Sunday, November 14, 2010

Falling - Deine Lakaien, I'm Hungry Like the Wolf - Duran Duran

In which I write my thoughts on Lauren Kate's Fallen, specifically the audio book:

Audio Length: 10 hours and 59 min.,
Release Date: 11/12/2009
Narrator: Justine Eyre
Format: Unabridged

** spoiler alert ** This book really surprised me with its plot and intrigue. I was afraid to pick it up after putting down Hush Hush because I couldn't take "yet another teen angst love triangle involving the Supernatural....AGAIN". I have a guilty pleasure for boarding school novels and this one does not disappoint. I do get a little disappointed at how much Luce loses herself in her infatuation for Daniel and how much she comes to depend on him. Frankly she becomes a fairly incompetent character who is left in the dark on most of the plot points, as is the reader. Lauren Kate definitely leaves the ending open to a trilogy and I now want to finish the series to see how it ends. And I know this is getting nit picky but fail on Lauren Kate's part for making the librarian a villain. I loved the secondary characters including Daniel's arch nemesis and the "dark to his light" so to speak, Cam, and Luce's fast friend who reminds me of a fairy raver friend of mine, Ariadne.
 
I do love when I catch mistakes in audio books, they always make me chuckle.I recall when I was listening to the audio book of Libba Bray's Rebel Angels I heard the author stop reading and say to herself how she was going to re-read the character's last sentence in a more convincing manner, i.e. less warbling. In the case of this audio book it was less obvious. The narrator has chosen one way to pronounce a character's name and then a few chapters later completely pronounced it in a different way...twice. 
 
The next book in the series is Torment, where Luce is transported to another boarding school where she learns more about her past lives and begins to distrust that her beloved, Daniel is telling her the whole truth.
 
I've had a good experience reading Maggie Stiefvater's "The Wolves of Mercy Falls" series. The love between Sam and Grace is loving without being too  lovesick. Their comfortableness with one another puts the reader at ease and makes them invested in their star crossed lovers plot. The two also read to each other in a corner bookstore loft, which to me is the ideal romantic situation. I may end up buying them. The visceral description of werewolves in winter makes it a good December read. I have yet to catch up with the final book, Forever.
 
Now that I'm on the subject, what's the deal with authors mass producing trilogy series? Are they following in the footsteps of author before them where a trilogy means not only an extended plot but more fans, more money, and more book tours? Or did they originally have a novel length story to tell that they just broke up into three books? The other series that I can't to finish is another supernatural love triangle involving Carrie Jones' pixies.
 
[images courtesy of goodreads]

Oh...and just for the heck of it, here are links to the songs referenced in the title:

For Falling - Deine Lakaien
For Hungry Like the Wolf - Duran Duran

Friday, October 29, 2010

Very short post on Imagination land

I've always been curious about this since it's different for everyone, but I wanted to pose the question anyway:

How do you read?

Ok so that wasn't a very clear question, what I mean is how do you bring characters and events to life as you're reading a book with no pictures? For me I can describe the process as I'm playing that scene or that character's conversation in the space behind my eyelids (possibly my brain). One would wonder though how I can pay attention to moving pictures while simultaneously reading letter (R - L or L - R) across a page? I don't know. It's a myestery. So I ask again, how do you read?

Also, say a character is introduced into the book with a minimalistic description (gender or skin color). Do you impose a certain race or other descriptive qualities to the character? For example, I'm currently reading the middle book, Linger, in Maggie Stiefvater's Werewolf Sam & grace trilogy (preceded by Shiver). While the main character, Sam, has been described with moppy dark hair and golden eyes my mind immediately pictured him and Grace to be a matched pair of blondes and this is how they stayed.

Image courtesy of arockridgelife.wordpress.com
While some authors take time to introduce a character's attributes and description, some authors such as When you Reach Me 's Rebecca Stead and Virginia Euwer Wolff's Make Lemondae Trilogy only provide one attribute, such as skin color, or none at all to be purposefully ambiguous. As a result, readers may try to "place a race" on the character, either for imagination or for curiousity's sake. I know I've read that Wolff purposely left her main character's race to be ambiguous because she didn't want it to control the transformation of her character (minority rags to riches story, if that makes sense). Readers made inferences anyway based on such details in the book as geographic location, dialect, etc. How do you feel about this practice in young adult and children's books? Does assigning a race to a character ultimately bring up particular stereotypes embedded in the reader's brain, much as my mind takes control over how a character physically appears despite what the author writes?

In the School Library Journal blog, I found an article entited, "When You Reach Me: The Race Card" that touches more on this subject:

"JULIA’S AMBIGUOUS RACIAL IDENTY

Julia’s skin color is described, but she’s never labeled racially or ethnically. She could be African American, but she could be Indian or Asian, too. Or biracial. As I mentioned earlier, it’s a similar technique employed by Virginia Euwer Wolf in the MAKE LEMONADE trilogy. It allows the reader to impose an ethnicity or racial identity on the character. We would generally recognize this as a strength, but there’s also a trade-off. Isn’t there also a generic quality to the character? One writer told me that, for example, when you set a book in the South, everybody knows that it’s hot and humid. What she looks for are the details in the setting that reveal a native understanding of the region. What are the details that would escape the notice of the casual visitor? Apply this to Julia’s characterization. She’s universal, but not very specific. Again, this is not a weakness of the book, generally speaking or in terms of the Newbery criteria, but it still left me wishing for those extra skillfully woven details. Another slight note of dissatisfaction."

I guess a point to take away from this discussion is that steroetypes have the ability to be changed or destroyed. So if we're dealing in the realm of fiction and not fantasy (where races are optional and as changeable as a pair of jeans), perhaps we can take comfort in this fact that even the reader's stereotypes of particular characters can be changed through reading books such as Stead's and Wollf's.


Wednesday, October 20, 2010

In the fictionalized world of Jane Austen

I've developed a Jane Austen fictionization (fixation + fiction) ever since I rewatched "Becoming Jane" with my roommate. This was exacerbated by my discovery of Just Jane: a Novel of Jane Austen's Life by Nancy Moser. This fictionalized account is one of Moser's many fictionalized biographies of historical women. The book picks up after Austen's disastrous romance with Tom Lefroy (those of you who have seen "Becoming Jane" will be brought up to speed). If you're more interested in that portion of Austen's life (and at some parts of this book, I certainly was,) I would bypass Moser altogether. If you're more interested in hearing how Austen used her life experience to become a world famous writer, then I highly recommend you pick this up. While Moser does her research well to accurately portray events in Austen's life, the majority of the book is inflated with fictionalized accounts connecting events and people described in letters and other accounts of Austen's life. The story could even be read in a series of vignettes concerning events (boring and riveting) that make up the life of Jane Austen including engagements, death, illness, social visits, and relocating all over England. The plight of Austen throughout this novel is her conflict with rising above society's expectations for her to marry and bear children in order to be less of a burden to her family in order to become a pubished author. Jane often becomes bored with the monotony of her life and the only time she is happy is when she's writing or discussing her writing with friends. If you're not familiar with Jane Austen's novels this will not hinder your understanding of Just Jane.

Some downsides to the vignettes are that while some are invigorating, others drag, and the time jumps are only reflected by Jane remarking about how much older she has become. The way the book is written, the events seems as if they could be happening within a span of a few weeks. But the reader must remember how often letters took to arrive anywhere considering the mode of transportation at the time (horse, carriage, or foot). The upside is learning about Austen's thought and writing process and her difficulties with finding inspiration. The writing comes off very solid for a fictionalization. Jane Austen's voice remains true though I did catch some instances of modern slang.

On the whole, I give it a rating of 3 out of 5. I definitely will be gifting this to a friend of mine who I know would enjoy it. Reading this has also made me want to pick up "Emma" as I'm already familiar with Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility.

Review: http://www.curledup.com/justjane.htm

Monday, October 18, 2010

Conclusion to the Vampire Saga: Vampires are Stalkers

I now present to you the last book I wrote about for my Young Adult Literature class back in the Summer of 2009. I began these posts back in August of 2010 and covered the various adolscent paradigms represented within young adult vampire literature (that ISN'T Twilight) published between 1991 and 1997. I'll relist them here.

Anderson, M. T. Thirsty. United States: Candlewick Press, 1997.

Atwater-Rhodes, Amelia. Shattered Mirror. New York: Delacorte Press, 2001.

Hauptman, Pete. Sweetblood. New York: Simon Pulse, 2003.

Marrona, Amanda. Uninvited. New York: Simon Pulse, 2007.

Rees, Douglas.Vampire High. New York: Delacorte Press, 2003.

