Back at Snell

After a week in (not so) sunny California with my family, I’m back here in snowy Boston and in Snell Library. The break was good. It was nice to be able to walk outside without a coat on. It’s good to be back here though too. Next week the semester will start and things will get crazy but for now it’s still quiet. (I’m currently typing this at the Circulation Desk because there are no patrons to help.) Soon we’ll all be running around like headless chickens but for now I can enjoy the peace and quiet.

ALA Celebrity READ Posters

If you’ve ever ventured into a public library, you’ve probably noticed celebrity READ posters. I’m always intrigued by the stars chosen, and their favorite books. Some seem obvious, such as Orlando Bloom with The Lord of the Rings. Some seem more surprising, like Shaquille O’Neal with Undying Glory.

How do you think the poster subjects are chosen? Do you have a favorite literate celeb you’d love to seem emblazoned on your library’s wall?

Snow, Snow, Snow

This extremely snowy day has me thinking about the weather.

Where’s your favorite place to be when it snows? How does Boston rank?

I actually quite like both my apartment and so far, Snell Library, to be able to look out and see the snow coming down. But I’m also someone who (as long as it’s not too cold) likes to be outside in the snow—skiing, either downhill or cross-country.

Do you know of anyplace that’s particularly transformed when it snows? Where do you like to be? Or when it snows, would you prefer to be somewhere far away?

TV on the Radio

Our video upload attempts got me thinking about video on the web. With the writer’s strike stalling new television shows, I recently read an article on shows designed with internet viewing in mind. It also seems that users (myself included) have come to expect a smorgasbord of free entertainment (including television) on the web. While most networks have jumped on the bandwagon, usually providing a few episodes of their most popular programs online, they hardly offer an exhaustive season catalogue. This past week, I spent a fruitless hour trying to find episodes that I had missed.

Until I purchase a TiVo or DVR, is this a hopeless exercise? Or is the possibility of a complete television canon, free and readily accessible online, in the near future? Or, have users come to demand far too much in the way of free content, and will they be forced to pay for it, one way or another?

Gift-giving

I love to read, and make sure to do it on a regular basis, and one stumbling block I occasionally run into is that I imagine all of my friends and family are as excited about it as I am. When it’s time to give a gift, the bookstore lures me in, and I always think that the perfect gift will be a special book that I enjoyed and want to pass along to someone I love. However, experience has taught me that after a point, a gift-recipient will say “Enough! They look good, but I’m never going to finish all of these.”

I try and pick out something that I found interesting and enjoyable, but different enough so I’m not just thrusting my specific taste onto someone. Some of my most successful selections have been Fasting, Feasting by Anita Desai, The Passion by Jeannette Winterson, and If on a winter’s night a traveler by Italo Calvino. I’ve learned that shorter works best!

Are there any books that you think make particularly good gifts?