SEVEN UP--ANNOTATION 6

"Seven Up" is a book in which Stephanie Plum repeatedly tries and fails to capture an blind, deaf, old man who suffers from erectile dysfunction and stops for repeated bathroom breaks.

In "Seven Up" Stephanie is tasked with tracking down Eddie DeChooch, a washed up mob man who got busted with a shipment of stolen cigarettes. Stephanie rarely has a problem tracking DeChooch down; she pays him a visit in his home, she meets up with him at a church, she runs into him at the funeral parlor, she sees him constantly in his big white Cadillac; still he gives her the slip every time. When it seems like finally, Stephanie has gotten her man, with DeChooch passed out in a chair with a gun shot wound to the head, he still manages to get away from her.

Stephanie Plum is a hapless bounty hunter. She has gained experience on the job over the previous six novels in the series, but she has seemingly gained no skills at the job. When she finds herself in a situation where a gun may be handy (DeChooch repeatedly fires off rounds at an unarmed Stephanie) her gun is inevitably at home in the cookie jar.

While Stephanie bumbles around haplessly, often with her equally clueless pal Lula, she inexplicably stumbles upon lead after lead. Her stoner pal Mooner (often appearing in this novel wearing his super suit) is a big piece of the overall plot puzzle of this novel. With his connection to his buddy, The Dealer, the rump roast that was stolen from his refrigerator, and his subsequent kidnapping, Stephanie has to try to tie all the pieces of the puzzle together.

In addition to the mystery going on around Stephanie she also has to deal with her ever lively personal life. From her supposed engagement with her boyfriend Joe Morelli to the steamy kisses she shares with Ranger, Stephanie has her share of personal issues to sort out. Also in town for this new novel is Stephanie's perfect sister, Valerie, who has decided to experiment with becoming a lesbian after her husband runs off with the 18 year-old babysitter.

Overall "Seven Up" is an enjoyable addition to the Stephanie Plum novels. Stephanie manages to get into enough mischief to provide hours of entertainment.

eBooks for an iCulture

To start with, I do not think that the traditional idea of a book will ever leave us. There is something about holding a book in your hands, smelling it, flipping the pages, being able to flip at will to various parts of the book that will always be in demand.

I have to say though, I love eBooks. The free Kindle application for my iPod has been amazing for me. The simplicity of one click shopping for books on amazon with wireless delivery in just seconds, all from the comfort from my bed on a lazy Sunday morning is kind of amazing. And with fewer people reporting reading books today than they did twenty years ago, any form of publishing that saves money is probably a welcome thing for book publishers and not having to pay for the physical publishing of a book is sure to save money. I also think that ebooks from libraries are an interesting and welcome development. Although I personally could not figure out how to download and read the book I wanted from the library, smarter people than I are able to do this. Heck, my roommate told me the other day that she has a bunch of ebooks checked out from the library at the moment. I was a bit amazed at her (1) reading a book, (2) thinking of the library instead of just going to Borders, and (3) being on it enough to download books from the library's website. I'm sure this is my library influence shining through onto her. The more methods libraries have for reaching out to people and promoting reading the better, and the ebook adds another facet of library service.

I think there is another important aspect of the digital book phenomenon, the self publishers out there. Before, if you wanted to get your work published you had to submit it to a publisher, where more than likely it would be rejected. Then the truely ambitious could pay to have the book published themselves. Now though, anyone can publish their own work on the internet, they can even make it easily available to other people using amazon and their kindle application. There is something gratifying, a bigger sense of accomplishment is realized when people (besides your mother) read something that you have slaved away at creating, self publishing via ebooks is a way to fulfill this.

There is also the whole phenomenon of fanfiction. I know so many people who read and write fanfiction, its amazing. Without the internet and the freedom to publish just about anything on the internet, fanfiction just wouldn't be the same. I think its great that so many young people have the motivation and the opportunity of writing stories that other people will read. Another example of the great things the internet provides for us.

So I'm a fan of eBooks.

I'm a bigger fan of real books.

5 PEOPLE LAB - PERSON FIVE

The last person I did Reader's Advisory for was my mom. She also received the email from me with the five questions; her answers though were alarmingly brief. For the question "Have you read anything lately that you enjoyed?" she answered "biography, i enjoyed it". Wow mom, thanks!

