The Hyper Librarian

I love having my own personal library -FINALLY!!! After almost 2 decades of keeping my "library" in the sturdiest boxes I could find (including shoe boxes for my mass-market size guys and manga), moving 3 TIMES, and dreaming about my glass cabinet library, we found the perfect bookcases -in the perfect color- and finally started to make my "book nook" dreams reality. Seriously, it was hard to say goodbye to that og-Chegg box...best box I could ask for to hold my pristine hardcovers.

I never actually posted the finished product -well, 80%ish done- mostly because I wanted it to be "perfect". Nothing really changed in the visual dept except I bought some more books lol. Really hoped I could have a proper seating arrangement by now, but that hasn't worked out both with money and the practical-vs-wishful. What I want is too expensive and too big. Instead, we ended up partially finishing 2 other 'quadrants' of the basement: we have an air hockey table and a 'gaming quarter' where the Nintendo systems, board games, and whatnot have their home. All we need is a small coffee table and some additional wall art/hangings. My Tohru Honda and Grimmjow wall scrolls are perfectly displayed where all can admire them^_^ Hubby's bar will be the remaining quadrant (he can't wait, but he has to). I'LL POST PICTURES SOON!!!

Now, to the reason for the title of this post... I think I'm fairly unique in my organizational methods due to the fact that I actually have shelves dedicated to books I haven't read that I probably will not keep. This includes titles that I have either been given, got as giveaways, purchased, and brought home from my library (my job) because I weeded my collection -we can talk about that at a later time or you can look it up. Not getting into the particulars of my personal collection's "weeding policy", it's safe to say that I know I need to read what I have in order to not expand the not-here-to-stay shelves. Thus, I have dubbed them the TBR Shelves. How many do I have? There are 3 dedicated shelves that only consist of what I haven't read: 2 YA and one Harlequin LIH (double-stacked). The rest of the shelves have a mixture, but they're genre-fied and 'author-betized' and they're perfect the way they are...mostly, but that's not today's problem.

Problem: I'm having a bit of a crisis in my reading preferences lately and I need to force myself to read what I've been ignoring so I can stop feeling that poking feeling every time I go down to find my favorite thing to re-read again. See my problem? Not yet? I've been very stressed and that leads me to re-reading. I'm also coming to terms with the changing YA market and I need to start reading what's coming out now so I can honestly tell my kids, "yes, I've read that!" instead of, "I started it, but didn't get around to finishing it...><". This habit of reading maybe 5 chapters of a new book and then moving on to the next is truly the worst. It's horrible. I need to stop and that's what I'm working on right now.

Solution: Honesty. I started talking to my kids about it because I can't just keep saying, "Well I can't read everything". They're at least as blunt as I am about it and I need that. Trying to come up with a way to get them involved with what I'm currently reading without giving them access to my Goodreads (because minors) and maybe even giving them control of my next read... that makes me cringe every time I think about it. Anyway, my goal is to read a mixture of new and fairly recent YA within my other reading habits. My additional goal is to make a significant dent in the unread LIH shelf. It became a back-burner TBR since they stopped publication of the imprint and I didn't have as much pressure to read through them. More recently, it's gotten annoying to the point I'm almost reading 3 a week (if I don't pause). Only just started, but I already finished 6 lol. It takes 3-4 hours to read through one -easy, right? Consistency is key, so my best is all I can offer.

Currently reading: The Dark Becomes Her by Judy L. Lin. Really liking it so far and I hope I'll be done by the weekend so I can post the review to NetGalley and Edelweiss. It comes out Oct 1st and I want to be able to be that Teen Librarian and boast my opinion of it fully -mwuahahaha.

Thank you for reading!

I did not plan on reading this book. Hype books don’t really work for me, but I’ve started listening to the podcast, Those Forking Fangirls, and they have this segment called ‘Chapter Chat’. They decided to reread ACOTAR and have a 20-ish minute talk about the next chapter near the end of each episode. So, I’m listening to this for a few episodes and thinking, “ok this sounds at least somewhat interesting”. ADHD dopamine kick started: let’s read a sample on Libby and see if it’s worth it. Because this book is so dang long (my opinion), I was able to reach midway through chapter 4. So, I became intrigued enough and got a physical copy from the library (Libby’s wait was stupid long). Read it in a few sittings. I went in expecting nothing. Why? Years later, the fandom-fueled hype is still going strong and I like to make up my own mind instead of expecting it to go one way or the other from the start. Well, I definitely formed my own opinions.

