Posts from Seward Park Library

Way, way back in May 2010 I wrote a blog post entitled Introducing Alex Pettyfer. At the time, no one but me had seemed to have heard of him. Now of course, he is everywhere: TV (shirtless on Ellen), magazines... and, who can blame them for wanting a piece of his action? He has two films out: I Am Number Four and Beastly, he was dating a Glee 

Who says that all historical fiction is dull and boring? If done correctly, historical fiction is not dull at all. It's time travel in a book. Who hasn't imagined being transported back through time to experience what life was like during a different period in history? I particuarly love reading stories that are completely out of my realm of knowledge and experience and have a sense of the romantic about it—novels about war, warriors and (ahem) gladiators tend to fit that bill.

One of the more well known authors of this type of historical fiction 

It is too dang COLD! I mean, I get it, it’s winter! It is supposed to be cold and snowy but enough already! Geez!  Perhaps, to get away from it all, you might be dreaming of a beach somewhere where palm trees sway in the breeze, where you are lying in the sand listening to music as the waves crash in front of you and someone is serving you something slushy and frothy to drink. But what would be on your playlist? Luckily, I have recently returned from a 2 ½ week vacation in

Every morsel in The Manga Cookbook is so freaking cute and delicious looking I couldn’t decide what to cook. This kind of copious edible cuteness must be how the Bento box came to be. The bento is a combo of small treats stuffed together attractively in a box or tray. In fact, stuffing the tray is compulsory, as the bento is meant to be portable. If there’s even a little space in the box, contents will shift and the omotenashi (eating with the eyes) will be ruined. In any event, I was compelled to make a variety of 

“This is the kind of book that you want to read on a rainy day curled up with a cup of hot chocolate.”

Well known English children’s author Eva Ibbotson passed away recently at the age of 85. She is best known for her fantasy and adventure novels for children such as The Secret of Platform 13 and The Star of the Kazan. However, I discovered her through her historical romance novels (orginally published for adults) which have, 

Sefi loves coming to the library for books and music but it wasn't always that way.

Name: Sefi

Age: Just turned 17!

Sefi, how long have you been coming to the library? Just 3 to 4 years.

Why did you start coming to the library in middle school? I started coming for TAG (Teen Advisory Group) but I stayed for the books and music. In the beginning, I wasn't really into reading but then you showed me all the cool stuff to try.

What do you like about reading now? It's your own virtual world. You can get lost in a book because 

If you are a reading omnivore like me, you love a good vampire/ supernatural novel. However, also, like me you have probably been bombarded by many supernatural novels in recent years and frustrated by their complete lack of "goodness". Look no more! The Strange Angels series by Lili St. Crow has it all: vampires, werewolves, zombies, half-vampires, hunters, kick-ass action, and romance and thats all just for 

I always look forward to watching the MTV Video Music Awards. The performances and the scandals always make for a good time unlike the usually staid Grammy award shows. Who can forget last year's epic Lady Gaga performance complete with fake blood or Kanye West drunkenly interrupting Taylor Swift's acceptance speech both of which were rated 10 for pure entertainment value. The awards that aired this past Sunday on 

Last night I made Lettuce Wrapped Beef 'n' Mushroom Stir-Fry, from Sam Stern’s Real Food Real Fast. My co-blogger, Anne Rouyer, says Sam Stern is the teenage Jaime Oliver. Like Jaime, he is physically adorable. Like Jaime, he is British. Also like Jaime, he writes cloying, chatty recipes for bland meals. 

Tutoring at the Center for Reading and WritingThe Centers for Reading and Writing are recruiting volunteer tutors for our fall class cycle beginning in September, so I've been thinking about what it means to volunteer here in the library's adult literacy program.    

I decided to speak with Gale, who has been volunteering at the Center for Reading and Writing for over twenty years. When I 

As the temperature and humidity outside reaches ridiculous levels, my reading taste gravitates towards romance. Stories full of love that burns brightest during hot summer days and moonlit filled nights. Where there is a feeling of rediscovery and endless possiblities. As if summer would never end and autumn would never creep in. Close your eyes. Listen to the roar of ocean waves as they crash onto the sandy beach, feel the hot sun on your skin and get the knotty sick feeling in your stomach when you glimpse them out of the corner of your eye or 

I love it when a plan comes together and teens are doing it for themselves. When there is no namby-pamby, sissified hand-wringing or waiting for an adult to tell them what to do or help them out of a tough situation. These teens are smart, emotionally mature, able to hack computers and security systems at will, fly around the world without supervision, con adults without batting an eye, do blackbelt kung fu, jump from airplanes and whose moral compasses lurk in the grey areas of problem solving. In other words, I want these characters to be my best friends. Books like these are what I mean 

So who do you think will be the big star of summer? Rob? Taylor? Jake? Angelina? All these actors have hot new films coming out but I think the breakout star will be the relatively unknown Alex Pettyfer.

He was recently named 2010 Male Star of Tomorrow at ShoWest (a convention and awards put on by movie theater owners), so obviously I am not alone in my assertion. At the age of 20, he has been acting off and on since he was 10. "Beastly", coming out this summer, will be his first film in awhile to have a major U.S. release. With that in mind, I decided to 

If I had to pin down my favorite genres of fiction they would be: numero uno mystery/thriller, followed closely by romance and historical fiction (I love fantasy and sometimes sci-fi too but that is another blog post). I know I have found my own personal nirvana when I find a book that has all three! There has been a recent resurgence of great teen mystery titles in the past few years in teen book publishing. Books that have classic mystery plots and where teen detectives are at the forefront of the story.

Here are some of my new favorites that are in collections 

Teens of New York City, you and your wallet are in luck! The library has gotten very good about getting the newest and hottest cds straight into the branches fast and into your hands for you to take home. Right now, you can find some of the most popular songs and artists playing on the radio and through videos at libraries across the system.

Available for reserve and circulation as of May 2010:

"Nothin on You"

B.O.B. Presents:The 

For a librarian, discovering a great new book is a definite perk of the job. Every once in awhile -- not often, mind you -- I find a book that sends a tingle up my spine. A book that makes me sit back and go, "Wow". A book where the caliber and honesty of the writing, and the truth of the characters pull you out of yourself and bring you a better understanding of who you are. A book from the recent past that did that (and still does) for me is "The Truth About Forever" by

The other day I discovered a great new British movie on dvd, Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging. This straight to dvd film (Stateside only) is based on the first two books of the uproariously funny Georgia Nicolson diary series by author Louise Rennison, "Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging" and "

In 2009, Lady Gaga exploded onto the music scene with her debut album The Fame.

Her 2009 album The Fame Monster, an update of that album featuring the songs "Bad Romance" and "Telephone", made it onto the Stuff for The Teen Age 2010 List.

Suddenly she and her music are everywhere you turn. The radio, TV, award shows, fashion shows,