Tag Archives: Reading

Books

Reading at parties isn’t rude – it’s expected!

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CORI Middle School ReadingWe gather together, sit without speaking to each other, and read the books we brought. Or we meet at a bar, drink a lovely beverage, and read our books. Or we gather in a park (maybe Munsinger Clemens Gardens ??) and quietly read our books?

For how many library people does that sound like a FANTASTIC event??? Lots of us!!

And apparently this is a hot new trend!

From a PLA blog by Gretchen Kaser: “According to a recent Forbes article,[1] my thinking may not be so off-base. Megy Karydes describes Silent Reading Parties, live lit, and library bars as a growing trend of sharing literature with friends without the stress and “homework” of a traditional book club. Silent Reading Parties, coined by Christopher Frizelle in 2010, involve gathering in a bar or other locale to read in companionable silence. There is no assigned reading, and the meetings are open to all. Silent Book Club tracks upcoming parties around the world.”

Is this something you want to try in your library??? Or would you like CMLE to set up a reading party for all of us to attend?? It could be fun!

CMLE, Communication, General

Book Boxes!

Fun arrives in the mail!

People usually are vaguely familiar with the idea of subscription boxes – you can sign up to get new beauty products, wine or beer, or even vinyl that is picked out and delivered to you each month. But at CMLE, we were excited to discover that subscription book boxes are becoming very popular!

This article from NPR goes into detail about a few of the subscription services like LitJoy and Owlcrate, even describing the contents of several boxes for the month of December. And each box contains some really cool stuff – all things book-loving people would enjoy. Get a visual sneak peek by following Litjoy, Owlcrate, and Uppercase on Instagram (and while you’re there, follow CMLE too!)

Do you subscribe to a monthly box delivery, book-related or not? We are curious, share with us in the comments!

 

Academic, CMLE, Communication, Public, School Media Specialist, Services, Special

Let’s read together in January!

Library of historic photo books
so many books, so little time!

As we close out an interesting 2016, CMLE is moving ahead with our book groups! If you have time over your holiday celebrations, you might check out our latest additions to our book groups. As always, this is a low-key opportunity to read books; so read and join in the comments, read the discussion questions, or just read the book and thing thoughts to yourself and chat with your colleagues about the latest picks. Whatever works best for you is fine! (We are library people; we just like to read!)

For the CMLE Professional selection, in January we are going with How to Win Friends and Influence People.

It seemed like a good choice for January, when many of us are working on our New Year’s resolutions, and thinking about ways to improve our work lives. Dale Carnegie’s book is a classic, and can help to jump-start all of us in making new relationships.At CMLE Headquarters, building relationships around our system, and across the profession, is our main goal! So let’s all make this a part of our daily work.

Of course, we also have a “for fun” book selection in the Enjoying Books group. This month we are going with The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman.

As always, our book pick has a librarian as the main character. We are moving through different genres each month, and in this literary fiction book you have the chance to look at all kinds of imagery of fire and ice. Have you read any of her other books? It would be interesting to see what kinds of themes and symbolism carry over across her many novels!

Enjoy your holiday! Enjoy your reading! And come back to us in January – ready to do some great library work!!

Check this out:, CMLE, General

Ever read a whole book in one sitting?

Summer Reading
Must be a good book!

Librarians have SO much more to their job than just working with books (teaching/dealing with technology, customer service, information literacy, plus so much more) however, books tend to be very special to librarians! Most, if not all, librarians are avid readers. So hopefully you will be able to relate to this cute slideshow all about finishing a book in one sitting!

Have you ever been so pulled into a book that you literally could not put it down until you found out what happened? Or, on the flip side, have you ever raced to finish a book because it was terrible but you wanted to just get it done? 🙂

My most recent race-to-finish books:
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (because I needed a break from the intensity of the book, but also really wanted to find out what happened!)
A Thousand Pardons by Jonathan Dee (because I didn’t really care for it)

Check this out:, CMLE, General, Public, Resources, School Media Specialist

Get them reading!

To be or not to be (Project 365: 24/365)
Read on!

Encouraging young reluctant readers is always a topic for thought and conversation, especially among librarians, or even just among parents that want to foster a love of reading in their children. As a new mom, I definitely fit into the second category! What can we do to help young people that can be hesitant to pickup books?

You can read this article or listen to the conversation from MPR News that tackles this challenge in a fun and informative way. See below for some of the tips included in the article, and keep in mind a common theme is persistence!

  • Show your kids you love reading, too!
    – Read in front of your kids, for your own enjoyment, and they will eventually take notice
  • Make sure books are always available
    – Books should always be visible and accessible, whether around the house or at frequent visits to the library or bookstore
  • Give audio books a try
    – They are great options for kids that have trouble concentrating or sitting in one place. They are also great additions to car rides and road trips!
  • Keep your judgement and expectations in check
    – Try to refrain from pushing books that may be too challenging, or critiquing a book choice that you may view as too easy. Allow kids to gain enjoyment from books, at their own pace.
  • And finally, my personal favorite, when in doubt, get out the Harry Potter!
    – Described as “a gateway drug,” in the article, the series “really allowed kids to fall into a world that was so cool. When you give it to a kid at the right time, it unlocks something for them.”