What Are You Reading Now?

It used to be that I could only read one book at a time, but sometime during the last few years (grad school?) I graduated to reading several at once. Here is what I am reading now...feel free to chime in with your current reads!

Loose Lips: A Novel of Love and Espionage by Clarie Berlinski

This novel is the story of a aimless intellectual who is floundering in the occupational ocean after receiving her doctorate and ends up working for the CIA. As she goes through her training, she learns many lessons about trust, betrayal, and the real reason why they teach people to "Admit Nothing. Deny Everything. Make Counteraccusations." I bought this book at the Spy Museum in D.C. and I was surprised by the complexity of the story at the end...and how I am still thinking about it! I'm excited to learn that she has written more!

Truman by David McCullough

You might guess that Harry Truman's life is the story contained in this award winning book. I'm turning over a new, nonfiction, leaf this summer!

Life As We Knew It

After a rousing and thought provoking discussion about Susan Beth Pfeffer's Life As We Knew It, I offered to post some of the titles mentioned here in this blog. Feel free to add others in the comments if I missed any! I'm hoping to put together a wiki for us to use that will be a little more interactive and useful for our bookclub!

Author Information: Susan Beth Pfeffer's Blog

Suggested Read-alikes for Life As We Knew It:
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

Other Titles Mentioned:

The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
Movie Link: http://www.goldencompassmovie.com/
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (There is a page on IMDB about a movie...who knows if anything will come of it!)
One for the Money (Stephanie Plum) by Janet Evanovich
Them Bones by Carolyn Haines (Southern belle version of Stephanie Plum)
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

Future Books:
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Lady Chatterly's Lover by D. H. Lawrence

Ask Me About ALA

My remaining time at the ALA conference was been spent learning about staff development, networking with interesting and diverse librarians, meeting with vendor representatives, and working the exhibit floor. Want to know more? Ask me (or click below) to learn more about:

Faceted Searching (give it a try here: http://aqua.queenslibrary.org/)
Federated Searching (http://www.webfeat.org/ or http://www4.auto-graphics.com/products/agentsearch/agentsearch.htm)
Aquabrowser
Self-checks
Burgeoning Babies (www.burgeongroup.com)
English Only Censorship (http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2007/june2007/jkeo.htm)

Final calculations:
Passports Stamps: 13
Programs Attended: 14
Luggage Weight: At least 1000 lbs. Seriously.
Miles Walked: 1 Billion
Impact on future programs and services: Priceless

Social Sunday

Wow! Another day of beautiful weather in D.C. and a great day spent at the ALA conference! The conversations of yesterday are transitioning into the social aspects of library programs, services, and spaces. I did quite bit of social networking in my first life today, and I shared information with new colleagues and learned quite a bit from them about various vendors, programs, and Anne of Green Gables folklore!

I began the day by eating breakfast with Stacy (at the crack of dawn for the second day in a row-what a trooper!) and then I attended Stephen Abrams' program about the new technologies and their impact on library public relation plans. By the end, my brain was full and all I could think was "I have a lot of work to do." In my mind, leaving a session in an idea-induced haze is what I want from a program at ALA. (BTW, one link you can't overlook from this handout is the site where you can make your own Simpsons Avatar!)

I attended two more sessions today, and one was about Transforming Your Library Space, from a completely new building to remodeling on the cheap. The most moving experience of the conference thus far was the viewing of a video about the Robin Hood Foundation that is funding the L!BRARY project to renovate/revitalize libraries in the NYC school system. I also toured a few more of the exhibits and I found some very interesting things to consider for transforming our own future space!

This evening I attended the 2007 Newbery/Caldecott/Wilder banquet and I felt honored to witness the awarding of these prestigious medals and honors. All of the speeches were moving and, as usual, shed another perspective on the works being honored. By the way, if you haven't actually watched the Weston Woods film based on Mo Willems' book, Knuffle Bunny, then you must check it out!

