I had so much fun at the Indianapolis Library Foundation’s Cheers for 50 Years event last week to celebrate 50 years of ensuring quality programming for the library! I got to speak about how the library impacted me and represent young library users of the 1990s, and thought I would share my remarks below. Happy reading!
Read MoreOh, blogger's block.
I was pumped at the beginning of this year about my blogging. I would do it more and consistently. I would have exciting new posts that would attract the attention of all my readers. I would find a style that worked for me. I would create a space that was a hobby, not a chore.
But the best laid plans...
I tried to post, I really did. But every time I started something, I didn't like it. It never had the tone or content I wanted or that I felt was worth publishing. So I was silent.
Until now.
Last night I finished Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, a novel of books, computers, Google, twenty-somethings with 21st century jobs, and people in black robes. This book was a roller coaster, surprising me in subtle ways and changing throughout the lines in each chapter. By the time I closed the paperback, I wasn't sure what I thought--or, for that matter, what had just happened to me.
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore explores the relationship between books and technology, a topic most of us dance around nowadays. I don't like to see books give way to code and digitization. A character who works at Google actually says:
"I mean, once we've got everything scanned, and cheap reading devices are ubiquitous...nobody's going to need bookstores, right?"
Um, wrong. I'm grateful when Clay, the narrator, replies with: "We'll be fine...people still like the smell of books." YES WE DO! And the rough paper between our fingers, and the satisfaction of watching the pages stack up to the left side of the books, and our thumbs catching on the fibers of paper to turn the page...
But I digress.
Mr. Penumbra makes me think about books, and I love that. Why do we read them, and what are we looking for? What do they tell us? And how much does technology matter in how we understand and use them? It's thought-provoking, and full of little lines about books and life that make me want to pinch the words right off the page and into something I wrote (yes, I know that's wrong--hush, hush, I'm not actually going to do it).
There are times where the book would drag a little for me, or where I lost the plot/what mattered. Part of this is because I was reading it in bits and pieces every night, but part of this is because the story takes a little while to get moving. I had trouble getting into the book until at least halfway through; but once I got there, it was well worth it.
I also almost banged my head against a wall when I saw "Epilogue" printed at the top of the last chapter. NO NO NO. The book ended just fine before that; I didn't need to know how everyone lived happily ever after, and I felt like Sloan cheated me out of imagining my own futures for the characters.
All the same, a book for readers and technology-lovers alike, I really enjoyed the balance between print and screen Sloan explores in Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore.
What do you think--do books have a future in a technology-based world?
Oh, and P.S.- try reading it in the dark.
There's a tag roaming around my Facebook feed where a person is nominated to list 10 books that have been very important to their life. My dear "big sister" (sorority slang) Emily tagged me August 26th, so my list is well overdue!
So, without further ado, the 10 books that have been very important to my life:
What are your 10 most important books?
Below the Line:
Before I get into the review, thank you SO MUCH for 50 followers! It's been a lot of fun writing this blog this summer, and I'm glad there's 50 of you out there who enjoy it :) What's a blog without great readers? In celebration, here's a bonus book review about one of the more talked about novels of the summer. I hope you like it!
This review has been difficult to write. I finished We Were Liars in the beginning of August, but I just haven't been able to review it yet. It's a complicated book. Plus it straight out warns me to lie when people ask what it's about.
I don't buy into that sales tactic. So I will review this book as I would any other, without spoiling anything but still explaining what I do and don't like. The book is about the extravagantly wealthy family, the Sinclairs. Of course, they're a total mess (that's what makes things interesting). Cadence, the eldest grandchild of the Sinclairs, serves as our narrator. Due to some unspeakable accident, Cadence can't remember the summer she was fifteen on her family's fancy-pants island. We follow her thoughts throughout the book as she tries to figure out what happened.
First of all, Lockhart's writing style is refreshing. It has a lyrical quality to it, breaking up paragraphs and even sentences into short lines. She also inserts fairy tale inspired stories in between the narrative that provide insight into Cadence's rather messed up mind.
The plot is also intriguing enough to keep reading. This was a refreshing element, since recently I've had to drag myself through the books I've read. That plus the writing style makes its easy to get through this book in one or two days.
But my absolute favorite part of this book is the mystery. I love mysteries, whether in book or TV form. I like trying to figure out with the characters what different elements mean, and then going back once I know the answer and seeing what clues I missed. We Were Liars is one giant mystery. Cadence doesn't figure out what happened that "missing" summer until the very end of the book. It's a twist I didn't see coming at all.
I left feeling like I learned enough, though. This wasn't one of those cliff-hanger books, hitting you with big information and then simply dropping off the page. I wasn't trapped without a satisfactory resolution.
Yet, I couldn't give We Were Liars the full five pineapples. Simply because, like Gone Girl, it was an entertaining read but not a life-changing one. Still, it's an excellent book that keeps you guessing. Lockhart's writing style also keeps the story moving and brings an interesting perspective on the truth versus the lies. I highly recommend it.
What did you think of We Were Liars?
Below the Line:
Hello there, I'm Leeann. Everything you see on this site? Yeah, I made that. Except this headshot. Maggie took it. Have you seen the photos I've taken? Right- you can tell this is Maggie's.
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