Here we go! This was extremely easy to read (this is NOT a negative criticism). I’d been mulling over this for over a week since finishing so I could explain this as best I can. Maas -at least in this instance- writes in a style similar to James Patterson. DON’T GO IN AN UPROAR! Hear me out:

the language isn’t a complex prose that is what I consider “typical fantasy verbiage”;

she writes in first person POV (Feyre is talking to you as her best friend);

it’s plot-driven: no multitude of literary devices, timelines, and backstories to distract you from what’s really important;

the chapters are easy to read through (not too long, not too short) and end in a way that encourages you to keep going;

plenty of conflict and dialogue, but nothing over-the-top or unnecessary; and finally,

Maas definitely did her research when creating a world based on Anglo-Irish folk religion and she seamlessly created an easy-to-digest world that she owns.

If you don’t believe me, just google “James Patterson writing style”. I’m sure I can’t be the first reader to experience this, but I might be the first to quasi rabbit-hole like this. It makes so much sense, though! I was only 5 chapters in when I realized that I wasn’t having my typical waning interest (as I’m wont to have when I read high fantasy) and was actually engaged in the story. AND I was BLASTING through like a hurricane! This never happens when I read higher-than-middle-grade-level fantasy. Generally: I pause, take a break, pick it up later…or never. Fantasy and SciFi require a lot of active reading from me (looking for plot devices, etc.), but ACOTAR didn’t. It’s easily digestible in that it doesn’t require any more from me than to just sit back and enjoy the show. If that doesn’t fit your bill, then this book is not for you.

Continuing the review: I love me a good fairy tale retelling and ACOTAR is an interesting take on ‘Beauty and the Beast’ without it being too obvious at first look. Here are the elements (I’m going to try to keep my snark from taking over): girl gets taken ‘prisoner’ by beast, she gets the awkward “welcome to your new home” speech, she learns about a curse affecting the land and told not to ask too many questions, she finds out that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” and falls in love because you know why, he sends her back to keep her safe, she can’t stay away because she knows something’s wrong and returns to find him in danger. I think you know where I’m going with this. ANYWAY, that’s the skeleton outline. Everything else is completely made up by Maas and is brilliantly done. Do I want to get into more detail about the characters and other literary devices? Not really. There’s so much of that in other reviews that I think I’d be repetitive. In brief, I really liked the characters’ personalities and can see how they’ve endeared themselves to the ACOTAR fans. All the beauty/beast elements were woven into a unique story that I genuinely enjoyed. Will I read the next one? Most likely.

SIDE NOTE: this is technically New Adult: it features characters over 18 (consenting adults) and is considered a YA-Adult crossover. I’m not pro-censorship, but I do like giving honest feedback on what I think the true ‘age-audience’ is for books that have high crossover appeal. “Guided reading levels” just make for difficult and awkward conversations (remember, I’m a Teen Librarian). I prefer general age ratings similar to manga and video games: this would be 16+ (Older Teens).

Hyper [Otaku] Librarian at your service! Hubby and I just finished binging this years tour de force of amine: 'Demon Slayer'! But we didn't just stop at the end of the anime. No, we signed up for that 2 week Funimation free trial so that we could watch the movie! Let me tell you how this has affected my life: I was fine with commercials until the fact that there are TWENTY-SIX (26!) episodes just drove us to signing up for ad-free with Crunchyroll. This will grab you by the emoticons and not let you go until this will end.

For the record: It has been a long time since I've seen an anime from the past decade-and-a-half with any more than 14 episodes. It's just not done anymore for various reasons. HOWEVER, Demon Slayer has been granted this honor. Let me tell you why (and then you'll want to join us). This will be long, but worth it!

The Story: This is set in the Taisho Era (c. 1912-26). "Since ancient times, rumors have abounded of man-eating demons lurking in the woods. Because of this, the local townsfolk never venture outside at night. Legend has it that a demon slayer also roams the night, hunting down these bloodthirsty demons. (manga description)" Enter Tanjiro: the eldest of 6 and provider of his family, making and selling charcoal to the small town closest to them -it's a simple life, but a happy one. One night, his neighbor makes him stay over because he was too late coming home his family is slaughtered by a demon -leaving only his eldest sister Nezuko barely alive... Only to discover that she's been turned! But, she's unique in that she won't kill humans -she'll do anything to protect her brother. Now, Tanjiro is determined to cure his sister and stop demons once and for all -ON TO BECOMING A DEMON SLAYER!

