Finally A Usable Forcast

It has started snowing and the forecast is predicting everything from 1 inch to OMG WE ARE ALL GONNA FREEZE TO DEATH IN AN INCALCULABLE AMOUNT OF SNOW.  Lucky for us this local library has provided us with a much more accurate forecast

Anne Arundel County Library

This graph gives us an accurate estimate of how many books an average bibliophile will need to obtain before being snowed in.  Lucky for me, I have stocked up and am ready to go!  Happy Reading Everybody!

The Wiberary

Got to hang out with my nephew E last night.  Love that little guy so much!!!!  I have to say the best part was he greeted me at the door all two feet of him exclaiming "Auntie I went to the wiberary, I went to the wibrary and got books!!!!"

 He was totally stoked about getting a weekend trip to the library.  I must say his parents are doing a fabulous job raising him :-)  It makes me happy to see the short people getting so excited about books and libraries.  Keep it up little guy! Happy Reading Everybody!!!

If Wonka Owned A Library

I was at the bookstore the other day getting a birthday present for a friend when I randomly found a book called Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein.  The cover is awesome and colorful and the premise (a bunch of kids stuck in a fantastic library) sounded right up my ally.  How did it turn out?  As always SPOILERS AHEAD.

Kyle Keeley is in constant competition with his older brothers, and their favorite games are the ones by the eccentric Mr. Lemoncello.  Turns out that Mr. Lemoncello has donated the money to build a new public library and it is going to spectacular.  The local school holds an essay contest open to all 12 year olds that will be judged by the one and only Mr. Lemoncello.  Kyle decides to do a last minute essay, saying only "Balloons.  There might be balloons." as his reason for wanting to go to the grand opening.  Oddly enough Kyle, along with his friends Akimi, Miguel, the school suckup Charles, the dreamy bookworm Sierra, the underperforming Andrew, the popular Haley and five others all win a night in the library.  The kids all arrive at the library and are given library cards, all with two different books on them and are told that these are the "keys" to the library.  The kids are awed at what they see in the library.  There are 10 dewey decimal rooms, based on the dewey decimal system , various rooms dedicated to reading, genre's, high tech simulations, education and other various things.  The children play some games and win some prizes.  The next morning they are informed that if they choose, they may stay and play an epic game of escape the library.  5 kids decide to leave, leaving the seven remaining children to play the game.  The kids team up in various ways and find clues and puzzles to try and figure out the solution.  After either breaking rules, or losing Extreme Challanges it comes down to the final team of Kyle, Akimi, Miguel, Sierra and Haley.  The kids work together and find the solution, winning the grand prize of appearing in commercials for Mr. Lemoncello.  The kids learn that reading, kindness and teamwork are what it takes and they all live happily ever after for at least the year.

This was a pretty typical MG book.  It had all the various types of kids, the leader, the suck-up, the hanger on, the bookworm, the smarty, the popular girl, and the best friend.  We had choices to make of a moral nature, with good decisions being rewarded and bad behavior being punished.  Like I said pretty typical.  I'm not really sure what to say about the book.  It was a good idea, and was successful in some ways with the cool modern library combining the classic books with newer technology.  The puzzles were ok, though I wanted more of them and for them to be more concise.  I thought the characters were a little one note, and Mr. Lemoncello was a bit over the top for me.  The comparisons to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory were inevitable and over all I think I like the chocolate factory a bit more for it's sheer craziness.  It was a good book, not a great book and I think I would enjoy it a lot more if I were a 12 year old.  The author did manage to stuff the story full of great book references both classic and modern and rally tried to show the merits of reading, while still acknowledging technology and it's appeal.  I give this book 6 out of 10 trivia cards and recommend it to middle grades everywhere.  Happy Reading Everybody?
What is your favorite game/puzzle based book?  What crazy Mr. Lemoncello game do you want to play?  How cool would it be to be able to sleep in a library?

Time To Head Outside!

Ahhhh Spring is in the air and it is finally warm enough to head outside to read.  I love reading outside, the sun on my face, the fresh breezes through my hair, the smell of growing things everywhere, adds the perfect atmospheric touch to my spring reading.  Here are some other people/places who obviously agree with me :-)

Outdoor Library

This is the coolest idea ever...I guess I know the next thing on my literary bucket list!

Book Tree

I love the idea of being able to walk up to a tree and "pick" a book

Hollow Log Shelves

I love this mix of urban and nature and of course books!

