Overheard in the Library

3rd grade girl: Where are the girly girl books?
Me: What exactly do you mean by that? Can you explain more clearly what you are looking for?
Her: (looking at me as if I just fell to Earth from Mars) You know the books girls would like...
Me: Well, I'm a girl and I like motorcycles. Are you looking for books about motorcycles?
Her:(completely certain of my dullness in comprehension) Uh, no!
Me: Ok, then tell me what you like.
Her: (wheels are spinning...no response is forthcoming)
Me: (smiling)How about you think about it while you keep looking.

She trots off and returns a moment later to declare, "Princesses! Do you have books about princesses?"
Me: I sure do. Fairy tales or biographies?
Her: Fairy tales.
Me: Now we're getting somewhere!
Library Girl may have other superpowers but she doesn't pretend to read minds.That way she has a chance to challenge them to work a little.

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Library related conversation with my daughter:
Me: So do you want to know what the least frequently checked out books in my library are?
C: I can't even guess.

Me: Presidential biographies. Forty-seven of the bottom 50 titles are presidential biographies.
C: That's a shame. I can recall having a fascination with Taft when I was a kid.

That there is evidence of a nerd begetting a nerd.

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Things you don't expect to say in the library: Please stop comparing your bellies and choose a book.

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And then there are the library questions which momentarily make you take pause.
An articulate, well-mannered 2nd grader walked into the library and inquired with all seriousness, "Mrs. Lime, could you please tell me where the pink beaver book is?"
Me: (wheels spinning wildly as I try to shift into school appropriate mode rather than wildly inappropriate double entendre mode and actually generate an answer) *blink...blink...........blink blink* Uummm.....

Him: (with utter propriety and impeccable diction) It's the book where he tries on lots of clothes.
Me:(delighted for that piece of clarifying information as it immediately fires the correct synapses) Ooooh! You mean Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed?
Him: (still with great composure yet gratitude that we have communicated effectively) Yes, that's exactly the book. Do you have it?
Me: Yes, friend we do. It's my very favorite Mo Willems book. It's right here.
Him: Thank you so much, Mrs. Lime. You have a nice afternoon.
Me: (smiling) Thank you. I already have, friend. I hope you do as well. Enjoy your book!

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I had to close the section where Disney books are found because of the extreme level of destruction which has been occurring there repeatedly and the reminders of library etiquette going unheeded. The young patron who told me she wants more Disney books in the library lamented that she couldn't choose anything because there were no other good books. I directed her to 398.2 in non-fiction, three whole shelves of folklore and fairytales as opposed to half a shelf of Disney in the picture book section. Her eyes boggled.

 

And I am left to consider, where is my own vision so narrow I cannot see a new world of joyous wonder?

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It's standardized testing season in our great commonwealth. In the interest of formulating questions relevant to the real world here's one for all you kids.

If Miz Lime spends $50 a week for gas to get to and from her job and she just paid more than a week's pay to fix the vandalism done to her car while at work (because the cost came in under her deductible amount) and the district says she's SOL for being reimbursed because she wasn't in a school parking lot (because said school doesn't even have a lot, thus necessitating parking on the street) how much money could she have saved by just not going to work during testing week (when she can't see classes anyway because they take over the library for testing) and merely being docked pay once she exceeds her 4 remaining sick days? Generate an equation to express your answer.

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Her: I forgot my book, can I bring it tomorrow?
Me: Well, tomorrow I am at my other school.
Her: You have TWO schools you have to go to?
Me: Yes.
Her: What's your other school?
Me: Warren G. Harding
Her: Warren G. Harding?? That's another big school! Isn't that a lot of pressure?
Me: (smiling) Sometimes, it is. Yes.
Her: Man, That's just a lot.
The kid gets it, more than the school board or superintendent. There is hope

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Bless the poor, toothless kindergarteners and first graders. It drives me nuts when at the end of the school year they still don't know their own last name but when they know it and the lack of teeth makes it impossible for them to pronounce it I feel great pity.

Thowweth. My name is Thowweth.

Feel free to guess.

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Crap that makes Library Girl want to open a can of whoop ass:
When I ask a student who just stepped OVER a book if he saw that book on the floor and he says no while looking at it. Then I ask if he sees it now and he nods. Next question from me is, "Well, what would be a wise choice when you see a book on the floor?" Student response is to walk away.
I compelled the student in question to demonstrate the wise choice. I did so calmly, without violence or profanity. I love elementary aged kids but some days making sure my edit button works and I don't hurl a heavy reference work at anyone is challenging.

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Another young man informed me he didn't want a book.  Said student cried bitterly the week before when I didn't allow him to check a book out due to egregious misbehavior.  I asked if the earlier tears had been crocodile tears.  He was confused as to what that meant so I explained the idiom. He insisted they were sincere but he didn't want a book this week because the one he liked wasn't in.  I guaranteed he could find one he liked among the 10,000 volumes if he looked.  He was skeptical.  I asked what he liked.  He said animals.  I put a book about crocodiles in his hands.  He regarded it and declared it sufficiently interesting.  Next week we may tackle sarcasm.

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Finally, a simple but satisfying exchange with a kindergartener after she checked out her book.

Her: (a little sheepishly)  I can't read this book but I reeeally like the pictures.
Me: That's okay.  Sometimes the pictures help us figure out what is happening in the story and the artist made them hoping you would enjoy them.  I am a grown up but I still like to look at picture books because some of them have such beautiful art in them.  If you want to read though, I bet you can find some of your sight words in the story.
Her: (excitedly) You sure are right about the pictures!  Look at this one!  It's sooooo pretty!
Me: (smiling) It really is.

She continues paging through the book reverently regarding the artwork then discovers a page with a large rip.

Her: (in dismay) Oh, Miz Lime, someone didn't take care of this great book!

And another book and art lover is born, may her tribe increase.

Oh the Irony

This week is National Library Week.  I live in the state which brought you the United States' first free public library.  I also live in a state which schedules all the statewide standardized testing for 3 weeks in April.  Wanna take a wild guess as to when all that begins?  Yep, today.  Wanna guess where the testing takes place in my schools?  Yep, the library.  Therefore, during National Library Week we can't have any book circulation.  It's enough to make a library lady either cry or rampage.  In order to soothe myself I bring you some interesting happenings in the library lately.

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The kindergarteners get very excited when I come to pick them up.  One little guy, who is enthusiasm embodied, shouted upon seeing me, "It's Library Girl!!!"  I thought it made me sound like a superhero so I am adopting it as my new moniker. Faster than an OPAC! Able to leap tall stacks of books in a single bound. She stands for facts, information, and the literary way!  It's a teacher, it's a book lover, it's Library Girl! 

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A student was dawdling in choosing a book after his teacher had given the countdown for finishing. He grabbed a book off the shelf and moseyed to my desk.  As he arrived he announced, "I'll take this book,  It's sucky, but I'll take it." Nope, we have 10,000 books here there is no reason for you to grab one you think is sucky.  Go find one you actually want.  He said he couldn't find one. I asked what he liked.  He told me.  I stuck a book in his hand.  He looked at it and said, "This doesn't look like it sucks."  Good, try to enjoy it.  Maybe he needs to go spend some time with the kindergarteners.