The Hype: Does it live up to it? Yes, it does. Kyoharu Gotouge (the mangaka) credits 'Bleach', 'Naruto', 'Jojo's Bizare Adventures', and 'Gin Tama' as major influences in his work. Can you see it? I sure can! All of these are major hits and have specific elements that are essential to their popularity: samurai-like swordsmanship and code of honor, a main character that never gives up on becoming stronger for the sake of protecting others (and is highly empathetic to all incl enemies), "leveling up" always shows how much stronger new opponents are, a strange sense of humor that doesn't always hit the right notes, demons=vampires=evil, and (my last listing) the reference to scent strikes me very similar to reiryoku/spiritual power in 'Bleach'. With all of these similarities, how does 'Demon Slayer' set itself apart and secure this level of popularity? While all of these elements are ever-present in a shounen battle manga, the setting and plot are unique enough to keep engagement for long-time fans of the genre (also, kids just want the fight scenes). The major set-apart is the emphasis on familial bonds -especially siblings of the opposite sex. I've never seen a main character so devoted to family in a battle manga (it grieves him to leave her side). That alone brings in more than the usual audience numbers.

Criticism: No creative work is perfect and this one is no exception. There are plot holes (some glaring), but this is what you get with a "freshman" series. Yes, 'Demon Slayer' is Gotouge's debut series! While his one-shots have been published, this is the first serialization. For us veteran otakus, it does show. So yeah, plot holes are my biggest issue. Regardless, with a hit like this, we can only guess what this person will come up with next.

Wrap-up: Being an AnimeNewsNetork.com user, I don't use star ratings. There are 11 ratings: from "Worst Ever" to "Masterpiece". I've rated this as "Very Good, don't miss it" and you have found out why lol. Seriously, you can't go wrong with this series (unless you just can't stand battle manga, then please don't watch) and you'll thank me later!

*Where to watch: Crunchyroll (subs), Netflix (only dubs?) and Hulu (subs/dubs) have the series. Funimation is the only one with the movie (subs/dubs), series, and extras. It also aired on Toonami, but idk if it's still on the schedule.

Note: Funimation and Crunchyroll are free for 2 weeks with a new sign-up (do it online because Roku only will set you up with the more expensive option -unless you want the offline option). Netflix doesn't give you a break, so if you aren't already subscribed, don't bother. Hulu can be bundled with Disney+, but also offers a student discount for those who can provide proof (you still get ads, but they're not that annoying).

**Read the Manga! The series ended at 23 volumes as of Aug 3rd! So, go buy at your fave retailer (mine is RightStuf) or borrow from a friend (be nice) or your local library (they might even have digital copies). Enjoy^_^

"So many books, so little time", right? If anyone understands this, it's us bibliophiles and librarians (and publishers) -especially someone like me! My interests are super varied and many times, I'll start reading a few chapters in a book that REALLY REALLY interests me...but then, I have that ADHD SHINY moment and the poor thing is forgotten. Seriously, this is a constant struggle. Being a librarian makes this even more important that I know what I'm recommending. And I do! I just can't get the focus to actually read them>< I'm part of a committee that is assigned reading every year for 3 months (give or take) and -you guessed it- I get that done. Why? It's got a deadline and I churn through them like nobody's business. It also helps that I didn't choose them and they aren't always what I normally like to read. It gives me an edge when helping certain patrons look for something I normally don't read. Not that I don't have an idea already -it's just more cemented than usual since I actually read that particular book. Though I kinda gave you one of my tips in this blurb, I'll rehash later!

A little more on my SHINY moments and then we'll get to my tips! Like I said before, SHINY really takes a toll sometimes on my goals, but it also helps. How? Situation: I hear all this buzz about this upcoming book (debut author/fresh voice/intriguing plotline/etc.). I either miraculously get an ARC or I'm waiting with bated breath, for the dang thing to get shipped to my library so that I can "steal" it for the weekend before it gets catalogued (I tell everyone I'm borrowing it, so don't judge me!). If all goes according to plan, I DEVOUR it within a day and come back exclaiming all the virtues of reading said book. I might even write a glowing review (if I had the capacity at the time). This has happened with a few books in the past years: Stay Gold, Wicked Fox & Vicious Spirits, Ember in the Ashes, Invisible Differences, and a few others, but I can't remember right now. Point: it's super hard for me to get the reading I want done, actually done.

AND NOW, for the star of our show: The Hyper Librarian's Reading Tips!

