The Librarians Suggest

 When I came across this  librarian blog , I seriously fell out of my chair from laughing so hard while on my lunch break one afternoon. Every single  librarian frustration  this guy writes about applies to librarian life like you can't believe. He's spoken at library conferences and I'm dying to get him to come out to sunny California. Do yourself a favor,  check him out !  I recently was suggested this book last week after talking about my love for Manhattan. Have you heard of  Vanishing New York ? "The go-to hub for those who lament New York's loss of character."  " Jeremiah Moss does an excellent job of cataloging all that’s constantly being sacrificed to the god of rising rents."  These are just a few of my favorite reviews of his blog. His writing features mom and pop owned businesses closing left and right and how Manhattan is becoming a city for the 1%.  I've been following  Lost in Cheeseland...

I have a problem with collecting books. If there was a mental disorder for this I'm sure I'd have it since my mother has a panic attack every time she sees a stack of books. I keep them under the bed, in the closet, behind my shoes, a bookcase in the closet, under my desk, up against the wall, they are literally everywhere. How do you store your books?!  Post by Sarah  (image via  design darling )

As you all know by now I have a slight obsession with children's stories particularly fairy tales. I recently finished grad school and although my emphasis is in archiving and preservation, I will never outgrow the tattered old box of picture books and chapter books of my youth. There's something so enchanting about the worlds that exist in the pages of books like Winnie the Pooh or James and the Giant Peach.   Escaping to The Hundred-Acre Woods or entering the forest in one of the Grimm's fairy tales , let me just tell you, I could sit and read (and re-read) these books for hours. I recently stumbled across old and beat up boxes of the books that consumed by childhood. Of course I couldn't help but drag them out and clean up a few of my favorites. So I'll go ahead and reacquaint myself with the characters from The Wind in the Willows and The Grimm Brother's Fairy Tales . What are some of your favorite books from your childhood?!  Post by Sa...

I never got into the original  Queer Eye For The Straight Guy   mostly because I was in high school and college and I just didn't watch a ton of television then. And I only got into the reboot because a coworker was praising the show last week (and said the guys were super good looking). She told me make sure you have tissues, it will make you cry. So last week after a particularly long day, I binged the first four episodes. My coworker was right, I teared up every single episode. When I say it's one of the best shows I've watched in a while it's because it's so heart warming, it just pulls at your heart strings. There's an episode where  Bobby Berk  makes a statement along the lines of no matter the color or our sexuality we're people and we all just want to be accepted and loved. And it's true! Despite being uncomfortable and awkward the guys have no problem opening up on screen with the men they are making over. One of my favorit...

If there were two things I was obsessive about as a child it was the world of  Harry Potter   and  Beauty and the Beast .  Let's pause for just a second, Emma Watson has been both Hermione and Belle, what a millennial girl's dream!!! So as you may assume, I went to the first showing of the highly anticipated live action feature   of  Beauty and the Beast   and it succeeded all of my expectations. Besides the  dress  which is infinitely better in the animated classic and the  wannabe 90's R&B version  of   the single,  Beauty and the Beast   performed by  Ariana Grande and John Legend , the film was worth every penny. Also, I'm watching Legion, noticing a theme here? I'm totally swooning over Dan Stevens right now. Did you know he's narrated over a hundred books? I recently ordered all of the books in the   Shadow of the Wind   series by Carlos Ruiz Zafon on audio because fate would have it that ...

When brand new books come back damaged and parents say their children didn't do it. I just want to scream and yell. We're giving you damn books for free!!!!!!!!!! #librarianproblems

Watched the show now needing to read the book. #readersadvisory #dearwhitepeople #rebelgirls #nonfiction #recommendations #booklover #bibliophile #1000blackgirlbooks #blogger #bookoftheday #bookworm #bookclub #bookshelf #bookstagram #cozy #silentbookclub #favorites #ilovemyjob #lately #librariesofinstagram #relaxation #somanybookssolittletime #readmore #whatareyoureading via Instagram http://ift.tt/2G0G8qf

What's On Sarah's Bookshelf?  Horrorstor  by Grady Hendricks: You know that scene in  I Am Legend  when Will Smith's dog runs into the abandoned building and Will goes in after Samantha (His German Shepard),  you see  zombies all huddling together  and you want to scream because it's creepy af. That is what I kept envisioning while reading this story. It's a combination of  I Am Legend  meets the recent television adaptation of the  The Mist in a store that resembles an  Ikea . Ghost haunting in a furniture store? Count me in!  Bitch Planet  by Kelly Sue DeConnick: The first book in a series of adult graphic novels,  Bitch Planet  focuses on exploitation and women in an off-planet prison. The narrative moves back and forth through time, so we learn how each character is arrested and their experience within the prison. Although I quit after a few seasons, it's basically  Orange is the New Black ...

