Just finished reading ... "206 Bones"

I do like a good mystery, with a touch of the macabre thrown in for good measure. Which I guess is why I enjoy Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs so much.

I found 206 Bones a good read, particularly with the little twist in the end. The plot was not predictable, the characters underwent a credible development, the action was well-described. At times the use of language was a little heavy, but still eminently readable.

The downside was Ms Reichs' stereotypical portrayal of The Librarian, including the actual appellation of 'the dragon'. I guess I can live with this small flaw if I concentrate on the fact that this was the viewpoint of the character, not the author. At least I hope so. I'd have to check with the author to get an accurate assessment; it's always best to go to the source for confirmation. Isn't it?

I think that Cornwell may be a marginally better writer, with Reichs' a marginally better 'storyteller'; if that makes any difference to anyone.

This was one of my pre-Christmas purchases; with the closure of two major book stores at my local mall, I'm happy to say the book-nook (not its real name) is a pretty good substitute. Not a big range, but a more consistently interesting bargain table. What you throw up on the swings lands on the round-about? Or words to that effect ...

What your favorite author says about you ...

... from Huffpost Books is quite interesting. This site says that if you are a Kurt Vonnegut fan, then you "... have an original and slightly absurdist way of looking at reality..."

So it really isn't your favorite author speaking about you personally. After all, how many people could someone like Kurt Vonnegut actually have met. Considering the billions of Internet-enabled folk world-wide, any of whom might land on that website, statistically it's pretty unlikely that he'd know any of them. Particularly as he died in 2007.

Nevertheless, the site does give food for thought. Shame the list stopped at only 12 authors. I wonder what the analysis would be for a reader with a passion for Chaucer? Or perhaps Matt Drudge? Or those that retire to bed with Library Management Policies ....

"Author, Author"

Apropos of nothing in particular, today's quote of the day comes from Jerome K. Jerome, whom I first read as a teenager - due only to the fact that I was told that I "wouldn't understand it". Which, incidentally, was correct. I've since re-read Three Men in a Boat twice, and I'm happy to say I do now actually "get" it.

JKJ (which you notice is incredibly close to JKR, but without the same magnitude of fiscal reward) is credited with saying "Idleness, like kisses, to be sweet must be stolen."

I'm not sure that I completely agree with this, as I find I often have to not only schedule my idleness but also make arrangements for an appropriate venue - otherwise it just doesn't happen. Any other attempted dormancy is almost instantly detected by the Fun Police and immediately terminated. To be honest, I'm not certain that the amount of work involved qualifies the "down time" as idleness in the purest sense.

Maybe I'm missing JKJ's message? "Stolen", as in taken from someone else? Would that mean I need to find someone else being idle, then give them my work so I can partake of their dormancy? Gee, I don't' think that's going to work either. Sigh.

So true ...

It occurred to me that my speech or my silence, indeed any action of mine, would be a mere futility.

Joseph Conrad (1857-1924)

The Quietest Excursion Ever?

Friday was a stinker, weather wise, but traveling to the (NSW) State Library for the Australian launch of Room to Read was well worth the trip. The fact that some of Australia's top Young Adult authors got to hang out with me was a bonus ... or maybe it was the other way around.

For non-USA library folks, meet Susanne Gervay, Libby Hathorn, and Melina Marchetta (pictured above) with me. My latest coiffure was courtesy of the early morning start and the extreme heat.

Getting a free copy of John Wood's book (Leaving Microsoft to Change the World) wasn't any problem at all - it was included in the 'show bag'. Having him sign his book was also only a matter of lining up and waiting; I guess he's used to library folk closely supervising what he writes. After all, we don't want any scribbling, do we?

But the whole point of Room to Read is to support the establishment of school libraries in developing countries. Who knew that only US$15,000 was enough to build a whole school in Nepal? A handful of very small schools in my area did some fund raising, and were able to present a cheque for AUD$8,000. Even without the fluctuations in exchange rates, that's half a school already paid for.

The two students from my school that traveled with me on The Excursion also got a tour of the State Library. They were pretty much blown away not only by sheer volume (no pun intended); we descended down into the bowels of closed stacks, saw mammoth OldSystem catalog cards and cabinets (pre 1980 acquisitions, all undergoing entry into the LibraryManagementSystem); the Historical Records bit, etc. A big day.