Hello Loves! It's been awhile since my last post, so I wanted to check in!
Last week I had the summer list meeting for Nutmeg. 29 books whittled down to 4 (bug eyed emoji here!). We have one more rotation for October's meeting. Then each committee member makes a list of their top 20 from the final list. That will be November's debate.
I also received my next assignment for SLJ. It's one I've been wanting to read, so I'm happy about that. My first review got great feedback!
Those of you who completed summer reading should've received an invitation to our pizza party Friday. I'm supplying the pizza as a thank you!
Hopefully I'll be back to blogging reviews soon!
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Friday, September 9, 2016
I Work at a Public Library by Gina Sheridan
This book was a recommendation from a public youth librarian on the Nutmeg committee with me. Unless you (a student of mine) is considering a career in Library Science, this review is for my adult followers, especially those in LMS/ML(I)S fields.
Ask someone to describe a library and a librarian. Hushed voices, old books, glasses, bun, etc. the answer?
Those stereotypes could not be any farther from the truth (although my hair is usually in a bun and I wear glasses).
My library, the West Haven High School Library Media Center, is a bustling hub of activity. We take ID pictures, print and deliver them. We maintain the COWS and their wrangling. 62 networked PCs and all their issues. A copier than jams daily. A color printer that never has ink. The teacher printer that needs paper ALL THE TIME. 120 kids from cafe and on passes. 2 and sometimes 3 full classes. Google, wifi, and Powerschool setups. The laminator I'm not allowed to touch. Archives of Savin Rock and West Haven history. The Rostrum and the Honors Committee. An outdated catalog system. 2 Library Media Specialists, a clerk, a tech para, and a part-time para. 15,000 books, 9 databases, 12 magazines, a professional collection, and curriculum DVDs. Speakers and LCD projectors. Crazy. Every minute of the day.
I wouldn't change a thing.
But the reality is a lot of funny stuff, sometimes good and sometimes bad, happens. This is a collection of all those events, curated from the blog of the same name, and organized by Dewey (who I happen to hate).
A great read for my peeps in the stacks.
Tweet what you're reading #whhs #read and follow me @RamblingsLMS
All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.
Ask someone to describe a library and a librarian. Hushed voices, old books, glasses, bun, etc. the answer?
Those stereotypes could not be any farther from the truth (although my hair is usually in a bun and I wear glasses).
My library, the West Haven High School Library Media Center, is a bustling hub of activity. We take ID pictures, print and deliver them. We maintain the COWS and their wrangling. 62 networked PCs and all their issues. A copier than jams daily. A color printer that never has ink. The teacher printer that needs paper ALL THE TIME. 120 kids from cafe and on passes. 2 and sometimes 3 full classes. Google, wifi, and Powerschool setups. The laminator I'm not allowed to touch. Archives of Savin Rock and West Haven history. The Rostrum and the Honors Committee. An outdated catalog system. 2 Library Media Specialists, a clerk, a tech para, and a part-time para. 15,000 books, 9 databases, 12 magazines, a professional collection, and curriculum DVDs. Speakers and LCD projectors. Crazy. Every minute of the day.
I wouldn't change a thing.
But the reality is a lot of funny stuff, sometimes good and sometimes bad, happens. This is a collection of all those events, curated from the blog of the same name, and organized by Dewey (who I happen to hate).
A great read for my peeps in the stacks.
Tweet what you're reading #whhs #read and follow me @RamblingsLMS
All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.
Sunday, September 4, 2016
Captured! by Stanton T. Friedman and Kathleen Marden
I want to believe. I want to believe aliens have visited us and that UFOs appear in the night sky. I want to believe Betty and Barney Hill (yes, there is a street in West Haven named Barney Hill Road, a very strange coincidence indeed) saw a UFO in September of 1961 in the place I've spent a week or more of nearly every summer for 36 years.
But after reading this, and I wish I hadn't, I think maybe yes, they saw something that night, but the rest of their tale is nothing more than fantasy.
I have never read The Interrupted Journey, the first full length book regarding the Hill's experience. For the first few chapters of this book I had every intention of requesting it, but now, not so much.