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I have long had a big soft spot for six year olds in glasses.  I also collect Caldecott Award winning books. When a glasses sporting six year old comes to the library and asks on every visit if he can have a "reward" book* I am a complete goner.

*The first week I said I wasn't sure what he meant by "reward book" and asked if he could explain more about it.  He drew circles in the air and declared, "They have gold and silver circles on the covers!"  It was at the end of a  long day.  His little grin when I handed him Officer Buckle and Gloria totally made up for his one classmate who drove me nuts.

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One  little girl came up clutching a Disney book and begging, "Please, Miz Lime, can you order lots more Disney books?  They're my favorites!!!"  I told her that was a great idea and she ought to talk to the principal about it.  Bewildered, she asked why.  I explained that is because the principal decides how much money the library gets for ordering new books each year...and that it's been five years since our library had new books ordered.

Lime...disseminating information and fomenting unrest among primary students since 2012.

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At the same library we have a tile floor.  Judging by how long certain spills have remained untouched, the floor has not been mopped all year.  Could I do it?  Yes, but I spent a lot of time cleaning up after adults last year.  I've asked repeatedly for people to clean up after themselves. I've been told the custodial staff is responsible.  My take home pay for a full-tome job running two libraries is less than what my kid earns at a part time job serving burritos.  I expend a lot of energy just keeping 22, 000 books in order.  I figure if the floor looks hideous enough maybe someone will finally be compelled to do is or her job. That has proved to be unsound logic.  I am now considering finding a kid with the belly bug and having him strategically barf in the library to get the floor mopped.

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I have a fifth grader who has asked me for books on quantum mechanics and the works of Shakespeare.  She has been so understanding when I have told her we have nothing like that.  I so wish I could put something in her hands that she wants but I am encouraged that she tells me she gets to the public library where she can find these things.

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One student returned a badly damaged book.  In such cases I assign the fine after speaking with the student to see if there is a plausible story or any sense of responsibility or contrition.  This student seemed to have both so I showed her that the cost of the book, which I could not repair was $18 and I told her I would only fine her $5.  We are a very poverty stricken district.  So few fines come in....ever.  She sat down, thought a moment, and asked if she could still check out a new book.  I reminder her that all books and fines have to be taken care of before new books can be selected. 

Her: Well, my parents were going to focus on buying me stuff on Friday so I don't think they will be able to send the money in.
Me: Perhaps you could suggest they buy you $5 less "stuff" and send it in for the fine.  Better yet, you could go home and ask them for some chores to do to earn the money to pay for the book.
Her: (indignantly) I don't like chores!
Me: (arching a single eyebrow and questioning my earlier sense of mercy) No one likes chores but they are a responsibility...just like that book you didn't take good care of.

It was a more professional response than what I wanted to say which was, "Then it sucks to be you."

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I may be Library Girl but it takes more than Super Human strength not to burst out laughing when a first grader checks out a book about outer space and announces, "YOOOOOOUUR-anus is an AWESOME planet!"

Because it's March 31

I can't let a month slip by without a single post.  I think the blog would collapse into a black hole.

So what have I been doing?  Well, I've begun teaching yoga classes, three so far.  The first was canceled due to snow.  And tonight, on the last day of March, it was canceled again...due to snow.  I am more unhappy about the snow on March 31 than the cancellation...though that isn't thrilling me, I'd rather be safe. Given that I watched a car stall out trying to get up our hill I think the cancellation was wise.

So, the happy making stuff is we have reclaimed the extra bedroom.  Diana moved out back in August but Calypso claimed that room for a period of time until we could paint her room.  We had stripped the wall paper only about a decade ago.  One must not rush into such things as painting walls.  Anyway, we finally painted her room so she moved back into it and we reclaimed the last bedroom.

Mr. Lime declared an intended use for it and I may have mentioned I thought it would be nice to have dedicated yoga space because nothing harshes a good yoga vibe like having someone try to step over you while in lizard pose, or stoop under you to ask a question while in downward facing dog pose.  He said, as long as I moved all the books out of the den and into this room I could also use it for yoga space.  so that also meant I'd finally get all my books out of boxes and back on shelves where they belong.  Win/win!  Although it was going to require a hard weeding of the book collection to fit them into the new space.  This was also a job I wanted to happen so painful as it was I was glad for the motivation to get it done.  Here are the results with one shelf yet to be built and filled on the floor.  I nearly halved the collection.  I have since gone out and purchased six more books but no one should be stunned by this.






I began referring to the room as the yogabrary.  It made me very happy.  I had lots of space to move.  No one was walking in on me or over me or around me.  My books we out of boxes.  All was well.  Then I came home after a particularly aggravating day and had more happy making when I discovered this sign on the door....








 ....which flips to this when I want to be alone.  Mr. Lime gets it.  One day I was so stressed several of his jokes went right over my head.  He patted me on the hand and said, "It's ok dear, go breathe and do your yoga stuff." 









So I did...

 And then I did some more...

...and more...



















It was very relaxing.

I am a happy Lime.

Bibliotherapy

Bibliotherapy: The use of selected reading materials as therapeutic adjuvants in medicine and psychiatry; also guidance in the solution of personal problems through directed reading. (AHIL Quarterly, Summer 1966, p. 18.)


I am seven years old. It is a couple years after my parents have separated. My brother and I are at the New Jersey shore with our mother.  We are in a bookstore because I have asked for a book rather than a t-shirt or a toy to be my souvenir of our trip.  She says yes and I pour over the books in the store until I find a biography of Helen Keller.  I read the blurb on the cover and I am stunned by the idea that a child who is blind, deaf, and unable to speak intelligibly can be taught language. How can anyone overcome such a thing? It is the worst circumstance I have heard of in my short life, worse than my parents' divorce which has devastated me. I am intrigued and I must have this book.  I devour the book and learn that Helen's teacher refused to make excuses for her.  Helen was expected to learn self-control and once she gained some measure of that she was able to learn to communicate.  If Helen and Annie could do that I can get through my parents' divorce I think.  And some measure of hope for myself is restored.

In fourth grade I discover Harriet Tubman through a collection of brief biographical sketches in our classroom.  I am amazed that an illiterate slave could find a way to lead so many to freedom.  Slavery, that's another circumstance worse than my own.  In the library I search for everything I can find about Harriet Tubman.  I learn that in addition to having to escape slavery and to being illiterate she suffered a head injury when an overseer hit her in the head with a large heavy object.  She suffered crippling blackout headaches which would have left her defenseless if she had been caught during one.  If she can overcome all that and lead others to freedom in the process,  I can overcome a teacher who singles me out for mistreatment in the class.  If she held her head high so can I.

