Reading life reality check in for 2016

readers note: I often use audible to read as it can read to me while I read or just read to me while I am on the go through Audible. 2016 was a many adulating milestone year for me personally but a rather slow year for my reading, total of 26 books finished this year so far. 8 books over half done with and several more just started.

In 2016 As of today I’ve read

Finished:
Most Books for NCIBA YA book of the year panel including

Tell Us Something True by Dana Reinhardt

1 Brie Spangler, Beast
great book! I really feel for the socially awkward big guy who has horrible self image, mom is trying to help, friends have their own agenda, identity, relationships

2. Tracy Chee, the reader
amazing epic fantasy fable of subversive magic and power of reading

3. Everland by Wendy Spinale
Steampunk Peter Pan with strong Wendy lead

4. Laura Stampler Little black dresses, little white lies
girl gets lucky gets blog teen interest internship in NYC
only thing, she gets the relationship blog and has never been in a relationship, forced to have summer flings, and start as dating amateur giving "advice" very relate able to today's YA readers

5. Lily Anderson the only thing worse then me is you
Great nerd relationship puzzle, extremely well written.

6. Tim Floreen, Tattoo Atlas
redemption forgiveness, change, transformation
can sociopathic killer be redeemed changed and programmed to care?
free will discussion

7. you know me well by Nana LaCour and David Levithan
Identity, coming of age, empowerment, character driven

8. Stacy Lee, Out run the moon
great depiction of San Francisco founding of China town, 1906 earthquake, identity

9. Front Lines Michael Grant
historical retake on world war 2 where women could fully join millitary

10. Timekeeper by Tara Sim
Great steam punk use of time and other fantastical elements

shadow of the wolf
Connect the stars
Wilfull machines
Warren the 13th
Odds of getting even
.tell us something true
Click here to start
Sugar
When we collided
The Real boy
Every single second
Every single word

23 books total

Read completely For 2nd time

The Last Wild
Book of Elsewhere the shadows
 Ghost hawk
Love in the time of global warming

26 total

Ready Most of the way through
The Reader
Jerkbait
Boomerang effect
Wonders of the invisible world
Night Gardener
Fuzzy
Little black dresses, little white lies

Partially done with several more

Resolution:
Write reviews of books and post to blog, while taking better reading notes, do book report projects, and write found poems from favorite pages.

2017 reading goal 36 full books with reviews, found poems and annotations,
Keep calm and READ ON!!

Stories Blog

Newest Blog post:

Scholars, common folk, sages and fools all through the ages continue to prove that we are a storytelling species. We are a species that, regardless of seasons or reasons, regales those around us dozens of times a day with an abundance of lessons, tales, myths, fables, fiction, memories, mysteries, narratives, anecdotes, advertisements, articles and all other types of stories. But are we also good story listeners? We here at Reach And Teach sometimes feel that as a species we can too often be far greater storytellers or ‘story givers' than we are as story receivers.

One of the key themes that guides us as an organization is that the shortest distance between two people is a story. And, the difference between an enemy and a friend is a story. When arguing about a particular social issue, instead of sharing an opinion, we are more likely to say "Let me tell you a story about my experience, my story, because that story shapes how I feel about this issue."

What is a story? A story, for the purposes of this blog and from our friends at Webster's Dictionary, is simply any account of imaginary or real incidents or events or a statement regarding the facts pertinent to a situation in question including narratives and anecdotes. Thus stories are basically anything we tell or write to ourselves or others through written, nonverbal or verbal language. All a story really needs is an observer (listener or reader), content (the story), a storyteller (writer or performer or storyteller), a willingness to share, and attention (hopefully) given on both sides to the story being portrayed.

The historical, physical, social and most of the other parts of the scientific record give credence to the need for a listening and attention revival. New and recent books and articles galore argue about the role of attention merchants and advertisers, the role of attention on memory, and the deterioration of communication attention spans into tweets, short profile updates, soundbites and snapchats. The impact of social media on listening and reading attention spans is clearly a hot item in social science and psychology today. Better storytelling and better listening can be remedies to attention spans run amok......

As the saying goes, listening is an act of love. Yet contrary to what would be healthy communication, instead of actively listening and thoughtfully reflecting... so often we immediately attach ourselves to the content and context of what the other is communicating. This is not healthy as it is an entanglement with the words being conveyed. If we allow ourselves the perspective of a listener and untangle the attachment to what is being said or written then we allow time and space for more complete understandings and discernments of the messages being shared............

http://www.reachandteach.com/content/article.php/stories

books not violence

Its been a while since I have posted anything in this blog and there are countless reasons for that, but the main reason I am writing now is I am fed up with and sick of the fear, suffering and violence in our society that is mostly race based evil. 

 The majority of the masses of our society are ruled by fear and/or ignorance. While ignorance is just ignorance, the related fear is based on biases that are founded on brutally dishonest portrayals of minorities. The portrayals of minorities in all forms of media, from film to TV to magazines, to books to music, are found in our homes, our schools, our bookstores, and even our libraries all act to pigeonhole, marginalize and alienate entire communities and normalize the fear of “other” people. To act on such ignorance and fear is understandable yet entirely unjustifiable even with the mind-numbing manipulation that media has in our 21^st century lives. All of this simply discrimination and is criminally unjustified and evil and wrong.

