HW Assignment: Creating/Using a Blog

For all of my regular readers: Pardon this brief interruption. This is an assignment for one of my classes in my Masters of Library Science program. Hopefully you still find it fun and interesting 🙂

Voki Intro

https://vhss-d.oddcast.com/vhss_editors/voki_player.swf?doc=https%3A%2F%2Fvhss-d.oddcast.com%2Fphp%2Fvhss_editors%2Fgetvoki%2Fchsm=f118a2615b94bc6df09d1dfab6611cd1%26sc=11917493

Compare/Contrast Two Social Networks

Two social networks that I particularly like are Facebook and GoodReads. Facebook is a great way to personally stay connected to friends even when distance might ordinarily make it tough to do so. You can share pictures, links, and status updates with each other. It’s just generally a fantastic resource to keep people connected. GoodReads has some similar traits, but overall it’s more focused on the bookish community. You can keep track of what books you’ve read and still want to read while also checking in on your friend’s bookshelves. I especially like the feature that allows you to update your progress through books and leave little comments along the way. You can check out reviews for books that you might be interested in and see which of your friends want to or have already read it. Both social networks can be valuable for libraries to use. A library can have a Facebook page that keeps patrons updated on events, contests, and new or featured books. GoodReads is probably a better resource for librarians as individuals rather than the library as a whole. Librarians can use GoodReads to connect with individual patrons and continue to offer book recommendations outside of the library. Recently, the King County Library System Facebook page posted a link to some staff recommendations for humorous books. This is a great way to stay in touch with patrons. The IUPUI School Facebook also has relevant posts to connect with students such as updates on the Grace Hopper Conference that has been recently going on.

Experience with MUVE/Interactive or Gaming Technologies

Using MUVE’s is a great way to connect to the younger audience. In my experience, kids are more prone to be drawn to games than books. They find them more entertaining. This is why I like all of the books that are coming out with an online presence. It gives kids more to look forward to when reading a book. They can go online later and play games with their favorite characters or learn more about the world that the author has written about. Libraries can promote certain books that have an online presence (like Harry Potter). Hopefully, this would get kids interested in reading so that they come back looking for read-a-likes.

Recent Book Review

Here’s my recent review for Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin.

Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin [ARC]

Hitler won World War II. Now Germania and Japan are in control of most of the world. To commemorate their glorious victory, Hitler and Emperor Hirohito have established a yearly motorcycle race. 20 teens from the ages of 14-18 may enter (10 from Japan and 10 Aryan Germanians), but only one will win and be awarded the iron cross. Yael is definitely not Aryan. In fact, she escaped from a Nazi prison camp when she was a little girl. She had been a victim of scientific experimentation and now she has the ability to “skinshift”. As a part of the resistance, her mission is to impersonate last year’s winner (the only female to have ever won), win the race, and assassinate Hitler at the Victor’s Ball on live TV.

I REALLY LIKED THIS BOOK. Seriously, it was fantastic. I haven’t read that much historical fiction, but I feel like it’s a genre that I could really get into. Especially World War II. I find that period especially interesting for whatever reason. The thing about this book that’s so great is the speculation. The author mentions in a note at the end that she likes to ask the question, “What if?” In this case, I really think it paid off. Even though there’s one major fantastical element (with Yael’s skinshifting), the rest all seems so plausible. Would something like this have happened if Hitler had won the war? Who knows?

The plot was great. It was straightforward and not too messy with other (irrelevant) subplots. I liked that it was so focused because it kept me interested in the story. There weren’t any distracting elements that way. Every few chapters or so the reader gets a flashback into Yael’s past, but it’s done so seamlessly that you don’t feel pulled out of the main narrative while you’re reading the backstory. The writing was also fantastic. Throughout the book Yael struggles a bit with her sense of identity and those passages are always written with such care. Beautiful, beautiful writing.

The characters were another highlight for me. They all had distinct personalities and I enjoyed getting to know some of the other racers. Yael as a character was a little unrelatable though. She’s very angry as a person. But even though I couldn’t connect as well with her, I was okay with that. I was still able to enjoy who she was as a character even though I couldn’t put myself in her shoes.

So yeah, I loved the book, but it wasn’t perfect. There were a few things that I had some issues with. First, the characters seem older than they’re supposed to be. Felix, Yael, Adele, and Luka are all supposed to be 17…but I couldn’t help but picture them in their 20s. It was just hard for me to imagine them as teenagers. Second, I had a hard time buying Yael’s skill on a motorcycle. Assuming she started training IMMEDIATELY after Adele won her first iron cross, that still only gives Yael one year of training. And then she’s just going to show up and race against guys who have been racing their whole lives and win? I just can’t believe it’s that “easy”.

Overall, the book was great. I had a couple of issues with it, but I still love it and seriously recommend it to ANYONE. It comes out officially 10/20 so make sure you go pre-order yourself a copy!

Overall Rating: 5
Language: None. All cursing is done in German.
Violence: Moderate. Some fighting and violence, but not too much gore. Some talk/description of blood.
Sexual Content: None (Some talk of breeding houses, but I wouldn’t really classify that as sexual content).
Smoking/Drinking: Moderate. Some drinking, quite a few mentions of “underage” smoking.

Note: I received this book free from both the NOVL and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

October Reading Update

ARCs
It’s a Wonderful Death by Sarah J Schmitt – Read and reviewed
My Secret to Tell by Natalie Richards
The Farmerettes by Gisela Tobien Sherman
No True Echo by Gareth P Jones – Currently Reading
If You’re Lucky by Yvonne Prinz
Red Girl, Blue Boy by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
The Sister Pact by Stacie Ramey
Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin – Finished, review coming

For School
The Six by Mark Alpert – Read
Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future by A.S. King – Read
More Than This by Patrick Ness – DNF, 142 pages
Wonder by R.J. Palacio – Read

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen
OR
What You Left Behind by Jessica Verdi – Currently Reading
OR
Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman

Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan

So far I’ve finished 5 books this month, 1 DNF.