LIBRARY LOUNGE

Greg Mortenson’s story is both an unforgettable adventure and the inspiring true account of how one man really is changing the world-one school at a time. Greg Mortenson recounts his unlikely journey from a failed attempt to climb Pakistan’s K2, the world’s second highest mountain, to successfully building schools in the remote regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan. He will be at the Boulder REI at 12:30pm on the 16th to sign books.

In the evening he will be at the Macky Auditorium but books will not be sold or signed at the evening program. Tickets are going fast and you must have one - they are free - so stop by REI in Boulder and grab one!

Wednesday, January 16, 2008 at 7:30 PM (Tickets Required)
BOULDER REI
University of Colorado at Boulder
Macky Auditorium
Boulder, CO 80309
Phone: 303-583-9970

http://www.rei.com/stores/44#store

Googlebooks - MyLibrary
As much as I love to hate them I am constantly surprised by the innovation at Google. Take a look at the link above. Yes there are a number of tools out there to keep track of your books, LibraryThing and Goodreads are my two favorites but I can also see applications for this. In less than 30 seconds I started my own Google Library….

Detail of a Book Record Click this link to see what a specific book record looks like. This is better than any library catalog I have ever seen. Not only do you get the ISBN, cover art, etc. there are links to professional reviews as well as links to webpages that reference the topic. Additionally there are quick links to purchase the book and best of all - the Google BORROW THIS BOOK feature. Just put in your zip code and it will show which local library have the item in their collection. WOW!

I just finished this incredible book by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin and I could not put it down. If I had to choose to read only one book this year - this would have been it and I have read a lot of books this year. This book is proof that each and every one of us can make a difference in the world. We may not be able to go to the lengths that Greg has but we certainly can support efforts such as his.

I have always known in my heart that peace is possible and I think Greg has shown us the way. I wish that every person in America would read this book (yes Mom and Dad this will be your Chanuka present this year ;0) If you work in a library please help to promote this book and make sure there are plenty of copies available.

Enter Website Here.

I enjoy listening to recorded books but I am sometimes disappointed with the narrator. Last month I was lucky enough to listen to two really good novels and the narrators were excellent on both. If you enjoy recorded books I highly recommend the following:
Water for Elephants
North River
Let me know if you have any thoughts on these books and I would love to hear your suggestions about other good books to listen to.
Mindy

I just started a new book last night called Seducing the Rabbi from Jala Pfaff. For those of you who know me - it takes a lot to get me to stay up late - but this book did it! I couldn’t put it down and I missed my bed time. It also made me laugh out loud which not a lot of books do for me. I’ll let you know how it goes but I have high hopes that the end will be just as good as the beginning. Also, the descriptions of Boulder are irreverent and absolutely hilarious and so right on. This is one weird town and I’m loving every minute of living here.
Mindy

“The Seattle Post-Intelligencer has a cheery article whose headline and deck sum it up: “Teens buying books at fastest rate in decades. New ‘golden age of young adult literature’ declared.”

“Kids are buying books in quantities we’ve never seen before,” Booklist magazine critic Michael Cart told the paper. “And publishers are courting young adults in ways we haven’t seen since the 1940s.”

Popular categories include graphic novels, adventure, romance, humor and “gritty coming-of-age tales. . . . More notably, though, there’s a new strain of sophistication and literary heft as publishers cater to the older end of the spectrum with books that straddle teen and adult markets.”

One aspect helping the boom: “Teens are actively shaping the literary scene, as more libraries–including the Seattle Public Library–form teen advisory groups to attract young readers and help influence collections. Publishers sometimes use them as focus groups, and the American Library Association solicits teen input before it votes on its annual list of Best Books for Young Adults.”

Shelf Awareness 3/9/07

Lets go get ‘em - Mindy

I would enjoy hearing what were your three favorite books of 2006 - I am always on the look out for new authors. I’ll start.

THE BOOK THEIF: I listened to this on CD and almost gave up after the first disk. I am glad I did not - I absolutely loved this book and highly recommened it!

MARLEY AND ME: I laughed so hard I cried. Great for anyone who loves pets.

FROM GOOD TO GREAT: Fascinating and right on the money in my opinion.

YOUR TURN!

Mindy

Bookslut has a wonderful interview on-line with Annie Proulx. It mentions that Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana prepared the screenplay for Brokeback Mountain which I did not know.

Here is a quote attributed to Annie from the above interview: “I read omnivorously, I always have, my entire life. I would rather be dead than not read. So, there’s always time for that. I read while I eat, and our whole family did. We all had very bad manners at the table. All of our books are stained with spaghetti sauce, and that sort of thing.”

Mindy

I just finished Chris Abani’s novel GraceLand and I would like to highly recommend it. This was definately one of the best books I have read this year. ISBN 0312425287.

What were your favorite books that you read this year?

Mindy

I don’t know if you loved S.E. Hinton’s book The Outsiders as much as I did but if so you will be happy to know that a recut version of Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 film of “The Outsiders” on DVD, is going to be released on Sept. 20 by Warner Home Video. There is also an excellent New York Times article (click here), about S.E. Hinton and her history. I found it very interesting.
Mindy