Luckily though I do know her pretty well and I see her pretty often so I am a bit more familiar with her recent reading experiences that I am with other people. When I spoke with her about the RA after receiving her email responses she said she would like to switch it up with some fiction, something entertaining and light. She tends to get really bogged down with these biographies that she reads. She once expressed interest in reading biographies about all of the past presidents; I'm afraid I really ran with this with gifts and things and now she's really just got a pile of unread biographies...they take her ages to get through.

So she said she would like to branch out from the biographies with some fiction, which needs to be entertaining right away (or she'll fall asleep and never read it). It was also, with her, helpful that I knew what sorts of movies she likes (she's a total chick flick lover) so I immediately gave her all of the Sophie Kinsella books off of my shelf, since thats really the only way she will ever read anything...it needs to be delivered right into her hands. I also gave her the two Emily Giffin books that I had on my shelf to get her started with. She has amazingly read all of the books I gave her and is on the hunt for some more easy to read chick lit. I need to turn her on to Stephanie Plum.

She had also recently read "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" and really enjoyed it so I wanted to get her something similar. Reader's Advisor Online led me to Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood" which is another non-fiction book that employs fiction techniques in its storytelling. Also RAO pointed me towards "Devil in the White City" by Eric Larson as another non-fiction book that reads like an imaginative piece of fiction. I also chose the later for my mom because I thought the Chicago setting may interest her. When I shared the two titles I had selected for her she was more interested in the "Devil in the White City" but unfortunately she has not had a chance to read it yet since this is the busy time of year for her at work. By the time I through with her she'll have a pile of books waiting for her this summer.

(Its very nice that Reader's Advisor Online has a section devoted to non-fiction. Its a life saver really for all of us fiction people.)

5 PEOPLE LAB - PERSON FOUR

The fourth reader I advised for my lab was a good friend of mine. I once again conducted the interview by email using the same questions as before.

This person told me that they like to read funny things as well as memoirs. They have the new Chelsea Handler book on reserve at the library. Recently she read a book called Forever by Pete Hamill. Most of what she reads is from the New York Times Bestseller List. The only thing she expressed no interest in reading was science-fiction.

The first thing I thought of, even before I got the interview answers from her, was the Kristin Chenoweth book discussed earlier in class. I used Reader's Advisor Online as well though and searched for Chelsea Handler and came up with two other funny sounding memoirs written by women for her to read: Trailer Trashed by Hollis Gillespe and The Idiot Girl's Action-Adventure Club by Laurie Notaro.

After recommending a few memoirs for her I used RAO to look up "Forever" the book she had just read and enjoyed. RA did not have any specific recommendations based on this book, they just pointed me towards Epic novels based on and in major cities. This did not really sound like what she was interested in so I did a little searching on what it seemed like the other aspect of the novel was, which was immortality. The books RA gave as matches in subject for immortality seemed to all border mostly on the fantasy/sci-fi, which I wanted to avoid. So then I turned instead to maybe books about New York, which is what "Forever" is. The book I ended up picking for her based on "Forever" didn't really interest her. I really need to follow up with her and find out what about the book she liked so much.

Since she expressed an interest in reading funny books next, in addition to the memoirs that all sounded very funny, I wanted to give her some suggestions for just fiction books. Since I know her well and I know she loves the movie Fried Green Tomatoes, I thought another Fannie Flagg book would interest her, so I recommended "Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man". Humor, the south, resurrection scams...can't really go wrong with that. I also came up with a book called "Apologize Apologize" that I thought sounded promising for her; funny in a dysfunctional sort of way.

I also couldn't help but suggest she read some Janet Evonovich since that would be some great summer reading.

Her feedback was very positive for the memoirs, Fannie Flagg, and "Apologize, Apologize". She was really excited to read the memoirs especially. I'm going to have to re-follow up with her because I want to be able to recommend something similar to "Forever" for her, although it could have just been a one-off book that she enjoyed I guess and not something she wants to read more of.

5 PEOPLE LAB - PERSON ONE & TWO

The first two people I did for my life come as a pair from a social networking site I am a member of, so I am only casually acquainted with both of them, although I have actually met person 2 multiple times in real life. I sent them both an email with the following questions:

1. What sorts of books do you usually enjoy reading?

2. Are you in the mood for any certain type of book right now?

3. Have you read anything you enjoyed recently? Not enjoyed?

4. Are there any genre's / types of books you do not enjoy?

PERSON ONE
Person one happened to respond to my email first so I worked on compiling a list of reading suggestions for her first.

