Silly rabbit, coffee tables are for books!

Just yesterday, I spent too much time looking at some of the new "coffee table" books that were hanging out waiting to be processed. There are two things that will almost always pick up to examine: books that are large and glossy, and cookbooks. If it is a large, glossy cookbook, you may have to pry it out of my hands. Yesterday's treasures were both about interior decorating.

Timeless Elegance is a gorgeous book. Ooohing and Aaahing started on page one, and didn't stop until, well, the end. Even though I paid little attention to the text, and can't tell you a thing about this book other than it has GREAT pictures, I think I got out of it all I was ever going to get. I'm not sure who a book like this is geared towards: Interior designers? Easton groupies? Someone thinking about re-doing their own home? All of the above? I could sit and stare at this book for long periods of time, and I could see using it to refer back if I was looking for a certain..... something to do to my own home. But, would I buy it? Just to show on my coffee table? (2 people are currently waiting for our 1 copy)















A Passion for Interiors is another book roughly in the same vein as the one above. An idea book. Looking through it made me happy, but what would I do with it if I owned it? Would a book like this, in this economy, ever sell for the list price of $60? Will it sell for the Amazon price of $37.80? More importantly, do people want to own a book like this? (1 person on hold; 2 copies)



I'm fascinated by the idea of coffee table books. They are, more often than not, absolutely beautiful. A lot of money, time and talent go into making them into showpieces, and it definitely shows. I call them picture books for adults. (Great display idea, btw!) Purely coincidence, then, that I came across this NYT link from last week about coffee table books. Going through the list of books in this article, I placed about three holds for books I can't wait to look at:




Richard Misrach: Destroy this Memory (about Hurricane Katrina)

Detroit Disassembled -- Andrew Moore

Obviously, I've been watching a little too much Detriot 187! But, I was there a few years back watching a Tigers game and, honestly, I became curious about the city. The stadium was gorgeous (of course, since it is practically new!) but the surrounding area left a lot to be desired. Once you cross the border into Windsor (?) it is like a new world.

The New York Times Complete Civil War 1861-1865 The Civil War is one of those things where I think I have an interest, until I discover that I don't. We'll see how this goes.

If the library wasn't available, or if the library had chosen not to buy these books, would I shell out my own money just to look at them? I don't think that I would. Where would I keep them? What would I do with them after I'd satisfied my curiosity? Does anyone out there buy, for keeps, coffee table books? I'd love to hear from you!

every once in awhile......

I get something worth reading in my email. This was a comment made (obviously) from a library foundation donor that was sent out to staff today.

From a Library Foundation Donor

My mother bought me a library card from a nearby town since we had no public library available. She had only 1 stipulation - I had to record each book and author I read. I've always done than and since Apr. 1936 I have read 5289 books. That does not include text books or ones that I read to my 4 children. Not all have come from the Indpls. system but most have been library books from someplace. What would I ever have done without libraries? And I'm still reading.

Review: Clockwork Angel

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. Even though I loved all three of the Mortal Instruments books, there was no guarantee that I would like it set back in Victorian times. Well, lucky for me, I liked it just fine. In fact, I might go so far as to say I loved it. A good story works no matter when it is set.



Clare, in my opinion, is great at character development. Her characters don't just jump off the page, they erase the page completely. They take away any obstacle standing between them and the reader. The surprise here, though, is that she doesn't sacrifice plot for character. There are plenty of authors who can get one or the other right, but she does both very well. It sounds easy, but if it was that easy more authors would be able to do it.



I'm not going to talk much about the plot here because there isn't much that can be said that doesn't give something away. I will say that readers who are afraid this is just going to be a rehash of City of Bones/Ashes/Glass but set in the past will be pleasantly surprised. There are some similarities in characters, but the plot is completely different. If you haven't read the Mortal Instruments trilogy, you may be a little bit lost as to the finer details of the world Clare has created. It is necessary to have read the other trilogy first, but it certainly will help get your footing as far as worldbuilding goes.



Even though this is a VERY solid five star review, there were two things that specifically bothered me. First, the Henry character was a little two dimensional compared to the others. I'm not concerned about that in the long run, I'm convinced that Clare will develop him in the next two books. But, it was a little disappointing for this book. Second, there was a part near the beginning where Tessa notices that there aren't photographs on the wall of her room. That managed to take me right out of the story. Is it an anachronism to think there would be photographs on the wall? In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter. But, it did manage to pull me out of the story at least for a few minutes and is even more noticeable after finishing the book where everything else seemed to be Victorian perfect. I don't know. It was just odd. But those are very minor things that will probably matter only to me.



Team Will or Team Jem? Yes. I'm opting for both. Neither of them has managed to move me from Team Jace, though. I guess I'm just a modern girl. I can't recommend this book highly enough. It is fantastic. Go read it right now.



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Digitize This

Our Overdrive page went live on June 26, 2006. All we had was WMA audio books, no MP3 (was that even available on Overdrive then?) no video and no music. We didn't have very many titles either, comparatively.