Woodshelves

I love love love this, it's like a bookshelf is growing out of the ground

I see nothing wrong with that :-)

Now that I have added these outdoor libraries to by literary bucket list, I must be off to see if I can't find some books hidden in the trees.  Happy Reading Everybody!

Story Room

I love the fact that all of my nephews love to read or be read too!  I think reading is one of the absolute best gifts we can give our children...I know it has made my life amazing.  In that vein here are some libraries that are using their resources to make reading spaces that inspire and revel in the magic of reading.

Brentwood TN

I need somebody to come to my house right now and build this for me...I'm waiting :-)

Om Tio Tretton

I could probably live in this Swedish Childrens library forever and ever...especially with my new fluffy birthday blankie

Central Library Kansas City MO

Is it bad when you can't even get to the bookshelves because your too busy reading the walls?

Park Falls WI

I want to grab a cup of coffee, a bunch of pillows and a great MG book and curl up in this tree of awesomeness!

Camarillo CA

How could you not feel a sense of magic and adventure waiting for you behind those doors?

These are just a few of the magical places the kids (and maybe their awesome aunts?) can go and get lost in the wonder of books.  I hope we continue to make the effort to show kids what an amazing thing a book can be...also if you need me I'll be in one of these libraries rediscovering my favorite childhood books.  Happy Reading Everybody!

Then VS Now

As I continue my nostalgia kick, I have noticed an interesting change in how I read these cherished nuggets from my past.  As I read them I have started picking up on things that went completely over my head when I was younger (the hazards of having a reading comprehension level apx 8 years more then my actual age) or I notice subtleties that probably never occurred to me at age 7.  It makes for a very interesting reread experience.  I am not talking about my beloved classics that I read once a year, as much as I love and adore them my Chronicles of Narnia, Little House on the Prairie, and Lord of the Rings, they get read so often that I have grown up with them and my opinion and what I get from them is pretty much set in stone.  No I am talking about the books and series that I devoured and loved as a kid, forgot or put aside as I grew older
and am just now picking them back up.  Some stand the test of time like Peppermints in the Parlor which while a bit simpler then I remember is still a solid story that I would recommend to any young reader.  Others like the SVH series are just so atrocious on what it teaches impressionable young girls that I could not in good conscious recommend it to anybody under the age of 21.  I find it interesting to see what bugs me now that never bugged me before, certain attitudes and especially relationships drive me bananas.  I was never an overly romantic teen, I was fairly pragmatic about boys (and girls) and knew full well that fairy tale loves were just that, fairy tales.  That being said, I still did not see a problem with most of the relationships I read about, especially in YA books, now when I go back and read them I see the same problem I still see today, a controlling boy who is just doing "what is best" for his girl, and the girl, who even if she is supposed to be strong, falls for this overprotective oaf, thank God my Daddy taught me better then that.  I also see a lot of social, racial, and just moral issues that seemed to have been glossed over or accepted in some of these older books, that while I may not have agreed with them as a youngster, I accepted them in the course of the story.  Now of course I take to my blog in outrage over these things.  Of course it is really hard to get over the nostalgia factor, as much as I kind of hated rereading Double Love SVH or rolled my eyes over my recent skimming of one of the BSC books, I can't help but be transported back to when and where I was when I was reading these books.  They also had the added bonus of being written at the pace of about a dozen a year, and at the rate I was reading, this helped keep my voracious appetite for books under control.  I also have to consider that the source of most of my books was my local library which did not get in books at the rate of your friendly neighborhood bookstore.  Growing up with very little money, the library was my source for most things literary (with a healthy injection from my parents whenever they could).  I blazed through their supply of books in a heartbeat and started rereading at an early age, just to have something in my hands.  The librarians were great at setting aside any new book that came through the door for me.  This is why as awful, or simple, or "not my current taste" some of these old books are, I will always have a soft spot for them, and hey as I am rediscovering some of these oldies are actually long forgotten gems just waiting to be rediscovered.  So I am off to read, reread, and discover new and old loves. Happy Reading Everybody!

What books have you rediscovered recently?  What books are you appalled to have loved so much?  Are books just way too much a part of my thoughts?