Conversations on Saturday

Saturday was a jam-packed day that started off my ALA conference experience. My first session was all about books and babies and included a very inspirational presentation about the Brooklyn Reads to Babies campaign (which won the John Cotton Dana Award Public Relations Award this year), the Read to Me program, and the Mother Goose Program. All of these programs are rich in content and gave me some ideas to think about for future prenatal and new parent reading parties. One of the things stressed by each presentation was the importance of the conversation with the baby because this is how the baby makes sense of their world. I think this is a great concept for us to be reinforcing in more obvious ways.

I attended three more programs this day (whew!) and one was about information seeking patterns in children (and adults), and another was about online social learning theory. The theme of "conversations" continued to repeat throughout many of these discussions (and on the exhibit floor) and I feel this underlines the change in philosophies and expectations of libraries today. Making connections with people, connecting people with information, connecting people with their communities...these all can only be accomplished by initiating a conversation in some form.

In other more mundane news, after I finished with the conference for the day, I joined up with Stacy and Dave for a marathon walk/jog through all the monuments. The good news is that I have nine more stamps in my passport! The bad news is that I wore out my shoes.

Da Udens Visit D.C.

Stacy and I managed to squeeze in quite a few amazing sites as I wait in anxious anticipation for the conference to begin. We arrived with relatively few problems (missing luggage and malfunctioning trains aside) to find beautiful weather in our nation's capital.

Recently, I purchased a National Park Service passport (ignoring the fact it is probably aimed at nine year-olds) and we have found it a treasure map leading us to unique gems throughout the country. Using it, we found the Old Post Office where we toured the clock tower that is the home for the Bells of Congress. Another happy accident occurred later when we wandered by when the bell ringers were practicing!

Our other activities have included inadvertently merging with a protest group and unknowingly meeting a high-ranking official in the administration (mutually exclusive events, thankfully). We went on an unforgettable tour of The White House and the Old Executive Office Building escorted by our friend Dave and his friend who was an amazing tour guide. Currently, The White House website has a picture of two violinists performing for the president in the East Room. We were there earlier that day and the room was set up for this performance. Look at the painting of George Washington on the right and you might be interested to learn that it was the Gilbert Stuart painting saved by Dolley Madison, who rolled it up and took it with her when The White House was burned by the British in 1814. Well, hello Dolley!

Two more passport stamps later (Ford's Theatre and the Peterson House), I successfully completed my mission and kept my cover intact while learning a ton of interesting history at the International Spy Museum. If we have time, I would love to return to do Operation Spy, where we have a "real" mission to complete!

Check back tomorrow to learn what will happened during the first full day of the conference!

Podcasting Udens!

Hello everyone! It's been awhile since I've blogged and here is something new! Our very first podcast, which consists of Stacy and I discussing our views on technology and the real world. This episode is all about cell phones.

Enjoy!

http://www.pod-serve.com/podcasts/show/overbyte-dont-get-me-started#

O Canada

We made it home safely with only a few frustrations going through customs in Montreal. From the moment we boarded the plane last Saturday, I have had the Canadian national anthem in my head (along with an unreasonable craving for maple syrup). Here is a funny website that I found so I could sing more than the first two words! Here is a more official website if you are interested in the history of the song.

Things we will miss about Canada:

1. Beautiful landscapes, although our own maple tree in the front yard is nothing to sneeze at. Actually, we'd prefer that you didn't sneeze at it as our lawn is covered with leaves as it is.

2. Restaurant staff who actually care how you respond when they ask "How was everything?"

3. Breakfast. Stacy and I sat way too long at the dining room table this morning waiting for our fruit course to magically appear.

4. Sweetened tea, seafood chowder and Cows ice cream shop. We plan to visit Oberweis and Red Lobster this weekend to ease the withdrawal effects.

5. Living in a "green" environment. 98% of the carbonated beverages sold on PEI are in refillable glass bottles.

Thanks for joining us on our trip!