And the end of 2006, after almost 6 months of use, we had:

1,591 WMA titles.

4,261 checkouts.

Not bad for 6 months of a new format. By our rule, patrons could only check out 3 at a time, and Overdrive still imposed a mandatory 3 week checkout. With those limitations in place, there was still more interest than we had thought there would be. We were still circulating CASSETTES at that point. (and we still are, but I can't talk about that...)

Even though the usual suspects (Roberts, Patterson, etc. ) were popular with patrons, non-fiction was a huge part of the first year circ. Specifically, foreign language learning went out like crazy. I was skeptical, when I bought those, because there was no workbook to go with them. It sounds like it would be great, learning a language on the go with downloadable media, but would people really want it without the workbooks that come in physical language learning sets? Well.....yes, yes they would. And it wasn't just Spanish or French or German, but Arabic and Turkish and Japanese. Chinese and Hawaiian (which, coincidentally, is checked out right now!) We don't need no stinkin' workbook to learn a new language! Bring it on!

We were WMA only through the end of 2007. Our stats from 6/26/2006 through 12/31/2007:

2,441 WMA titles.

19,471 circs

7,299 holds

all checked out by 3,887 patrons.

The percentage of card carrying patrons using the service was low, but they certainly used it a lot!

In 2008, we added MP3 audio to our collection. I thought it would make a huge difference, but it really didn't. Possibly because there weren't that many titles available in MP3 format. A lot of those that WERE available, we had already bought in WMA format. Yes, there were some that we bought in MP3 format anyway, but we certainly didn't repurchase everything.

Our stats for January - December 2008
MP3 titles -- 486
WMA titles -- 3,582

Circ:
MP3 -- 757
WMA -- 25,761

All done by 3,627 patrons.

Fewer patrons checked things out even though we added a format? Yeah, that's what it looks like. Circ went up, so fewer patrons were checking out more things. At some point in either 2007 or 2008, we doubled the amount a person could check out. Having a limit on how much a person can checkout gives me hives.

In 2009, things started to get interesting. We added epub. There were many email discussions about which format we would add for ebooks, but it was decided from the beginning that we would only add ONE format. While it would have been great to add more than one, it was a choice between do we buy more titles in one format, or fewer titles in different formats. This is the same choice libraries have had to make for years with regular print, large print, cassette, cd, mp3 cd, playaway, vhs, dvd editions of different titles. This was just another format. But, with an already limited budget, we chose titles instead of formats. Whether we made the right choice, or chose the right format, is anyone's guess, I suppose. There were MORE things available in .pdf format (including a lot of backlist in series) but more things are being made available in .epub all the time.

From January through July 2009 (pre-epub) our stats:

MP3 titles -- 923
WMA titles -- 4,063

Circ:
MP3 -- 3,920
WMA -- 18,852

All by 3,177 patrons. While patrons can still only have 6 items checked out at a time, Overdrive loosened the restrictions on how long those items must be checked out. Patrons can now choose whether they would like to have a 7, 14, or 21 day checkout. Now, they can't return audio items early (if you choose 21 days, you must have that item checked out to you for 21 days) but they can at least have a choice initially.

22,792 items circulated from January through July. Almost as many as all of 2008.

We decided on .epub and it went live in August 2009. At the end of December 2009:

Epub titles -- 1,958
MP3 titles -- 957
WMA titles -- 4,573

Circ from August 2009-December 2009 only:

Epub -- 2,219
MP3 -- 2,833
WMA -- 17,917

For all of 2009, we circulated 45,741 downloadable items. Our "unique" patron count went from 3,627 in 2008 to 4,798 in 2009. Epub brought the people. I don't know if these people have devices (Sony readers, Nooks and whatever else Overdrive is compatible with) or if they are reading on their laptops or (gasp!) desktops, but they are checking out.

From January 1 - through today (Sept 9, 2010) our stats:

Epub titles -- 4,407
MP3 titles -- 1,088
WMA titles -- 5,549

The gap between the number of epub titles we have and wma titles is closing so fast because epub titles are cheaper. Books on Tape (Random House) is selling their WMA titles at "library edition" prices (Cronin's The Passage is 95.00) because (they say) so few of their library customers buy digital editions of their titles. I don't know, maybe that is because they are selling at library edition titles. Since BOT went to retail prices for their physical audiobooks, I have no quarrel with them. I'm just saying, it could be a reason why they aren't seeing the increase in digital circ that they may have expected.

