Rush, big time

A lot of people, now that I'm a confident, outgoing, stylish adult with a killer shoe collection and a makeup box to put Carmindy to shame, believe that I must have been popular in high school. Truth be told, I was neither super popular nor super unpopular. I wasn't the prettiest girl around, but no one turned to stone when they looked at me, either. I had friends, interests, activities, boyfriends from time to time, etc. I was mostly average.

The one thing about me that stood out was my devotion to all things band geek. I was a percussionist (and went on to get a degree in percussion), a drum major for the marching band, briefly sang in the choir, played in the school orchestra and jazz band, did well at Solo and Ensemble, you get the picture. And any high school drummer who devotes time to the instrument eventually hears the musical stylings of Neil Peart and is nothing short of hella impressed. When I first heard a recording of Rush at band camp in seventh grade, I was hooked. I had to run right out and get that recording of A Show of Hands so I could listen again and again to the drum solo track, "The Rhythm Method." Turned out that "The Rhythm Method" was a gateway drug. By the time I was a freshman in high school I had found all of Rush's albums on my own, and if you were the person who wanted to borrow Chronicles from the Niles Public Library that summer, I am really, really sorry.

Rush stayed with me through boyfriends and college and moving and grad school and more boyfriends and a husband and more moving and into my career. Rush was the first concert I ever saw (not saying how old I am, but it was the Counterparts tour, and if you're the person who stole my concert t-shirt out of the laundry at Lawrence, you're going to Hades). I made one of my first friends in college when Jeremy, seeing me walking down the hall in my Rush t-shirt, fell to his knees and said, "A girl Rush fan! A pretty girl Rush fan! Wow." Yes, female Rush fans are few and far between, but look at it this way: I never have to wait in line for the bathroom at their concerts.

Being a Rush fan for over half my life, you can imagine my happiness when I saw that Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage, a documentary following the band's 35+ year career, was coming to theaters nearby for a one night engagement. Here's the trailer:




In short: Three geeky guys form a band, band puts out millions of records, the guys stay geeky, and now that people like Stephen Colbert have a big hand in pop culture, it's cool to like Rush. What keeps Rush relevant? Lyrics that resonate with their intelligent, mostly marginalized audience, and more musical technique in one finger than most bands will gain in a lifetime. The movie also has a 100 percent fresh rating on RottenTomatoes.com. Missed it in the theaters? It'll be available on DVD June 29.

Even if you fall into the camp of "the sound of Geddy Lee's voice makes my ears bleed," consider Netflixing the movie. It's a fascinating look at what Rush has meant to today's pop culture leaders...and what they meant to yesterday's band geeks.

I heart this interview

I know it's been quiet around Librarilly Blonde lately, but that's because I've been buried in review books, wrapping up some projects before my job ends in June, stalking my mailbox, and preparing for the New Jersey Library Association conference (more on that later).

When I'm not doing those things, however, I'm reading I Heart Daily, a very cool Stuff We Like blog run in part by Melissa Walker, who wrote the delightful Violet on the Runway. Last Wednesday (I'm slow sometimes), I Heart Daily ran an awesome interview with Christina Kelly, whose writing I first read in Sassy magazine when I was in sixth grade. Kelly talks with I Heart Daily about one of Sassy's most memorable covers, which is pictured above, and her memories of Kurt Cobain. Read it here: Flashback: Kurt, Courtney and Sassy Magazine.

Related things you might heart if you heart all things Nirvana and Sassy: Journals of Kurt Cobain || Cobain Unseen by Charles R. Cross || With the Lights Out (box set of Nirvana's recordings) || How Sassy Changed My Life by Kara Jesella and Marissa Meltzer

and Mom, if you're reading this, I'm still mad at you for throwing out all my Sassys when I was in college.

Authors and prizes and marketing, oh my!

Today, it's all about other people.

From the Boston Globe, Faith and Good Works: Mormon writers find their niche in wholesome young adult genre. Once again, the press tells us what we YA librarians and readers have known all along: There's a place in YA for just about everyone. YA is no more all "sex, drugs and vampires" than it is squeaky-clean puppy love, but both can easily be found in the genre. YA readers welcome sex or no sex, as long as the writing is appealing. And the article interviews Martine Leavitt, author of one of the best books I read in 2008: Keturah and Lord Death.