Smith, L. J. The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening. New York:  Harcourt Press, 1991.

Of these titles, Smith's The Vampire Diaries, Atwater-Rhodes, and Rees have continuing books or have created a series around the books. The Vampire Diaries wins hands down for being the most popular series and most promoted within streams of social media. This is amplified and aided by the revamp (ouch) of the series due to fan demand, in which L. J. created another trilogy of books called "The Return". From this stemmed the TV show, "The Vampire Diaries" which is currently in its second season. By far these aren't the worst titles you can find amongst vampire young adult literature today and they all make valid points about the mythology that are both varied and unique. Throw in  a few psychological aspects such as vampirism as an allegory for adolescence and puberty, and you have a way for teens to relate to the material. I hope that you add these to your reading lists or recommend more vampire literature novels that teens (or myself) might like. I leave you, just a week or so before Halloween, with the final installment of the paper, Uninvited, which tells the story of Jordan and her recently dead boyfriend, Michael Green, who begins to exude stalker-like tendencies from beyond the grave.

                          Marrone, Amanda. Uninvited. New York:  Simon Pulse, 2007.

Jordan’s boyfriend Michael Green is the greatest thing to ever happen to her. The most popular new boy in school not only relieves her social anxiety, but also makes her feel that she matters and is loved. Unfortunately, the prospect of facing the entire student body with Michael on her arm is too much pressure for Jordan to handle, and she breaks up with him. Shortly thereafter, Michael Green is found dead and is rumored to have committed suicide. As Jordan copes with this loss through alcohol and drugs, Michael begins appearing at her bedroom window every night begging to be let in so they can be reunited. As his visits become more frequent and intense Jordan begins to suspect that her ex-boyfriend is not dead, but undead.
Uninvited is the best example of the renegotiation of power developmental task. Michael’s visits demonstrate immense power over Jordan by confining her to her bedroom. Readers should recognize the signs of stalking and abuse through Michael’s behavior: keeping Jordan constantly afraid to see her friends, meet new people, or venture out after sunset. At first, instead of confronting Michael, Jordan abuses drugs and alcohol as a means of denial and escape. However, Marrone highlights Jordan’s small victories like keeping Michael outside her window and emphasizes her transformation from victim to heroine when Michael threatens her best friend, Lisa. Ultimately, Jordan is a flawed yet appealing protagonist since she overcomes Michael’s controlling behavior, becomes sober, creates healthy relationships, and moves on.

In Uninvited, vampirism is a metaphor for suicide as well as avoiding conflicts. Both Jordan and her friend Lisa consider using vampirism to escape their problems: Jordan’s lack of self-esteem and parental guidance via absent parents and Lisa’s diagnosis of lupus. Because of the various references to unsafe sex, drug and alcohol abuse, attempted suicide, and other serious issues this book is appropriate for high school readers.



Friday, October 15, 2010

Vampires in High School Part V: Vampires are Closet Diabetics

Since I do want to try and wrap up this review of YA vampire literature in time for Halloween I'll go ahead and shuffle on in a zombie like fashion onto the fifth book of my paper, Pete Hauptman's Sweetblood. Fang you for your patience.

Hauptman, Pete. Sweetblood. New York: Simon Pulse, 2003.

16-year-old Lucinda Szabo has several identities: she is neither Goth, nor punk, but something. To her parents and teachers she is Lucy, to her friend Matt she is Skeeter, and to the online Transylvania chat room she frequently roams looking for “real” vampires she is known as Sweetblood. The catalyst of Lucy’s search for “a real vampire” is a paper she writes for class explaining her theory that vampires are actually diabetics suffering from a dangerous lack of insulin. As her search progresses, Lucy becomes less focused on school and her diabetes and more focused on exploring the vampire culture in her neighborhood which is filled with geographical references to Dracula: Seward High, Harker College, and Carfax Apartments.

Sweetblood is appropriate for middle and high school readers as there is very little sexuality but some instances of underage drinking. The presence of vampires here is more metaphorical and theoretical than fantastical. Outside the Transylvania chat room Lucy meets Wayne, who enjoys the guise of a vampire but does not believe they exist. Several of Lucy’s friends also participate in the goth culture but the book never reveals anyone to be a vampire.

Teens will relate to Lucy’s character who is not only trying to establish an identity for herself. Her screen name is significant because it defines her fascination with vampires and her diabetes, both important aspects of her identity. Lucy is a relatable character because she makes very immature decisions throughout the book that endanger her health and have serious consequences. In addition, Lucy’s rebellious attitude towards concerned adult figures such as her teachers, parents, and psychologist is readily identifiable to young adults. Hauptman’s metaphor for learning and growing during adolescence is portrayed through a monarch butterfly chrysalis which is given to Lucy her love interest, Dylan. Sweetblood is very character driven and relies on the interactions between the characters to show that Lucy is not alone as she believes she is.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Read any good books lately?

While on the desk at my vounteership a woman I was checking out books for asked me out of the blue, "What was the best fiction you read this year?" If I hadn't already  been in a zombie like state I would still have had trouble coming up with a good answer for her. I admitted to her that I hadn't read much fiction that year, and the more I thought about it, the more it made sense to me. I don't read a lot of fiction. If I do I'm committed to a few "good" authors, or at least ones whose writing formulas I find hard to break free from. When I was younger it was Anne Rice, John Grisham, and most recently Lisa Gardner. I haven't been keeping up with any of those authors since as I became an English major and found myself reading more classic literature. In fact, the majority of my 6 ft. bookshelf is filled with classic novels such as Madame Bovary, Barry Lyndon and modern plays like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and The Glass Menagerie. I've attempted to read books for the Manassas Book Club but find that I can't shove my YA top choices aside to finish the required reading. Currently I have "A Thousand Splendid Suns" sitting on my desk now.

I think my lack of response to this woman was attributed less to the fact that I don't read much fiction to the fact that I haven't read any fiction that blew me away this year The last jaw dropping excellent book I read was a science fiction books, Patrick Rothfuss The Name of the Wind. It requires a lot of time commitment to finish as it's practically LOTR length in one book. The most fun I had reading is attributed to author Jim Butcher's Dresden Files. So I think my tastes more lie with science fiction now. Stephen King's latest, Under the Dome,  is also collecting cobwebs on my shelf. He'll probably write his next novel by the time I finish this one.

Which brings me back to the question which first began this post, what was ultimately the best piece of fiction you read this year? What stuck with you? What was it about that particular book that made it stick?

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Vampires in High School - Part IV

Not a huge introduction required for this book. This was by far one of my favorites to write about firstly because the protagonist is male and secondly because the book takes a fresh look at a teen boy's struggle not only to fit in at a school where he is the only human but also to befriend vampires and pull himself out of the spiral of mischevious behevaior he's been absorbed in. Rees brings a fresh, new look to vampires in high school. Think of Buffy if instead she befriended all the vampires and they attended high school together. Be sure to look for the sequel, Vampire High: Sophomore Year.

Rees, Douglas. Vampire High. New York: Delacorte Press, 2003.


Douglas Rees’ Vampire High is also set in Massachusetts in a world where vampires and humans co-exist but are segregated with their own stores, movie theatres, and school systems. After flunking out of public school fifteen-year-old Cody Elliot is sent to Vlad Dracul Magnet School in the hopes that a more prestigious and strict environment will curb his apathy and force him to graduate. However, on the first day of class Cody discovers that the majority of the students at Vlad Dracul are vampires.

Rees’ take on the vampires is both innovative and fresh. He creates his own terminology to differentiate between vampires, jenti, and humans, gadge, and also uses “Bram” and “Stoker” as insults. His additional vampire conventions also vary widely from most familiar conventions: vampires can eat human food and garlic, walk in the daylight, wear crosses, get sick, have children, and die. There are elements of romance between Cody and Ileana, a vampire princess, but Rees relies more on humor to entice the reader. One neat addition to this book absent from other vampire literature is a shape shifting librarian with perfect reader advisory skills.

The developmental task present in this book is renegotiating power among peer groups and adult figures. Cody must cope with a domineering principal as well as differing peer groups who refuse to interact. By keeping vampire and humans segregated at Vlad Dracul Rees illustrates how cliques may form with intimidating and harmful consequences, such as bullying. Cody serves as the bridge between the jenti and the gadge by selflessly donating blood to help his friend Justin, and also pursuing a vampire romantically. Cody’s desires to be with a girl, make friends, and have a reason to work hard and graduate are relatable desires for young adults. Vampire High is an excellent example of a light-hearted book about vampires and humans and is appropriate and appealing to both middle and high school readers.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

When you fall in love with the undead - Part 3

Personally, I am a huge fan of Amelia Atwater-Rhodes ever since reading her first vampire novel, the second books of her Den of Shadows quartet, Demon in My View. Even from a young age of 14 she had published her first novel, In the Forests of the Night and her talent and prowess as a young adult, supernatural novelist has steadily exceeded since. This book is the third of the Den of Shadows quartet and follows a teen witch through high school as she battles her family's issues, her craft, as well as two vampire brothers who have suddenly shown up and begun to shake up her life.

