It's Christmas Carol Time!

Good luck to all of you performing in tonight's Christmas Concert!  I'm looking forward to watching the performances - Quinn tells me there's even a choir number I didn't already hear at City Hall Friday. On the Christmas theme, this video is a little blast from our family past. Quinn says she is slightly traumatized by how frequently the Jingle Cats cassette tape was played (by me) at Christmas time in our household. It is, in fact, playing in the background of most of our home videos of her childhood. Anyway, here's a little clip for nostalgia's sake.

We did receive a few new books in the library thanks to Sr. Zelie's Scholastic "bonus points," so be sure to check out the display shelves as I'll be displaying them this week.

Get Christmas Crafty

For those of you who enjoy making some of your own Christmas gifts, here is another pretty cool idea I came across on the Martha Stewart website. This woman has also published a book called
P.S. I Made This with lots of other easy ideas to try your hand at.  She also makes those recycled t-shirt scarves I posted a link to in a previous post.  So if you are short on cash you can still get busy and make some really cute gifts!

Or you can make the easiest scarf EVER!  And it's cute - and she even has one for her dog!

Giving thanks!

A few weeks ago, I was the recipient of a beautiful shoe ornament left by an anonymous person on my desk.  By the tone of the lovely note accompanying it, I strongly suspect Sister Mary although she has still not confessed.  Anyway, thank you to my secret Santa and to all of you who leave me such uplifting notes and treats throughout the year - they are appreciated!  Here is my new ornament on the Christmas tree:

And I just have to show all of you the gorgeous fan Nanami gave me on my birthday!  (Although I think I have it backwards now that I look at the photo).  Of course I had to pose it with shoes :)   Thank you for your thoughtfulness and the letter.  Senior Book Club - the surprise birthday party was awesome!  Harshina, that ice cream that's not really ice cream is delicious!  Thank you for all of the trouble you went to celebrate me getting even older!  Rebecca and Nicole - I am still enjoying the flowers; Nicole and Cassidy, the chocolate was great - and all of the rest of you who made my day special - a huge thank-you!

In honour of Katniss...

I think I found my shoes for the opening of the Hunger Games movie! What do you think?

 They're new from Prada for Spring 2012.  If I start saving now, maybe I could be the "Librarian on Fire."   We all have our dreams.  Have a great weekend everyone!

Let the games begin! ...Almost.

Thanks to my period 6 study girls for making me aware of the new Hunger Games trailer today! Even though we must wait until March for the movie :( I am very, very excited for this production and am SO glad I finally took the time to read this series! Any of you who have not yet read it, I will just say, "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!!" Do you enjoy romance? Do you enjoy a bit of science fiction? Do you enjoy teenage angst? Do you enjoy thrillers, mystery, edge-of-your-seat action? Did you answer "yes" to any of these questions? Hmmm? Then you will LOVE these books! Have a look at the trailer and tell me you're not interested!

And for those of you who have read the books, does the movie look the way you imagined? I like how the Capitol people look kind of wacky and I adore the actor they chose for Gale. Even Peeta is starting to grow on me now that I've watched this a few times.

Watch the interview, read the book!

With the movie release coming up soon, I thought you might be interested in this little clip of Brian Selznick discussing The Invention of Hugo Cabret.  Let me know if you are interested in either this book or his latest, Wonderstruck.

Get Creative!

I hope everyone had fun yesterday!  Now that November is here, maybe it's time to turn your thoughts to making Christmas gifts.  I know that a few of you have already shared some of your crafty ideas with me and today Camille was telling me about the recycled t-shirt scarves she saw when she was out shopping.  Apparently they are selling like hotcakes.  Of course I had to google them and, what do you know, there is a simple way to make them yourself.  Have a look here on the ette studios website and then get busy making scarves for all of the people on your Christmas list!  Just don't cut up your siblings' t-shirts without permission.
And if scarves aren't your thing, you can check out our other books for knitting, crochet, or even old-school macrame ideas.  Remember - the best gifts are homemade!

Plan your future!

Many of you in the senior grades have been in the library looking for information about universities and other post-secondary institutions.  Some of you are understandably confused about the many options facing you as you prepare to take the next step in your lives.  I thought I would post a reminder about this website available through our school division, providing many resources for students of all ages.  Please have a look - you may find some enlightenment!