I find folklore, fables, and mythologies and I see the wisdom of cultures around the world.  I drink in what they have to offer hoping I can grow to be the sage or the hero rather than the fool.  I learn about Martin Luther King, Jr and Gandhi and the power of non-violence.  I seek out books on the people who have overcome adversity of all different types.  I devour them hoping to take in something of their strength and resilience and goodness.

Later, as a teen I discover the power of research when I develop asthma and though we do not have access to decent medicines I learn, through books, how to do self-relaxation in order to control the natural panic response when an attack comes.  I learn if I can control panic and find a way to physically relax the breath comes easier.

I go to books for comfort, for solace, for information.  I do not not know there are people who prescribe books with intent to help others in the way I have been seeking out.  I won't know that until I am in college and a professor assigns a reading having to do with bibliotherapy.  It resonates with me.  I know in my bones this is a useful tool because I know the hope I found in biographies, the escape I found in fiction, the health I found in research.

Now I am in my forties.  I run two urban elementary libraries.  I see children every day who live in poverty, who lack a parent, who see violence in their homes. A first grader demands, "I need a happy family book."  I am currently helping another student, with a promise to a subsequent one for help.  I gesture to indicate just a moment.  When I am done with the first student I am asked, "Where are the happy family books?" Again, I let this student know waiting turns is important so I can help everyone.

When I finish and turn to her I meet her eyes and ask what she is looking for.  "Miss, can I have a happy family book?"  I am a little perplexed so I ask if there is a particular character or a certain story she is thinking of.  She looks me in the eye with a mixture of both expectant hope and deep need.  "Miss, I'd really like a book about families that are happy....because mine is not.  Do you have any?" she asks as if there is a whole happy family sub-genre under fantasy literature.

I am instantly struck.  I must find an excellent book for this child.  I pause a moment to let my brain catch up with my heart and then bend down to smile and say, "Follow me."  I see the flame of hope flicker more brightly in this first grader persistent enough to keep asking until her need was met.  We arrive at an often neglected corner shelf which contains one of my favorite authors, one I discovered when my children were young, one who is gentle and hopeful in his stories without being saccharine.  I kneel down, my little friend crawls in next to me.  I search the shelf and retrieve the book I was looking for.  Eyes meet again as I tell her, "This is a story about a little mouse girl who has some things which upset her.  Her parents and a teacher at school are loving and kind and help her find ways to feel better about things.  Does that sound like the kind of book you might like to read?"  Her face lights up, she nods vigorously and takes the book from my hands.  She sighs in relief and I see tension in her shoulders ease.

We walk together to my computer so I can check the book out to her.  I tell her this book is one of my favorites and I liked to read it to my children when they were little.  She beams again.  I ask her to tell me what she thinks when she brings it back, to tell me if she liked it or if she didn't; either answer is just fine because knowing her opinion will help me find just the right books for her.  She clutches the book to her chest as she agrees to report back then joins her classmates lining up to leave.

Just before exiting she turns back and says unprompted and with the kind of gratitude that keeps you warm on the coldest of days, "Thank you so much for helping me find this book, Miss."

That's my job.  That's why I'm here, sweetie.

Not Leaving This Child Behind

You, my little second grade friend, are more than any results of any standardized test.  You may have trouble with controlling your impulses or sitting still and you may have a terrible time on a computerized test.  You may have been the one second grader who took two hours when everyone else took 45 minutes.  Still, you are so much more than that test, which brought you nearly to tears and a meltdown.  It's incredibly unjust that you are subjected to this utter nonsense.  This test demonstrates more about the failure of an educational system demolished by foolhardy bureaucrats looking for soundbites to sell solutions to problems they know absolutely nothing about than it demonstrates your ability to read and comprehend.

Do you want to know what you are?

You are wonder.  You are delight over rolling a new multisyllabic word around your mouth and grinning ear to ear when you remember what it means.  You are the fun of wandering through the stacks of the library just to see what's there and what catches your eye.  You are the curiosity of wanting to know the whys and wherefores of the world.

You are enthusiasm.  You are the light of shared love of Go, Dog, Go! and the feigned indignation that such a wonderful book should not be included in our library.  You are the happy exploration of other books you've never heard of because you are confident that since we both love the same book I must have good taste and give worthy recommendations.

You are humor.  You are silly jokes and wry smiles and easy laughter.  You are a mischievous imp who will try to make adults laugh to avoid repercussions from minor offenses and to deflect from what you see as your own deficiencies.

You are anticipation.  You are the hope that a popular book has finally been returned to the library so you can have a turn.  You are excitement over Christmas, and summer vacation, and just to make my heart melt.....over library day.

You are perseverance.  You are taking so much more time than your classmates.  You are squinting at a screen agonizing over one brief passage.  You are blinking back tears at having little idea what the squiggles are saying. You are continuing to try even after everyone else has gone to listen to the stories I wanted you to hear because they affirm a person's worth even if that person struggles.  You are a hand waving in the air to signal you have finally finished.  You are a look of relief tinged with disappointment, frustration and fear.

I want you to know you are so much more than one stupid score mandated by state and federal regulations and enforced by administrators who can barely find their asses with their own hands.  I want to see the lights of wonder, enthusiasm, humor, and anticipation shine in your eyes again.  I want to give you whatever meager offerings I have to help you find the perseverance you will need for years to come.  I want to remind you that things containing written words can still give you joy rather than torment.

I give you a high five.  I tell you I am proud of how hard you worked and for how long you did so.  I whisper in your ear asking if you can keep a secret.  When you nod I tell you YOU will be the only student who is allowed to chose books from the cart of brand new books I have been working hard to process for inclusion in the library, the cart everyone has been drooling over all week.

I watch your smile broaden and your eyes light up.  You consider your choice carefully. You go for the gusto and ask if you may have two of the most coveted books on the cart.  I nod and see you beam as you take your place in line to check out,

You are now the envy of your classmates rather than one to be left behind.  You struggle to hold the books because they are large and heavy.  I stoop to help you arrange them.  You clutch them to your chest and grin as you tell me...

You are a bibliophile.

A Choice

Once upon a time when I was  a teenager my best friend at the time invited me to go camping for a week with her family.  Her twin brother also had a friend go along.  Their family went camping at the same lake every summer for years and years.

They were fortunate enough to have a boat as well, hence the choice of the large lake as the venue.  The favorite boat related activities were fishing and water-skiing.  I had never water-skied before and was anxious to try this activity since it looked like a lot of fun to skim gracefully across the surface of the water.

The first day out on the boat my friend and her twin brother took turns showing the brother's friend and me how it was done.  They each strapped on the skis, leaned back in the water and waited for the boat to pull them up and out before they glided effortlessly.   Then it was time for the brother's friend.  He tried a couple of times and declared it was too hard.  Finally, it would be my chance.  I was a little nervous since the assessment of the other novice was not favorable but I was undaunted.

I slid into the water awkwardly tumbled around between the life vest and the skis as I struggled to get the skis on my feet.  Once strapped together I flailed like a wounded seal trying to reach the tow rope bar.  I was instructed to sit back in the water with the tips of my skis above the water line.  When the boat started I was to keep leaning back and let it pull me up and out while continuing to lean as if getting ready to sit in a chair but to hold on tight.  I was told the boat would do the work.