This book falls under the second category of Overstreet's developmental tasks for adolescents within her
allegory of vampirism:  renegotiating relationships and power dynamics between teens, parents, and peer groups.

Atwater-Rhodes, Amelia. Shattered Mirror. New York: Delacorte Press, 2001.

Sarah Tigress Vida is a seventeen-year-old immersed in power, including magic from the Vida bloodline of witches, physical training as a vampire hunter, and the power of her overbearing mother, Dominique Vida. After a recent move to Acton, Massachusetts Sarah begrudgingly attends high school with vampires and finds herself befriending vampire siblings, Christopher and Nissa. By night she attends vampire “bashes” undercover to hunt the powerful vampire Nikolas, who murdered her ancestor. Soon Sarah discovers a connection between Christopher, Nissa, and Nikolas that will jeopardize her title as a witch, her family, and her life.

Amelia Atwater-Rhodes creates a brilliantly crafted world where vampires, witches, and other supernatural creatures are ruled by prejudiced beliefs. The idea of tradition is very strong within the story through Sarah’s character. She learns through her friendships with vampires, who she has been conditioned to despise and destroy, that perhaps they are not all murdering and soulless, but former humans capable of love and mercy. Her world view changes from being dualistically black and white to include shades of grey. This metaphor is emphasized through Nikolas, whose character, clothes, and home are illustrated in stark black and white.

The relationship between Sarah and her mother is another important part of the plot as well. Throughout the novel Sarah begins defying her mother’s authority through menial but astonishing acts like befriending vampires, attending a Halloween dance at school over a Samhain ritual, and developing feelings for the vampire, Christopher. Sarah’s defiance in order to enjoy normal teenage activities is important in the development of her own identity aside from her family and her vampire hunting renown. Shattered Mirror is appropriate for upper middle and high school readers as it contains several instances of violence. The sub-plot of romance and high level fantasy world will appeal to reluctant readers and appease vampire literature fans.

Look for the sequel to Shattered Mirror, called All Just Glass. You can find a preview and a description of the text here.

Monday, August 16, 2010

GOAL! and other literary events.

There are far too many literary events going on in the next few months that require my attendance and monetary funds. First and foremost is the National Book Festival, begun by the Bush's and continuing this year under the Obama's watchful eye. I've attended the past two years and have had a marvelous time despite the rain and the crowds. My one goal for this year is a small one and hopefully financially frugal, get Katherine Paterson to sign my copy of Bridge to Terabithia, one of my favorite childhood books.

I also learned that the Live Arts theatre company in Charlottesville, VA is putting on a production of Lois Lowry's The Giver, in February.

Onto graphic novels. I traveled the three miles to the Borders in Manassas and successfully sped-read through Scott Pilgrim Vol. 1 - 3. While I was engrossed in Volume 3 someone picked up Volume 4 and I had to take a break to nurture the headache that had come from reading too much too fast. I was very disappointed at the lack of "other" graphic novels, seemingly anything not written about superheroes. I did see a copy of Unwritten though that I meant to pick up later.

Stumbling upon more gatherings in the realm of nerdom I wanted to bring a few to your attention, if you haven't heard of them already. With that...

Small Press Expo: I meant to go last year, but never made it. You're also going to recognize more names on this giant list of exhibitors than I am (though I did catch QC's author on the list).  It's also happening at the same time as the second event I wanted to bring to your attention, Intervention Con. This particular con is launching this year and the tag line seems like it leaves a lot to be desired, but is backed up by sheer awesome via the number of guests invited. My friends, the husband and wife team authoring the mighty webcomic, Geeks Next Door , [[shameless plug]] are not guests but will be making an appearance at the Artist's Alley.

You should definitely check these out, in other words. I can't imagine a greater gathering of comic artists on this coast at least. The more you know!

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Growing Pains: Adolescents turning into Vampires

The second installment of the vampire paper I wrote last summer discusses M. T. Anderson's Thirsty, which chronicles Chris' difficult transition through adolescence, into vampirism.

Anderson, M. T. Thirsty. United States: Candlewick Press, 1997.

Anderson’s book takes place in an alternate universe, Clayton, Massachusetts, where humans exist alongside vampires, changelings, and shape shifters and arm themselves against the Forces of Darkness. The highlights in this small town are vampire lynches and the Sad Festival of Vampires, where the town conducts blood rituals to prevent an attack by the evil vampire lord, Tch’muchgar. The story’s protagonist, Christopher, is in high school and on the cusp of puberty. When an agent from the Forces of Light, Chet, comes to recruit Christopher or a secret mission, he can no longer ignore the fact that he might be turning into a vampire.

As the book progresses Christopher becomes more isolated as his transformation into a vampire becomes more apparent. This isolation represents how young adults may feel as they face puberty. Peer pressure is visible when Christopher is approached by a group of local vampire teenagers, who shun him when he refuses to take a human life and sate his bloodlust. Christopher’s only friends, Jerk and Tom, become distant and Christopher’s attempts to woo Rebecca Schwartz are inhibited by his massive canines, perhaps a metaphor for another uncontrollable physical response to girls in male teens.

In Anderson’s world vampirism is treated as a curse that can afflict anyone as early as birth. The allegory of vampirism representing adolescence is very apparent here as Christopher longs for someone to talk to about the overwhelming thirst and blinding rage he experiences. With no one to guide him Christopher becomes a very lost and sympathetic character. Readers will empathize with a young adult’s need for guidance as well as an adult figure they can trust, which Christopher attempts to find in Chet. The pace of the book is fairly slow, but a climactic buildup leads to a twist ending which will leave an impact on the reader. Thirsty contains some instances of violence and is appropriate for middle school readers.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Suddenly Last Summer - In which I wrote a paper about vampires.

To jump right into discussing popular theories about vampire literature and why it appeals to young adults, I bring to my defense my term paper for Deb Taylor's 2008 Young Adult Literature class. The final examination for this course was to pick a topic about young adult literature, flush it out, and find at least six - eight books to support your topic. You could write this paper in the style of a collection of book reviews or in the style of an analytical research paper. Being that it was the summer I chose the former option. My library school friend, April, chose "Hope in Suicide" for her paper topic a year later and read books such as Jay Asher's "13 Reasons Why" and Laurie Halse Andersen's "Wintergirls". I'll have more to say on that later, but this is just to give you an example. Another girl on my class did a presentation of books about boarding schools. Come to think of it, I just now thought of a trend in titles that I should probably elaborate on, which is the triptych of seemingly unrelated aspects of a character's life. For example Louise Rennison's "Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging", Carolyn Mackler's "The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things", Robin Brande's "Evolution, Me, and Other Freaks of Nature", etc.

But I digress...or rather, that is not the subject for this week's post.

I'll post the introduction to the paper and then refresh each point as it relates to the particular vampire book I'm reviewing, which will be posted in chronological order.

The first book up this week is L. J. Smith's first installment to her now epic 8 book series and CW series, "The Vampire Diaries". L. J. Smith began this series of books in 1991. At the insistence of her fans she "concluded" the series with the fourth installment, Volume IV: Dark Reunion. After the success of Twilight there was more fan demand to resurrect the series. And thus The Vampire Diaries: The Return was born. I do not believe the Television Series follows the books very closely, mostly because the main character is from Degrassi and looks nothing like the Elena described in the books.

Without further adieu, the appeal of vampire literature is relevant to young adults because of a theory upheld by literary scholars equating vampirism as an allegory for adolescence and puberty (De Marco 26). Considering the appeal of vampire literature to young adults and the appropriateness of the adolescence allegory, the focus of the stories accumulated for this bibliography discuss vampires in high school.

In her book Not Your Mother’s Vampire, Deborah Wilson Overstreet expands the allegory of adolescence and vampirism to include three categories which discuss developmental tasks adolescents must face and tally how often they appear in vampire literature for young adults. The first task is physical body changes during puberty and the search for identity, the second task is renegotiating relationships and power dynamics between teens, parents, and peer groups, and the third task is increasing sexuality and interest in pursuing romantic relationships (Overstreet 14-15).