Pursue Online

I hope this helps a little bit.

October Update

As most of you know, we have settled into our routine of Junior Book Club on Tuesdays and Senior Book Club on Thursdays unless announced otherwise.  Please feel free to approach me with any suggestions you might have for how we can improve or add to our enjoyment of either group (as long as it does not involve me bringing a snack every week!)
We are expecting a very large Scholastic order this month, so there will be an exciting new group of books for you leading up to CHRISTMAS!! Can you believe we are already approaching the holidays? Please keep the book requests coming in - you know I love to buy what you like to read!  And to assist you in expanding your reading horizons, I am adding another link for you:
Teen Reads Ultimate Reading List
They have many great book reviews and keep up-to-date on all of the latest teen fiction.  It's a great site to browse around - they even have contests to enter.
Good luck to all of the variety night performers!  I am looking forward to enjoying the show this evening!

Check out your book orders!

Sr. Zelie appeared with the Scholastic book order forms today, so be sure to have a look to see if anything appeals to you. I know many of you like to build your own book collection, but if you have suggestions for titles you would like to see added to the library be sure to let me know!
I was telling one of our new students what a pleasure it has been to have so many new faces in Junior Book Club - you have all had such great contributions to make and I am so excited that we already have some of your favourite books here at Rivier! Hopefully together we can build an even better library!
I am continuing to catalogue some new books every day so check the centre shelves when you visit the library .  Some of those titles and series include: The Boy Sherlock Holmes series by Shane Peacock - visit   The Boy Sherlock Holmes Website .  The first book in the series is called Eye of the Crow.  For those of you interested in steampunk, we have another new series , the Clockwork Century by Cherie Priest beginning with the book Boneshaker - check out her blog at The Clockwork Century.

 Many more exciting books to come and I welcome your continued input!  Remember I am not in the library Fridays so save your book exchanges for Monday please.

Friday Inspiration...

My sister-in-law posted this video on facebook this morning and I thought I would share it with all of you today. Some of you may have listened to Nick's inspirational talks before, but his message is so important that I just had to share it again. Have a great weekend!

New Books!

As you may have noticed, there are many crisp new books being added to our collection as quickly as I can get them out to the display shelves! I will be trying to remember my librarything password also so that I can update the little gadget to the right of the blog to circulate some of the new additions on here also. Welcome to all of you who have joined either of our Book Clubs! As you have discovered, one of the perks is being among the first to see the brand new books before anyone else in the school and having first dibs on signing them out! The rest of you might see your friends with a book you would like to read and may certainly come to the library to ask me to be put on the reserve list for that title. Here's a peek at an author discussing a new series we will soon have on our shelves:

100 Years Of Style In 100 Seconds‎ Courtesy Of The Westfield Shopping Centre - Fashionist

You know how I love shoes, so I thought just for fun I would share this fashion video while I am busy catching up with all of the cataloguing of new books that were put aside while we packed and unpacked the library!

Let's Start Book Club!

First of all, here's a peek at what I've been busy doing in my spare time for the past few days!  My cousin was married on Saturday (in Saskatoon) and my gift to her was her wedding cake.  

Now that I've shared a little of my after-hours life with you, I think we should start up our book clubs again this week.  I am thinking Tuesdays for Juniors and Thursdays for Seniors, but let me know if you have other preferences.  Listen for announcements to confirm times and days.

Almost Ready For the Big Reveal...

Well, the books are mostly in their new places and the library is looking great!  Soon it will be time to welcome all of you in for the new year.  I feel as though I've missed out on these first days down in my "isolation chamber" while I've been busily unpacking!  Thank goodness Sister Zelie has been faithfully helping in her spare time - she is a trooper!  Hopefully we will be opening the library doors sometime next week - cross your fingers that all continues to go smoothly.
In the meantime, I thought I would post a video of  Maggie Stiefvater, author of Shiver and Linger discussing the release of the third book in her trilogy Forever.  Sound like they are going to be making this series into a movie, too!

Summer Reading and Stuff...

Well I hope everyone has had a great summer and enjoyed a few good books!  I intended to read MANY more Rivier library books than I have actually made it through BUT I did read the next (4th?) in the Gone  series.  This one is called Plague and oh my goodness things are not improving in the FAYZ!  Those of you who are following this series will be anxious to get your hands on this one when we get back to school!  And once again, sadly, no resolution - but this time I was prepared as I knew I wasn't reading the final book.  (Remember last time I thought I was reading the last book of a trilogy and was waiting expectantly for the story to neatly wrap up!)

