The View from the Leslie Library Windows: August 2009

Friday, August 28, 2009

First Friday

Processed more books today, Automotive Excellence and Parametric Modeling. Made room on the shelves for all these as well as The Adoration of Jenna Fox. I had to move a lot of books to get them in right places. I also got extra books removed that Mr. L had asked us to withdraw right before we left. So I got his new AE books in and the others off the shelves and reconfigured the Industrial Arts Section and will probably bring around the science section. We'll be needing more room for science books, so this move will help relieve that. A mom and student came in with books from last year and a few from other kids. So I took care of them and found a book that they were billed for but we had on the shelf and it had no damage, so I went to the bookkeeper and they got all charges taken care of but one for $10.50. A couple of other students brought back books, so right now I'm printing up the return slips and putting them in the bookkeeper's box. We also moved all the tables back into their correct places. They had been moved for registration.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Repaired Books Back!

A big thank you to Mrs. M who took our huge stack of books that needed repair home for the summer and brought them back today. She did a great job and we have repaired books all ready to go! I will still be doing more, but what a relief to have those all done! I checked them all in and put them away. I processed in The Adoration of Jenna Fox today, worked with our bookkeeper on some billing issues. Sent out a textbook check out email for the teachers to sign up for bringing in classes to pick up textbooks. Talked with Mr. W on the science books and went out an email to pick up some more Physical Science with Earth Science. I thought about putting some of the texts away up on the top shelf that we are not currently using or have not used for some years to open up space for new texts. I gave our new assistant a tour of the school so she knows where things are, and introduced her to a few people. We also had a brief meeting with our new Principal. He wanted to express thanks for the great comments that he's gotten from the community on how we work to make Sprague a welcoming place.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Back to Work!

We went back to work yesterday and spent the day working on the new configuration of the circulation desk. Mrs. H had a new idea and so we stripped out all the wiring from each of the modules then moved them. They hadn't been moved in awhile and so we vacumned the carpet there as we cleared each area, and began to go through all the modules to clean them out. By the end of the day we had everything nearly done except one of the surge protectors we need to replace still. It was a good day, dirty, physically tough to move all the cabinets, but it really looks good. Today we replaced the surge protector and then I started to open all the boxes in the back and see what we've gotten in. I opened up over 65 boxes. I was expecting a couple of new textbooks, but we actually got in 8 new ones. We also got in The Bedford Reader and Elements of Argument, Student Lab Notebooks (we were missing one, so Mrs. H called and they are sending us another one) and got them all accounted for. I also sent an email to Mrs. HJ to make sure they are all approved before I start processing tomorrow. We also got in new teacher materials for our ASL program. We moved the old yearbooks from the front circulation shelves to a shelf in the textbook depository and I rearranged some of the student purchase books (like Bedford and Elements and Lab notebooks) on shelves in the back. I stacked the boxes in the back so they are ready for shipping things out. We got in new French texts, so I may have to ship our old set out. I asked Mrs. HJ if they wanted to do that. Got in a Wir die Jugend that belonged to McNary so I checked it in and withdrew it and sent it back. It's great to be back at work and to see all the students as they came through the library as part of the registration process these last two days.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Reading List 2008-2009

Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr - a teen wants a certain tatoo - not realizing it will lead her into faerie courts intrigue
Devil in the Details by Jennifer Traig - what a hoot! Who knew OCD can be a hilarious accounting.
All We Know of Heaven by Jacquelyn Mitchard - two friends are in an accident and mistaken identity occurs with who lives, and who died
Impossible by Nancy Werlin - a young Scarborough girl discovers she comes from a cursed line of women - when they become pregnant they must complete three impossible tasks or go mad when the child is born
The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry - Sprague Book Club May read - lace reading, yellow dogs, abuse, mental issues, and witches - a good read
Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd - another wonderful story - Fergus and his Uncle discover a childs arm while stealing turf - a tale of Ireland, the Troubles and we hear Mel's story unearthed from his dreams - I was saddened to hear that Siobhan has died from cancer, what a loss.
Valiant by Holly Black - didn't care for this one.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Sprague Book Club read for April - a great read! I never noticed the islands between France and England before! A great tale of letters about the island and what people went through during their german occupation.
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett - wonderful descriptions in here, glad to have read it
Tithe - a modern faerie tale by Molly Black - nice edgy urban faerie tale, I will read the next one as well
Peak by Roland Smith - enjoyed this immensely! A boy gets caught climbing skyscrappers and is sent off with his father who organizes Everest expeditions. I really enjoyed the mountaineering bits since I've done some of that.
The Faith Club by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver, and Priscilla Warner - amazing book! Lots of grist for the mind mill and probably one of my faves for the year.
Born Naked - Farley Mowat - his biography of his early years - did you know his dad was a librarian?
Deja Demon by Julie Kenner - I love these - this demon hunting soccer mom is a hoot to read
Cane River by Lalita Tademy - Sprague Book Club March Book - a good read of a 'Roots' variety
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson - 2005 Pulitzer Prize Winner - an incredibly beautiful book about an elderly (78) minister leaving a memoir to his 7 year old son - a book to savor.
The Shack by William Young - this author is coming to Oregon Christian Writers Winter Conference the end of February - thought I should give it a read before then - some parts very hard to swallow, others give assurance that wells up inside
The Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer - Sprague Book Club for February - quick read - I'm not sure I bought all of this, but we all like the Superman parts!
Incident at Badamya by Dorothy Gilman - a girl in Burma finds unexpected companions and a twist of coincidence
The True Meaning of Smek Day by Adam Rex - hilarious sci-fi!
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang - amazing graphic story that all comes together in a surprising way!
Inkspell - Cornelia Funke - enjoyed this one more than Inkheart
The Invention of Hugo Cabret—Brian Selznick - wonderful story and amazing pencil drawings
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke - not quite what I thought it would be, but a good read - originally Tintenherz in German!
Star Bright! by Andrew Greeley - a nice boy meets Russian Orthodox girl Christmas Story
Walking on Water by Madeleine L'Engle - her thoughts on the writer's art and faith
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski - Sprague Book Club January read - great until the end - I rewrote the ending the way I thought it should have happened!
The Humming of Numbers by Joni Sensel - enjoyed this one muchly! Thanks Mrs. H!
The Illuminator by Brenda Vantrease - our Sprague Book Club December book - historical fiction, loved the Julian of Norwich parts
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón - quite the intertwining plot
Breath - Tim Winton - a coming of age story
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara - for our Sprague Book Club for November - great civil war read
Brisingr by Christopher Paolini "I own a book, he thought, delighted."
A Fortune-Teller Told Me by Tiziano Terzani - a year without flying, an interesting journey in the life of an Asian reporter
The Ivory and the Horn by Charles de Lint - classic de Lint urban myths
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson - chuckled all the way through this one