The 2008 LA Times Book Prize finalists were announced at their Jacket Copy blog. The Young Adult Literature category is pretty diverse: There's fiction, nonfiction, a graphic work, characters who aren't white, and The Graveyard Book.

My friend Kerri at the Mulberry Street Branch of NYPL sent me a flyer for what looks like a fabulous event. On March 18, from 6-7:45 P.M., David Levithan will host a YA author panel. Panelists and other author guests include Libba Bray, Rachel Cohn, Eireann Corrigan (winner of the Garden State Teen Book Award) Justine Larbalestier, Barry Lyga, and Scott Westerfeld. Space is limited, so you have to call to reserve a seat. If you want more information, you can reach Kimberly Spring at 212-966-3424 or email the library at mulberry_branch@nypl.org.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I never get over the internal fangirl squee when I realize that an author whose work I love knows I exist. OMG Nancy Werlin knows I exist! Now that I'm over the squee, I wanted to share with you some very interesting information that Nancy shared with me: When Impossible comes out in paperback, it will be cross-marketed as an adult novel. I have only one word for this: Awesome! I can only hope that Impossible is the first of many books that will be cross-marketed this way. YA for all!

Those of you who buy popular music from your libraries, don't forget that U2's No Line on the Horizon is out today. It's already #1 in Amazon music and on iTunes.

Back to reading and writing reviews!

Kidz Bop: Ain't nothing like the real thing

Earlier this week I noticed that my good friend Liz B was ranting on her Twitter about the greatest abomination ever visited on pop culture: Kidz Bop. Because this was not the first time I've talked to librarians about the trials and tribulations of collecting popular music, I promised I would blog about it, so here I am.

Here's a How to Make Your Own Kidz Bop tutorial: Download whatever song is playing on the Top 40 station right now. Replace the choruses with children singing. Now replace most, if not all, of the solo lines with a child singing. Child singing on key is optional. Now, take out any lyrics that might be deemed offensive. What "offensive" means is up to you. Replace them with either silly, "kid-friendly" words or delete them entirely, depending on how you can get it to fit into the music. Put the song back together! Voila!

Let's get the positive out of the way first: If there's one good thing about Kidz Bop, it's that they're beneficial to children's music development. Just as it's important for babies to see pictures of other babies in board books, it's important for children to hear the sound of other children singing. From the perspective of a former music educator, I can see some of the reasoning behind the series. From the perspective of a librarian and someone who enjoys popular music, I think they're a waste of money.

First, the lyrics. Generally, the songs picked for Kidz Bop aren't that dirty to begin with. It's not like they're re-recording Eminem. About the most-inappropriate-for-six-year-olds song they re-record is along the lines of Maroon 5's "Makes me Wonder" or Pussycat Dolls' "When I Grow Up." The songs are, however, often high-concept. The latest volume of Kidz Bop, for example, includes their version of Coldplay's "Viva La Vida". By changing or omitting the lyrics, you don't change its "appropriateness," you change the meaning of the song. You change everything the artist wanted to say through his or her lyrics.

Second, the musicality. Kids voices, yes, I get it. But you know, there's plenty of good children's music out there, sung by both adults and children. Maybe it's not on Top 40 stations, but what percentage of music is? Also, most children sing off-key. That's just the way it is. So why glorify it? Speaking as one who has good pitch, the off-key singing drives me insane. A song is also more than just its lyrics. While Kidz Bop keeps the same basic melodies, it sometimes changes the orchestration, blend, and balance. All of these things are important to building a song and dismissing them means dismissing a big part of the reason why the song exists in the first place.