Smith, L.J. The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening. New York: Harper Court, 1991.

Elena Gilbert’s diary entries help chronicle the beginning of her senior year at Robert E. Lee High School, beginning with the sudden death of her parents. When a mysterious Italian student named Stefan starts attending her school, Elena is determined to win his heart. Following Stefan’s arrival is a sudden spike of sporadic attacks where people are mutilated, seemingly by an animal. As the only vampire in town, Stefan cannot help but blame himself for these attacks though he cannot remember committing them. Isolating himself from his classmates and shunning Elena’s advances only increases her desire to pursue him, even at the risk of her life.

The Vampire Diaries fulfills the third developmental characteristic of developing romantic relationships and recognizing sexuality. The romantic pursuit and obtainment of a relationship between Stefan and Elena is the main focus of this book, the first in an ongoing series of seven. Foreshadowing is very prominent, even occurring from the first line, “Dear Diary, Something awful is going to happen today.” Smith uses a particular convention of vampirism as a metaphor for sex, illustrated through her intimate description of Stefan’s creation into a vampire, as well as his consensual exchange of blood with Elena.

Readers who love plot-driven series will be drawn to The Vampire Diaries as well as through the implied love triangle between Elena, Stefan, and his brother, Damon. Similar to Atwater-Rhodes’ vampires, Damon and Stefan Salvatore are described with opposite personalities: the former is the irreprehensible bad boy, and the latter is the sensitive, sympathetic vampire. Elena is a very weak heroine and portrayed as selfish, manipulative, and conniving. The rest of the cast embodies typical personality archetypes with strong secondary characters. The book’s appropriateness leans more toward upper middle school readers because of violent vampire attacks and the implied sexuality through the exchange of blood.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Supernatural Teenage Love

It's not enough for teenagers now to fall in love with normal, adolescent boys and girls. Not that this is a new thing but I've noticed a trend in Young Adult Literature where a girl falls in love with a supernatural being or vice versa. Libba Bray has a very nice exception in her Printz Award winning book, Going Bovine, where the main character falls in love with a punk rock angel who seems to be everywhere at once. In this instance, she doesn't seem to be used as a romantic trope but rather as an integral part of the Monty Python-esque nonsensical setting of the protagonist's, Cameron, quest including a neurotic, germophobic dwarf, and a Norse God trapped in the body of a yard gnome. Think of her as the Tin Man of "We're off to see the Wizard", only warped.

Young adult literature is expanding now from falling in love with just vampires. The most recent, but by no means groundbreaking, supernatural creatures to come onto the scene are werewolves and pixies.

Case in point:  "Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. In all the years she has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house, Grace has been particularly drawn to an unusual yellow-eyed wolf who, in his turn, has been watching her with increasing intensity."

"For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human... until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever."


I wouldn't describe the quality of this book as "fantastic" by any means. The writing style certainly draws you in and absent parents help Grace and Sam's relationship develop to nearly that of an adult level, at least intimately. There's a voyeuristic quality to their relationship as well as the need to save each other from constant dangers of wolves and from each other. Sam is very much a tortured soul having saved Grace once from being attacked by wolves when she was a child, and having to undergo his inconvenient transformations into a werewolf. On the bright side there's a strong heroine in this book, but she needs a few more friends.

I've just found out that not only has this book's rights been published to be turned into a film, but also that it's part of a trilogy continuing with Linger and concluding with Forever. For some reason this bring to mind not only Stephenie Meyer but also L. J. Smith's 8 books dedicated to the love between a girl and two vampire brothers. I'm not sure why these books need to be supported by a series. Perhaps the story really does need to be continued into 8 books (in Smith's case).

Carrie Jones' series, beginning with Need (the second book is pictured here), tells the story of Zara White. Zara suffers a traumatic event involving her parents, moves to a desolate northern state to live with a relative, goes to high school, becomes instantly popular, and discovers that she's in love with a boy who may or may not be a supernatural being. Stop me if this sounds familiar. I may sound a bit harsh here, but upon reading Need, Jones does work with the mold of a very overdone concept and take it to a completely new level involving....wait for it...PIXIES! (Oh, and werewolves or "shifters" as they're referred to in this series). Also a captivating series (mind the pun), I began reading it with no expectations. By the time I recognized the plot points I was too far in to put it down. I've made it through Captivate and am awaiting the third installment soon. Zara's biggest conflict is protecting her loved ones from pixies while trying to have a healthy relationship with her werewolf boyfriend who can't help but resent her a little bit for having ties with pixies, who are his immortal enemies. A big change comes in Captivate, fairly similar to a big change in Twilight: Breaking Dawn so we'll see how it ends.

Now that we're on the subject, why does the transformation from human to supernatural/mythical being have to be triggered by physical contact that's highly sexual? The transformation into a werewolf involve genetics or being bitten, vampires involve a ceremony which centers from being bitten and exchanging blood, and according to Jones' mythology, becoming a pixie happens when one is kissed, a process which they might not survive or at the very least be turned insane by. I just want to know what other people's thoughts are on this topic as it relates to enticing new young adult readers. I'm beginning to wonder if books on normal, human love are not enough for audiences anymore and that one must thrust themselves into universes of fantasy in order to be captivated by the simple story of one person falling in love with another. The fact that these are unobtainable relationships, because werewolves, pixies, fae, and vampires don't exist is what perhaps give young adult readers hope that they are more likely to find a normal relationship.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

This coffee tastes like prison

On a power walk from my apartment to the Bull Run Library I spotted a sign for

"Spanish for Fun! Join the Spanish Conversation Club! Bring your lunch and chat with new friends in Spanish over coffee and dessert. A fluent Spanish-speaker is available to help with conversation"

The time when I arrived at the library was 11:30 precisely. I spent the next half hour debating with myself over whether I should go. Lately I've become less inclined to take risks and put myself out there. I don't know if it's because of lack of confidence or lack of luck with the job search but normally it doesn't take me half an hour to convince myself to do something. At 12:01 pm I arrived back at the library having run home to throw a lunch together. I ran into the conclusion of the English conversation club and then awaited for the arrival of the Spanish Conversation club.

Overall I want to chalk this up as a mediocre experience. I had no expectations when I got there but I did not expect the unstructured style of the two hour conversations between groups of people. The tables were too close together and it was difficult to hear one another shout in Spanish across the room. No one introduced themselves to me at first nor asked where I was from or how I had come to learn Spanish. I was literally a fly on the wall. I was sitting between an elderly man who was answering a volunteer's questions about grammar with another elderly man who kept looking over and smiling at me. To my right was a Chinese woman whose voice was so clipped it was hard to hear what she was saying. Imagine when you're crying so hard you can't speak except in gasps. That was how this woman spoke except without the sobbing. To her right was a man who didn't know a lick of Spanish at all, and next to him two elderly women who volunteered for the library (the know it alls). One woman's name was Judith and I don't recall the other woman's name. To their right and directly across from me were two woman, a blonde and a brunette. The brunette was very friendly and had an easy going personality. From speaking with her and correcting her grammar and pronunciations I learned that she teaches an ESL class for first graders at a local elementary school. The blonde woman had four children and I'm not sure what she did for a living.

Throughout the two hours of conversation I felt more and more isolated. I listened to the conversations going on around me and after about 45 minutes Judith introduced herself to me (one of the elderly ladies on the side table). To pass the time I got riled up about a project I wanted to with Lydia for an open mic night. Translate Nine Inch Nails' song "Hurt" and sing it with her accompanying on guitar. I asked a few questions to Judith pertaining to the lyrics and the conversation stalled from there. The only conversation I got was from the Chinese woman who couldn't speak very well. We talked about how hot it was in Texas and how much we both hated Indian food. It's not that I didn't have a good time interacting with people but I suppose I'm more used to structured conversations like I would get in high school or college. Step one: study this lesson, Step two: break up into groups and complete this activity. It looked like that was how the English Conversation Club was ran now that I think about it. I know I should have been more interactive with everyone. There were people in the room I didn't speak to the entire time. However it was my first time and despite popular belief I am an incredibly shy person. I immediately jumped up when Judith moved to the other side of the room and took her place between the two young women. Here was where the most conversation was happening. Here was where I spent the best part of my afternoon. Unfortunately the other woman who sat next to Judith was less than friendly. I know most elders are set in their ways but I detected a hint of condescension from this woman. I felt very ignorant sitting next to her and even I had had seven years of experience speaking Spanish. However, she and Judith had been talking about the rules for adding accents to words ending with vowels and even they admitted that they could be wrong.

