A preoccupation

The last couple times I've been to the library, I've been interested in books about words or grammar. I only got one book the time before today. But then I graded a bunch of my students' papers and I think I became obsessed with grammar. So I sought out some grammar books today when I visited the library. I have the following language/word/grammar/punctuation books to read:

• Anonyponymous: The Forgotten People Behind Everyday Words by John Bemelmans Marciano
• Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss
• Foyle's Further Philavery: A Cornucopia of Lexical Delights collected by Christopher Foyle
• Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies: A Guide to Language for Fun & Spite by June Casagrand
• Mortal Syntax: 101 Language Choices That Will Get You Clobbered by the Grammar Snobs--Even If You're Right by June Casagrande
• Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog: The Quirky History and Lost Art of Diagramming Sentences by Kitty Burns Florey

Looks exciting, yeah? :)

A new favorite library activity

Okay, so it's not a totally NEW favorite library activity. I just started doing it more often recently. It is: browsing the new book shelves at the library!

I did this at AADL. It started while I was working there, mostly because shelving the new books was an activity I could do when things were slow. That, of course, lead to browsing and checking out the books that looked interesting. The fun part is that I end up reading books that I may have never discovered or would have thought about picking up.

I discontinued doing so once I got to the Branigan Library here in NM. Mostly because the new books sections never looked very large. I kept at it in the children's section, but most of those books, at least at Branigan, are not really new. After some wandering in the YA section one day, I discovered the YA new book shelf. And a book that I had really wanted to read on was there on it (I don't remember which book now)!

So I started browsing the adult fiction and non fiction new book sections in the last few months. Here are some gems I discovered:

• Dogs & Devotion by The Monks of New Skete (A-NF)

A very cool book of photographs and quotes.

• The Weiser Field Guide to Vampires: Legends, Practices, and Encounters Old and New by J.M. Dixon (A-NF)
• How to Catch and Keep a Vampire: A Step-by-Step Guide to Loving the Bad and the Beautiful by Diana Laurence (A-NF)

Clearly, I was in a vampire phase. Two very different and equally fascinating books...

• How to Be a Cowboy by Jim Arndt (A-NF)

Who wouldn't want to be a cowboy?

• The Oxford Project by Peter Feldstein & Stephen G. Bloom (A-NF)

A very neat photo book that had photos of every person is the town of Oxford from the 80s and in 2000 (I think those were the dates).

• Bear-ology: Fascinating Bear Facts, Tales & Trivia by Sylvia Dolson (A-NF)

Vital information. I can now tell the difference between a brown bear and a black bear.

• Fifty Dresses That Changed the World by Design Museum (A-NF)
• Fifty Shoes That Changed the World by Design Museum (A-NF)

I'm not a big fashion person, but these were pretty interesting!

• Americanos: Latino Life in the United States by Edward James Olmos, Lea Ybarra, & Manuel Monterrey (A-NF)
• Counter Culture: The American Coffee Shop Waitress by Candacy A. Taylor (A-NF)
• Vanity Fair's Proust Questionnaire: 101 Luminaries Ponder Love, Death, Happiness, and the Meaning of Life edited by Graydon Carter & Risko (A-NF)

Books that contributed to my knowledge of Latinos, waitresses, and celebrities. Clearly, the knowledge of Latino culture was most useful to me, now that I am living in a place where Latino culture is so prevalent!

• Girl on the Rocks: A Woman's Guide to Climbing with Strength, Grace, and Courage by Katie Brown (A-NF)

This book spawned my interest in trying rock climbing. Haven't done it yet, but it's on my list!

• Workin' It!: RuPaul's Guide to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Style by RuPaul (A-NF)

I love RuPaul! Would I have thought to look for this book if it wasn't on the new shelf? Probably not!

• We Feel Fine: An Almanac of Human Emotion by Sep Kamvar & Jonathan Harris (A-NF)

Clearly, the best discovery so far. This book examines the use of feelings in blogs across the US. Blogs and their therapeutic benefits are one of my research interests. :)


And it won't end there. I'm still on the lookout. Some of my current check-outs are from the new book shelves and I look forward to reading them:

• The Lives They Left Behind by Penney, Stastny, & Rinzler
• White Like Me by Tim Wise
• Foyle's Further Philavery collected by Christopher Foyle
• Anonyponymous by John Bemelmans Marciano

