Misadventures of the Monster Librarian

Have you ever had one of those moments where you fulfill a dream? Right before it happens you have this heart pounding, adrenaline rushing moment of clarity and then your spirit kinda free falls. I had one of those moments last week; been meaning to write about it, but things have been so busy. Last Tuesday Bestie L sent her girls to their grandparents for the night, left her hubby to his own devices, and made the 3 hours trek to Cleveland so we could go to Anne Lamott's lecture--Anne Lamott is one of our favorite authors, by the way. After a quick tour of OHCity Library and a change of clothes we headed downtown to my new favorite drink spot, Bricco , for martinis and some delicious calamari and fried pickles. They have a drink called the Pink Elephant which is amazing...and enough of those will have you seeing pink elephants. Check it out if you're ever in downtown Cleveland! In no time I was watching in anticipation as Anne Lamott made her way across the stage and bega...

Remember my Anne Lamott story ? I LOVE ANNE LAMOTT! And since April, when besite L and I saw her lecture, we've both been eagerly anticipating Lamott's newest book: Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers .  I ordered a few copies (Christmas presents), and was so excited when the package was in my mail box! The book is short and sweet, Lamott in succinct. As the title suggests, Lamott shares three prayers that she finds imperative: "Help," "Thanks," and "Wow," explaining that in our lowest places we ask for help from a higher power, but for many people the prayers stop there. She shares her experience the "help," phased, but also goes on to share how prayers shouldn't stop there, but rather continue with gratitude, "thanks," and prayers of awe, "wow." In true Lamott fashion, you hear her voice as you read, the book infused with her humor and ability to create an honest, open dialogue with the reader. Wha...

Can you guess where I am? Back in Michigan just 4 days after I left, this time for a 3 day weekend of rest and relaxation, no baby showers, hopefully just lots of hanging with friends and celebrating Easter. All this traveling back and forth makes me want to move back to Michigan to just save on the damn gas! Gah! I've got some book reviews on the horizon, but until I can get those things in order, thought I would offer some lovely words on Easter from Anne Lamott--Did I mention bestie L is coming down to Cleveland next week and we're going to go see Anne Lamott lecture! I am so excited! Anne Lamott is one of our favorites. "So in Easter — and Passover too — something that happens is that we stop. This is the 'dark night of the soul' stuff that John the Divine writes about; that in that stopping we may fall into an abyss that we have been trying to outrun since we were little children ... and the American way, I think, is to trick out the abyss so it'...

Remember when I got to talk to Anne Lamott ? Well, Bestie L found the list which she'd jotted down as I stood in awe; this is what I could decipher from L's chicken scratch (SO EXCITED TO DIG INTO SOME OF THESE!!): Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity , Katherine Boo In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin , Erik Larson The Brothers Karamazov , Fyodor Dostoevsky The Executioner's Song, Norman Mailer , Dave Eggers Middle March , George Elliot 9 Stories , J.D. Salinger The Seven Storey Mountain , Thomas Merton The Red and the Black , Stendhal May Sarton Gerald Durrell Rumi Donald Miller Ann Beattie

I am thankful that there are people like Anne Lamott out in the world. I loved this: "Let us commence"  by Anne Lamott I am honored and surprised that you asked me to speak today. This must be a magical day for you. I wouldn't know. I accidentally forgot to graduate from college. I meant to, 30 years ago, but things got away from me. I did graduate from high school, though -- do I get a partial credit for that? Although, unfortunately, my father had forgotten to pay the book bill, so at the graduation ceremony, when I opened the case to see my diploma, it was empty. Except for a ransom note that said, see Mrs. Foley, the bookkeeper, if you ever want to see your diploma alive again. I went to Goucher College in Maryland for the best possible reasons -- to learn -- but then I dropped out at 19 for the best possible reasons -- to become a writer. Those of you who have read my work know that instead, I accidentally became a Kelly girl for a while. Then, In a dazzling...

When I was a kid we moved a lot-7 times by the time I was 7 years old-and as happens with many children, I was very lonely even with older brothers and a an older sister to play with. The house we finally settled in, the one that my parents still live in today, and the home where my nieces and nephews now play was like the house in The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe , when I was a child. Though not as large, at seven it seemed endless and possibilities abounded, having moved into the country from the city of Detroit. There was even a time when we were playing hide n' seek, and I like Lucy, the youngest of four, hid behind a doorway. Unlike Lucy, regrettably, instead of a world in Narnia, I discovered a land of adventure yes, but more so of my own imaginings. It was on that very rainy day, when hide n' seek had ended-the older children tiring of it sooner than I should have liked-that I discovered a doorway into new worlds. I grabbed some books and hid behind my fathers old, so...

I had another 4 day weekend--so glad I'm spreading out my vacation days this way--and split the time between my brother A3's family in the Cleveland area, and in Michigan. My Friday night/Saturday night/Sunday morning meant talking about Baby #2, who's due in February; chasing my niece S (now 1.5 years old!) around the house, and listening to her as she spoke REAL words! And some weird Ewok-esque language. She has learned the nickname that half my nieces and nephews call me, and now calls me by name, loves to sit with me, and begs for me to hold her. And I, ever the doting auntie, can't soak up enough of this. I laughed with her, smiled when she shouted things like "RUN!" at me (during a game of chase), and marveled at this wonder who is already counting to 3. Suffice to say, it was hard to leave Sunday morning. Next I was off to my favorite aunties for a visit with Dad's family, and particularly, with my Godmother who lives in Florida. It was a nice v...

In this blog I mentioned an article in the Telegraph listing their Top 50 Cult Classic Books. I decided to come up with my own list, still using their definition of "cult," which gives a wide berth in choosing the books on my list. I loved parts of their definition so much that I had to share it here: "'What is a cult book? We tried and failed to arrive at a definition: books often found in the pockets of murderers; books that you take very seriously when you are 17; books whose readers can be identified to all with the formula “whacko"; books our children just won’t get…Cult books are somehow, intangibly, different from simple bestsellers – though many of them are that…They are different from books that have big new ideas – though many of them are that…In compiling our list, we were looking for the sort of book that people wear like a leather jacket or carry around like a totem. The book that rewires your head: that turns you on to psychedelics; makes you want...

Seems like memes are the latest fads of blog world. Somehow I was scavenging through some old blogs--like a hungry vulture--when I stumbled upon this this post of Effing's, which I did not ever reply to. Meme on the book I am reading: 1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pgs.) 2. Open the book to page 123 3. Find the fifth sentence 4. Post the next three sentences 5. Tag five people A Child Called “IT” “I smiled from ear to ear, as I jumped into her arms and held her tightly. As she ran her hand through my hair, I began to cry. Mother cried, too, and I began to feel that my bad times were finished.” Author Meme 1. Who’s your all-time favorite author, and why? Oh, this is a hard one. It might be a tie between Jane Austen and John Steinbeck. Every book I have read by either I have loved and could reread and reread and feel like each time I would still be able to find something new to be analyzed. 2. Who was your first favorite author, and why? Was like when? When I first lea...