Darn those late fines

This is just going to be a monthly redirect because...why not. 

Here are my thoughts on overdues and late fines in the independent school library world. Those who know me, I promise this is motivated by more than my inability to return library books on time and the fact that I could probably pay my mortgage in fines accrued over the years. (In fact...let's all pause while I open another tab...darn it. Because 2 books from Baltimore ended up back in Florida after the winter break and still haven't been returned, I have a $6.25 fee from five states away.) 
But, personal feelings aside: "When is it due?"...and other library vocabulary

Comments appreciated in either space.

Friday 6th period

It's Friday afternoon. I've had the same pile of books on my desk for processing for the past two days. I'm coordinating details for a public library field trip Tuesday. I'm doing dishes from a faculty potluck. While I could be overwhelmed with my current schedule, how awesome is it to return after lunch and see this in my space. Readers. Chess players. Teacher consultations. One napper. Life is good. 

Helpful Librarian. Unhelpful Librarian

I've heard it said that one bad interaction counteracts 10 positive ones. Makes sense to me. When people get what they want, especially if it's easy, their memories are short on the details. When they are frustrated or angry, that impression lingers.

I was trying to find the original citation for a quotation for a student yesterday.

If you're interested in playing along at home, here's the information I had.

Speaker was Mike Tyson. "Everyone (or everybody) has a plan until they get punched in the face."

After a few searches and a trip to both of my quote dictionaries (yes they exist, and yes they're as awesome as they sound), I decided to try the Ask a Librarian Chat service.

You have been connected to Bryan W - Pasco County Library System.
Bryan W - Pasco County Library System: Hi Christina, I would check the footnotes in the bibliography in the back of the book. This will usually state where or when the quote was said originally.
Christina: It's not in a book. It's on business and sports sites. Can't find the original.
Bryan W - Pasco County Library System: I would try checking the site to see if it is stated anywhere on that site. I would also recommend navigating the Internet a little bit to see where it is mentioned. Youtube may even have interviews that state when and where certain quotes were said.
Christina: Yes, I have done all of that.
Christina: It seems to be an aphorism at this point.
Christina: I have also limited by date to only get earlier references, but there is no original.
Christina: I have also tried quote and phrase dictionaries.
Bryan W - Pasco County Library System: Well in that case I see what you mean. This may have been a quote that could have been said at anytime or place. There have also been various books written on Mike Tyson that may have that quote in them. However if this is a question based strictly on websites I do not know if that will help. Google Scholar may also work for you, it has a lot of information on various topics.
Bryan W - Pasco County Library System: Can I help you with anything else today?
Christina: I would still like to find the origin of the quote. There is nothing on google scholar either.
Bryan W - Pasco County Library System: I will try checking a little bit more hold on
Bryan W - Pasco County Library System: It seems like this could have been said anywhere at any time almost like it was never documented.
Christina: okay. Thank you.
Bryan W - Pasco County Library System: Your welcome. Hope this helped a little.
Bryan W - Pasco County Library System: Thank you for using Ask a Librarian, and we hope you come again.
Bryan W - Pasco County Library System has left the session. 

Your librarian is experiencing technical difficulties. Please stand by while we re-establish contact or find a new librarian... 
Please wait while we find a librarian to assist you. 

You have been connected to Rhonda T - NWFSC.
Rhonda T - NWFSC: Hello, welcome to Ask a Librarian. I am Rhonda T - NWFSC and I will be assisting you today. Please wait a moment while I consider your question...
Rhonda T - NWFSC: This is the information I found and I will send you the URL
Rhonda T - NWFSC: "Everyone has a plan/strategy until they’ve been hit/punched (in the face/mouth)” is a boxing adage meaning that brutal reality can change even the best of prepared plans. A similar saying exists about military planning—“No plan survives contact with the enemy.” The boxing/military saying has also been used in business, government and other fields. “Everyone has a plan until they’ve been hit” has been credited by Wikipedia to the boxer Joe Louis (1914-1981), but it’s not clear if he ever said it.

