High Shelf Esteem

Archives for January 2017

Children’s Books Rock!: 8 Band Names Inspired by Kid Lit


I love my job as a children’s librarian. Storytime is fabulous, ordering books is tons of fun, but I have to admit that shelving is not something I particularly enjoy. Recently, to pass the time while returning books to their homes, I looked at the titles and tried to decide which would make the best names for rock bands. Some of my favorites were:

Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen
Hug Machine, by  Scott Campbell
Mustache Baby, by Bridget Heos

In any case, this exercise got me wondering: what bands are actually named after children’s books? I looked into it and found eight bands with kid-lit-based names:

  1. Veruca Salt

    This 90s alternative rock band is named after the spoiled brat in Roald Dahl’s splendiferous book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Luckily, Veruca gets her comeuppance for being so rotten. She is deemed a “bad nut” by Mr. Wonka’s nut-sorting squirrels while on the factory tour and she is thrown down a garbage chute. 

  2. Silverchair

    Silverchair, another 90s alternative band, is named for the sixth book in the Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis. There’s another theory behind the name (it’s a combination of two song titles), but we’ll stick with the literary one.

  3. Belle and Sebastian

    Scottish band, Belle and Sebastian, took their name from the 1965 French novel, Belle et Sébastien, by Cécile Aubry. The book is about a 6-year-old boy named Sébastien who lives with an adopted family in the French Alps, along with his beloved Great Pyrenees dog, Belle. I embarrassingly admit that before finding the etymology of the band name, I thought the group was a duo with singers named Belle and Sebastian.

  4. Good Charlotte

    No, these guys are not named after E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web. Rather, there is a book called The Girls of the Good Day Orphanage: Good Charlotte. Based on the super short description on Amazon, Charlotte is an orphan, and in the story, she meets a blue-haired girl who she believes to be a princess. Sounds a bit out there…kinda like the band, I suppose

  5. The Black Crowes

    More 90s alternative! The Black Crowes was originally named Mr. Crowe’s Garden after Johnny Crow’s Garden, a picture book by L. Leslie Brookes, first published in 1903. The story seems really sweet. Johnny Crow (he is a black crow) tends a garden full of animals, including pigs dancing jigs and beavers catching fevers. The band changed their name eventually at the suggestion of a producer.

  6. Toto

    The band, Toto, shared in an early-80s interview that they named themselves after Dorothy’s dog in L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Apparently they only planned to use the name for their demo tapes, but never got around to changing it.

  7. Thompson Twins

    British new-wave-turned-pop group Thompson Twins derived their name from Hergé’s popular comic strip, The Adventures of Tintin. Thompson and Thompson were an inept detective duo in the Tintin series. One might assume that the band also would have been a duo, but that was not the case. Thompson Twins had up to seven members at a time, though they were best known as a trio.

  8. Coldplay

    Originally called “Starfish,” Coldplay got their name from a friend whose band was named “Coldplay” but was willing to give Starfish the name. (A little confusing, I know.) The first Coldplay got the name from a collection of poetry called Child’s Reflections: Cold Play. This might be a bit of a cheat for the list because I’m not entirely sure that the poems are geared towards children. It has no reviews or samples on Goodreads or Amazon, so I’ll just go with it.

 

Can you think of any I’ve missed? What other children’s books might make awesome band names? Share in the comments!

Literary Linking: January 23 – 27

This week’s articles cover topics including: bibliomania, Merriam-Webster Dictionary trolling Trump, children’s book awards, and more!

My favorite bookish links from the week of January 23 – 27:

Sales of Orwell’s ‘1984’ Spike after Kellyanne Conway’s ‘Alternative Facts’
“While the phrase ‘alternative facts’ reminded many of the terms ‘falsehoods,’ ‘lies’ and ‘untruths,’ it reminded many others of George Orwell’s dystopian, politically charged novel ‘1984.’”

Bibliomania: The Strange History of Compulsive Book Buying
“An essayist looks into the curious past of pathological collectors — and considers her own lifelong urge to hoard ever more volumes.”

Children’s Book Awards Highlight Race — and Politics
“After several years of calls for books reflecting more racial and gender diversity, for example, the three top awards — the Newbery, Caldecott and Printz — went to two African-American men, Lewis and Steptoe, and a white woman, Barnhill.”

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary Has Been Trolling Trump On Twitter For Months
“Merriam-Webster has a message for the Trump administration: There is no such thing as an ‘alternative fact.’ There are facts, and then there are falsehoods.”

