Misadventures of the Monster Librarian

I love love love John Green; I am so grateful to JBean for telling me to read, The Fault in Our Stars , which has now become the book I tell EVERYONE to read. Everyone. My sister. My Mom. My favorite aunt. My best friends. Folks at the Library. Prairie Dawn. Before Prairie Dawn had even read it I made her put it on the fall lineup for our Teen Book Group. (More on that soon!) I love that John Green writes real teenage characters, tangible to real teens. These characters are coming into their own and trying to understand the world, sometimes poetically, other times emotionally stumbling through it like a weaving drunk. Green's characters are sometimes sweet and funny, sometimes self loathing or self deprecating, sometimes funny as hell, other times over the top dramatic, sometimes raw as hell, but always BELIEVABLE! I love that John Green celebrates nerds, and being honest, and wearing your heart on your sleeve, and has the most quotable lines and lovely sentiments. And ...

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

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...

Mo Willems is one of my go-to authors for easy readers (i.e. the Piggy and Elephant Series); Knuffle Bunny is one of those silly stories I share with my pre-K/Kindergarten kiddos (btw, the mix of drawing with photos, GENIUS!); kids of every age love yelling at the pigeon in the Don't Let the Pigeon... series. I LOVE Mo Willems. I love his characters and his sense of humor. I love that his stories make ME laugh outloud. I had such high hopes for Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs ... I was  NOT disappointed.  The inside cover art Willems retelling is hysterical. I laughed outloud. I may have snorted...a little. He rethinks everything from changing the bears to dinosaurs, to the porridge, to the surprise ending; also appreciated is the final pages where Willems gives us AND the dinosaurs a moral of the story. I love the art work: the "poorly supervised little girl named Goldilocks," looks very much like an older Trixie ( Knuffle Bunny Free) ; the dinosaur Da...

...when I see the cool things I will miss seeing at the Eric Carle Museum. Coming up is: Beyond Books: The Independent Art of Eric Carle September 30, 2012 - February 24, 2013   According to the museum's website, the exhibit of  what Carle refers to as, "Art Art," will include: Early posters and book jackets l inoleum cuts, created for several adult titles by other authors caricature notes: funny and irreverent hand-drawn notes written to friends  Non-representational art or “Art Art:" abstract painted tissue paper collages created between picture book projects “Name Art:” names of close friends and colleagues captured in his famous painted tissue paper Metal sculptures/Glass sculptures: forays into three-dimensional realms, including metal sculptures and painted glass assemblages in collusion with his friend and renowned glass artist Tom Patti Costumes/Drawings: costumes and a set for The Magic Flute stage concert performed by The Springfield Symphony in 20...

 The first story starring the bear family, The Big Honey Hunt , appeared in 1962 R.I.P. Jan Berenstain , co-creator of the popular kids' books: The Berenstain Bears ; Jan Berenstain passed away Friday. According to Harper Collins' website: " Since their inception, the Berenstain Bears stories have expanded to include picture books, beginning readers, and chapter books—even a hit TV show on PBS. Writing and illustrating the books has become a Berenstain family affair. Mike joined with his parents as a creative team in the late 1980s. The Bear family has expanded over the years as well. Sister Bear arrived in 1974, and baby Honey joined the family in 2000. My favorite when I was little. Since Stan's death at age eighty-two in 2005, Jan and Mike have continued to write and illustrate wonderful new adventures for Mama, Papa, Brother, Sister, and Honey Bear. They live in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, which looks a lot like Bear Country. "  Full in...

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...