And, on the selection end, I have stopped buying epubs that are only available at hardcover prices. When we first started our epub collection, I bought all the bright new shiny things. Then, last year, I got a Sony reader. I love my Sony reader. I hadn't paid too much attention to Kindle ebook prices because I didn't have a Kindle. But, once I was in the ebook market for myself, I did start to wonder why books I could get for $9.99 or $12.99 were $26.99 when I tried to buy them for the library. It seems a little bit unfair that the library, as a consumer, has to pay more than other consumers. There is a myth (which I've seen repeated in numerous articles) that libraries "circulate copies to users simultaneously" and that is why they cost more. The only way multiple users can simultaneously read an ebook is if I buy multiple copies. The 24 people on hold for the ebook version of The Help right now can attest to that. They would all love to be reading it right now, but there is only one copy. There is only one reader. The Kindle edition of The Help is $12.99. The Sony Reader store edition of the The Help is also $12.99. The Overdrive version of The Help is 24.95. If it were $12.99, I'd buy more. The other thing to note, though, is that those people on hold aren't going out and buying their own copy. They're waiting. So, publishers, not only are you not selling to those people, you're not selling to me either. Seems like not selling to either of us isn't the best way to make a buck. But, I digress......

Circ from January through Sept 9, 2010

Epub -- 11,048
MP3 -- 5,361
WMA -- 36,590

5,100 "unique" patrons have checked out 52,999 items so far in 2010. Is that a lot? Not compared to circulation of physical items which topped 17 million in 2009. But, the rate of growth from when we got Overdrive in June 2006 to now is tremendous. The more we get, the more they want. All of it has steady growth. Our downloadable budget is increasing in 2011, even though our overall budget is slashed by 1 million. Just think how much more we could buy if prices were better.....

Tell me about YOUR library digital collection! If you're a librarian, I want to hear all the insider baseball. If you're a patron, do you use your library's digital collection? If not, why? If so, do you love it?

Review: Beast Behaving Badly

Beast Behaving Badly by Shelly Laurenston

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


You know, I liked this book. I did. But I could have picked up Blayne and tossed her out. I was SO not a fan of hers at so many points during this book. She just annoyed the ever loving hell out of me. No, really, she did. Loved Bo. Loved all the subplots and side stories. Laughed out loud numerous times (even at Blayne) but, especially at the end, I could have kicked her overboard. Just not a fan of her character. I didn't see her as cute and quirky and "an adorable mess". Not at all. I saw her as annoying and childish and really fucking irritating with moments where she wasn't so bad. I really wanted Dee-Ann to do something horrible to her. Is that wrong? It is, isn't it. Sigh. I know. I just couldn't help it. I wanted to like her. She was just....too much.



As usual, though, the story was great. I'm looking forward to Dee-Ann and Ric.



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August Stats

Selection Service Section
Monthly Self Assessment

Name: Robin Bradford
Month: August 2010


Selection/Collection Development:

Popular titles ordered relating to the Strategic Plan Business as Usual:
931 titles ordered from B&T
656 titles ordered from Overdrive.
523 items added to the collection from Secondhand Prose.
­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­__________________________________________________
2,110 titles added in August.

Is there an age exemption...

for believing (or not) in intellectual freedom?


So, remember yesterday's tweet about our most recent "Request for Reconsideration"? Turns out, it was from a 65 year old woman. Suddenly, I feel bad. Do I still believe it is ridiculous to think you can make decisions for an entire city based on what you, personally, find objectionable? Yes, of course. But, should the age of the person complaining make the complaint more palatable? Am I giving a pass because this is (likely) someone's grandma? Probably. Of course everyone has a right to send letters to the library about the trash in our collections. If you hate something, write away. Right away! It's only when it turns from "that book (dvd, cd) was a bunch of crap" to "NOBODY should be reading this, discard it immediately" that I have to stop and mock you. But, apparently, only if you're under 65......

Discuss.

Review: Delicious

Delicious by Shayla Black

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I had been waiting for Luc's book for a long time. Since Decadent, right, which was.....2007. So, maybe expectations were a little too high. It seemed to me, though, that Luc's character lost a little something in the three years between books. I still enjoyed this one, but not as much as I'd hoped. And, since it's been a little while since I've read it, I can't even remember enough to give details in this review. I remember that I DIDN'T like the secrecy. It didn't make much sense. Luc has secrets. Alyssa has secrets (hers were the only ones that made sense) WHY didn't he just point blank ask her about her relationship with Tyler? And if he didn't believe the answer, WHY is she wasting her time with him? I also didn't like the consistent red herring about who was the "villain". If you're trying to make this romantic suspense, then make it romantic suspense. Don't play at it. It didn't work. But, the things Black is good at: romantic, edgy, angsty romance worked in this book. It seemed, though, like she was trying to do too much and ended up only landing half her punches.



A disappointing effort from an author I normally like very much. But, that happens.



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Review: Need Me

Need Me by Shelli Stevens

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I really wanted to give this 3.5 stars. Why can't I give .5 stars, GoodReads?!



