My Precious

Caricature of a Bibliophile

A friend and LIS colleague of mine, Kim Schulz, has a very talented brother -- Eddie Renner -- who just happens to be an artist specializing in caricatures, illustrations, and storyboards. Last month, I won a free caricature by being the 600th person to like his page:

I am even wearing my famous green fleece!

Take a moment to check out Renner's work by visiting GetaSketch.com
or his Facebook page.

Snow Day

Due to the bad road conditions, I stayed home from the library today and made a book loving snowman! 

Note: No books were harmed...

Risk Taking

Angering Lord Voldemort

A friend shared this image via Facebook:

Image courtesy of Turn to Page 394

A Hangover

Arly

Gender Divide

Via Facebook, the Frankfurt Book Fair shared this...

Too funny...
I've read Game of Thrones, but not 50 Shades.

White Rock

Just over a year ago, I wrote a piece for the Sanilac County Historical Society titled Peeking in the Past: Glimpses of White Rock and now have some recent photos to share of the famous rock! As always, you can enlarge the images by clicking on them...

Please pardon my crazy hair -- I was enjoying my Sun and Sound package.

Outdoor Activity

The Story of Kindle and the Comfort Zone

Background:
According to Dad, he didn't read much as a kid or during his adolescence; however, as far back as I can remember, he's been a pretty avid reader -- often staying up late in order to keep reading a compelling story. After 38 years of working at GM, Dad is now retired and on a fixed income. He seems to both enjoy and have a knack for finding ways to stretch a buck. Worth noting, Dad has also owned a Kindle for almost 2 years and prefers purchasing books rather than using the library or even borrowing a book I already own. (?!) And for the record, he's not a germphobe...


(Dad is browsing Amazon, via his Kindle, looking for a new book to read) 

I hand Dad a copy of the latest BookPage to facilitate his search. After about 20 minutes of browsing evil Amazon, he picks up the publication and almost immediately finds something that sparks his interest. I am pleased. 

Naturally, he begins discussing his latest find and tells me that plans on purchasing the said trilogy on his Kindle later this fall. *cue needle being dragged across vinyl record*

The conversation...

JC: "Dad, why don't you consider checking out e-books from the library?"
Dad: "Because I can do it this way without even leaving home."

JC: *chagrin* "Dad, you know you can borrow e-books from the library without even leaving home. I've showed you how to do it; I'd be happy to show you again. It's a great way to help save money. Besides...it's your tax dollars that fund the library's millage."

Dad: "I pay my taxes so that the library can remain open for young people who don't have a lot of money."

JC: *more chagrin* "Dad..."

Dad: "This is what I do, Jill!"

JC: "I think it's just out of your comfort zone and your looking for a way to rationalize your actions." 

Dad: "Maybe."
JC: *walks away shaking head and begins developing a strategy*

The only thing I can come up with is that the process of borrowing and downloading an ebook from the library must intimidate him. To date, I've showed him at least twice. (Really, it's not much different than logging into Amazon, browsing for a book, purchasing said book with a gift card, and finally downloading the purchase.)

I'll visit his library's website and look for a step-by-step guide to OverDrive and if one is not to be found...I shall make my own! I can even make a tutorial video and park it on his desktop. It is only then that my conscience can rest...

*cue Mission Impossible theme*

Township Trustee

Well...it's official. This morning I filed my paperwork and am now an official candidate and will be placed on the November ballot for the position of Watertown Township trustee.

You might ask, "What's your party affiliation, JC?"

Image courtesy of bumperstickerz.com

Bah...

Image courtesy of bumperstickerz.com

Bah...

Answer: I am running without party affiliation.
And to be completely honest, I'd like to keep it that way in the future, if possible.

The bookish view (keeping with the theme of this blog!):
If I get elected, which is highly probable due to the fact that I am running unopposed (and the deadline to file is Thursday, July 19th at 4:00p), I'll be in the market for a new book club as the Oakland University Alumni Association's Lit to Film Club meets on the first Tuesday of the month at 6:00p...which just happens to be at the very same day/time as township board meetings. It's quite disappointing that I won't be able to attend as it's something I've done and thoroughly enjoyed since September 2008; I am going to really miss the whole group, but especially the amazing Anne Switzer. My civic duty is calling ("Hey, JC! Over here!")...and the trustee position has been on my radar for quite a few years time now.

Let the hunt for a new book club begin...

Priceless

Via Facebook, River Rapids District Library in Chesaning, Michigan shared this photo which was posted by Grand Forks Public Library in Grand Forks, North Dakota:

Cops and Doughnuts

On my way to the Rural Libraries Conference in May, a pit stop was made in Clare for the express purpose of visiting Cops & Doughnuts! (In case you're just tuning in, my background is in criminal justice and psychology -- hence my love for law enforcement.)

A ditty from the bakery's website:

"There is a doughnut shop and bakery in Clare, Michigan that has been in constant operation since 1896. This foundation business was within weeks of closing when the members of the Clare Police Department came to the rescue. All of them. That's right, all nine members of the local police department banded together to save this historic business.

Dubbed "Cops and Doughnuts," the business boasts handmade confections of all types. Join us for a warm fresh doughnut and a steaming cup of cops coffee while you enjoy the police decor and friendly, and very safe, atmosphere."

