Author Highlight: Jacqueline Carey

The second author in this series is Jacqueline Carey. I’ve been reading Ms. Carey’s work for at least the last ten years, which is almost as long as she’s been writing. You can find her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter @JCareyAuthor, or check out her official website, www.jacquelinecarey.com.

Now that’s all out-of-the-way. I first started reading Jacqueline Carey when I was deep into my high fantasy, read everything I can get my hands on, phase. I found her in my local library, not the one I work at now, but in the same system.  I picked up Kushiel’s Dart. It felt like a tome, easily topping four hundred pages, but I wanted to read it. It had something that called to me, political intrigue, warped relationships.  I don’t know, but I took it home and read it in a week. Then, I went back for the rest of the series: Kushiel’s Chosen and Kushiel’s Avatar. They aren’t hard books…until you fall in love with the characters and see their struggle and turmoil. You laugh with them and cry with and for them. Reading about the terminus, the Cassiline death dance, Isidore D’Aiglemort and the Unforgiven, ugh my heart. Those two scenes, especially, will never leave me. They’re from Kushiel’s Dart.

The series features not only an alternate universe, but an alternate version of Christianity. It’s as if Christ had a brother, Elua, who left Heaven voluntarily and was followed by nine angels: Azza, Anael, Camael, Cassiel, Eisheth, Kushiel, Naamah, and Shemhazai. The three most prominent in these first three books are Cassiel, who never left Blessed Elua’s side, Naamah, who lay with strangers to help feed the company (yes, she was a sex worker), and Kushiel, the angel of punishment. The main character. Phedre, is god-touched. She has brown eyes, but in her left iris is a red speck, marking her as an agent of the angel Kushiel, destined for greatness and to find pleasure in pain. An anguisette, a lypiphera, pain bearer.

She took a break from the series to write The Sundering duology: Banewreaker and Godslayer. I read somewhere that she wrote them as a sort of re-telling/homage to Tolkien from the POV of the villain. Of course, having never read The Lord of the Rings or any Middle Earth novels, I never picked up on that, though I did realize, as I was reading, that I was seriously in book love with the villain. It’s been a while since I’ve read this series, though it is one of my favorites.

Carey went back to Terre D’Ange with the Imriel trilogy, the second set in Kushiel’s Legacy. The first Kushiel’s Scion, still follows Phedre as she raises Imri as her own. But as a royal and the son of a traitor, Imriel must prove himself loyal to his cousin Ysandre, the Queen, which doesn’t go so well when he and Ysandre’s daughter and crown princess, Sidonie, fall in love. The second and third books, Kushiel’s Justice and Kushiel’s Mercy , follow Imri as he is married off, betrayed, widowed (widowered?), goes on soul-searching journey, and eventually returns to Terre D’Ange and Sidonie.

I realize that these are seriously skimpy descriptions, but the books are long and dense and delicious. You should give them a try. Because I said so. I’ll give a better reason later. Just trust me on this.

Between finishing the original six of Kushiel’s Legacy and starting a new trilogy set at least three generations later, Carey wrote the Santa Olivia duology: Santa Olivia and Saints Astray.

The Naamah trilogy: Naamah’s Kiss, Naamah’s Curse, Naamah’s Blessing,  follows Moirin, a descendant of the tribe whose chief betrayed Imriel by breaking an oath sworn on the lives and magic of his people. In much the same way as Phedre is god  touched, so it Moirin. How so? She is also a descendant of Alais, Sidonie’s little sister. As if not clear yet, the goddess who chose her is Naamah.

After the Naamah triology, Carey wrote the Agent of Hel trilogy: Dark Currents, Autumn Bones, and Poison Fruit. This series is much lighter and less epic. Daisy Johanssen is a hellspawn with the power to start the End of Days if she gives in to her Hell-given powers. This is where Carey says YA readers who want to explore her writings should start, especially if it’s the parents choosing the books. There is very little sex and not much cursing, two things in the above series’ have in abundance.

All the series’ have more than their fair share of violence and creepy things happening, but that shouldn’t stop you from reading. Read in order. Especially Kushiel’s Legacy.

For more info on Kushiel’s Legacy: http://kushiel.wikia.com/wiki/Terre_d’Ange

Another interesting thing you may want to Google: Court of Night Blooming Flowers.

Librarian in Training Pt. 8

This is what I felt like for two weeks as I finished up my classes.

Reviews

This past semester was not my best. Sure, I passed with an A and an A-, but I don’t feel good about it. Admittedly, I worked for those grades, but I didn’t do it well, nor did I do it with my customary grace under pressure. I was a whiny bitch.