My friend's father opened up the throttle, revved the motor and took off.  I popped right out of the water, stood straight up, and within a nanosecond was on my face in the water.  Having failed at remaining upright I was determined to hold on tight.....as the boat continued to tear across the lake.  This was the only goal in which I succeeded....to my own detriment and the great amusement of my friend's family.

Once the boat slowed to a stop and the water ran out of my ears I could hear the raucous laughter.  Once the laughing ebbed my friend's father asked with incredulity, "Why didn't you let go when you fell? "  I told him I didn't want to be left behind (plus, what I lack in skill, I make up for in tenacity).  He roared with laughter again before assuring me they could see if I fell and they'd circle around to pick me up again, not to worry.  Just let go.

I had to let go of the the rope, fear of being left behind, and the desire to be seen as competent, otherwise I'd be dragged mercilessly through the water taking a worse beating than the fall itself provided.  I did not have to let go of the hope of being able to water ski.  My friend's family was patient with me and coached me through dozens of more attempts before I finally found the balance needed to pop up and out of the water and stay up to enjoy the ride.  I had to transfer my tenacity from a death grip on the tow line to perseverance in repeated effort and refinement of technique.

Decades later I am still a stubborn person inclined to just hold on tight through whatever difficulty comes my way and just grind through it. I know that comes as a terrible shock to all of you. 

School has been incredibly frustrating since the beginning of the year.  It's an urban school district.  I knew that going in.  Last year I worked in far less than optimal circumstances, without even an adult-sized desk in one school, in a library chunked into classrooms, managing a collection that is embarrassingly inadequate in numerous ways, for abysmal pay.  I was willing to endure all that because I am passionate about libraries and getting books into the hands of kids. 

I started this year knowing I'd have to reshelve 10,000 books that had been boxed while a major work project took place over the summer.  I was undaunted.  I have argued with administrators about the purpose of a library.  I have had my meager resources pillaged for non-library purposes.  I have had my only computer turn into a doorstop and I have come up with plans B, C, and D as contingencies for that situation as well as other major hindrances to accomplishing my job.  I've done it without much assistance from anyone having the power to make a difference.

It's been completely frustrating.  At times it's been downright infuriating.  This past week there was a brief reprieve during in-service when all the other library paras came to my one school and we had some training followed by my receiving their assistance in getting some big things done that I had no free time to address.  It was an encouragement to be with folks who care about libraries and understand what goes in to keeping them running.  They are all facing similar challenges to those I deal with.  This past week we also found out the central administration is not done yet with its plans to make life increasingly difficult for those of us working in the libraries.  We were all demoralized by the news.  We all know we cannot possibly do our jobs adequately with the new burdens placed upon us.  Our libraries will deteriorate significantly under the new mandates. 

Being the tenacious and stubborn person I am I was trying to figure out how to make it work.  How to keep holding on through this rough ride.  Given that my back is still fouled up I was struggling to come up with workable answers.  I felt I was coming to a breaking point.  Something had to give.

Then, as I wandered around a store I literally saw a sign reading:

Let Go or Be Dragged

Like being determined to waterski, I am determined to bring books and kids together.  I may just need to let go of this alleged opportunity for doing so, pursue other avenues, and trust that I will have greater success in so doing.  I won't leave this job until I have another but I have decided to be more active in looking now rather than waiting until the end of the school year.


I just hate that the kids I leave behind will still be dragged along by a system led by fools.

Banned Books Week 2013

It's Banned Books Week this week. According to the American Library Association these are the top ten books which were challenged in 2012.  The ALA defines a challenge as "... a formal, written complaint, filed with a library or school requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness."

1.  Captain Underpants (series), by Dav Pilkey.
   Reasons: Offensive language, unsuited for age group
2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie.
   Reasons: Offensive language, racism, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group
3. Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher.
   Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, sexually explicit, suicide, unsuited for age group
4. Fifty Shades of Grey, by E. L. James.
   Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit
5. And Tango Makes Three, by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson.
   Reasons: Homosexuality, unsuited for age group
6. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini.
   Reasons: Homosexuality, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit
7. Looking for Alaska, by John Green.
   Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group
8. Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz
   Reasons: Unsuited for age group, violence
9. The Glass Castle, by Jeanette Walls
   Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit
10. Beloved, by Toni Morrison
    Reasons: Sexually explicit, religious viewpoint, violence

I can tell you right now, Captain Underpants and Scary Stories are among the most popular titles to be checked out by the kids in my libraries.  I wish we had more copies of both.  Do I believe parents have a right to determine if materials are suitable for their own children?  Absolutely, I think parents should be doing so.  That does not extend to other people's children though. The job of a library and the job of a parent are two entirely different things.  The library's job is to make sure materials are available to those who seek access.  The parents' job is to set the standards for their own family. 

Does that mean I am going to order Fifty Shades of Grey for my elementary school libraries?  Of course not.  E. L. James did not write the book intending it for children.  And though part of my job is weeding the collection of old, worn, hopelessly dated, or now inaccurate non-fiction books and though that is partly subjective I cannot exclude a book simply because I find it personally objectionable.

Sometimes You CAN Judge a Book by Its Cover

We've all heard the adage that you can't do such a thing but I've been weeding several libraries managed by others the last couple of weeks.  This week it was time to turn a critical eye on the collection in one of my libraries.  Believe me, I already knew there were some awful books that should go after seeing the collection last year.  Since I started in the middle of the year and worked without supervision or much direction until the very end of the year (when I was just keeping my head above water before surgery) I didn't know what kind of latitude I had with regard to deciding when a book should go.  Obvious cases like irreparable damage, mold, waterlogged pages, or missing pages were no-brainers.  I was more reluctant about the books which were in generally acceptable shape but were either obviously dated (a book about the worldwide web from 1997, anyone?) or languishing on the shelves for decades.

The new supervisor gave very clear guidelines and warned the principals they'd be seeing significant piles of books removed from shelves.  She said if we removed the books dictated by her standards the collection that remained would look brighter and more inviting.  She was right.  I dispensed with 165 books in the non-fiction collection alone.  That was a very cursory weeding wherein all I did was pick out the ones that looked ancient and worn.  Were I to actually go through book by book and check the copyright or edition dates I could probably remove nearly that number again.  As it is, 88 of the books I did delete are older than I am.  Ladies and gentlemen, pause to read that sentence again.  I was born during the Johnson Administration.  That's how long some of these books have been collecting dust...and that's no exaggeration, I checked the circulation stats on every book I deleted.  Some of them had no record of leaving the library in ten years or more.  None had left the library in at least 5 years.

Allow me to share some of the more....fascinating....examples of library weeds.