She answered that she likes reading magical/fantasy, historical fiction, Jane Austen, Douglas Adams, and Charles Dickens (partly because it annoys her library friend--her words!). She was in the mood for a light read that would be good to read at night before bed, not something that would become so engrossing that she would have to stay up all night reading. She recently read and enjoyed Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass and didn't like the Outlander Series or Jasper Fforde. In general she is not crazy about mysteries, Michael Crichton techno-thriller stuff, or things related to horror.

I was a bit daunted at first since I know this person likes the magical/fantasy stuff the most (this is how we know each other, but only through Harry Potter) which is a genre I don't really know a lot about, apart from Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. The first thing I did was make sure I was familiar with all of the things she listed as liking and enjoying, which meant googling a few authors and reading some summaries of books they had written ( I tend to use amazon and wikipedia for this). Then I used a mix of FictionConnection and Amazon to come up with a list of things she might enjoy reading. Once I find something that looks promising on Fiction Connection I like checking it out on Amazon to see reviews and what other people thought about the book, and often times the customers who review the books will mention things that are similar, etc.

I compiled a whole list of possible things she might like to read, but I think that the most promising things were the Discworld series, which she later told me she had been meaning to read, and a book called Sorcery and Cecilia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot, which I really managed to find through dumb luck (I found another book by the same author on fiction connection while searching for fantasy books). It caught my eye because of its mix of historical fiction and fantasy elements.

For person one I found myself having to stop from just compiling a reading list of things that I wanted to read since I also like things like Jane Austen and historical fiction. But it turned out that the books that most caught my eye as things I wanted to read were the ones that she expressed the most interest in.

PERSON TWO
Person two, while I know them from our mutual love of Harry Potter as well, expressed a greatly different taste in reading than person one. Person two expressed great interest in history of all sorts, ancient Christian authors, and fantasy (Harry Potter, Narnia, Redwall, Recluse). This was around St. Patrick's Day so he was interested in reading a biography or something that would teach him more of St. Patrick's history. He had recently read a biography of Pontius Pilate and enjoyed the parts that included the facts that we know about him but did not like the parts of the book that were more based on speculation and was also in the process of doing some research on the constitutional convention. He likes history, but not modern history. One of his favorite books he has read lately was about the building of St. Peter's Basilica. And while he likes fantasy, he has never liked Sci-Fi.

For this one I once again utilized amazon, wikipedia, and google to make sure I was familiar with what he was expressing interest in. I also used The Reader's Advisor Online since they offer non-fiction reader's advisor help. I focused mainly with the non-fiction requests he had made since he had expressed the greatest desire in reading more non-fiction next. I tried utilizing the resources available on Reader's Advisor Online for this at first, but I was having a hard time finding St. Patrick there so I turned to amazon instead. I read the reviews of a couple of the St. Patrick biographies and recommended to him both a traditional biography and a book of the writings of St. Patrick. He expressed great interest in reading the two St. Patrick books on the list.

I came up with The Faiths of the Founding Fathers
for him by combining his interest in the constitutional convention and his interest in reading religious works and I found it really just by browsing the non-fiction section of amazon. I really appreciate that they have it set up so you can browse books based on subjects and you can narrow it down quite far, similarly to Reader's Advisor Online. Also, I liked that the reviews, production descriptions, etc were all right there to see.

I ended up giving person two a list of about ten titles that he might be intersted in and he seemed pleased with them, adding them to his already lengthy reading list. He also was interested in how I had come up with the titles so it was a teachable moment for him as well.

REFELCTIONS-A YEAR AS A SLIS STUDENT

Last summer, while cruising around on a boat on Flathead Lake our host heard that I was going to school to become a librarian. "Aren't libraries on the way out?" he asked me. At the time, honestly, I didn't really know. They could have been. I was stuck in a rut, had been told I'd love the library science field, and thought "why the heck not?" So I applied to the program and was accepted.

So here I was, faced with this man telling me libraries were on the way out and I didn't have a clue how to respond. I think I probably mumbled something about "ugh, lots of other things to do with a MLIS" and then feigned sea sickness.

Libraries are not, and really, should never be on the way out. Libraries have been around since way way back in the B.C days and they should continue to be with us until whatever comes next. We are the keepers, finders, and sharers of information and people do now and always will need that information.

With the recent doom and gloom news about libraries and funding, particularly in Indianapolis, its been rough. The prospects of actually getting a job in a library are looking less and less likely and it seems more and more likely that for the near future I will have to continue being mindless, bored drone in the silent law office where I work. But still, it could be worse I suppose.


