Welcome Back!

Hey All - it's Annie!

I'm in charge of the blog this year so expect posts from me and the rest of the blog team. The library is going to do some really cool things this year so stay posted and look for announcements. We're planning on 2 film festivals and just in general reaching out to the Berkeley community. Dewey is having a great time, he's just so cute. He's a bit timid so be careful when you approach him but otherwise he's a total sweetie.

That's all for now - stop by the library and check everything out

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

This week's book review is:

EPIC POSTER

Okay, so, if you know me, you know this is one of my favorite books ever. With amazing humor, in-depth development, and a roller coaster ride of a plot, this quick read will leave you part giggling, part amazed, and part wondering what the heck just happened, but in a good way! The series follows the adventures of Arthur Dent, a hapless Englishman, although the story also follows the adventure of other major characters: Ford Prefect, who named himself after the Ford Prefect car to blend in with what was assumed to be the dominant life form, automobiles, is an alien from a small planet somewhere in the vicinity of Betelgeuse and a researcher for the eponymous guidebook; Zaphod Beeblebrox, Ford's semi-cousin and the Galactic President; the depressed robot Marvin the Paranoid Android; and Trillian, formerly known as Tricia McMillan, a woman Arthur once met at a party in Islington and the only other human survivor of Earth's destruction.

This book is a great choice for any sci-fi or humor buffs who want a quick read that will entertain them for a while. I rate this book 42/42 Towels.

That's it for today! Evan signing out.

Why do I Read?

I was taught to read at a very young age, two or three. Some of my earliest memories are when my Dad would read Harry Potter before I went to bed and how my Mom would get tired of reading picture book after picture book so eventually she just grabbed a stack off my shelf and I read to myself. I remember reading on the bus on the way to kindergarten and how mesmerizing the Rudolph Library was when I was in first grade. I grew up reading and I've come to view certain books like Princess Academy by Shannon Hale, Peak by Roland Smith, and the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan as old friends. Books never leave you; there is always a familiar story to pick up whenever you feel like it. Going to a bookstore and buying a brand new book is an amazing feeling and finding a new story at a library is thrilling. Throughout my life books have always been there for me. So the answer to the question “Why do I read?” I read to escape reality and to immerse myself in a world that is not mine, in problems that aren't mine, and adventures that become mine through reading. 

Announcing the Head SLPs for the 2013-2014 School Year!!

...and they are *drumroll please*:

Raichell Kim & Laurel Avery

(Head SLPs)

Caroline Leeflang, Kevin Cucchi, & the Library Blog's very own Annie Allred

(Assistant Head SLPs)


Congratulations, and may you thoroughly enjoy your next year in the library!


I will miss you, Berkeley! I will miss the Jean Ann Cone Library, Mrs. McLean, Mrs. Connors, Ms. Arcuri, all of our conversations, your friendly smiles, doing crosswords together, and your unrelenting support and enthusiasm for the SLP program!!

Thank you and I will miss all of you,

-Carly

The Alchemyst: The Secrects of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel - By Michael Scott

Hey Guys it’s Annie, I hope you all had a great spring break. I personally used my spring break to read and sleep. The one book I mainly read was The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott. The Alchemyst is the first in a six book series about twins Sophie and Josh Newman. When Sophie and Josh started living and working in San Francisco while their parents were away for the summer they didn’t expect to be sucked into a world of magic and monsters but with the help of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel and his wife Perenelle they might just make it through the life threatening adventures they have and maybe discover that they have magical powers of their own. I really enjoyed The Alchemyst, the story is told through different points of view throughout the story which helps to give an understanding to the world which this book is set. I also like how Scott took references from history and pop culture and mixed it into the Flamels and many of the other immortal characters histories. I’ve personally been looking for books that are series (who likes to have a story end?) and I really enjoy how Scott took the time in the first book to lay ground work for the rest, I look forward to the rest of the series. If you have any good books that you read over the summer leave a comment and the Blog Team will check them out J.

Group Study Rooms

One of the library's many features is its group study rooms. These are places that you can go if you need some private study time, or if you are working on a project with friends. The whiteboards in each room prove useful when working on math, and when writing a paper, there are dictionaries on the shelves. If you want to reserve a study room, please talk to one of the librarians.

And now for something completely different:

The Results Are In!

...and the winner is:

DEWEY

Thank you to all of the SLPs who baked and shopped to make this naming possible! And much thanks to the upper division for buying goodies and for giving the name DEWEY an overwhelming victory!!