Who Knew Peppermints Could Be So Dangerous

Hello my lovely readers, I have finally dug myself out of the snow.  It has been a crazy week involving a lot of snow, a lot of station time, and not a whole lot of blog rambling, my most humble apologies.  I did however manage to squeeze in all kinds of reading time, which besides making me a very happy shut in, makes it possible for me to ramble my little brains out for a couple of posts.  I was also in a very nostalgic mood so I found a couple of books from back in my first library days to keep me company.  Peppermints in the Parlor is a middle grade book I recall rechecking out several times.  It was always a wee bit confusing to me, but it had a spunky girl and a mean old lady and that was one of my favorite story lines growing up.  Without further ado and SPOILERS AHEAD on with the rambling.

Emily Luccock has lost both her parents in a tragic boating accident and she is being sent to live with her Aunt and Uncle Twice, so called because her aunt is her mothers sister, and her uncle is her fathers brother, and when they married they became Emily's Aunt and Uncle twice over.  Though sad at her parents passing, Emily is excited to live with her aunt and uncle, recalling the wonderful times she had at Sugar Hill Hall, the parties, the beauty and splendor, the love of her aunt and uncle.  Emily arrives on a foggy evening in San Francisco and instead of being greeted by her glorious aunt and uncle, is forced to wait for hours until she is picked up.  At first Emily does now recognize her aunt, who has gone from a famous beauty, to a washed out, tired and scared woman.  Aunt Twice tells Emily that she must do exactly as she is told no matter how hard.  When they finally get to Sugar Hill Hall, Emily is horrified to see it in the hands of a snake like woman by the name of Mrs. Meeching who makes it very clear that she considers Emily no more then a common scullery maid. In the front parlor is a huge bowl of Emily's favorite treat, shiny, red and white peppermints.  She is informed under no circumstances is she to ever take one.  Aunt Twice takes Emily through the house, which has lost most of its splendor, through the industrial kitchen to the cellars where she is given a tiny
room, more like a cell really.  Aunt Twice tells Emily that she is a prisoner in her own home forced to work to keep somebody alive.  She will not give Emily any other details and begs her not to ask questions.  Emily is then handed over to Tilly, the rough young maid who is thrilled to finally have somebody beneath her.  Tilly goes back and forth between being Emily's friend, and being mean.  Emily's first task is to help Tilly with supper, which consists of a thin grey soup and moldy bread lumps.  These are given to the dozen or so old people who live in the mansion now.  Mrs. Meeching has turned Sugar Hill Hall into a old folks home.  The residents are silent and barely pick at their unappetizing food.  Emily notices that one resident is missing and is informed that the resident had stolen a peppermint and is now locked in the Room of Remembrance for punishment.  After the residents are fed Tilly and Emily go back to their own portion of soup and moldy bread, forced to watch as Aunt Twice prepares a huge feast of the most lucious foods for Mrs. Meeching and her cohort Mrs. Plumly, the grandmother like, knitting one of the pair.  Emily also meets Kipper, a fishermans son who while doing the occasional odd job for the Hall does what he can to help Emily.  Eventually Emily decides that since she can't help her self or her aunt, she will help the old people.  She starts slipping them fish oil so that they have appetites enough to eat the disgusting food, forcing Mrs.

Meeching to get them fresh food.  Emily and Kipper smuggle a kitten up to the old folks, along with some hobby supplies.  This helps to awaken the older folks, and Emily learns just how feisty they can be.  Mrs. Plumly has taken a couple opportunities to smuggle Emily to her rooms and feed her tea and cakes, she tells Emily that she too is a prisoner in the Hall, albeit a luckier one then Emily or her Aunt.  These visits continue as Emily continues to help the old people.  One horrible day Emily, Kipper and the old folks are all caught and Emily is sent to the Room of Remembrance.  Kipper finds a way to unlock her cell and they discover a trapdoor and tunnel that leads to a seedy tavern.  Their they discover that it is actually the sweet Mrs. Plumly who is in charge, slipping Emily truth serum in her tea to discover what she is up too.  They also discover that the old folks home is just a front for a smuggling operation.  Emily is summoned to Kippers house to hear the confession of an old sea captain who says he framed her Uncle Twice for a murder and used it as blackmail to get the Sugar Hill Hall.  It is all resolved, Mrs. Meeching and Mrs. Plumly are arrested after they are trapped by peppermint pelting old folk, and Aunt and Uncle Twice are reunited.  The family and the old folks, Tilly and Kipper all get their happy ending.