In the one class, my readers’ advisory class which I loved, I completely missed two assignments, and I couldn’t post on the listserv like I was supposed to. The two missed assignments were 1pg papers evaluating book discussions that I participated in. Why didn’t I just write those stupid papers immediately after the discussions? My excuse is because it was midnight and I had to be up at 7am the next day, both times. But truthfully, though I was tired, I could have done them. Then, I just kept forgetting. New responsibilities at work, a group project in the class from hell, the RA books that had to be read for the posts that had to be done. Truthfully, I just could not keep track of those little one page m-fers. The listserv is a well-respected RA tool in library land, and I followed the directions to post, but I just could not do it. I even had questions that I wanted to ask the list, but no matter what I did, from my personal or my work email, it just would not work. I even emailed the administrators, but they never answered me. I got an A, a solid A in that class. I loved that class; it made me better, but I don’t feel good about my grade. LOVE the professor, though. Dr. Bodart is the bees knees.

In the other class, ugh. My YA services class, aka the class from hell, started out on the wrong foot. I opened the course outline and it was highlighter blue writing on sunshine yellow background. Asked the professor for a plain, black and white version, and he made it seem like I asked him to reformat the entire 60 page document. Yeah. Eleven 150 word abstracts, which did not have to be in complete sentences, were graded as one assignment. If you missed the deadline on any one of them, the grade was automatically a zero. A big honking zero. Bless you, Desirée, for teaching me how to write abstracts in undergrad, because I would not have made it without that skill with complete sentences. Though these were 100 words shorter, I am still grateful for having had experience in writing them before this class. The one thing I did like about this assignment was the lightning round. For one abstract, instead of a word submission, we had to post a 1 minute audio abstract. I did mine somewhere in the middle, but that one was fun. I did not appreciate the professors condescending attitude and his insistence that everything would make sense if we just read the instructions. I READ INSTRUCTIONS 15 TIMES, no lie, AND NOT ONE BIT OF IT EVER MADE SENSE. He would use one page essays, 500 words, to introduce the abstract topic. The group project instructions came in a 4 page essays. His comments on assignments, 85% unhelpful. He was vague and condescending and we were never really sure what he wanted. Speaking of group projects, I had the best group experience to date. My group ladies were awesome. Mary and Tricia were really fun to work with, had wonderful attitudes, and didn’t take it too badly when I spaced out in our final meeting because I was so done with the class. We ended up with a perfect score on the assignment, but I’m not sure why. He made it seem like the purpose of the project was not what the actual project but the process of being in group on a project on a five-week deadline. And if that was the case, I don’t understand why he kept trying to make it seem like our working rules and roles and how we processed the project together weren’t good enough. They made sense to us; we agreed on them. What more did he want from us? I still don’t know.

I whined and ranted and raved my way through 17 weeks of hell. He made me hate YA services, and that was hard to do. He made me hate wanting to do professional development stuff related to YA services because of the chance I might run into him. I still love teens. I still love working with teens. But he has made me question what I thought I wanted to do with a portion of my career in Library and Information Sciences. Because of him, and other factors, I passed on a YA job that opened up in my library. I still don’t know how I feel about that, not completely, but I did it, and a large part of me blames him. I got an A-, and honestly, that is the best I could do. I hated him. I hated the class. The fact that I got an A at all is a testament to my fortitude and willpower, because I was so willing to take an L and either withdraw from the class or completely skip the final assignment and fail. The one thing stopping me was that it would drag my GPA down. I am three semesters away from graduation, and I will not let some asshole, condescending, blowhard ruin my straight A/A-, 3.9 grad school GPA.

When I turned it that final assignment, I was so done.

BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE! Because the class from hell went two weeks past the end of the semester, I only got one week between spring and summer classes. My summer classes start today.

Previews

So, what is happening in the summer semester, you ask? First up, an LGBTQ services class that I have really been looking forward to for a long time. It was up in the air whether or not it would be coming around in time for me to take it, but it is and I could not be more excited for it. Second, is a web 2.0 class, which will look at all the ways librarians can harness the power of social media and such. I’m actually really looking forward to this class too, especially since social media is now part of my job description. I now run the YA and main Twitter accounts for my library. Technically, there are two other people on the team…but yeah. Those accounts are my babies, and I’m excited to have them and grow them and engage with our community on the interwebs.

Also, I have become heavily involved with programming at my library. I have three programs this month. The first is a musical performance by the Southern Maryland Flute Choir on 6/3. The second is a rhyming workshop for teens on 6/23. The third is a two parter, my baby that I have been gestating for months since November. Seriously, I am about to give birth to the first LGBTQ Resource Fair and Day of Understanding on 6/27. I am proud of my work, and nervous as hell. I have groups coming in from all over the state as well as DC. I have a speaker and a performer. I have a month-long display up that I will change every week featuring LGBT books, fiction and nonfiction. I created #CCPLPrideWeek for the week of the program, because we have an LGBT Book Discussion that week as well, on 6/24. We will be reading Ash by Malinda Lo, a retelling of Cinderella. Maybe next year, we can make it a whole week. Do one program per day on a different topic. But I’m getting off track. The hashtag is for the Twitter pages, where I will tweet articles, artwork, books, and other queer awesome things for that entire week. It also happens to be the week that ALA will be in San Francisco for ALA Annual, and it coincides with SF Pride festivities. It’ll be great. (This is what I keep telling myself).