Anyway, I really liked many things about this book. Hot sex? You betcha! Interesting Characters? Yep! Engaging dialogue and humor? Uh huh. But.....if you were to ask me what this book was about....I couldn't tell you. The plot missed me by a mile. There was this girl, and she was stealing stuff because she had to, and she used to be a whore, and now she isn't, but she still has to steal stuff, and this military guy is guarding it, and I think they're in space, or on another planet, or.....yeah, you get the picture. I would fail the book report. The strange thing is, it really didn't curtail my enjoyment of the book. I loved Brendan and Nika. I also loved Molly and Emmett. I thought Stevens developed their characters great, the tension, the angst, all good. I just didn't care about anything else. The plot wasn't equally developed with the characters. It seemed almost as an afterthought. Almost like: I have these great characters and I really need to tell their story, but....I guess I have to have something else for them to do in between their interactions with each other.



Now, all of that said, it is also quite possible that I missed the boat here. Every experience with a book is different, so it is more than possible that I was only concerned with certain portions of it, to the exclusion of all others. I'm not discounting that as a possibility because it wasn't like the book was 50 pages of sex scenes and then it was over. Obviously, there was more there that I read (or skimmed) but didn't take in. (pun intended). So, it could be my fault. But, whatever the reason, I wasn't engaged in the plot and I don't feel like I missed out on anything important. I still got an enjoyable read.



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Review: City of Bones

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A fantastic start to this series! I listened to this book and, I'm sorry, but the reader was terrible. If you're reading this, and you're thinking about trying this book on audio, DO NOT DO IT! Just...don't. The reader switches for books 2 and 3, so read book 1, and then try the audio.

That being said, as bad as the reader was, the writing made me endure it because I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. I know it is classified as Teen or YA fiction, but that seemed like a very fine distinction to me. The teens are the stars of the show, yes, but the writing doesn't seem necessarily YA unless it is where we don't see a lot of cursing (it is done, just not spelled out) or sex. There is PLENTY of violence, though. Enough of it, and written well enough to rival any adult urban fantasy novel.

There are a lot of comparisons to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which I don't get. Yes, there are teens fighting demons. I get that. There is a lot of banter between the characters, and that also happened in Buffy. But, that happens in a lot of other places as well. The banter, and the rest of the dialogue, is sharp and, sometimes, almost too cerebral. Whedon didn't invent that with Buffy, so to say that Clare is copying him is kind of silly. Maybe they're all copying John Hughes, even though he probably copied it from someone too. It is wonderful when it is done right, and Clare seems to have a very good handle on it.

Her characters are very individualized, you can tell who is speaking not only by cues, but also by what they say and how they say it. Her characters don't start to sound like someone else, they keep their individuality throughout the book. There was one part, towards the end, where I thought "would they really do that...." but that was the only time I was pulled out of the story.

Clary Fray didn't make me crazy, as I suspected she might when I heard the words YA fiction. She was more rational than many heroines of adult novels, to be quite honest. All of her actions, and reactions, seemed appropriate, nothing seemed forced. There were times when I wanted to shake her, of course, but even then I could completely understand why she was acting the way she did. And, when confronted with a truth, she reacted with reason and then acted reasonably. And, at the end, she used good sense to anchor herself and see truth, and to help others see it as well, even with tempting distractions. (I know that won't make sense to people who haven't read the book...)

The plot was fantastic. It never lagged. There wasn't any "filler" scenes, but everything was laid out exactly as it needed to be. Whoever edited this book did a fantastic job and I commend them. It didn't end so much as stop....and I'm assuming book 2 picks up from there. If you're looking for things tied up in a nice bow, you won't get that here. This is book 1 of a series. But, if you're looking for a fantastic fantasy/urban fantasy/ novel, pick up this series!

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Review: First Drop of Crimson

First Drop of Crimson by Jeaniene Frost


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Overall, I liked this book but....I thought it was a very mixed bag. There were times when I thought it was hilarious. The banter between the male characters, the banter between the hero/heroine, and some of the absurd situations (here kitty, kitty!) that occur were very funny. But, there were also times when I thought the heroine whined too much, where I thought Frost over explained (sometimes to the point of taking me OUT of the story to roll my eyes) and the plot left a lot to be desired. Plot started off great, but the longer it went on the more it became little more than a thinly veiled vehicle to keep the relationship story going. That's fine, it's a romance novel after all, right? The relationship IS the main part of the story. BUT, if that is the case, then don't bother with the rest of it. Starting off with a fascinating premise (demon hunting a runaway, enlisting help (by force) and the race to take down the demon, find the runaway and not get killed in the process) just to reduce it to...."I have to stay around long enough for him/her to fall for me" was very disappointing. This part of the book could have been SO MUCH BETTER, which makes me very bitter.

Also, I didn't like Denise. This isn't unsual, I often have a problem with heroines. There were times when I agreed with her, when I laughed at her antics, when I hoped she didn't die, even when I felt sorry for her, but I never got to the point where I liked her.

The boys are well Frost shines. There were times when I thought Spade was a little too Bones-esque in word and deed....like they didn't have their own voice, but it was always entertaining. Ian was hilarious, as usual. Mencheres was intriguing, and I'm glad to know he'll be the subject of the next book.

