Trailer Tuesday: Anya's Ghost

I read a healthy number of graphic novels last year, but Anya's Ghost by Verya Brosgol was my favorite:



What was your favorite graphic novel in 2011?

Trailer Tuesday: Stupid Fast

This is the most insane "book trailer" I've ever seen. It literally made me laugh out loud. The other librarians now think I'm crazy. So, I thought you should all see it. Also, Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach was my third favorite book last year.* So you should read it. Regardless of whether you think this trailer is as hilarious and random as I do.



*Behind Where Things Come Back and Blood Red Road, which are tied for first.

I don’t remember this from class...

I am sure you are busy planning your big President’s Day celebrations …so if you’re looking for some books to get you in a presidential party mood, here are a couple I read recently:

The Many Faces of George Washington by Carla Killough McClafferty.
The image most people have of George Washington is the portrait on the dollar bill. A portrait he sat for when he was tired and in pain (he’d just had his last tooth pulled). Based on that picture, some people have assumed that he was “boring,” “grumpy,” or “stiff” – which he wasn’t. Even during his lifetime, people said that his portraits didn't look like him. So in 2005, a group of historians, forensic anthropologists, textile experts, taxidermists, scientists, and artists at Mount Vernon decided to try to create life-size models of Washington at three major points in his life. It turns out that George Washington at 19 was kind of hot – who knew! The book combines biographical information on Washington with descriptions of the work that went into creating the three full-body representations.

Abraham Lincon, Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith.
Okay, I was raised in the “Land of Lincoln” and this was news to me. It was also a fun read. “While Abraham Lincoln is widely lauded for saving a Union and freeing millions of slaves, his valiant fight against the forces of the undead has remained in the shadows for hundreds of years. That is, until Seth Grahame-Smith stumbled upon The Secret Journal of Abraham Lincoln, and became the first living person to lay eyes on it in more than 140 years. Using the journal as his guide and writing in the grand biographical style of Doris Kearns Goodwin and David McCullough, Seth has reconstructed the true life story of our greatest president for the first time-all while revealing the hidden history behind the Civil War and uncovering the role vampires played in the birth, growth, and near-death of our nation.” 

This book is currently being made into a movie, produced by Tim Burton. Check out the trailer:

Weekend Book Give-Away: After Obsession

This week's book is beautiful brand new hardcover copy of After Obsession by Carrie Jones and Steven E. Wedel. Some of you may be familiar with Carrie's books Need, Captivate, and Entice.  She also blogs on LiveJournal with hilarious results.  This book is a bit more serious than that, and looks to be really interesting:

When Alan, a half-Navajo in touch with the spiritual mysticism of his ancestors, meets Aimee, a gifted psychic in his new high school, they realize they've had precognitive dreams of each other and that they must confront an evil spirit that has been responsible for mysterious deaths in the river in their small Maine town for hundreds of years and which is now haunting Alan's cousin Courtney.  

To enter to win this book, tell me about either a dream you had that seemed to be a precognition, or an obsession you once had but are now totally over! 

Winner will be selected by my buddy Random Number Generator on Tuesday February 28, 2012 (I'm taking a week off to train to be a lifeguard!). Be sure to leave a name with your entry, and check back to see if you won. To win you must be a teen (6th-12th grade, or 12-18) who uses a Sno-Isle Library.   

Time To Make Awesome Videos Again

Do you love to Geek Out with a video camera? Here's your chance to show off your stuff and you could win an awesome prize!

Enter our Teen Video Contest and compete to win a Best Buy gift card.
1st Prize $150
2nd Prize $75
Librarians' Choice $75
All finalists will receive an "Infamous for Information" T-shirt

How to Enter:
1. Create a video promoting the library or your favorite book.
2. Video length must be 30 seconds to 3 minutes, including credits.
3. Include credits in the video indicating you produced the video for the Sno-Isle Libraries Video Contest.
4. Post your video to YouTube with the tag "snoisleteens."
5. Submit your YouTube URL through our online entry located below by March 31, 2012.
6. Online voting and winners announced in April.

The Video Contest rules have changed a bit this year.  Go to the website to find out how. (Videos that do not follow rules will be disqualified).

Get creative, have fun and Geek Out!

Supported by the Sno-Isle Libraries Foundation.

Trailer Tuesday: The Mockingbirds

The sequel to Daisy Whitney's The Mockingbirds called The Rivals will be out in February. Here's a look at the first book:

Local Author Wins a Bloomer!

Each year the Amelia Bloomer Project chooses the top appealing feminist books for young readers, ages birth through 18. And this year it features one of our local authors (and a former librarian to boot) Carole Dagg for her wonderful book The Year We Were Famous, which is based on the true story of her ancestors walking across America!  

In 1896, Clara and her suffragist mother accept a challenge to walk across the United States to win $10,000 and save their family farm. Their endurance and fortitude change perceptions of women’s abilities and fashion.

To learn about more great titles on the Amelia Bloomer list, click here.