 

New Releases I Can’t Wait To Read in 2017

 

So many amazing books came out last year, and one of my goals for 2017 is to read the best of the best from 2016, but I am also eager to dig into this year’s new releases. Some of my absolute favorite authors have books coming out, and I will be waiting with baited breath until they’re on the shelves.

I wanted a nice, traditional top-ten list of my most anticipated YA and adult books of 2017 (I have a whole separate list for children’s books), but I couldn’t pare it down to any fewer than 12 titles. C’est la vie!

Here they are in order by release date:

Carve the Mark, by Veronica Roth
Carve the Mark is Roth’s first book since she wrapped up the Divergent series, so I’m just curious to see what direction she’s taking now. This one takes place in another galaxy where everyone has a “currentgift, a unique power meant to shape the future.” The two main characters have currentgifts that make them vulnerable in a chaotic environment. I’m intrigued…
Release Date: January 17

Caraval (Caraval #1), by Stephanie Garber
I don’t know much about this one, but the premise sounds fun. Scarlett and her sister Tella live on a remote island and they dream of going to Caraval, an annual extravagant audience-participation performance. They’re finally invited and Tella ends up kidnapped as part of the show – the contestant who finds her first wins.
Release Date: January 31


I See You, by Clare Mackintosh
Mackintosh’s I Let You Go was my Book of the Month pick last May and it totally blew my mind (read my brief review here) and I See You looks very promising. It follows Zoe Walker, a woman who lives a seemingly normal life. One night she opens the paper and sees her photo in it along with a phone number and listing for a website called FindtheOne.com. Other women who’ve appeared in the ad have been the victims brutal crimes, and Zoe’s afraid she’ll be next. Eek!
Release Date: February 21

All Grown Up, by Jami Attenberg
I read Attenberg’s The Middlestein’s a few years ago and found it to be such engaging family story. All Grown Up seems to be in the same vein, plus it explores what it means to truly be an adult. I always wonder when I’ll feel like like a real grown-up, so reading about characters who have the same question is comforting 🙂
Release Date: March 7

The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit, by Michael Finkel
Since the Books on the Nightstand podcast ended, I’ve missed hosts Anne Kingman’s and MIchael Kindness’ awesome recommendations, so it was great hearing them on Drunk Booksellers in December. This book was highly recommended by Michael Kindness and it sounds fascinating. In 1986, Christopher Knight decided to leave civilization behind and brave the forests of Maine. He lead a completely solitary life for almost 30 years, living off the land and occasionally stealing from nearby cottages. Finkel interviewed Knight for the book to get the inside scoop on his three decades living as a hermit.
Release Date: March 7

The Upside of Unrequited, by Becky Albertalli
Albertalli’s debut Simon vs. the Homosapien Agenda was one of favorite YA reads last year, and I can’t wait to see what else she has up her sleeve. The Upside of Unrequited is a story about twins, young love, and has a character who is described as “a chubby Tolkien superfan with a season pass to the Ren Faire.” I’m sold!
Release Date: April 11

Once and for All, by Sarah Dessen
I adore Sarah Dessen and will read anything that she writes. Her new one centers around Louna, the daughter of a wedding planner, who is a bit jaded when it comes to love. Of course, she has a cute boy after her, who just won’t quit his pursuit. Sounds fun!
Release Date: June 6

Sip, by Brian Allen Carr
I first heard the description of this book from the All the Books podcast and immediately added it to my Goodreads TBR. In Sip, Carr creates a world where people can get high by sipping shadows, and if your shadow is completely sipped, you go insane. 150 years after the first shadows were sipped, the world is divided (some folks live in a protected dome and shadow-addicts live outside it) and a cure of shadow sickness is dire. The premise is just TOO COOL. It’s going to be hard to wait until August to read it.
Release Date: August 29

Into the Water, by Paula Hawkins
A new psychological thriller from Paula Hawkins of Girl on the Train fame – yes! Dead women start surfacing in the town’s river and one of the women is the mother of a 15-year-old. The girl’s aunt has to come back to the home she left behind to take care of her. There’s not much more to the summaries I’ve read, but I thoroughly enjoyed Girl on the Train, so I’m excited to give this one a whirl.
Release Date: May 2

Wintersong, by S. Jae-Jones
Here are a few facts: There’s a Goblin King in Wintersong. There is a Goblin King in Labyrinth (one of the most amazing movies of all time). The Goblin King in Labyrinth was David Bowie (one of the most amazing musicians of all time). Putting all these facts together, there is only one conclusion: Any book with a Goblin King is a book I have to read! That is all.
Release Date: February 7

