Tag Archives: libraries are awesome

Small Gods by Terry Pratchett (Discworld #13: Standalone)

Small Gods (Discworld, #13)Small Gods by Terry Pratchett
I don’t even know how to express just how much I loved Small Gods. I really, really, really enjoyed reading this. Sure, that may have been because my boyfriend’s great love of turtles has rubbed off on me. It may have been a devious glee at the thought of a petulant little god who never considered that he should do anything for his believers. The great library and the hilarious stereotype of the philosophers in Ephebe certainly didn’t hurt. Nor did the penguin. Or the history monk. Vorbis was creepy as hell, which added a slight touch of reality. Seriously, go read this. Now. Go!

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Lists: Best Books Read in 2011 – # 6

Best Books Read in 2011

6. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

An exquisite, unique and very old book, a story that is part truth and part skillful invention, and beautiful writing. Need I say more?

Original Review

7. The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler
8. Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
9. A Great & Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
10. The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett


Review: People of the Book

People of the BookPeople of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

People of the Book is a stunningly beautiful book about another stunningly beautiful book. It fictionalizes the true story of the Sarajevo Haggadah, a unique, 500-year old version of a book read at Jewish Passover Seders. It illustrates the story of how and why Passover came to be. People of the Book looks at the fascinating story of the Haggadah’s travels through the years and creates a story from them. All of the characters are fictional and some of the chapters are admittedly entirely fiction while others contain more factual information. While reading I did not care at all which was which and I am not certain I do now. Geraldine Brooks.ostensibly tells the story of a book, but as the title hints, what she really tells is the story of a people.

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Review: You Don’t Look Like a Librarian: Shattering Stereotypes and Creating Positive New Images in the Internet Age

You Don't Look Like a Librarian: Shattering Stereotypes and Creating Positive New Images in the Internet AgeYou Don’t Look Like a Librarian: Shattering Stereotypes and Creating Positive New Images in the Internet Age by Ruth Kneale
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I stumbled across You Don’t Look Like a Librarian: Shattering Stereotypes and Creating Positive New Images in the Internet Age while randomly browsing at a library today. Shocking, right? Given the title, length and terrible choice of font, I did not have high expectations, but it seemed worth checking out. I’m glad I did. Not so much because the book said anything particularly profound, but because it is a trove of other books and media I now want to find. It was rather irking to see just how terrible a survey the author conducted and cited was, but Ruth Kneale did acknowledge its shortcomings. Overall, I’m glad I read this. Even though I could probably have found the resources elsewhere, I’m fine with doing it the lazy way.

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