My son Charlie has devoured the entire (9 book) Ranger's Apprentice series and forced me to order the tenth book.  He assures me that it was a satisfying conclusion to that epic adventure, although I have not read those books myself. Book club students will be happy to have that one available immediately upon our return in August.


I have been busy working on flowers for my cousin's wedding in September.  She has chosen to have a bouquet of brooches- some from family, some new, some from garage sales -  and I've mixed them in with silk flowers.  I think it turned out kind of cool (see photo below).
She's going to have a gorgeous, sparkling wedding!   I should have made Quinn change into a coordinating shirt to model the bouquet!


Speaking of kind of crafty stuff, I noticed on facebook that Caitlin actually made one of the recycled book purses - way to go!  Quinn and I tried it out too as a keepsake for Yuki and Hiroko and it was a fun project.  Savour the last couple of weeks of holidays - think back to the end of June when the whole summer was stretched out in front of us - WHERE HAS IT GONE?!!!  Ah well, as Douglas Adams advises in The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, "Above all don't panic!"

It's Been A Long Time!

Well, as most of you who visit the library know, I have been busy (and a little stressed) trying to prepare for the big move of ALL of our books at the end of June in anticipation of the great carpet removal. Thanks to all of you girls for bearing with me during my rants, occasional (ha ha) despair, and the disappointment of no longer being able to get your hands on our amazing collection of reading material! But wait, you have been getting a few books, haven't you? It seems that certain titles while neglected and left to languish on the shelves for decades become irresistible once they are destined for the recycling/donation bin! Take a look at a few of the book club girls "rescuing" some Reader's Digest Condensed Books:

For more ideas on what to do with those treasures you've saved have a look at this:


So, now that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel on this whole MOVE THE ENTIRE LIBRARY! project, my neck is relaxing just ever so slightly and I am finding I don't have a headache every single minute, which is awesome! Thank you so much to those of you who have shared little laughs and pick-me-ups throughout the days - they have been bright spots more than you know! Caitlin shared this video last week and I just want to re-post because I LOVE THESE BOYS!!! I showed Quinn as soon as I got home that evening. Caitlin had me watch their Disney medley, but I think I might post a different one - all excellent and so good and FUNNY!

Dare I say this is what I hope for when we are Co-ed? ;)

Lastly, I just have to:

Skeleton Creek Book One Review

Hi girls! Today we are fortunate to welcome back our guest book reviewer, Tristen! So, without further delay, I will turn the blog over to her capable hands.

Skeleton Creek written by Patrick Carman is possibly one of the creepiest books I've ever read following right behind Coraline.
The novel revolves around Ryan and Sarah as they begin to uncover their town's ghastly history, and their communication through the internet as they are forbidden to see each other by their parents after an accident almost kills Ryan.
The novel is in diary form with entries written by Ryan; it's quite easy to familiarize yourself with him through the thoughts he writes down and observations he makes of the people who are involved with the secret being kept from them.
He also provides a website and password to access online videos posted by his friend Sarah. These videos are essential to the story's plot and could be a disadvantage to those who don't have access but adds to the experience of the story to those who do. The combination with the story read and videos watched gives you the eerie feeling that you didn't buy the book in store but stumbled across it and involved yourself with something that forces you onto the border of reality and the unknown.
The novel is a quick read and is fast paced but is done so that it doesn't feel rushed. I know future readers will love the interaction needed to complete it and will have a friend close by as they watch the videos.
I loved it and it kept me looking over my shoulder and questioning what I thought was real and what wasn't, and hopefully it will have the same effect on you. It receives a full five out of five stars.

Thanks for another great review, Tristen! Look for Skeleton Creek and the sequel, Ghost in the Machine on our library shelves (if you dare!)

Sneak Peak at the next book in the series:

Author Interview with Patrick Carman - Skeleton... by expandedbooks

New Spring Books!

Hi Girls!
For fans of Sarah Dessen, she has a new book coming out next month - watch her talking about it here:

And yes, we do have all of her other books, they are just usually signed out all of the time! Let me know if you would like to put a hold on any of her titles (some are for 10-12 only.)