Let's go back a bit. Most of those following this blog know my love of the strange, and Ancient Aliens is my favorite show. Just about every summer, first as a child and now as a parent, I've spent in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, specifically the Lincoln-Woodstock area. For years I've seen the marker at the start of Franconia Notch at the end of Indian Head Resort, where we stayed once in a cabin, marking the site of a supposed alien abduction in 1961. A local gas station has a mural dedicated to the visitors. This summer I vowed to finally read more about this couple and their story.
A quick Google search tells of a normal (albeit interracial, which wasn't so normal in New Hampshire in the 1960s) couple heading back from Montreal to their home in Plymouth. This would take them through the Notch, adjacent to Cannon Mountain, on Route 3, now Interstate 93. They, and their dog, encountered a UFO in the early morning hours.
I have no doubt the Hills, a couple with much at stake--Betty a social worker with the state, Barney a civil right activist and postal worker--would not come up with such a tale out of the blue. I truly believe they did in fact see a UFO that night. I have ridden the tram at Cannon, jogged on 3 at sunrise, been driven through the Notch at night. Nothing in those experiences would create an illusion of UFOs--the Cannon observatory or restaurant, search lights, etc. That part of the story cannot be explained.
I wish that was all I knew. I could accept that. The Hills were initially ok with keeping the story to just friends and family. But then they underwent hypnotic regression and their story of abduction spread. Soon they were famous. Would Barney have been invited to a presidential inauguration as just a local civil right leader, or did his notoriety help get the Hills that ticket?
The tales Betty spun are fantasy at best. What is even worse is how this book, coauthored by her niece, is written. Alternating between a familial type narrative and a lot of science I just don't understand (I last studied physics in 1997) from her coauthor, I was disheartened by the tone of the authors when presenting the opposing viewpoint. I'm not a skeptic; I believe in aliens. The condescending tone was unnecessary and off-putting.
I would like to lose time, like Betty claims the Hills did, and forget I read this. Instead of smiling at the marker I'll pass heading north on 3 to I-93, I'm probably going to scowl.
Don't forget summer reading is due FRIDAY by 1:45 p.m. Use Google Forms to submit; all the links are on the LMC page,
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS Tweet what you're reading using #wwhs #read
All opinions appearing on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.
But after reading this, and I wish I hadn't, I think maybe yes, they saw something that night, but the rest of their tale is nothing more than fantasy.
I have never read The Interrupted Journey, the first full length book regarding the Hill's experience. For the first few chapters of this book I had every intention of requesting it, but now, not so much.
Let's go back a bit. Most of those following this blog know my love of the strange, and Ancient Aliens is my favorite show. Just about every summer, first as a child and now as a parent, I've spent in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, specifically the Lincoln-Woodstock area. For years I've seen the marker at the start of Franconia Notch at the end of Indian Head Resort, where we stayed once in a cabin, marking the site of a supposed alien abduction in 1961. A local gas station has a mural dedicated to the visitors. This summer I vowed to finally read more about this couple and their story.
A quick Google search tells of a normal (albeit interracial, which wasn't so normal in New Hampshire in the 1960s) couple heading back from Montreal to their home in Plymouth. This would take them through the Notch, adjacent to Cannon Mountain, on Route 3, now Interstate 93. They, and their dog, encountered a UFO in the early morning hours.
I have no doubt the Hills, a couple with much at stake--Betty a social worker with the state, Barney a civil right activist and postal worker--would not come up with such a tale out of the blue. I truly believe they did in fact see a UFO that night. I have ridden the tram at Cannon, jogged on 3 at sunrise, been driven through the Notch at night. Nothing in those experiences would create an illusion of UFOs--the Cannon observatory or restaurant, search lights, etc. That part of the story cannot be explained.
I wish that was all I knew. I could accept that. The Hills were initially ok with keeping the story to just friends and family. But then they underwent hypnotic regression and their story of abduction spread. Soon they were famous. Would Barney have been invited to a presidential inauguration as just a local civil right leader, or did his notoriety help get the Hills that ticket?
The tales Betty spun are fantasy at best. What is even worse is how this book, coauthored by her niece, is written. Alternating between a familial type narrative and a lot of science I just don't understand (I last studied physics in 1997) from her coauthor, I was disheartened by the tone of the authors when presenting the opposing viewpoint. I'm not a skeptic; I believe in aliens. The condescending tone was unnecessary and off-putting.
