Hello and welcome to my June 'Book Babble' :-)
I can't believe we are already a quarter of the way through the year!!!!!! Where is it going??? (Doh!!! I meant that we are already half way through the year. That's even scarier as it is just flying by!)I had a Personal Growth / Development experience earlier this month. I was asked to present at ReaLM and talk about SLANZA and Personal Learning Networks. "Yeah. Sure. That will be cool" *looking around in shock* WTF! Who said that??? Oh crap, that was me!!!!! Aaarrggghhh!!!!!
For those of you who know me you may well think "easy ... she is outgoing and confident. She's worked in school libraries for 13 years and is the Chairperson for SLANZA Central so she knows what she's talking about". Get me talking in a casual or small group setting and, yep, I am enthusiastic, (I think) knowledgable, and definitely 'out there'. I am extremely passionate about books and reading and promoting this to anyone who will listen gets the full 'excitement mode' experience.
In actuality, I am not good at 'putting myself out there' and always feel that I am not nearly knowledgeable enough that others want to listen to me present. This was my first time presenting to a larger crowd and boy was I nervous! Forget about butterflies in my stomach ... there was a freaking flock of giant Condors in there having a party. I honestly thought I was going to throw up!!! And they put me at the end of the day. What??????? I've done a couple of workshops with our local PD days, and a couple of small presentations at school which were nerve-racking enough. Oh yeah ... I can't even stand up at morning tea to talk to the staff without having my hands shaking like a leaf, and don't even ask me to eat anyone before I talk to them!
Leading up to the event I found procrastination was a fine tool. First I didn't know if I was going to be in a new job, so I couldn't very well ask a new employer for time off immediately. Then I hadn't actually asked my principal if I could have a day's leave to present, so I couldn't start the presentation if I wasn't going to be there ... right! Eventually it came down to the last two weeks. Many of you probably already know how hard it is to write a presentation. Ya know ... blank paper ... blank mind ... time issues!!! Aaaarrrrggghhh!!!!
I knew I didn't just want to talk, I wanted something visual to show. And yes I do know about what I was going to present, but making sure I remembered everything I wanted to get across ... that is a different story. Luckily a colleague who is on our local SLANZA Central committee let me use one of her PowerPoint presentations as a template. Thanks SE ... you are a life-saver :-) Actually having screens with boxes etc to fill in, ya know ... a visual mind map ... is a great starting point to deciding on just what and when to say things. From there things flowed really well. Though of course it was down to the wire for getting it finalised for the day before - Doh!!!
Luckily I have a good friend (whom I would never have met if it was not for SLANZA) who put me up in Palmerston North the night before ... travelling from Napier at 5am on a foggy winters morning for an 8am kick-off was not going to be a good start to the day. It also meant I got to have a great catch-up and only 1 bottle of wine was consumed - well on the first night anyway ;-D Another great procrastination tool for not thinking about the day to come, and a chance to clear my head and get some tips-and-hints from someone who has done a few presentations herself. Thanks so much MT. You are my hero :-D
The actual day of the ReaLM : Libraries, Literacy & You seminar was terrible and tremendous! I got to meet all the other wonderful presenters - rubbing shoulders with authors, book award judges and teachers. And the chance to catch up with fellow librarians and meet other school and public library staff is always a fantastic way of building your PLNs. I've got to admit that I missed most of Bob Docherty's book talk as I was in the foyer re-practicing my presentation (and trying not to throw up). Luckily I had seen him at our Conference in Christchurch last year, so even though the books he talked about were different, his style of presenting was very similar.
So presentation time. Deep breaths. Small sips of water. Smile. Try to stop shaking. Look up. And off we go!!!
Apart from the silly slides not changing on the first click each time, the presentation went really well (or so I am lead to believe!). I even managed to ad-lib a few bits, personalising it as I went along. And on a positive note ... SLANZA Central got three new members from the day. WooHoo!!! And on a personal note ... I felt really really really proud of myself for having achieved something which scared me silly.
Lessons learnt:
* I can do presentations - just make sure the slides change on the click!!!!
* Other people do want to hear what I have to say ... well, sometimes ;-)
* Start the darned presentations ASAP
* Stop procrastinating
* Put my big-girl panties on and just do it!!!
