"Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back"

2 years later & I've finally decided to return the "The Little Librarian!" Life, school, then work got in the way & I let this blog fall to the wayside, but never fear! I'll be posting my recipes, book reviews & general thoughts on life here on the blog again. Here's a little update on what's been going on since the last time I wrote...in 2012.

I rescued a dog. I seriously never knew how crazy I could be over an animal until I rescued a sickly little puppy. After some initial bumps in the road (parvo, mange, a rat poison "incident"), I'm happy to say the little guy is healthy & happy today. He just turned 2 in December & we'll be celebrating his Adoptaversary on April 27 (don't judge me).

I accepted a position as the Director of the Watervliet Public Library. After finishing my Masters, I moved home & was definitely feeling a little lost. This opportunity came about so I took a chance & applied. It was a huge learning experience, especially the first few months, but I can honestly say I love working there. Programming has quickly become my favorite aspect of the position & the patrons there are really great. It's a small library with a fantastic sense of community that I consider myself lucky to be a part of!

Those are the two most important updates to my life, as I will mention my job & my dog frequently. My dog is my little sidekick so I'm sure he'll be a frequent guest in my posts. Last, but not least, I'm currently in week 3 of a 12 week challenge at the gym & I think I'm dying. Updates for how that is going (or isn't) including all my frustrations, downfalls, achievements will also be posted. So basically this blog is a mish-mash of everything I have going on in my life. Whoops!

Looking for Alaska by John Green

When Miles “Pudge” Halter, a loner obsessed with people’s last words, arrives at Culver Creek he dreams of new beginnings filled with friends and pranks to rival that of his father’s younger years.  Pudge meets his roommate the Colonel and is soon brought in to a circle of friends that include the clever Takumi, the leader Colonel and beautiful Alaska, whom Pudge quickly falls in love with despite her relationship with a college student.  All goes well until the group is faced with a devastating tragedy they must all come to grips with and deal with in their own way.  Looking for Alaska is a story about “the Great Perhaps” and how friends react when one of them is suddenly and inexplicably taken away from them.

            Having read “An Abundance of Katherines,” also by John Green, and not finding it as enjoyable as I thought I might, I was apprehensive when picking up Looking for Alaska.  I have to say, however, that I was very pleasantly surprised and enjoyed reading the entire novel.  Although not every teen is forced to deal with the same situation Pudge and his friends are faced with, I think this is a story that many young adult readers are able to relate to based on the process of dealing with hardships. I truly enjoyed the mix of humor and realness that Green brought to this story and I did not think any of it felt fake to me.  One of the quotes I felt would be most relatable to young teens was said by Pudge in the beginning of the book when he was discussing his choice to go to Culver Creek:

“So this guy," I said, standing in the doorway of the living room. "Francois Rabelais. He was this poet. And his last words were 'I go to seek a Great Perhaps.' That's why I'm going. So I don't have to wait until I die to start seeking a Great Perhaps." (5)

I think this quote describes how a lot of teens feel when going off to college, starting new friendships and relationships – I think the Great Perhaps is something every teen knows about and invites as well as fears.  This book shows that, while life is not always perfect, you really can get by with some good friends.

            I would recommend this book for older teens who are possibly going off to college or are going through a rough patch in their life.  I think this book would be a good read-alike for John Green’s new book The Fault in Our Stars because they both deal with difficult, life-altering situations.

Matched by Ally Condie

Matched begins with Cassia Reyes on the way to her Matching Banquet with her family, her artifact and her best friend, Xander. She has just turned 17 and, like everyone else in the Society, she will be Matched. Nervous and excited, Cassia walks into her Matching Banquet with her beautiful, silk green dress and enjoys foods she rarely gets to eat, such as chocolate cake. When it is Cassia’s turn to be Matched, the screen goes black, which means her Match is in the room at that very moment – Xander. Cassia is thrilled to be Matched with her best friend, that is until she puts her Matches micro card into her port at home and sees Ky, a quiet orphan who lives in her Borough. From then on, Cassia is torn between whom she is supposed to love and whom she does love.

I found it hard to make up my mind about this book – when I chose to pick up the book and actually read it, I found myself flying through it. Cassia’s astute observation of the world around her and her conflicting feelings for Xander and Ky were interesting to me. When I put the book down, however, I did not find myself waiting to get home to keep reading. I think the story was a little lackluster and repetitive in that Cassia frequently talks about Ky. I think Condie’s intent in her writing was for the reader to feel sympathetic towards Cassia, Ky and their forbidden love, but I found myself feeling the most sorry for Xander. I actually found myself looking at Cassia as a rather self-centered character; whenever something happens she is constantly thinking it is her fault and I felt she did things that were in her best interest with those that were affected by her decisions thought of in the aftermath.

This book was my read alike for Incarceron by Catherine Fisher, but I felt that it was much more of a romance than Incarceron. Cassia’s story focuses a lot on her love affair with Ky and starts to discuss her rebellion against the Society more towards the end of the book. I would recommend this book to a reader who perhaps liked The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins because of the romance aspect of the novel as well as the similarities between the Society and the Capitol; the Capitol being those that rule Panem, the fictional world in The Hunger Games.

Witches: The Absolutely True Story of Disaster in Salem by National Geographic

This young adult nonfiction novel is a history about the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. The book gives readers background information on the main players in the witch trials without overwhelming the reader with information. The book spans the entire witch trials without going into too much detail and also informs readers of what happened to various people involved with the witch trials after the trials ended. In no way does this romanticize or sensationalize the witch trials, which is refreshing.