This book actually was not old or damaged.  It also had never been checked out.  Call me crazy but I don't see many kindergarten through 5th grade students having a pressing need to research such technicalities as what to do when "a serve that has landed in the proper court bounces and strikes a Line Umpire. The receiver asks that a let be called on the ground that the receiver was hindered in playing the ball because it struck the Line Umpire," as outlined on page 153 in the Line Umpire regulations.  It's a bit absurd that this takes up shelf space when the kids are begging for high interest books about their favorite sports teams and athletes, of which we have only twenty year old books about baseball teams.  No football, no basketball, no hockey.  And don't start me on Mary Lou Retton and the New Gymnasts.  New?  Really?  I'm betting a couple of the athletes in that book have new knees by now.

Here we have a couple of books from the entertainment section.  Electronic Games featuring a cover shot of Space Invaders.  I can recall being in Junior High and playing Pong as I longed to have an Atari system on which to play Space Invaders.  I can't imagine a single student in my school who would find that even remotely entertaining when they can grab mom's or dad's iPhone to play Angry Birds.  And the Battlestar Gallactica...yeah, that's not from the revival.  It's from the original series back in the early 80s.  I'm zapping both books.

Here's an enriching set of biographies. Sly Stallone is not only not a sought after biography but the book had several pages stuck together by some unidentifiable substance.  Maybe Rocky spilled his raw eggs.  The Nixon biography was written during his first administration.  Seriously, pre-Watergate?  The really shocking part of this book being in the library is that around a decade ago when circulation was automated by the inclusion of barcode labels, someone held this book in his or her hands, looked at it, and thought, "Yeah, this is a good book to keep around."  This should  have been weeded back in the 70s in favor of a book including his second term.  If not then, certainly a new one should have been acquired after the man died.  Finally, we have OJ Simpson.  No, just no....children, we will not be reading something presenting this character as a great man.





One might think an arts and crafts book would be less problematic because it's just about creativity.  Creating with Burlap though?  Oh yeah, there's a craft I am sure the kids will be excited about.  I can just see some little kid running home and begging mom to go buy burlap for fun.  Nothing gets the creative juices flowing like itchy brown fabric.

And last but certainly not least I have these two anachronistic presentations.  I Am the Darker Brother: an anthology of modern poems by Negro Americans and George Washington Carver: Negro Scientist.  Both of these books are older than I am.  Again, shortly after we entered the 21st century someone held these two books in hand and decided they were appropriate for a current elementary school library in the inner city, slapped a barcode on them, and added them to the online catalog.   Now, there may be some excellent poetry in the anthology and GWC is certainly an admirable and noteworthy scientist but I think the terminology used by the authors/editors needs to be reflective of the greatness and not so horrendously dated.  Time for some updated titles dealing with the same content in a more culturally appropriate manner.

Summer Reading

This summer I've been chewing through books like an industrial paper shredder so I thought I'd share the reviews I've put up over at Goodreads.com in case anyone needs some suggestions.

This book was sent to me by a friend shortly after I received my initial cancer diagnosis.  She was one of the people who understood my sick brand of humor in dealing with such news and thought I'd enjoy this book.  I saved it for the times when I knew I'd be most scared and need a laugh more than ever.  It did not disappoint.

Lawson mines her completely bizarre upbringing and resulting mental health issues along with various life traumas for total comedic effect. When I read Augusten Burroughs' memoirs I felt like some sort of sick voyeur and failed to see his brand of humor. Jenny Lawson however, is just plain funny. How funny? Funny enough that as I sat in a cancer hospital awaiting an appointment to tell me how we'd be addressing my own malignancy I sat in the waiting room laughing hard enough to convulse silently with tears running down my cheeks at some of what this woman had written. If you can make me laugh that hard when I am in that scary a context you deserve five stars and more. Hats off to Jenny Lawson for not only being funny but having a point in the end about accepting where you came from so you can move forward and even return to find the value in the bizarre.

 This book was recommended by Logophile.  If I needed very much to laugh before surgery this book helped me cry (in a healthy cathartic way) after surgery.  

This should be required reading for medical students. Doctors should pass this out free to patients facing either chronic or life-threatening illness. Remen shares stories of her own illness and stories of patients with whom she has walked through peaks and valleys of their health battles. There is a very personal touch here allowing her to reach her goal of this being a story telling session at the kitchen table with a trusted friend.

Remen shows respect for both patients and doctors as vulnerable human beings because she has been on both sides, in fact still was as of the writing of this book. There is hope that connection and honesty about mutual vulnerability layered with dignity and respect promotes healing in ways more than physical and that it is all tied together.

I read this one concurrently with the last book on the recommendation of a yoga teacher who has gone through serious illness.

I think it will take me a while to process this and sift out my final opinion of it but there are certainly a great many valuable concepts here for those facing either chronic or life-threatening illness. I've read some criticisms saying this book reduces illness to a blame the victim stance. Since Siegel is exploring the mind-body connection and part of the process involves patients processing why they "needed" a particular disease in order to make the changes necessary to live more fully I can see why some folks would respond to this book in that way. However, I do think it is ultimately hopeful in that it empowers a person to see they are not passive recipients of either disease or cure, that one can participate in and influence one's own outcome.

 By the time I finished the above books I was heading to the beach and needed something with a completely different tone.  This mystery written by Coopernicus fit the bill quite nicely.

I'm not typically a reader of mysteries but I quite enjoyed this one. Chynna Lennox does not quit and I couldn't stop reading. Cooper creates a crew of realistically flawed main characters and truly deviant villains. Even with the villains he provides more than flat explanations for their deviance which allows the reader to view the horror they perpetrate as not just gratuitous plot twists but the consequences of being caught in a tragic downward spiral. On the other hand, Lennox and her friends battle their demons and though we know those demons will not back down any time soon the reader knows, neither will this gritty protagonist

 After a mystery I was ready to laugh again but have some food for thought as well.  Lewis Black worked well.

While the title suggests Black has little faith and though he lays out his gripes against various organized religions he does reveal his own brand of faith, which merely has little to do with dogma. I know plenty of very theologically conservative people who would react as he describes a former classmate's reaction (a letter seeking to lay out the evangelical Christian road to heaven). I'd like instead to see them actually read this book and consider some of what Black says because whether one agrees with his conclusion or not it provokes thought and gives some good laughs in the process. Though I do adhere to significantly more orthodox belief than Black does I fully agree with him when he says we all need more thought and more laughter in our lives. Furthermore, I contend that being angered or threatened by mere differing viewpoints is indication that one actually lacks faith in whatever point of views they are most rabidly "defending."

 Since I feel the need to make some changes in my own life. I am a great fan of A.J. Jacobs and his willingness to engage radically with the ideas he chooses to explore. In this volume his quest is to become the healthiest man alive. He experiments with various diets, exercise programs, and other life-style modifications which remove toxins from his environment, change the way he does his desk job, and gets him meditating. He offers up the evidence provided for each change he makes, often tries out conflicting philosophies, and tracks his own reactions and progress. During the two year project he loses his 94 year old grandfather and an aunt in her 60s (a woman extremely devoted to an organic lifestyle). Jack LaLanne also dies in the process of Jacobs trying to schedule an interview with him.  These events provide further grist for the mill as he considers what it best.