Goals:
* Present at our next SLANZA Conference
I knew I didn't just want to talk, I wanted something visual to show. And yes I do know about what I was going to present, but making sure I remembered everything I wanted to get across ... that is a different story. Luckily a colleague who is on our local SLANZA Central committee let me use one of her PowerPoint presentations as a template. Thanks SE ... you are a life-saver :-) Actually having screens with boxes etc to fill in, ya know ... a visual mind map ... is a great starting point to deciding on just what and when to say things. From there things flowed really well. Though of course it was down to the wire for getting it finalised for the day before - Doh!!!
Luckily I have a good friend (whom I would never have met if it was not for SLANZA) who put me up in Palmerston North the night before ... travelling from Napier at 5am on a foggy winters morning for an 8am kick-off was not going to be a good start to the day. It also meant I got to have a great catch-up and only 1 bottle of wine was consumed - well on the first night anyway ;-D Another great procrastination tool for not thinking about the day to come, and a chance to clear my head and get some tips-and-hints from someone who has done a few presentations herself. Thanks so much MT. You are my hero :-D
The actual day of the ReaLM : Libraries, Literacy & You seminar was terrible and tremendous! I got to meet all the other wonderful presenters - rubbing shoulders with authors, book award judges and teachers. And the chance to catch up with fellow librarians and meet other school and public library staff is always a fantastic way of building your PLNs. I've got to admit that I missed most of Bob Docherty's book talk as I was in the foyer re-practicing my presentation (and trying not to throw up). Luckily I had seen him at our Conference in Christchurch last year, so even though the books he talked about were different, his style of presenting was very similar.
So presentation time. Deep breaths. Small sips of water. Smile. Try to stop shaking. Look up. And off we go!!!
Apart from the silly slides not changing on the first click each time, the presentation went really well (or so I am lead to believe!). I even managed to ad-lib a few bits, personalising it as I went along. And on a positive note ... SLANZA Central got three new members from the day. WooHoo!!! And on a personal note ... I felt really really really proud of myself for having achieved something which scared me silly.
Lessons learnt:
* I can do presentations - just make sure the slides change on the click!!!!
* Other people do want to hear what I have to say ... well, sometimes ;-)
* Start the darned presentations ASAP
* Stop procrastinating
* Put my big-girl panties on and just do it!!!
Goals:
* Present at our next SLANZA Conference
And in other news this month ...
- HBPubrarians is up to its 5th catch-up for 2016, back at Vidal's in Hastings - a time for a casual chat among librarians from all walks of life. Funnily enough many of us that attend this event also attend the BookTalk and local Network meetings. Oh well, good friends and great conversations are never to be missed :-D
- Hawkes Bay Book Talk had its second gathering for the year, hosted by Bev at Lindisfarne College. This is such an awesome library. Actually that is one of the cool things about our BookTalks ... we get to 'check out' a variety of amazing venues, many of which ARE libraries :-) This is a book club for librarians (not just school librarians) where we can promote the amazing, fantastic, awesome books that pass through our reading piles. See our blog for reviews, suggestions and dates for our 2016 gatherings. It will be updated soon with last weeks catch-up.
So here is WIBR this month ...
NOTE: ** Denotes sexual content (school librarians use your discretion)
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Fuzzy Doodle / Melinda Szymanik & Donovan Bixley [Paperback]
4 stars
Picture Book 0-6
Donovan Bixley is IMHO the most fan-tabulous illustrator around! I may be a bit biased because he is a Kiwi, but actually ... Nah! He's just freaking awesome. AND he is an author as well. Bloody brilliant!!!
Fuzzy Doodle is kind of a twist on The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and as you will see from my Picture Book pics this month I really truly love adaptations and twists on the original classics.
I love how Melinda Szymanik has taken this classic story and reinvented it with the help of Donovan's artwork into a beautiful book about the creation (both literacy & artistic creativity) that is found in a book.
Fuzzy starts off as a blob of ink, and slowly squiggles his way across the pages sucking up blobs of ink, words, and whole sentences before moving on to splashes of colour and artwork. We watch as Fuzzy turns from a blotch to a small squiggle, slowly growing and turning into a long caterpillar-like creature. The ink splotches on the page are so shiny they look as if they are still puddles of wet ink ... I was almost too scared to touch them for fear I'd get stained fingers.
