Blog Archive – Stereotypical Librarian

Character Study by the Stereotypical Librarian - Please put this book on your list to listen to (we have it on CD) “Talking to Strangers” by Malcolm Gladwell.  Gladwell demonstrates by giving examples from news events, hearing the voices of the folks involved to show why humans are not very good at being able to tell when someone is lying especially when…
Character Study by the Stereotypical Librarian - Please put this book on your list to listen to (we have it on CD) “Talking to Strangers” by Malcolm Gladwell.  Gladwell demonstrates by giving examples from news events, hearing the voices of the folks involved to show why humans are not very good at being able to tell when someone is lying especially when…
Escape Authors by the Stereotypical Librarian - While you are waiting for the new highly popular titles to become available here are some of my new escape authors to try: Mark Greaney is not a new author.  Greaney has been writing his Gray Man CIA assassin series since 2009.   We also have books by him that he wrote with Tom Clancy.  Greaney’s…
Imagine Your Story by The Stereotypical Librarian - Imagine your story, hey at some point you might have to do that as you run out of books and the library is closed.  This is a great opportunity to get a head start on this summer’s summer reading program.  Imagine Your Story is the theme and a very interesting chapter has just been added…
Won’t You Be My Neighbor? by The Stereotypical Librarian - Planning a little get together with your neighbors?  Perhaps you should do some recreational reading before you find yourself hosting the dinner party from hell as happens in this book titled “The Couple Next Door” by Shari Lapena.  The premise of the book is as follows:  “You never know what’s happening on the other side of…
Howdy by the Stereotypical Librarian - There is something about a county fair, a rodeo or maybe cowboy poetry that will bring out the cowboy or cowgirl in us all.  So, meanwhile back at the ranch (library) we have been rounding up all those strays.  No, not doggies I mean books that no one seems to be reading anymore.  The hired…
Tastes Change – Try Something Old by The Stereotypical Librarian - Horseradish, as a kid just the smell of it could send me running in the opposite direction but as I matured the taste of it on my sandwich is delectable.  Just as a person’s choice of condiment changes from ketchup to horseradish perhaps their reading taste should also change.  Make your reading selections more flavorful…
DVDs by the Stereotypical Librarian - Daring villains dangerously Display violence deemed destructive vindictive distraction. Distorting vice delights dozing viewers demanding decadent variety.  Disney does virtuous detail Declaring values demonstrated domestically.  Vinyl disks draw vivaciously. Dough dominates volume.  Darn, Denizens voice dismay, despair Victory due, drudgery vanquished Duty delayed verse done! Lewistown Public Library for all your DVD desires!
Seriously; Series, do we really need to read EVERY book? By the Stereotypical Librarian - It is time to launch the series reader’s anonymous group and this is why.  Libraries can’t keep going on like this; our shelves simple won’t support this new obsession with book series.  Here at our library we have series that are rapidly approaching 50 books.   And I do mean rapidly, more than 2 books a…
Never-ending Importance of Mothers by the Stereotypical Librarian - Two new moving memoirs explore the mother daughter dynamic.  Written by daughters from very different walks of life both books demonstrate the importance of understanding and accepting their mother’s flaws and strengths in order to understand their own.  Mothers being human make mistakes. “After the Eclipse” by Sarah Perry reads like a page turning mystery. …
All Different In The Same Way by the Stereotypical Librarian - Reading books besides being fun can also help us examine human nature.  In the books I’ve read this month the similarities of people in the stories, their actions, feelings, and thoughts regardless of the countries they are from or the time period in which they live are fascinating.  Human beings all seem to want to…
Surprisingly good reads for October…… by the Stereotypical Librarian - Surprise it is my turn to do the blog, and I haven’t been planning a theme for this month.  Oh, dear!  So here are the books I’ve been reading and the reason I’m reading them and why I’ve enjoyed them.  Maybe you will too. “The Haunting of Hill House“ by Shirley Jackson – I was…
Mother and Daughter Suspense by The Stereotypical Librarian - It is often thrilling when a mom and daughter get to spend time together; however, these following books take the excitement to a whole new level. The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn – The mom who happens to love watching old black and white Hitchcock movies feels like she is living in one…