I am very interested in the Salem Witch Trials, especially after interning in Salem, and thought this book would be a great way to get reacquainted with the topic I was once so familiar with.  One of the things I really enjoyed about this book was the accessibility, meaning that I felt always felt like I had a good grasp on the information I was reading about.  This book was very informative, which I liked, without sounding too much like a textbook.

National Geographic does a great job with this book because it provides important information, such as key players in the Witch Trials and background on Puritan practices, without overwhelming the young adult reader. Definitions of tricky terms and clarification or more in-depth information are included in the back of the book. I also enjoyed this book because it was engaging by quickly moving through the tragedy that was the Salem Witch Trials. Young adults who have an interest in American history or, perhaps, are interested in tragedies (example: the sinking of the Titanic or the Holocaust) will find this book to be intriguing and informative. Advanced readers, however, may feel that the text is too juvenile for them or does not go into enough depth. This book is a good introduction to the Witch Trials and may open the door for further reading and exploration into this historical event.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Waking up in a pitch-black elevator having no recollection of his life before waking up is just the start of Thomas’ troubles.  Upon exiting the elevator, Thomas is brought to a world in which the only thing that matters is getting out of the Maze they live in.  Along with thirty or so other teenaged boys called “Gladers,” Thomas begins his life trying to figure out where he is, why he is there and why it all feels so familiar.  On his third day there, a young girl, the first girl ever in the Glade, arrives on the elevator half-dead saying everything is going to change.  From then on, Thomas and his new friends race to find a way out of the Maze before being caught by the deadly Grivers.

I picked this book up because I had seen it multiple times as being recommended as one of the best young adult titles and because the storyline was so enticing to me.  One of the things I enjoyed most about this book was the dynamic between the Gladers – how the assigned boys to their jobs, how the chose leaders, how the dealt with conflict and how the governed themselves.  I think it was particularly interesting to see how easily the boys fell into their supposed roles in the Glade and how the majority of them did not question much of what they were told by the older, veteran Gladers.   

This book reminded me of Incarceron by Catherine Fisher and I think it would be a good read-alike for anyone who enjoys reading the Incarceron series.  Both books have a young boy with no memory of his past waking up in a maze – using those he meets along the way to find an escape.  I would also recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed reading Lord of the Flies by William Golding in high school because of the similarities between the Gladers and the boys found in Golding’s novel.

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

Twilight begins with Isabella “Bella” Swan leaving sunny Phoenix, Arizona to go live with her father, Charlie, in rainy Forks, Washington.  Bella sees this as a type of punishment due to the small-town gossip, grey weather and awkward encounters until she sees Edward Cullen. At first Edward seems to be just a mysterious teenaged boy until he makes an impossible rescue of Bella in the school parking lot. From then on, Bella’s life takes a turn towards the supernatural as she realizes that she is “unconditionally and irrevocably in love” with Edward and that humans are not the only population in Forks.

            The appeal of Twilight for me is that, as a librarian, it is important to read what is currently popular with teens and, having not read Twilight before this class, I knew it was something I needed to do.  That being said, I did not particularly enjoy Twilight, although I do see its appeal factors.  Young teenaged girls become enthralled with the relationship between the ordinary, awkward girl and the beautiful vampire.  I am sure many girls finished this book with hopes of meeting their “real life” Edward Cullen.  What I did not like about this book, however, was how Bella’s happiness was so dependent on Edward – it seemed as if every thought was consumed by him and I think this gives teens an unrealistic and unhealthy expectation of what falling in love is like.  I found Bella to be a whiny damsel in distress, which I am sure many teen girls are, but I did not think she is a good, strong role model for young adult girls.

I would recommend this book to someone who is interested in supernatural stories involving vampires and werewolves, especially if they read and enjoyed reading the Sookie Stackhouse series or watch the HBO series “True Blood.”  I would also recommend this book to someone who enjoys popular series that are heavy with romance – this book somewhat reminded me of Matched by Ally Condie in that the central aspect of the story is the love triangle between Edward, Bella and Jacob (similar to the characters Cassia, Ky and Xander).

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

The Name of the Star starts off with Aurora (aka Rory) leaving her small, swampy hometown in Louisiana to spend her senior year at Wexford, a boarding school in London’s East End.  Upon arrival, she finds the city abuzz with the information that a murder has taken place that is similar in fashion to the Jack the Ripper murders.  As Johnson paints a vivid picture of life at Wexford, we are quickly drawn into a fast-paced story of murder and mystery where Rory feels as if “the entire world is colluding to make [her] feel insane” and does a very good job of it.

When I first picked up The Name of the Star, I was drawn to it solely because it had a Jack the Ripper storyline; I have always been fascinated with this unsolved case so anything about the Ripper that is put before me I’ll devour.  What I was surprised to find, however, was how much I loved reading about Rory’s day-to-day life at Wexford.  Johnson did an amazing job at making the mundane seem interesting and, with Jack the Ripper in the background, every minute detail had me thinking, “Is this a clue?” This novel is one that really keeps the heart pounding and the pages turning as you want to know who the murderer is and why are certain things are happening only to Rory.

I would definitely recommend this book to readers who enjoy historical fiction with a touch of reality, meaning using a real life historical situation as the base for the book.  I would also recommend this to young adult female readers because Rory is a strong female lead character that I think many young girls would enjoy reading about.  This would also be a good read for readers who enjoy ghost stories.