Looking Forward

Each of our days here in P.E.I. combined natural wonders and historical explorations and today was no different. Stacy's goals for today were well met as we toured the Charlottetown waterfront area and Province Hall which was the birthplace of the Canadian Federation.

The weather grew colder today (high of about 11 degrees Celsius) which will probably help us transition into the cold weather back home in Chicago. We didn't let the cold wind stop us from spending a part of the afternoon on the shore. It seems we have yet to tire of watching the waves or listening to the powerful sound of water crashing against land. We finished the day on a newly discovered boardwalk a few blocks from our B&B where we watched the sunset and reflected on our holiday.

We are looking forward to returning home, but we are also looking forward to our next trip to P.E.I. Anyone want to join us?

Island Wanderings

Prince Edward Island is small in size (175 miles from tip to tip), but large in terms of activities available to happy travelers like us. Driving around the island is a joy in itself, with the variety of landscapes and autumn colors providing picturesque scenes along the way. It has been interesting, however, becoming accustomed to Canadian road signs. The signs make sense, but sometimes it feels like a giant Rebus book.

People have told us that you can't get lost on P.E.I. If you get misdirected, all you have to do is turn left when you hit water and eventually you will be back where you started from. The only real trouble we have had is getting used to the scale on the P.E.I map. The map is the same size as one of our U.S. state highway maps, but one inch on this map equals about 3 miles. Consequently, when I tell Stacy to "watch out for Route 6" we usually pass by it two seconds later. :-)

Today, Stacy and I visited a few P.E.I. shops and stumbled upon some breathtaking red sand beaches lined by sandstone cliffs on the north shore (again, kudos to Parks Canada!). This is the type of happy accident that makes this area so enjoyable. We have one full day left of our vacation and we have already determined that several things will have to wait for our next visit!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post as Stacy gets to pick what to do for the day! Maybe I can get him to do a guest post...

Happy Thanksgiving!

On this Canadian Thanksgiving Day, Stacy and I had a lot to be thankful for! The beautiful weather held on for one more day, making it a perfect time to hike along a variety of trails on the northern side of the Island. The Parks Canada system has really impressed us with the well maintained recreation areas and their efforts to preserve unique natural and historical landmarks within the country.

On one of the Greenwich trails, we walked over a freshwater pond via a floating boardwalk, emerged onto a virtually deserted beach, and then splashed around in the Gulf of the St. Lawrence. Well, we didn't really splash around so much as we played chicken with the waves and then dipped our fingers in the chilly water. The trail was very educational and we learned a lot about the fragile habitat as well as the parabolic sand dunes and the unique counter-ridges that are visible here on this side of P.E.I.


We were thankful for every minute.

Happy Thanksgiving!

(They eat turkey here, too. We, however, decided to have seafood.)

Anne's Land

Day two of our trip started out beautifully, with a delicious breakfast served by our two wonderful hosts at the Elmwood Heritage Inn. This historic bed and breakfast is elegantly decorated and has a warm, cozy atmosphere that feels just like home. Well, not our home, of course, but what our home could be if we hired someone to decorate our home and fix our food. After breakfast, we received some insider tips from our hosts and were off on our first full day of adventuring.

Today's main destination was truly a lifelong dream coming to fulfillment as we made our way through the breathtaking landscape to the Anne of Green Gables Heritage Place, a part of the Canada National Parks system. Here we toured the house that inspired Green Gables, which was actually owned by relatives of the author Lucy Maud Montgomery. The house was restored using the descriptions from the books and items typically used during the late 1800s. We walked through rooms that represented those of Anne, Marilla, and Matthew and I could easily imagine many of the scenes from the treasured story.

Another perfect fall day made walking through the trails surrounding the house a magical experience. These were the woods that L. M. Montgomery traipsed through during her childhood and the woods that Anne, Diana, and Gilbert traveled through in their adventures. Stacy and I marveled at the serenity of Lover's Lane and the creepiness of the Haunted Woods.


