Book Club News

A big thanks to Lilly for her delightful reading in German and English at Junior Book Club yesterday - and a talking cat story - perfection! I never cease to be amazed by our Rivier students. Senior Book Club will proceed as usual tomorrow (Thursday) at 12:05 and I do have a few new books to share with you. Quinn showed me this funny video last night with adults acting out scenarios told by children and it sort of reminded me a little bit of when we had worked on the "travelling story" years ago in our book clubs. Maybe it is the complete randomness of where the story goes that made me think of it! I'll also post the covers of a few of the new books that will be out on the shelves over the next few days. Those of you who enjoy graphic novels will want to look for Cardboard by Doug TenNapel (author of Ghostopolis and Bad Island>) Older students who are fans of Sarah Dessen might be interested in Susane Colasanti's So Much Closer, the story of a girl who uproots her life to follow a boy she believes is her soulmate but ends up learning something about herself... The Mark of Athena and The Rise of Nine are both the latest installments in popular series, and The Goddess Girls have an in-between "super special" called The Girl Games. Just ask me if you don't see any of these titles on the shelves and we will add your name to the waiting list!

Hey...Where's My Hobbits?

Friday Fun Time! I can't resist the marginally literary version of gangnam style for the loopy library. True fans of The Lord of the Rings will appreciate the second version more, I am sure! Enjoy your weekend! What would really happen:

Book Club Suggestions?

We had another great junior book club meeting on Tuesday - thank you for keeping up with the excellent attendance! I appreciate your input re: our group reading of a novel for this year. As you know, my suggestion this week was Love Among the Walnuts by Jean Ferris.  I'll post the cover below to refresh your memories .  I am wondering how many of you have read Once Upon A Marigold?  That might be another title to consider by the same author.  So, as we discussed, you could add suggestions in the comments under this post and we will try to come to some agreement at a future meeting.

You might have noticed the display of Snow Willow Award Winner/Nominee Books in the library.  I have tried to tag each book with the year in which it was nominated (in case you are wondering what those pink things sticking out of the covers are!)  You still have time to vote for this year's nominees if you read three of the 2012 books by February 28.  Have a look at the poster by my desk.

Senior Book Club will meet tomorrow, Thursday at 12:05 as usual in the library.

It's Library Week!

Time to celebrate ME! (JK) To start the week we were fortunate to have a very special guest in our library! Vader wandered down with Mrs. Mengell to do a little reading (chewing) and here are a few of the photos for you to enjoy. He really is just too adorable!

Vader's opinion: Dewey the Library Cat - 2 paws down; Marley and Me - 2 paws up.

Book Club Meetings

Good Morning! As you hopefully heard at assembly, Junior Book Club will be meeting at 12:05 in the library today. We had talked about the possibility of doing a "pass-it-on" reading of one book with a group discussion and as I have thought about book ideas all week I have tentatively settled on Holes by Louis Sachar.  It's not too long, it's funny, and I love the way the twisting storylines all weave together in the end.  Have a look at this little summary and see what you think.  I am very open to your ideas for other books! Senior Book Club will meet Thursday at 12:05 as usual.

“That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you're not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong.”

― F. Scott Fitzgerald  

I discovered this quotation over on "Goodreads" this morning and thought I would share it to start our Thursday.  Senior Book Club will meet today at 12:05 in the library.  I am hoping more of you are able to make it today - I am looking forward to catching up!  Also, I can't wait to share what I have been reading!

Tristen, if you still check in on occasion I know you will appreciate that image!  The Fault In Our Stars by John Green is an amazing book.  I am almost finished reading it, but I don't want to let it go - you know how it is.  Let me know if you are interested in a story that will RIP YOUR HEART OUT!  (Figuratively speaking, of course.)

Tuesday Inspiration

We had a great Junior Book Club meeting at lunch today with a wonderful turnout. I look forward to hearing more of your reflections and ideas next week! As some of you begin to prepare for variety night (exciting!) I thought I would share this video I stumbled upon to remind all of us how fortunate we are. I know it's a little long, but it is worth the time!

Welcome Back!

Welcome back everyone and welcome to all of our brand new students!  I hope you are all settling in well to this school year and have had a chance to enjoy the library space in some way.  

Now for a bit of general library information and manners:  For those of you who ARE new and for returning students, a reminder that we ask that you observe the same rules around the library computers that you do in the computer lab upstairs - use them only for schoolwork and keep even your water bottles away from that area. 

I try to make it back down to the library at lunch by around 12:05 (as long as I am not delayed getting upstairs at the beginning of noon hour) so you are welcome to spend time doing homework, reading, or attending one of our book clubs. I do ask that you refrain from a)playing tag in the library or b)playing hide and seek in the library or c)even coming in to randomly mess up the books on the shelves. These sorts of activities drive librarians crazy and will earn you my angry/crazy librarian look and you may be asked to spend your lunch hour elsewhere. Just be respectful of the fact that many students come to the library to work and/or read AND I am trying to get new books ready for everyone to enjoy! 

