Rant

Came across a review recently of a biography of comedian Chris Farley. Being an old person, I only barely knew who Chris Farley was. I vaguely recalled an overweight, mildly amusing regular on Saturday Night Live in a version that came long after I gave up on the show …

Reading to baby

Babies! We have a new one at home. He is our first so not only are we in awe every day, but we are very conscious about teaching him the most important skills he will need as he grows up. We read all the books to make sure we are on target, from the baby week by week …

You Must See It

Fort Worth's newest library is a showplace of knowledge...a gorgeous house of wisdom.

I visited the Ella Mae Shamblee Branch Library on Tuesday, and I was impressed with the architectural details. A colorful tile mosaic winds its way into the building, and there are …

Audio Fix

On the move and want something to listen too? Why not try a downloadable audiobook? It is easy to do - just follow this link and use your Fort Worth Library card to start downloading some goodies onto your computer or favorite MP3 player.

Doreen

POETRY PART 3

Libraries are made up of literature in all forms from written books and magazines to written poetry. Have you tried your hand at writing poetry? Every poet must start with a first poem and use creativity to continue writing poetry. One poem at a time makes up a book. …

Battle of the Labyrinth

Percy Jackson seems like a normal boy except that he has been thrown out of every school he has ever attended. Why? Because weird things just happen around him and he tends set schools on fire in an attempt to save himself from the weird things. What are these weird …

It's Mystery Awards Season!

The Agatha Awards honors the best first mystery novel, best novel, best non-fiction, best short story, and best juvenile/young adult mystery published in 2007. This year's best novel winner is A Fatal Grace, by Louise Penny. A listing of the winners and …

Lost and Found

Due to the opening of the new Shamblee Branch, I have been out of my office for most of the week and only stopping by to pick up supplies or check my voice mail. On one of these forays back into downtown, there was a strange envelop in my desk chair.

I was quite …

Reads for the you-know-what

Ahem...There are books that avid readers reach for when retiring to the "little room": books interesting enough to keep one's mind off of the business at hand but not so engrossing that one loses track of time and ends up with permanent indentations on interesting …

Your Perfect Library

The public library is for everyone, but what would your perfect library be like?

What if the library next to your house was designed specifically with you in mind? What if the architect and interior designer came to your house to discuss the structure and furniture …

POETRY Part 2

"...That I have not written for so long is on account of the peculiarity of my nature. I write letters as I paint pictures. When I feel prompted to write, I put down whatever comes into my head. It has nothing to do with the events of my day-to-day life. It is the …

The Appeal

Blast from the Past

Last Sunday's Times Book Review repeated something it occasionally features: reprinting best seller lists from previous years. It's interesting to see which books I've actually read and how the public's reading tastes have changed over the years. Last Sunday's entry …

Second Sunday Book Group

Last Sunday's book discussion was very exciting. We had a good time and each individual in attendance made their points loud and clear. We had one person who created a 9 page analysis of the book and at times egos were not transcending our ego-based state of …

Sayonara

A summer of reading

For a children's librarian, summer reading is big stuff. The program is one of our biggest and we spend a good deal of the year planning fun programs, brainstorming our theme and ordering prizes. We are so excited that the fun is about to begin for some of our littlest …

POETRY

POETRY - I could not sleep because my left knee that was operated on is still hurting. So I decided to get up and do a quick blog from home.. When was the last time that any of you checked out a book of poetry? The library (both the Public and my own personal one) …

Ranger's Apprentice # 4-The Battle for Skandia

Looking for a great book geared towards your middle school/teen boy? The Ranger's Apprentice series is perfect. The series follows young Will as he progresses from his teen years to adulthood. John Flanagan originally wrote the series as short stories in order to …

Career Day & Guinea Pigs

Every spring counselors from public schools across north Texas begin the process of finding volunteers to speak at elementary school career days. I've been a speaker at various schools for the past five years.

I always type up a script, but sometimes I lose my place, and …

Writer's Block

I've been sitting here at my desk trying to decide what to write for my entry this week. I had it planned. In fact, I sort of tried to have my entries planned for the year. I looked at holidays and just general things that would be going on. Next week, I am going to …