Why I love the internet.

Okay - so, I think an important part of being a librarian is understanding technology. It's also important as a high school librarian to relate the student, to know what they're into.
This post is not about that. It's about my love for the internet. The internet has given us an absolutely insane amount of possibilities for both efficiency and screwing around. It is a big insane, frenetic, ever changing time suck. And it's impossible to explain to someone who thinks it's stupid why nayan cat is awesome and how happy autotuned crap makes me (my favorite autotune is of course, this one)
Now the reason I bring this up is because, as a nerdy blogging librarian I would be remiss if I didn't share with you my new favorite internet nonsense. Hey Girl, I Like The Library Too.
This is a chuck of awesome that consists of pictures of actor Ryan Gosling with lolcat captions about hitting on a librarian. And I effing love it. I love it so hard. I don't know how this stupid beautiful thing happened and I don't need to. I will just enjoy it.

Of course, now I have also discovered that there is a Ryan Gosling Reads Young Adult one too. Also fantastic.
Yes. Thank you Al Gore for inventing the internet so I can have this.
I would also like to mention that I had a pre-existing crush on my boyfriend Ryan Gosling ever since I discovered Dead Man's Bones - his weird/awesome band. You enjoy this nonsense I've shared with you. And this video...



You're welcome.

Book Review: The Plot Whisperer by Martha Alderson

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Adams Media (October 15, 2011)
• ISBN-10: 1440525889
• ISBN-13: 978-1440525889
• List Price: $8.98
• I finished this book on January 2

Okay, soooo...first off, thanks to my gorgeous and talented sissy for letting me borrow this even though it was a Christmas present and you clearly didn't want me to take it.

Alright, let's get down to business: the book. It's about...well....books. Okay, I've probably checked about 15 books on writing in the last couple of years. My favorite so far is Stephen King's On Writing and to be honest, it's only 50% about writing (the other 50% is memoiry. Yeah, that's a word). The other ones? Yeah...I'm not saying I didn't read them but...I didn't finish a single one. The closest I've ever gotten to finishing a book about writing was 90 Days to Your Novel of which I probably read 3/4. Why am I telling you this? Because you should know I read this whole book cover to cover. And that's got to say something.

The book has some slightly cheesy encouragement parts and a lot of stuff about how your story fits in the "Universal Story"

The Universal Story would be more fun if there was a luck dragon in it.

But aside from that stuff the book is a solid, step-by-step plot building guide. Alderson takes you from the general story stuff to the in depth: character development, transitions, themes, all the elements you need to develop a great story out of your ideas. As in all books about writing Alderson uses several examples from classic works and popular literature. Now...I read a lot, and I will tell you, it's pretty rare that one of these books references a book I have read. This one mentioned at least two or three I had read amongst the many I had not. Gold star for me.
I think this book's advice was particularly helpful for me because of where I am in the writing process - I have finished a first draft (which is mildly terrible) and am revising. I was able to take many of the suggestions and apply them to my story.
If you're a writer, I would wait to begin this book until you have some semblance of an idea to work with before starting. If you follow the steps in the book you will end up with a crazy thorough plot diagram that looks like a rainbow threw up post-it notes on a posterboard.

And really, if you have that many post-it notes you should be doing this...

In google stalking Mrs. Alderson (like ya do) I found her crazy involved website and a shit-ton of youtube videos she's posted on plotting if you're into that sort of thing. Though, curiously, I couldn't track down one novel she's written, so....weird.
Either way: I liked this. It definitely gave me stuff to think about while I'm revising. I'll probably be featuring different parts of the book as I apply them to my writing process

Booknerd is back beyotches!

Okay, clearly the blog has been on unofficial hiatus since August 2008. I've decided to dust her off and start her up again, because...well...I need to share my nerd with the world.
The blog started as a New Year's resolution back in 2007 as a way to document all the stuff I was reading. First post is here. I was in library school (yes, that's a thing) at the time and I was reading all kinds of stuff from Library textbooks (also a thing) to lots of YA to straight up trashy romance. The blog back then was pretty much straight book reviews, and then I expanded with some trailers and movie reviews and related nonsense.
Five years later I am an official librarian at a great high school that I am very lucky to work at. I am also a writer, working on my first YA novel. I still read a lot, tons of YA books, lots of Stephen King and no shortage of trashy romance novels either (don't judge me, it's called a guilty pleasure because it's pleasurable!).
Sooo...the point of the new and revamped booknerd blog is still to review books, but I'll also be writing about being a librarian, the writing process, and other nerd-tastic stuff.
Also...when I'm a shamefully famous published YA author you can be all "I knew her before she was mainstream..." etc. You'll love it.

Like this guy, only about me...whatever, you get the point.