As a librarian, there is a ton of  research that goes into my job. I'm given book list after book list, stacks of catalogs of material to order and it can be intimidating, time consuming and sometimes a little tiresome. But I love it! I love coming across new writers and illustrators and being a part of determining what goes into our children's collection at my library. Through the rabbit hole of children's literature research, I have come across publishing houses that I love and several that I really dislike. While the big four are unavoidable, I personally enjoy Children's authors and illustrators who team up with smaller publishers, like  Flying Eye Books . They produce quality and unique stories, their nonfiction selection for juvenile readers is in my opinion, the best! Check out their  site , buy a few gifts and fall in love with my favorite little corner of the internet. P.S.  Chronicle Books  is a close second, so definitely check t...

Being a millennial and librarian is kind of a problem. I have never been diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder but if you were to guess that I have these tendencies and behaviors, then you guessed correctly. I once spent my spring vacation in college at the university library reading (and researching) everything I could find about the execution of The Romanov Family and Rasputin (it wasn't an assignment, it was for pure pleasure). By the time school was back in session, I was checked out. My brain never got the break it needed. And this is a daily habit, I'm not even kidding. Living in the rabbit hole and researching for hours on end (on any given subject) is second nature to me, I never stop to consider that it is a habit I need to learn to control. But I'm addicted, the need to know is just part of me (and most millennials). This perpetual state of curiosity is at the core of my foundation. So the fact that information is so easily accessible and that I have...

I recently watched  Minority Report   for the hundredth time and I still love it just as much from when I saw it in theaters in middle school. A fan of both  Steven Spielberg  and  Tom Cruise , Minority Report is a neo-noir science fiction movie, I also just learned it is based on a  short story with the same name  by  Philip K. Dick . For most of my life I've never considered myself a sci-fi fan. But with a parent who grew up loving Star Trek and War of the Worlds and a coworker who has encouraged me to read some of her favorite sci-fi books, I have a new appreciation for this genre.  Based on three psychics that are referred to as " precogs ," this is definitely one of Tom Cruise's better movies. What have you been watching lately?!  Post by Sarah

How we relax!! Check out what Sarah's reading and loving this week:  I Am Not Perfect Tee : I need this as a reminder when I start criticizing myself for not being the perfectionist I want to be.  Marie Andrew : Her illustrations on life are the perfect way to end my week! Apartment Therapy : Seeing how people transform tiny homes into gorgeous spaces. 

Need help finding something to read for your tween or just enjoy reading children's literature yourself? While I have one reading challenge going on, I also have another that I'm working on . As the children's librarian, I want to make sure I'm well read within the collection we have at our library as well as working to expand the diversity of the material. But for now, if you (or your child) is in an adventurous mood, two older titles, Help, I'm a Prisoner in the Library  (published in 1979) and Doll Bones , two new series and an interesting new story with The Great Hibernation are great picks for the adventure seeker.  (amazon) 

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Five Things To Know About Lois Sachar:  1. Sachar graduated from Berkeley in 1976 with a degree in Economics and went on to get a law degree from the University of California, Hasting College of Law in 1980.  2. After being fired from a sweater warehouse, Sachar went to law school around which time Sideways Stories From Wayside School was accepted for publication.  3. While in college, Sachar worked as a teacher's aid at an elementary school. While at Hillside Elementary, Louis was known as "Louis The Yard Teacher," the same name as the character at Wayside School.  4. Sideways Stories From Wayside School was published in 1978. It became a television show and lasted two seasons.  5. His books still remain the most beloved children's book in Children's Literature.  Post by Sarah ( image )

This month we have been focusing on reading books just by women so here are a few of our favorite reads! What are your favorites?

Keeping his secret of wearing dresses and taking Paris by storm as Lady Crystalia, (only the hottest fashion icon in the capital of fashion), Prince Sebastian's parents are looking for a bride. Forget the women his parents are trying to set him up with, Sebastian would rather twirl in his one of a kind gowns and Frances, his dressmaker. A beautifully crafted story that acknowledges gender fluidity and explores love, this is sure to be a graphic novel you will come back to again and again. And if you enjoy this author and these illustrations as much as Jade and I do, then follow Jen Wang .  Post by Sarah. ( 1 , 2 , 3 )

Five beautifully illustrated picture books that have just hit the stand. Get them, read them over and over with your kiddos and gush over the seriously amazing artistic abilities these illustrators have. Don't ask me to pick favorites because they are all wonderful stories. Read about sailing the ocean blue told in a lullaby, fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli, finding the perfect costume for a party and lots of penguins, a mountain, an island, a pebble (you decide what Petra is), and a little gold leaf. ( images )