Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter by Seth Graham-Smith

Reading this book was a guilty pleasure. The truth, however, is that this book is a fraud. But a fraud I highly recommend. It is really a very accessible biography of Abraham Lincoln, with a few vampires thrown in so people will read it. I read an interview of the author and he said that he was in a bookstore and found a big popular display of Twilight (the precipitator of vampire mania in the publishing world) and Team of Rivals, (the latest premier Lincoln biography.) He figured what would really sell was a Lincoln vampire book! And was he ever right! He said in that same interview that Lincoln is such a great man that he had to make sure the book reflected his integrity, which I feel it does. I learned a great deal about the man, his family, and his politics. I haven’t seen the movie yet, but I fear that Hollywood will change the emphasis from Lincoln to vampires. Too bad. I hope tons of kids are reading this book and absorbing some critical American history as they indulged their vampire cravings. Now both Team of Rivals by Goodwin and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Graham-Smith top my “To Read” list.

Still Life by Louise Penny

Still Life by Louise Penny is fundamentally a murder mystery. However, the mystery itself takes a back seat to the engaging, well-developed characters and the setting of the story. The story takes place in the apparently invented village of Three Pines in the Quebec Providence. The village is not on the way to anywhere. It is hard to find, but visitors that happen upon it often choose to stay. The vistas are breath taking, but the weather can be brutal, providing a perfect home for characters ranging from hardy outdoorsmen to sensitive artist. The villagers are quirky and complex. But the unthinkable happens in the town where no one locks their doors. A murder takes place, bringing Inspector Armand Gamache and his team into the mix. I didn’t think I would ever appreciate a detective as much as I do P.D. James’s Inspector Dalglish, but I believe I like Gamache better. After finishing the book, I felt like I had experienced a psychological examination of all the characters and their interactions. We are left with the comforting understanding that everyone has “baggage” that they are not proud of, and that it is up to each individual to rise above his perceived potential. The books in infused with literary reference and life homilies that you have the urge to jot down and live by.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

There is good news and bad news about the novel, Divergent, by Veronica Roth. The bad new is that it is SO much like Hunger Games that it is disturbing. The good news is that it is SO much like Hunger Games, that kids who loved Hunger Games will love this as well. This Dystopian novel shares the same tone and mood as Hunger Games. The amount and severity of the violence is similar. The love story is equally alluring. It is written in the same 1st person present tense style. Both books are about competition between teens that have life altering ramifications. Both books are extremely well written. It is almost as if Collins and Roth attended the same author workshop. I have to admit, that as with Hunger Games, I couldn’t put Divergent down and I can’t wait for the next one.

The Predicteds by Christine Seifert

Occasionally I read a book that makes me wish for a moment that I could teach just one more junior honors English class. The Predicteds by Christine Seifert, was one of them. There were several pluses to the book from the start. Seifert is a fellow Utahan. Also this is a first novel, which is always intriguing.

The book brought out some issues that would be a treat to debate with a classroom of students. The book stirred echoes in me of A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. The question raised in both works is, "What rights does society have to deal with potentially evil people if we had the power to predict their actions?" What is the balance between the rights of a society to live in safety and free of fear and the rights of those who threaten that safety and peace? I read Clockwork Orange when I was young and frequently saw the world in blacks and whites. I thought the antagonist should suffer the fate he so clearly (in my mind) deserved. I realized that with age, the blacks and whites of my youth have grayed substantially.

I appreciate Seifert for bringing this issue to light in a book that contains both compelling characters and a believable plot. Seifert manages to portray the high school scene and young adult angst that will ring true with her intended audience. I look forward to reading more from her.

Cutting for stone

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


You know a book has touched you when your fingers itch to write down quotes that speek to you. Thoughts like, "We come unbidden into this life, and if we are lucky we find a purpose beyond starvation, misery, and early death which, lest we forget, is the common lot," reach out to us.

Simple phrases like, "You live life forward, but understand it backward" and "life's only sure blessing ---sleep," resonate as truths that should not be forgotten.

My favorite parable in Cutting for Stone was the parable of the slippers and before I can get rid of my own personal slippers, I must take Verghese's advice and begin by admitting they are mine.

"Wasn't that the definition of home? Not where you are from, but where you are wanted?"

The story was great and I found that I couldn't mark any more passages simply because I couldn't put the book down.

"Not only our actions, but also our omissions, become our destiny." Enrich your destiny by reading Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese



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Be a Library Advocate!

At our recent Utah state school library conference, Ann Ewbank gave the Keynote address on Advocacy entitled:  Ensuring Libraries for a Lifetime.  She challenged us to find the library goal that we felt passionate about so that we could be effective advocates for libraries.  

Immediately all the dazzling current library "buzz words"  popped into my mind, like information literacy, 21st century learning, technology enriched learning, social media enhanced libraries, best practices, and on and on.  But then I was struck with the basic truth.   When I strip away all the concealing layers to get at the real essential core of what is most important about libraries, I find the old-fashioned, and sometimes lost concept:  Reading enriches lives. I want children to love reading. 

Mark Twain knew the importance of reading when he said, "The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them."

There are three main reasons why life-long readers live more enriched lives:

Reading improves learning.  Readers have higher vocabularies and are introduced to a wider range of ideas and philosophies.  Thinking is an integral part of reading.  Just consider the number of Bloom’s Taxonomy verbs readers employ like critic, predict, select, argue, appraise, Evaluate, analyze, relate, and rank.   

Reading broadens horizons.  Anyone who reads is able to vicariously travel through time and space and have experiences they would likely never have.  Everyone is equal when reading a book.  Finances, social standing, and physical limitations are no longer barriers to participation.

Reading enhances tolerance.   Recently I read a book called, Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea.  I thought I had solidified my feelings on illegal immigration.   But this book caused a mind-shift and introduced concepts I had never considered.  This is just one of literally thousands of similar metamorphosis that people go through every day as they read.   By familiarizing ourselves with how others feel, we see all that makes us alike, rather than all that makes us different. 

During the Olympics, Lindsey Vonn, Apollo Ohno, Shani Davis, Shaun White, and the other outstanding athletes reminded us that the key to success is practice, practice, practice.  Libraries can give children resources that will help them practice.  Every child will benefit by being an Olympic reader.  I want our libraries to be the place where kids can find that there is something enjoyable for everyone to read and that reading will change their lives.

Role of libraries

I can see how instructional technology supports education for students.  Much irrefutable evidence, as well as much chatter,  supports this concept.  Besides, I remember how it was before IT departments and I wouldn't want to go back. 

However, I believe strongly that those of us who are involved in libraries are uniquely situated to aide students in a primary way to ensure that they succeed in college.  It is evident in our mission statement.  We are determined to make kids effective in acquiring, evaluating, and utilizing information.  If they leave our schools proficient in those skills, they WILL succeed in college.  Again there is irrefutable evidence and much said about how it is NOT  'what you know' that counts, it is how well you have honed your skills at locating critical information and knowing when you have found it and how to use it.  Technology is a vital tool for accomplishing that goal.

There is one point that I don't think gets said enough.  As supporters of libraries we offer a service that goes beyond the desire to help students succeed in college.   We have the opportunity to train kids to be lovers of reading that can greatly enrich their lives.  Books can be portkeys that take students anywhere or anywhen they wish to go, even if they decided to be eternal fast food employees.  What a gift.