I know the arguments for having Kidz Bop. "Kids want to listen to the popular music that their big brothers and sisters listen to!" "They want popular music!" "They want to be cool!" I understand all of this, I really do. Music is important to all of us, even if we lack the ability to produce it ourselves. But Kidz Bop, for me, isn't much different than what might happened if we decided fourth-graders needed to read John Green. We'd have to make the book shorter, perkier, take out the dirty words, etc., and it would all be completely pointless because in doing so, we'd change the meaning of Green's work and basically say that the work he put into creating the novel is worthless. Teens deserve to have their own books, good books, and teens and adults deserve to have their own music. No matter how much some people (not myself) may wish it so, not everything is for children, or can be for children. Public libraries buying the sanitized versions of albums is not "serving the public," or making the library "safe for children," it's ignoring artistic intent and it's lazy music selection. The books have rude words, so why can't the music? My colleagues, please, save money on Kidz Bop and spend it on Shari Lewis or Sharon, Lois & Bram.

You, keep on shouting!

One of the neverending projects here in BCCLSland is BCCLSVisor, an index of reader's advisory lists and book suggestion websites. It's maintained by Ruth Greenberg, our Collection Development and Cataloging Librarian (the print on her business cards is really small). Every month, Ruth posts a new themed list to BCCLSVisor, usually contributed by a librarian from somewhere out in BCCLS. Pasts lists have included romances, new vampires, cookbooks, and more.

A few months ago, I was sitting with my fellow BCCLS staff down in the training room and somehow the conversation got onto the subject of music. My co-workers were talking opera, musicals, and the like until I said, "So, am I the only one in this room who listens to Led Zeppelin?"

In a word, yes.

What I got for opening my big mouth was Ruth enlisting me to do a list of rock music books and albums for November. Because I love rock and I don't mind doing BCCLSVisor lists, I said I'd do one. I wasn't sure at the time how the list was going to shape up, but I think it came out okay thanks to help from Joe, one of our field techs, and Matthew, a librarian at the Paramus Public Library.

See it here (and maybe expand your listening horizons): BCCLSVisor, November, 2008: Rock and Roll All Night.

Cobain seen, chronicled, and still elusive

I know that when Don McLean sang about "the day the music died," he was referring to the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper. Say that phrase to me, however, and I think of my mom picking me up from school on April 5, 1994, and telling me that Kurt Cobain had committed suicide. Because this day stands out for me so much, and because I am a Nirvana fan like all good Gen-Xers, I was so excited to read the beautiful, tangible Cobain Unseen by Charles R. Cross. Thank you to the publicity department at Little, Brown for sending the review copy.

I know I'm supposed to read and follow the pictures along with the text, but I confess to flipping around and playing with all the pullout elements because the visual elements are so enticing and I'm a person who learns best by touching. The book includes replicas of all kinds of previously uncollected Cobain and Nirvana memorabilia. There are fold-out pages, pull-out cards and flyers, a Valentine, a copy of a letter to Cobain from Michael Stipe, even a card Cobain made in elementary school. Maybe it's me putting too much of a YA services slant on this, but I think the designers of this book must really be in touch with the next generation of Cobain fans, the generation that has grown up in a visual world and processes information much differently than Cobain's original fans did. As Cross takes us through Cobain's life, the accompanying pictures highlight not just his artistic talents but his sense of the morbid, which he had even as a child. Even after Nirvana gained fame, Cobain continued to bite the hand that fed him. For all his fame, he continued to speak against big businesses (including his record company) and was more dedicated to producing art than pleasing legions of fans. Even though there aren't that many professional pictures of him, in many of the photographs you can look at his eyes and see the sadness and depression that plagued him for much of his life. Cross's writing is unapologetic and just a step above functional, which works well when writing a biography of someone so extraordinary, someone who lived in art and combining words in new and provocative ways. Cobain's life speaks for itself, all Cross needed to do was sort it out. Cross does this well, showing us both the beautiful and the profane sides of Cobain's personality. Because of all the little doodads this might not be a book for every library, but it's definitely a book for any Nirvana fan to read.

Things to note: First, the final copy comes with a CD of Cobain reading from his journals, which was not included in my review copy. I can't wait to hear it, though. Second, this is not necessarily meant to be a reference book. There is no index or bibliography. There doesn't have to be, of course, I'm just noting it because librarians like to note these things.

Reading this book, I not only feel that I know more about Kurt Cobain, but I understand more. I don't necessarily feel that I know him. Very few people really did. But I know I'm going to go back to Nevermind and In Utero and give them a new listen, and I'm sure they'll take on new dimension since I know more about the stories behind their formations.

