December 2008
14 posts
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What Not to Read: 2008 Year-End Edition*
At the end of 2007, I asked Sarasota County Librarians to name the worst book they’d read that year. Now, it’s the end of 2008 and time for more worst picks!
I give you What Not to Read: 2008 Year-End Edition* (from all library staff who responded in time):
“While I Was Gone” by Sue Miller. Library Staff Person #1 said, “While not terrible, [this was] the one book...
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"You must do the thing you think you cannot do."
—Eleanor Roosevelt (found on WikiQuote)
I’ll be pondering this idea while I think about setting goals for the new year.
What are your goals for 2009?
See what other people’s goals are on 43Things.
Get tips on how to set goals so that you might actually achieve them on wikiHow, eHow and StevePavlina.
And, I think books under the subjects “conduct of life,”...
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End of the Year Lists
It’s the time of year for the best and worst of everything. Take a look at the Book Design Review for the best book covers of 2008.And then vote on your favorite.
Here’s the one I like the best.
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Monkey Monday! →
A very funny photoset on Flickr: Monkey Monday!*
“Monkey Monday - 36” sums up my feelings of exhaustion due to Christmas-related stress exactly.
Find out about real monkeys at your library—search SUNCAT for the subject “Monkeys.” If you prefer other primates, try “Gorilla,” “Chimpanzees,” “Orangutan,” “Bonobo,” etc. as...
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"A noise like of a hidden brook...."*
SimplyNoise.com is truly the best thing ever!
I tried this free, online white, pink and brown/red noise generator today, and it’s a lifesaver for helping me concentrate in a noisy office.
And, who knew noise had so many colors?! I prefer the sound of brown/red noise—it reminds me of the sound of a hard rain.
Want to know more about noise and its properties?
Search SUNCAT for the...
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Consumer Confidence
I saw this oddly reassuring* report last night on PBS’ Newshour: “In Case You Missed It: Low Consumer Confidence Limits Holiday Spending” (That link has video. A transcript of the video should be posted soon.)
A large part of the report focused on how important understanding the cause and effect of economic events is to consumer confidence—Very interesting!
The authors of...
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The Art of Giving and RE-Giving
Are you a re-gifter? It’s nothing to be ashamed of since re-gifting is not only thrifty but also “green” (remember: reduce, reuse, recycle).
Full confession: I have indeed re-gifted and will likely re-gift again.
If you’re a regifter, too, join me on our own special day: National Regifting Day, December 18, 2008. The Librarians’ Internet Index lists 2 sites for...
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Top Ten Love
One of my favorite things about the end of the year is all the “top” and “countdown” lists that come out—for TV shows, for movies, for events, and especially for books!
(Maybe I’m lazy and want someone else to tell me what to see, read, do, but I think it’s that I’m nosy and want to know what everyone else’s favorites are.)
I feel I hit the...
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Island of Misfit Toys...but for books
Each year (since birth), my holiday includes watching the “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” Christmas TV special. That’s the show that includes the heartbreaking story of “The Island of Misfit Toys“—“an island sanctuary where defective and unwanted toys are sent.”
The thought of that island with those neglected toys makes me tear up every time! Each...
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Best Illustrated Children's Books 2008, from the...
Do you ever read picture books? You don’t have to have children or be a child to appreciate their beauty.
Each year, the NYTimes asks a panel to select the best illustrated children’s books. Here are this year’s selections:
“A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams” by Jen Bryant, illus. by Melissa Sweet
“We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro...
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Paper Snowflakes (and other holiday crafts)
I found a photoset of instructions on Flickr for making 3-D paper snowflakes like this:
*
I’ll be making my snowflakes out of shiny wrapping paper. How about you?
If you’re looking for more instructions for holiday decorations and crafts, try searching the library catalog for these subjects:
Christmas decorations
Hanukkah decorations
Kwanzaa decorations
Holiday decorations
...
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100 Notable Books of 2008 →
From the NY Times Book Review: “The Book Review has selected this list from books reviewed since Dec. 2, 2007, when we published our previous Notables list.”
Source: Seen on Library Link of the Day, November 29, 2008.
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Read a New Book Month
December is “Read a New Book Month” according to the Elsie Quirk Library’s Youth Calendar:
I don’t usually re-read books. So, I’ll interpret “Read a New Book” to mean reading a new genre or type of book. Are you a re-reader? Or do you tend to pick the same sort of books all the time?
I almost never read sci-fi. December will, therefore, be the month I...