Welp, that’s all for now.  If you want more information on any of the programs I mentioned, go to www.ccplonline.org and click the rotating events in the center of the page.

April! Spring!

Hello Gorgeous!

Today, April 1st, marks two things. The first: it’s April Fool’s day. Pranks and such are the name of the game. In my family, we don’t celebrate April Fool’s day. We used to, the whole family, but one year, long before I was born, someone played the dirty trick of claiming something horrible had happened to a family member, sending the whole family into crisis. We haven’t celebrated since. Bummer.

April 1st also marks the beginning of National Poetry Month. The entire month of April is meant to celebrate all things poetic, with poetry readings, displays, and other celebratory events. I have two things on the slate at my library. The first is a month long display of diverse poetry books. I have a Pakistani poetry anthology, an African-American poetry anthology, and various individual works of American and international poetry. Every week, I will change the books on display, showcasing all of the ways poetry can be written.

The second item I have planned for this month is a community board posting for National Poem in Your Pocket Day on April 30th. Poetry lovers around the nation will carry their favorite poem in their pocket. For the board, I have a bright orange laminated pocket into which I will insert a selection of poems, some of which I love, some of which are famous, and some from the books in my display.  On that day, I will be carrying e. e. cummings’ [i carry your heart with me (i carry it in)]. Alternately, I could be carrying cummings’ [anyone lived in a pretty how town]. Both are favorites of mine. I love the first, because it is the literal (in word form) embodiment of what I think love is. The simplest explanation for love, being in love, and being loved. The second, I love because it was one of the first poems that I understood without having to be told what it meant. Spoiler alert: anyone and noone are people. I also enjoy the cadence when read aloud.

Preparing my display and community board post have jump started my creative juices a bit, and I’ve been planning my programs for next spring. So far, I have an idea for a March program about Holi, the Hindu Festival of Spring, an April program celebrating National Poetry Month, a May program celebrating the Divine Nine, the nine Black Greek letter organizations, and a June program celebrating National LGBTQ Pride Month. Hopefully, I’ll get more ideas as the year goes on, but I think I’m off to a great start.

There’s one final awesome thing that happens every year in April: NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK! April 11-18 is National Library Week! Attend a program, donate, tour the facility, talk to a librarian. Do something to show that libraries and librarians are important to you.

That’s all for now.

Excuse me, do you work here?

I cannot count the number of times people have asked me this question. The other day, I got it twice. It is as though they do not see the trappings of my profession layed out in front of me. I sit at a real desk with drawers. My chair is comfy and on wheels. There are library brochures in clear holders at every corner. There is a book scanner, a receipt printer, and the reference collection behind me.. Did I mention there’s a phone? There’s a phone.

And yet.

Perhaps you wonder if the question presents itself when I am not at my desk. Yes, yes it does. Again, I carry the evidence with me. Whether I am straightening books in the stacks or grabbing books from improper places, I wear a badge and a headset. A black walkie-talkie is attached to my hip, and the ear piece winds upward, mouthpiece secured to the lanyard which holds my badge, to my ear. The third ear, through which my coworkers speak to me. Sometimes, the whole contraption hangs from my lanyard. Uncomfortable, but necessary when wearing dresses.

And yet.

So what is it about me that makes people think I don’t work where I work? Is it because I am female? No, that can’t be it. Librarianship is a female dominated profession nowadays. If anything, people should be asking our male library staff this question. There are only five of them in our branch. I haven’t asked them if they’ve ever received this question, but I will. Is it because I’m black? It’s a possibility, but at least two coworkers have also been asked this question. One is a white girl around my age. The other is an older Latina. Is it because of the way I dress? Again, a possibility, but all library staff are required to be in business casual attire. Suits are welcome, but not necessary. Heels are welcome, but no stilettos. I have learned to embrace the kitten heel and the stacked heel. One would think I get this question most on Fridays, the day we can wear jeans. Nope. Is it my age? Another possibility, but refer to above older Latina receiving this question. Not definitive evidence to the contrary as they could be asking her because she’s Latina.

Clearly, I need more evidence, and I’m not entirely sure what I’ve accomplished in this post, but there you have it. I am a librarian. I work in a library.

Yes, I work here. How can I help you?