What I appreciate most is that though Jacobs gets extreme in his experimentation he ultimately seeks a middle road, a sense of balance in life. This is also not a how-to book written by some guru who lives up in the ether somewhere. Jacobs starts out as a self-described semi-squishy guy simply looking to get healthier so he can stick around longer for his family. In the end he has made significant improvements to his health and found what works best for him in terms of creating habits that keep him well but don't distance him from those he loves. Along the way he shares his frustrations, successes, and insights in an authentic way.

I know I am late to the party with this book but I finally got around to reading it after it languished in my "to read" pile for a long time.


This memoir is rich with lessons borne from self-examination and a willingness to enter into the world of another when Simon agrees to spend a year riding the city buses with her sister Beth, who has mental retardation. By engaging in the routines of her sister, Simon gains insight into not only her sister's thinking but her own. The result is a discovery of an unexpected but loving community as well as greater understanding of her sister. Perhaps the greatest lesson for Simon and all of us is just being willing to take a journey and be open to wherever it may lead, those we encounter along the way, and what we can learn from our fellow travelers. Beautifully told.

This was a good, fun, easy read while sitting on the beach.

Tougias gives a gently humorous reminiscence of his early years owning a very rustic cabin in very rural Vermont. He shares how his attitude changed from wanting to conquer his environment to wanting to learn from it and peacefully co-exist. It's a brief but sweetly unpretentious modern-day "Walden."  

 I really enjoyed the last run of books and I knew I'd eventually hit a clunker.  For me, this was the book to end the run though someone else may enjoy it more.

Oppenheimer was a verbally precocious child who had a a serious mean streak (in fact he went so far as to cause a friend's father to be investigated by police after a false accusation) and few friends as a result of that combo. In junior high he found the debate club to be his saving grace in allowing an outlet for his argumentative ways and an opportunity to make friends. Through high school and college being on a debate team was a major part of his life. Oppenheimer obviously has a great facility with words but for a fellow so willing to let us know about his prowess as a debater he never persuaded me to care very much about his story or demonstrate that beyond the debating arena he ever learned to apply the lessons his mentors sought to impart. He just comes across as a privileged brat who can't get his head out of his own ass. A solid "Meh."

 After that I needed to have my faith in humanity restored.  Kate Braestrup did so wonderfully.

Braestrup was married to a Maine police officer who planned to leave the force to become a minister. Instead he was killed in a car accident and she went on to become a chaplain to the Maine Game Warden Service. She explains why the Game Wardens might need a chaplain (lots of dangerous or upsetting search and rescue missions), how she arrived there, and what she does.

At no time does she descend into maudlin sentimentality or an overestimation of her significance but neither does she shy away from sharing her own pain or that which she witnesses, nor does she underestimate the power of simply listening to people. It seems she strikes a beautiful balance both in life and in writing by just bearing compassionate witness to the complexity of both tragedy and triumph along with a dash of gently self-effacing humor. 

The Power of Books

I am in fourth grade.  We have a period in our school day called SSR, sustained silent reading.  For fifteen minutes a day we are all, including the teacher, to be reading for pleasure.  We are allowed to choose any book we want, even a comic book.  The teacher sets a timer to let us know when our time is up. 

I look forward to SSR every single day.  It's part of what is keeping me sane this year because the teacher is a nightmare.  I've never gotten in trouble in school.  I am careful to do my homework and turn it in.  I get good grades.  For some reason though this teacher has it out for me and for about three other girls in class.  He looses our homework and makes us re-do it.  He accuses us of misbehavior when we are behaving.  He makes nasty comments at every turn. 

SSR is my chance to retreat into some pages and find relief. I may only be nine years old but books have been my refuge for a long time already.  It's easy to get lost in the world between the pages and I often do.  This is something encouraged by both my parents.  They regard it as a good thing.

Two years ago I discovered a biography of Helen Keller.  I was amazed by her teacher Anne Sullivan who was able to reach into a world of silence and darkness and anger and rescue a little girl who had no way to make herself understood before.  I was impressed by Helen's determination to overcome once she understood there was a world of words at her disposal.  It gave me hope that I could deal with whatever problems I had because mine certainly weren't nearly so challenging. 

This year I have found biographies about Martin Luther King, Jr. and Harriet Tubman.  They are more people who overcame more than I ever imagined could happen to a person.  I read about how Dr. King was able to allow himself to be mistreated without striking back in order to make his message be heard and to demonstrate the rightness of it.  I learn his powerful words that challenge us to our best selves.  I read about Harriet Tubman's bravery to not only escape the abuse of slavery but courage to walk back to it in order to bring others out.  I learn she could not read books but she could read people and nature and she did not allow her deficiency to define her.

I read all of these things during SSR, during the respite from harsh words and taunting words and what I will one day learn are entirely unprofessional and inexcusable words.  I am lost in my book, inspired, refreshed, strengthened, when I hear more words.  "Miss Lime... Miss LIME....MISS LIME.  Well class, I suppose we'll just move on to math class without her since Miss Lime can't seem to be bothered to join us.  She's too involved in her books."  His last word drips with disdain before he lets loose with a derisive cackle with the class joining him.  When his words and laughter register I feel a fleeting moment of shame before I remember the character and lessons of my true teachers in between the pages of my books.  This man and his methods are unworthy of my embarrassment.

Friday 55-Lost

FRIDAY 55

One cannot have a new book.

He has lost one.

He lashes out.

What's going on?

I'm very sad...

my dad is in jail.

 

Another cannot have a new book.

She has lost two.

Where?

At my old house.

Her teacher says the mother died.

A lost book is nothing

next to a lost parent.

So many of the students in my schools have stories like this.  That even two of them have such stories is heartbreaking.  That there are so many as to render it somewhat commonplace is almost too much for the imagination or the heart.  When I was interviewed for this job I said one of my goals was to make the library a safe and nurturing place for the students.  More than ever I strive toward that end.

Friday 55-Bibliophiles

FRIDAY 55

I start my morning duties 

in the cafeteria.

Some kids wave 

 across the room.

Others run for a hug.

Some sheepishly admit 

they forgot their books.

Others tell me 

they love their books.

I end my day

in the library.

Some kids scowl.

Another cries.

When they refused to behave

I took away the books.

Sick of my tales of library misbehavior yet?  Two classes found out today that even if their teachers are willing to put up with mayhem I am not (and I have yet to see the class I described last week again).  Today's shenanigans involved first graders and third graders.  The first graders seemed to think the shelves were monkey bars.  The third graders were running all over their substitute teacher and were so loud it was impossible for the class on the other side of the partition to hear their teacher.  Both classes found out I am not messing around and I will make good on my threats.  I felt bad for the very few well-behaved kids in each class.