And, yes, I'm going to read the next book. That's the thing: even though this one was flawed (to me) in a lot of ways, Frost still tells an interesting story with interesting people. And that, in the end, is what keeps readers like me coming back.

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Review: Changes

Changes by Jim Butcher


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Changes is right. This series went through a host of changes, the least of which was a missing child. Not all of the changes are bad, there were a few that I actually liked. Not all of the changes are bad right now, but they certainly have that potential. This book could have been titled "Revelations" just as easily as Changes.


As always, the book was well plotted and seemed to flow easily from mishap to catastrophe. The dialogue was razor sharp, which is one of Butcher's really strong points, and the characters was crisp. With a cast of characters this large, it is easy for them to all start sounding the same, but this never happens in these books.

I would give this book (and audio) 4.5 stars if I could. Small Favor is my favorite, and Changes comes in just under that high water mark.

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RT Thursday-Friday

Thursday


So, I missed the Mystery Chix and Private Dix party on Thursday morning. It wasn't even that I got up late, I was just messing around (damn you, internet!) I made it to the first Bookseller/Librarian workshop of the day about displays. I was supposed to be on the "panel" for that, but we ran out of time. And, most of the things I was going to say, Kate ended up saying during the course of the hour. Great minds think alike, huh?


From there, I skipped down to the Librarian session on e-readers in libraries. That kind of morphed into a session about how some library staff refuse to learn about new tech and how some teachers/parents don't think that audio or electronic reading is *REAL* reading. Much commiseration followed, and then the hour was over. It was great listening to how other people are dealing with new collection of materials. Our experimentation with them has been mostly blind, and mostly trial and error. We'll be something, if it goes out we'll get more. If it doesn't, then we don't. Easy Peasy, right? We could be a little more organized about it, but I digress.... (mostly because it's my fault.) :-)


An Ice Cream "social" which consisted of me standing in a line for a tiny cup (which was more than I needed) of cotton candy ice cream. Worth standing in line? No. Did I do it anyway? Yes. 'Nuff Said.


More standing....this time in the fangirl line for J.R. Ward and Jessica Andersen. It was a fun hour (the author chat, not the standing in line!) I don't know what else to say about it other than that. There were lots of questions and answers about the series, writing the series, the process of writing in general. There was much cursing (my favorite part!) and lots of laughs. I was probably the only person in that room who hadn't already picked up a copy of Lover Mine. LOL. Slacker.


Afternoon Delight party where there was cake! But, you know what? I had to leave BEFORE cake because I was starving. The one thing about #twitloss is that a girl gets accustomed to eating on the regular, ya know? Skipping breakfast AND lunch seems to be a no go anymore. Sometimes, I long for the good old days! Yeah....that's a lie. I don't really. So, I hightailed it over to Subway for a late lunch because the Faery Ball (and dinner) didn't start until 8:30!


RT Bookreviews Awards
I'd skipped this the last time I was at RT, so I thought I should go. I was glad I did. I got to put a lot of faces to names, from books AND from twitter. Oh yeah, there was also a huge bag of books and, afterwards, champagne at the launch of the new RT website. And.....Barbara Taylor Bradford!!!! I'm not sure WHY I had such a reaction to her, I've never even read any of her books. But, it was just nice to see a legend, ya know? Longevity deserves some squee, does it not? The website launch afterwards could be summed up like this: too many people in too small a space. The best thing was the champagne. After my glass, I was heading for the nearest exit.


Not so Sweet 16 party
Great party, great bag of books (where I picked the ARC of 13 to Life by Shannon Delany)and I got a book signed by Kelley Armstrong, one of my favorites. I talked with some of the authors, but I have to admit that YA lit is not one of my strengths. There are so many things out there that I want to read, something has to fall by the wayside, right? For me, it is YA.


Faery Ball
The most imaginative costume night of the entire conference. I am always amazed at how elaborate the costumes get. Great to look at if you're a people watcher like I am. Dinner was good (or I was starving) even though there were people at my table who complained about it. The people at my table complained about a lot of things, actually. Somehow, that didn't stop me from eating it all. (#twitloss? what's that?) Best part of the faery ball was that I got to meet the great @KeriStevens in person. We'd been cell phone/twitter tagging it the entire day. The rest of it was a wash and I left when the dancing started. I *WAS* determined to make it to the Kensington morning party on Friday!


FRIDAY
Made it to the mixer! Saw my first @VictoriaDahl sighting. I'm sure she thought I was more than a liiiiiitle bit crazy when I came up to her. Heh. I have no idea why I come off as crazy. I'm not, am I? AM I?! Anyway, the mixer had mimosas (yes!) and muffins, literally, as big as the plate the rested on. I think I tweeted one, no? It was fun, and I was glad I got up in time to get there.


