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Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Creepy stories for Halloween

Some of my favourite short stories are old gothic horror stories, and with the Internet you can often find them since many are now out of copyright. Here are a few of them:

Happy Halloween!

Words + rice = time well spent

Free Rice is a website that donates 10 grains of rice through the United Nations World Food Program for every word definition you get correct (it's multiple choice). Watch your bowl fill up as you go! It's free, it's fun, and it benefits people in need.

Monday, October 29, 2007

Del.icio.us Halloween links


Yes, this is a pumpkin carving


Unbelievable! Many more at Pumpkingutter.com.

New Books

I just got a box of new books in on Thursday and processed them this morning. Here's a full list of what came in (hooray!):

Fiction

Allies of the Night (Cirque du Freak #8) by Darren Shan

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

Graphic Classics: Edgar Allen Poe by various artists, stories by Edgar Allen Poe

Life as we knew it by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Mirrormask by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean

What my mother doesn't know by Sonya Sones


Nonfiction

Brass Buttons and Silver Horseshoes: stories from Canada's British war brides by Linda Granfield

Canada's Peacekeepers: protecting human rights around the world by Sheila Ensley Johnston
Draw your own Manga by Haruno Nagatomo

Manga Mania: how to draw Japanese comics by Christopher Hart

St. John Ambulance Guide to First Aid and CPR

Monday, October 22, 2007

Great First Lines, part 2 in a series

“The problem with getting bad news is you hardly ever get to go home and cry, or sulk, or rip things up, like you’d like to.”

- All's Fair in Love, War, and High School by Janette Rallison

Monday, October 15, 2007

The Golden Compass movie trailer

One of the best books I've read this year is The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman, and it's been made into a movie that will be released in December. Needless to say, my ticket is practically bought already.



The Golden Compass movie website.

Internet Movie Database (IMDb) page for The Golden Compass.

Funny Books display

To celebrate Teen Read Week, I've put up a display of funny books.


Alice, I think by Susan Juby








Hoot by Carl Hiaasen









Losing Joe's Place by Gordon Korman









Love, Life, and the Pursuit of Free Throws by Janette Rallison










Once Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris

Teen Read Week - LOL @ your library

The theme of this year's Teen Read Week (October 14-20) is LOL @ your library and the focus is on funny books and reading for the fun of it. I've put together a display of humourous books in the library.

What is your favourite funny book?

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Win tickets to see JK Rowling in Toronto

From the Nova Scotia Library Association website:

JK Rowling Contest

October is Canadian Library Month! The Nova Scotia Library Association in partnership with Nova Scotia Public Libraries is celebrating Canadian Library Month with a wonderful opportunity for Nova Scotians.

Enter to win one of two prize packages to see JK Rowling in Toronto on October 23, 2007 at 10:00 am. She is coming to read from "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", take questions from her fans and sign copies of the book. This will be the only Canadian stop of her tour.

Attention: The contest will close at midnight on October 10th with the 2 winners being randomly drawn on October 12th and announced on the NSLA website by October 15th.

To enter each candidate must have a public library card. Get yours today!

Each prize package includes:
- A pair of tickets to the event, one for a chaperone and one for a young person between the ages of 9 and 15 years old at the time of the event.
- Airfare from Halifax to Toronto
- $ 300.00 spending money

As well, all those attending the event will receive a copy of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows".

Rules are:
1. The child who accompanies the adult must be between the age of nine (9) and fifteen (15) years old at the time of the event.
2. Winners must be residents of Nova Scotia.
3. Under no circumstances may tickets be traded, sold, bartered or exchanged; Tickets are non-transferable.
4. All tickets are General Admission and organizers reserve the right to reserve seats for targeted groups.
5. Not open to Regional Library staff or their children, or members of the NSLA Board of Directors.
6. Only one entry per young person will be accepted.

The Nova Scotia Library Association and its partners cannot be held responsible or liable for any expenses incurred if for any reason the event is cancelled, postponed or changed.

To enter each candidate must have a public library card. Get yours today!


CLICK HERE to enter the contest (you need a public library card - have it ready!).

Chat with authors - LIVE!

Teen Read Week is later this month, and there is a month-long celebration of authors who write young adult books who will be on the Readergirlz forum to chat with fans. All the chats begin at 9:00 PM, and you should check the Readergirlz website for further information.

The schedule is as follows (the linked author names go to their books in the PRHS library catalogue):

Week One
October 1st: Meg Cabot
October 2nd: Tiffany Trent
October 3rd: Brent Hartinger
October 4th: Lorie Ann Grover
October 5th: K.L. Going
October 6th: Nikki Grimes



Week Two
October 7th: Ellen Hopkins
October 8th: Justina Chen Headley
October 9th: Chris Crutcher
October 10th: Ann Brashares
October 11th: Sarah Mlynowski
October 12th: Cecil Castellucci
October 13th: Kirby Larson



Week Three
October 14th: Tanya Lee Stone
October 15th: John Green
October 16th: Sara Zarr
October 17th: Deb Caletti
October 18th: Rachel Cohn
October 19th: Kirsten Miller
October 20th: Mitali Perkins


Week Four
October 21st: Sonya Sones
October 22nd: Lisa Yee
October 23rd: Carolyn Mackler
October 24th: E. Lockhart
October 25th: Janet Lee Carey
October 26th: Gaby Triana
October 27th: Lauren Myracle


Week Five
October 28th: Holly Black
October 29th: Cynthia Leitich Smith
October 30th: Dia Calhoun
October 31st: Stephenie Meyer (Special time: 9 PM PST/MIDNIGHT EST)

Great First Lines, part 1 in a series

"It was a pleasure to burn."

- Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (in celebration of Banned Book Week)

Monday, October 01, 2007

Banned Books Week, September 29 - October 6

This week is the American Library Association's Banned Books Week, which celebrates books that have been banned (removed from a library or school) or challenged (someone wanted a book removed from a library or school).

I have a display of books in the library that have been banned and/or challenged in North America. Below are a few of them. Find any surprises?



The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

Banned for language and depiction of violence.









The Giver by Lois Lowry

Banned for being depressing and having sexual and violent themes.









Harry Potter books by J. K. Rowling

Banned for references to witchcraft and the occult.








To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Banned for being racist and a "filthy, trashy novel."