Hamburguering in the Library...and Beyond!

It's that time of year again...Hamburguering Time! Check out some of the pictures from the library and from the classrooms. I wasn't able to catch all of your skits, so please if you have more pictures, please email me. I'd love to add them to the slideshow!
Enjoy!

Nina Lacour. THE DISENCHANTMENTS

Colby and Bev, life-long best friends, are bucking the college trend after graduation. Instead, they plan to travel across Europe and experience all the places they've dreamed about for years. But first, they have a short tour with their band, The Disenchantments. Colby is the only guy, and isn't officially in the band. Bev is the lead singer, Alexa is the drummer and Meg is the bassist. Colby is the roadie/best friend/driver.

They load up in Colby's uncle's VW Bus and head up the coast from San Francisco towards Portland on a road trip tour. They stop along the way for several gigs. At the end of the tour, Colby and Bev will leave for Europe, Meg will go to college, and Alexa will finish her last year in high school. The trip is their last hurrah before splitting up. But as they begin the trip, Colby gets news from Bev that shatters his plans. He no longer has any idea what's in his future. He doesn't even know if he can continue on the road trip, much less continue on to Europe.

I enjoyed this adventure for several reasons. First of all, each of the characters are amazingly talented and intriguing in their own way. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them. Next, I love the way the author takes an ordinary scene and and makes it come so alive with fabulous characters and witty dialogue. Lastly, the author brilliantly evokes two dichotomous moods throughout the book. You feel how the four friends are loving every minute of being together. You feel their depth of friendship and history together. Yet, you also feel their melancholy about having to part at the end of the trip. They feel the pressure of growing up and making big "life" decisions.

Overall, it's a rocking coming of age adventure with meaningful friendships and delightful characters!

It appears that Nina Lacour is a fairly new published author. I'm definitely looking forward to more from her. Her website is here. Check out the cool book trailer below:

Ernest Cline. READY PLAYER ONE

Wow! What a ride! This is definitely one of the coolest books I've read in a while. It's an action-packed, science fiction book bursting with 80's culture.

Wade Watts is living in the year 2044, and the world is a pretty depressing place. Hunger, disease, poverty are rampant. Wade is living with his aunt, since his parents both died. However, she's not exactly loving. She only took him in to get extra food vouchers. He also has to hide his meager possessions or his aunt's bully boyfriend will snag them to pawn. The trailer they live in is stacked about twenty high in a strange ghetto like community called "the stacks."

So, you can see that escaping the real world is the number one priority for Wade. Since it's 2044, the escape is a pretty elaborate virtual reality called the OASIS. The OASIS is a virtual world created by a legend game designer. The world is filled with planets, each with a variety of fun to be had. You can go on quests and other video game adventures or you can simply live, shop and socialize.

When the legendary designer James Halliday dies, he leaves an unusual will and testament. The entire world watches as the video is played of Halliday launching the most epic "easter egg" hunt ever. He explains that he's hidden three keys in OASIS. When a gamer reaches the keys, they will reveal clues to ultimately reach the egg. The reward for reaching the egg first is his entire fortune. This creates a whole culture of egg hunters, called "gunters" hunting after this easter egg. Wade Watts is the one to find the first key.

Halliday was obsessed with 80's, since that's when he grew up. So all the gunters study the TV, movies, comic books, mangas, and most of all, the video games of the decade. Halliday most certainly will require knowledge of 80's culture to decipher the clues needed to reach the egg.

I dare anyone who grew up in the 80's to read this and not be totally hooked! The references are hilarious and totally recognizable. Plus, the OASIS virtual world created is fascinating. Sometimes you forget that the character is inside an imaginary world. It's mind-bending to think that while Wade is traveling to different planets (some designed to look like science fiction worlds like Arrakis, Star Trek, Middle Earth) that he's doing it all in a fake world.

This is not only action-packed, but also intriguing to consider whether some of this technology may be in our future. The 80's culture made me smile and laugh out loud. The history of arcade video games was also fascinating. It brought back memories of playing Pac-Man and Defender at the skating rink. The whole book feels vaguely familiar, but also strikingly original. The author did a brilliant job of weaving the 80's culture without it taking over or becoming gimmicky. It's truly a part of the story in an authentic way.

Trust me, you will LOVE this. You won't be able to put it down! And after reading, you'll be dying to take a trip to the arcade. For real.

It is an adult book. In fact, it won the ALA ALEX Award, which is an award for adult books that appeal to older teens.

Check out the book trailer. I think it evokes some of the "old school" feel. Although, I wish it was a little longer and included some of the 80's music from the book. Check out the author's website here.

Your Library Mobile App!

You now have a way to easily access the library on the go with our new mobile app! You don't need to download anything, you can merely visit our library site on your phone and it will redirect to this nifty new mobile version!

You can also scan the QR code on our library bookmarks to go directly to the mobile site. 

We will be asking you for feedback about the mobile site. Currently, you can access the library catalog, research Guides (LibGuides), the databases, our blogs and more. Check it out and give us feedback. We can tailor it to your needs. What do you need to access while on the go?

HUNGER GAMES trailer #2!!

The newest longer trailer!! Who's READY for the movie!!

Teen Book Finder App!

A cool new app for finding books is coming this month! It will be available for iphones now and androids later this year. You can find great books to read and create lists to share on Twitter and Facebook. For more click the link below the photo.

YALSA App ‘First of Its Kind’ for Discovering Teen Books — The Digital Shift via kwout