Headed off to a Double shot of "Bookseller Resources" which was awesome. My second favorite piece of swag came from there. This painting, made out of dark chocolate, in a frame which I assume is re-usable after you scarf the good stuff. Everything Art has many different chocolate portraits and they look amazing. Can't tell you how it tasted, but I assume it was as good as it looked! The Bookseller Resources first hour were about all the add ons that booksellers can sell in their stores. Fascinating, really, and incredibly fun for someone who loves catalogs and quirky things. The naked wrapping paper was my favorite. If I had my cheat sheet here at work with me, I'd remember the vendor and link to it. Looked like ordinary wrapping paper on the front. But on the inside......nakedness.....in your favorite variety, male or female. Lots of other good stuff, and everything was raffled off at the end. I had my eye on artistic chocolate so was glad when my number was called! The second hour was interesting discussion about all the sources we use to find out about books. The handout was 8+ pages full of lots of good things, even though some things were still left off!


The Devilish Delights party had more fun, more food, and I got MaryJanice Davidson to sign a tote bag that went to a lucky MJD fan at my library. She was very excited, and that's what it's all about, right?


The e-book, indie pub, graphic novel book fair was next. I spent more money than I intended to, but got one Kelley Armstrong and two Jim Butcher graphic novels. Spent a little bit of time talking with the EC people, who seemed surprised that we carried their books in the library. The line was crushing, though, and the room was not set up for a bunch of people going every which way. I fled to get ready for the vampire ball.


All I'll say about the vampire ball is this: the costumes were good, but not as good as the faery ball. The entertainment had its moments, but not very many of them. The bar was calling, and I answered.


The bookseller's packing party was great fun, though. It was fun to watch Barry Eisler make lots of bookseller hearts go pitter pat when the cavemen/mr. romance contestants couldn't rouse more than a bored look. I was excited to see Kayla Perrin, because I hadn't seen her much at all during the rest of the conference. There were basket giveaways, book exchanges, book signings and more fun than should be had at midnight towards the end of a conference.

RT Tuesday-Wednesday

So, a recap of this year's RT.

Tuesday was a blur of getting a room, scoping the food court, meeting up with friends, testing out the bar, driving to the mall for a replacement nose ring (not for me), buzzing a porn shop (no one else wanted to go inside), going to a convenience store firmly rooted in the hood, and coming back to the hotel to discover we'd missed dinner and there was a 45 minute wait in the hotel dining room. Yeah. I bought a bottle of Black Cherry Cisco that is still sitting, unopened, on my dining room table. For those of you have no idea what this is (like me) it is, apparently, MD 20/20's crackhead uncle. (I have to say that Bumwine.com) may be my new favorite website, though! Ahhhh, the sweet smell of knowledge!

Wednesday

The ONLY day I adhered to the tenets of #twitloss. Wednesday, I mostly stuck to the Bookseller/Librarian panels, although I did take time out to swing by Multicultural/Interracial Panel: the Color of Love which was awesome. Kimberly Kaye Terry, Ann Aguirre, Kate Douglas Keisha Mennefee and Vivi Anna talking about their world building, how they include a variety of cultures into said worlds, the stereotype pitfalls they've seen in other people's books, and how they avoid that in their own books, and the great shelving dilemma. It was a fascinating hour, and if I wasn't so lazy, I'd go into great detail about the conversation. But, I am.

More bookseller workshops. Of them all, the only one I wish I'd skipped was the Social Media Twitter/Facebook workshop. Honestly, it felt like the group was split between those who already know and love Twitter and FB, and those who could care less. This workshop didn't help either one of us, in other words. I probably would have liked the Reader party: "It's fun to be bad" or the Romantic Suspense workshop "Bond, James Bond" much better. But, you know, that's just the nature of these conferences. You pick what you think you'll like and if you win more often than not, great. This was really the only *miss* of the conference, so that is a good percentage!

The author chat with Jim Butcher, Charlaine Harris and MaryJanice Davidson was missing a Y chromosome thanks to flight delays. As I am a total and complete Butcher fangirl, this was sadness for me. BUT, if you've ever seen Charlaine Harris and/or MaryJanice Davidson, you know they tend to be hilarious by themselves. The two of them together were, indeed, crazy train in the best kind of way. I don't watch True Blood so I must admit that even though I listened to the details, none of them stuck with me. (Sorry, true blood peeps!) Harris had nothing but complimentary things to say about the show, though. Yes, it is different than the books, but that's okay. You can enjoy the show, or the books, or all of the above. MaryJanice talked a little bit about how Disney keeps buying the rights to the Fred (mermaid) books and then renews when it runs out. The theory is that they don't want any mermaid competition in the world. But, as long as someone keeps PAYING for the right to keep it out of the media market, that is just fine with her. (Can't say as I blame her there!) And, apparently, there is going to be a Betsy.....something. Show? Movie? But........in Germany. Sorry, Davidson fanfolk, not here in the States.