See more about Cobain Unseen at Rolling Stone and in the Seattle Times.

What should I listen to? (the 2009 review project)

In just two months, I will cease reviewing YA novels in this blog for a year due to serving on the 2010 Printz. I've hired two absolutely outstanding guest bloggers to fill in, so I guarantee you will have your regular dose of YA literature, but I was thinking about the things that I would like to review here.

Picture books are out. I greatly enjoy them but I know absolutely nothing about art. I can barely tell an oil from a watercolor. Light and perspective befuddle me. I haven't taken an art class since sixth grade, and I barely made it through elementary school art with passing grades.

Middle grade books? I love MG books and have only recently discovered the wonder that is Polly Horvath. I wish her books had been around when I was a kid. I was exactly that kind of quirky girl reader who would have loved them. But the thing with MG is that some of it crosses into the YA realm. The age range for the Printz is 12-18, not 14-18, meaning that all those "ages 9-12" books can be nominated. This being the case, I would rather err on the side of book review caution.

Adult books? Maybe. But they're awfully long.

I know.

MUSIC.

Here's my new goal for 2009: I would like to listen to and do short reviews of at least 50 albums between January 1 and December 31. I think that's doable, just given the time I spend either running or driving or on public transportation. Here are my personal rules:

1. It must be an album I've never heard before in full. If I've heard one or two songs from an album, that's okay.

2. I'd like to review at least 20 albums during the year by bands I've never listened to before. These can be bands from any decade.

These seem like silly rules for most people, but most people aren't Dean Winchester in a librarian's body. As I've mentioned before, I love classic rock and have no qualms about listening to Back in Black once a week or so. Listening to the same five albums over and over doesn't bother me. Unfortunately, it's gotten me in sort of a rut.

I'm Carlie, and I'm your new reader's advisory project.

I really like...: Classic rock, hard rock, and metal make up most of my music library. AC/DC, Rush, Metallica, Led Zeppelin, Seether, Shinedown, Velvet Revolver, Nirvana, GnR, Foo Fighters, the Stones, Alter Bridge, the Who, Black Sabbath, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Staind, Blue Oyster Cult, Aerosmith, Disturbed

You may also be surprised to learn that I am a fan of...: Tori Amos, Avril Lavigne, Mannheim Steamroller, Dashboard Confessional, Death Cab for Cutie, Mary J. Blige, Justin Timberlake, Fall Out Boy, Lily Allen

If you recommend the following, I probably won't like it based on past experience: Rap save for a little Eminem here and there, R&B, country, blues, jazz, much emo. I've tried to like Belle and Sebastian, Joanna Newsom, Sunny Day Real Estate, and Regina Spektor and not succeded.

Oh, and I can't stand the Eagles or Pink Floyd.

So, recommend away! I'm also taking suggestions for favorite music recommendation sites. I like Pandora a lot but I'm up for more options.

iTunes, here I come.

What should I listen to? (the 2009 review project

In just two months, I will cease reviewing YA novels in this blog for a year due to serving on the 2010 Printz. I've hired two absolutely outstanding guest bloggers to fill in, so I guarantee you will have your regular dose of YA literature, but I was thinking about the things that I would like to review here.

Picture books are out. I greatly enjoy them but I know absolutely nothing about art. I can barely tell an oil from a watercolor. Light and perspective befuddle me. I haven't taken an art class since sixth grade, and I barely made it through elementary school art with passing grades.

Middle grade books? I love MG books and have only recently discovered the wonder that is Polly Horvath. I wish her books had been around when I was a kid. I was exactly that kind of quirky girl reader who would have loved them. But the thing with MG is that some of it crosses into the YA realm. The age range for the Printz is 12-18, not 14-18, meaning that all those "ages 9-12" books can be nominated. This being the case, I would rather err on the side of book review caution.

Adult books? Maybe. But they're awfully long.

I know.

MUSIC.

Here's my new goal for 2009: I would like to listen to and do short reviews of at least 50 albums between January 1 and December 31. I think that's doable, just given the time I spend either running or driving or on public transportation. Here are my personal rules:

1. It must be an album I've never heard before in full. If I've heard one or two songs from an album, that's okay.

2. I'd like to review at least 20 albums during the year by bands I've never listened to before. These can be bands from any decade.

