News and some zombie books

I just wanted to let everyone know that I have landed myself in a new library. I am now in the reference department of the Irmo Branch Library of the Lexington County Public Library in South Carolina. So if you are ever in the area, stop on by and say hello.

We have a great teen area with some comfy chairs and a really friendly staff that likes to work with people of all ages.

Now to talk about some books. I've been going over some zombie titles the last few months and have found a few gems. One that is for the grown up guys out there is World War Z: and oral history of the zombie war. This one has been around for a while, but if you missed it you really should pick it up.

For the younger readers out there is the series by David Lubar called Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie. The first book is called My Rotten Life and we learn how Nathan becomes a zombie and how he tries to cure his condition. It is a fun read and continues on for a number of books.

Finally there is a new book that just came out called Zombies vs. Unicorns. This one is a collection of stories by just about everyone who is hip in teen books these days. I'm waiting for my library to get this one in and hope that I can get the first jump on it. If anyone has had a chance to read this one, please let us know what you thought of it.

Of Mice, Mad Cow Disease and Charlie Chaplin

Hello all you cool hepcats out there in the "Land o Blog!!!" I know it has been awhile since I last posted but between work, a new home, and reading, ya only got so many hours in the day. So any way, I have two really cool books to talk about along with my usual bit of nonsense. So let's start, shall we?

  

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. Cheese was short and mice became unruly. Call me Ishmael the mouse. Long had I followed my Captain Ahab in his obsessive search for the great white whale made entirely of  Monetary Jack cheese. Um....I've just encountered writer's block, but with a great beginning like this I think I'm surely on to something!!!!!! 

Okay enough Silliness, I say enough!!!!

And Now Some Book Reviews!!!! Quite Right!!!!!

The first book I'm going to talk about is a YA Book (Teens) and contains language and situations that may not be appropriate for our younger followers. Please don't check this book out or read it unless your an older teen or it is cool with your parents.

Going Bovine by Libba Bray - This book is the 2010 Printz Winner which means (if you don't know already) it exemplifies literary excellence in young adult (Teen) literature. The main character in the book is a 16 year old boy named Cameron who one day starts to see crazy things like Fire Giants which no one else notices. Well right after this happens he is hospitalized and finds out he has Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease or as it is more commonly known as Mad Cow disease. It turns out that not all is lost, however, when an angel named Dulcie appears to Cameron. She gives him a mission to find a Dr. X who is responsible for the Fire Giants and other things that could possibly result in the destruction of the Earth. It also turns out Dr. X can cure Mad Cow disease. Cameron accepts this mission because he very much wants to live through the end of the world and Mad Cow disease.

He recruits help through the most unlikely an odd assortment of characters: Gonzo, a dwarf who is an extreme hypochondriac, but has mad gaming skills; Balder, the Norse God, who just happens to be trapped in the form of a yard Gnome; and others. He also faces an assortment of enemies that range from the downright scary, The Wizard of Reckoning and Fire Giants, to just the downright silly such as CESSNAB (The Church of Everlasting Satisfaction And Snack 'N' Bowl).

This book is full of laughs and thought provoking material on the nature of life and death. It definitely deserved winning the Printz Award and is a great read. I highly enjoyed it (again this book has subject matter that may not be appropriate to younger readers so please don't read this book if you are 15 or younger without your parents permission --- I really don't want anyone getting upset or mad at me). 

