I don't know about you, but I'm ready for spring. I thought I'd write a blog post that would encourage spring along. First, my favorite new spring-y/summer-y track from the band Neon Indian. The band is a side project of the Austin electronic band Vega and they were recently on Jimmy Fallon.
Second, what would spring be without baby animals? A few days ago, I had no idea what a duiker even was. But thanks to Zooborns, I now know that there was one born at the Oregon Zoo last month and that a baby duiker looks like a cross between a little tiny deer and a pug. More please!
Third, spring wouldn't be the same without spring showers. However, last night's storm was no joke. We hope that everybody is ok! ]]>
If you happen to have $2,998,000, you can buy the Cullen family's house from the movie Twilight: New Moon. The house is located in West Vancouver and is listed here. It can be viewed "strictly by appointment only," so I can assume that they don't want a bunch of Twilight fans showing up at open houses. Apparently, the price was recently cut, so even famous-vampire-houses aren't recession-proof. ]]>
WestportREADS is upon us again and this year we are reading Yoko Ogawa's The Housekeeper and The Professor. The book follows the relationship between a brilliant math professor with no short-term memory (in fact, his memory erases itself every 80 minutes), his housekeeper, and the housekeeper's son. The son and the professor have a shared love of baseball and the professor's passion for math is infectious.
You might have noticed a display of books in the Staples High School Media Center, like student Jack Roche, shown here. Many copies are available for checkout at Staples and there are dozens available here at the Westport Library. The book is also only 180 pages, so it is a quick read. We are doing several events throughout the month, including one with the Staples High School Math Team on Wednesday, January 27th at 7:30PM, in which they will talk about math and the new ways that students are learning and using math to enrich their lives. Another fun program is taking place on Wednesday, January 20th at 7:30 when Harry Sakamaki, President of the Japan Society in Greenwich, will be here talking about Japanese baseball.
For a complete listing of all our WestportREADS events, visit our Events Blog. Happy reading!]]>
Since my Twilight 
At the Westport Library, we've fallen in love with Laini Taylor's new book Lips Touch: Three Times. The book has three supernatural tales about romantic yearning, which would appeal to fans of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series who are looking for a new read (or anybody looking for a great new book!). Oh yeah- it was also nominated for a National Book Award this year.
For book recommendations on any subject, you can always email me at jlewis@westportlibrary.org. Or, stop by the Reference Desk and ask for me! ]]>
Happy Teen Read Week! The purpose of Teen Read Week is to encourage teens to read for the fun of it. Not so easy to do in October when you're in the midst of a semester, right? Let me tell you, it doesn't get much easier trying to fit in time to read when you're an adult with a busy job. Most days, I'd rather watch TV or play games on my cell phone, but I try to set aside particular times that are just for reading. For example, I read a book every day on my lunch break. I also read before bed every night and I always read when I'm on the train. I actually know some librarians who don't own televisions and who usually manage to read several books a week. This is great, but then how would I keep up on Gossip Girl or 90210?
Does anyone out there in the blogosphere have any tips for how to fit in "reading for fun" into "real life?" ]]>
One of my favorite series from my youth is back! Diablo Cody, the screenwriter behind the teen films Juno and the recent slasher film Jennifer's Body has been hired to adapt Francine Pascal's Sweet Valley High series for the big screen. The series began being published in the early 80's and contained 152 books, a tv series, and even a board game (which I, ahem, still have). Cody says that the film will be set in the 1980's, just like the original novels, claiming that she "[doesn't] feel like brokering some deal with T-Mobile to give Enid a Sidekick." Given that EVERY teen show/movie these days seems to be centered around technology, I'm interested in seeing a throw-back in which girls can't take camera-phone pics of each other's every move and can't communicate by constant texting. I think that people used to pass notes to each other...? :)]]>
I stumbled upon this book while I was walking around the library today and while it isn't officially a "teen" book, I thought it was still worth drawing attention to. Level 26: Dark Origins is written by the creator and executive producer of the show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. What is particularly cool about it is that it is an interactive digi-novel. Although you can read the book as a traditional thriller, about every 20 pages, there are web links to videos on the book's website that bring the characters to life and extend the story. I haven't seen an interactive book like this since I was a kid and was obsessed with Choose Your Own Adventure novels. Check it out and let me know what you think!
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