When I first heard Maggie Tokuda-Hall talk about her book based on her grandparents, I knew I had to have it for my own library. It's a true story about how love can miraculously be found under the most trying of circumstances. Take note of the armed guard in the tower outside the window of … Continue reading Love in the Library – Perfect Picture Book Friday
In 2015, I sat in a darkened auditorium in a hotel in Los Angeles, wanting to throw up. I had word poisoning. What was the source? The messenger's message. In that dark room, Shannon Hale, a keynote speaker at the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Conference, was turning the spotlight on gender bias. … Continue reading Who Are You? Gender Bias – #KidLitWomen
Umberto Eco died on February 19, 2016. He was a brilliant man who wrote fascinating books. He also had an encyclopedic memory. Here's a brief interview filmed by David Ferrario. In the interview, Eco discusses memory, computers, and a terrifying future. For those of you with serious book envy that may trigger a Pavlovian response, … Continue reading Umberto Eco – On Memory, Books, and Computers
In the spirit of improved public health, a librarian friend sent me a link from "Library Link of the Day" that contains an extremely high "ewwww" factor. Body Fluid Alert!!! My own take on this subject? I think library users have more robust immune systems than the average person. However, I will support any argument … Continue reading One More Reason to Buy Books
First, let me say, I sometimes get carried away by flying monkees. Now here are some of my shelves: OK, take a breath. You're in this for the long haul... I've shown you a bit of my world. Will you show me yours? Call of the Siren and I would love to go a-gawking. Cheers! … Continue reading Revealing My Boo–ks (some of them)
Pick the euphemism. HeyLookAWriterFellow just sent me a dunning notice. No, he didn't want money; he wanted-----time. Because, you see, posting takes time. And just where the h@#!! have I been these past two months????!!! Well, a LIBRARY ANGEL donated 12 high quality library shelving units to our school. The catch? They needed … Continue reading Overdue, Past Due, Delinquent, Slacker
Jilanne Hoffmann 