Bad economy, falling property values, property tax caps, cut funding--we've arrived at the perfect storm of factors working against the success of the public library system. But we've also arrived at record usage of the library system (here in Indianapolis at least). In tough times people turn more and more frequently to the library to fulfill their information (and entertainment) needs. Heck, my roommate has library books in the living room right now (this alarms me a bit as she once had me check her out a book, then proceeded to lose it. The next thing I know the library has stuck a debt collector on me looking for payment for the lost book) and she has even managed to check out audio books from IMCPL's website! I'm amazed at both her technical ingenuity and the library for having audio books available to download!

Anyway, times are changing. The needs of the library patron are changing. The budget available to the library is changing. Library/web/internet/life 2.0 is upon us (I do not really know what this means) and we need to change, become librarian 2.0's. It is up to us to meet these changes in innovative and inventive ways, and I think we will. Its fun to think that we all are the future of libraries, because I think everyone is sort of fabulous. Listening to everyone's thoughts and ideas each week make me think that the future of libraries is a good one.

Its amazing how often the library seems to come up on a daily basis. I don't know if its because people know that I am a library student or because people use and like the library a lot, but whenever it does come up I get a little tinge of pride about what I get to be a part of both now and in the future evolution libraries are sure to undertake.

If I return to Montana this summer and have another run in with the "libraries are on their way out" man, I will have a better response to him this time.

SECRET SHOPPER

I finally managed to do my secret shopper assignment today.

I thought I could kill two assignments at once since I've formed a bit of a mental block on a thriller/suspense novel (yes, the first genre of the semester!) and thought maybe I could get some librarian recommendations.

When I was finished with the other homework I was doing at the library I headed over to the fiction area and made a lap of the room, had to scope things out. There was a librarian (I don't know if she was a librarian librarian or not) at the desk so I approached her and said I was interested in reading something suspenseful and if she could point me to something good since it isn't a genre I usually venture into.

The first thing she did was take me over to where they have some reading lists for different types of books. She pulled out lists of authors who write "Legal Thrillers" and "Heart Pounders". At this point I really thought this was going to be it and I was going to have to give her a massive failing grade but then she was able to think of an author who wrote thrillers that she had read and she took me over and showed me those books. We looked at those and then another author came to her so she took me over to see those books too.

She left me browsing the two authors she had mentioned and the lists she gave me and said they have resources on the computer that she could utilize. I think it may have been NoveList, but I'm not positive. She spent some time on the computer looking up some things (I don't know what though since I was over feigning interest in some books). When I thought I had spent enough time browsing the author she had pointed out and re-shelved the books she had pulled out I went back over to the desk. She was looking some things up and she wrote down three names on a piece of paper for me to check out. I thanked her for her help and made my way over to check out the three authors she had written down for me.

The whole process maybe took ten minutes. I was a bit disappointed that she did not ask me any questions about any specific time of suspenseful books I was looking for or if there was a type I was trying to avoid (yes, there was). So the RA interview was completely lacking in our exchange but I was happy that she made an effort besides just sending me on my way with the two reading lists.

I do think I've managed to get a book for my final annotation though, so a beneficial experience for me at least.

CHICK LIT - IF ANDY WARHOL HAD A GIRLFRIEND

"IF ANDY WARHOL HAD A GIRLFRIEND" by Alison Pace is a book about Jane Laine. Jane Laine works in the most prestigious of New York art galleries, The Dick Reese Gallery, where she works for the odious Dick Reese himself. The novel opens with Jane discovering the infidelity of her long term boyfriend when she goes to his apartment, unannounced, to retrieve her perfect pair of black pants.

Soon though, when she expects to be fired for buying regular sized Reese's Peanut Butter Cups rather than mini (something only a really odious boss would make such a dramatic scene about), she instead finds herself being packed up and accompanying world-renown sculptor Ian Rhys-Fitzsimmons on a 5 month trip around the globe to various art shows.

Jane is not particularly fond of Ian, she thinks him and his work are frauds, mostly because she does not understand his work. She finds his flashy manner of dress pretentious and she is rather put off by all the people who fawn all over him at each art fair.