These seem like silly rules for most people, but most people aren't Dean Winchester in a librarian's body. As I've mentioned before, I love classic rock and have no qualms about listening to Back in Black once a week or so. Listening to the same five albums over and over doesn't bother me. Unfortunately, it's gotten me in sort of a rut.

I'm Carlie, and I'm your new reader's advisory project.

I really like...: Classic rock, hard rock, and metal make up most of my music library. AC/DC, Rush, Metallica, Led Zeppelin, Seether, Shinedown, Velvet Revolver, Nirvana, GnR, Foo Fighters, the Stones, Alter Bridge, the Who, Black Sabbath, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Staind, Blue Oyster Cult, Aerosmith, Disturbed

You may also be surprised to learn that I am a fan of...: Tori Amos, Avril Lavigne, Mannheim Steamroller, Dashboard Confessional, Death Cab for Cutie, Mary J. Blige, Justin Timberlake, Fall Out Boy, Lily Allen

If you recommend the following, I probably won't like it based on past experience: Rap save for a little Eminem here and there, R&B, country, blues, jazz, much emo. I've tried to like Belle and Sebastian, Joanna Newsom, Sunny Day Real Estate, and Regina Spektor and not succeded.

Oh, and I can't stand the Eagles or Pink Floyd.

So, recommend away! I'm also taking suggestions for favorite music recommendation sites. I like Pandora a lot but I'm up for more options.

iTunes, here I come.

Happy 20th Birthday, ...And Justice for All

The setting: Southern California, 2001.

The characters: Your heroine, Carlie, and her coworker, Jane.

The scene: Two librarians are in a car driving from central Orange County to Glendale for a workshop, with Jane at the wheel because your heroine hates to drive. Takes an hour or so, depending on the traffic.

Jane: (hands Carlie a case of CDs) Here, you can pick anything you want to listen to out of these, or we can put the radio on. What kind of music do you like, anyway?

Carlie: Mostly classic rock and hard rock. You know, Led Zeppelin, Rush, Yes, Nirvana, the Stones, Metallica, AC/DC, the Chili Peppers...

Jane: (incredulous) YOU? And your blonde hair? Listen to classic rock? You are the last person I would have ever expected to listen to classic rock.

Carlie: (incredulous at Jane's incredulity) Of course I listen to classic rock. What else would I listen to?

It's true. I might be blonde and love my sweaters but look through my CD collection and you'll find many bands that haven't made music since 1994. When I was in junior high I stayed up late on Saturday nights, glued to MTV, watching the Headbangers Ball and singing along (much to my father's dismay). My sister occasionally watched with me and lit a torch for Alice Cooper that she still carries to this day. It was through Headbanger's Ball that I discovered bands like the Scorpions and as I continued my percussion studies my teachers and fellow musicians introduced me to Dream Theater, Led Zeppelin, and more. Back to the original topic, Headbanger's Ball was I first heard my all-time favorite Metallica song, "One," from their September 6, 1988 multiplatinum release ...And Justice for All.

...And Justice for All is still considered one of Metallica's best, if not their most ambitious, albums. It was the last album they made with bassist Cliff Burton before he was killed in a bus accident, and the first album from which they made a video. "One" is based on Dalton Trumbo's Johnny Got His Gun and the video is spliced with scenes and dialogue from the movie of the same name. In my rock obsession, I even supplied my tenth-grade history teacher with a tape of "One" as part of an assignment on WWI. (I think I got an A on the project, too.) My fascination with "One" led to my buying and listening to more Metallica through my high school years. In fact, I remember dating a fellow Metallica fan and spending a date watching the live footage in their box set. I fell out of love for them for a while around the time of the release of St. Anger in 2003, but when I started watching Supernatural I went back to them. I'm rediscovering the virtues of blasting "Enter Sandman" during my evening commute and I just bought tickets to see them in February at the Prudential Center. I've ordered their September 12 release, Death Magnetic, and am looking forward to it. The songs they've released, "The Day That Never Comes" and "Cyanide" are pretty good. Or at least I think so.