Enter to Win!

For those of you who don't notice comments beneath posts, check out this link: Let's Talk Tobacco.  It's a contest sponsored by the Canadian Cancer Society where you can make a video (less than 3 minutes) with your own unique twist.  Entry deadline is April 15 and they have some great prizes.  Visit the website for some more ideas!  I know there are LOTS of very creative minds here - and thanks to "anonymous" for once again bringing something fun to our attention ; )

Tea Time

"The tea hour is the hour of peace.  Strife is lost in the hissing of the kettle - a tranquilizing sound, second only to the purring of a cat."   Agnes Reppelier
Best quote of the year so far from the Susan Branch calendar on my wall at home - and considering our love of library tea time (and the occasional visiting library cat!) I thought it was appropriate to start this post.
    I can't believe it's April already!  We have some amazing new books arriving, but as I've shared with the book club girls I am not sure how long the new stuff will keep coming out onto the shelves as we will be preparing for some changes during the summer and that will be consuming much of my time and energy.  Keep your eyes open for the next few weeks, at least.
    Now many of you may have seen this video already, but Bryanna shared it with me and I really, really liked what this girl had to say.  In fact she made so much sense that I immediately asked if she was a librarian - ha ha.   Anyway, if you are a teenage girl, you should have a look:  

Senior Book Club Tuesday at 11:40 as usual girls!

Most Incredible Footwear!

Okay - The most awesome footwear/legwear of March spotted today in the library AND NOT WORN BY ME!!!   Thanks to Yuki for letting me photograph her leg!  And for sharing her awesome fashion sense

with all of us - very much appreciated!

In actual library news, we have TONS of new books coming in, but be patient, please or you will have a "loopy librarian" for real.  As you may have noticed, the library is in a bit of disarray as we start to prepare for summer changes, but I will keep trying to get the new stuff out to you for as long as I am able.
Finally - Junior Book Club tomorrow (Thursday) at 11:40 - be there or be square;)
Senior Book Club Tuesday as usual!

Happy International Women's Day!

Hi girls! Those of you who spent time in the library today already talked about International Women's Day with me - but I also saw a bit of a news story tonight about a video done by James Bond actor Daniel Craig (apparently causing some controversy, although I missed the "why" part because Quinn just HAD to switch back to Glee.) Anyway, I had to look up the video and I think it is quite powerful in its message. Your generation still has some work to do! Have a look and see what you think:


And have a look at this website for Plan Canada's Because I am a Girl - lots of interesting, Canadian information on their site!

Another reason why I love my job!

Some of you may have already seen the stunning picture (of a shoe, of course) Tristen gave me before the break - it is absolutely gorgeous!  I am continually amazed by the talent within the walls of Rivier!  Well, I had it framed and it will be on display in the library this week and then will have its permanent home on my living room wall.
Tristen, what an awesome gift - I will treasure it always and think of you every time I look at it in years to come!  Thank you so much.  You are such a talented artist and I am so proud to have one of your "early works" hanging on my wall!

An awesome young woman!

I was looking at a few blogs and websites last night and came across Hey! Teenager of the Year by Australian Steph Bowe.  She just turned 17 this month and wrote Girl Saves Boy when she was 16!  From the summary and reviews I read, it sound like a really good book and I think it would be a great addition to our library.  Look it up and see what you think.  I'm also going to post a video of an interview with the author because it is quite an accomplishment to write and publish a novel when you're still a teenager.

I'm also adding some links to more blogs and websites under my "useful links" so have another look if you haven't checked lately. (They're located under the shoe hat photo on the right side.)
Finally, junior book club will be cancelled this week due to the teacher appreciation lunch on thursday. We'll just have more to talk about next week, girls!

Changes, changes...

Well, all of you who have spent time in the library know that I don't exactly love change. However, we are facing a pretty major one here girls! Some of you are probably excited and some of you may feel a sense of loss. Remember that sometimes the changes we fear the most turn out to be some of the greatest things that have happened in our lives when we look back on them. Time to embrace an exciting future together - and remember we are in this together!
Here's a kind of inspiring little clip from liveyourdreammentors:


One more video on the theme of life changes in general - I thought this was quite poignant in terms of how it addresses the fears of many young people starting out on their journeys in life. Again, it is a reminder that you are never alone in any way.

See you on Monday!