I would like to lose time, like Betty claims the Hills did, and forget I read this. Instead of smiling at the marker I'll pass heading north on 3 to I-93, I'm probably going to scowl.
Don't forget summer reading is due FRIDAY by 1:45 p.m. Use Google Forms to submit; all the links are on the LMC page,
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS Tweet what you're reading using #wwhs #read
All opinions appearing on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.
Thursday, August 25, 2016
The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon
Before I delve into this review, I just want to say...well, actually shout...my first SLJ review was approved!!!!! Just a few minor edits, mainly for space. My review will appear in the October issue. I had my first reviewer chat, a kind of orientation if you will, today. That was after teaching Google for 6 hours to my colleagues! I'm wiped for sure!
Oh, and get those summer reading forms in!
Now...
This was my kinda book! Horror/thriller/ghostish story set in Vermont. Loved it!
The story is told through alternating viewpoints in the early 1900s and today. Sara Harrison Shea lives in the old farmhouse she inherited with her husband and daughter Gertie. Sara grew up in the home, with her father, siblings, and her "auntie". Auntie seems to be a sometimes lover to Sara's father, dabbles in witchcraft, has Native American Indian blood....you can see that villagers in the late 1800s don't like her very much. Tragically, Gertie falls down a well. Sara tells us that she knows of a legend of ways to wake the dead and see her daughter again. Auntie knows how and wrote the steps in a letter.
Today, Ruth lives in the house with her mother and sister. Her father passed recently from a heart attack. One day Ruth's mother, Alice, goes missing. Ruth and her sister Fawn tear the house apart. In doing so, they find Sara's diary and many secret hiding places throughout. Just what is going on in this house??
We also have Katherine, whose husband secretly came to West Hall, VT, at roughly the same time Alice disappeared, and was killed in a car accident en route home.
Add in Candace, a direct descendant of Sara's. What is her motivation in finding the diary belonging to her great (several times) aunt?
This was a crazy thriller I could not put down. Look for it to be added to the WHHS LMC collection later this autumn.
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
Oh, and get those summer reading forms in!
Now...
This was my kinda book! Horror/thriller/ghostish story set in Vermont. Loved it!
The story is told through alternating viewpoints in the early 1900s and today. Sara Harrison Shea lives in the old farmhouse she inherited with her husband and daughter Gertie. Sara grew up in the home, with her father, siblings, and her "auntie". Auntie seems to be a sometimes lover to Sara's father, dabbles in witchcraft, has Native American Indian blood....you can see that villagers in the late 1800s don't like her very much. Tragically, Gertie falls down a well. Sara tells us that she knows of a legend of ways to wake the dead and see her daughter again. Auntie knows how and wrote the steps in a letter.
Today, Ruth lives in the house with her mother and sister. Her father passed recently from a heart attack. One day Ruth's mother, Alice, goes missing. Ruth and her sister Fawn tear the house apart. In doing so, they find Sara's diary and many secret hiding places throughout. Just what is going on in this house??
We also have Katherine, whose husband secretly came to West Hall, VT, at roughly the same time Alice disappeared, and was killed in a car accident en route home.
Add in Candace, a direct descendant of Sara's. What is her motivation in finding the diary belonging to her great (several times) aunt?
This was a crazy thriller I could not put down. Look for it to be added to the WHHS LMC collection later this autumn.
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
The Outcasts by Kathleen Kent
This is yet another book that was in "the pile"! No idea where it came from.
This Western crime drama is set just after the Civil War in locations throughout the Southwest and along the Gulf of Mexico. A ruthless killer, once a land surveyor, is obsessed with a old ghost tale of gold hidden in the bayou and leaves a path of death and destruction in his wake. His lover, a prostitute masquerading as a school teacher, was once a respected daughter and wife, but suffered from seizures and depression. Her husband and father had her committed several times, but she ran away at roughly 8 months pregnant. The pair have found the man the believe currently owns the land the gold is hidden on, but plans go awry. Desperate for money, they plot to rob a much wealthier man, when everything really goes off the rails. Meanwhile, three lawmen from Texas are in pursuit of the couple, who wrestle with morality on the frontier. The two sets of stories intertwine during the chase, with their final confrontation being the climax of the story. There is a final plot twist I won't spoil, but I am disappointed that I figured it out way too early. It kinda ruined the ending.