Are you independent? By the Stereotypical Librarian - Since we just celebrated Independence Day it made me wonder just how independent we really are.  Are you free from influence, persuasion, or bias while relying only on your own abilities and judgment?  If you said YES, then good for you but stop reading now because I’m only talking to the folks who said NO.…
Underdog, or am I just being catty?  by the Stereotypical Librarian - A new scientific study found dogs have twice as many neurons in their brains as cats have in theirs.  The human scientists who also display a large number of neurons in their brains concluded this must mean dogs are definitely twice as smart as cats.  My cats heard this report on the news and just…
Ahoy! by the Stereotypical Librarian - Get that book out of dry dock.  It is time to get back into the waves of fun that reading in the summer provides.  Play along with me, as I give you clues and you try to guess the title of the book. Clue 1:  First published as a serial in the magazine Young Folks…
STEREOTYPES by the Stereotypical Librarian - When we first began blogging several years ago we all got to kick around some ideas for how we wanted our blogs to look and the names we wanted to use on line.  As all my choices proved to be technically impossible, including putting a trench coat on and a bag over my head and…
If the world is winning… then what? by The Stereotypical Librarian - I have to agree with these words from William Wordsworth, “The world is too much with us; late and soon, Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers; Little we see in Nature that is ours; We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!”. Because the world is too much with us we are…
Collapse of Modern Civilization by the Stereotypical Librarian - If you are looking for books that will make you think or if you already think things are getting pretty bad these books and movies will make you realize it’s not so bad after all.  Enjoy each moment of this brand new year. When the English fall, David William’s debut novel is a thoroughly engrossing…
POWER OF A BOOK by The Stereotypical Librarian - I was browsing in the memoirs and found this little gem Morningstar: growing up with books written by Ann Hood and it took me down memory lane to the 1960s and 70s.  Hood explains how the books she read shaped her life and made her who she is.  The book is divided into the ten…
COLD COMFORT FROM NORDIC NOIR by The Stereotypical Librarian - I was reading about a movie that just opened this month and the Director was explaining why the movie wasn’t as good as it could have been, he didn’t have time to film all the scenes and all the locations that he had wanted.  The movie is The Snowman it stars Michael Fassbender as police…
Pregnant Pause By The Stereotypical Librarian - Detour – James Siegel – A couple travels to Colombia to adopt a baby, trouble ensues.  Good thriller with many twists and unexpected outcomes an easy suspenseful read. Midwives – Chris Bohjalian – A medical thriller becomes a legal thriller in this story.  Did she kill the mother to save the baby?  What do you…
Haunted By Their Past By Nancy Sackett - Things the books I read this summer had in common are mystery and suspense, with main characters who are isolated and haunted by their past.  The cause of the isolation differs, some are geographical or spiritual or even by fame or infamy.  Also, they were written by authors I hadn’t read before.  So many good…
R ‘n R -Read and Recycle- By The Stereotypical Librarian - Recycling is one way to build a better world which is the theme of our summer reading program.  This week I heard some fun facts about local plastic recycling thanks to R.O.W.L. spokeswoman Rosemary Kent.  She completely explained that all my excuses for not recycling plastic are a result of my misinformation. I can take…
What Is Going On? By The Stereotypical Librarian - When last I blogged I was reading short stories and that lead me to a couple of new authors with short novels.  Universal Harvester written by John Darnielle besides having a catchy title has an interesting situation.  Someone is taping over the movies at the video rental store and the inserted “show” is kind of…
Short Story Solution By Stereotypical Librarian - Patrons come into the library asking for something different to read, they need a new author or a different genre. Here is an idea I just tried, read something you hate. I have never read short stories. If it was up to me story collections or books that say stories on the cover would not…
WHY BIOGRAPHIES? By The Stereotypical Librarian - Here are a few reasons to read biographies. 1. You have an inquiring mind and find people fascinating. 2. Can learn from others mistakes so you don’t have to make the same ones. 3. See the world from a different perspective. 4. Feel better about yourself when you find no one else is perfect either.  …