Please remember, these are things I remind myself of when I'm having a hard time getting through my TBR (the library-books-out-that-are-due TBR). Some lead into or are extensions of others, but being specific is necessary for me. You can adapt them to your needs or or just copy/paste them into your life :)

1) It's ok to DNF. So you gave this book the 'old college try' and just can't do it -it's becoming torturous and you're at risk of going into the dreaded slump... Just stop already and save yourself more grief. Another reason is that you're just not in the mood to finish, so don't. Why torture yourself (again -I seem to like using this word, but it's so accurate at times!) by seeing a book lying close by that you wish was anywhere but? Some of us (incl. moi) have a shelf on Goodreads just for those pesky things. Let's cut the drama and move on! I find it therapeutic as well as final.

2) You are your own censorship committee. We all have that verbal content line where ~once toed/crossed~ our tolerance, belief, comfort level, etc., is compromised to the point where there's no enjoyment because of that one or more 'tidbits' giving you grief. Sometimes, I'll scan several reviews before starting because I want to make sure I don't get any 'surprises'. Most times, I get to that proverbial part that has me slamming the book closed, never to be opened again (dramatic, yes, but sometimes very true!). {{Point}}: you are the only person keeping you from reading something you don't like!

3) Be picky! You are as unique as your fingerprint. Why wouldn't your reading habits follow? If you get a rec that is absolutely not your thing, say no (thank you). It's not fair to you if you're just going to trudge through it anyway for the sake of being polite to friends/family/librarians/coworkers/etc (publishers, I'm sorry). If you like vampires, werewolves, and all things paranormal (like me) don't despair of the current books coming out -look back to the '90s and '00s! Reading is one of the most personal things we experience in our lives. {{Please, for the sake of your sanity}}: read reviews, look for trigger warnings (if that applies to you), verify that historically under-represented voices are portrayed correctly (misinformation is our greatest threat). For example: I won't buy a book about LGBT+ characters without verifying the plot as authentic (i.e. all fluff and no real problems vs real problems with a happy ending). I need to know that the book about that Transgender girl is written by someone who is either also Transgender or very well-informed.

4) Own your reading preferences. Just own it. I read somewhere in a journal interview that the concept of "guilty pleasure" shouldn't exist. So you like SJM's ACOTAR and are all about that fan community life, but are afraid to talk about it even though it's basically a mainstream subculture now? {{Point}}: Stop feeling guilty for what makes you happy! If people judge, that's their problem. I read romance for stress relief and because I just happen to like happy endings. Seriously, people need to stop shaming romance readers and self-shame is a huge part! Don't shame yourself, "SHUN THE NON-BELIEVERS"! (Charlie the Unicorn, RIP in Youtube history)

5) It's ok to read more than one book at a time. If you're anything like me (the Attention Deficit part), you probably have up to 5 books going at the same time: that paperback at home, the ebook on your phone, audiobook in the car, hardcover in your office, etc. (I know that's not 5 -I ran out of ideas!). Point: it's only natural you're in the mood for something different at certain periods of the day, week, or whatever. They'll get finished eventually. Just spare a thought for the 1 or 2 that are a little extra "dusty" cuz that might mean you need to DNF...just a thought.

6) Book clubs are your friend! They can be your enemy, too; but here's what you do: choose one that reads almost everything you want to in a specific genre. I'm not talking the next bestseller (unless that's you). I'm talking genre-specific and something you researched before joining. Online or in-person, this is has the potential for changing your reading habits for the better because you'll actually want to interact and read the books! I decided to join a book club so I could finally talk about a niche genre that is one of my favorites: Christian fiction. No one around me reads this (anymore) and I have no one to talk to (regularly) and trade recs with, so I joined a Facebook group and it's really nice to chat about all these great books and authors I've recently read with others who do the same:)

7) Book journaling. Yes, you may have heard of these things. There are so many ways to journal about your reading: bullet journals, the blank ones where you can let loose your creativity, the ones like from Moleskin where you just fill in the pre-determined spaces (aka: reading log), lined journals for writing your heart out, themed reading planners and TBR journals... Just look it up, the interwebs has you covered. The key is to use them as a tool for expanding and enriching your enjoyment or education (nonfic). I don't journal for everything, but I do like to do it for the ones I know I'm going to review later or for general reflections as I read. I started doing it by chapters, but that doesn't cut it when something jumps out at me from a random page and I NEED to write about it immediately. So, I make note of the page # and we good! I'm very personal in my writing (if you can't tell) and it can turn into tangents, but that's how I roll. I don't do that artsy stuff because that takes away from the reason I'm doing this in the first place. I write about anything regarding my reading -incl my reading slumps. I love it.