Afterwards, there was a Samhain party that delivered one of my favorite pieces of swag from the entire conference: the Samhain canvas bag. It was heavy, it was pretty, it was the perfect size for carrying books. I got lots of canvas bags at RT, but this one was my absolute favorite. It KILLED me to give it away, but it went to a good home. A Samhain aficionado I work with was thrilled to get it.

(by the way, I gave away nearly everything I got (for free) at RT. Shoot me your email addy if you want to see what I got and offered up to staff.)

The rest of the night was the Ellora's Cave party.....which I missed. I was just too tired to get gussied up in red for the evening. From what I hear, I didn't miss much. I spent a little bit of time down in the bar Monday night, but the rest of it up in my room reading and watching tv.

Review: Academ's Fury

Academ's Fury by Jim Butcher


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book really deserves more than five stars because it was better than Furies of Calderon. Tavi, our furyless hero from book 1, has moved on to the big city and the Academy. Of course this is danger and intrigue there. Of course, he is hated and bullied for being different. Of course he gathers together a group of loyal friends/accomplicies to take them (and everyone else) on. It is fantasy lit 101. But, in my opinion, it is when you can do all of that and STILL make it irresistible....that's when you know it is good.

New secrets are revealed in book 2, some you might have suspected already if you read Furies of Calderoncarefully, and some that were straight out of left field. New characters were introduced, some you're supposed to love, some you're supposed to love to hate. And, as I've learned by listening to the Dresden series, there are seeds planted which will grow in importance over the next few books. Things that seem insignificant/unimportant at first have a habit (sometimes a bad habit) of biting characters (and readers) in the ass four books later.

The action of this book is both physical (with an new breed of Big bad invading on TWO fronts) and political. There are places, of course, where they intersect. If political intrigue fantasy is NOT for you.... you may find yourself disappointed. It isn't all political intrigue, but it is a large part of the book as well as the overall story. If it bores you, you may find yourself skipping over huge chunks to get to the characters you like/fighting scenes/etc.

Speaking of skipping: I split this book between listening and reading. What is great on audio (Kate Reading is a genius, by the way) can be kind of tiresome on the page. Butcher describes. A lot. It sounds much better when someone is reading it to me. When I'm reading all of that description for myself, my eyes tend to glaze. Yes, even thought I know something of it will likely be important later. It isn't a criticism or a accolade, just something to be aware of. If you're a person who gets bored with that kind of detail, you may find your thoughts wandering. In my case, the incredible way Butcher does characters and family dynamics is more than enough to keep me reading his books. Codex Alera series has hooked me in a way that Dresden could not (even though I like those books very much.) This is the new book crack.

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Review: The Furies of Calderon

Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have a strange relationship with Jim Butcher. I tried to read his Dresden series and couldn't get through the first book. I picked up that same book on audio and became HOOKED on it. I'm not sure if it was the reader or if I could really concentrate on the language. Or, maybe I just wasn't in the mood for it at the time. At any rate, that is why I immediately bypassed the print version of Butcher's other series, and started off with the audio.

I was not disappointed.

This book is a traditional, straight up, fantasy, complete with heavy Roman overtones. There is political intrigue, magic (of a sort) a boy who is "different", secret identities and, Butcher's forte, characters with more depth than an Olympic diving pool.

And a whole lot of people get the hell beat out of them too, which is something carried over from the Dresden series. If you were looking for something a little lighter than the normal Urban Fantasy series, you won't find it here. There were places in this book that made me wince and I wondered (as I often do with the Dresden series) how these people can get up again.

The book, for me, started off slow. I saw the "twist" near the beginning coming like a telegraphed punch, and I thought the entire book was going to be one big fantasy trope that we've all seen before. But the action and intrigue picked up sometime when I wasn't looking, and I was hooked. So much so that I had to bring CDs from the car into to work, and into the house, so I could keep the story going long after I left the car.

Am I as hooked on this as the other series? Not quite yet. But, I'm about to start book 2 (which I have both on audio AND Sony reader) so we'll see how that goes. So far, it has been a very promising start.


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Review: Made to be Broken

Made to Be Broken by Kelley Armstrong


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Although there aren't any supernatural elements in the Nadia Stafford books, if you like Armstrong's writing style, you will probably like this series. There are less "rules" to the world to deal with so she doesn't have to spend as much time with that, and she can focus more on the characters. Also, there are fewer characters clamoring for attention so she can fully explore them. If you're looking for resolutions for any relationships in this book, you won't find them. In fact, they just get deeper and more complicated.

The plot is good too. It isn't a murder mystery, even though someone does get murdered. It turns out to be murder, kidnapping, more murder, undercover work, all with some lighthearted moments at a rural bed and breakfast mixed in for laughs. Armstrong seems to hit all the right notes as she keeps readers turning the pages trying to unravel the dirty deeds done dirt cheap in the book. The only thing that might irritate readers is that there really is no ending. The particular conundrum gets wrapped up at the end, but the dance continues. If you're a person that wants everything wrapped up, you'll be left hanging. For me, it just makes me want the next installment quicker than ever. I do wonder if she'll have the momentum to continue this series, the Otherworld series and her YA series. It seems like this series is at the bottom of the food chain given how popular the other two series are. It would be easier to put this one down if she was pressed for time, needed a break, or what have you.