We have had our first meetings for both Junior and Senior Book Clubs. Junior Book Club will meet on Tuesdays at 12:05 and Senior Book Club on Thursdays at 12:05. You do not need to attend every meeting to be a member - just be there when you are able. I realize that we will have conflicts with Jazz Choir and that is fine.

Many of you have already enjoyed the new look of the shelf ends this year!  I thought it would be fun to cover them with chalkboard and so far it's been a hit.  I think I will keep erasing at least every Monday and let you start fresh - just keep your messages and artwork appropriate!  
For Friday fun, here's a video made in a library with a much larger staff to clean up afterwards! Never try this at Rivier, please!

Spring Has Sprung - Let's Enjoy It!

Junior Book Club Members have suggested to me that we should hold our next meeting outdoors and I think that  is a great idea! So, if the weather permits next Tuesday we will meet in the courtyard - shall we say at 11:40 and have our lunch together? Listen for an announcement Tuesday morning to confirm the details, please.

Now, I really enjoyed reading this post at Reading Rants which discusses some classic books that students might still find good, interesting reads. Take a look at the coolest classics you never even heard of and see what you think.  I believe we have all but one of these books in our library, so just ask me if you would like to try them out!

And just a reminder for those of you who are still hanging on to books from months ago:

Snoop around Shmoop!

I just couldn't resist adding this image from Shmoop.com.  You know I love the lolcats and they have a whole section of famous quotations translated into lolcat - can life get any better?  Some of you may have already used this website for homework help, but I thought I would feature it because it really appeals to me for its sense of humour, for the fact that it does not do your work for you, but guides you through your frustration, and it covers many of the novels and plays that we study here at Rivier.  It even has a career section for you to browse through.  Admittedly, it is an American website, but that can be useful if you are considering a U.S. university and looking at those SAT exams!  So, if you are stuck in ANY of your subjects, give shmoop a look (they even have a music section with all kinds of songs and lyrics interpretations).  It's a fun site to explore and you might alleviate some homework stress!
And now my video for today:  Because Quinn performed this Gotye song on the weekend, it has been on my mind lately and I was amused to find a choir version of it.  Not exactly library related, but here you go:

New Books Will Abound in May!

After a LONG wait, brace yourselves for an influx of great new books scheduled to arrive throughout the month of May! I will be processing as fast as I can to give you an opportunity to enjoy these titles before the end of the school year (can you BELIEVE how fast it is approaching?!) A few of the much-anticipated sequels to your favourites are coming out along with a couple of new series I've ordered. As always, I have taken your suggestions into consideration when purchasing! Here's a little teaser of one of the new books on its way to us right now: Check back for more updates on what is new and exciting in our library collection! Junior Book Clubbers will meet today at 12:05, although we have nothing new for show and tell yet ;) Senior Book Club will get together Thursday as usual unless you have other commitments.

April Showers of Great Books!

It has been a long time!  Those of you who are in our book clubs will know that we have had a regular influx of new books although they are usually snapped up quickly by book club members before they make it to the shelves!  I was just having a look at teenreads and noticed that they have posted the 2012 Teen Choice Book of the Year List - check it out here.  We do have several of the titles they list already and I have plans to order more.  If you see any books that you REALLY, REALLY want us to have, please let me know!
And,  in honour of our upcoming Easter break here's a little chuckle for you:

Check out Scott Westerfeld!

Kennedy in grade eleven just reminded me of the awesomeness of Scott Westerfeld! She is currently reading the Leviathan series and enjoying it very much.  Book two is Behemoth, and book three is scheduled for release in August, I think.  Check out his website here Scott Westerfeld and learn more about all of his writing as well as test out all of the cool gadgets.
Also, for the grade 12's, if you are unhappy with your initial choice for your Canadian author assignment, be sure to come back to me!  I have another order coming in this week and have picked up a few more titles over the weekend.  You still have time to make a switch - there's no need to stick with a book you're not enjoying!

So cool!

As much as I like e-readers, you can't do this with them!




I'm looking forward to Junior Book Club today at lunch and (if you aren't too busy studying for upcoming exams) we will have Senior Book Club on Thursday as usual!

New year, new things!

Welcome back, everyone!  Kennedy just showed me a new website today (well, new to me, although I think I have stumbled upon it before) and I've added it to my "useful links."  It's called goodreads and has lots of great features like suggesting books based on what you've enjoyed in the past and contests you can enter (even when you live in Canada!)  Take the time to poke around a bit;  you might find it useful if you are an avid reader!

Next, I finished reading Divergent over the holidays and I LOVED it!  So did my 13-year-old, Charlie.  The sequel, Insurgent will be out in May and I can hardly wait.  Thanks for the recommendation Hira!  I also read Stephen King's new book 11/22/63 which was amazing, but a little too mature for our library!  Also 849 pages, so a bit lengthy for some students - you need to focus on your schoolwork!

If all goes well this week, Senior Book Club will meet on Thursday at 11:40 as usual and then we will get back to our regular schedule with Junior Book Club meeting next Tuesday as we normally do.  Listen for announcements.