8.21.2007

Pre-Autumnal Ramblings in the Rain

So read the brutal review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows here. While I tend to shy away from terms like “moral vision,” particularly when it is applied to children’s literature, I still found myself actually agreeing with many of the author’s points. Warning: there are lots of spoilers here and the author uses the word Nazi without much rhyme or reason. Also, be prepared for wanting to argue with someone, anyone, after you read it. Thanks to fuse8 for the link...even if she did say that the review made her eyes bleed a little.

Remember I said I couldn’t read Eclipse? Well, it’s back on. Yesterday and today have been the loveliest and most welcome pre-autumnal days ever – drizzly with temps in the mid-60’s. I’ve been wearing sweaters! Well, it turns out that this is just the weather to turn me on to Eclipse again. The only caveat is that I have to hurry – it’s supposed to be 90 degrees and raining by this Saturday. Read, woman, read! (Embarrassing admission: I got so wrapped up in all this weather that I even downloaded most of the songs on Stephenie Meyer’s stellar Eclipse playlist).

And thanks to Chicken Spaghetti for her fantastic hold list. I now have The Year of the Goat and A Year Without Made in China on my own list!

I know I’m probably the last children’s librarian to know about this, but I just discovered Scott Westerfeld’s blog: westerblog. In particular, he shares the cover of his book So Yesterday, which has been translated into Slovenian. Apparently, the Slovenian translation of “innovator” is inovatorka. That’s awesome. I’m going to incorporate that word into a conversation today. The good thing is that I’m having dinner with my children’s librarian friends tonight and, given the enormous range of topics we discuss, it shouldn’t be too difficult to fit inovatorka in at some point. I’m on a mission.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Year of the Goat came in today; it must have been the good karma from posting the hold list. Watch--the other eight will arrive tomorrow. but, still, yay!

Unknown said...

Of course, they always come in at the same time. Make sure to let us all know how "Year of the Goat" is. Lots of comparisons to "Julie and Julia", but I actually wasn't a fan of that book. It didn't focus enough on the joy and enjoyment of food - it was more of a tribute to the author's out-of-control neuroses. I have no problem with single-mindedness, with a mission - I just have high hopes that "Year of the Goat" will be handled a little more maturely.