The worst part for me was when everyone was leaving and the elderly woman turned to "the man who knew no Spanish" and asked him if he knew anything about the Chinese woman. He said he didn't but only that she'd been coming for a few weeks. I stayed in to listen and the woman said, "I don't know if it's just me, but her accent is so hard to understand. I can't hear anything she says. And I don't know if this makes me a bad person but I was actively ignoring her the entire time." I left fuming. If this was to be my example of how librarians (supposed library volunteers) viewed patrons I wanted no part of the group.

Overall Verdict: 2.5 out of 5 - I should probably go back because I need the practice for Spanish, but I think I'll check out what's available at other branches too.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Life on the Ref Desk

I was on The Desk the other day, which is to say it's the Reference Desk, the Desk where people ding hello or wait for you to stand around and notice them, or the Desk where people give their two cents. The strangest comment I heard came from a little boy who walked by me muttering, "There's a baby crawling around the library." I left the desk to investigate and did indeed find an infant crawling between fiction and young adult. Her mother was staring transfixed at some fiction titles. I went back to the desk thinking I'd never seen a baby crawl that fast.

While I'm on the desk, mothers and babysitters alike descend upon the library in one massive convergence to sign their children up for summer reading or apply for library cards. Now and again we'll get a very opinionated patron who wants to give her two cents on the .25 fine to reserve a book that's being instituted in September. I think one of the staff members told her, "Well, the library lost 1.5 million dollars in the budget last quarter so we had to come up with a unique way to charge patrons money that would make sense." I had a discussion about charging for holds with a librarian in DC during an informational interview. I told him I didn't think it was fair but he reminded me of the cost to transport holds from library to library and half of the time the patrons don't even pick them up. At least if they start charging, perhaps patrons will be more selective about which titles they choose.

Between shelving, pushing tiny carts around narrow shelves, and working the cash register I am having way too much fun at this volunteership. The ladies who work there have dubbed me "the Barefoot Librarian." Every week I stay a little longer past my 3 hour volunteer time slot to make sure I'm not leaving them with too much work. I love finding books in the free bin, leaving books in the free bin and seeing them disappear during my shift, checking out books to myself as patrons hand them in (yay Stephen King), and drinking coffee. I am so lucky to be able to work here, even if it's volunteering.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

ALA Day #2 & #3

This day was spent with less volunteering and more attending events. I overshot my commute by an hour so I ended up re-organizing my backpack and writing poetry before my first event.

My first event was a Q&A session with Dennis Lehane, author of Gone Baby, Gone, Mystic River, and Shutter Island. I actually haven't read any of his books but I've seen several movie adaptations. Since it was fairly early in the morning and I hadn't had any coffee yet I was hoping that he'd be funny. The woman sitting next to me assured me that he wasn't. But lo and behold, he opens his lecture with a blond joke. Dennis Lehane looks like a combination of Simon Pegg and the principal from Buffy the Vampire Slayer with a Bostonian accent and a very dry sense of humor. He read us a few chapters from his new book, Moonlight Mile, the sequel to Gone Baby, Gone. Afterward he took some audience questions.

Some interesting quotes about his writing style and where he gets his inspiration:
"I tend not to be a very judgmental human being and this attracts a lot of psychos to you because  I sit and listen to them. And they have the best stories"

"I'm a writer because of libraries." Dennis came from a working class family with no disposable income. They could not afford books so he got a library card for free and began to read books this way.

"I can't read books that don't have a love for the English language."

My second event was a Q&A session with young adult author, Ellen Hopkins. She authors books containing free verse and concrete poems centering around her real life daughter's addiction to meth. She writes other books on differing subjects, prostitution, abuse, but the format is still the same. She read from her newest book, Fallout, which chronicles the aftermath of the lives of Christina Snow's children and the affects her addiction has had on them. Her real life son is only 13 but Hopkins portrayed him to be 17. The other children in the novel are based on qualities from Snow's other five children, specifically the babies that were exposed to meth in utero: OCD, panic attacks. Her advice was to go back to your art, art heals. Discussing the books seemed a very painful ordeal for Hopkins, as she stumbled on her words a lot. I waited in line to get her autograph since they were giving away advanced reader copies of Fallout.

After the reading I had lunch with Danielle and her friend Rebecca where we discussed library shop and looking for jobs.

The rest of my day was spent sitting in on a meeting of the Best Fiction for Young Adults committee. I didn't get there in time to discuss the works I had read but did provide input on a few books. The committee was meeting early the next day to go over the last bit of the list of books and make their decision on what should make the list. There was one lone man on the committee and it was fascinating hearing them debate the merits of young adult literature. Another wonderful aspect of the committee was how they interpreted input from the teen committee who had reviewed the same books into their own critique. Even if no one on the committee liked the book in question, they agreed to push it through because the teens made it seem like the book mattered to them. The particular book in question that none of the adults seemed to like or felt was too graphic but the teens particularly enjoyed was By the time you read this I'll be dead, which discusses suicide and bullying.

I concluded the night by attending the Michael Printz Award Ceremony and Reception where I heard Libba Bray give the most fantastic acceptance speech as she received the Printz Award for her book, Going Bovine, something I recommend everyone pick up. Not all of the speakers were great, some were funny, some were loud, very loud, and some were less than personable. But they'd written something that impacted the Printz committee enough to want to nominate them, so they have important things to say.

Day 3 was uneventful. I was so exhausted from the events of Day 1 and 2 that I did not choose to go to the Library Advocacy Day Rally. I ended up watching a video of the events later on, but at that point I was so exhausted I could not imagine dealing with the sweltering heat and large crowds.

All in all I'd say it was a good Con. I want to go to the PLA conference in Philadelphia in 2011 now so I'd better start saving.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

ALA Day #1

I was very excited and anxious at the same time at the thought of attending my first professional conference for the American Librarian Association. I described it to friends who asked me what I was doing, "What's the ALA Conference?" It's where hundreds of librarians and awesome bibliophiles descend on DC to talk about books and wreak advocacy havoc. Well, maybe not that last part, but definitely a lot of cool and awe inspiring people converging into one place. A few people I spoke to said, "I hear those conference can get pretty crazy." This made me flash back to an invitation I'd received to go to the ALA Dance Party which was Prince themed. All I did was nod and smile in response. Unfortunately, I did not get to attend the Thursday, Friday, or Saturday events of the conference as I had agreed to be in a friend's wedding. This was also before I knew the dates of ALA and could not back out of the wedding as a result without causing offense. So as we begin, my launch date for the conference was Sunday, June 27th at 10:30 am.

I had planned on attending various events starting at 8 am. I was surprised with a visit from long time friends from Leesburg and that turned into late night conversations, bad science fiction, and chips and salsa until 2 in the morning. When I left the apartment at 8:30 am I made it into the conference, registered and breathlessly stumbled into my first event with the ALSC (Association of Library Services to Children), Celebrating the Spoken Word with Poetry for Young People, a program which discusses and sings the praises of using poetry to impact children and literacy. The speakers included Mary Ann Hoberman, Children's Poet Laureate; Stephen Young, Program Director, Poetry Foundation, Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest; Sylvia Vardell, Professor, Texas Woman's University, School of Library and Information Science. I recall the youngest speaker, Amber Rose Johnson, most vividly. She was the winner of the 2010 Poetry Out Loud Winner, and is a senior at at a high school in Providence, Rhode Island. The Recitation Contest involved the student picking and memorizing three poems of their choice and then delivering them in front of a panel of judges. I recall her second poem choice, Shakespeare's Sonnet 116, in honor of her parents and Margaret Walker's For My People. She recited the last poem for us and to hear her speak moved the entire room into a stunned silence. It's almost as if we weren't listening to poetry but rather the dreams and hopes of a young black woman speaking of the struggles of African Americans over the past few centuries.

Some of my takeaways from this event about poetry were:
  • "Rhymers will be readers" = Literacy --> Poems --> Children --> READ.
  • We should be looking at what poems do and how they use language when using them with children.
  • The best poetry informs all of our senses.
  • Having kids read poetry along with you, even if they're ESL kids and can only focus on one word, is a great way to get them to participate and into poetry
  • Children who have at least 4 nursery rhymes memorized will be reading at higher grade levels by the time they reach elementary school.
  • As quoted by the Amber Johnson, "A poem is a reflection of you, who you are, a reflection of the author, and a reflection of yourself."
I was volunteering at this event for the ALSC and helped hand out handouts (which disappeared faster than you can say, "Free food in the exhibit hall!") Once the handouts ran out I struck up a conversation with a woman volunteering at the event too, a librarian from Montgomery County. I was excited to find a kindred spirit and proceeded to ask her question about working with children in library services. I was disappointed when I came to find that she's looking to change careers because, as she put it, "She's tired of working with children and tired of all the bureaucracy she has to put up with." She's not even a member of ALA she told me. I met with my friend Miranda after this who told me she couldn't stand how negative people were being and usually tuned them out when they spoke like this. I can't tell what my path as a librarian is going to put me through, but I hope not to come out of it jaded and worn.