Yay for cool new books! :)

book i've read april 2010

4.1.10

• Trouble Gum by Matthew Cordell (PB)
• Two Old Potatoes and Me by John Coy & Carolyn Fisher (PB)
• Am I a Color Too? by Heidi Cole, Nancy Vogl, & Gerald Purnell (PB)
• Crocodiles Are the Best Animals of All! by Sean Taylor & Hannah Shaw (PB)
• Dragolin by Stephen Cosgrove & Robin James (PB)
• The Wizard, the Fairy and the Magic Chicken by Helen Lester & Lynn Munsinger (PB)
• Death by Denim by Linda Gerber (YA)

4.2.10

• Vanity Fair's Proust Questionnaire: 101 Luminaries Ponder Love, Death, Happiness, and the Meaning of Life edited by Graydon Carter & Risko (A-NF)

4.3.10

• Gramp-Lop by Stephen Cosgrove & Robin James (PB)

4.5.10

• Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (YA)

4.9.10

• Dragonbreath by Ursula Vernon (Y)

4.10.10

• Meanwhile by Jason Shiga (GN)
• Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom by Eric Wight (Y)
• Frankie Pickle and the Pine Run 3000 by Eric Wight (Y)
• Heist Society by Ally Carter (YA)

4.11.10

• Crush by Carrie Mac (YA)

4.13.10

• We Feel Fine: An Almanac of Human Emotion by Sep Kamvar & Jonathan Harris (A-NF)

4.14.10

• Workin' It!: RuPaul's Guide to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Style by RuPaul (A-NF)
• How to Be a Pirate by Cressida Cowell (Y)

4.15.10

• Urban Shaman by C.E. Murphy (A)

4.17.10

• Goddess Boot Camp by Tera Lynn Childs (YA)

4.18.10

• All in the Family!: A Look-It-Up Guide to the In-Laws, Outlaws, and Offspring of Mythology by Steven Otfinoski (Y-NF)

4.19.10

• Very LeFreak by Rachel Cohn (YA)
• Scandal by Kate Brian (YA)

4.23.10

• The Nine Lives of Chloe King: The Stolen by Celia Thomson (YA)

4.24.10

• Bleach #30 by Tite Kubo (M)
• Need by Carrie Jones (YA)
• Swallow Me Whole by Nate Powell (GN)

4.29.10

• Undead Much? by Stacey Jay (YA)

4.30.10

• Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur (Y)

04.10 total: 30

7 picture books; 10 young adult fiction; 3 adult non fiction; 5 youth fiction; 2 graphic novels; 1 adult fiction; 1 youth non fiction; 1 manga

books i've read march 2010

3.2.10

• Zombie-Loan #8 by Peach-Pit (M)
• Storm Glass by Maria V. Snyder (A)

3.3.10

• The ACME Catalog: Quality Is Our #1 Dream by Charles Carney & Scott Grass (A-NF)
• Young Zeus by G. Brian Karas (PB)

3.4.10

• Girl on the Rocks: A Woman's Guide to Climbing with Strength, Grace, and Courage by Katie Brown (A-NF)
• Skin Deep by Mark Del Franco (A)

3.5.10

• Monkey High! #8 by Shouko Akira (M)

3.6.10

• Lunch Lady and the Author Visit Vendetta by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (GN)

3.8.10

• Fables: The Great Fables Crossover by Bill Willingham, Matthew Sturges, Mark Buckingham, Tony Akins, Russ Braun, Andrew Pepoy, & Jose Marzan Jr. (GN)
• Rosario + Vampire #10 by Akihisa Ikeda (M)

3.9.10

• Nothing by Janne Teller (YA)
• How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell (Y)
• How to Be a Vampire by Amy Gray (YA-NF)

3.11.10

• Night of the Gargoyles by Eve Bunting & David Wiesner (PB)
• Cactus Poems by Frank Asch & Ted Levin (PB)
• This Is the Dream by Diane Z. Shore, Jessica Alexander, & James Ransome (PB)
• The Underwear Salesman and Other Jobs for Better or Verse by J. Patrick Lewis & Serge Bloch (PB)
• The Story of Honk-Honk-Ashoo & Swella-Bow-Wow by Ralph Cosentino (PB)
• Otis by Loren Long (PB)

3.13.10

• Sticky Burr: The Prickly Peril by John Lechner (GN)

3.14.10

• Bizenghast #6 by M. Alice LeGrow (M)
• Ambition by Kate Brian (YA)