Interesting things learned today:

1. L. M. Montgomery was rejected five times for her novel, Anne of Green Gables. Luckily, she and her grandmother ran the post office from their kitchen so no one else ever knew.

2. Cheese sticks here can be ordered with a Donair sauce. It seems that this is a regional specialty made from milk, sugar, and vinegar. Stacy is very brave.

3. A mysterious black fly has been following us all day long. Just the one. It is very odd.

4. Ryann's favorite Stacy quotes of the day:

"I think I've had enough meat for today." - I've never heard him say those words before.

"I have to think that it's just a book." - Good thing we opted for the suite so he'll have somewhere to sleep tonight.

Just kidding, he's a doll and we all know that. Who else would go willingly into the Haunted Woods?

A Prince of a Place

Stacy and I started our vacation to Prince Edward Island in our usual fashion: arriving late at the airport, bickering over parking spots, and lugging luggage far enough to realize we should have just purchased clothes and toiletries at our destination. When we finally reached our gate, I kept up international relations by accidentally knocking a fellow traveler's pizza onto the pristine airport floor. But, really, I think I did her a favor. Why eat airport pizza when you are mere steps away from Cinnabon?

Soon we were airborne and the flight to Montreal was fantastic! I'm going to fly Air Canada every time I fly from now on. Their website is top-notch and onboard entertainment is provided by individual touch screens that allow you to watch movies, shows, or listen to music during your flight. I watched an episode of NUMB3RS and part of The Devil Wears Prada. You could even pause what you were watching when the beverage service rolled around! It was like having my very own TIVO in the air for the low price of one airline ticket!

Transferring to our Charlottetown flight was fairly uneventful and soon we arrived at PEI on a beautiful fall day. Few clouds blocked the warm sun and a cool breeze reminded us that fall was here, if we had neglected to notice the fiery red and orange leaves on many trees in the area.

We've already learned a lot during out trip. Not ones to hoard trivia, we'll share with you some Canadian traveling tips.

1. When you buy new knitting needles at a Canadian Michaels store, they don't really want to know your zip code.

2. When people say it is going to be 20 tomorrow, act excited. Turns out this is a good thing.

3. Table d'hote means a fixed meal or a meal with several courses at a fixed cost (per Merriam's Online Dictionary).

4. Not everyone on Prince Edward Island has red hair.

5. Be aware of communication problems when traveling internationally. These are most likely to occur with your own spouse. :-)

You Asked For It!

Kindred spirits are alive and well in the young adult novel Sleeping Freshman Never Lie by David Lubar. This heartwarming and humorous read chronicles a year in the life of a high school freshman, Scott, who spends his year trying to gain the attention of a girl, avoiding the lunch money bandit, writing eloquent sports articles for the school paper (each in a different literary style), and creating a journal for his soon-to-be born baby brother. This book made me laugh out loud and quicky carved a special place into my heart and onto my bookshelf.

Read it!

Another recent favorite: Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles.

:-)

Harry's Done

I finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince last night. What do I think? Thanks for asking! To me, it is like your birthday when you are planning to go to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner that night. You don't want to eat too much during the day, but you do need something to hold you over. This book is like the fruit filled yogurt that you eat midafternoon - delicious, fortifying, and leaves you plenty to anticipate for the fancy meal ahead.

There were lots of good quotes in this one, and here is one of my favorites:

'You said to us once before,' said Hermione quietly, 'that there was time to turn back if we wanted to. We've had time, haven't we?'

We cannot read that quote without pairing it with one from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone:

But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend. There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them. (p. 179).

Who wants some discussion questions?

Harry's Here

Ok, ok, so I finally got my British edition of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. But, I can't start until my homework is done! I will have to read it soon, however, for an upcoming book discussion.

