“What super depressing tragedy are you reading about now?” That’s what my fiance said to me the other night as I pulled out my book to read before bed. “The sinking of the Lusitania,” I replied. “Of course. That sounds awful.” I like sad books. I almost always have. Friends ask me for book recommendations…
Copyright and YOU! What’s the deal with the Copyright Office’s secret meetings?
A few weeks ago, Megan, goat queen of WWAC, drew my attention to a blog posted by the Internet Archive Blogs with the title “The Copyright Office is trying to redefine libraries, but libraries don’t want it — Who is it for?” My interest was piqued. I’m a librarian, and while it’s not my area…
Dice Vice: Lazy Summer Bluffing Games
Summer is a great time for get-togethers and seeing friends. There are beach days and cookouts, and I like to get outside as much as I can. For a warm weather lover like myself, Massachusetts weather is tolerable about half the year. So I admit that playing board games isn’t as attractive in the summer…
Pokémon Go: Is Anyone on Team Valor?
Pokémon Go is sweeping the internet, and it’s no surprise. My Facebook feed is filled with screenshots of the game, interspersed with memes about the game, and people complaining about adults having fun. It hit just the right spot for nostalgia, and geocaching seems to finally have caught on with the younger generations. So, what…
Take THAT Fashion Industry! Learning to Sew for Myself
I just got engaged, and I’ve decided to do something that seems completely ridiculous to many of my friends: I’m going to sew my own wedding dress.
YA?! Y Not’s Summer Reading List
Psst! Hey! Wanna hear a secret librarian confession? I hate summer reading. Don’t get me wrong: I love summer, and reading, and reading in the summer. Combating the so-called “summer slide”—where students lose reading and math skills over the summer because they are not practicing day in and day out—is really important, but what I…
Dogears: More SmallvilleGuy!
Lois Lane: Double Down Gwenda Bond Switch Press May 1, 2016 Disclaimer: A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Jess, WWAC writer, reviewed the first Lois Lane novel Fallout, and I agreed that it was a really fun read. I adored teen Lois and was excited…
Why I Game: Trying to Try
I’m not a gamer. I don’t think I could check the “gamer” box if asked to fill out some sort of imaginary label survey for my life. I play games, mostly the tabletop and board variety, but I wouldn’t call myself a gamer. Maybe it’s an unfair assumption or stereotype that I have and that…
Dice Vice: Lords of Waterdeep, a D&D Board Game
Hello tabletop gamers! I’m on a serious Dungeons & Dragons tear right now, so I’m going to talk about Lords of Waterdeep, a worker placement tabletop game with a D&D theme. Last month I wrote about libraries and gaming, specifically about investigating playing D&D with some of my library teens. So this month I’m going…
Searching for Glendower: Reflecting on The Raven Cycle
In 2012 Scholastic took the Young Adult book world by storm when they published The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, the first book in the new Raven Cycle series. It stared a young girl named Blue Sargent, who lives with her aunts, all of whom are clairvoyant, in a small town. Blue’s life may be unconventional…
YA? Y Not?! In Defense of the Love Triangle
Ah, the love triangle—one of YA’s most divisive tropes! Love it or hate it, the YA love triangle is here to stay. In “The Curse of the Love Triangle in YA Fiction” at Acculturated, Abby W. Schachter said, “Romance in YA fiction is fine; but love triangles are boring. Authors who have conjured entirely new…
Dice Vice Does Denver: Gaming at Libraries and Library Conventions
This month I’m going to take a break from talking about a new game I’m playing and take you on a magical journey. Imagine hundreds, nay thousands, of ladies* and a few men, all decked out in gear ranging from sensible shoes to cat-print sweaters to tattoos to all of the above wandering around a…