Family First

Due to a death in the family, pleasure reading is on hold for this weekend. 
Thank you to those who have reached out to me.  My family has experienced much loss over the past three years, and of members way too young to die. 
I appreciate all your love and support.
XOXO <3

Geek and Nerd Pride Day!

Yes, it's really a thing. 
If you aren't familiar with the physical WHHS LMC: we have a "today is" board on which we draw attention to some of the rather obscure holidays (we also do a word of the day).  Today is Memorial Day, and we honor those who have given their lives so that I can do things like write this blog freely.  But, it's also Geek and Nerd Pride Day!  In THAT honor...
I just finished Einstien's Dice and Schrodinger's Cat: How Two Great Minds Battled Quantum Randomness to Create a Unified Theory of Physics by Paul Halpern.  Wait, what?
Yes, it sounds like some seriously heavy reading full of theoretical physics.  Yes, there are some references that I needed to Google to understand, BUT it was more about the relationship between the two men.  We all know Albert Einstein.  But who is this Schrodinger guy?  If you are a "The Big Bang Theory" fan, you are well aware of this most famous experiment (which, I learned, never really happened, it was just a THEORY) now known as Schrodinger's Cat, exposing a cat to radiation and leaving said cat in a box (is the cat dead or alive?).  Sheldon, Penny, and Leonard of TBBT do a good job breaking that one down into colloquial terms, so I won't do it here.
Back to the book.  Einstein and Schrodinger were friends and collaborators working to define, well, everything.  The so-called God theory.  The theory of all that was, is, and will be.  At first they worked together, but rumors and gossip in the press ruined their friendship and pitted them against each other.  The public seemed to love Einstein, perhaps simply because he was more well known to start with, while distrusting of Schrodinger.  Schrodinger had a wife and live-in mistress (and perhaps there was more to that I won't get into here).  He switched political and religious affiliations and allegiances when it suited him and his career.  And he did that horrible experiment on a CAT! (Though not really.)
This one was recommended to me on Amazon based on prior searches.  I have no idea what I searched for that led to this one.  Unless it was the BAZINGA (Sheldon) shirt for my son?  Either way, I really liked this book.  If you are a science geek, definitely check this one out! 
Tweet what you're reading at #whhssummerread

Sometimes You Just Have to Put It Down...

As a former English teacher and now Library Media Specialist, saying this isn't easy.  But...sometimes you just have to say this book isn't for me.  It might be for you, but it isn't working for me and reading it is no longer enjoyable.  That happened to me with the latest book I picked up on a whim at WHPL.  I absolutely LOVED The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd.  It tells the story of the Grimke sisters and their slaves.  They are reluctant slave owners, born to be something they don't want to be!  Later they would become abolitionists and women's rights activists.  I also loved Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy, about four women during the Civil War.  I thought Mrs. Grant and Madame Jule by Jennifer Chiaverini would be along the same lines.  I am a huge Civil War buff and have visited Gettysburg and Manassas.  This book is a fictionalized account of the relationship between the future wife of General Grant and the slave she was given as a child.  I really wanted to like it!  It was just too slow for me!  The courtship of Ulysses Grant and Julia takes FOREVER.  I do love Miss Jule's "family" (she is of course no longer with her birth family as a slave).  I also liked Julia's father's character.  I just could not get over the forced feeling of the conversation between the young couple and between the slave and mistress.  Nope, sorry, just had to put this one down!
Remember to tweet what you're reading at #whhssummerread

Summer Reading Lists

Here's two summer reading lists you might find interesting:
Bill Gates' http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/bill-gates-reveals-summer-reading-list/story?id=31178175
Stephen King's http://www.ew.com/article/2011/05/27/stephen-king-my-summer-reading-list
Tweet what you read #whhssummerread

The Patmos Deception by Davis Bunn

UGH!!!  I was really ready to write a fabulous review of this book!!  I thought it was AMAZING...until the last 4 pages or so!!  Maybe someone out there would be OK with being left hanging in such a way, but in my opinion either the author didn't know which way to end it (and there are really 4 possible choices) or is paving the way for a sequel. It could also be going for a "The Lady or the Tiger" type personality test (what ending you think happens tells what kind of person you really are), but I can't be sure.
I picked this up on a whim while I was at WHPL.  My son had some of the Weird/Weirder/Weirdest School books on hold.  Since he's a big kid now, I wait downstairs while he goes up.  Breaks my heart in truth...
Anyway, I LOVE books like The DaVinci Code and its pre/sequels, The Hooked X, and The Lost Gospel.  I'm a sucker for anything about ancient history and yes, "Ancient Aliens" is one of my favorite shows.  I was intrigued by the description of stolen antiquities and where faith meets history.
The story is primarily set on a Greek island with a rich history in Roman, early Christian, and Muslim artifacts.  Without giving too much away, old "friends" Carey and Nick are thrown together with local fisherman/tourist boat driver Dimitri to uncover who is behind recent thefts of artifacts and perhaps is plotting to steal relics of John (of Biblical fame).
I am in total love with Dimitri's grandmother and Carey's grandmother.  They are phenomenal, well-developed characters and foil each other well. 
Now, about the ending.  If you had to chose between love, history, or faith....which would you chose?    
Remember to tweet what you are reading!  #whhssummerread

Garden of Lies by Amanda Quick

Just finished another new book from WHPL (remember if you put books on hold, when the order comes in, WH residents get it first): Garden of Lies by Amanda Quick.  I'm not a huge Romance genre fan, although I'll always pick up the latest Nora Roberts book, but I was intrigued by the description I read on Amazon of this one.
What would you do if your best friend, also one of your employees, died mysteriously?  The police say it was likely a heart attack, perhaps induced by a drug overdose.  Maybe an intentional overdose, a suicide?  You don't believe it one bit.  Would you try to get justice for your friend?
Ursula is a secretary in Victorian London.  She runs a secretarial firm, one of the few careers open to women.  When one of her employees dies, she begins to investigate, refusing to believe the police report.  The path leads her to an eccentric former archeologist, a man who was believed dead in a volcanic eruption, taken in by monkish weirdos, and converted to veganism.
Together, the unlikely partners set out to find the murderer, discovering American entanglements, drug production, and many more secrets on the way.
Definite surprise twist at the end.
Note brief sexual content.
Tweet what you're reading #whhssummerread

Miss Sam From WHPL Signing Kids Up For Library Cards!