Men Without Women, by Haruki Murakami
I’ve been a Murakami fan since college, when I read his short story collection The Elephant Vanishes. His writing is the perfect combination of off-beat humor, fever dream, and thought-provoking ideas. Men Without Women is another story collection, and if it’s anything like The Elephant Vanishes, I will be tremendously happy.
Release Date: May 9


Theft by Finding: Diaries (1977-2002), by David Sedaris
If I could invite anyone to a dinner party, David Sedaris would definitely be on the guest list. His books have cracked me up for years, and seeing as his stories are predominantly semi-autobiographical, I can only imagine that his diaries will be hugely entertaining. Will they be as good as the Santaland Diaries? I’m itching to find out!
Release Date: May 30

 

 

Book cover images from www.amazon.com

Literary Linking: January 16 – 20

This week’s articles cover topics including: exercising like your favorite author, the decline of library cats, John Lewis’ books selling out and more!

My favorite bookish links from the week of January 16 – 20:

Obama’s Secret to Surviving the White House Years: Books
“During [Barack Obama’s] eight years in the White House — in a noisy era of information overload, extreme partisanship and knee-jerk reactions — books were a sustaining source of ideas and inspiration, and gave him a renewed appreciation for the complexities and ambiguities of the human condition.”

Rep. John Lewis’s Books Sell Out Following Donald Trump’s Attacks
“One side-effect of Rep. John Lewis’s heated and very public spat with President-elect Donald Trump: ballooning interest in books written by the civil rights icon.”

Library Cats Leave Some Sneezing, Others Feline Fine
“When Browser, the live-in cat of White Settlement (Tex.) Public Library, nearly got furloughed last year, public outcry was tremendous…Though everything turned out alright for the lucky kitty, the incident illustrated just how contentious having a cat in a library can be, even when the cat is popular with patrons. Perhaps that’s why the number of library cats in the United States has declined drastically in recent decades.”

Exercise Like Your Favorite Author
“…a lot of great authors throughout history have been exercise buffs. So if you’re looking to stay fit, clear the mind, or just have some fun, here’s some inspiration from the workouts of your favorite writers.”

Literary Linking: January 9 – 13

This week’s articles cover topics including: the novel in the age of Obama, a taxidermy library, a Harry-Potter themed pasta restaurant, classic literary obituaries, and more!

My favorite bookish links from the week of January 9 – 13:

Considering the Novel in the Age of Obama
“What will we mean when someday we refer to Obama Lit? I think we’ll be discussing novels about authenticity, or about “problems of authenticity.” What does that mean? After the Bush years, sheer knowingness and artifice that called attention to itself had come to seem flimsy foundations for the novel. Authenticity succeeded storytelling abundance as the prime value of fiction, which meant that artifice now required plausible deniability.”

This May Be the Only Taxidermy Library in the Country
“Did you know there’s a library in Alaska that allows you to borrow a wide array of taxidermy animals? That’s right, this library is unlike any other. Sure you can check out books on nature and animals, but why only read about them when you could bring them home with you and observe them as you read.”

Ring In ‘Lemony Snicket’ On Netflix With A Series Of Unfortunate Recipes
“If you are interested in food stories accompanied by overhead videos showcasing recipes involving just three ingredients, you would be better off reading something else. This is because when preparing dishes to accompany the new Netflix adaptation of A Series of Unfortunate Events, which premieres Jan. 13, the more complex the recipe, the more you’ll identify with the many trials and tribulations of the orphaned Baudelaire children as they try to unravel the mysteries surrounding them.”

There’s Now A Harry Potter-Themed Pasta Restaurant In Williamsburg
“Take 2016’s biggest dining trend, add one part burgeoning food technology integration, and shake together with a giant scoop of Harry Potter—conveniently celebrating 20 years since the first book’s release—and you’ll get an idea of what to expect at Pasta Wiz. Or maybe you won’t, because this place looks pretty bonkers.”

Classic Literary Obituaries, From Virginia Woolf To Marcel Proust
“Many of the obituaries [of famous literary figures] are flattering, some are reserving judgement … some, particularly the older ones, go so deep into detail of the moments of death that I gasped, and some, like Sylvia Plath’s, are essentially nonexistent. So whether you’re contemplating your inevitable death or trying to avoid it by reading articles on the internet on this luckiest of days, I present to you this collection of literary obituaries.”