Anyway, you're gonna love it.
Coming up next:
Book review: The Plot Whisper

Trailer: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

Okay, I freakin loved this book and I have a major crush on Mr. Levithan (1/2 of the creator of this book). You can read my review of this book here. I also think Michael Cera (who plays Nick) is adorable and I want to bite his face so this should be good. The Norah girl is pretty so that's also nice. The trailer looks good and funny albeit like there's lots of stuff that doesn't happen in the book. The movie comes out on October 3 and here's the IMDB page.

Trailer: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Woot! While I wish there were still HP books to be excited about there aren't, so we have to make due with the movies. I love the films, but this one is going to be a bummer. This new teaser is good, and shows a less action-y magic-y side and more of the plot. So cool. Enjoy!

Movie comes out November 21 and the IMDB site is here.

The A to Z Encyclopedia of Serial Killers by Harold Schechter and David Everitt

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Pocket; Rev Upd edition (July 4, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416521747
• ISBN-13: 978-1416521747
• List Price: $16.00
• I finished this book on July 30

Okay, so I picked this book up at the end of the school year one day, meaning to just peruse it briefly. That, by the way, is the way that many of my students pick it up. It's a great D.E.A.R. book for that reason, because you can read it for 10 to 40 minutes and then put it down and never look at it again.
Anyway, I brought the stupid thing home with me and I've been reading it on and off for weeks. My boyfriend thinks it's morbid, and, of course it is. But it's interesting too. It's especially interesting if you watch as many horror movies as I do (I love 'em!).
It's set up as a traditional encyclopedia with alphabetical entries and 'see alsos' embedded in the topics. What makes it so readable is the lurid and graphic writing style. It's written in dime store novel prose that makes it seem like you're getting gossip from that neighborhood lady who knows too much about (and rejoices in) other people's misfortunes and maybe likes a nip of sherry from time to time. It's also peppered with real life pictures, reproductions of notes, and photos of serial killer trading cards. Yes, that's right, there's serial killer trading cards, showing here:As with most encyclopedias, it's not meant to be read beginning to end, which is mostly what I was doing. It becomes a bit boring and repetitive that way, so I would say just jump around to what interests you. Another reason it becomes boring is because lots of the crimes are the same. Kill some folks, rape 'em, eat 'em. There's apparently lots more necrophilia and cannibalism than I realized. So, you know...yuck. The cool part is that it really goes beyond your Bundys and your Mansons and talks about lots of icky killers that aren't as well known.
Bottom line: is it sick? Yep. But you still know you're a little interested, you dirty bird.
Soundtrack: Psycho Killer by The Talking Heads.
Please enjoy this student-film-tacular video for the song. Oh the things you find on youtube. It's a little cheesy-graphic if you're weak tummied (but if you're weak tummied, why are you reading my blog?). This video reminds me how much I can't wait for my boyfriend Dexter to come back on. Sigh...Michael C. Hall. Yum....Oh, um..yeah, the video:

Boy Toy by Barry Lyga

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin; 1 edition (September 24, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618723935
• ISBN-13: 978-0618723935
• List Price: $16.95
• I finished this book on July 28

Okay, so, I read Mr. Lyga's other book The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Gothgirl way back when. I also saw Lyga speak and very much enjoyed his presentation on the History of Geekery. So, when this finally showed up at my library (why do book orders take so long to come in? It's like having perma-blue balls. Ugh) I knew I had to read it.
So, Josh was the victim of sexual abuse at the hands of his female teacher when he was 12. Very Mary Kay Letourneau. Anyway, the abuse eventually comes out and the story follows the life of an older Josh, who is still dealing with (or not so much dealing with) his abuse. High school Josh is applying to colleges and trying to get a baseball scholarship. He is also trying to repair a fractured relationship with his former b/f and possible love interest. Oh, and his parents are douches. And he thinks he is a sex-pervert and that the abuse was his fault. Oh, one more thing: his abuser is getting out of prison. Frickin awesome. As if this kid doesn't have enough problems.
This abuse in the story is told little by little in flashbacks, it's honest and frank, but it isn't kitty porn. The guilty party is a 24-year-old teacher. This really skeeved me out because she's obviously bonkers and I'm a 25-year-old high school teacher and I can't even fathom how this happens. The cool thing about the book is that it isn't just about this abuse, it's really more about Josh's life now and how his past is influencing his present. It was all really artfully handled, really. Josh's character is well written and the story wraps up pretty nicely. Oh, and the baseball stuff wasn't too much for a non-jock like me to handle. It was actually pretty well done. I followed it and I was interested. All in all I think I like this one better than Fanboy and I will continue to keep an eye out for Lyga.
Sountrack: Hot for Teacher by Van Halen. Because it's totally inappropriate and there's nothing funny about this book book's abuse. And I love inappropriatness (and making up words).