What I'm Reading

The Butchering Art by Lindsey Fitzharris was a great non-fiction read! Love a good non-fiction! Joseph Lister worked hard, studied hard, never gave up on his ideas that something outside was causing untold numbers of people to die after surgery. His quest to find the answer was long overdue and he was the one to craft it and make it a medical standard. Brilliant!
Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Boy by Emmanuel Acho was so good. I liked it even better than Stamped. His honest and open look at what is was like for him growing up really brings the issues into focus. Highly recommended!
Verify by Joelle Charbonneau - what if everything went digital which gave the government and people in power a way to change history, past and current. What happened to some words, like the word 'verify' that is no longer in the digital dictionary. Meri has lost her mom and her dad drowns sorrow in liquor. Meri is entranced by her mom's last art pieces and is given a slip of paper (the horror! what about the trees? recycling?) and on it is the word 'verify'. Atlas gives her a dictionary, a paper one and an old history textbook. Meri jumps on the train with him so they can change the world.
Kalahari by Jessica Khoury - what a ride! I even took this home one night to finish! Sarah lives with her dad doing research deep in the Kalahari. A group of students are sent to see if they can qualify for a grant and when her dad goes missing when he heads off after poachers, she is left to take care of them. Her dad doesn't return and the poachers are after them. They come across a white lion stalking them, but wait? It isn't white it's something else. They come across a lab and realize there is a virus, that has been let loose on the Kalahari that could destroy the whole world. So exciting!! Great ending as well!
The Year of the Buttered Cat by Susan Haas with Lexi Haas - Okay. I have to admit that I got this book because of the title. Buttered cats, what an intriguing thought! But the real intrigue is the persistence, the optimism of Lexi. Because of jaundice, she was disabled and this story is about her decision to take a chance on ground breaking surgery to try and get some mobility, speech and live her gifts. She has five she had to find. Read it for Lexi (and maybe to find out about that buttered cat).
Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram. There are spaces only you can fill, and Darius learns this as his family travels to Iran to see his grandfather who is dying. Along the way he deals with his depression, makes a friend, has innumerable Star Trek references and also learns that it's okay, to not be okay. I must admit, I had to look up some of the places he got to visit. What a rich heritage. I thought Zoroastrians were long gone, but no, they are still practicing today in Iran. Great book, totally okay.
The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin - perfect book lover tale of a woman captivated by a man and a bookstore and how she made more impact on her fellow book lovers and the man who got her to read than any bomb that fell during the Blitz. Very lovely!
The Girl From the Channel Islands by Jenny Lecoat - Lovely WW2 story by Jenny who actually grew up on one of the Channel Islands. Hedy fled Austria only to find her island haven invaded by the Germans. And though she is wary, she falls in love with a German officer. The twists and turns of German occupation test them both as each find a way to help the allied forces win.
Ancestor Approved edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith. I loved these short stories that all center around a modern day Native American Powwow. My fave was Rez Dog and they were all a great window into culture that I have rarely seen. I watched some videos on Fancy Dancing because of this and I would love to attend one, but feel a bit like a looky loo if I did. Fun, eye opening and full of information. Loved it!
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams Loved this fictionalized tale of the daughter of one of the lexicographers of the first ever Oxford Dictionary. As Esme goes from hiding under the sorting table, to one day being a lexicographer herself, we see her story unfold along with the people attached to the dictionary. It was really wonderful as we glimpsed her life and how the words she found and rescued formed the backbone of this novel. Really well done. It will stay on my shelves.