As they travel from London to Rome, Chicago, and finally to Santa Fe, she begins to appreciate the experience and especially Ian more. For a world famous artist Ian is very thoughtful and down to earth; in London he makes sure to take Jane to the one restaurant she had expressed a desire to see, in Rome he sets up the art fair exhibit for her after Dick Reese unexpectedly arrives to terrorize her, in Chicago he proposes visiting "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte" to make them forget about the bitter winter going on about them, and finally in Santa Fe he makes in through a Christmas dinner with her family. Its in Chicago that Jane final "gets" Ian's artwork, she realizes that it makes her happy and that surely the happiness it brings to people is the point.

I found most everything that went on in this book to be delightful; I laughed out loud many times and was left with a huge smile on my face when I finished. There are such tiny things that are just so sweet; Ian's obvious pleasure at the hours spent on the plane with Jane, especially when he reveals later in the novel how much he hates flying and his telling Jane that he picked her for the art fair when she was speculating that she had been sent because she wasn't valued or needed at the gallery.

Jane spends a lot of the book trying to find a new boyfriend, someone who she can take to dinner at her friend Kate's house in Miami (an inside joke with her friend Kate, only Jane's perfect guy would be invited to dinner at her house). She goes on lousy first dates, amazing first dates, and attempts to settle for the guy who had been into her for ages, but none of these potential relationships work out. And all the while Ian is there, being supportive of Jane's decisions and being patient waiting for her to get over her ex. As she comes to realizations about Ian's art she also comes to know herself and her heart more, culminating quite hilariously in a session in a Santa Fe sweat lodge.

Jane mother was quite a humorous addition to the novel. When Jane moved out of her parents house Jane's mother seemed to have turned her attention to her pet Schnauzers, giving them ridiculous names like Elijah Darjeeling and Fideleis McSween, so they feel like individuals. Jane's parents travel, with Elijah, to Santa Fe for Christmas, not to visit Jane, but to visit one of Elijah's offspring; her mother is then very put off when the people who have Elijah's puppy do not invite the whole family over for Christmas. At Christmas dinner though, the family partakes of a rather interesting tradition called Pass the Schnauzer, which involves passing Elijah around the table. When all of this is going on Jane is, of course, mortified, but Ian really takes in in stride.

In addition to Jane's mom and her Schnauzers, there are many delightful secondary characters in this novel; from Dick Reese, the boss from hell and all the other caricatures that inhabit the Dick Reese gallery, to people who frequent and travel from art fair to art fair along with Ian and Jane.

I enjoyed this book too much to relegate it to "predictable" but the ending is what you would expect it to be. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a few hours of Chick Lit enjoyment though.

MORE THAN A MISTRESS

MORE THAN A MISTRESS - BY MARY BALOGH

"More than a Mistress" is a story about the romance of Jane and Jocelyn. Jane and Jocelyn have a rather inauspicious beginning; he has been challenged to a duel over another man's wife, she interrupts the duel and is somehow blamed by everyone for getting him shot.

When Jane arrives to her new job as a milliner's (that's a hat maker) assistant and delivers her tale about being delayed by a dueling Duke (Jocelyn is a Duke) she is laughed out of the shop and told she can have her job back if she gets a signed note from the Duke verifying her "story". Outraged at losing her job and being laughed at, Jane decides she will have that note and somehow finds herself not only in the Duke's mansion, but in his bedroom assisting the doctor in removing the bullet from his leg. Naturally, Jane is then employed as the Duke's nurse during his convalescence.

In between making verbal barbs at each other for the two weeks he spends recovering, the two being taking notice of each other in other ways. Their growing attraction culminates with their first kiss one night when, conveniently, neither could sleep. When she walks in on him playing the piano one night, he is initially angry but his anger leads to passion as they share their first kiss, in which every part of Jane's body, "sizzled with awareness and ached with desire."

Since Jocelyn is not without his principles he can let things go no farther between them while she is living in his house as a servant. He therefore suggests that maybe she would consider becoming his mistress, which is when the novel begins to heat up.

Despite being a "Lady" Jane consents to this because she is a bit of a fugitive; having defended herself from the unwanted advances of a cousin she has fled from home, taking with her a bracelet that had belonged to her mother - her Uncle has since let it be (falsely) believed that she has killed her cousin and robbed the family.

And so she becomes Jocelyn's mistress and they are both a bit overwhelmed, and embarrassed, by the passion and feelings that arise in them during their first, chapter long love scene. Their relationship is a constant step forward and then one back; she is confused by his coldness after a moment of passion, he begins to open up to her, he thinks she is ashamed to be his mistress when she is really unwilling to go out because Bow Street Runners are searching for her. The indulge together in their love of culture; she embroiders while he reads her Jane Austen, she reads while he plays the piano, she sings for him, until she does become more than a mistress.