Readers’ Advisory 1: Jason. Laurell K. Hamilton

Photo from Goodreads.com

Quick Facts

Author: Laurell K. Hamilton

Published 2014 Jove/Penguin Group

292pp. 9780515156072. $7.99US, $9.99CAN

Paranormal, Romance

Available in print, eBook, and Audiobook

Why I Read It

I’ve been reading Laurell K. Hamilton for the past ten years, at least. Where others think she’s gotten too sexual or beyond the pale, I see personal and character growth. Anita has been my “friend”, and I love reading about her family, her work, her struggles, everything. I went into Jason knowing that it would follow the same general trend as Micah did a few years ago; a side trip that wouldn’t, couldn’t fit into one of the long books. But I also knew that there would be character growth that would be important for the next books, especially Dead Ice, which is coming later this year. I’ve never missed an Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter book, and I don’t intend to start now.

TLL’s Tag

Anita is always willing to help a friend, especially when it’s Jason & his relationship hangs in the balance.

The Rundown

THIS BOOK IS SEX! It’s almost entirely made up of one long sex scene broken into parts. We start with Anita, Jason, Nathaniel, Domino, and Envy gathered for a family meeting. The woman in Anita’s life, Jade, has been silently, and not so silently, pleading with Anita to give more of herself, to be more of a couple. Anita has been reluctant to do so, for several reasons. One of which is that Anita has never been sexually attracted to women, and she believes this is what is keeping her from embracing Jade fully. Add into the mix that Jade is still recovering from a traumatic life with her former master, and Anita is at her wit’s end. She’s already engaged to Jean-Claude, her main man, and in a happy menage with Micah and Nathaniel. She has several other lovers, but those three men have her heart, and she doesn’t feel that she can give Jade what she needs.

Enter Jason, best friend and fuck-buddy, with a possible solution. Jason needs help demonstrating to his girlfriend, J.J., what rough sex is for him and why he needs it occasionally, and always with Anita. He loves J.J., and both are clear that monogamy is not their thing, but J.J. is struggling with the concept of rough sex. If it was a question of not having the right parts, as it is   with her need to have a girlfriend as well as Jason, then J.J. would have no qualms. But it’s not.

In exchange for Anita helping Jason demonstrate rough sex to J.J., Jason proposes that J.J. tutor Anita in the ways of lesbian relationships and sex. Negotiations take place, plans are made, and the story begins in earnest.

Here’s what I think

At 23 books, the ABVH series is long. Jumping into the series with this book is not the best plan. But, for long time readers of LKH and Anita, Jason is a great example of character growth over time. Anita is acknowledging and working on her issues. Anita is managing her anger. Anita is communicating her needs and wants in her relationships and in bed. Anita is happy. I was overcome at one point with pride that Anita has grown so much. If others weren’t so hung up on how much sex Anita has and with how many people, they’d see it too.

This novel can be read two ways. On the one hand, it can be read as one long sex scene, and that would be correct. On the other hand, it can be read as one long therapy session, and that would also be correct. A friend commented that there was a lot of talking in Jason. I didn’t have a response then, because I hadn’t read it yet. Now that I have, I recognize that communication is key to a polyamorous relationship. It will not work if all parties are not completely clear about their feelings, apprehensions, etc. So, yes, there is a lot of talking, rehashing, and renegotiating between Jason, J.J., Anita, Nathaniel, Jade, and Domino. There’s also a lot of really hot sex. There’s even the possibility of more J.J. in the future. I really hope so, because she fit in almost immediately in a way that Jade never did.

Final decision

Quick and dirty. If you love the side trips the short novels allow, then you’ll love Jason. If you’ve been on the fence about LKH and the direction that Anita has taken, you may not want this one. However, I know people who hate read, so maybe this is the one. But, I must say, if you prefer to see Anita working, this is not the book for you.

4Q–Better than most, marred by occasional lapses.

5P–Every reader of this author wanted it yesterday.

Readalikes, courtesy of NoveList Plus

Authors

Charlaine Harris

Patricia Briggs

J. R. Ward

Titles

Dark Seduction, Brenda Joyce

Mind Over Monsters, Jennifer Harlow

Angel’s Blood, Nalini Singh

Appeal Factors

Steamy, page-turner

Book talk ideas

Family meeting p.40

Jason asks Anita for help p.62

Meeting J.J. p.71

Negotiations p.217

Book discussion questions

1) How did you feel about Jason as a whole? Did you have a favorite scene?

2) Polyamorous relationships are rarely explored in mainstream publishing. Do you agree with Hamilton’s decision to highlight poly relationships in this short novel? Why or Why not?

3) J.J. says that sometimes you give the advice you most need to hear. Do you think, after this trip to St. Louis, that she will break up with Freda?

