Shadow Children Series

I read an interesting interview with Margaret Peterson Haddix about the end of the Among... books. Since we all read and love those!
My brother and I drove to a used bookstore today to sell some books; we made over $50 so it was worth it, but on the way home a small town library was giving away books on the lawn! We managed to contain ourselves to one bag, but I ask you, what is the point of trying to pare down our collections when we can't resist any books that come our way?

School Days by Robert B. Parker

This was my first venture into reading Robert B. Parker. School Days is a quick read but is really satisfying. Spencer (the main character) is a no-nonsense man whose heart belongs to one person - even if she is far away! His mission is to solve a mystery behind a Columbine type school shooting -did the kids do it? How? Why? The characters can be somewhat cartoonish - but that just adds to the charm and humor of this book.

Warning : Spoiler don't read below if you don't want to know what happens!
The book is not a tidy novel where one can figure out everything from the first chapter. Parker does an excellent job of throwing twists, wrong turns and dead ends to keep the pages turning.

Heiress for Hire by Erin McCarthy

I just started this book because I had a really slow day of subbing today, and I am halfway through already. I didn't expect to like it at all, but it is very cute. The main character, Amanda is a spoiled heiress who learns to depend on herself when her father cuts her off, and she takes a job as a sitter in the small Ohio town where she is stuck. Along the way, Amanda and the girl's father fall in love. The whole plot outline sounds hackneyed, but McCarthy gave the plot new twists and the characters dynamic, complex personalities.

Flowers for Algernon

Daniel Keyes

This is a different type of emotional roller coaster ride from what I've been reading lately. The story is told through a series of progress report by Charlie Gordon, a grown man who is mentally retarded. He is the subject of a research experiment, focused on increasing his intelligence. Algernon is the mouse who has also undergone the same experiment. As Charlie's intelligence grows, his world becomes more complicated, the facade breaks and truths begin to surface. As his intelligence has surpassed his doctors, Charlie sees his future in Algernon. Although we see everything through Charlie's eyes, the other characters (Alice, Faye, Drs. Strauss and Nemur) are real. Their emotions and actions mean a great deal to Charlie.

The successful academic librarian: winning strategies from library leaders

Edited by Gwen Meyer Gregory

mood: hopeful

This advice guide is packed full of information from experienced librarians. Each chapter has tips and tidbits for aspiring librarians and even those who are already in the field. Easy to read and helped me with my phone interview. I worked with Anna Gold, who wrote one of the chapters. She provided good insight on what it's like to change jobs and even the type of library in midcareer. I also took the information from the "Come on down your the next contestant" to heart. The chapter clearly explained expectations of the academic library interview process. Hopefully, I'll be able to experience it for myself soon....