Okay that was an older reader book, so let's talk about one that is not just for older guys:

Sir Charlie Chaplin, The Funniest Man in The World by Sid Fleischman - This is a great biography on the life of Charlie Chaplin, one of the greatest comedic actors of both the silent and early talking movies. I learned a great deal about Mr. Chaplin that I had not a clue about. This man, who would become known worldwide and through time for his comedic genius came from, to say the least, a horrible childhood in England. His father left the family when he was a young boy and his mother was in and out of mental institutions for most of her life. This left Charlie and his older brother Sydney to either fend for themselves on the streets or be picked up and put into schools for the homeless and poor. Now this was 1896 so such places at that time were not very nice to live in and the children were treated and worked without compassion or much love. Fortunately for Charlie he was a natural comedian, especially when it came to slapstick. He got into vaudeville and was a smash hit. Not long afterword he would be noticed by the budding silent movie studios and become both rich and a star. This biography covers such interesting times in Charlie's life such as how he made his wonderful silent films and came up with his most famous persona "The Little Tramp," how he dealt with the witch hunt that was McCarthyism in the 50s, his troubled relationships due to his huge ego, the honor of being knighted by the Queen of England and much, much more. This is a comprehensive biography with many great pictures. I highly recommend this to all fans of comedy, for he was one of the best!

If you have never seen Chaplin in action check out this short clip from one of his movies. He really was extremely funny and talented.

From his 1928 film The Circus, Charlie Chaplin gets himself locked in a lion's cage. This is a real lion and all the stunts in this clip were performed by Mr. Chaplin.

Well that's it for now me buckos!!!! Until next time, happy trails,

Library Ninja Bill

Scott Pilgrim and the need for nerdiness

A few months ago I picked up a book that had been staring me in the face at the library for as long as I can remember. That book was Scott Pilgrim Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life and my good friend looks at me and says, "I can't believe you haven't read those books, you are those books." And so she was right.

I read through the first book and quickly devoured the rest of the series that has been published at that time. The final book had yet to come out so I had about a month before I could see how it was all going to end. The added bonus is that once I read the final book I was able to watch the movie that is just as awesome.

The series that is great for adult and teen guys, follows Scott Pilgrim's love and band lives. Lives he is happy to try and coast through. He learns that to get what he really wants he actually has to get off his butt and do it. Of course getting off his butt causes quite a bit of hilarity. Along with Scott, the supporting cast is well developed and are good stories in their own right.

The video game references will be enjoyed by old school and newer gamers. Also, classic comic book allusions show off O'Malley's influences in an entertaining way. I'm happy that there we now live in a world where we an let our nerd flags fly with pride.

So, if you have been putting off this series, just do yourself a favor and read the books, and then see the movie.

I do exist, I promise!

Hello readers of the new(ish) Boys Rock, Boys Read. This is Libraryguy Zack and I really am a part of this blog, although up until now I have been the silent part. I'm going to skip the excuses, say I'm sorry and tell you about some great books for guys of all ages. While I haven't been blogging over the summer, I have been reading and boy have I read some great books.

Today I would like to talk about a great series of books for the grown up guys out there, though I'm sure there are some teens that would enjoy these as well. Currently there is a great Star Wars series going on called Fate of the Jedi that is just downright awesome. The series proceeds Legacy of the Force (which I also highly recommend) and includes crazy Jedi, a banished Luke Skywalker and a whole planet full of Sith. To make matters even more exciting Luke has to team up with the aforementioned Sith. Wait, What?!

The series is currently in it's fifth book, Allies by Christie Golden with the sixth book set to release in December. So you have plenty of time to catch up.

I'll be back soon with some more of my summer reading including zombies and nerds.

Now WE Will Rule!!

Ha haaa!!! Now it can be revealed! No longer must I be known only as a simple librarian--I can now let the world know that I am Agent Flexing Bear, a Tomas operative. (you should have guessed when I called myself IRON GUY Carl)Everything can be revealed now that Into the Gauntlet, the final book in The 39 Clues series, has been released. It will doubtlessly show that the Tomas branch of the Cahill family find all the Clues and take our place as rightful rulers of the world!! HAAA HAAA HAAA!!! Our great strength and endurance will assure the victory--unless those two pesky kids, Dan and Amy, get in the way again. Hmm, they've been trouble in the past--I'd better get reading to see if they cause any more problems.

AGENT FLEXING BEAR (AND HIS BOOK) SIGNING OUT