4) We discover that Anita is more than a little heteroflexible, though not when it comes to Jade. Do you belive Anita to be within her rights as a person to dump Jade, who is not emotionally ready to deal with her issues?

Clues to the Future

Anita Blake Vampire Hunter, Laurell K. Hamilton, Jason, Jade, J.J., polyamory, group sex, lesbians, bisexual men

Awards and Lists

N/A

Links to the Author, Interviews, and Reviews

Author website: http://www.laurellkhamilton.org/

Searching for Superwoman Interview: http://searchingforsuperwomen.com/superspeak-an-interview-with-laurell-k-hamilton/

Fangs for the Fantasy Review: http://www.fangsforthefantasy.com/2015/01/jason-anita-blake-series-227-by-laurell.html

Cocktails and Books Review: http://www.cocktailsandbooks.com/review-jason-laurell-k-hamilton/

I’m doing something different here. One good review and one bad review. LKH is such a polarizing author and the issues raised in and by her books can be intense. These may not be the best reviews in terms of provenance, however, they do address the same things. So, let’s discuss!

Readers’ Advisory 1: The Paying Guests. Sarah Waters

Photo from Goodreads.com

Quick Facts

Author: Sarah Waters

Published 2014 Riverhead Books. $28.95

567pp. 9781594633119

Historical Fiction, Romance, LGBTQ, Crime drama

Available in print, eBook, and Audible

Why I Read It

Sarah Waters has been on my literary radar since I first discovered Tipping the Velvet on my suite-mates bookshelf in undergrad. I tried to read it, got maybe halfway through, but I had to put it down because of schoolwork. I ended up watching the miniseries on Netflix a few months later and loved it. I’ve been wanting to read another Sarah Waters novel since then, but none of them called out to me like The Paying Guests did late last year. Something about the ‘respectable family left in dire straights by dead husband/father’s debts and needing to take in lodgers, romance blossoms between landlady and tenant” trope caught me. I haven’t read it in a long time, and I know from reputation that Waters has a deft touch at storytelling.

TLL’s Tag

Circumstances dictated the Wrays take in lodgers, but nothing prepared them for the results.

The Rundown

It’s 1922 in London. Peace has been won, but it came with a price. For Frances Wray and her mother Emily, that price was two dead sons, a dead husband/father, and mountain of bad investments. We meet Frances, Miss Wray, waiting for the couple that has rented out the upper portion of the Wray home. Both Frances and her mother are apprehensive of having to let their rooms and the reaction from their neighbors. Many encounters happen between the four, including a friendship between Frances and Mrs. Lilian Barber, a disastrous game of Snakes and Ladders between Frances, Lilian, and Leonard Barber, and a crime of passion.

Here’s what I think

First, this book is long. 567 pages long, to be exact. Divided into three parts, the length of the story is neither tedious nor unnecessary. It doesn’t even register as being quite as long except when the reader is not actively reading. That is, upon first look one notices that it is long, and whenever the reader has set the book aside for a period of time, the length can seem daunting when restarting. However, when reading, the length is practically unnoticeable. It does not detract from the popularity or fabulousness of the book, but it does bear noting.

Waters plants subtle hints throughout the novel about the way we should feel about Leonard Barber. He has a distinct slimyness to him, especially in his conversations with Frances. He’s a touch over familiar in manner and speech. Also, by now it is obvious that when Waters writes, there will be lesbians involved. Frances is no exception, having fallen madly in love with a female friend during the War. The reveal, though, is handled with skill. It is done in stages. We meet the ex-girlfriend first, though we know not that she is such. Then, in a moment of hesitating honesty, Frances reveals herself to Lilian. It is easy to feel the shift in tension and dynamic between Frances and Lilian in that moment. There is a scene in which Lilian removes an invisible stake from Frances heart that is startling in its sincerity.

When the big bad black moment of the story comes, it comes as a surprise. One is so caught up in the moment that one feels as caught off guard as the characters in the scene. The tension between Lilian and Frances, the tension of the story itself ratchets up by degrees so infinitesimal that one feels weary by the end of the novel. There is no relief. The denouement of the story is so abrupt as to be nearly nonexistent. The reader already knows exactly what has happened. It’s exhausting, the waiting for the actual end of the story, which is set in the Old Bailey courthouse.

Final decision

Another well-done trip to the past in the UK by Waters. A bit on the long side, but characters and setting and story make the length an afterthought.

5P–Every reader of this author wanted it yesterday.

5Q–Hard to imagine it being better written.