Meryl Streep’s 10 Best Book-Based Movie Adaptation Roles
“Like many other great actors, Streep’s career has a strong literary underpinning. Adaptations make up a significant portion of her cinematic output. To celebrate her Cecil B. DeMille Award for Outstanding Contributions to the World of Entertainment at last night’s Golden Globe Awards, we’ve pulled together her ten best adaptation roles.”

Ask a Librarian: What’s the Strangest Thing You’ve Found in a Library Book?
“…we went to the experts in unexpected ephemera and well-loved books—librarians—and asked them to tell us the most interesting thing they’d found in a library book. Their answers delighted, disgusted, and exceeded our wildest expectations. It was hard to pick our favorites, but here they are.”

Cruising and Perusing: Reading at Sea Is Alive and Well

Every year, at least a few news articles come out lamenting the decline of reading for pleasure in America today. In August, the National Endowment for the Arts released a report stating that in 2015, only 43 percent of adults read at least one work of literature. This is down from 57 percent in 1982.

This is disheartening news, but based on personal experience, I don’t think the state of reading is all doom and gloom. On a recent cruise vacation, I was very pleasantly surprised at how many adults brought books with them to read during the trip.

As I walked through the Solarium — the ship’s adults-only pool/hot-tub/relaxation area — I saw reader after reader laying out with their noses buried in Kindles and books (many bearing barcodes of local public libraries). My librarian heart fluttered with joy!

Of course, I was curious to see what everyone brought to read. These cruisers were from all over the United States and their book choices could provide an inside look at what adults around the country are reading.

Just a little “light” reading I came across!

Over the course of the 10-day trip, I tried to record titles of as many books I saw adult cruisers reading (without looking too snoopy and creepy). I only got a small sampling of all the books onboard, but enough to get a taste of what folks are reading while resting and relaxing.

Most of the books wouldn’t be considered high literature (I mean, who really wants to read War and Peace on a cruise vacation),
but overall, I was impressed with the variety and quality of book choices. Lots of NY Times bestsellers, thrillers, and romance, as well as some pretty heavy literary fiction (see photo above!).

Take a look at the titles I collected*. Do your reading tastes match up with this sampling of American society? What books would you bring on a cruise. Share your answer in the comments below!

Fiction

Impossible, by Danielle Steele

The Red Queen, by Victoria Aveyard

Angels and Demons, by Dan Brown

Inferno, by Dan Brown

Jurassic Park, by Michael Crighton

Room, by Emma Donoghue

American Assassin, by Vince Flynn

V is for Vengeance, by Sue Grafton

The Woman Next Door, by Cass Green

A Painted House, by John Grisham

The Whistler, by John Grisham

Distant Shores, by Kristin Hannah

The Nightingale, by Kristin Hannah

The Girl on the Train, by Paula Hawkins

A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

Shutter Island, by Dennis Lehane

Big Little Lies, by Lianne Moriarty (2)

The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien

Thug Passion, by Mz Lady P

Rather Be the Devil, by Ian Rankin

Assorted titles by Nora Roberts (I could never see the titles because Nora Roberts’ name always took up the majority of the cover)

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, by J.K. Rowling and Jack Thorne

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, by J.K. Rowling

The Art Forger, by B.A. Shapiro

The Light Between the Oceans, by M.L. Stedman

Radio Girls, by Sara-Jane Stratford

Modern Lovers, by Emma Straub

East of Eden, by John Steinbeck

Slaughterhouse Five, by Kurt Vonnegut

Tipping the Velvet, by Sarah Waters

The Winds of War, by Herman Wouk

A Little Life, by Hanya Yanagihara

 

Non-Fiction

Nice Is a Just a Place in France: How To Win at Basically Everything, by The Betches

Bacardi and the Long Fight for Cuba, by Tom Djelton

Not That Kind of Girl, by Lena Dunham

Wizard of Lies: Bernie Madoff and the Death of Trust, by Diana B. Henriques

Still the Best Hope: Why the World Needs American Values to Triumph, by Dennis Prager

Born To Run, by Bruce Springsteen

 

*A few notes:
I’ve only included English titles. There were a fair few international cruisers reading foreign-language books that are not on this list.
Tons of people were reading on Kindles, but I couldn’t see the titles of the books, so I couldn’t include those.

Literary Linking: January 2 – 6

This week’s articles include yoga for book lovers, a preview of the best books to read in 2017, NYPL’s most popular checkouts last year, and more !

My favorite bookish links from the week of January 2 – 6:

Yoga for Book Lovers
Hot yoga is so over…this is the year of book yoga! Here are some poses that will combine the physical fitness of yoga with mental stimulation of reading. (Consult a yogi, librarian, or personal trainer before attempting.)

