Now that I'm back at the public library, I have some free time to write! My job at the UL on campus is so busy that I have no time to spare to write a blog post. Perhaps once school starts and I have some more reference desk and collaboratory hours, I'll be able to write more blog entries. My free time has been filled as just that - free time. No more staring at the computer except when I'm at work. I haven't even been working on my online portfolio website as much as I would like! Instead, I've been reading (lots), knitting, and sewing.
At the UL, I've been working on some online tutorials using Adobe Captivate. It's a really fun program where I can take video screen shots and create demonstrations. I first used it for my How to Read and LC Call Number (you'll need Flash player installed to see it) tutorial and am currently working on one demonstrating how to search the new UNC-CH library catalog (with Endeca).
I've read quite a few books this summer. Not as many as I would have hoped, but enough, I suppose. Here is a list in rough chronological order:
Pledged by Alexandra Robbins was everything I wished it would be. I have always been intrigued by sororities, mostly by the secret society feel of them. If I went to a bigger university, I probably would have looked into some kind of sorority.. But I swear, it would have been a service one! Possibly even co-ed! Anyway, it was a good read. Very voyeuristic.
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen was an alright book. I enjoyed reading about old circuses and it made me long for my childhood days of glowing plastic Barnum & Bailey swords... But I like elephants, so it was sad. I read this for the SILS Summer Book Club. It was one of the few that I actually finished reading.
When You are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris was, of course, hilarious. I enjoy Sedaris' witty prose and especially reading about his childhood in Raleigh. There was much more in this book about his relationship with Hugh and their life in France. Strangely, a huge chunk of the book is one story about quitting smoking. I knew that would be the theme of this book, but I was surprised to see that it was almost 1/4 of the book. It felt different from his other essays because of the length.
Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon is the fourth book in the six book Outlander series. I am in love with this series. So as not to spoil anything for any readers not yet to this book, I can't say anything about it! I'm holding off on reading the next book until I finish my current book club book.
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman was the other SILS Summer Book Club book that I actually finished reading. It was very interesting to read about the Hmong culture. I learned a whole lot about them and a lot more than I thought I would in this book about a Hmong girl with epilepsy.
The Ballad of Frankie Silver by Sharyn McCrumb I listened to on audiobook. It was great to listen while driving and knitting and sewing! This was one of those dual stories with alternating chapters (at least, I think they were alternating chapters... It was hard to tell without seeing the pages) about different characters. One was a historical fiction about the first woman hung for murder in NC (Morganton!) in the mid-19th Century. The other storyline was about a fictional murder trial in Tennessee about some hikers that were killed on the Appalachian Trail. Intriguing...
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick was just too pretty of a book not to read. I read it in on a nice, sunny afternoon on my porch. Although it was about 3 inches thick, the pages flew by. Over half of the book is composed of beautifully detailed drawings. It is a wonderful story about a magician, an automaton, and the flickies.
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy is what I'm currently reading. It feels so abstract and ephemeral. I'm not sure that I'll know what I think of it until I'm finished. This is the final SILS Summer Book Club book. I've been wanting to read it for a while now. The cover is just so familiar feeling.
Some books that have been vying for my attention this summer that I didn't get a chance to read are:
When You are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris was, of course, hilarious. I enjoy Sedaris' witty prose and especially reading about his childhood in Raleigh. There was much more in this book about his relationship with Hugh and their life in France. Strangely, a huge chunk of the book is one story about quitting smoking. I knew that would be the theme of this book, but I was surprised to see that it was almost 1/4 of the book. It felt different from his other essays because of the length.Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon is the fourth book in the six book Outlander series. I am in love with this series. So as not to spoil anything for any readers not yet to this book, I can't say anything about it! I'm holding off on reading the next book until I finish my current book club book.The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman was the other SILS Summer Book Club book that I actually finished reading. It was very interesting to read about the Hmong culture. I learned a whole lot about them and a lot more than I thought I would in this book about a Hmong girl with epilepsy.The Ballad of Frankie Silver by Sharyn McCrumb I listened to on audiobook. It was great to listen while driving and knitting and sewing! This was one of those dual stories with alternating chapters (at least, I think they were alternating chapters... It was hard to tell without seeing the pages) about different characters. One was a historical fiction about the first woman hung for murder in NC (Morganton!) in the mid-19th Century. The other storyline was about a fictional murder trial in Tennessee about some hikers that were killed on the Appalachian Trail. Intriguing...The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick was just too pretty of a book not to read. I read it in on a nice, sunny afternoon on my porch. Although it was about 3 inches thick, the pages flew by. Over half of the book is composed of beautifully detailed drawings. It is a wonderful story about a magician, an automaton, and the flickies.The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy is what I'm currently reading. It feels so abstract and ephemeral. I'm not sure that I'll know what I think of it until I'm finished. This is the final SILS Summer Book Club book. I've been wanting to read it for a while now. The cover is just so familiar feeling.Some books that have been vying for my attention this summer that I didn't get a chance to read are:
- The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffeneger
- The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
- People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
- The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon
- The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
- and anything by John Irving!
3 comments:
Alisa, let me know if you'd like a reviewer for your UNC-CH library catalog tutorial.
Wow, thanks! I'd be honored. I will be posting a link as soon as I finish, but I could also email it to you directly if you'd like!
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