Brooklyn-born boxer Mike Tyson is most frequently credited with the saying. In October 1987, HBO’s Barry Tompkins quoted Mike Tyson as saying, “They all have a plan...until they get hit.”
The librarian is sending you to http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/everyone_has_a_plan_until_theyve_been_hit_boxing_adage/.
Christina: Thank you!
Rhonda T - NWFSC: It looks like the quote is from the 1930-40s and was by Joe Louis.
Christina: Wow. Very interesting. It seemed like sloppy journalism that no one mentioned where the quotation originated.
Rhonda T - NWFSC: They get changed - that is the power and craziness of the Internet. One sec. I may have more.
The librarian is sending you to http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/joelouis.htm.
Rhonda T - NWFSC: trying to find the first mention of it
Rhonda T - NWFSC: sorry -
The librarian is sending you to http://www.tysontalk.com/quotes/quotes-by-mike-tyson.
Rhonda T - NWFSC: This is a place it was attributed to Tyson, but there are no references to back it up.
Christina: That makes sense. This is more than I needed. Thank you so much!
Rhonda T - NWFSC: Welcome!
Rhonda T - NWFSC: Thank you for using Ask a Librarian, and we hope you come again.
Thank you for using Ask a Librarian. You may now close this window.

I fully admit that I use external help for difficult queries. Note the difference in the two interactions. The student got what he needed, and we both learned a lot more than expected about the real history of this quotation. 

Reading Statistics

It may be surprising if you know me to find that I post all the books that I read on Shelfari. Shelfari is a website that tracks reading lists and offers information about books, rather like Goodreads or Library Thing. I recognize that this means my personal information and reading habits are shared with "big data," particularly in the years since Amazon purchased Shelfari. Even the least astute amateur statistician can look at the chart below and see the year that I started using Shelfari. Coincidentally the year I started grad school in Information Science? The reason that some books are backdated is that if I reread a book, I assign a second date with the year I first read it. If you keep in mind that my specialization in grad school was teen lit, then it makes sense that I took the opportunity to reread favorites from my own teen years. 

If you look at the bottom of this chart, you'll see that it tracks your reading pace for the year. Can I say that I'm almost always behind because I catch up on reading during the Christmas break at the end of the year, and thus I generally find this number quite stressful, even though it's *completely* arbitrary and meaningless.I'm only ahead right now because I had three mostly complete books that I finished on New Year's Day, and then read on a 7 hour flight across the country.

 So, as a consolation prize for offering information about my reading habits, I'm able to see statistics about them. Since the last book I bought for myself was ....ummmm....ummmm...I support libraries....not memorable, at least I know that they are not influencing my purchasing habits. I'm aware that the comparison of my reading patterns to those of a group that voluntarily signed up for a book tracking website gives me no additional information about the reading patterns of Americans as a whole. That said, I'm a little surprised about the alignment between my reading and the group's.

Are the less popular categories lower because less is published, and less is publicized, in those fields? I was surprised that romance and thriller were lower for me at first. I'm betting that this categorizes in one field. I don't usually read mass-market paperback thriller or romance. I find those themes in adult and teen fiction. So it's a bit limiting if each book is only allowed one category.

Finally, getting to the point that inspired this the other day, I can see my own rating patterns over time and within genres. For instance, I may think that I like travel books, but of the 20 that I've read, only 1 received a 5. (It was Behind the Beautiful Forevers. When I picked it up, I didn't realize that it wasn't a fictionalized account of true events. It's devastating in it's treatment of Indian poverty throughout recent industrialization.) Proportionally, there should only be 2 5-star books, but there aren't that many 4's either. 

Since I read a lot, I'm not surprised that most books are 3's. If you don't particularly inspire me and you aren't particularly memorable, automatic 3. 4's and 2's swing one way or the other. Some books get 5's because they are enjoyable, and others because I think they are well-written and I learned a lot. It's hard to get a 1. Are there typos or incorrect "facts?" Is it just too pompous to be taken seriously? You don't want to be a 1. (As I look through the list, I'm groaning in remembrance of 13 of the 14. The final was the first book in a trashy teen series that I devour from the Catonsville library every time I go home to see my parents. It's not particularly literary, but I forgot that there was ever a point when I wasn't entertained by it. Memory, thy fickle friend.)

Though it's been helpful to me personally and professionally, in no way am I pushing this or other book tracking services. I'm probably asked for book recommendations more than the average person. If you're searching online after this anyway, the site is Shelfari. If you're on the site, find me, and we can follow each other.

End-of-Year Book Lists

Totally acceptable to take a month off for the Christmas holiday, right?

What about for SNOW?!?

Or panoramas of the Puget Sound? 

My family lives in amazing places, that's for sure. And there was a fair bit of time for reading too. With the New Year, I've had several conversations with family members recently. I'm generally hesitant to suggest books because I feel that my personal recommendations, though personal, come with the burden of being "a librarian's suggestion." (Cue dramatic music here.) It seems that it's popular in some circles to send out an end-of-year email sharing your favorite books from the past year. Far be it for me to know if these are really recommendations or a back-handed way of boasting that you read more than your friends. 

