Like many of you, I could hardly wait for July 14th. Harper Lee’s companion to To Kill a Mockingbird was going to be released and I was determined to have my own copy. I pre-ordered Go Set a Watchman and anxiously awaited for it to be delivered. When it finally arrived, it sat beside my bed for almost a week before I finally opened it. I hadn’t read any reviews, but I had heard the rumors and couldn’t bring myself to see the worst in one of my favorite literary characters.
Now that I have finished the book, I have a few thoughts. Atticus Finch is not the man we thought we knew, but one could argue if we can ever really know anyone completely. One of my favorite lines in Go Set a Watchman is when Uncle Jack is trying to reason with Scout. He tells her “you confused your father with God. You never saw him as a man with a man’s heart, and a man’s failings—I’ll grant you it may have been hard to see, he makes so few mistakes, but he makes ’em like all of us.”
I think many of us may have been confused, as well. It’s hard to see the flaws in people (or characters) that we believe in so deeply. However, it reminds us that we can all strive for greatness, but shouldn’t judge ourselves or others too harshly in our shortcomings.
I was also hoping to see a more mature Jean Louise Finch. Not even close. The book takes place 20 years after To Kill a Mockingbird ends and her character doesn’t seemed to have changed at all. This is not realistic in my opinion. People change every day…especially after 20 years. I almost abandoned the book several times because of this fact. I made myself finish because I wanted closure.
I think Go Set a Watchman adds depth to the To Kill a Mockingbird story and gives us some timely topics to discuss. However, I don’t see it leaving my shelf any time soon…unless someone else wants to read it.
My rating: 
It has become a tradition of mine to visit local libraries during my vacations. So when my daughters and I recently visited New York City, visiting the New York Public Library was a MUST.
The New York Public Library was founded in 1895 and is the nation’s largest public library system. There are 88 neighborhood branches and 4 research centers. These libraries serve more than 17 million patrons a year! Incredible! Get a glimpse into how important these libraries are by checking out their At A Glance statistics from 2014. Impressive!
Here I am outside the Stephen A Schwarzman Building. It is one of the four scholarly research centers.
One of the most notable public sculptures in New York City are the Library Lions outside of the NYPL. Here are my daughters posing with Patience. Visiting the library was a highlight of the trip for them…even if they didn’t really say that. 🙂
Found these lego lions in the Children’s section and immediately thought of Makerspaces! Wouldn’t it be incredible to build something like this for our library?!
I absolutely loved visiting the NYPL. The only negative thing was that the store was closed when I was there. Bummer! Luckily, they have an online store. Time to start shopping!
For the past few years, there has been a lot of buzz around makerspaces in the library. Makerspaces provide an area for students and teachers to think, learn, and create in a variety of areas.
Deciding to implement a makerspace in your library is one thing. It’s another thing to actually plan it out and do it. There are a lot of things to consider when deciding on the right kinds of makerspaces for your library. Location, budget, tools, projects, resources, time, and much more.
This summer I’m taking an online Makerspace workshop through Library Journal/School Library Journal to help prepare me to start a makerspace here in the Tompkins Library. I’ve also found some really great information in this FREE Makerspace Playbook.
What kinds of makerspaces would you like to see in the Tompkins Library? [formidable id=8]
In case you haven’t heard, author John Green has another book that has been made into a movie that will hit theaters on July 24th. Paper Towns is the story of Quentin Jacobsen and his quest to solve the mystery of Margo Roth Spiegelman.
It’s nerve wracking when one of your fave YA books is being turned into a movie. All you can do is cross your fingers and hope they get it right.
Summer is just around the corner…and so is summer reading! Many of us will be be away from home and may find it difficult to carry around books during our summer travels. Never fear, SYNC is here!
SYNC is a program that gives away two audiobook downloads–a current Young Adult title paired thematically with a Classic–each week to listeners ages 13+.
Check out the 2015 summer schedule:
Check out our Tompkins HS Library SYNC 2015 summer playlist for a peek at some of these great books!
For more details and download instructions, visit www.audiobooksync.com
Caden Bosch is a normal teenage boy that finds himself slipping from reality and diving into the depths of the unknown. His struggle is heart wrenching, yet hopeful in the end.
It doesn’t happen very often that I read a book that takes my breath away. This book literally left me breathless. Perhaps it’s because of the passion I have for books that shed light on such a taboo subject as mental illness or maybe it’s just that Neal Shusterman’s writing style captivates me. Whatever the reason, CHALLENGER DEEP is a book that should be read and discussed in every library and every classroom. I truly believe that.
This book is eye opening and a must read for teens with family members or friends with similar experiences.
I was fortunate to attend the Texas Library Association annual conference April 14th – April 17th in Austin. I spent time volunteering, attended panel sessions, met lots of authors, and even moderated a panel session!
Here are some highlights:
Kim Warwick, the librarian at Beckendorff JH, and I spent National Librarians Day volunteering at the registration table at TLA and taking goofy pictures.
Several Katy ISD librarians attended a Young Adult Round Table Meet & Greet and ran into the amazing Jason Reynolds. If you aren’t familiar with his books stop what you are doing right now and look them up. Simply. Amazing.
Don’t be jealous, but I got to meet the author of the SELECTION series! Kiera Cass is the most down to earth author I have ever met. SOOO funny!
Yep! That’s me and author Marie Lu!
My most fave picture of the conference! My author crush, Neal Shusterman, and his son, Brendan, were signing copies of CHALLENGER DEEP. I can’t say enough great things about this book. See my separate blog post for a full review.
I saw Adam Gidwitz signing books and ran over to get one for my 5th grade daughter. She loves spooky stories!
The one and only Chris Van Allsburg! I now have a personalized copy of Jumanji! You are never too old for picture books, right? 🙂
I also spent some time volunteering at the Texas Teens 4 Libraries Day. These teens had an incredible opportunity to listen to authors, get free books, and have them signed! All smiles!
Thrilled to be serving on the Young Adult Round Table executive board this next year!
#txla15 Swag. Enough Said.
After a long battle, WE WERE LIARS by E. Lockhart clenched the March Madness – Battle of the Books Champion title on Monday!
If you have not had a chance to read this suspenseful novel, stop by and check out a copy from the library. You won’t be able to put it down…just ask Mrs. Crestani, our OTHS Calculus teacher. 🙂
