Lari's Bookshelf

  Gnomes by Rien Poortvliet My rating: 5 of 5 stars I can’t believe I had gone through so many years, working in libraries, without discovering this gem until this past week. Since gnomes make up a big part of this year’s summer reading theme, I have a gnome display on the bulletin board in the children’s area. One of my coworkers and I started talking about the nature of gnomes, and she showed me this deluxe edition of “Gnomes” by Wil Huygen. Admittedly, I haven’t read many books about gnomes, but I would bet that this book is the ultimate and definitive guide to gnomes. It was easy to see why this book would and apparently does appeal to so many. The author was a physician, and this is reflected in his observant, scientific writing style. Gnomes become so fascinating, so interesting, and the world they live in is huge and magical and even real thanks to the author’s “field notes” about gnomes, their behaviors, and their environments. Rien Poortvelt’s illustrati...

If you're a neurotically indecisive reader like me, you probably need some help when trying to figure out what to read next. Here are some websites that go above and beyond generic recommendations. These tend to offer a dynamic and user friendly interface for someone solely seeking book or author recommendations. 1. YourNextRead.com Simply search for a book you like, and a little map of related titles will pop up. It saves a history of the books you browse during your session, and provides easy access to websites where you can purchase the book or find more reviews. You can even create an account, make your own maps, and share them. If you like this you may also want to check out YourNextFilm.com and, if you're a gamer, YourNextGame.com . 2. Whichbook.net I'm a huge fan of this website's user interface. It allows you to browse books based on what you "feel" like reading at any given moment. You can choose if you want something long or short, v...

I just got the ALA Graphics catalog in the mail. Here are some posters I'd like to have: Carl Sagan History Poster Harry Potter Characters Poster Set Ewan McGregor Read Poster In fact these, or any bookmarks of these graphics would be great. Just contact me if you get a hold of some and  I'll give you the address to send them my way. ;) Also, I was able to come across a few Jorge Garcia READ posters from my public library here in Hawaii. LOST fans will recognize him as the beloved Hurley. I'm planning on giving some away soon. So after I announce the winners for the autographed copy of Princess Academy and pens , I'll be putting together another giveaway for these posters. LOST in a good book?