Love Quinn. Love Jack. Love this series.

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Review: Covet

Covet by J.R. Ward


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Overall, this was a good book. Ward is great with characters, and that doesn't change here. Her hero(es) are fantastic, down to their witty one liners, and her two main female characters (heroine and villainess) were outstanding. For all the knocks that Ward has taken about under-developed female characters, she certainly seems to have taken that criticism to heart and fixed it in this book. There is actual character development with her heroine, and her villainess is just plain evil. And kinda scary, like all the best villains are. I was expecting a lot more from the fallen angels, but ended up liking their roles just fine. Maybe, in time, they will become more front and center, but I found myself liking their sideline role very much. They are helpers, but ONLY helpers. Heavy lifting has to be done by someone else, and I thought that was very nice.

I liked the nods to people and places of the Black Dagger Brotherhood books. I liked seeing a lot of Trez. (Who doesn't?) Other throwbacks were more subtle but made me smile. The story, for the most part, moved along nicely and this was the first full length novel I read on my Sony e-reader so it, and the book, passed the test.

A few things I could have done without: I liked this MUCH better than the first Black Dagger Brotherhood book, Dark Lover but this one still suffered from a few first book problems. There was a lot of telling (and not showing) in terms of world building. When you're setting up a new world, new rules of engagement, new characters, it is really hard to get around the pages of explanation that are needed for the reader to understand what is going on. I get that. Some authors do this really well, and some do not. Ward does not. It is all stuff the reader needs to know, but the delivery method leaves much to be desired. Quite frankly, I get bored. Pages and pages of exposition, important or not, makes for droopy eyelids. That's just how it is. Where she does characterization REALLY well, this could use some work.

The other thing I hate is the narrator's voice. The narrator speaks like a thirteen year old girl. Calls a new beer a "freshie". That is the one example that is still grating on my nerves even though I'm done with the book, although there are more examples. If a character talks like that, I'm fine with it. That is their vocabulary. I may want to smack them, but if it is consistent with the character, so be it. But when the omniscient narrator speaks like that, it grates on my nerves. A lot. It wasn't as bad as the BDB books can get sometimes, but it was bad enough that I noticed it. I could have taken notes about it on my new Sony toy, but I haven't made it to that advanced user level yet!

Overall, though, this was a good book. I liked all the characters, I am interested in their past, present and future, and I'm excited for the next book.

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I have an addiction

I can't stop checking out library books materials. No, really, I'm serious. We have new item limits coming into play in a few months, and I am currently WAY over those limits. Meaning, if I don't find things to return, I won't be able to check anything out. Sounds like a good fate for someone who can't stop checking things out, right?

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. The problem is that when you are constantly seeing new books, people with addictions (ie. me) are compelled to put them on hold or check them out. There was a time when I had absolutely NOTHING checked out on my card. I had returned everything, paid a ginormous fine, and said I would *never* blah blah blah.....yeah, you get the picture. Yesterday, I had 100 items checked out. 100.

100.

And what am I currently engrossed in? What can I not put down? Which library book, CD, movie am I going to return to break out of three digits borrower's prison? Yeah. Covet, by JR Ward. On my Sony ebook reader. If only that was a library item so I could return it......

Review: Frostbitten

Frostbitten by Kelley Armstrong


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
You CAN go home again!

While Kelley Armstrong has never traveled too far afield from the werewolf clan that started the Women of the Otherworld series in Bittenthere have been many characters and storylines added since then. But, coming back to Elena and Clay was like a GOOD trip back to the place you called home. You can see how they've grown and changed over the years, but some part of them is still the same couple that I remember. And, even beyond the relationship aspect of the book, the plot and the mystery and the action was as good as it has ever been. If you're looking for a straight romance book, this will disappoint you. The "couple" after all, is married with children already. This isn't a boy meets girl kind of book, although some of her books are heavy on that element. This is a boy and girl battle snow, beasties, bad guys, kick ass, have sex, save the day kind of book. But, if you're an Armstrong fan, you already knew that, right?

While there are some mentions of other characters, this is a Clay and Elena book. No Paige, No Lucas, No Savannah, etc. You get the picture. So, if those are your favorites, just know you won't find them here. A couple of new, potentially future main characters were introduced and I found myself loving them both. I was recently in Anchorage (2007) and could practically feel the place through Armstrong's scenery descriptions. I felt like I was back there. They felt like visitors, having the same experiences (for the most part) that I had when I was there. Even Reindeer sausage was mentioned (although I didn't try it like Clay and Elena did.)

Overall, reading this book made me happy. I enjoyed every part of it, was up late three nights in a row reading, and am already anxiously awaiting the next book in the series. All of these are good signs that whatever it is Armstrong is using to power this series, it is still going strong.

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