If I didn't have to read it soon, I was thinking of reading a page a day, and then blogging about every page! What do you think? I would stretch out the fun until approximately April of 2007!!!

Here's a picture of what my copy looks like (thanks Amazon.uk!). It's cute. I'll read fast, I promise!

The Gospel According to Larry

So, while I have read A LOT of books recently, I have to post about this one ASAP. The Gospel According to Larry by Janet Tashjian is a textured, thought provoking read about a seventeen year-old who anonymously tries to change the world with sermons on a website and win the girl he loves, but ends up being the embodiment of everything he stands against.

Read it. It'll change your life for as long as you let it.

Then check out the real life website www.thegospelaccordingtolarry.com

It's inspired me to create a "Wired Reads" list. Post any suggestions you have!

We're Waiting Harry....

Check out this funny article from McSweeney's that might give you some insight to what will happen in the new book! (Clipped from The Big A Little A Blog).

Reading Quote of the Day

"Rosenberg's First Law of Reading: Never apologize for your reading tastes" from Readers' Advisory Service in the Public Library by Joyce G. Saricks.

Here is a quick run-down of what I have read recently, both recreational and school required readings. I'll let you guess which is which! :-)

Devil in the White City by Erik Larson.
Fascinating historical facts about Chicago and the World's Fair (1893) combined with riveting narrative about a serial killer in Chicago at the same time.

Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs.
Meet Tempe Brennan, a forensic anthropogist who leaves the lab to solve crimes in this suspenseful mystery series (like Patricia Cornwell).

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.
No, I haven't read this before! While meant to be set in the future it seems to be telling a story that accurately describes the world today...

Desire by Amanda Quick.
Lady Clare can no longer maintain control of the Isle of Desire and is forced to marry the King's illegitimate son, who at first seems to be quite of the opposite of her desire. I give this regency romance four hot chili peppers out of five.

Deryni Rising by Katherine Kurtz.
Kelson is only fourteen when his father, the King, dies and he is next in line for the throne and also his magical powers that can be brought forth by various rituals...if the evil sorceress doesn't kill him first!

Black Rose by Nora Roberts.
The second title of the In the Garden trilogy explores the growing relationship between no-nonsense Rosalind and the hunky genealogical researcher Mitch (who is helping the family discover the origin of their resident ghost. (This one gets three hot chili peppers!)

Some may scoff at romance novels, but hopefully most people can just accept that people have different reading tastes. As I hope you can see from this blog, I like to read things from all over the library. Sometimes, however, a romance novel provides just the right escape from the everyday. This summer is a good example, as I am swamped with homework but I still reserve a few minutes each day for my "brain candy" read.

Go find yours and be proud!

The Value of Millions

During the last couple of weeks, I listened to the audiobook version of the book Millions by Frank Cottrell Boyce. The story of two preteen brothers (saint-loving Damian and future investment banker Anthony) is both heartwarming and funny as we follow their quest to spend over 200,000 British pounds before England converts to the Euro. Damian thinks the money was sent to them from God so they could perform good deeds, a fact which is supported by the various saintly visions he has. Anthony knows better and thinks the money should be used to expand their investment portfolio by buying a house. As the days until conversion near, Anthony learns that the money came from a robbery attempt and Damian realizes that the money is creating more problems than it solves.

Tonight I saw the movie based on the book and I highly recommended it. The screenplay was written by the author, so the story's voice and integrity remained intact. The book is told in first person, so I was impressed with how well the movie revealed the character of Damian. Both boys were adorable and Damian's effort to do the right thing and deal with this mother's death were very touching. The father was shown as strong, hardworking, loving, and vulnerable, which I found honest and compelling. His burgeoning relationship with another women adds another twist to this already dynamic slice of real family life. The cinematic effects and diverse soundtrack complete this well-done adaptation of an excellent book.

Don't trust me? Check out Roger Ebert's review. He says, "This is one of the best films of the year."