I'll hold them accountable but I won't hold grudges.  One little fellow who had an issue a few weeks ago has settled down nicely and likes to come tell me about his pet and what he liked about his books.  I only have about 20 minutes with each class.  It's not a lot of time to build rapport with 1400 individual kids but I try to at least address them each by name and give them each a smile with eye contact.  If I have an extra moment I try to engage them about whichever book they chose or ask them to tell me about their favorite part when they bring it back.  I remind them to be bibliophiles every day.  It's a little victory every time a kid sees me in the hall or cafeteria and points at me while shouting, "Bibliophile!"

And as much as I hated to do it, depriving a few unruly kids of books for one rotation and seeing them unhappy about that gives me more hope that they will learn what they need to learn than seeing a kid come into a library with 11,000 books and tell me there is nothing there he is interested in.

Non-Contractual Benefits

I am settling into my new job.  Because I am shared by two schools and book circulation has only recently begun it may take another couple weeks before I work out the bugs in the system and know for sure things are working in the best possible way.  However, I have already had some really wonderful experiences that I didn't expect to occur already.  Allow me to share.

Between two schools I see nearly 1400 students.  I taught every class, from kindergarten to 5th grade, the word bibliophile.  I had one Spanish-speaking student attack the word logically guessing it had to do with books because biblioteca means library.  I was impressed with his reasoning.  I had another fellow correctly define it then admit sheepishly he found out from a student I'd seen earlier in the day.  I told him I admired his resourcefulness and high-fived him for learning it ahead of time.  I think he was surprised that I did not chastise him.  I had exactly one student who knew what it meant without hearing from another student.  I made a big deal about her knowing the word.  I loved seeing each of these kids beam over the joy of knowledge.

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I giggle to myself every time one of the younger kids sees me in the hall and either waves at me or pokes a neighbor in line to say, "That's the library lady!"

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At one school I have morning cafeteria duty during the time breakfast is served to early students.  Three days after I began circulation I reported to the cafeteria.  Moments after arriving a girl ran toward me and threw her arms around me before looking up and exclaiming, "I REALLY like the book I picked out!  I'm not finished with it yet but it's sooooo good!  Thank you!!!"

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I love when a student asks if we have a certain book or books on a certain topic and I can put exactly what is wanted into a kid's hands. The look of victory or relief or joy on a young face makes my heart quicken.

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Today I had a 5th grader check out a Shel Silverstein book.  I have long been a fan of Uncle Shelby.  This girl came up to me when there was a lull between check-outs.   She asked shyly if she could discuss a poem in the book. 

Absolutely, kiddo!  Which one?

Monsters I've Met.  (She reads the poem to me)  I don't really think the poet means just like the kinds in our imagination.  I think he means real people who maybe act like monsters sometimes.  What do you think?

I think that is the wonderful thing about poetry.  It has so  many meanings on so many levels.  And I think you are very perceptive to pick that up.

She left with the biggest grin.

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So I have a rotten commute.  I get paid not very much.  But I get some really awesome benefits that can't be quantified.  I get to see kids become excited about books and all the ideas contained therein.

I Have a Confession to Make

Last week I brought attention to Banned Books Week.  However, I must admit...I have been a book burner in the past.  It's a confession I made six years ago but in the interest of full disclosure I think it's important for my current readers to know the story.


As much as I love books and value intellectual freedom, there is one book so heinous, so dark, so atrocious in every way that I felt I had to burn it. It was the cause of such suffering and needless heartache I had no other recourse. Even though that dark chapter in my life was over so many years ago, I am remorseless enough about it that I'd do it again given the chance.

I read the book cover to cover. I did not come to my decision lightly or merely as a result of secondhand information. I did seek others to join me in casting copies of the book into the bonfire. I actively encouraged others to gather whatever copies of this horrendous volume they could find in order to offer them to the flames. You may be happy to know that I failed in my endeavor to gain partners in this destruction. I was undaunted in my determination to rid myself and others of this scourge of a book.

Alone in my fury, I prepared the altar upon which this wretched text should be offered. My hatred for the book grew as the flames lept higher. I cackled in maniacal pleasure as I fed the fire a leaf at a time. I was going to enjoy every second of this book burning. I slowly ripped each page from the book, dropped it into the blaze and watched in glee as the flames consumed it. I savored each moment until finally I had only the cover left. I stoked the fire and finally tossed in the cover. I felt a burden lift from my shoulders and sighed deeply in relief....




Never again would I suffer through my college statistics textbook!

Banned Books Week

I grew up with a father whose feelings on censorship boiled down to one sentence.  "If someone tries to ban a book or tells me I am not allowed to read it I immediately go buy a copy and read it."  In my own childhood I remember the debate about a book of Uncle Remus stories he bought for me as a young child.  My mother banned it from her house because of the racial overtones and the colloquial speech she thought was a terrible grammatical example.  I had to keep it at my father's house.  I can remember many weeks enjoying sitting with him while he read to me of the Tar Baby, the briar patch, and the antics and Brer Rabbit and his cohorts.  It introduced me to the wonder that is folklore and how people from different backgrounds may have similar themes in their stories but expressed differently.  Plus there are some precious  memories of reading with my dad.

It's already half way through the week but I'd like to draw attention to it anyway.  It's dedicated to celebrating the freedom to read by drawing attention to those books that have faced documented challenges to remove them from library shelves or classrooms.  There are several variations of lists of banned books. 

The most challenged books of 2011

The most challenged books of the decade 2000-2009

The most challenged classics

As I look over the books on the list a certain themes jump out at me.  I see an awful lot of books with stories involving characters with messy lives.  Guess what.  Life is messy.  Even if you go looking for a fairy tale ending in your reading the characters face some pretty awful situations.  It's part of what makes that happy ending so gratifying.  If it's a book without a particularly happy ending it may just be making some important social commentary.  How many people pick up a book to read with a story that goes like this, "Once upon a time there was a perfectly happy person with not a care in the world.  Her life was completely joyous and fulfilling in every way and she never had any hard times.  She met the perfect man.  They had 2 perfect children.  When they reached the ripe old age of 105 they died in each other's arms in their sleep."  Really?  Would that sell?  There's no tension.  Tension is what makes a story.  Sometimes that tension is ugly.  Think of our own lives.  The hard times have been ugly.  Sometimes we have responded well and other times we have responded shamefully....because we are human.  Even Superman has kryptonite. When you read a novel or even a memoir I'm willing to bet you want to read about human beings who face real life situations, not who lived charmed lives. 

I also see books that may espouse viewpoints that differ from the majority whether it's a political, religious, or cultural value.  I tend to think it's good to at least occasionally read opinions that challenge our own.  It stretches us to consider why we hold the belief we do.  Self-examination is a good thing.  If we are intellectually honest we can handle differing opinions, learn from them, and either have a stronger point from which to defend our views or...gasp...we may change our opinion in light of new information we never considered before.

Other books simply reflect the tines in which they were written or in which the story takes place.  It's dishonest to pretend that racism, sexism, and other forms hatred don't exist and haven't been expressed in ugly terms in various times and places.  If a story is set in those places or times it's appropriate to reflect it with accuracy.  Why are certain prominent Holocaust survivors so vocal about remembering what happened?  So they can wallow in bitterness?  No, so those who would deny such atrocities occurred would be countered with first person accounts and the world would not forget so we may learn and not repeat that horrific chapter of history.

