The Loud Librarian

My friend Sam, and co-traveler, is a public school librarian (and part-time public librarian). She has a blog, The Loud Librarian-SH! She has written a great editorial on the state of our public libraries. Here's the link: http://theloudlibrariansh.wordpress.com/2014/11/13/tnstaafl/. I encourage you to check it out!

Crazy Librarian Life

Well, I'm sorry to say that the library in which I work has had to lay off 11 fabulous employees from now until the end of the year. It's been a really crazy and emotional week, so I haven't gotten too far in my reading of The Lost Girls of Rome. The book is great, so far, although I'm only on page 55. The translation is fantastic. I've read translated books before, and some are really disappointing. Thank goodness, this is not one of them. I'll keep you updated on my progress.

In the meantime, consider donating to your local libraries! Mine is the Ephrata Public Library, and we need money! There are so many people who don't realize that libraries are an important part of our communities. They are not becoming obsolete, and books are still relevant! But the library is so much more than just books, movies, TV shows, and video games. We had to cancel 122 programs that were scheduled between November 17th and December 31st of this year. 122! That's crazy! Do you know how many people that affects?

So please, even if you don't use your public library, your donation will do so much to help bring back the programs your community needs.

Life Gets In the Way

Sometimes life gets in the way, and we can't do things exactly how (or when) we'd like to. So, I finally managed to pick out a book for Italy. The Lost Girls of Rome, by Donato Carrisi is it! I found 2 books that I wanted to read - that one and The Solitude of Prime Numbers, by Paolo Giordano. Both books sound interesting, and while Susan's choice was Solitude, Sam and I both wanted to travel to Rome. Of course, there's no reason we can't make a return trip to Italy, so maybe we'll read The Solitude of Prime Numbers sometime in the future!

Next Book in the World Tour

The next book along our world tour is....NO IDEA! I think I'd like to visit Italy, so any suggestions would be helpful! If not, I'll come up with something and let you know. In the meantime, hang tight and check back for new news!

What an Undertaking...

I can't believe I've taken on such a project as to read 80 books by 80 authors from 80 different countries. Just finding the books takes a toll! I'm waiting for Susan and Sam to catch up, so that we'll all be reading the same thing (around the same time). I'm sure this will make for better discussions, and hopefully some more views, to this blog. In the meantime, you can check out some of my book reviews on Riffle Books and Goodreads!

Waiting, by Ha Jin -- Book Review

I've posted my review of Waiting! Check it out!

Done Waiting

I have finished Waiting, by Ha Jin. It was a very interesting book, showcasing the culture of China. As I read, I found myself comparing the social and cultural norms to those of the US. As an additional layer was the story of Lin Kong, a man who waits 18 years to divorce his wife, only to find that life isn't as perfect as he would have expected. The last third of the book was dedicated more to Kong's feelings and reflections of his life, than about the divorce of his first wife. It was definitely worth reading, as the writing flowed, but was not flowery or overly descriptive, as some books can be.