On the Subject of Blogging

Yesterday, I mentioned in passing that I was teaching a class in blogging on Saturday here in the library, and someone commented to ask for more information. It turns out that my class and the waiting list are both full. (Dear Heavens!) Obviously, this is a very hot topic.
So, in order to [...]

Read Full Post »

13 Popular Baby Names

Thursday Thirteen #21
I’m teaching a class on blogging this Saturday, so I had to come up with a topic for this week’s Thursday Thirteen that wouldn’t require quite so much research as usual. Considering that a bunch of my friends seem to be having babies lately, Baby Names seemed just the ticket.
According to the [...]

Read Full Post »

Question: Film Better Than The Book?

When it comes to film adaptations of books, most of the time the book is far better than the film. It goes without saying, right? A good example of this is the second version of Escape to Witch Mountain, or as I like to call it: The Purple Monstrosity. The book was so much [...]

Read Full Post »

Reading Adventures

Thee bookclubs at Centerville and Irvington are on hold for the summer, but I couldn’t leave them without any ideas about what to read this summer. Most of the kids in the book clubs are 4th through 6th graders, but I think Junior High kids might like some of these books, too.

Alanna The First Adventure [...]

Read Full Post »

Review: The Fire Cat

I have owned my copy of The Fire Cat by Esther Averill off and on since sometime in the late 1970s. My Mother subscribed to some sort of “I Can Read” book service, and The Fire Cat was one of the books we received. According to the inner cover, my sister and brother both owned [...]

Read Full Post »

Book Review: Tales of the City

Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin is a period piece that celebrates life in mid-1970s San Francisco through the eyes of the diverse residents of 28 Barbary Lane and people with whom they come in contact. All of the characters are interconnected in a way that is almost soap operatic in its scope. Mrs. [...]

Read Full Post »

13 Facts About Sacramento, CA

Thursday Thirteen #20
I’m on vacation this week, so I thought that I’d do a Thursday Thirteen about my good ol’ home town, Sacramento. Researching for this list of facts has made me a bit homesick, but it has also reminded me why I moved to a cooler climate. Have any of you visited [...]

Read Full Post »

Raymond Burr

Probably best remembered as the iconic courtroom lawyer who (almost) never lost a case, Raymond Burr was born Raymond William Stacey Burr on this day in 1917. He was born in British Columbia, but in 1923 his family moved to California. After gaining some experience as a stage actor, Burr made his film debut in Without Reservations [...]

Read Full Post »

Summer volunteering opportunities for 6-9th graders!!!

Are you entering 6-9th grades this fall?  Do you want to be a member of the library service team?  Read on, this one is for you!
Every summer at the Alameda County Library, many kids are playing the Summer Reading Game.  You may have been one of them, but have you ever thought about being on the other side of table [...]

Read Full Post »

Review: The Black Dudley Murder

The Black Dudley Murder (a.k.a. The Crime at Black Dudley) by Margery Allingham contains the first appearance of her famous detective, Albert Campion. That fact alone has a story behind it. Have you ever heard the stories that authors tell about characters that will not do what you want them to or, worse yet, take [...]

Read Full Post »