But of course the truth about her past had to be revealed eventually and when it does Jocelyn is horrified that she has not only deceived him but that in doing so he made a Lady his mistress (which is apparently a horrible thing to do). And of course the revelation leads straight to the alter, well with, I have to say, an unexpected detour or two.

(There is also a subplot involving Jocelyn's brother, the lady the duel was fought over, and her brother's repeated attempts at getting "satisfaction" but I'll leave that an easy to forget subplot.)

A SUITABLE VENGEANCE - A KIRKUS STYLE REVIEW

In "A Suitable Vengeance" Elizabeth George delivers a prequel in order to provide her dedicated readers with some insight into the earlier lives and relationships of Inspector Thomas Lynley and forensic scientist Simon Allcourt-St. James. In a book billed as a "mystery" novel, the mystery is never very mysterious or intriguing. The death and castration of a local journalist is the first of the bodies to pile up, but doesn't do so nearly early enough in this novel; the reader is forced to anticipate the introduction of a mystery for over 100 pages. The mystery itself and its subsequent solving are secondary; the novel is bogged down with relationship angst and a love triangle, which may appeal to dedicated fans of the series and characters but befuddle and annoy those not familiar with the series looking for a page turner. Those looking for an edge of your seat page turner would be best to look elsewhere, those looking for a slow paced romance with a dash of mystery may just find this fulfills their needs.

GENERATION KILL - Get Some

Generation Kill by Evan Wright

I just finished reading "Generation Kill", my foray into non-fiction, and I have to say I'm glad I made it.

"Generation Kill" is the story of the First Recon Marines' part in the initial invasion of Iraq in March 2003, as witnessed and reported by the embedded reporter (Evan Wright) who was with them. Evan Wright initially wrote this as a series of articles for Rolling Stone Magazine, the articles were later built upon and became this book (and later became a fantastic HBO mini-series!). I appreciate that the author doesn't really inject the book with his personal feelings about the war, but rather just relays events as they happened.

I really enjoyed this book, not because I particularly love accounts of war, but because of the people in the book. I think Evan Wright really manages to capture and portray the Marine's of the First Recon Battalion as the intriguing characters that I'm sure they are. The things that come out of their mouths at time range from the ridiculous obscene to the ridiculously thoughtful and I have to say I enjoyed it tremendously.

"Generation Kill" focuses primarily on Bravo Company and more specifically on the lead vehicle (the one the reporter rode in) commanded by Sergeant Brad Colbert. Colbert's vehicle is comprised of Colbert, driver Corporal Josh Ray Person, Lance Corporal Harold Trombley, and Corporal Walter Hasser. The banter that goes on in the lead Humvee range from the hilarious to the disturbing. Person, living off of amphetamines regales the Humvee with his theories of war, sings Avril Lavigne songs, and rails on the idiotic things going on around them. Colbert, nicknamed "iceman" is the calming, parental influence in the Humvee, often telling Person to stop talking while making sure everyone is taking care of themselves and "staying frosty". Trombley is often a bit on the disturbing side, telling outlandish stories of his childhood and complaining, early on, like a child over not having shot anyone yet. (the fourth member of the team rides with his head outside the Humvee manning the gun and therefore says and offers very little to the story).

I think First Recon's part in the invasion is really secondary to the stories of the Marine's themselves. Despite being trained (and often eager) to kill, you really feel for the Marine's anger and emotion when a civilian is mistakenly shot and their frustration about how ineffective they were at maintaining order once in Baghdad. You also lament with them over what they see as incompetent leadership from their officers much as we civilians deride our bosses at times. And just when you think you have a grasp of the character of a certain Marine, they do or say something that really throws you.

Writing home to his wife, Sergeant Antonio Espera, who loves nothing more than a good rant about the evil's of the white man, says:

"I've learned there are two types of people in Iraq, those who are very good and those who are dead. I'm very good. I've lost twenty pounds, shaved my head, started smoking, my feet have rotted off, and I move from filthy hole to filthy hole every night. I see dead children and people everywhere and function in a void of indifference. I keep you and our daughter locked away deep down inside, and I try not to look there."

Its those sort of passages, for me, that really made this book enjoyable. It was the surprising things people would say, the camaraderie and love they clearly had for each other, and getting to hear their thoughts and feelings on what was going on.