When I was in elementary and middle school, I had a thing for books about poor orphan girls and cruel mistresses that kept them locked up and enslaved, I am not sure why this trope appealed to me so much, but there you have it.  This book like I said was full on nostalgia for me, I remember reading it back when I was 8 or 9 and loving it.  The heroine is great because she does not start all spit and fire, and in fact has to dig pretty deep to keep herself from cracking.  I loved that when she realized that she could not immediately help herself or her aunt that she decided to help the old folks instead. Her initial reaction was always one of kindness, which seems to be lacking in some of the newer books.  I liked for the most part how the older people were portrayed, at first beaten down by the cruel Mrs. Meeching, but they themselves rallied and

became individuals again.  I liked how they reminded Emily that they too were people, with talents and lives. I love love love the character of Tilly, she is probably one of the more realistic characters in this fairly straight forward trope tale.  She is constantly torn between wanting Emily as a friend, and trying to be a good person as far as she knows how and doing her best to get ahead in the world.  She is glad to finally not be the low man on the totem pole and give Emily all the crap jobs, while enjoying the slim perks of what she considers more senior jobs.  She eventually proves herself a faithful, if somewhat rough friend and finds a place with Emily and her family.  Kipper acts at the semi-plausible way for Emily to solver her problems, that along with a gold coin gets her all the supplies she needs to make this story possible, I also love that every other sentence out of his mouth starts with "As Pa always says".  The ending is still a bit confusing for me, seeming to add characters and circumstances that appear out of nowhere to try and make sense of Uncle Twice's disappearance and the reasoning behind Aunt Twice's servitude.  Overall the book is pretty straight forward, sticking with a formula that works, while adding some great characters and just enough creepiness to keep you turning the pages. This is a quick read for most of us and is completely suitable for the 9 and up crowd. I give it 7 out of 10 peppermints.
What books do you remember rereading as a kid?  Do you find it hard to track down these books?  Are you ever disappointed when you reread your childhood favorites?  Is it funny that a grown woman is reading children's books and loving them?

Free Books!

I love books, books books books, I love to buy them and read them and look at them and feel them and put them on shelves and rearrange them. And now I have discovered that I like scouring the internet and old used book store for free books!  Yep you heard me right, FREE BOOKS.  How does one score such a wondrous gift...well I will tell you.  You have to put some effort in, but it can be done.

Online- This is probably the easiest, fastest way to obtain new and even better, classic books.  If a book has gone out of copyright in the US then it is considered public domain and can be shared with any US citizen for free.  There is an awesome site called Project Gutenberg that has everything from Jane Austen to old school manuals on how to raise a barn.  This site is just fun to explore and it is completely free! Feel free to donate if you have some spare cash.  You can also sometimes find free books on sites like Amazon or Barnes and Nobles that are from newer authors trying to hook you, or sometimes even established authors.  This is a great way to discover some new favorites.
ARC's-Sometimes if you are very lucky, or if you run a successful blog you can get ARC's or Advanced Reading Copies from either the publisher or from one of the distribution sites like NetGalley.  Different companies handle ARC's in different ways so it may take a little effort, but it might be worth it to read a book before the general public.  I don't do this very often as my backlog of TBR's is so huge if I started adding yet to be published books...well I would probably implode.  The other thing to be careful of is that these are may still be edited before they are actually published using advanced reader feedback, so the final book may be a wee bit different from the one you read.
Giveaway's-There is always a give away going on, either on various blogs, author sites, publishing sites, so many people want to give you books.  Again this takes a bit of effort, but usually it is as easy as logging in, or giving them your e-mail address and commenting to qualify.  I have even seen groups of blogs get together for a progressive give away.  If you are willing to look and take some time, the possibilities are endless.  This is also a good way to get some interesting versions of books, or signed copies, or bundles, it all depends on the giveaway. This is a great way to visit other blogs and sites and find some new favorites (note to self, should probably do a giveaway at some point soon).
Book Swapping-This is where you essentially take a book you have already read and swap with somebody who has a book you want to read.  This is not totally free as you need to have books of your own, but it is a "free" way to expand your reading repertoire.  You can do this with people you know, or you can use a site like BookMooch which works on an international point system.  The plus side to this is that you can get books you have been wanting, or looking for that are hard to find for free.  Especially on the websites the variety is mind boggling.  The down side is you usually have to give up one of your own books.  If it is with a friend or family member, you may get it back, but if it is a true swap...bye bye book.  Also super popular books are a little harder to come by.
Free Bin-This is where your second hand book shop once again proves to be your best friend.  Not only does it provide you with a plethora of books (some of which are impossible to find otherwise) for a usually decent price, but a lot of them also have the free bin.  This is where you can bring books you no longer want, or that the shop decides are probably not going to sell, or are not in the best condition and are put out for first come first serve free for all. These bins are usually outside, and you can usually tell why they are in the free bins, but if you take some time to go through them all you can occasionally find a gem.  This is also a great place to get books to tear apart for some of the projects using books and pages without feeling guilty about tearing up a good book.
Library-of course I cannot leave out the oldest and still most wonderful way to get free books.  Your local library!  Here is a place you can pick up any book at no risk, you can delve into new authors, try a new genre, see if that hyped up book is really worth it.  Several libraries are even offering e-books to rent!  Of course the down side is that you do have to return it at some point, or they make you pay for it and it is no longer free, but still better then no book at all. Libraries also tend to have periodic book sales with there own free bins, so keep an eye out.

