Action Shot

Here is a moment in my career if ever I saw one! Please note that my desk is not typically this messy - this must have been a crazy day, as also indicated by the pinched facial expression. Many of the tools of my librarian's trade are in evidence here: coffee cup, date due cards, stack of books waiting to be read, and several boxes in the background waiting to be dealt with. The "First Lines" bulletin board in the background is, indeed, the same tired-out display that I bragged about back in August. Clearly it just hasn't made it to the top of my to-do list yet, plus I'm waiting for all of the youth book awards to be announced in January so those books can be the focus ... Eh, forget it. I'll just buy the Twilight and New Moon READ posters, grab the staple gun, and call it a day.

Now I know what's going on my Christmas list!

This is the stuff that Christmas dreams are made of! Jessica Bendinger, the screenwriter who brought it with the cheer-tastic Bring It On, has just published her debut novel! Here is the cover of the sure-to-be-glorious The Seven Rays:
And here are three things I already love about this book:

1. The cover proudly proclaims that it's by the writer of Bring It On and Stick It.
2. It received a rating of "a perfect ten" from American Cheerleader Magazine (they review books? I can almost hear Sue Sylvester's commentary).
3. Both Deepak Chopra and Greg "He's Just Not That Into You" Behrendt have nice things to say about it: "a journey of mystery, magic, and adventure," and "teen-tastic and freaky" respectively. Current TV likes it, too, and if Al Gore is on board that's good enough for me.

Now you know what will be in MY letter to Santa this year!

A Daily Coyote Shout-Out!

One of my very favorite books of 2009 was The Daily Coyote, by Shreve Stockton. Adapted from her blog of the same name, this book chronicles a year spent with Charlie, an orphaned coyote pup, in a tiny Wyoming town called Ten Sleep. The book is a standout in every way, but my hands-down favorite bits are the captivating, full-color photos of Charlie. After reading the book, I became a regular visitor to Shreve's blog, where she posts daily photos of Charlie and a weekly caption contest (every Monday, for those interested). Inspiration doesn't always strike, but when it does I enter a caption or two to accompany the picture. I've never had the winning caption, nor the accompanying prize (Charlie calendars, petrified squid and other Wyoming goodies, paperback copy of The Daily Coyote, etc.). But today I scored something just as good: a spot on the list of runners-up! I couldn't compete with "Yawn of Uncivilization," the winning entry for this photo of Charlie's epic yawn, but Shreve recognized both my entry and the reasoning behind it:

“Show me whatcha got / Show me your teeth!” — “Teeth” by Lady Gaga
(somehow I think Charlie would appreciate Lady Gaga!)

I am positively giddy! So in the spirit of all things Lady Gaga, here are some photos of yours truly along with my friends Cas Q. and Kristine C. at the Lady Gaga concert last Thursday. Do spend some time checking out the motley crew behind us in the second picture!
Well, I suppose the Christmas cards aren't going to write themselves. Must dash.