Don't forget to submit your summer reading forms. All the info is on the school website and in your school gmail. The last day to submit forms is September 9th.
Looking forward to seeing everyone on the 1st day!
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
All opinions on this blog are those solely of Mrs. W.
This Western crime drama is set just after the Civil War in locations throughout the Southwest and along the Gulf of Mexico. A ruthless killer, once a land surveyor, is obsessed with a old ghost tale of gold hidden in the bayou and leaves a path of death and destruction in his wake. His lover, a prostitute masquerading as a school teacher, was once a respected daughter and wife, but suffered from seizures and depression. Her husband and father had her committed several times, but she ran away at roughly 8 months pregnant. The pair have found the man the believe currently owns the land the gold is hidden on, but plans go awry. Desperate for money, they plot to rob a much wealthier man, when everything really goes off the rails. Meanwhile, three lawmen from Texas are in pursuit of the couple, who wrestle with morality on the frontier. The two sets of stories intertwine during the chase, with their final confrontation being the climax of the story. There is a final plot twist I won't spoil, but I am disappointed that I figured it out way too early. It kinda ruined the ending.
Don't forget to submit your summer reading forms. All the info is on the school website and in your school gmail. The last day to submit forms is September 9th.
Looking forward to seeing everyone on the 1st day!
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
All opinions on this blog are those solely of Mrs. W.
Monday, August 15, 2016
The Intern's Handbook by Shane Kuhn
I can't remember how this book ended up on the ottoman of "to read before summer ends but only after Nutmegs are done". It may have come from the Scholastic Warehouse sale, as they do sometimes have adult novels in the mix. It may also have come from the West Haven Public Library's fundraiser day at Barnes and Noble. I'm really not sure!
However it came across my desk, er, ottoman, I'm glad it did. I looked it up on Amazon and see it's the start of a series, and possibly (it's kinda confusing) a re-release of an earlier novel by a different name.
Anyway, John Lago is an assassin. He has no family; orphaned as a baby to drug addicted parents, in and out of the foster and prison systems his entire childhood. He is found by the director of an elite assassination firm and trained to kill. Reaching 25, he is set to retire comfortably, but for reasons we find out later, he has written a secret handbook for new recruits to the profession, detailing his final job.
John's specialty is to disguise himself as an intern: the lowest of the low in the corporate world (heck, the education world too--free labor in exchange for recommendations and resume references). In reality, his task is to off someone in the firm. For this job, it's as a legal intern in one of the biggest firms in New York. His target is one of the title partners.
Everything looks easy peasy, until John finds out the FBI is hunting the same man, and sends one its best in the form of another intern, now junior associate Alice.
What follows is a cat and mouse game between John, Alice, the partner, John's employer, the FBI, the mafia, and a host of other who-is-out-to-get-whom characters. It was a super fast read that I could not put down! Might have to get the sequel! This will be added to the LMC collection sometime this fall.
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
Get those summer reading forms in! Please!
All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.
However it came across my desk, er, ottoman, I'm glad it did. I looked it up on Amazon and see it's the start of a series, and possibly (it's kinda confusing) a re-release of an earlier novel by a different name.
Anyway, John Lago is an assassin. He has no family; orphaned as a baby to drug addicted parents, in and out of the foster and prison systems his entire childhood. He is found by the director of an elite assassination firm and trained to kill. Reaching 25, he is set to retire comfortably, but for reasons we find out later, he has written a secret handbook for new recruits to the profession, detailing his final job.
John's specialty is to disguise himself as an intern: the lowest of the low in the corporate world (heck, the education world too--free labor in exchange for recommendations and resume references). In reality, his task is to off someone in the firm. For this job, it's as a legal intern in one of the biggest firms in New York. His target is one of the title partners.
Everything looks easy peasy, until John finds out the FBI is hunting the same man, and sends one its best in the form of another intern, now junior associate Alice.
What follows is a cat and mouse game between John, Alice, the partner, John's employer, the FBI, the mafia, and a host of other who-is-out-to-get-whom characters. It was a super fast read that I could not put down! Might have to get the sequel! This will be added to the LMC collection sometime this fall.
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
Get those summer reading forms in! Please!
All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.