So there you have it folks, six ways to obtain books at no cost to yourself.  I wish some of these had been available (or more accessible at least) when I was a broke college student.  The library was my best friend and I would hunt down and swap books with a vengeance.  This is a case where technology has enabled more people to have access to more books which is always a good thing.
What is your favorite method for obtaining free reading material?  Do you mind giving up or returning books once they have been read so you can get new ones, or do you become unnaturally attached to the vast majority of your books?  How has e-books changed your reading/buying/swapping habits?

The Biggest Library In The Universe

So if anybody missed it I am a super geek.  I am also a very behind the times super geek, there is all this fantastic geekiness in books, movies and television and I have to admit I am about 3 years behind the curve.  To start to remedy this situation I have been binging on various geektastic series, shows, and movies.  On Sunday I had a few free hours and instead of doing laundry, cleaning the house, paying bills or showering I decided to get a marathon Dr. Who session in.

To all of you who got to watch the 50th anniversary this week..pbltttt, I will get there when I get there.  I have a confession to make about this show, as much as I absolutely love it, I can never watch more then a couple episodes in a row because folks I am telling you it is brutal.  There is an emotional raking over the coals that happens in even the most light hearted of episodes.  I broke that rule yesterday and have been trying to keep my heart wrenching sobs to myself.  What does any of this have to do with a book blog you may ask.  Well for one thing all of my books are taking to long so I am running out of material to write about ;-) Two the episodes  called Silence in the Library and Forest of the Dead was all about the books (Spoilers ahead).  Seriously it was literally the biggest library in the universe.  A planet built around a computer core, filled with a print and digital version of every book in existence, and being added to all of the time!  The

visuals were stunning, the whole of the two episodes set in rooms full of books, buildings full of books, gardens full of books...made me want to start construction on my 33 story library tower of awesomeness.  The worst part of the whole thing is that eventually it has to be abandoned because of stupid flesh eating swarming alien dust thingies so nobody can ever visit this amazing wonder again (sob).  The computer at the core of this massive library houses the mind of a girl who was dying of an incurable disease and her father built here this library for her mind to live in for all eternity...how cool is that!  Anyways that is how my love of books and my love of the good Dr. dovetailed neatly into one beautiful, traumatic, amazing, brutal two episodes.
What do you think of using books in TV shows?  How great a dad is he that he gives his kid an eternity of books?!?  Am I stretching this whole books in other media thing to far?  Do you know that even though I am an EMT and have to write the word stretcher in every single one of my hundreds of reports that I cannot spell stretch without spell check?

Tattooed Librarians

Wow, just coming of of a crazy crazy crazy weekend.  Got a new driver for my ambulance and the EMS gods decided to make sure she had plenty of practice for her first weekend duty!  Much running and no sleep was had by all.  So while I go catch up on my beauty rest (and trust me I need it) check out this cool article about the evolving face of librarians...and also tattoos are awesome!

Tattooed Librarians

What do you think of tattoos being more mainstream now?  If you were a librarian what sort of tattoo would you get?  Are you amazed at the endless ways I can find to combine books and tattoos?

Best Weekend EVER!

I had the most incredible weekend, it was everything I could have hoped for, in fact it was so great that I will have to spread out it's awesomeness over several posts...and then hopefully it will be the weekend again :-).  It started with a cup of coffee in bed while I finished a book, got some chores done, made the whole house smell like cinnamon and apples and then curled up to start a book I have been saving for the perfect weekend...but more on that later.  I watched an amazing episode of Sherlock, played a little Lego Harry Potter, went to bed to read some more and woke up to most glorious of mornings.  You see not only was it the official first day of fall, but it was the day I was going to the 2013 National Book Festival!!!!!! So I pulled on my new bookworm socks, stocked my backpack full of books and embarked on this new adventure!