In celebration of this anniversary, the front page of YouTube today is all Metallica-related. Featured videos include a string quartet playing Nothing Else Matters and Whiplash as performed by Legos. Check it out.

Metallica never made a video for my second-favorite song of theirs, "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" from their 1986 release Master of Puppets, but as my contribution to the YouTube celebration, here's a video made by user Leadheadclone, which mixes evocative still images with shots of Metallica playing live.




Honestly, I think if the guys in Metallica ever see this entry they'll be completely mortified. Librarians who drive little Japanese cars and shop at J. Crew are not supposed to be Metallica fans. I won't tell if you don't, though.

Links to read:

Metallica: Still Heavy After All These Years
Mozart and Metallica fans kindred spirts: research (personally, I'm outgoing, but I don't like Mozart, either)
Review of Death Magnetic

Best albums of the decade: What do you own?

My favorite New York radio station, 92.3 K-Rock, is holding an online battle for the best albums of the decade so far. Of course, a rock station is going to have a very different opinion on what the best albums of the decade are so far than a Top 40 or a country station would, but there's an important point here: These are albums that make up the hard rock/metal canon of 2000-2010 (with a little alternative thrown in), and the top vote-getters are probably good bets for libraries to buy if you don't already own them. As of the writing of this post there are 150 albums up for voting. If I could only buy five of them for my library, I'd pick:

Stadium Arcadium by the Red Hot Chili Peppers
Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace by the Foo Fighters
American Idiot by Green Day
Hot Fuss by the Killers
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb by U2

Are these my personal favorites from the list? No, save for Stadium Arcadium, but they are the ones with wide appeal, good reviews, Grammy nominations and wins, and the ones with the songs the average radio listener is likely to recognize and therefore request from the library. As rock fans look back on the 1990s and remember albums like Nevermind, Metallica, Automatic for the People, Ten, and The Downward Spiral, these are five albums that I think will be remembered a decade from now.

Crossposted at Pop Goes the Library

Nick and Norah's infinite soundtrack

The soundtrack listing for Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist As you would expect it to be, it's full of indie rock, both new and previously released. I confess I've heard of almost none of the bands because my taste in music is more Led Zeppelin, Rush, and The Who, but perhaps I shall expand my musical knowledge and check out these bands.

Soundtrack listing is available here: Vampire Weekend, Devo Dude Team for Movie Song.

And also, I know "Paiste" is pronounced "PIE-stee"

I love Slate when they're not talking about YA literature. (When they are talking about YA literature, I'm sure people in California can hear me swearing.) Today they ran this: Death by oboe: How acoustic instruments torment their players.

That was me for twelve years.

No, I never played the oboe outside of woodwind techniques classes, but I do know that percussionists, which I was, can be every bit as obsessive as oboe players. In order to get an evenly weighted pair of sticks, you might have to go through fifty sticks at the local drum shop. Those Zildjian cymbals mentioned in the article come in different weights and brightnesses and sizes. You sure as hell can't use those lightweight 16" cymbals to play the Bartok Concerto for Orchestra, let me tell you. Everyone has a favorite brand of marimba mallets (mine is Encore). Everyone has a favorite brand of marimba (mine is the Marimba One). The life of a percussionist is held together with duct tape and fishing line. We're obsessed with the tension on the heads of our drums, with finding the perfect way to tune timpani. And DO NOT EVER get a percussionist started on the glockenspiel part from the Act I finale of The Magic Flute. You will be sorry.

There's a note in the article about the physical traumas suffered by those who choose to play various instruments. The design of a flute is hell on the hands and shoulders. Violinists have violin hickey and callused fingertips. The Slate article would almost have one believing that percussionists only suffer mentally, and that's true to a great extent, but any percussionist worth the box of band-aids in her stickbag will tell you that one does not learn to play Michi without physical injury. You want pain? Play the marimba using Musser-Stevens grip, in which the player grips two marimba mallets and holds them parallel in his hand, one mallet in the thumb, index, and middle finger and the other in the ring and pinky fingers. For years I wore rings on a chain around my neck because you can't wear rings and play Musser-Stevens. I know this is something I did to myself, technically, but Musser-Stevens always felt really natural to me and I will never, never understand how Keiko Abe can play traditional cross. (One of the guys in my studio at college played Burton cross and our professor could never figure out how he did it.) Musser-Stevens, when it's done ripping the sides of your fingers to shreds, will build huge muscles on your palms. You can't play Musser-Stevens without these weird muscles and I scared the heck out of some of my classmates in high school the day I came to class with masking tape all over my fingers. No, I'm fine, I'm just learning to play Musser-Stevens.