Readalikes, courtesy of NoveList Plus

Authors

LaShonda K. Barnett

Michael Cox

Nicola Griffith

Titles

Slammerkin, Emma Donoghue

Possession, A. S. Byatt

Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932, Francine Prose

Appeal Factors

Bittersweet, Suspenseful, Steamy, Compelling, Character-driven, Richly detailed

Book talk ideas

Meeting the Barbers p. 4

Unsettling talks with Mr. Barber p. 19, 30-32, 56-59

Mrs. Barber’s mid-morning bath p.25-28

Frances and Lilian walk in the park p.89-101

The Reveal p.119

Snakes and Ladders p. 134-155

The Removal of the stake p. 171

Book discussion questions

1) At 567 pages, this book is long. Did you feel the length in any way? If you could have made the story shorter, what would you have cut out?

2) The Paying Guests covers about seven months in the lives of the Wrays and the Barbers. Did any part stick out to you as particularly memorable?

3) Lilian and Frances speak quite harshly to one another all through part three, each trying desperately not to blame the other for the circumstances. Imagine it is six months after the end of the novel. Are they still together?

4) Do you think Mrs. Wray figured out the whole story, parts of it, or none of it? What do you make of her statement that Lilian took advantage of Frances?

Clues to the Future

Lesbians, post war London, courtroom drama, Sarah Waters, The Paying Guests, Lilian Barber, Frances Wray, Leonard Barber, historical fiction, lodgers, widows, boardinghouses, the Old Bailey

Awards and Lists

New York Times Bestseller

Indie Bestseller

UK Sunday Times Bestseller

2014 Kirkus Prize shortlist

Links to the Author, Interviews, and Reviews

Author website: http://www.sarahwaters.com/

Interview with OUT Magazine: http://www.out.com/entertainment/art-books/2014/09/03/best-selling-author-sarah-waters-proving-lesbian-sex-sells

Interview with The Man Booker Prizes: http://www.themanbookerprize.com/latest/interview-sarah-waters

Starred Kirkus Review: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/sarah-waters/paying-guests/

Wall Street Journal Review: http://www.wsj.com/articles/book-review-the-paying-guests-by-sarah-waters-1411156828

Washington Post Review: http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/michael-dirda-reviews-the-paying-guests-by-sarah-waters/2014/09/10/811596ac-351f-11e4-9e92-0899b306bbea_story.html

The New York Times Sunday Book Review: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/21/books/review/the-paying-guests-by-sarah-waters.html?_r=0

Librarian in Training 7

I want to apologize for having missed two Mondays now. It’s not very well done of me. I did warn you though, back when the year started that I had to change tactics. Usually, my writing days are Sundays and Monday and Thursday mornings. I’ve found my last two Sundays co-opted by my mother. My Mondays are spent in the gym now, and my schedule has changed so that I have Wednesday mornings free now. I’ll keep trying to carve out time in the evenings, but we’ll see.

Spring semester is upon us! I must say it has been a very full three and a half weeks. I knew going into this semester that I would have to get straight, organized, and into a rhythm fairly quickly. I’ve been telling myself since December that I need to get better at time management and planning my life, that being a full student and full-time librarian would be hard, but worth it.

I definitely still feel that way. I am unbearably conscious of my time and how I’m spending it. However, I find myself more tired than I ever thought I would be. I understood, or came to understand, when I first started at the library, that being a librarian takes a lot out of you. It is difficult to be “on” all of the time. Even in the workroom, out of sight of the general public, one cannot be completely unguarded, though it is possible to relax. My reserves are depleted by the time I get home, and don’t let it be a late day. I’m home by 830pm, and all I want to do is veg out and sleep. I don’t even want to read my homework. But let me stop whining for a minute and tell you what I’m up to this semester.

My first priority class is LIBR261A: Programs and Services for Young Adults, alternately known as Foundations in Young Adult Services. I am beyond annoyed by my professor for many reasons, not least of which is the assignments that come as yellow pages with blue writing that I am forced to edit before I can safely read or even print the damned thing. It is quite frustrating to say the least. Anyway, we have a variety of assignments including a set of assignments. I’ve never heard of a professor grading 11 assignments as one big assignment that was not some larger project broken into separate pieces. Ugh. It is an all or nothing sort of thing, where if we miss one assignment, we fail the entire thing. Again I say, UGH. Other than that, which is enough in itself for someone like me,the class seems to be going well. I am not required to respond to others, though I am encouraged to do so. I do so when I am feeling so moved.

My other class, no less important but less of a priority especially after this week, is LIBR220: Reader’s Advisory. I feel as though I’ve said a lot about this class already. It’s reading a bunch of different genres and authors, writing posts about them, getting better at recommending them to others, and learning to read a variety of types of books in 30 minutes or less. I’m excited to start practicing that. RA is much more relaxed, but I do have to lead a book discussion, design bookmarks, and keep up with my reading and due dates. If you haven’t noticed, I am woefully behind. I need to have read and posted about 17 books by March 6th. I’ve got five so far. That’s a lot of reading, but I’m excited to do it. I’ve got all my books in piles. There all wonderfully interesting to me in many different ways. I’m going to have to start doing two at a time, if I can. I’m not sure that my attention span is that good anymore.

