Dexter

I’m reading A Dance with Dragons (over 900 pages) and it will be at least five days before I finish and post a review. So, to post something between now and then, Dexter! Season six airs this October. Waiting sucks (I’ve adopted the True Blood tagline for all my favorite shows… but in truth, the wait is always worth it).

RSA: The Secret Power of Time

Just a really interesting video I found on Bib 2.o.

BEA: First Impression

Well, I crashed as soon as I returned home yesterday from Book Expo America. It was my first trip there. I grabbed a lot of galley copies and a lot of signatures. Reviews will begin as soon as my box arrives. Until then, here are my thoughts.

• It wasn’t as big as ALA – I didn’t pick up nearly as many galleys
• Hardcover books are given away at author signings. Nice.
• Candlewick and Shadow Mountain Press had the most efficient setups with the nicest people and best giveaways.
• There is always one publisher’s booth that gets it all wrong. The raspberries go to Harper Collins. They were stingy with their galleys, so you needed a ticket (who the heck knows how people got tickets) for a 15 minute pick-up window. Mostly, that booth was empty. Boo, Harper Collins. I won’t be reviewing any of your galleys because I didn’t care to pick any up. Making life difficult for those who spread the word on your books is a stupid business practice.
• The food at the Javits Center was overpriced and terrible. If I attend next year (and I’m not sure I”m interested… ALA is so much better!), I’m packing.

The galley I’m most excited to read is by Wendy Mass.

The authors I met:

• James Dashner – wonderfully kind and talkative
• Brandon Mull – polite if not naturally cheery, he has some of the strangest young fans
• Bonny Becker – just plain sweet
• Greg Folley – aloof, typical NYC personality but polite

A New Jane Eyre Movie

The Bronte sisters are the new Austen. Jane Eyre has long been my favorite book. I never tire of new film adaptations. I’m hoping this one will include the fortune teller scene. Coming in 2011, Jane Eyre, directed by Cary Fukunaga (Sin Nombre) and staring:

Mia Wasikowska as Jane Eyre
(Alice in Wonderland)

Michael Fassbender as Edward Rochester
(Inglorious Bastards, 300)

Jamie Bell as St. John
(Billie Elliot, Defiance)

Judi Dench as Mrs. Fairfax
(Shakespeare in Love, The Chronicles of Riddick, Quantum of Solace)

Scholastic’s 2010 Librarian Preview Webcast

Starting with picture books and wrapping up with new YA fiction, the Scholastic 2010 Librarian Preview has me excited about several titles, among them: Captain Sky Blue and The Sea of Sleep. A novel on par with Pullman? Plain Kate. We’ll see.

Very excited for Empty by Suzanne Weyn. A society without fossil fuels. David Levithan had me hooked with his booktalk. 

You can watch the full preview at Scholastic’s site.

School Outreach

My coworker, Anna, and I recently visited a local elementary school to read stories and promote the Library. Yesterday, we received a stack of Thank You cards from the children.

We took several pop-up books including 500 Black Spots and One Red Dot, and a few picture books. The big hits were Duck! Rabbit!, The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog, Melvin Bubble, and Millie Waits for the Mail.

Here are a few of my favorite cards:

Local Libraries Offer All Kinds of Free Activities

On their way to an "Oscar the Grouch Birthday Party" program

The Ocean County Library is featured in the Asbury Park Press’s LIFE section online as a rainy day destination for good free activities. But the library is more than that. Rain or shine, I foresee the Library replacing costly summer camps and trips to Six Flags as parents are looking for wholesome activities for their children.

In the vein of our summer reading theme, “Be Creative @ the Library,” we are offering a slew of art, theatre, and craft activities every day, all summer long. On top of this, we have book clubs for all school age children and a Teen/Child Reading Buddies program for those still learning to read.

You can check out all our programs with the Ocean County Library Calendar of Events.