Daily Thoughts 10/3/2011

Dirk van Hoogstraten, Bearded Man Reading, c.1630

Daily Thoughts 10/3/2011

I read some more of Damon Runyon a Life.  The book is quite enjoyable.  He introduced a number of boxers as a sports writer including Joe Louis.

This morning, I checked the displays and updated the Twitter and Facebook accounts.  I also spent some time weeding in the graphic novels section.

This afternoon, the books A First Rate Madness Uncovering the Links Between Leadership and Mental Illness by Nassir Ghaemi and Everything On It by Shel Silverstein came in for me to read.  A First Rate Madness is on the New York Times Bestseller list.  I very much enjoy reading Shel Silverstein, one of my favorite books of poetry is Where The Sidewalk Ends.  I also like his childrens book The Giving Tree.

I found out that New York Comic Con sold out of Professional Passes.  There should be a lot of librarians there.

I read some of A First Rate Madness on the train home.  The book posits that during times of crisis it is important to have leaders who are a little bit insane who can deal with abnormal situations.  It also states that during times of stability, it is important to have leaders that are more sane.  It is an interesting idea, but not completely believable.

I also finished reading Damon Runyon A Life.  Near the end of the book, Jimmy Breslin writes a bit on Guys and Dolls, the Broadway play which is based on different pieces of Damon Runyon's short stories.  Damon Runyon's short stories are considered classics.

Web Bits

Our Ebook Future-- Digital Shift
http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/home/891898-264/our_ebook_future__the.html.csp





Daily Thoughts 9/24/2011

Munich Still Life, 1882, William Michael Harnett


Daily Thoughts 9/24/2011


This morning I spent a little time updating the Facebook and Twitter account.

 I also finished reading Studs Terkel A Life In Words by Tony Parker.  One of the most interesting aspects of this book is the use of multiple types of biography.  There are instances where Sturds Terkel is interviewing people, where Studs Turkel is being interviewed, where Studs Terkel is essentially being written about, and where Tony Parker is interviewing different people from Studs Terkel's life.  This shows a wide variety of types of interview.  Also, throughout the text there is a lot of commentary on how to do and prepare for interviews.  There is a lot to learn from this book about interviewing.

I am reading Damon Runyon A Life by Jimmy Breslin. The book reads like a tall tale.  It starts out with Damon Runyon's father being a newspaper man  Then it describes how Damon Runyon started working at the newspapers when he was eleven.  This was in 1892 so it was a very different world.

Web Bits

The Future of Digital Books
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/09/the-fight-over-the-future-of-digital-books/245577/

Daily Thoughts 9/23/2011

Damon Runyon. 

Daily Thoughts 9/23/2011

I read some of Studs Terkel A Life In Words on the train to work.  I learned that Studs Terkel was born in the Bronx and grew up in New York until he was eight; then he moved to Chicago.  The biography is interesting in that it is mostly interviews.  I did not know that Studs Terkel was known as much for his work in radio as his books.  While reading the book, I came across the name of Damon Runyon.  I remember reading his short stories.  I picked up a biography of him by Jimmy Breslin called Damon Runyon A Life.

This morning, I updated the Twitter and Facebook accounts and checked the displays.  I got a shipment of Advanced Reading Copies from Library Journal which I opened this morning.  One book looks particularly interesting, The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson.  It is a thriller set in North Korea.  Another book which caught my eye is Rust by Julie Mars which is about an artist who moves from New York City to New Mexico.  I enjoy reading and getting Advanced Reading Copies.

This afternoon I spent some time talking about programming.  We may have some more programming in november or december from the Women's Enterprise Development Center.  There also may be an exhibit from the Mount Vernon school district soon.