• Lists

    It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 1/2/17

    Well, that’s weird… the first time I wrote the New Year down.  Anyway, it’s a new year with new books to read and what better way to start than on my first day off of the New Year with dreary weather outside and no plans to get off this couch.…

  • Lifestyle

    2016 Year In Review

    2016 was a big year for my career as I accepted the position of director at the library I’ve been working at for the past eight years since graduating with my master’s degree in library science. This came around the same time my partner chose a different career path and…

  • Lifestyle

    A Renaissance of Children's Literature

    I saw this terminology (or something very similar) on Twitter over the past week and it seems to continually be popping up after hearing many librarians, teachers, parents and kids enjoying soooooo many of this year’s books published for children. Don’t get me wrong, according to statistics, the publishing world…

  • Lists

    2016 Nerdies – All the Books You Need to Read!

    The 2016 Nerdies are beginning to be announced and I’ll update the list as more winners are released through January 3rd. This is a great list of books that are often times overlooked for ALA Awards (not to say there weren’t discussed as possibilities, but did not win an award…

  • Reviews

    Book Review: When the Sea Turned To Silver

    I just finished When the Sea Turned To Silver by Grace Lin this morning.  And I’m not surprised at how lovely it is.  Grace does an amazing job at integrating Chinese folklore seamlessly into a tale all her own.  This is the third companion novel to Where the Mountain Meets the Moon…

  • Lists

    Happy Kwanzaa! 10 Read Aloud Titles for Kwanzaa

    That aren’t too many Kwanzaa children’s picture books out there, so here’s a list of just a few titles that I could find.  If you  have any other suggestions, please let me know!  Enjoy! Booklist Kwanzaa Kids by Joan Holub Li’l Rabbit’s Kwanzaa by Donna L. Washington The Gifts of…

  • Lists

    Merry Christmas! 10 Read Aloud Titles for Christmas

    There are dozens upon dozens Christmas books out there, but I chose some from my childhood, some my mom still reads aloud to us during the holiday, others that are newly published and will make great read alouds for your family.  Enjoy! Booklist Santa Claus The World’s Number One Toy…

  • Lists

    Happy Hanukkah! 10 Read Aloud Titles for Hanukkah

    I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know a lot about Hanukkah, I grew up in a small town in (fairly) rural, western PA. We had only a few kids in our school that didn’t look like me, and we knew no one who celebrated Jewish holidays. So,…

  • Lifestyle

    Mentors

    I stopped at the public library in my hometown yesterday to say hello to one of my mentors for about as long as I can remember.  I think I’ve shared this story before, but my mom took us to the library regularly and by the age of seven I asked…

  • Lists

    Holiday Reading

    I made it to my parents after six hours in the car yesterday and am enjoying myself immensely already. I grabbed (just a few) books for the holiday week, hoping that I can at least get to a few of them.  These are all books that I’ve either seen on…