I accompanied this librarian into the overwhelmingly crowded exhibit hall where we proceeded to chat. I told her I'd ran into the same man 4 times on the metro and throughout my morning at the conference:
"Have you played 'Cite the Librarian' Game?", she asked me.
"What's that?", I asked.
She replied, "Where you look at someone and ask yourself if they're a librarian or not."
"He definitely doesn't look like a librarian," I said.
"You don't look like a librarian either," she retorted.

This comment actually stung to hear. Especially when it was followed by one of the vendors asking me what high school I was from. My attire didn't make me look that young I hope. I had my hair down and undone so that may have been why. My confidence was boosted by a homeless man later on the metro who asked me if I was a librarian or a teacher. He loved us so much, he said, that he eventually wanted to marry a librarian.

Once the librarian and I parted ways on the exhibit floor I spent the rest of the day picking up swag and running into Laurie Halse Andersen, famous young adult author of Speak, Wintergirls, Twisted, Prom, and Chains. I ran into her at her mini Q&A at the Live at your Library Stage. She read an excerpt from her new book Forge which is a continuation of the storyline from Chains following a pair of young African American teens during the Revolutionary War. I clapped softly after her reading and she whipped her head around to me and said, "Don't clap! It's only the prologue. You don't know if the rest is going to be good or if it will suck." She was smiling when she said this though. A very humble writer, Laurie also shared that, "These books are not copy-edited, please don't hate me. I really don't know where commas go." As a gift to herself she has promised that once she finishes her three books surrounding this topic she will read M. T. Anderson's (no relation) similar books beginning with, The Astonishing Life of Ocatavian Nothing.

Laurie tweeted a photo of us at her reading. See if you can find me! It's hard, trust me!

After Laurie's Q&A I spent a lot of time wandering the exhibit hall where I picked up various amounts of swag. I will detail everything I picked up later in Day 3 but suffice to say I scored a gem finding a recorded book narrated by James Marsters for FREE! I also visited Alliance Entertainment booth who were GIVING AWAY FREE CDs and cleaned them out. I think I walked away with maybe 10 or 12 CDs total of popular and eclectic music. Best find ever was Massive Attack's latest album.

My second volunteer program for ALSC was called "Good Comics for Kids" which was a panel of librarians, most of whom were dressed in steampunk attire, recommending good graphic novels for kids up to middle school. I met Erin Burns here, a library associate from DC Public Library, and she gave me insightful advice on how to survive searching for a job. She had been unemployed for 8 months having being laid off from a position that hired her for not having an MLS and then let her go for the same reason. Her best piece of advice was to have a support group whether it be religious, family, or friends. Have a network of people to bring you back up when you're feeling low and discouraged. Also, have an activity that gets you out of house and prevents you from getting overwhelmed. She described a program that combined dance, improvisational theatre, and a third element that sounded very fun.

My third and final commitment for ALSC was volunteering for the Newbery/Caldecott Banquet at the Renaissance Hotel near Dupont Circle. On my way to the hotel I ran into my friend Miranda, a fellow grad student from UMD, on the bus. She's currently living in Rochester, NY and came down for the conference since a friend was letting her use his apartment to stay in (fairly sweet deal) while he was away on business. We talked shop on the bus about life after grad school, job searching, and living in general. She hung out with me on my volunteer stint, which involved guarding the doors to the banquet hall to prevent anyone from coming in early. Thankfully there was a reception across the hall we could usher them into to get distracted with wine and talk. Around 6:48 when the doors were supposed to be open, the librarians in line were definitely getting cranky and I had flashbacks of working special events for Parking Services at JMU. While waiting and watching people walk by I looked to my life and saw Laurie Halse Andersen in a stunning floor length blue and green gown, very faithful to her organic lifestyle. I was shocked at seeing her there. I had tried asking her a question at her book signing but didn't get the chance (I was very very shy). Not so here when the first words out of my mouth were, "MISS ANDERSEN!" She looked at me in surprise, walked over and said, "First of all, call me Laurie." From there her entourage went to look for something and that left me speaking with her for 10-15 minutes about her books, the movies her books were turned into, the possibility of Wintergirls being optioned for a film (probably not), raising her chickens, her writing cottage, her writing style, and how much her books impacted me and my friend Sarah and our high school book club. Laurie smiled and was very gracious throughout our conversation even stopping to hug me twice before she left with her escorts. I was glad I was able to tell an author how much reading their books meant to me and to be completely honest about what I thought of them. Wintergirls was especially hard to get through. Laurie started a trend that most of the authors I would hear and speak to followed up on, giving their two cents about Twilight. Laurie herself said that she couldn't finish reading the books. In fact, she nearly threw one across the room. But her opinion was that if it got the kids reading then she had no complaints about the quality of the literature. Since Laurie's books deal a lot with girls' destructive relationships and the boys involved in them, we compared Bella and Edward to Laurie's characters. I told her how most girls could see themselves in Bella not because she was a relatable character, but because she was a tabula rasa with unrealistic expectations for a relationship and absolutely no sense of self or self-worth. At any rate, Laurie hugged me goodbye and left for the banquet and I was left with a very good end to my evening and my first day at ALA Annual 2010.

 Newbery/Caldecott Banquet. Snazzy fest with dinner!

Sunday, June 13, 2010

We're everywhere!

Just the other day, Saturday, I was in Philadelphia for the 2010 Comic Con at the Philly Convention Center. Cons, generally speaking, are an excuse for large crowds of nerds and huge fans of a certain subject (in this case, science fiction, animation, movies, TV shows, and actors) to gather in one place and share in their collective love for all of the aforementioned subjects. The only downside about conventions are the long lines, usually resulting from so many people waiting to be in the same room as a celebrity presence. Case in point, the line for Bruce Campbell's Question and Answer session nearly reached the length of the line just to get into the convention center. It was in this line to get into the Con that my friend Sarah and I ran into two men. One was much older and had a black T-shirt which said, "Today is a good day, to read!" We came to find out that he is a librarian! It amazed me how many librarians are in the world and how cool it is when we find each other in the strangest places. We exchanged business cards in celebration. Later that day at the James Marsters (Spike from the TV show, Buffy) Question & Answer Session I met up with my friend Michelle, who is a librarian in DC. We talked shop and I brought her up to speed on the job process and how things were going. Pictured here she and I await the arrival of James Marsters. She's dressed up as another character from the show Buffy, Drusilla. Might I mention that she made her dress and her necklace herself! Later, during lunch, I received a call from a college friend's mother. She and I had recently gotten in touch once I'd moved to Manassas and she's become a contact for me as far as finding library jobs in the Manassas area. We talked shop for a bit and she updated me on the available jobs which I'd already applied for. It seems that even when I take a mini-vacation, the librarians and jobs follow me. It's not a bad thing, though. On the contrary, seeing Michelle at the Con was a nice treat considering it had been about a year since I'd met her at another strange gathering. But that's another story for another time.

Another fabulous part of the trip was seeing my friend's aunt's amazing apartment. I'll provide an example of her far wall that had built-in bookshelves. My first question to her was how she cataloged everything. This is only a small sample of her collection of books, too.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Settling Down and Keying Up

After a few weeks settling in Manassas, VA I've had a few more changes happen. Just yesterday I got a placement in the Gainesville Library for a volunteership. I start on June 17th and will be coming in for 4 hours every week on Thursday. My friends in the area say that it's a very small library and the Volunteer Coordinator for Prince William County assures me that the need there is great. I'm very excited to start.

In the past few weeks I've had two professional interviews: one for a children's librarian in MD and one for an academic library in VA. I was rejected for both of them, but I remain optimistic and continue to apply for jobs daily. I wanted to start a tally for the number of jobs I've applied for each day, but I find it more productive to keep track of interviews I receive instead. I haven't yet started beating the roads yet with my resume, though I did see a man in the Bull Run Library doing the same thing. I felt a hint of sympathy for him because he came in very nicely dressed with an attache case, asking for work. The woman behind the information desk politely informed him that there weren't any positions available at the moment, but that he can look into volunteering with the library instead. A few places I'm looking at in Manassas are Barnes & Noble or McCabe's Used Books, possibly working part time or volunteering to help shelve. We'll see how it goes.