Yes, I read a lot. There's no denying that, though my actual reading list is shared with me and Shelfari.  But I also read quickly, enjoy spending mornings with books, and don't retain the details of most what I read. I think it's fine that most people read less than I do and instead spend their time on other hobbies like soccer, sewing, or sudoku. Still, of what I read, much is average and doesn't stand out. In my personal 5-star rating system, a full 45% are rated 3 of 5, meaning fine but unremarkable. Instead of my reading list or my recommendations from last year, I thought it might be more interesting to document the books from 2012 that I'm still thinking about a year later. 

They are presented in no particular order. Some are not books that I enjoyed, per se, but rather books that provided a unique perspective or got me thinking. More accurately, they are books that are still memorable. Reading is entirely personalized, and if you're not into the same genres or stylistic preferences as me, none of these may be the least bit interesting to you. That's fine!

Welcome to 2014, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on this 10 list or read one of your own creation!

The Fault in our Stars by John Green

This book has gotten a lot of press and is the current favorite of high schoolers at Saint Stephen's. It is a story of teens with cancer, and it's the most emotional book I've ever read. Green is a master at capturing the highs and lows of teenage life. Don't be surprised to find yourself laughing out loud as tears are streaming down your face. Keep tissues nearby.

The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson

This is a book that I listened to on my long summer drives, and I can't deny that I'm obsessed with Ronson's British accent. Even though I would listen to anything he read, this book is particularly interesting. It's a social history of psychopathy, and it contains many case studies interspersed with expert opinions. 

The Sex Lives of Cannibals by J. Maarten Troost

Before you think that I'm a sucker for audio books, know that this is the only other book on the list that I'm recommending in audio format. Otherwise, you'll be hopelessly lost in your pronunciation of Kiribati and the other Pacific locations. This is the true tale of Maarten's move to a remote island in the Pacific Ocean. If you've dreamed of running away to the tropics, this book presents the warts-and-all story of one who did just that.

Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney 

If you prefer industrial to tropical, this is a better book for you. It's a scathing look at 1980s New York, critiquing the financial industry, the indecisiveness of one's 20s, and the city's drug culture. Ironically, I ended up reading it because it shared the same name as the (much tamer) 2012 prom, which I helped sponsor.

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

This is another one that I read because of school. Is it sacrelidge to admit that I like it better than the movie. It's a story in a story in a... Goldman weaves truth and fantasy in surprising ways for an inventive satire. Don't worry, the book still includes the Sicilian, the Spaniard, and the Giant that you've already grown to hate.

The Table Comes First by Adam Gopnik

 If you know me, you know I like food. Thinking about food. Learning about food. Eating food. Mmmmm, food. I particularly liked the sections about restaurants and manners. Gopnik writes thoughtfully and with humor about the cultural history of ingredients and eating traditions. 

Sample sentence: The recipe is a blueprint but also a red herring, a way to do something and a false summing up of a living process that can be handed on only by demonstration, a knack posing as knowledge. We say, 'What's the recipe?' when we mean 'How exactly do you do it?' And though we want the answer to be, 'Like this!' the honest answer is 'Be me!'

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

A fan of the low as well as the high, I'm a sucker for a good teen romcom. Most blend together in mediocrity, but this one was as fluffy as cotton candy. Anna is upset that she's forced to leave her Atlanta high school her senior year for boarding school in France. She meets a beautiful boy and has Paris outside her door. Will she learn to be happy there? (The answer is yes. I didn't say I was reading for the suspense.) 

Cruising Attitude by Heather Poole

This is an example of a 3-star book that made this list because it's stayed on my mind even though the writing was so-so. The author has worked as a flight attendant and has lots of insider stories about life in the air and in her "crashpad" on the ground. Every time I fly, I remember an anecdote from this book. 

Surviving your Stupid, Stupid Decision to Go to Grad School by Adam Ruben 

This is probably the time I'm supposed to say that I've met the author because we attended the same college and that my husband was in grad school while I was reading it. That's immaterial. If you or a loved one is enduring the final years that make up the "final months" of a phd program, you'll be rofl. Not only was Ruben a Biology grad student, he also taught writing to undergraduates and created a stand-up comedy intersession course. He knows academia inside and out.

The Phone Book by Ammon Shea

I have been shamelessly promoting this book since I read it. It's indeed a history of the phone book and a delightful one at that. It's full of social history and trivia, and it's provided fun facts that have been fodder for many cocktail party conversations.(It's also one of the only books I've ever written about on this site previously.It's that good.)