There are so many notable characters in this book, I wish I could write in detail about them all and share all the funny things they all say, but then this would go on forever so best to just read it for yourself (or watch the mini-series).

Also, as far as non-fiction goes, its sort of fun to know that these people are real people with real lives, so real that I even follow one of them on twitter!

MY CLASSIC - VILLETTE

I've just finished reading Villette by Charlotte Bronte and honestly I don't really know how to feel about it. It was hard to get into, it was time commitment, it was slow paced, very introspective, but it was intriguing.

Villette tells the story of Lucy Snowe, and girl at the beginning of the story who, at 14, has experienced great loss. The losses she has suffered in the past are never detailed, but they are clearly integral to Lucy's psyche and therefore the story; Villette is very much a story of the inner turmoil Lucy experiences throughout her life as a result of dealing, or not dealing, with losing her family.

The story opens with Lucy staying with her godmother and her godmother's son Graham, the Brettons of Bretton. Also a resident in the house at the time is another young girl, Polly, who was seemingly dumped upon the Brettons while her father dealt with the death of his wife. During this time, Lucy is very much an observer; it is unclear to the reader who the female protagonist of the novel will be. However, once this little party at Bretton breaks up, the reader follows Lucy on her path towards whatever it is she is looking for, escape perhaps.

First she ensconces herself with an old, invalid lady, acting as companion until the lady's death. Next Lucy travels to London, where on a whim she boards a boat to France. On the journey to France she meets Ginevra Fanshawe, who mentions in passing the school she attends and a vacancy for an English speaking teacher. Words spoken casually by Ginevra lead Lucy to the town of Villette and a school run by Madame Beck, who takes her in and employs her.

The past that Lucy is perhaps trying to forget has an uncanny way of emerging in Villette; Lucy is soon reunited with Dr. John Graham Bretton, her godmother Mrs. Bretton, and Polly and her father (now a rich count going by a different name). Lucy seems to have mixed feelings about all of these people returning to her life; she relishes their company while in it, but she never seems to want to become to close to any of them. She keeps herself isolated throughout the novel. At points I questioned her sanity as she experiences a sort of mental breakdown and seemingly has several run ins with the ghost of a nun.

In addition to her mental turmoil, Lucy also comes into a lot of flak for her religion. Villette seems to be quite the Catholic town, as a Protestant she is seen as quite the oddity; people don't quite know what to think of her. A fellow teacher at Madame Beck's school, M. Paul Emanuel, tries, unsuccessfully, throughout to convince her to convert to Catholicism. This is, apparently, a constant point of strife in their relationship.

Villette seems like a very personal novel. The reader is constantly in the head of Lucy Snowe, privy to all of her whims, fears, neuroses; the reader sees happiness within her reach and watches her continually let is slip away due to her seemingly overwhelming doubts about her own worth, first in her relationship with John Bretton and then in her relationship with Paul Emanuel.

Despite the personal success Lucy manages to achieve for herself (she begins the novel with nothing, a poor orphan, and ends as the Directrice of a school), is not a particularly uplifting or happy novel. I think someone could make quite the study of the mental state of Lucy Snowe, she seems to be a character begging to be analyzed ad infinitum. I personally chose not to analyze the flaws in her character and the coarse her life took because of those flaws anymore and instead take her advice, "let them picture union and a happy succeeding life." And since I love a happy ending, this is what I will do.

