Daily Thoughts 6/24/2009

I rather like the cover illustrator, M.B. Prendergast

Daily Thoughts 6/24/2009

Sometimes the day goes by and you spend time fixing the small things; making sure the slat wall shelving is the right one on the orders, working on updating a bookmark on "inspirational fiction", designing the new labelling for the technical sorting area, and discussing how things will be done in the future.

Also things seem to catch up with you; picking up for an open house tomorrow and talking about how to merchandise the graphic novel collection.

The June 15, 2009 Library Journal has an article on Queens Library in New York which is worth reading.

It has been a quiet, steady day.

I checked out a few books. I read Love and Rockets New Stories Volume No. 1 by The Hernandez Brothers on the train home. It was a fun graphic novel to read. I especially liked the story Ti-Girls Adventures Number 34, Part One: the Search For Penny Century and Ti Girls Adventures Number 34 Part Two: Penny Is Found. It is a wonderful spoof on comic book supergroups. I like how Angel becomes a superheroine when she finds out one of her neighbors is wandering around catching bad guys. It was fun to read. There are some nice cliches, Golden Girl can get back in her costume even when she has turned fifty.

The other stories are much more avant garde than the Hernandez Brothers earlier work. Some of it is quite odd. Fantagraphic has given them a free hand to be creative. In one story, a man wanders off into a snow storm. In another story a man gets sick after eating some burritos with worms in them. This story is kind of gross but intriguing. A few of the pages even remind me of Charles Burns or Kaz. It is very hard to describe them.

The Hernandez brothers have been writing for a very long time. Their work is bestselling. Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez have a unique style. I find it very appealing because the characters appear more human than in a lot of comics. People are drawn with a variety of body types. Also, the women in the comics tend to have curves and be exuberant and adventurous. These comics have adult themes in them. Love, sex, money, and personal experiences. This is even true in the superhero parts.

I also tried to read Breathers A Zombie's Lament by S.G. Browne. I could not get past the first chapter. I did not like it at all. It seemed to be a bit whiny and I found the main character quite unappealing. I would not recommend this book.

The final book I have started reading is The Carrot Principle by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton. This is a business study aimed at supporting a specific management philosophy. It talks about how you should use recognition to motivate employees.

I have been getting more advertising material in the mail from libary companies lately. I got a postcard advertisement for a book, Virtual Worlds Real Libraries Librarians and Educators In Second Life and Other Multi User Virtual Environments by Lori Bell and Rhonda B. Trueman. I think I am receiving these because I am on Linked In and Twitter. The promotional card is actually pretty interesting looking. Also the Public Library Association sent me a conference notice for PLA 2010.