3.15.10

• The Brimstone Journals by Ron Koertge (YA)
• I Just Hope It's Lethal edited by Liz Rosenberg & Deena November (YA)

3.16.10

• The Composer Is Dead by Lemony Snicket, Carson Ellis, & Nathaniel Stookey (PB)
• Sunday Chutney by Aaron Blabey (PB)
• Babymouse Burns Rubber by Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm (GN)

3.17.10

• Buddha #8: Jetavana by Osamu Tezuka (GN)

3.18.10

• Rage: A Love Story by Julie Anne Peters (YA)

3.19.10

• Confessions of a Werewolf Supermodel by Ronda Thompson (A)

3.20.10

• The Complete Idiot's Guide to Werewolves by Nathan Robert Brown (A-NF)
• Making Mischief: A Maurice Sendak Appreciation by Gregory Maguire (A-NF)

3.21.10

• How to Speak Dragonese by Cressida Cowell (Y)
• 35 Dumb Things Well-Intended People Say by Maura Cullen (A-NF)

3.22.10

• In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak (PB)
• How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse by Cressida Cowell (Y)

3.23.10

• You Are So Undead to Me by Stacey Jay (YA)

3.24.10

• Counter Culture: The American Coffee Shop Waitress by Candacy A. Taylor (A-NF)

3.25.10

• Token of Darkness by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes (YA)

3.27.10

• Josephine Wants to Dance by Jackie French & Bruce Whatley (PB)
• Indescribably Arabella by Jane Gilbert (PB)
• Feathers and Fools by Mem Fox & Nicholas Wilton (PB)
• Sidewalk Circus by Paul Fleischman & Kevin Hawkes (PB)
• Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert (PB)
• In the Cards: Life by Mariah Fredericks (YA)

3.28.10

• The Mark by Jen Nadol (YA)

3.30.10

• Americanos: Latino Life in the United States by Edward James Olmos, Lea Ybarra, & Manuel Monterrey (A-NF)
• The Nine Lives of Chloe King: The Fallen by Celia Thomson (YA)

03.10 total: 48

4 manga; 3 adult fiction; 7 adult non fiction; 15 picture books; 5 graphic novels; 10 young adult fiction; 3 youth fiction; 1 young adult non fiction

Found a poem!

Love it, love it, love it!! :)

nobody but you
by Charles Bukowski

nobody can save you but
yourself.
you will be put again and again
into nearly impossible
situations.
they will attempt again and again
through subterfuge, guise and
force
to make you submit, quit and/or die quietly
inside.

nobody can save you but
yourself
and it will be easy enough to fail
so very easily
but don't, don't, don't.
just watch them.
listen to them.
do you want to be like that?
a faceless, mindless, heartless
being?
do you want to experience
death before death?

nobody can save you but
yourself
and you're worth saving.
it's a war not easily won
but if anything is worth winning then
this is it.

think about it.
think about saving your self.
your spiritual self.
your gut self.
your singing magical self and
your beautiful self.
save it.
don't join the dead-in-spirit.

maintain your self
with humor and grace
and finally
if necessary
wager your life as you struggle,
damn the odds, damn
the price.

only you can save your
self.

do it! do it!

then you'll know exactly what
I am talking about.

For my Papa

Dear Papa,

I found a book that I think you would have really enjoyed. I remember how much you loved Wile E. Coyote from the Loony Tunes cartoons. We used to watch them together when I was little and you and Grammie would babysit me.

I found The ACME Catalog! It shows, in full color with lots of fun descriptions, many of the purchases that Wile E. Coyote made in the cartoons! It was so much fun. My favorite was the bat costume. Do you remember that episode?

I wish that you were still alive so that I could have shared it with you. I think you would have laughed quite a bit. But, I am glad that I was able to enjoy it and think fondly of you. I miss you very much.

Wherever you might be, if you have access to books (and I hope you do), please see if you can find it. Read it and think of your favorite granddaughter.

