Blog Readers (2 of 23 Things)

I am now officially the proud owner of a blog and a blog reader, or is that, I am now someone who writes blogs and aggregates feeds into a reader? Or no, perhaps it is that although I write blogs myself, it is the reader that aggregates my feeds and blogs so I that I can simply read them in a timely and organized manner?! By Golly, I think I've got it!

I believe I've got, at least, a basic understanding of the first two Things. I've set up my reader, but the real test will be to see if I use it. It makes all kinds of sense - I liken it to my browser tabs. I always open up the same six tabs when I sit down at a computer, one being a page of bookmarks. So everything I think I might need is at my fingertips. With a reader the same is true - but its a more dynamic connection because new "material" is regularly added by way of breaking news, new entries, and comments. This is an excellent organizational tool for librarians, simplifying their to-the-minute information needs.

I'm confused about using labels with the reader. I plan to play around with the available tools to increase its functionality for me. My brain is going fuzzy - so enough cyberspace for one day.

Signing off-

Everything is Fine by Ann Dee Ellis (2009)

Mazzy is "fine". Her severely depressed, mostly catatonic mother is fine. Her ESPN-anchor, absentee father is "fine". Everyone and everything is totally dysfunctional BUT fine. Mazzy (13) takes care of her mother and keeps neighbors and family-services investigators away, while her father is gone chasing his "big chance". This novel of sparse words and vignettes, told from Mazzy's perspective, gives glimpses into her existence over one summer and build into an understanding of the tragedy that brought her family to ruin. Written with humor and believable naivete, on Mazzy's part, and ignorance and self-centeredness, on her parents' part make for a realistic portrait of a family in crisis. Ages: 13+

Blogs (1 of 23 Things)

O.K. I've spent the better part of the afternoon, at home, working on my blog. What better way to learn new technology than to jump in and make it work for you. My dual-purpose blog will serve as my professional reading log and my Web 2.0 chronology. I found the blogging experience interesting, but time consuming. I'm sure the more I post to it the better and faster I will get. I played with fonts and colors, images and sizes and labels and when I encountered a problem with too many images in a post my son went in and fooled around with the html coding and got rid of one. Do not expect me to be able to do that!

I chose to make my blog a reading log so that it can travel with me to whatever computer I'm on, thereby making me more efficient at the library. I can't imagine many others wanting to read or comment on my little synopses, so I'm seeing my blog, after the 23 Things, as more of a personal resource. The labels are very handy for categorizing posts however you see fit. Love that!

I can also see blogging useful for group projects or perhaps on-going collaborations for subject bibliographies, for example. I'm told these posts need to stay succinct or they wouldn't be read, so I'm signing off.

Double Identity by Margaret Peterson Haddix (2005)

Thirteen-year-old Bethany's parents have always been overprotective, but when they suddenly drop out of sight with no explanation, leaving her with an aunt she never knew existed, Bethany uncovers shocking secrets that make her question everything she thought she knew about herself and her family.
The pace is a little slow and the plot somewhat far fetched; why wouldn't Bethany have rebelled or, at least, thought about rebelling against her oppressive existence prior to the novel's beginning? Most normal thirteen-year-olds would have figured out that something was amiss with their peculiar-acting family. Ages: 10+

Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin (2006)

Seventeen-year-old Matthew recounts his attempts, starting at a young age, to free himself and his sisters from the grip of their emotionally and physically abusive mother. Written as a cathartic letter to his youngest half-sister, Matt details specific events so that she, and more importantly, he, himself might understand how they arrived where they are. Well written; this realistic fiction depicts how and why emotional (psychological) abuse is so difficult to detect but how devastating the effect on its victims. Suspenseful and heartbreaking, a real horror story. Ages: 14+

One is a Feast for Mouse by Judy Cox (2008)

Everyone in the house is napping off their Thanksgiving dinner, including the greeny-eyed cat, when Mouse ventures out of his hidey hole to investigate the leftovers on the dining room table. Starting with a single pea, Mouse's eyes grow bigger than his stomach , not to mention his grasp. He collects more and more food and then attempts to carry his feast back home. As his stash grows in size, Mouse's grasp of the situation becomes more and more precarious. Great flannel story! Lots of excitement as Mouse's meal towers above him. Ages: Preschool+

Dreamland by Sarah Dessen (2000)

"Perfect" older sister bound for her first semester at Yale runs away leaving behind 16 year-old Caitlin to deal with their parents and to make a new life without her. The sisters have always been close; Caitlin struggles to re-identify herself. Caitlin finds love with an unlikely and troubled boy; the relationship turns physically abusive and before Caitlin can figure a way out, things spiral out of control. Well-written, very realistic. Age: 16+