This was my first time at the festival and I have to tell you I was not disappointed.  It is one of the best organized events I have been to in a really long time.  The main point of the festival is to go and listen to various authors, librarians, and other bookies as I like to call them.  Everybody seemed to be in a good mood, all the speakers were well attended, the bookstore was a little sparse and crowded, but that was to be expected.  I again have to mention the weather, because if I could have ordered it, I could not have done a better job, it was a breezy 70ish degrees with just enough puffy clouds to keep one from being blinded by the sun.

There was an amazing variety of authors and topics to choose from, Science Fiction and Teens and Children were where I spent most of my time.  We got to hear Lynda Barry who is not only hilarious but totally shares my views on the arts and her talk on imagery was very interesting, I am now hooked on all her comics/books.  We then moved on to Elizabeth Moon who I was originally interested in for her connection to the late Anne McCaffery (they co-authored some books when Ms. Moon was a young author), but have

come to love her in her own right as well. Her talk on her journey to becoming a recognized and published author was informative and entertaining, I love an author who can look back at there younger self and chuckle.  She also seems to be embracing aging (not that she looks a day over 30 ;-) ) and uses it to write more experienced characters in her newer books.  We then rushed over to the crowded Teens and Children tent to hear Tamora Pierce who informed us right off the bat she is not a nice person...and then proceeded to prove herself wrong.  She spent a lot of time answering as many questions as she could, even going over and waving off the moderator to try and squeeze in one more question, a very nice gesture for her myriads of fans.  Ms. Pierce also has a wicked awesome sense of humor, especially about her self which makes me a very happy fan.
The conclusion to this trip was racing all of the teeny-boppers to get in line to get my book signed by Ms. Pierce, there were a couple signatures I wanted, but they were all signing at the same time and the lines were ridiculous (which is totally awesome because it shows that books are alive and kicking, and that we still honor authors as important people in our society).  I decided to wait for Ms. Pierce's autograph because of all the authors there, her books meant the most to me.  The wait ended up being 2 hours, but it did not feel that long for a couple reasons.  The first being that the event staff cheerfully, helpfully and efficiently kept the lines orderly and informed.  It is amazing how much patience a giant crowd can have when they know what it going on and what is expected (good job event staff).  The second reason was again the weather, it was

perfect reading weather and all zillion of us, just sat down and read while we waited our turn, in fact it did not even feel like waiting, it felt like a giant readers picnic (it helped that Hubbin was amazing and kept me supplied in food and drink during the wait, actually Hubbin was amazing the whole day, schlepping my books around, getting me nourishment, waiting not only patiently, but happily with me in line for the whole time LOVE YOU HUBBIN!), it would probably not have been so enjoyable had the weather been crappy.  The best part about waiting in line is that we got to make friends with other people while we waited (Hi to the world traveling, Danish girl, and tall stripey shirt girl, both of you have excellent taste in books!).  It was fun to talk to other people about books, where they were from, the longest they have waited in line to see a beloved author, it was really cool.  In the end I could only get one book signed with no personlization, but we all agreed to that so that everybody in line would get a chance to see Ms. Pierce.
I am already excited for next year, though now that I now how it works I will try and plan it a little better so that I can see more authors.  I might even volunteer, we will have to see. Also big thanks to the Library of Congress for putting on such an amazing event! (Also Harry Potter works at the Library of Congress I know because I saw him)

Finished off the day with homemade chili and my favorite red wine, drifting off to sleep, book in hand, happily relieving the best weekend ever!
Oh yeah and the Ravens totaled the Texans which was the yummy cherry on this perfect Sunday (get it Sunday/sundae?!?!?  OK I'm gonna go drink my coffee now)
What is your idea of the perfect weekend? Have you been to a major book festival?  I wonder if would frown upon me stealing a staff shirt and sneaking into all the authors tents to talk with them one on one?

Netflix For Books

Tired today so just a quick nod to my friend the library this morning

Hope you enjoy, have a great weekend and Happy Reading Everybody!

Weapon Of Mass Instruction

I just have to share this because I think it is the coolest thing!