Love always,
Dawn

books i've read february 2010

2.2.10

• Death by Bikini by Linda Gerber (YA)

2.3.10

• Polo and Lily by Regis Faller (PB)
• Polo and the Magic Flute by Regis Faller (PB)
• Fifty Shoes That Changed the World by Design Museum (A-NF)
• A Shadow Falls by Nick Brandt (A-NF)
• Cat's Eye Corner by Terry Griggs (Y)

2.4.10

• Fifty Dresses That Changed the World by Design Museum (A-NF)

2.5.10

• Pride by Rachel Vincent (A)

2.6.10

• Snake and Lizard by Joy Cowley & Gavin Bishop (Y)
• Orange by Benjamin (GN)
• Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde: The Devoted Friend and the Rose and the Nightingale by Oscar Wilde & P. Craig Russell (GN)
• American Virgin: Wet by Steven T. Seagle, Becky Cloonan, & Jim Rugg (GN)
• American Virgin: Going Down by Steven T. Seagle, Becky Cloonan, & Ryan Kelly (GN)
• American Virgin: Head by Steven T. Seagle, Becky Cloonan, & Jim Rugg (GN)

2.8.10

• Death by Latte by Linda Gerber (YA)
• American Virgin: Around the World by Steven T. Seagle, Becky Cloonan, Ryan Kelly, & Jim Rugg (GN)

2.9.10

• Bear-ology: Fascinating Bear Facts, Tales & Trivia by Sylvia Dolson (A-NF)

2.10.10

• Tempted by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast (YA)

2.11.10

• The Legend of Ninja Cowboy Bear by David Bruins & Hilary Leung (PB)
• Panda & Polar Bear by Matthew J. Baek (PB)
• The Marvelous Misadventures of...Fun-Boy by Ralph Cosentino (PB)
• Buddha #2: The Four Encounters by Osamu Tezuka (GN)
• Today I Will: A Year of Quotes, Notes, and Promises to Myself by Eileen Spinelli & Jerry Spinelli (YA-NF)

2.12.10

• Gone Is Gone or the Story of a Man Who Wanted to Do Housework by Wanda Gag (Y)
• The Festival of Bones / El Festival de las Calaveras by Luis San Vincente (PB)
• Love Is a Special Way of Feeling by Joan Walsh Anglund (PB)
• Hawk, I'm Your Brother by Byrd Baylor & Peter Parnall (PB)
• Extra! Extra! Fairy-Tale News from Hidden Forest by Alma Flor Ada & Leslie Tryon (PB)
• Rabbit Goes to Kansas by Deborah L. Duvall & Murv Jacob (PB)
• Rabbit and the Fingerbone Necklace by Deborah L. Duvall & Murv Jacob (PB)

2.13.10

• Famous Last Words: Fond Farewells, Deathbed Diatribes, and Exclamations Upon Expiration edited by Ray Robinson (A-NF)
• The Silver Door by Terry Griggs (Y)
  

2.14.10

• The Wild Things by Dave Eggers (A)
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days by Jeff Kinney (Y)

2.15.10

• Buddha #3: Devadatta by Osamu Tezuka (GN)

2.16.10

• The Weiser Field Guide to Ghosts: Apparitions, Spirits, Spectral Lights, and Other Hauntings of History and Legend by Raymond Buckland (A-NF)

2.17.10

• School of Fear by Ditty Daneshvari (Y)
• Walter: The Story of a Rat by Barbara Wersba & Donna Diamond (Y)

2.18.10

• Buddha #4: The Forest of Uruvela by Osamu Tezuka (GN)

2.19.10

• Buddha #5: Deer Park by Osamu Tezuka (GN)

2.20.10

• Unshapely Things by Mark Del Franco (A)
• The Vampire Hunter's Handbook: A Field Guide to the Paranormal by Erin Slonaker (YA-NF)
• The Witch's Handbook: A Field Guide to Magic by Rachel Dickinson (YA-NF)

2.21.10

• Buddha #6: Ananda by Osamu Tezuka (GN)
• Keeping It Real by Justina Robson (A)

2.23.10

• Wink: The Ninja Who Wanted to Be Noticed by J.C. Phillips (PB)
• The Library Dragon by Carmen Agra Deedy & Michael P. White (PB)
• The Oxford Project by Peter Feldstein & Stephen G. Bloom (A-NF)
• Rosario + Vampire #9 by Akihisa Ikeda (M)

2.25.10

• Buddha #7: Prince Ajatasattu by Osamu Tezuka (GN)
• Sticks and Stones by Beth Goobie (YA)
• Fatal Charm by Linda Joy Singleton (YA)

2.28.10

• Sucks to Be Me: The All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton, Teen Vampire (Maybe) by Kimberly Pauley (YA)

02.10 total: 53

6 young adult fiction; 13 picture books; 7 adult non fiction; 7 youth fiction; 4 adult fiction; 12 graphic novels; 3 young adult non fiction; 1 manga