06.23.10
Posted in Complaining, Random at 7:39 am by Janet
My dog is out of town this week, visiting his doting grandparents, so I have time for one more blog entry. This one is a desperate plea to writers, publishers, and editors: please, for God’s sake, stop publishing series books that don’t stand alone. A case in point: I just read The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood. This book, about a young governess caring for children who have been raised by wolves, has been getting great reviews, and I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent reading it. But when it was over, I felt cheated. Empty. Fooled. Why? Practically nothing gets resolved. We don’t know where the children came from. We don’t know who their parents are. We don’t know who released the squirrel in the party. We don’t know what Lord Frederick is up to. We don’t know what Old Timothy’s deal is. At this point, we have way more questions than answers. Where’s the payoff? This book is one long exposition. Exposition is appropriate for the first book in a series; however, you need some resolution mixed in with all that exposition. I feel like I’m being forced into reading the next books.
Take a great series like Harry Potter. Every book has its own plot and set of challenges, and most of those issues get resolved by the end of the book. But a few niggling questions remain, and the series plot arch continues. You’re left pining for the next book. A good series should make you want to read the next book, not make you feel duped.
I fear this is a growing phenomenon. I read The Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink, and was left with the same empty feeling–very little was resolved. I’m so annoyed that now I refuse to read the rest of the series. What’s going on here? Did the author mean this to be a single book, and then the publisher decided to extend that single book into a series? Couldn’t the author just write a second book? Series are great, but not every book needs to be part of one. Sometimes it’s better to tie up all the loose ends in one fell swoop.
Please, writers and editors, throw us readers a bone and publish more books that are self-contained.
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03.24.10
Posted in Conferences, Random at 11:38 pm by Janet
1. Nancy Pearl
2. A librarian knitting (Nancy Purl?)
3. A dirt bike gang
4. A woman carrying a rat on her shoulders
5. A dog on the light rail (with its owner)
6. A long line in front of Voodoo Doughnut
7. A bacon doughnut
8. A panic-attack inducing amount of books at Powell’s
9. A crazy giant pink awning on a store selling funky Asian stuff, but I can’t remember the store’s name. Anybody know what it is?
10. A giant dish of cassoulet
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02.14.10
Posted in Random at 6:56 pm by Janet
(This post has nothing to do with Valentine’s Day, a holiday I try not to celebrate.) For the longest time I had a literary crush on John Green. I figured that if my crush were consummated, it would ruin John Green’s life for awhile, thereby giving him some new material. Now, as I get older and my life-ruining abilities slip away, I think I’m over John Green. Sorry, John, I know you’re heartbroken. I’m ready to move on. I need a new literary crush. Unfortunately, I’m out of ideas. I need to find a writer, male or female, of any age, whose books make me laugh and cry and think really hard. An attractive jacket photo is a plus and a new author would be best. And it has to be someone who writes YA lit. A certain je ne sais quoi is required, obviously.
Any suggestions?
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02.07.10
Posted in Random at 11:03 pm by Janet
Many of you know that I have wanted a dog since I was, oh, nine months old. This November I FINALLY got a dog. His name is Jasper and he’s a year-and-a-half old Dachshund. Obviously I have to spend a lot of time doting on the little fellow.
Jasper is a very sweet social butterfly, but he can also be a little punk. He likes to chew on books. Does that mean he likes books? Or does that mean he hates them? Should I be embarrassed that this librarian’s dog treats books so poorly? Or proud of his good taste? Anyhow, Jasper demands to be the center of attention at all times, making it hard to blog sometimes. Or eat. Or shower. Or do anything. But we’re working on his manners and I hope that more blogging is in my future.
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Posted in Random at 10:35 pm by Janet
This past year, my library, along with a few other libraries, has been participating in a grant to teach kids Scratch, a digital media design program. I’ve been making up computer games and figuring out how to teach kids how to make them, too. It’s been quite fun but it’s spilled over into my nonwork/blogging time a bit.
Here are some of my projects. http://scratch.mit.edu/users/janetp
My favorites are the Snowman and the Magic 8 Ball. Seriously, go try it! I know you have important decisions to make–there’s nothing like a Magic 8 Ball to make important life decisions for you.
And here’s my favorite of the kids’ projects, the digital literary magazine. They wrote short stories, poems, and jokes and executed them in Scratch. http://www.wilmette.lib.il.us/kids/litmag/2009/digitalcafe/
The project is mostly over now, but if you come to PLA you can see me talk about it. Yikes!
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