Book Tank

I don't know what it is about the South American continent, but they are kicking hinney when it comes to awesome book stuff !  This is an old military transport that the artist Raul Lemesoff has turned into a book giving vehicle of awesomeness!    Click the link for the whole story. This is the kind of think I love, a person taking a symbol of destruction and turning it into a sign of hope and learning.

Dewey Decimal

I love libraries. I love the endless possibilities that they offer to just about anybody.  I love that they have been around forever.  I love that you can have your own personal library right in your own home.  Here are some things that will let you keep a bit of your library with you at all times.

Fairy Tale Dewey Decimal ID pendant

398.2 is the ID number for fairy tales using the Dewey Decimal System

Personal Library Kit

Now you can turn your books into your own personal library, complete with old school date stamp

Shhh! Bag

Perfect bag for toting around a mini-library

Library Paradise Found Shirt

Here is a shirt to show the world where true happiness lies :-)

Use Your Library Poster

A vintage style poster to add some library art to your walls :-)

Hopefully this will inspire a trip to your local library, or maybe encourage you to make your own bookshelves into a home library, or maybe build a 33 story tower library in your backyard, each floor decorated by genre and/or theme filled with millions of books! :-)  Happy reading everybody.

Go Books Go

I have a soft spot for libraries in case anybody hasn't noticed.  There are several reasons aside from the obvious one of being a book lover.  Books are amazing, but not everybody has constant access to them and this is sad.  Sometimes people don't have money, or they live in a remote area, or have limited transportation.  Regardless of the reason, it is sad that such a diverse, simple, easy escape is denied to anyone for any reason.  Enter the mobile library or bookmobiles as they are more commonly referred to.  These wonderful vehicles and the people who staff them make it possible for just about anybody to have access to books.

Baltimore County Bookmobile

These bookmobiles go to places such as hospitals, nursing homes and to shut ins to ensure that even home bound people get a variety of books

Columbia Burro Books

Other countries have their own versions as well, using other vehicles and sometimes animals to adapt to the various terrain and needs of that particular region

Camel Book Library

How amazing is it that no matter where you are in the world there are people dedicated to make sure that everyone has a book to read!

Manly Wharf Bookmobile

So next time you get a chance, go check out these wonderful moving places of magic and do your part to keep them up and functioning.

Have you ever gotten a book from a bookmobile?  Do you wish you could turn your personal vehicle into a library?  Is it easier for people to access books now that so many are on an electronic format?

Dreeeeeeaaaaaammmmm Dream Dream Dream

Lately my wonderful Mamma has been posting the most drool worthy of personal home libraries on her Pinterest page, in fact she even made a special board just for me to go waste insane amounts of time on.  At the moment I live in a beautiful condo that has every available wall covered in (full) bookshelves, but my dream is to someday own a home where the bookshelves are so high I need a ladder!  Yep some people dream of world peace, some people dream of traveling the universe, I dream of laddered bookshelves :-)  Here are a few inspiration pieces for my dream library.

Double Room Library

I love how you can look through the arch to see a SECOND room stuffed full of books

Front/Up View Staircase Bookshelf

Top/Down View Staircase Bookshelf

Not a ladder, but the Staircase is a cool idea, especially for smaller houses

Light and Airy 

There are a lot of pictures at the website, this is the ultimate ladder bookshelf!  I love how light and open it is, makes me want to hang a hammock up

Super Tall Bookshelf

This may be pretty close to my dream shelf, I love the shape, the squares, the ladder...sigh (singing Someday my Shelves will come, Someday I'll own a house, and how thrilling that moment will be, when I build my shelf to the ceiling)

So these are just a few idea's for my dream house/library, what do you think?  What kind of shelves are your favorite?  Can it be called a library if there are no ladders?

Running A Little Late

I'm running a little late today

Terry Sedgwick

Anybody else ever have a librarian like that?

Forest Book Nook

Oh man I want this so bad I would never leave!  I would probably put in some super comfy chairs, a coffee maker and a ton of comfy blankets.

Forest Book Nook

It's an actual library in New York, and it has over 10,000 books stored in the bottom part of the structure.  The windows all open so you can really appreciate the ambiance.  Could you imagine curling up here in all the different seasons!

Does this look awesome to you, or not enough places to plug in a lap top? Would you leave the windows wide open, or enjoy nature from a more controlled enviroment?  When I build my castle should I have a hidden path that leads to this "book tower"?