Here I am sporting a t-shirt that reads "Use Libraries and Learn Stuff" and posing with a delicious blueberry-filled doughnut:

And I couldn't leave without purchasing a piece of swag for my law enforcement memorabilia collection:

Review: Dear Bully

Dear Bully: 70 Authors Tell Their Stories
Edited by Megan Kelley Hall & Carrie Jones
  (2011); New York, NY: HarperTeen
369 pp; $7.99 (paperback)
ISBN: 9780062060983; OCLC: 703206503
Genres: Young Adult / Non-Fiction / Biography

“YOU ARE NOT ALONE.” Between the two covers, a group of 70 young adult authors who observed, experienced, and even perpetrated bullying in their youth share some of their darkest moments which are conveyed to readers through a collection of stories, poems, and letters. With the hope of enlightening and inspiring victims of bullying, this heart-wrenching book that can be humorous at times providing not only comfort, but also encouragement to break the silence which all too often prevails.

Dear Bully is the nonfiction equivalent of a page-turner, but is better read in smaller doses due to the nature of the book. Popular contributors include: Heather Brewer, Carolyn Mackler, Lauren Oliver, Carrie Ryan, R. L. Stine, and Laurie Faria Stolarz. The contributors quickly bring readers into their confidence and bare the secrets of the vulnerable times in their lives. The book is broken into several sections or themes: Dear Bully; Just Kidding; Survival; Regret; Thank You, Friends; Insight; Speak; Write It; and, It Gets Better. Included at the back of the book, there’s even a section of resources for teens as well as educators and parents.

School Library Journal recommended this book for grade 9 and up; however, based on many of the stories shared, middle school students could definitely relate to this book. Dear Bully: 70 Authors Tell Their Stories would make a phenomenal addition to any public library and school media center; parents, guardians, teachers, and anyone else who works with youth could benefit from reading this book. 5/5 stars.

Read-Alikes: Hello Cruel World: 101 Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks, and Other Outlaws by Kate Bornstein, The Pregnancy Project: A Memoir by Gaby Rodriguez, The Gifted Teen Survival Guide: Smart, Sharp, and Ready for (Almost) Anything by Judy Galbraith and Jim Delisle, Girls Against Girls: Why We Are Mean to Each Other and How We Can Change by Bonnie Burton, and Chicken Soup for the Soul: Teens Talk Middle School: 101 Stories of Life, Love, and Learning for Younger Teens by Jack Canfield.

(This review is also available on WorldCat, Barnes and Noble, and GoodReads.)

Enjoying the sunshine while reading Dear Bully...

Bookish Pet Peeve

Inside a Toddler's Brain

Via Facebook, the following image which details the inside of a toddler's brain has been making its rounds. It certainly gave me a chuckle.

I think this image should've been inside the front cover of my children's literature textbook and included in my programming class. Children's librarians should take note...

Image by Melissa Balmain - Parenting magazine

Weekend in Photos

5.18.2012: I geek Churchill and running the field cultivator

5.19.2012: Taking a peek at Eagers' laying hens while Chris and RB
track down part of our soybean seed order

5.19.2012: Sporting crazy hair and whole lotta Pioneer 92Y51

5.19.2012: An unflattering photo of me sitting on the back of the grain drill reading
Miss Peregine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs for YA Lit (LIS 6530)
Note: I actually rode on the back of it for a few rounds

5.20.2012: A wet Labrador Retriever takes a break from swimming
while I do some more reading for YA Lit (LIS 6530)

5.20.2012

5.20.2012: Black River

5.20.2012: Home <3

Bibliophile Rock: Paperback Writer

Growing up, The Beatles were one of my favorite bands and my dad owned a few of their albums on cassette tape. (Yes, I said cassette tape.) I used to love running errands with him because it meant listening to music! It wasn't unusual for me to sing along to the songs which would typically elicit a smile from dad as he shook his head and laughed. My favorite song to sing was Paperback Writer. (I think I've always been a bibliophile!) I especially loved belting out the end of the song...

I often get asked by other musicians, "what music influenced you?" Definitely, without a doubt, The Beatles. As you can imagine Ringo was my favorite Beatle. When we'd get home, I'd often run downstairs and via my trusty silver drum set I'd imitate the beats I heard earlier -- those beats evolved into others which would later turn into long and drawn out drum solos. In the fourth grade, I actually played one of those solos in my school's talent show. 

Being in library school and all, I have to share something about the actual paperback...
From Literature for Today's Young Adults (2009):

"Despite the success of dime novels and libraries of paperbacks  in the late 1800s, paperbacks as we know them entered the mass market in 1938 when Pocket Books offered Pearl Buck's The Good Earth as a sample volume in mail-order tests...Avon began publishing in 1941; Penguin entered the U.S. market in 1942; and Bantam, New American Library, Ballantine, Dell, and Popular Library began publishing in 1943. By 1951, sales had reached 230 million paperbacks annually."

 P.S. When I got older, I had a crush on the quiet one: George.

How a Book is Born

Via Facebook/Pinterest, the publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt shared this humorous image titled:
"How a Book is Born."