A quick note about percentages, statistics lie and are manipulated all the time. The fact remains that white heterosexual men like me are privileged more then ever these days these privileges need to be addressed. I think the first step is to address the reasons for such privileges. As a an avid reader, I think of how we are taught and what we are taught and what is left out of our lessons especially the books we grow up with both at home and at school influence us deeply for the rest of our lives.  

As a man who lives a book centered life, I have to put a lot of the ownership most ignorance and most fear in all its guises on a complete lack of adequate cultural competence, that is based on insufficiently cultural relevant books for kids of all ages from board books to Young adult books.  This lack of cultural relevancy is based on the misrepresentation and a serious underrepresentation of people of color in the lives of our young people.

While the youth of today are becoming increasingly diverse, and with the fact that many experts agree that with in the next 50 years or so the United States of America will become a “minority majority” certainly adequate representation in all media but especially books, the tool we use most often to teach our children and youth about the world around them, across the board there is a lack of sufficient culturally competent material. How do we expect peace to come to our world if our kids are segregating themselves and their peer groups based on inaccurate biases found in the world all around them?

Recent studies have shown the lack of diversity in children’s publishing as well as the lack of sufficient people working in the publishing industry. Such problems are starting to be acknowledged and remedies are being applied through out the industry. Much like the actions being taken to address systematic racial discrimination are continually evolving in our society, books must stay culturally relevant as well. 

Links to studies:

http://blog.leeandlow.com/2016/03/03/required-reading-top-ten-responses-to-the-diversity-baseline-survey/

http://blog.leeandlow.com/2015/03/05/the-diversity-gap-in-childrens-publishing-2015/

http://www.takepart.com/article/2016/01/27/dont-blame-white-guys-book-industry-diversity-problem

Closing remarks

All the violence internal and external that has been sensationalized in the media is simply a reminder of a few things. for me.

1. There is no real difference between human beings. but there is difference in human doings.

2. As they say, Do justice, love, kindness and walk humbly with each other. The golden rule is no joke.

3. If anyone knows what I and what we can do to bring more peace to our world and our neighborhoods let me know.

4. I am so thankful for every chance to be the change i want to see in the world we live in.

5. The question all this violence leave us with is How will you bring peace to your life to your sphere of influence?

Reflections on my SJSU iSchool experience

Reflections on my SJSU iSchool experience

My experience in the MLIS program at SJSU was a long self-exploration just as much as it was an exploration of the library and information science field. My journey through SLIS was also a ‘sneak preview’ of my future path, where I discovered my passions and developed my knowledge and skill base for my chosen vocation, a public librarian.    

I once reflected that, “even when I’m having a horrible day, I find myself in service.” I am passionate about serving people and I have been my entire young adult life.  

I did not have much experience working in libraries except a little volunteering at my old elementary school library during my first year in the program.  Throughout my years in MLIS and especially in certain classes or during two internships while in the program, I gained invaluable experience and skills to help my future goals.  I have also been working simultaneously for over three years at Linden Tree Books, a children’s bookstore in Los Altos.  For two of those years I have worked as a bookseller and one as a manager, and this is why I see great potential in building working relations between public libraries and local independent bookstores.

My enthusiasm, my ability to learn and adapt quickly, and my imagination are all key parts of who I am and are my most clear strengths.  

My professional growth plan

I aim to work diligently on my professional goals:

(1) To provide excellent service for all the publics around me, including careful and curated assistance to all identities and demographics. I will make presentations and create programs to serve everyone I can in the library.  I especially like to organize periodic displays of recent good books in the collection with particular appeal to user subgroups, by age, gender, and ethnicity.

(2) To stay current with developments in technology and best practices through my own research as well as alert membership in public library associations. I plan to take occasional on-line classes, or night classes at local colleges, in order to keep up my skills in this regard.

(3) To evaluate the programs and service at the library where I work using OBPE and SWOT, perhaps every 3 or 4 years.  I’ll discuss the results with my library colleagues, and then work to implement the changes and improvements that are called for.

(4) To explore the great potential in relationships between public libraries and local independent bookstores.  As mentioned in Competency O, I see this relationship as improving community engagement and increasing circulation at both the library and sales at the local bookstore, through such means as special events, summer reading programs, and other shared objectives. I will connect with local bookstores and other pertinent community organizations to improve the library and provide the best service possible.

(5)  I will also document my work towards these goals in a blog, a video blog or, if there is more general value in what I find, perhaps in a few podcasts.

Closing remarks

One chapter of my life is ending, but it is a happy occasion!  That just means that another chapter is still being written.  A chapter that will introduce new characters, possibly a new setting, a new plot, inevitably new conflicts and a number of potential plot twists. My life is an open book and by completing the program at SJSU I have opened up so many new pages. I’d like to thank all contributing authors to my life as a book project.  You know who you are. You have made the chapter rich and fulfilling, and I have deeply enjoyed how the plot has developed to this point.  I love and thank you all so much!!