Anyone But You by Jennifer Crusie

I'm a big fan of Jennifer Crusie - her books are fun, sexy, funny and easy to read. This novel (written in 1996, but just put on audio) fits right into her other works, and I loved it!

Nina is 40, divorced and alone - until she buys a basset/beagle mix named Fred. Once she has Fred, things begin happening - a book deal for her best friend, a comfy apartment of her own and a very sexy doctor in the next apartment...who happens to be 10 years younger.

I laughed out loud at some parts, and wished for a cutesy dog of my own throughout. This is a great chick lit read!

Note: I listened to the audio edition, narrated by Susan Ericksen. Ericksen's narration was great, but the audio sounded a bit echoey and canned, and took getting used to. Still, a great listen!

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

When I was an undergrad in college, I didn't really read for fun or for myself - it was either homework or something to do with student government. My sophomore year, a friend of my insisted I read this fantasy series called The Wheel of Time. I'd never read fantasy, and had no interest, but he insisted I read at least 100 pages of the first book. I did, and for the next three years, I read nothing but this mammoth series.

It's a decade later, and I'm determined to reread this series in the hopes of reading the last two published books - it's been so long, I tried to read Book 10 and was hopelessly lost. Detailed, intricate, engrossing, filled with characters and settings of a Tolkien-esque quality, this is often ranked as one of the best fantasy series in existance.

I'm detemined to get through the thousands of pages once again.

Highly recommended!

Jimmie Johnson wins the Daytona 500!

This can only signal great things from the team this year...even though Chad wasn't on top of the war wagon, this win is for him.

Congrats, Lowe's Beaus!

Avalon High by Meg Cabot

This YA book is FANTASTIC! Cabot is a prolific writer of YA and adult fiction, but I think this is one of her best.

Ellie Harrison is new to Avalon High, the daughter of two medieval scholars on sabbatical. She falls for the QB, has to do a report with a jock, has to deal with a goofy teacher...and plays an integral role in the story of King Arthur returned to modern-day. It's impossible to well summarize this novel, except to say it's clever, funny, touching and awesome. And that now I'm going to have to reread the Lady of Shalott...

Absolutely recommended!

I listened to the audio version, ably narrated by Debra Wiseman.

Caught In the Act by Peter Moore

This YA novel is pitch-perfectly written with an interesting protagonist and an all-too real possibility of love gone wrong.

Ethan has the perfect girlfriend, loving parents and a great circle of friends. But when he meets Lydia - the new girl with a dark side - things begin to go awry as he gets pulled into her world. As things spin increasingly out of control, Ethan must determine who he really is...

I flew through this book, dying to see what sort of climax and conclusion Moore would write, and I wasn't disappointed. A great YA read!

Yay! I get to be part of the "4 meme" making the rounds on the blogosphere, thanks to Maire...

4 Jobs I’ve had in my life:

*Assistant Director/Head of Adult Services/Webmistress Librarian
*Target electronics counter specialist
*floor worker in a plastics factory
*library shelver

4 Movies I can watch over and over:

* LOTR
*Hunt for Red October
*The Sound of Music
*Bridget Jones's Diary

4 TV Shows I love to watch:

* Project Runway
*Grey's Anatomy
*La Femme Nikita
*Buffy the Vampire Slayer

4 Places I have lived:

* Columbus, IN
*Bloomington, IN
*Mount Vernon, IN
*England (not really, but I've spent nearly a year of my life there on vacations visiting the fam)

4 Places I have been on holiday:

* England
*Prague, Czech Republic
*Las Vegas, Nevada
*Paris, France

4 of my favorite dishes:

* Pizza!
*Clambake (snow crab, shrimp, clams, mussels)
*Fondue
*Koodie Hoo's burger on Texas Toast

4 of my favorite bands (I added this one):

*Nine Inch Nails
*Depeche Mode
*Nsync
*Linkin Park

4 Websites I visit daily:

* CNN
*Bloglines
*Flickr
*Writings of the Loud Librarian

4 Places I would rather be right now:

* Prague
*Hay-On-Wye, Wales
*St. John, Caribbean
*Italy

4 Bloggers I am tagging:

*Denise
*Carrie
*Sky
*Lissa P.

These are a few of my favorite videos...this week, anyway...

• What would Tim Gunn sound like singing "Closer" by NIN? Pretty.damn.funny.... [BWE]
  
  
• I'm in love with this video...a trance-y video of a crosscountry drive from LA to NYC in 4 minutes. Absolutely fascinating...I love it... [BWE]
  
  
• And here's a sneak peek at the new Depeche Mode video "Suffer Well". I love drunken dancing Dave. ;-) [PITNB]
  

Changes are afoot at the Alexandrian Public Library!

We have had the first of our two furniture installations, and the new desks are HOT! The rest of the fun commences this coming week, with the installation of a bunch of other pieces, including a circulation desk affectionately referred to as the "Titanic".

Well, sort of affectionately.

I set up a Flickr slideshow (thanks, Aaron!) to showcase the first of our installations for our patrons, and will add on next week. I'm particularly fond of the picture of me laying across the desk. ;-)

And the quote of the day from our YA librarian: "I love working at a library where the Interim Director wears a Nine Inch Nails tee shirt on casual day."

I aim to please. :-)

A Wedding in December by Anita Shreve

I've read several of Shreve's books, and am intriqued by her prose and her stories. This one felt like a screenplay...former high school friends gather for a wedding in the Berkshires where lies unwind, romances are rekindled, and people rediscover themselves.

It was okay, but maybe the movie would have been better. I was disappointed in the "big mystery" of the story, and found Shreve's plot device of jumping from present day to a story one of the characters is writing very jarring and offputting. All in all, this was fairly unmemorable for me, though Shreve's words are beautiful as always.

Note: I listened to the audio version, narrated by Linda Emond.

Any Place I Hang My Hat by Susan Isaacs

I read a few Isaacs books in college, and enjoyed her writing. I thought it was time to pick up another of her novels, but unfortunately, I was disappointed.

Amy is a political reporter who never knew her mother and whose father was in and out of prison during her childhood. When a candidate's "son" appears on the scene, Amy takes it upon herself to find out about her family.

I found the book plodding and slow, and didn't really care one way or another about any of the characters. The ending was a bit too pat for me, and I didn't really feel that the book progressed from beginning to end. Just not my cup of tea, I suppose...no recommended.