ALA Annual is in a little over two weeks. I'm very excited and nervous so I've been stocking up on information to prep. I've saved event calendars for Public Libraries Association (PLA), YALSA, and ALSC. I don't know how many events I'm going to be able to go to along with visiting the Job Fair, but I at least want to have the information. I'm trying to get a friend to let me spend a night in her DC apartment so I can save a few bucks on commuting.

I've left both my part-time job and volunteer position in Maryland. The commute from Manassas takes about an hour and it's become too stressful, specifically when I have to fight traffic every day. Both of my employers seem very understanding and support the fact that I've relocated and need to find work where I am now.

I'm feeling very relaxed since graduating. I realize that I'm not going to get a full time job tomorrow and don't need to stress myself out trying to find one, but I am open to the possibility. Until then I can only take things one day at a time and continue to network the DC Libraries, JMU, and UMD.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Changes

Amazing how things can change in the span of a few days. As of tomorrow I will end my two year run as a Graduate Student Assistant with the Humanities Department at my current University. I could not have asked to be put with a more eclectic, intelligent, kind, and resourceful group of librarians. I had fun and learned a lot from my five bosses, and will miss them each as I move away. Pat presented me with a goodbye card signed by all the team members and a travel coffee pot as a parting gift. Even more meaningful is that before she went onto the desk she showed me how to finagle the fax machine.

I have found a subleaser for my apartment and am attempting to move out in the next few weeks and by few I mean two. Next week brings an information interview in DC and even more surprises. Did I mention I graduate in a few days? It's a scary feeling.

I won't forget the University of Maryland and the wonderful faculty that have impacted me and challenged me during my time there. I hope to keep in contact with them as I move to Manassas.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Post exams, Pre-graduation

Filling in the few days between exams and graduation I'm trying to do many things at once:

1. Attempt to find a subleaser for my apartment
2. Apply for jobs (3 so far this week, expecting several more in the coming days)
3. Wrap up things at my current job at the University of MD
4. Pack to potentially move in June or July
5. Sign up for networking and career building events
6. Prep for DC Annual in June.

I have another informational interview at the Folger Shakespeare Library in a few weeks, after graduation. This time I'll be talking to someone in Special Collections. I also signed up today for a massive university related job fair in DC, put on by my Alma Mater, JMU. A few of my friends are going and I'm trying to convince more of my alumni friends to come too. Third on the list is a discussion group with DCLA called "Making the Most of ALA Annual". I'm signed up to go and I've never been exposed to a convention this huge that didn't have to do with anime. So getting advice from people in the field and conference attenders will be a huge help.

There are fun things involved as well, my friend's LOST finale party as well as spending graduation time with my folks. You've got to keep a balance between work and play after all.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

DC Public Library twitter connections

I want to plug how a little communications can be an amazing thing. I saw an advertisement on twitter that a branch of the DC Public Library was offering to fix bikes for free. It was the Northwestern One Public Library I believe, in Downtown DC. I showed up with my boyfriend with both our bikes and there was a friendly, long haired red-head man fixing up everybody's bikes. We stood in line and Nelson even pumped up other people's tires to kill time. The man in charge was very friendly and I couldn't believe I'd found something this awesome on twitter. The moral is that you should follow all the libraries you attend or support!

Done, but not finished

As of last night I have officially finished all of my coursework for my graduate degree. I even got an e-mail from my professor telling me I have an A in the class. I'm waiting to hear from the next one. Now it's on to other responsible things like moving and finding a job.

I can't believe the amount of incredible people I've met and the experiences I've had at the University of Maryland, College Park. I will cherish all the memories I have there, the people I've met, the professor I've learned from, and the skills they taught me.

I'm sure I'll come back for another degree in the next 10-15 years. I envision coming back for a Masters Degree in English.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Lying Part II

I found an article from the Wall Street Journal entitled, "In Job Hunting, Honesty Is Still the Best Policy". There's one section in here which highlights when it's appropriate to highlight details about a degree and when it's inappropriate and considered lying. This coincides with a post I put up earlier this month about librarians fudging about their degree in order to get hired, when they've got less than a month until they graduate. Sure it's being nit picky, but I'd rather err on the side of caution, since, as the article says, ""A lot of companies have zero-tolerance policies if they catch you" lying, says Mr. Challenger."

Here's what can happen if you get caught: "Steven Lurie, the author of "Handbook for Early Career Success," says he worked with a woman who exaggerated her responsibilities and previous salary when applying for an administrative job at a law firm last year. She got the job. But her exaggerations were discovered during a background check soon after and she was fired."

When your degree is being considered: "People who didn't complete a degree program can still list the school on a résumé, but they should indicate the "strongest possible presentation that is truthful," such as "completed 50% of requirements for Bachelor of Science in Business Administration" or "Bachelor of Arts candidate, anticipate completion in 2011," says Louise Kursmark, an executive résumé writer and career consultant. Crossing the line would be saying you graduated with that degree."

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Why I'm here

Volunteering for Maryland Day at the University of Maryland this afternoon, I was confronted with one of the reasons why I decided to become a librarian in the first place. On the second leg of my volunteer stint I joined two graduate students in front of Hornbake. There was a carpet set up, a swivel chair, and a ring of books to be read. I picked up a few and read it to a very critical audience of a two-year old girl. A Spanish girl joined us a few minutes later, but she wanted to leave halfway through the story. The next group of girls were two boys and a girl. Their parents stared at me as I read a Chinese fable about how there is only one sun in the sky. The kids were very quiet and transfixed as I read, though I'm not sure if they were actually hearing what I was saying. I tried to engage them with voices and read the story slowly. That look on their face, transfixed, their eyes wide as I read made me realize why I love being a librarian and why I still want to work with kids one day, hopefully with a more participatory group, though.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Give a little bit

Newly inspired by the Goo Goo Dolls and National Library Week, I wanted to talk about how a little effor from you can go a long way in helping your public library.

  • Talk it up. Do you love your library? More specifically do you love the books, audiobooks, Internet, and videos and DVDs that you can receive at little to no cost to you? They're not free services so much, but are provided through taxpayer dollars as well as the local government. If you love your library and like what it does for you let people know. Tell your neighbors, or write to your Congressman about how your library has changed your life or made your day a little brighter. 
  • Purchasing cast off books: a Win-Win. Some profits for libraries come from used book sales. I admit I have very little money to spend being a graduate student, but I always find myself at the library scouring their cast-off or recently donated book shelves. At 50 cents to a dollar a book you really can't go wrong.
  • Volunteer: This isn't only the best way to accrue experience for library students, but it also helps libraries be able to have programs they wouldn't otherwise be able to without paid staff. It also gives you that warm fuzzy feeling from helping someone in your community. Currently I volunteer at the Hyattsville Public Library's weekly Conversation Club. Through this program I run sessions with community members helping them exercise and improve their English language conversation skills. It's not strict, lesson plan teaching but very off the cuff hour and half sessions that help me get to know the students and their abilities better. For them it provides a safe, non-judgmental environment where they can receive advice and practice their conversation skills. Most of the program attendants are from South American or Mexico, so I in turn get a little help practicing my Spanish as well.
There are thousands of ways you can help support your local public library that don't require a massive donation or months of your time. Call you local public library today and find out how you can help. If we don't spread the word about how important libraries are to the community, who will protest when their hours and staff are cut or worse, their doors are closed?

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Lying about your degree of experience

There's been a lot of talk around the library world about how useful your Masters Degree will be. For the class of 2008 and below the requirements for future librarian jobs were marketed as such that you had to have an MLS degree before someone would even consider hiring up for the upper level jobs. This is still true today. However, the recession came crashing down and changed the way that libraries are hiring (not at all). In my last Public Library Seminar session the speaker flat out told the class that she personally would not hire anyone with an MLS because we're too expensive. I was stunned. She went on to say that most clerical positions now (library technicians, library associates) are being given to applicants who have a Bachelor's degree in something. MLS degree holders are not being considered for this position at all because we're considered overqualified. In fact she said that MLS candidates would not be recruited for these jobs anymore but rather for leadership and management positions. The only problem with this when you're very green in the gills with library experience, applying for Librarian II and III positions isn't a good idea unless you have the 3-10 years of experience they ask for. If you're like me and have spent the last 20 years in school, the answer is no, you don't have that experience. The next step would be to apply for the clerical positions as mentioned above. Herein lies the Catch 22, you're overqualified for the clerical positions and underqualified for anything higher. What's a girl to do?

One answer which I openly threw out in class to Phoebe* (*names have been changed) was, "What if people just lie that they have an MLS degree and apply for the position regardless?"

