Sadly, middle and high school reading lists rarely change.  Our library shelves are usually bare after a few kids make their way through what little we have on their required reading lists.  So a while ago, when I was at my parents' house packing up my old books and things, I decided to create a "secret stash" of my old books to keep at the desk for kids to check out.  They aren't in the catalog and I lend them out in good faith.  So today, a girl came in with a list of "Utopian books" like A Brave New World  and The Giver and 1984.  Those are all in my "secret stash."  Tucked inside a beat up copy of Anthem was a sweet little treat.  When I was in 8th grade, there was a bookmark design contest for my school's media center and I won it.  The treat I found was a copy of that bookmark that had been waiting for me to discover it inside a book for probably 14 years.  An excellent little surprise to warm my little librarian heart.  A great little birthday present.  See, the universe wanted me to be a librarian.  It was just letting me know.

I wandered through Target this morning (what else would I do on my day off?) and saw amieroserotruck 's book on the shelf!  So exciting! 

My writer friends, and even my political friends, you should read this interview of Nobel Laureate Doris Lessing.  Very interesting stuff.

Is a society that doesn't read a dangerous place?
I think so. For one thing it makes people very ignorant. You see, when it comes to people of my age, if you talk to someone who has had anything like the same experience, reading and so on, and contrast that with talking to a young person who hasn't, it's like talking to a different kind of creature. You talk to someone with your kind of experience, and you share a language and references, you talk in a completely different way--and I don't mean that you are using more advanced language. This human need to think and understand, which has in the past been feed by books, literature and learning, it will prevail. At the moment though I can't foresee which form it will come out in.

Again with the no updates for weeks!  I am a shitty, shitty blogger.  

x. We have added installing shower doors, light fixtures, and painting to our home improvement checklist.
x. I still love working at the library, kooky patrons and all.
x. Went to Miami for my wedding shower, which was amazing.  I got a ton of sweet gifts and got to see so many faces I hadn't seen it years. 
x. Mom and I saw a play at GablesStage called "The Little Dog Laughed" which was fantastic.  An up and coming leading man finds himself falling in love with another guy.  His agent won't allow it.  It gets complicated. 
x. I read a cool book called Wide Awake by David Levithan.  We've elected a gay Jewish president.  What's not to love?
x. Went to a ghetto-fabulous themed New Years Eve party dressed as thug Dolphins fans.  I fashioned a necklace for Michael out of cardboard and aluminum foil.  Dolla dolla billz, ya'll.
x. It's 40 degrees in Slowcala today.  People, that is cold 'round these parts.
x. Barack the Vote.

Hey, citycountrygirl,I finished reading Devilish, so when you have a moment, we can talk about it. 
In the meanwhile, was that comment about the owls a dig at J.K. Rowling?

Blast!  I was so excited that since Elena and Chris were leaving for the wedding and then would be gone for their honeymoon, I'd get to play the Wii nonstop for two weeks.  What I didn't know was that Elena took the Wii to California with her so friends and family could play it at the rehearsal dinner barbeque! 

What about my needs? 

Oh yes and I also pre-ordered Harry Potter from Amazon so it will arrive at my hotel in California on Saturday. 

I'm a big nerd!

I'm a big nerd who is very excited to go to California for this wedding!  Yayyyyy!

1. Grab the nearest book
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next 3 sentences on your blog along with these instructions.
5. Don't you dare dig for that "cool" or "intellectual" book in your closet! I know you were thinking about it! Just pick up whatever is closest."

"You sure can subtract fast," he told me, kissing the top of my head.
"You should see me add," I said.  "And fractions, look out."

Polly by Amy Bryant

So thanks to Hugo Chavez holding it up and quoting from it during his speech in front of the UN, Noam Chomsky's book is now #1 on the Amazon Bestseller's list, beating out Frank Rich and John Grisham.

Oh yeah, and though Chavez lamented not meeting Chomsky before he died, dude's still alive and kicking.