More and more, I miss those days. I live in an apartment too small for any percussion equipment short of a practice pad. I haven't been able to play since college but I did once impress the heck out of my husband when I picked up a pair of drumsticks in a shop in Disney World and started playing on the testing surface. Someday, when I have space, I will have percussion again.

(Why yes, I did write a completely insufferable letter to Jordan Sonnenblick after I read Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie talking to him about geeky percussion things. He was very nice about it.)

For your amusement: Guess the smartypants song lyrics

You know you want a button that says "We <3 Our Dead Gay Headmaster." And you know you want it in the Hogwarts house colors of your choice. And now, you can win one just by being smart!

Sophie Brookover and I were chatting about the buttons that the NJLA YA section will give out at the NJLA conference this year. These buttons always have some sort of filked song lyric, like "Don't you wish your section was hot like ours?" Then we started thinking, "What if we altered some song lyrics with SAT words and didn't care if they rhymed?" This is an example of some of what we came up with:

A woman exists who believes that objects that reflect light must be constructed from a yellow elemental metal. Translate this to rock lyrics, and it's There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold, which is the opening line of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven."

I am aware that this is nothing more than a form of music, but I enjoy its presence. In rock lyrics: I know it's only rock and roll, but I like it from "It's Only Rock and Roll" by the Rolling Stones.

Got it?

Now go over to our smartypants lyrics post at Pop Goes the Library and guess as many of our lyrics as you can. The person who guesses the most lyrics in the next two days wins a button! This could also serve as a fun trivia game at your library.

Keeping busy!

I just got back from slightly-more-than-a-week's vacation on Tuesday. I was in South Carolina visiting my in-laws and doing not much else but shopping, eating, getting new glasses (and hopefully new contacts soon, w00t!), and watching TV. Well, and working out. I took a very fun kickboxing class at the local Y.

Now that I'm back, it's crunch time for the Mock Awards, which are January 3 (Caldecott and Newbery) and 4 (Printz) at the New Milford library. The shortlists are done, and now I have to start publicizing them. I've read eight of the twelve books shortlisted for the Mock Printz, which is not too bad considering all the other reading I do. The president of BCCLS was at the office yesterday and she told me how much she liked one of my personal favorite books of the year, Boy Toy by Barry Lyga. The post of my favorite books of 2007 will come in December.

I'm also speed-reading for Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults. I'm reading for two lists this year, "Sex is a Touchy Subject" and "Get Your Game On," a sports list. I love that we're able to put together a list about teens' choices about sex. It's not just a touchy subject, but it's an important one, and one of the things we're working to ensure is that a wide variety of views about sex are represented. We want to keep the list positive and diverse, so there won't be lots of teen pregnancy stories but there will be romances (male/male, male/female, and female/female) and explorations of what sex is and how it affects us physically, emotionally, and socially.

On my lunch breaks, I'm reading Slash by Slash with Anthony Bozza. People are usually surprised when I tell them that my taste in music runs very similar to Dean Winchester's. I love classic rock bands like Led Zeppelin, Rush, AC/DC, Yes, Motorhead, and Blue Oyster Cult. I also like more modern bands with an edgy sound: Seether, Audioslave, Crossfade, etc., and for years I've liked Guns N' Roses and now, Velvet Revolver. I'm a percussionist by training, not a guitarist, but I believe that Slash is sort of a Jimi Hendrix for today, someone who's made the average person think long and hard about what the guitar can accomplish. So I picked up his autobiography and I'm sure it will be self-indulgent, overly detailed about the bad bad life of a rock star, and an enjoyable, quick read.