What a gorgeously imaginative book from a fantastic duo.
Book lovers will just love Fuzzy Doodle.
The Cow Tripped Over the Moon / Tony Wilson & Laura Wood [Paperback]
4 stars
Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road / Jim Dewar & Simon Williams [Paperback]
4 stars
I love how Melinda Szymanik has taken this classic story and reinvented it with the help of Donovan's artwork into a beautiful book about the creation (both literacy & artistic creativity) that is found in a book.
Fuzzy starts off as a blob of ink, and slowly squiggles his way across the pages sucking up blobs of ink, words, and whole sentences before moving on to splashes of colour and artwork. We watch as Fuzzy turns from a blotch to a small squiggle, slowly growing and turning into a long caterpillar-like creature. The ink splotches on the page are so shiny they look as if they are still puddles of wet ink ... I was almost too scared to touch them for fear I'd get stained fingers.
What a gorgeously imaginative book from a fantastic duo.
Book lovers will just love Fuzzy Doodle.
The Cow Tripped Over the Moon / Tony Wilson & Laura Wood [Paperback]
Picture Book 0-6
Any book that is a play on our traditional fairy tales and nursery rhymes is going to be a must-have for our primary school library ... and this one does not disappoint!
A lively re-telling about what really happened in the lead-up to the cow jumping over the moon.
The illustrations are just stunning and are a perfect accompaniment to the rhyming text.
Told like a space-ship launch ... Moon attempt 1: 9.17pm. It is an hilarious romp through the training that takes place for any sporting endeavor - well kind of ;-)
A great read-aloud. The older students and adults will 'get' the humour of the background meaning while younger kids will just laugh themselves silly at the escapades of the characters ... Especially the little dog who laughs till he barfs!!!
Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road / Jim Dewar & Simon Williams [Paperback]
Picture Book 0-6
And another of my must-haves - a twist on the classic joke 'Why did the chicken cross the road?'
This great Aussie yarn is a re-telling of just why the chicken really did cross the road. And of course you can just imagine what all little brothers will attempt!
The bright illustrations by Simon Williams are a perfect match for Jim Dewar's rhyming text. The looks on the characters faces are just fantastic.
A great read-aloud.
This great Aussie yarn is a re-telling of just why the chicken really did cross the road. And of course you can just imagine what all little brothers will attempt!
The bright illustrations by Simon Williams are a perfect match for Jim Dewar's rhyming text. The looks on the characters faces are just fantastic.
A great read-aloud.
Top 10 For Kids : Deadly Animals / Paul Terry [Paperback]
4 stars
Children 7-12+. Non-fiction.
A book filled with all sorts of amazing animal facts. Each two-page spread has a different category with a top-10 chart and associated figures. Simple blocks of information will make this a joy for anyone (particularly boys) who love fact & figures. I can just see a group of boys clustered around this ooh'ing and ahh'ing, and getting very vocal!
Students are guided through each page by the Team T-10 - a group of 7-10 year old kids.
Children 7-12+. Non-fiction.
A book filled with all sorts of amazing animal facts. Each two-page spread has a different category with a top-10 chart and associated figures. Simple blocks of information will make this a joy for anyone (particularly boys) who love fact & figures. I can just see a group of boys clustered around this ooh'ing and ahh'ing, and getting very vocal!
Students are guided through each page by the Team T-10 - a group of 7-10 year old kids.
Wolf by Wolf Bk1 / Ryan Graudin [Paperback]
5 stars
YA. War. Dystopia. Historical Fiction.
Ooh it's a series. Goodie!!! ... OK. Wow! Just ... Wow! This was a fantastic, mind altering, amazing alternative-history read. Absolutely bloody riveting!!!
Yael has been forged in a Nazi concentration camp and re-made by chemical experimentation. Now she wears the face of whoever she needs. The resistance's plan is for Yael to take the place of Adele Wolf, former victor of the Axis Tour, and take part in the motorcycle race. Oh, and win it, not just survive. Her goal ... To dance with Hitler ... and kill him!
I really enjoyed the 'flash backs' which gave meaning to her wolves, and showed her character growth.