Phoebe was appalled at my suggestion, but Clarice was more vocal about it. Clarice said that library school students should be proud of their education and not devalue it. She said that I shouldn't tear myself down  but to be proud of all the experiences and education I had accrued. Phoebe added that it's not wise to about your degree on your resume because if you're hired that just starts off your relationship with that library entirely on the wrong foot. I am of the belief that when the people at the position do a background check on you they're going to find out anyway.

On the other half of the spectrum, Eleanor mentioned in class today that she had currently taken to lying about having her MLS degree on her resume. Most jobs won't even look at your resume if you aren't graduated with an MLS degree because it does not fit the criteria of the job. Eleanor's take is that by the time the application process is finished she will have her MLS degree, technically. My problem with this is that how are the hiring managers or HR going to misread "MLS Degree May 2010" when you're applying for jobs in April 2010? I wouldn't hire someone like that. It's still lying.

Monday, April 5, 2010

The Book that shall not die

A subject always up for debate in the library field is books vs. kindles vs. IPADs. Some of the questions surrounding this topic are "What would serve the patron's needs best?", "What can the library afford?", etc. I've heard arguments both for and against getting rid of books in favor of electronic readers and I see it playing out everyday. I deliberately sat behind two people on the metro solely because one of them was reading a book and the other was reading on a Kindle. I couldn't help but smirk at the Kindle owner, but I often wonder how much good they do in a public library.

I personally don't want to own a Kindle right now, or any other electronic reader for that matter, because I get enough headaches and eye strain from being on my computer doing homework, actual work, and researching jobs. When I want to take a break why on Earth would I pick up my Kindle only to be staring at another electronic screen? Would I leave my Kindle in my bed after I fell asleep reading it or would I stay awake at night wondering if it'll break on its way to the floor when it inevitably is ejected by my restless sleep. Both author I admire and respect, Stephen King and Sarah Dessen, have sounded off in favor of keeping physical books around. Sarah comments on the relationship a person has with a book, how it gives a more intimate feeling knowing that you're holding it, smelling the binding paste, underlining lines, turning down the pages, revisiting it after a good year. Stephen King elaborates on similar points, saying that having a physical books relates to the art of telling a good story.

Not only do I run into people on the metro that are using electronic readers, but at my Bible Study there is consistently one person who always accesses his Bible on his Iphone. I'm a little freaked out by it and can't quite come to terms with getting rid of my bookshelf and instead purchasing a rack for my Kindle.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Future Library Professionals Resume Workshop

I recently attended a program hosted by the SLA Student Group, a Future Library Professionals Resume Workshop, at my friend Jamie's house in DC. We all gathered around her large kitchen table, filled up on scones, and listened to the wisdom brought to us by Kathleen Schmidt from Library Associates. She had some very interesting thoughts as well as the other students who attended, about their experiences in the library field and advice for upcoming graduates. What began as a resume clinic turned into an open forum of solicited advice, friendship, and literary camaraderie. I share her/our/my thoughts here as I wrote them down. Sorry for the disorganization.

Words of advice:

Use caution when applying for a federal position that has been posted online for two weeks or less. - If this is the case an internal candidate has already been selected for the position.

In order to succeed in obtaining a library position you must look at every organization you apply to or are interested in as a business. You must think strategically when you apply for positions.
Tip: Pick up an MBA for Dummies book, read it (it has an easy context), and learn the language of business. Knowing how politics can affect you is also crucial.

You should get other people to review your resumes and cover letters. Tailoring your resume to the job, sometimes using explicit words and phrases from the job description, is crucial.

Tip: Cover letters are important, but the focus needs to be on your resume.

Talk to people who work at the institution you wished to be hired by and gather competitive intelligence as to what their needs are. You can use this information in your future application and interview.

Creating a skills based resume is a good idea, to at least have on hand if you're not comfortable using it right away. You must let people see it.
A skills based resume includes:
  1. A summary of your skills (two to three highly competitive and edgy)
  2. Relevant skills and experiencing with an emphasis on teaching, leadership, research, communication and information technology, and client service.
Once you're hired and in direct contact with supervisors or superiors.
It's not about territory anymore, it's about looking at the big picture. The worst thing you can do is blindside your boss.

Not sharing information and withholding are inappropriate behaviors.

Tip: Do not put the year you graduated with your undergraduate degree. This could lead to age bias on the part of the HR department or person who hires you.

Resume Tip: Write your employment history in years not months, unless the application calls for months as well.

Focus on the mission of the organization, it's about the work.

What skills should I highlight?
Supervision, Specific Skills Set, Interpersonal Communication, Organizational Awareness, Technical skills, Customer Service, Research (leverage your skills as a researcher).

Resume Tip: Do not have an Objective heading on your resume. If prompted for one you can say something like, "I want to work with an organization whose mission aligns with my personal goals.

Tip: If you're a new or upcoming graduate with your Masters Degree, get business cards.
  • moo.com has very professional looking business cards for $20/50 cards and also lets you use your own picture as an image on the card
  • vistaprint.com offers 250 business cards free, you just pay for shipping.
Really answer their questions on the job description. The best way to gain information before you apply is to ask for an informational interview. To obtain one you can e-mail or call and ask, "May I come in for an informational interview."

Knowing that your fate lies in the hands of someone who is not a professional is very frustrating.

Phone Interview Tip: Instead of answering with , "Hello?", use, "[your name here] speaking."

Think entrepreneurial.

Be innovative. Find a need and fill it. Employers seek candidates who are going to have to be told everything, who take risks, and who bring new ideas to the table.

Understand the landscape of the organization before you go in, use strategic thinking. Don't undervalue your achievements.

Are you vested in papers you spent semesters working on during your time in grad school? Publish them! (I'm still working on how one goes about getting something published in the library world.)

Linked.com Tip:
Whenever you receive a recommendation from someone on linked.com, always screen it for spelling, grammar errors.

My own words of advice: Keep making connections, you never know what odd and unexpected places you're going to meet a potential librarian or a connection who can help you in your job search/ future career.

Next week: What to put on your business card, advice for the unemployed.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Volunteering business

I've completed my paperwork and the process has been started to run my background check, once again, so that I may volunteer with the DC Public Library. I don't know where they will put me yet but I am excited to be a part of a DC library, however I can help.

I'm still volunteering in Maryland helping run a Conversation Club for community members and patrons who want to brush up and improve their English. I'm only volunteering once a month now. Last week the numbers reached incredible proportions with 11 participants (more than I've ever had). It was a bit daunting but I've found that if you let them lead the discussion they'll run with it.

Upon confirming my eventual departure to Manassas, VA I'm looking for libraries to volunteer around there, as well as in Fairfax. Though nothing definite until I make the move from MD to VA I saw that most libraries in Manassas want at least a six month commitment.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Recent Read

Having been an avid fan of Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter Series I never hesitated to pick up and read her newest installments even in spite of the fact that I believe the series is taking a serious downturn by becoming more involved in metaphysical relations with several men at once and less on Anita's abilities to function independently as a necromancer. That aside I picked up Flirt at 11:30 pm and by 1 am I was finished. Laurell definitely has a gift for storytelling in that it's nearly impossible to stop reading her books because you're so eager to see what happens next.

The best part about Flirt wasn't the story, although that was good too. The best part was the after notes where Laurell explains not only her writing process for the entire book (why she stopped writing Divine Misdemeanors to bang this one out, what music she listened to, etc), but she also gives the inspiration for the story and the names of everyone involved. According to her Flirt was inspired by one scene which took place in real life while she and her husband, Jonathan, were visiting with THE Jennie Breeden, creator of the web comic "The Devil's Panties", and her husband. The four of them were at a restaurant and Jennie's husband accidentally began flirting with the waiter, which made Laurell wants to find out if the waiter responded to women as well. The result was a funny series of strips in the Devil's Panties web-comic as well as a familiar scene unfolding within Flirt. In the web-comic, Laurell makes a joke about putting the scene in one of the books. To see this amount of intimacy where a writer exposes part of her writing process and inspiration to the reader makes the reader really feel as if he/she is part of the author's world if only for a few minutes, as they recall their own misadventures in flirting.


On a bit of a downside, I did finally finish the loosely based trilogy penned by Lois Lowry: The Giver, Gathering Blue, and Messenger. I have to say I was wholly disappointed with the final installment, especially with the ending. There were some loose ends tied up and some left untied. The narration did not seem to flow as well as the previous two books and I felt less invested in the characters and more interested in where the plot twist would be appearing. You're left disappointed. Stop at Gathering Blue and you'll get a good sense of fulfillment if not closure.