Work, though to get back to that, is going well. I’m learning new things and practicing my skills, finding where I need improvement. It doesn’t help that the ILS is a beast to work with on the YA computer where I’m stationed, but I make it work. I’ve got new responsibilities with the new job. It has only shown me, though, ways in which I was not as good as I thought I was. I know I’ll get better, but it’s hard. The highlight of any day, though, is when someone thanks me for being so nice to them and helping them find what they need.

I work a lot at the teen desk, and it is interesting, to say the least. I wish I could do more for them, but I can’t just yet. Well, that’s a quick update. I’ve got some exciting (yes, I use that word a lot, but it’s true!) things in the works that I can’t wait to be able to share. It’s not quite time yet, but soon. I must toddle off now. I’ve got class. btw: it’s 930pm.

Until next time, my darlings, which is hopefully not in the too far future.

Librarian in Training Pt 6

On Dec. 13, 2014, I had my first library program! Many woo-hoos and happy dances for me and FT! Our program was Mosaic Art. We had a full house! We were really worried when the program first went live on the website that no one would want to come to a craft program, but they did! I learned a lot during this process. I had to write-up a proposal with a budget, and it had to be approved. Then, I had to create a flyer and have that approved and sent to all the branches for posting.

We went out to buy the supplies for the program, armed with coupons and our budget. We ended up going over budget, but it was a lesson learned. Next time, if I do a craft program, I know to ask for at least $20 more than I think I’ll need. That way, I have a bit of a cushion. Of course, there’s no guarantee that I’ll get the budget I ask for, but it doesn’t hurt to try. Which is actually a good plan for all budgeted programs, I think.

The day of the program went really well. Like I said, we had a full house. We started on time, but had actually given ourselves more time than we needed for set up, craft, and clean up. We learned, in the case of craft programs, either buy more than we need or set rules for how many crafts per person. We found that people wanted to make more than one craft or one of each rather than one or the other. We also realized that we forgot to add a photo release to the registration form, so we couldn’t take pictures of the participants or their crafts. Bummer, but definitely something to remember for other programs.

The examples above are what FT and I created when coming up with the program. Originally, we wanted to do traditional mosaics, with tiles and cement/grout. However, it was very cost prohibitive and would have severely limited the number and type of people we could have in the program. For this first program, we wanted it to be an all ages deal.

Behind the scenes, I learned how to reserve a room for my program, set up registration, create the flyer (harder than you think it is), present and collect program evaluations, and keep track of statistics (total #, # adults, # children, category). It did feel a bit thrown together, but it’s a craft program. You show an example, explain what you’re going to be doing, and let them run with it. There’s not much instruction that needs to happen.

The participants enjoyed themselves, and that’s what I care about.

Until next time, my lovelies!

Dalai Lama’s Instructions for Life 2

Here it is, the second of nineteen instructions for life from the Dalai Lama. If you know nothing about the Dalai Lama, he is the Buddhist equivalent to the Catholic Pope. He is addressed as Your/His Holiness, and he lives in exile in India. His entire life is dedicated to three things: “the promotion of basic human values”, which can also be viewed as “secular ethics in the interest of human happiness”, “the fostering of inter-religious harmony”, and “the preservation of a culture of peace and non-violence”, which is the hallmark of Tibetan Buddhism. The current Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, has been in his position for my entire life, having finished his monastic education in 1959 with the Geshe Lharampa degree, which is like a doctorate in Buddhist philosophy. For more information about the Dalai Lama, please visit www.dalailama.com

I am not Buddhist, I’m not even sure that I’m Christian some days. More than that I don’t think I can even call myself spiritual without any affiliation. I feel uncomfortable in church, constantly feeling as if I am to be struck down for being who I am. I haven’t picked up the Bible in years. I would really like to read the Qu’ran. My library has quite a few copies. I am interested in religion, just not organized religion. But I’m getting a bit off track here.

On November 24, 2014 in St. Louis County, Missouri, a Grand Jury decided not to indict Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of 18 year-old, unarmed black male Michael Brown, which took place on August 9th. While reading the decision, St. Louis County prosecutor Robert McCulloch blamed the media, social media, eyewitness testimony, and Mike Brown for his own death and subsequent protests, riots, and ultimate jury decision.

I feel as though I should also say, no one was completely right in this situation. Being a cop doesn’t automatically make one right. It makes one responsible for life and death decisions. Killing a person should never be easy; you should never want to do it again. Robbing a convenience store is and always will be wrong. However, when white men go on rampages through movie theatres and elementary  schools, they are apprehended alive, tried, and sent to prison or a mental health facility. When black men and boys stand on street corners or walk to their father’s house from the store or play with toy guns on the playground, they are shot. Tell me where the right is in this picture?

