, I keep finding more and more blogging librarians. I love it! My blog list keeps getting added to. I love to hear other people's patron stories and other ridiculousness. I think working in a library still has this quaint image, but man, it isn't true. It is a busy, hard, noisy job. That is why everyone blogs...because if we didn't, we'd kill the patrons and maybe each other. (I still want to get a blow gun with poison darts to take people out.)

If the patrons only knew, right?
We judge you by the books you read.
We have heard every story about why your books are late.
We know you took the book to the beach because it is full of sand.
We know you let your kids use our DVDs as coasters because they are sticky with apple juice.

We talk about you behind your backs.

And we blog about you, too!

Bwahaha.

Ex libris,

Marissa