I always thought that if the world ended and I was the only one left standing, I would have all the time in the world to read. Well dystopian literature has taught me several things: 1. You are never the only one left standing 2. You can't hide anywhere and have peace 3. Books are even more fragile than people in this futuristic world. Dystopian books have been around for decades with titles like "Lord of the Flies" and "Wrinkle In Time" but in the last few years we have seen far more this sub genre with all sorts of worlds croping up in teen literature. These devastated worlds with their unlikely heroes/heroines, the challenges and loses they must face have really got my attention. I have to say, I have enjoyed reading these books far more then I expect I would have enjoyed being the last person standing, trying to find shelter food and books that haven't turned to dust. The good, the bad and the ugly they all have something to offer. The kid in me has never grown up and I am still afraid I'll miss something, so I read it all.

Cinderella, my how you have changed! Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

My Cinderella how you have changed!

In the post apocalyptic city of Beijing, far in the future, there is a young cyborg named Cinder whose talents as a master mechanic has brought her notoriety and business but not much respect from her widowed stepmother and two stepsisters whom she supports. It is this talent with machines that brings Prince Kai to her booth. With the plague running through the streets, the threat of war and the secrets Cinder tries to hide from Kai, her world is crumbling around her. As Kai’s affections grow for Cinder, he must tread carefully, for the Lunar Queen Lavana is coming to Earth to set the terms of the treaty that could prevent war between the two worlds. She will settle for nothing less that marriage to the young Prince. But will it be enough?

This combination of sci-fi/cyberpunk tale is full of mystery, adventure, a bit of romance, treachery and death. Cinder is a mystery even to herself; she has no memory of her life before her eleventh year. There are the battles with her stepmother, struggles with androids, and threats of war from the Lunar people, whose mind controlling abilities could prove to be the death toll for the Earth. While Prince Kai and Cinder draw closer, the Lunar Queen Levana would rather declare war on Earth then allow Cinder to marry Prince Kai. There is more here that meets even Cinder’s technologically enhanced vision.

This futuristic Cinderella tale grabbed my attention from the first and held me right up to the last page. The characters, and there really are some characters here, are very well drawn. I found myself caring about some and wanting to smack a few. The story has a familiar center but is still uniquely different, believable. As I finished the last page all I could think of was when I could get my hands on the next edition. If you like a good story, if you like science fiction or if you simply enjoy the steampunk type of tale, this is a tale well worth reading.

Lost but not found things2...

On to the Novelist...this is definately a plus. Not only does Novelist offer you a list of books but they show me pictures as well. When book talking books for any age it is great to have a way to look for books in the same genre and age level. I like the fact that I can even email myself a list of books. I first looked for Teens with a distinct flavor of Canadian Fantasy and came up with several one that I had previously read and wasn't even aware of its origins. The amount of information offered is equally as important. The professional reviews all in one place are a good start,but the subjects under which a book of this type may be found broadens my means of locating others like this book when I am searching for teacher collections! Definately one I will be referring back to more often.

Lost but not found things...

I thought my computer skills had progressed over the last 25 years but I guess I am still not saving or deleting needed information. So let me go back and reprise my thoughts on Podcasts and Novelist.
So I went in search again of Podcasts I might make use of over time. I searched Books first, and found a couple that interested me. One I saw was a reading of book about Nellie Bly: Ten Days In a Madhouse. All I can say is better her then me,especially back then. Another were a couple of books by Edgar Allen Poe. Both of this focused on a single photo while orally sharing the books. Then I went in search of Librarians and found a couple very interesting sites one was for Teacher Librarians which was more of a blog then a Podcast. I went to PodCast.com and to the Educational Broadcast as well. I understand the function behind a Podcast as a way of keeping us up on information we may need or subjects of which are of an interest to us. In the past I have subscribed to a few that focus on a subject such as creating a website for a class. Now I can see using it to keep up with not only technology and how to do things but also for book trailers.

What Did I Learn...Let Me Count The Ways

Oh, yes, 23 things and a lot more. I enjoyed exploring and revising some of the different things that I had worked with before. Seeing tech through someone else’s eyes is most often gratifying. Oh, my main concern is still no audio books for download for teens and children. But I still enjoy the convenience of NetLibrary. I wasn't so good with Wikis so this was an interesting peek in the window. I really enjoyed the Blog visits and the learning how to add video to sites without swallowing up my computer space.
I also enjoyed spending time with Flicr. The endless photos were grand and just what some kids are looking for when doing their homework.
Computers and the Internet have come such a long way. When I first began using computers we had reel to reel storage, mono screens and we had to dig deep to find information simply using a keyboard. When I met Mosaic I thought I had died and gone to Heaven. Even as much as I use the computer, I didn't realize how behind I was on some of the newer innovative informational sites. So thanks for being me into the late twentieth century and now I hope with your next stroke of genius training sessions I can get to where the kids are today.
Personally, I thought the program was well paced. I just needed to pick up my pace a little more. I'd say the next step would be gaming but than I am sure some of us wouldn't get a thing done and be chomping at the bit waiting for our next lesson. I found the self paced, set deadlines work well for me. It worked with my crazy scheduled very well. Now do you want to tackle Genealogy? I get questions for that all the time.

Thank you.

Good Reading isn't always easy...

I recently finished the second book in a trilogy that really captured me. It isn't happy but it is very well written and has a very different type of story so I recommended it to Joe Patron on Good Reads. The book is the second book entitled Beautiful Darkness by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia.

I am trying out the BookLetter feature and have subscribed the Teen Scene and Children's Chapter books, since I am no longer on the selection committee this might help me to keep up with the latest in these books that are arriving in the system that don't make their way to Shawnee shores.

With children's materials, I get a number of heads-up email from Amazon.com, Childlit Listserv that I belong to and my weekly visits to the bookstores. Sometimes I feel like an airport whose Control Tower staff has gone to sleep. I get so much email both at work and personal it seems that I may never catch up. So I like the hands-on/eye contact with books more often, in this way I don't only see the cover or read someone else's opinion. Reviews are helpful but I like to see the book at well. And finally, I listen to what my kids and teens say about books they want to read or have recently read to get a better idea about what is popular.

WWW - What's With Wikis

Okay, so I stepped in and created, accidentally and new subject for our Wiki entitled Teens Rule! when I really only wanted to add to Favorite Books. My point being that sometimes teens can be very opinionated about books and don't mind voicing their opinions, especially when adults wreck a favorite book by making a bad movie.
My choices for a favorite trilogy is Beautiful Creatures by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia. And to add a little interest in the series I inserted the book trailer from Beautiful Darkness, the second book.
I looked at a few of the wikis, like Muppet Wiki, the Narutopedia, Bookshelf Fantastica and the Library Success. I liked the bright Muppet informational site with its photos straight out of the past. The Nautopedia would definately be a plus, a way of catching up on the series without having to set down with the set. The Bookshelf on the other hand is an expample of your eyes being bigger than you stomach. Someone made a nice start but have not worked on it in a while. This would make a good example of what not to do. It is nice to see a website that offers some suggestions of programming for librarians at the Libary Success wiki. All in all an interesting view into Wikis that I hadn't spent much time viewing.