October 30, 2011
I've suspected for a while but now am sure that this website, hosted through Yola, has a mind of its own in terms of what it does with content I've uploaded. A few people have emailed to ask what happened to the zombie plan - I can confirm it was uploaded in August, was there for a bit, then appeared to disappear. Yet when I log on to the site manager to upload it again it's magically reappeared, as have several blog posts and other content.
This raises the question of whether I should continue with this site at all or migrate to another service provider. I haven't decided yet, but in the meantime, if you're looking for any material on zombies, booktalking or censorship in particular that looks like it's fallen into a black hole, please get in touch and I'll email you a copy.
Posted by Jo. Posted In : Web 2.0
August 5, 2011
As a last hoorah in the College library, my lovely students compiled a list of books that the "differently insane" should read nbefore they die. There was considerable discussion about whether we were nerds or geeks but the label "differently insane" proved a winner!
So here it is:
1. The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
2. Fullmetal Alchemist (series) by Hiromu Arakawa
3. Foundation (series) by Isaac Asimov
4. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
5. ... Continue reading...
Posted by Jo S. Posted In : School Librarianship
March 4, 2011
Barking by Tom Holt, a very amusing tale of vampires, werewolves, zombies, unicorns and ... oh, lawyers. Duncan is poached from his boring law firm by a rival firm owned by his old school friend Luke Ferris, who just happens to be a werewolf, and wants Duncan to be one of his pack. Meanwhile Duncan's ex-wife, who is far more successful in the legal profession than he is, is turned into a vampire by her bosses and seems dead set on killing him. Oh, and then there's the shapeshifting unicorn wi... Continue reading...
Posted by Jo. Posted In : Reviews
January 28, 2011
Student: "Have you got a northerner yet?" Me: "Pardon?" Student "A northerner. That writes books." Student gestures towards my fundraising poster for an author visit... Me:"Oh, an author!" Student: "Yes, that's what I meant. An orphan." Bless 'em. Continue reading...
Posted by Jo. Posted In : Overheard in the library
January 6, 2011
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (Gollancz, 2009, ISBN 9780575090866) Now I have to admit that I don't do zombies, they terrify me! This despite having well-advanced plans in place should there ever be a zombie apocalypse at my college... But this novel gripped me from start to finish. It's set in a small community surrounded by fences that keep the "Unconsecrated" from murdering the inhabitants. Mary's only ever known the village with its strict rules, but starts to question the m... Continue reading...
Posted by Jo. Posted In : Reviews
December 3, 2010
Candor by Pam Bachorz (Egmont, 2009, 9781405250276) A deceptively simple yet chilling tale about a new town in America, where all the teens are brainwashed by subliminal messages, hidden in the muzak, into behaving perfectly. The architect of this society is Oscar's dad, who believes that he has the perfect son - but Oscar knows about the messages and how to subvert them, and has a profitable line in counter-brainwashing, helping teens escape from Candor. When Nia arrives, he is attracted to h... Continue reading...
Posted by Jo. Posted In : Reviews
October 7, 2010
Oranges are not known for their ability to tessellate. - Max Continue reading...
Posted by Jo. Posted In : Overheard in the library
October 1, 2010
I've added a large selection of tried and tested best booktalking titles to this site, with some tips on how to prepare and deliver sessions. I really wish more people would try this - it really does work, it gets teens reading, and it's very rewarding to do. I've been doing it for ten years and it's the highlight of my year, to be honest! This year I've combined it with a Cephalonian induction method for Year 10 students, and it's gone down really well. I hope to add book covers to the page ... Continue reading...
Posted by Jo. Posted In : Reviews
April 15, 2010
Have you got a pair of scissors so I can undo the leather thongs? Continue reading...
Posted by Jo. Posted In : Overheard in the library
March 17, 2010
Following the insanity of November's NaNoWriMo, a few of us gluttons for punishment are preparing for Script Frenzy throughout April. The challenge is to write 100 pages of script in one month! It's intense but as we achieved NaNoWriMo, how could we not join this international writing adventure? For more details see the website at www.scriptfrenzy.org. Continue reading...
Posted by Jo. Posted In : Creative Writing
|
About Me
I'm Jo - a.k.a Ruby, a "Radical Militant Librarian" now working in the HE sector
|
|