Now, it is important to note that this was not a trial. The decision that there is not sufficient evidence to indict Wilson means that there will be no trial from the county of St. Louis, that this police officer, who is charged with serving and protecting, who discharged his weapon six times into an unarmed man, was within his rights as an officer of the law. A federal investigation is still ongoing. The documents reviewed by the Grand Jury in St. Louis were made available immediately following the reading of the decision. Some of those documents can be read here: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/11/25/366507379/ferguson-docs-how-the-grand-jury-reached-a-decision#docs. The rest can also be found on the NPR website, at the bottom of the article.

My heart broke that night. I could hear it in my chest and the chests of black people everywhere. This decision has further solidified in American consciousness that people of color and Black people, specifically, do not matter. That our lives are unworthy of respect, unworthy of justice, unworthy of the air we breathe. The Brown family called for peace that night, but some things cannot be held in. Cars, buildings burned that night in Missouri.

I feel helpless that I cannot find peace in myself to deal with this decision. I feel hopeless with the knowledge that no matter what I do, I am at risk. My family is at risk. Should I be blessed with kids, male or female, they are at risk. At risk of what? Of nothing less than death for simply being alive and Black. A friend on Facebook that night made a post that said “…don’t give them a reason.” No, they don’t need another reason, they already have one: that you live and breathe as person of color in America.

So, instruction #2: When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.

Boy, did we lose that night. But what is the lesson? That we should continue to live in fear for our lives and that of our families? No. It is that our work is not done. It may never be done, racism is so embedded in the fabric of American thought and consciousness, but it has to continue. We cannot let this setback, major and heartbreaking though it may be, keep us from working to change society for the better.

I have never been more proud of some my friends and the others I follow on social media. All were outraged and hurt over the decision. My white friends, they understand their privilege and they get that they will never feel this fear with which people of color have an intimate relationship. They know that there are things in this world that do not apply to them, will never happen to them, because they are white. They work daily to use that privilege for the good of the human race by promoting education, awareness, protesting unfair, racist, and sexist legal decisions.

I am proud to be a part of a profession that is also committed to the ideals of community service, education, and awareness. The outpouring of love for the Ferguson Municipal Public Library District from libraries, librarians, the American Library Association, and library lovers from across the country has been magnificent. The Ferguson Library has remained open, for teachers, school-age children, volunteers, and the public to have lessons and a safe place in this time of deep unrest.

Where do we go from here? I’m not really sure. It’s going to take some time, some reflection, some support gathering, some self-care in order to come to a place within ourselves as a community that will allow us to move forward with the work. I know it hurts. I know it feels like it isn’t working, that no one is listening, that no one else cares. The work must continue. The lives we’ve lost over the years, not just recent memory but all of the lives we have lost since black people were first brought to this land, men, women, children, gay, straight, trans, queer. Those deaths cannot have been in vain. There must be justice. There must be peace. I need to believe that the lesson will not be lost in the physical, emotional, political upheaval that is the black experience in America.

Black Lives Matter.

Librarian in Training Pt 5

It’s officially, official. It’s really real, y’all. Two weeks ago, I interviewed for a promotion at my library. I would move from being a circulation assistant, checking out and returning books, to a public services associate, answering patron questions, recommending books, basically everything a librarian does without the MLS/MLIS degree. A week after my interview, I got a phone call. I got the job! But I had to keep quiet about it until the announcement was made. It was hard, y’all.  I felt terrible for lying to my coworkers when they would ask if I’d heard back from the interview panel., like to the point where I was feeling very seriously like blurting it out just so I could stop feeling so bad.

The official announcement was made on Monday! I don’t have to lie anymore! It feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Now comes the transition. I feel as though I’m in an in-between state. I’m still a circulation assistant at te moment, so I still have to do circulation things. However, I’m being offered these opportunities to be the contact person on things, lead programs, and on top of that I’m planning something huge for next year AND getting ready for my first program on Dec. 13. It’s a craft program, and relatively easy, it’s just the waiting and the shopping.

But I’m getting a bit off topic. I’m really excited about the opportunities that this presents. I’ll be able to help more people. I’ll be able to put my school skills to use, while continuing to learn in school and at work. I do have fears, of course I do. I’m afraid that I won’t do well in my new position. I’m afraid that I won’t be able to find a balance between being a full-time employee and a full-time student. However, I am determined to make this work. If that means altering my school schedule so that I can get used to being full-time, then that is what I’ll do. I am that much closer to fulfilling this dream of mine. How many others get to say that?