Thursday, March 12, 2009

Forsythias, Extreme Librarian Quote and Link Love

Four days. I've been gone four days and the world around me has changed. The pear trees and forsythia bushes are blooming, the geese and ducks at the lake seem to have magically tripled in number, and the birds have returned en masse to the back yard. I love spring nearly as much as fall.

I did a bit of reading while I was away and must share. Here are the first lines of each book I finished and a favorite excerpt.
Book 1
First Line: A boy with a parrot on his shoulder was walking along the railway tracks.
Excerpt: He felt a mounting sense as they headed down toward Bethnal Green Road—a sense that had obscure roots in that vanished market morning when he had passed amid the hectic stalls of the dealers in animals—they were penetrating to the heart of some authentic mystery of London, or perhaps life itself: that at last, in the company of this singular old gentleman whose command of mystery had at one time been spoken of as far away as Kerala, he might discover some elucidation of the heartbreaking clockwork of the world.
Title and Author: The Final Solution: A Story of Detection by Michael Chabon

Book 2
First Line: In an unremarkable room, in a nondescript building, a man sat working on very non-descript theories.
Excerpt: "I'm Margarita Staples." She bowed in her harness. "Extreme librarian. Bookaneer."
Title and Author: Un Lun Dun by China Miéville
**Sidebar** - Bookaneer?! Now THERE'S a blog name if I ever heard one! I hope someone snaps it up toot sweet.

Book 3
First Line: Dear Poet, How can I become a better writer?
Excerpt: For me, writing is like playing a wonderful game, the kind where you lose track of time and your father or mother has to stand out in the streets after dark, calling you to come home. (Liz Rosenberg, p. 98)
Title and Author: Seeing the Blue Between: Advice and Inspiration for Young Poets compiled by Paul Janeczko
Finally, the Share a Story, Shape a Future blog tour for literacy continues today with a focus on visiting libraries. Here is the schedule.
I was traveling yesterday and failed to link to day three activities. In case you missed it, yesterday's topic was reading aloud.

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