Saturday, August 13, 2016
End of Watch by Stephen King
Note: You'll have to go a few pages back to read my review of Finders Keepers, book 2 of this trilogy. I did not review Mr. Mercedes, book 1, on this blog.
I have been waiting pretty much all summer to read End of Watch, the final book in the Bill Hodges trilogy. I pre-ordered it, and it sat on my living room ottoman awaiting the day I finished reviewing the summer Nutmeg contenders. Weirdly, I had to read the "math" book first to satisfy my curiosity on a few data lit. topics first. But I started reading this Friday afternoon and read non-stop except to sleep and eat (it being 96 degrees or so outside meant I was inside in the AC).
Stephen King does not disappoint (does he ever?). Mr. Mercedes, aka Brady, is in a seemingly vegetative state in the mental ward of a hospital while Bill, Holly, and Jerome have gone on with their lives. Jerome is building homes for Habitat for Humanity, Holly still cyber-sleuths, and it is clear Bill has some time of serious intestinal illness (it won't take much for the reader to figure out it's pancreatic cancer).
Secretly, Brady's brain injury seems to have triggered all kinds of telekinetic and telepathic powers, which is pretty scary considering how screwed up he is psychologically (you really do need to have read Mr. Mercedes to understand End of Watch; you could skip Finders Keepers and be fairly OK). Brady has developed methods of taking over minds and bodies, including using out-of-date video game consoles to get into the minds of teenagers. I won't spoil too much of Brady's twisted plot here, but he's out for revenge and it seems like he's going to get it!
King is never one to leave out societal commentary. Sometimes it's subtle. Sometimes it's blatant. I do think there is a message here about having your nose buried in your phone (HELLO POKEMON?!?!). There have been numerous studies/incidents of video game hypnotics, and King plays those up to bring home the message about being aware of one's surroundings AND getting off the tech for a while (granted, how many of you are reading this on a phone or tablet?). In addition, King makes several references to getting help for depression and suicide prevention. The number given to a character for help is the actual suicide prevention line. #itgetsbetter
As I said above, I could not put this down. Fans of King's horror with like the supernatural elements (Carrie, anyone?). He also brings in the drama ala Joyland. This will be added to the LMC collection sometime after the start of the school year!
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
*All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.
I have been waiting pretty much all summer to read End of Watch, the final book in the Bill Hodges trilogy. I pre-ordered it, and it sat on my living room ottoman awaiting the day I finished reviewing the summer Nutmeg contenders. Weirdly, I had to read the "math" book first to satisfy my curiosity on a few data lit. topics first. But I started reading this Friday afternoon and read non-stop except to sleep and eat (it being 96 degrees or so outside meant I was inside in the AC).
Stephen King does not disappoint (does he ever?). Mr. Mercedes, aka Brady, is in a seemingly vegetative state in the mental ward of a hospital while Bill, Holly, and Jerome have gone on with their lives. Jerome is building homes for Habitat for Humanity, Holly still cyber-sleuths, and it is clear Bill has some time of serious intestinal illness (it won't take much for the reader to figure out it's pancreatic cancer).
Secretly, Brady's brain injury seems to have triggered all kinds of telekinetic and telepathic powers, which is pretty scary considering how screwed up he is psychologically (you really do need to have read Mr. Mercedes to understand End of Watch; you could skip Finders Keepers and be fairly OK). Brady has developed methods of taking over minds and bodies, including using out-of-date video game consoles to get into the minds of teenagers. I won't spoil too much of Brady's twisted plot here, but he's out for revenge and it seems like he's going to get it!
King is never one to leave out societal commentary. Sometimes it's subtle. Sometimes it's blatant. I do think there is a message here about having your nose buried in your phone (HELLO POKEMON?!?!). There have been numerous studies/incidents of video game hypnotics, and King plays those up to bring home the message about being aware of one's surroundings AND getting off the tech for a while (granted, how many of you are reading this on a phone or tablet?). In addition, King makes several references to getting help for depression and suicide prevention. The number given to a character for help is the actual suicide prevention line. #itgetsbetter
As I said above, I could not put this down. Fans of King's horror with like the supernatural elements (Carrie, anyone?). He also brings in the drama ala Joyland. This will be added to the LMC collection sometime after the start of the school year!
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
*All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.
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