This was a pain to read ..... simply because my 16yr old son had issued it to read for English so I had to wait till he either didn't take it to school or remembered to give it back to me. Multi-coloured book marks are a wonderful thing, especially when you are playing leap-frog reading ;-) And bloody amazing Secondary School librarians who have two copies and issue them both the said son are an absolute god-send. You rock SE! :-D
Enemy Camp / David Hill [Paperback]
4 stars
Ya. Historical. War. New Zealand Author.
Told in a diary format this is the story about a young 13 year old boy from Fielding, in the North Island of New Zealand.
It is set during the end of 1942 and the start of 1943 during WWII when an old army base had been turned into a POW camp.
Told in a daily first person recount by Ewen, whose father is a guard at the prison, it describes the daily life of the township, the trials & tribulations as well as the joy that can be found in hard times. It also shows us the effects of war as seen through the eyes of a young teenager rather than an adult, as well as the effects of the Polio epidemic.
It includes a brief historical note and a glossary of terms at the end of the story.
It is set during the end of 1942 and the start of 1943 during WWII when an old army base had been turned into a POW camp.
Told in a daily first person recount by Ewen, whose father is a guard at the prison, it describes the daily life of the township, the trials & tribulations as well as the joy that can be found in hard times. It also shows us the effects of war as seen through the eyes of a young teenager rather than an adult, as well as the effects of the Polio epidemic.
It includes a brief historical note and a glossary of terms at the end of the story.
This was an easy read and I would be happy giving it to our year 5 & 6 students in upper primary. It would make a great read-aloud.
The Colbana Files series / Shiloh Walker & J.C. Daniels [eBook]
4 stars overall
Adult. Paranormal.
Bk0.5 A Stroke of Dumb Luck / Shiloh Walker
Bk0.6 Bladed Magic
Bk1 Blade Song
Bk2 Night Blade
Bk3 Broken Blade
Bk4 Edged Blade
Bk5 Shadowed Blade
The first two prequels are a really good introduction to the Colbana Files series. A very short read.
This is a really good paranormal series, with monsters of all kinds popping up. In a world where the Non Human population 'came out' many many years ago, causing one of the great wars, there is still unrest between the human and non-human population. ......
The only problem I have with it is that the proof-reading is atrocious - particularly in Bk5. The spelling and grammatical errors are so numerous that it makes it difficult to enjoy the story.
In saying that however, the premise of the series is really good, and I really want to find out what happens in Kit's world and if she, Justin and Damon manage to take down the rest of the bad guys.
Out For You series** / Various authors [eBook]
3 stars overall
Adult. Paranormal. Romance. LGBT.
Bk1 The Changing Years / Amber Kell
Bk5 To Overthrow Evil / Sam Crescent
Bk8 Gemstone / Anastasia Vitsky
Bk10 Stretching The Rules / B.A. Tortuga
This series is at heart a collection of romantic short stories. They just also happen to be about same-sex relationships ... oh yeah, and a few of them are about shifters. The couples are going through many of the same hardships that we all go through when we are trying to figure out if this is the one for us.
They remind me of the Mills & Boon / Silhouette style of writing - quite an easy read. It is really great to read about relationships between anyone and is a great way of escaping the realities of our hectic schedules. Love is universal and we should take joy in the fact that someone has been lucky enough to find a relationship that makes them happy.
Of course even in our modern understanding world we still have issues with others having relationships with someone different - be they same-sex, different religions or different colours. We just need to get over ourselves and be happy for them!!!!! Oops, sorry about the rant!!!!
The Blood in the Beginning / Kim Falconer [eBook]
5 stars
Adult. Paranormal. Crime. Dystopian.
What a fantastic new series!!!! (At least I think it is a series?!?!) Kick-arse heroine trying to figure out just what and who she is while trying to evade a psychopathic copy-cat killer.
This is a paranormal read, but not with your well-known common vampires. Oh no!!! Welcome to the world of the Mar (Mermaids for those of you not in the know). Stunning, scary, violent people from the sea!
It is action-packed and quite realistic although it takes place in a Los Angeles that has been partially reclaimed by the ocean after a massive quake. Lots of blood (Ava trains in MMA), but no sex.
Fan-bloody-tastic!!!! The only problem is .... the next book isn't out yet - Nooooooo!!!!!!!!
Well worth the read.
Hey Sandi F, sooo proud of you and looking forward to tomorrow and a catch up, - you go girl!
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