SUPER RANDOM REVIEW POST!!! I just had to share:) This is (mostly) straight from my Goodreads, but I’m super proud of it and WHY NOT? 

This is Become You by Ichigo Takano. It was brought to my attention via email from a colleague from the NJLA GSTBA* asking for someone else to read it since she couldn’t find a copy. I was too late in responding, but decided to read it anyway.

REVIEW: 3 Stars 

I have read/seen a number of these music/band series and this is not jiving with me (bad, bad pun). This was listed as middle grade (MG), but it features upperclassmen as the characters (AND it's published in a seinen -YA/Adult males- magazine), so I think it should've been in the 9-12 grade category. As simplistic as Taiyou is, there is a lot of complex emotions being revealed across the board that most middle graders wouldn't fully grasp (this is a "slice of life" manga, not a Detective Conan-like mystery/adventure). Going librarian on you for a hot sec: this had to have gotten at least one starred review**, but I feel like somewhere the 'genre translation' didn't click as I'd never recommend this to under age 14. Teen/adult fans of the genre should take to this well, though.

The story itself is fine! Don’t get me wrong. I definitely feel for Taiyou and the others, BUT it was the expectation going in: I was expecting a friendship MG story and got emo YA.

It made YALSA's*** 2020 list of Great Graphic Novels for Teens -one of 13 manga series- so we know a lot of people like it! It's just not my cup of tea. I also really feel this had an almost 100% conclusion at the end, but there's apparently 2 more out/coming? Guess it's gonna be around for a bit.

Thanks for reading and I hope you’ll check out my other reviews on here as well as my Goodreads^_^

BTWs:

*This was [NOT] included as part of my assigned reading as a reader [BUT I wanted to read it anyway] for the Garden State Teen Book Awards (GSTBA) -part of the New Jersey Library Association (NJLA)'s Young Adult Services Section (YASS). Mouthful! Books on the GSTBA ballot were published within the past 2 years and are selected from 'best books' lists from that time. We read and propose/choose which books will be included on following year's ballot. Teens then vote for their favorites and the winners are notified in time for our annual conference.**

**A “starred review” literally has a star next to it and it indicates that the review journal (i.e. Booklist, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, etc.) believes this particular title is THE BEES KNEES and everyone should read it or -at the very least- will ask for it. This category generally (but not always) inspires ‘best books’ lists and book award contenders.

From my facebook post yesterday: This'll be a long one, guys!

So, I've been coming in to work for the past 2 days (today and yesterday) to an empty library. Since closing this past Friday, we've been closed to the public, but have been reporting for duty since Monday. Today, my boss drops in to briefly tell me at lunch that we'll be closed to staff starting tomorrow. This has been draining since we've been hearing about libraries closing completely, closing only to the public, and the toss-up of librarians being told to work from home or not. I will be working from home on various things as well as being available via Text-a-Librarian during normal business ours.

It was so strange, yesterday, when I came in to work. It was like my brain was waiting for the morning regulars to come in and cut the pre-opening quiet. That obviously never happened. I kept thinking that another one of the staff was a patron who somehow got in. My co-worker and I were already in a quasi-panic (internal) state from the news that'd been building over the weekend, so there was almost nothing I could concentrate on besides Twitter (endless form of entertainment and news since this started). We did get some work done! It was just hard.

Today: better. I got more done than yesterday and I even helped get some new books on the shelves cuz we just got a shipment and I needed to do something. Yes, I ran out of get-the-library-ready-for-shutdown things to do and my hyper was getting the best of me. So, before I went on a I-need-to-recatalog-these-manga-as-[insert] craze, basically begged to be useful to my other co-workers. And that's now done, so I'm writing this because I find it therapeutic.

Tomorrow will be an adjustment. There's only one desk and Alex will need it more since he's been working from home since Monday. This entire span of 5 days has been a series of adjustments that will probably be added to as the week progresses. Hopefully, being at home will make it easier to take the next news break.

For those brave souls who actually read this all the way, thank you. I really appreciate your time. I wish everyone peace in this craziness we have found ourselves in, as well as my best wishes for your health and your families. My best friend's professor wrote that we should be physically, not socially distant and I 100% agree. Here's to this bringing us together!