QUALITY V. DEMAND, AKA GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT

Following our discussion in class today, I think that thinking about just how far to take the whole "give the people what they want" philosophy, because at some point I do think the line has to be drawn.
Obviously, a lot of what the library can give the people, as far as whether they want it or not, comes down to budgetary issues, which I don't really care to delve in to too much right now. We all know there's no money.
I think that as librarians, or future librarians, it is important for us to put the patron first. I come from a retail background, very customer oriented, making the customer happy and giving them what they want is what we did. And I think that can translate a lot into the library field.
I think there is value and educational opportunities in so many things that perhaps academics might turn their nose up at. Years ago, I made it my business to attempt to locate and read every Barbara Cartland book out there. Sure, they are completely formulaic and predictable, if you've read one you can predict the plot of every other, but I don't think there is any reason to devalue them because of that. For some people reading anything, no matter what, is huge. And also, I learned quit a bit about British history from those books (in very small doses, but I did learn things!).
During the same period of time I also wanted to read all of the Bantam Classics (needles to say I have not completed this yet). Some people may think that this is a more worthwhile use of time since are well respected works of literature. But honestly, I don't know that any of them left me with any more lasting knowledge that then formulic novels that take 2 hours maximum to read. Reading the classics may give a sense of cultural fulfillment lacking from the more mundane things I tend to read, but I digress really.
Back to librarians and the issue of giving the patron what want vs. giving them what we would like to see them read. I dont think that we should force anything on anyone nor should we judge the reading choices people make. A lot of people probably don't have a lot of time and when the read they want it to be an entertaining few hours, a chance to just lose yourself in nothing to serious and I think that is a very important part of books and what they provide people. I think that it is possible to sort of encourage people not to forget the classics and the more literary works out there.
I think Jane Austen is, right now, the prime example of how genres can meet and a modern, light hearted, perhaps not intellectually deep novel can segue into a teenager a picking up a classic novel, reading, loving, and coming back for more. You can't walk 5 feet in a book store these days without bumping into some Jane Austen spin off novel, whether it involves vampires, book clubs, knitting, time travel, etc; you name it there is a book involving Jane Austen (and probably Mr. Darcy) and it. Someone who knows nothing about Jane Auten could inadvertently, or by reccomendation, pick up one of these novels, read it, enjoy it, and then probably have the desire to read the classic that all these books are based upon.
I think the Jane Austen / Pride and Prejudice fervor that seems to be sweeping through book stores right now is an extreme case, but it is an example. The Vampire craze among teens right now presents the perfect opportunity for a mischievous librarian to send a teenager home with a copy of Dracula. Give the patron a few classics with a read-a-like list and they may be tricked into reading, and enjoying them.
I don't think anyone really has the authority to pass judgment on what is or is not quality to someone else. We can judge the quality of the writing, but if it satisfies the patron perhaps they would find quality and value in a poorly written book. We can suggest things, we can listen (and should) listen to what the patron wants, we can provide them with what they want; once they leave the library though I think determining whether or not a book is quality and what its value is, is ultimately up to the discretion of the patron. We can hint and suggest at things that we think are "good" we cannot force others to agree with us.

FLIRTING WITH DANGER

In Suzanne Enoch's first foray into contemporary fiction, she delivers a light hearted, romantic suspense novel that proves to be light on suspense and big on romance.

Samantha Jellicoe, world renown cat burglar, is hired to steal a rare, ancient tablet from billionaire businessman Richard Addison. Despite her best laid plans, things do not go according to plan as she is discovered first by a security guard and then by Addison. The evening further deteriorates for her as a bomb is detonated in the art gallery. Samantha knocks Richard out of the way and manages to drag him to safety before disappearing into the night.

Despite her failure to acquire the ancient tablet and her heroic actions in saving Richard Addison, Samantha quickly becomes the prime, and only, suspect in the crime. Knowing that she cannot clear her name alone, she drops in on Richard Addison one evening to solicit his help in finding the real perpetrator of the crime. Relectantly he agrees and an unlikely partnership is formed.

The chemistry between Richard and Samantha is instantaneous, the trust between then takes a bit longer. As possible suspects continue to wind up dead and all signs of guilt continue to point towards Samantha, it takes all of Samantha's cunning and power to ferret out the truth.

Losely based on the Hitchcock classic, "To Catch a Thief" Enoch's character straddle a fine line between being victims and criminals. The boundary between law abiding citizen and lawless citizen is blurred in the quest for the truth. Richard is torn between judgment of Samantha's chosen career path and knowledge that his dealings are not always on the right side of the law. The characters do not want sympathy though, they are both secure in their choices, both the good and the bad ones.

Of course in the end, the mystery is solved and the hero and heroine are left to enjoy their momentary happily ever after.

Readers looking for a well developed, suspensful story may be disappointed in the novel's clear focus on the characters rather than the mystery. Readers looking for a brief escape in a light hearted romantic tale with a touch of suspense will probably be satisfied, in which case they will be please to discover that Richard and Samantha crime catching partnership continues on in three additional books.

I CAN'T SEE WHERE I AM...GOING

This is my blog for S524 - Adult Readers Advisory.

Its Saturday and I'm trying to be an A+ student and organizing myself for the semester. So far I seem to have just made a hash out of all the various papers I have printed off (probably a whole trees worth). I think tomorrow will be a more productive day for studious pursuits, a bit further removed from the foggy aftermath of Friday night.