The Millions Most Anticipated: The Great 2017 Book Preview
“Although 2016 has gotten a bad rap, there were, at the very least, a lot of excellent books published. But this year! Books from George Saunders, Roxane Gay, Hari Kunzru, J.M. Coetzee, Rachel Cusk, Jesmyn Ward?  A lost manuscript by Claude McKay? A novel by Elif Batuman? Short stories by Penelope Lively? A memoir by Yiyun Li?  Books from no fewer than four Millions staffers? It’s a feast. We hope the following list of 80-something upcoming books peps you up for the (first half of the) new year.”

My Favorite Word By Nikki Grimes
“At a recent school visit, a student posed a wonderful question during Q & A.  “What is your favorite word?” he asked me.  Caught off guard, I said the first thing that popped into my head.  ‘Dream,’ I told him, ‘because it opens up endless possibilities.’  It wasn’t a bad answer, but it wasn’t the only one I could have come up with.  If I’d considered it a little longer, I might have said, ‘Hope.’”

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Lied To You As a Child
“Think of the best scene from your favorite children’s book. Easy, right? The Very Hungry Caterpillar emerges from his cocoon, now a beautiful butterfly that takes up two whole pages…There’s a reason this particular page stuck in your mind. Maybe it surprised you, or taught you a lesson, or made you laugh. But have you ever wondered if it’s accurate?”

NYPL’s Most Popular Checkouts of2016
“Over 25 million items are circulated through our network of libraries each year, and among those items there are both expected front-runners and a few interesting surprises every year. For your perusal, we’ve compiled lists of the top books checked out systemwide and in The Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island in 2016.”

To Save Books, Librarians Create Fake Reader To Check Out Titles
“Chuck Finley appears to be a voracious reader, having checked out 2,361 books at the East Lake County Library in a nine-month period this year. But Finley didn’t read a single one of the books, ranging from ‘Cannery Row’ by John Steinbeck to a kids book called ‘Why Do My Ears Pop?’ by Ann Fullick. That’s because Finley isn’t real.”

Put Down Your Phone!: 6 Ways To Turn Screen Time into Reading Time

2017 is here! One of my primary goals this year is to read more (yes, I’ll admit, this is a goal I have EVERY year 😄 ), but more specifically, I want to cut down on screen time to allow for more reading hours. Of course, this is easier said than done, so I brainstormed a list of 6 concrete ways to help me reach my goals. Hopefully they can be helpful to your reading life as well!

Put reading on my daily to-do list

I’ll be totally honest here and say that after a long day at work, I like plopping myself in front of the TV and binge-watching shows on Netflix. However, if I have items on my to-do list that haven’t been checked off, I can’t fully relax and enjoy myself (I’m a “J” in Myers Briggs – what can I say?). So, I figure that if I write out “Read for 1 hour” on my to-do list, I will make myself forgo TV time and pick up a book instead.

Add reading to my online calendar

Similar to the to-do list, adding “reading” as a calendar item will help me remember to prioritize reading over other activities (e.g. mindlessly scrolling through Facebook) that I haven’t put on my schedule. I might even set up my calendar to send notifications whenever I’m scheduled to read.

Find a reading buddy

Just as exercise buddies help people trying to lose weight stay accountable and motivated, reading buddies can do the same for folks trying to stay away from screens and to read more. I think books are always more fun to read when I have someone with whom I can share my thoughts. Plus a reading buddy could send friendly texts to keep me on track (and vice versa). Something like: “Have you read your 30 pages today?” or “Are you playing Candy Crush right now?”

Only read print books or eReaders without web access

When I read on an iPad, I find myself checking email, looking at photos on Instagram, and reading Tweets right in the middle of my book, even when I’m loving the story. The fix? Don’t read on an iPad! Easy peasy.

Go out to a coffee shop or library and leave electronics in the car

The downside to this one is that I might get distracted by my surroundings, but I think it’s worth a shot, at least as an experiment.

Use the Forest app

There are lots of productivity apps out there, but Forest is specifically made to help you put down your phone so you can get other work done. In the app, you plant a tree each time you want to spend time away from your phone. You set a timer, and if you don’t leave the Forest app during the allotted time, a tree grows. If you do leave the app to check something else on your phone, the tree withers and dies.
Here’s my plan: I read for hours and hours without letting my phone distract me and I’ll get through more books this year than ever before PLUS I’ll be rewarded with a beautiful, lush forest! It’s a win, win!

 

Do you have any tips on how to cut down on screen time and read more? Share in the comments below!