Does all this mean you have to love all the books on the list?  No.  I have by no means read all of them.  I have read a great many.  Some have become cherished to me.  Others I really didn't enjoy at all.  But I chose to read them and I formed my own opinion of them.  I did not take the opinion of other people who were trying to decide whether or not I should have access to them at all.  I was able to make that choice because I had access to the books either through a public or school library.  I did not have to risk abuse or arrest because I chose to read books banned and removed from libraries and stores by some righteous reading brigade.  You think that doesn't happen in the world?  Go find a copy of Reading Lolita in Tehran.

I'd also suggest you find a book on one of the lists that you have never read before and settle in with a copy of it.  Celebrate that you have the freedom to do so.

Book 'Em

Cooper has tagged me with a book-related meme.  I'm supposed to list my five favorite books.  I've been tagged with varieties of this before and I gotta tell ya..it can't be whittled down to just five.  If you want to see lists and rationales for the books that have had the biggest impact on me you can go check these posts.  They all contain either reviews or synopses of books I've been struck by.

Swiped from Suldog
More Books
Thoughts
Book Meme
How Random Do I Have to Be?

Ok, so if that's not enough I guess I'll come up with some more.  Since the first two posts up there detail 15 books that had a lasting effect on me  I count those more or less as favorites.  Since this award is for those who refuse to live in the real world and since I can't ever follow rules in memes I will list books I found to most effectively transport me to another place.  Granted, any engaging book will suffice as evidenced here but these are books that leap to mind most readily.

1. The Little Prince by Antoine de St. Exupery.  Yep, this is on the list in that first link so I'm already breaking my own rule.  Guess what?  Too bad.  This book will pretty much be on any list of favorite, great, or escapist books whether for adults of children.  I first read it in third year French class.  At a time when I was getting the message from most of the people around me that my perspective was wrong, this book affirmed my outlook.  That which is essential is invisible to the eyes...

2. The Reading Promise by Alice Ozma.  I just read this about a month ago.  This book about a librarian dad reading every single night, without fail, to his daughter from the time she was nine until she went to college is a wonderful testament to the power of books in a child's life.  It reminded me of how books were both an emotional refuge and an informational resource for me growing up.

3. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.  I enjoyed this far more than I enjoyed the Kite Runner.  Like that book this is set in Afghanistan and Hosseini certainly transported me there.  It's a tragic story in more ways than not but I was very much drawn in and emotionally involved with the characters.

4. Lamb by Christopher Moore.  This imagining of Christ's unaccounted for years is both hilarious and touching as told by the Messiah's best friend Biff.  It's a perfect balance between being totally escapist and yet thought provoking as it ponders how Jesus came to be prepared for his years of ministry.  Irreverent and funny but not mocking.  Just go read it.

5. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.  I never read this until a few years ago.  I loved it.  I wished the American Lit teacher I had in high school had included this on our reading list as opposed to all the horrendously depressing works he opted for (I'm still convinced he hoped the culminating class activity would be suicide en masse).  It's a beautifully told story about the power of respect and the tragedy of failing to cultivate respect.







6. The poetry of William Butler Yeats, Pablo Neruda, and Dorothy Parker. Ok, so I'm not listing specific collections of their work but I have a few and I quite enjoy them...and this is my rendering of the meme so there.

Bibliophilia

I'm currently reading Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman.  I'm enjoying it but I'm not even halfway through.  Fadiman suggests there are two types of book lovers.  There are courtly lovers who treasure the physical properties as much as the intellectual content of a book.  As such they are utterly horrified by dog-earing, laying a book face-down and splayed open to save a spot, writing in margins, and other forms of mutilation (Fadiman even recounts the story of a friend who would not use overly thick bookmarks).  There are also carnal lovers for whom marking up a page with one's own notes, carrying a book into a sauna, or even tearing out pages are expressions of consuming love unconcerned with maintaining the physical integrity of the book since it is only the ideas contained therein that matter.

Fadiman puts both feet firmly in the camp of being a carnal book lover as she describes the indelicacies of her treatment of bound volumes.  I am breathless at the carnage perpetrated upon her books.  Clearly, it would seem I am a courtly bibliophile.  Since infancy my children have been instructed in the proper care of books and they have had an extensive library at their disposal.  When they took books from the public library the rules became even stricter as to what was permitted.  Diana herself can tell you the story of months worth of drying the dishes for money to replace the library book she took to the tree house and left in a puddle overnight when she was about seven years old (At Chez Lime personal books were permitted in the yard but library books remained indoors).

That said, I have to confess my own carnal tendencies toward a few of my books which bear considerable underlining and margin notes.  As for Diana, even though she is a heavy underliner and note taker, I do believe she would recoil at the notion of ripping a page out of any book.  I would posit a third type of book lover.  The common book lover recognizes the value of physical integrity as a courtly lover but does not consume the book in the same destructive orgy as a carnal lover.  The common lover merely leaves his or her marks upon the book in a way that makes it even more personal and more beloved.

So now I ask all of you.  Are you courtly, common, or carnal lovers of books?  Do different books warrant different types of love? What are the marks of your love or the efforts you take to avoid marks out of love?

Hi I'm Lime...

...and I'm a book-aholic.

But I have no intention of entering any kind of program or counseling to change this addiction.  In fact, I recently joined the local library's "Friends" group so I can encourage the addiction.  I did this after going to the used book sale...twice...The first time was with a mere $20 in my pocket.  I reasoned I would be naturally limited in what I purchased as a result.  Oh, it's so much fun to live in my delusions. At $1 for hardcover books and 50 cents for paperbacks there were too many bargains to be had.  I just whipped out my checkbook.  All I can say is it's a good thing they don't accept credit cards.  Shoes and clothing hold no allure in shopping but I am not to be trusted with a credit card in a book store.

When I returned a couple of days later it was $4 a bag day.  I took my own bag, which was smaller than the bags they offer.  I still crammed it to overflowing.  I have 50 new-to-me books sitting on my dining room table waiting to be shelved (on shelves which have a decided lack of space).  This does not count the dozen children's books I purchased, some to give away, some to add to my own collection. (Yes, I collect Caldecott Winner and Honor books because even as a grown up I love a well done picture book and some day I will have grandchildren who need to be read to.  If my children never reproduce I will go out and find little people who need to be read to.)  In the den, I have an entire wall of shelves that are full.  I have a small shelf unit in the living room that is full.  My living room has stacks of books on the floor.  My night stand has more stacks of books. 

I dream of building my own house, not so I can have some huge mansion but so I can customize spots for all my books.  I'd make spots like this, or this, or this, or ooohh...this...and furnish the house with this, or this.

I found out the county library is considering moving one of its branches to across the street from my office.  I could indulge during lunch hour!  Oh happy day!

I am itching for my annual visit to Maryland so I can take a huge stack of books to chew through while I sit on the beach.

If loving books is wrong, I don't want to be right.