HUMANS BEING By The Stereotypical Librarian - Curious minds want to know what other humans are doing and thinking, that is humans being human, I guess. When your curiosity is peaked you really shouldn’t eavesdrop or be a peeping Tom because that is just so creepy and possible breaking laws. Suffering from curious mind? No problem, read a book and here are…
Midwinter Cheer Up by The Stereotypical Librarian - Suffering from a vitamin D deficiency? Are you feeling kind of grumpy? Well put some pep in your step and a smile on your face with this midwinter cheer up therapy I’m suggesting. Remember the old saying “No news is good news.” Let’s try that for a month (February is a short month) so don’t…
Make a List By Stereotypical Librarian - As one year ends and a new one begins people traditionally make lists.  These lists might include goals, resolutions, things to achieve, changes to make, books to read, etc. So here is my list of books I’ve read in 2016 that I enjoyed the most. Touch – Alexi Zentner   –   a family saga with a…
LITERARY YIN & YANG by The Stereotypical Librarian - Yin and Yang are the opposite forces of nature that are also complementary, interconnected, and interdependent.  In books you will often find those forces illustrated by the use of twins.  The first twins I can remember reading about were the Bobbsey Twins, Nan and Bert were twelve years old and had dark hair while Flossie…
WAR DECLARED A HOT TOPIC BY PUBLISHERS by the Stereotypical Librarian -   The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah has been on the best selling list for over 81 weeks and All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr has spent over 127 weeks there.  Both books are set in France during WWII.  Clearly the publishers are happy that war sells but why do we want to read about war? …
Coming of Age by Nancy Sackett, Fiction Librarian - Coming of age novels might evoke such classic titles as To Kill a Mockingbird, A Tree grows in Brooklyn, Lord of the Flies, or The Outsiders. The stories contain the point where childhood ends and the adult world is introduced usually in a traumatic fashion.  After living 50 or more years in the “adult world”…
Nursing a Grudge by Nancy Sackett, Fiction Librarian - Welcome to Library Connect.  Since January 2015 Library Connect has been a place on our website www.lewistownlibrary.org for our “E” library users to have a chance to get acquainted with their librarians.  It is also where they can get reader advisories and information directly from the library staff.  Each week a different staff member would…
Ah, sweet mysteries… - Ah, sweet Mysteries … at last I’ve found a reason to read you! Mystery books are my favorite treat to myself so I save them for last.  This probably explains why I have piles and piles of books at my house just waiting to be read.  Mysteries are my cookies; I’ll get to devourer as…
Australia Dreaming - Try warming up with Australia, it is a hot topic any time of the year with an unusual history and much variety in landscape and people and as you know wintertime here is summer down under. 1946 the economy of Australia is booming and immigrants from Europe and other war torn countries are settling into Australia…
Watching for a sign… - Are there signs for a happy life?
Liar Liar Pants on Fire! - Is fiction reflecting what is actually happening in the world we live in?
November, Bring It On - Ready or not, here it comes
Days are Getting Shorter–Time for Mood Reading - Words are wind, winter is coming. Hungry for mysteries that evoke the eerie feelings of this season.
Feast on Fiction - When facts and fiction converge reality is the result. Yes, you can Google for fact checking but Wikipedia can't give you the meat of the story...to get the full meal we need good fiction authors to flesh out the facts.
Immigration Problems are Nothing New - Foods, music, fables and superstitions blend three very different stories together.
Doggone Heroes - Deep inside me beats the happy heart of a beagle puppy...
Tolerate FRIENDS - Do you have to "LIKE" the main character in a story to read the book??
Like a Breath of Fresh Air… - Kick that habit! Go for the gusto! Be more adventuresome in your book selections...
Southern Superstars - Sudden fame came to this shy humble man who had people yelling like furies and wondering about his exceptional skill and talent. I could be talking about ...
WANTED – GREAT STORIES THAT BEGIN AND END IN ONE BOOK! - Is it just me or are you finding it harder to find books that tell a complete story?
Getting the Year Started with a Laugh! - You might think being a stereotypical librarian is easy but really it has taken me three tries to get this blog written as I keep thinking of “books” we have here in the library to suggest you read...
Effect of mood and season on reading - After spending the summer reading George R.R. Martin’s books and living in Westeros I know words are wind and winter is coming.

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