In this episode of Meg-A-Rae, Meg loves love and I hate love. So Meg reviews Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer and I review Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry. Meg get's all gooey with the romance (though there IS a hitman in her book, so it's not overly gooey) and I get emo about zombies and blood and guts (though there's a lot of heart in R&R, no pun intended).
In reality, I prefer romance and Meg prefers horror, so please remember whilst viewing this episode that WE ARE ACTING! Enjoy!
In this episode of Meg-A-Rae, we're celebrating Mardi Gras! Meg discusses the Queen of New Orleans, Anne Rice, and her numerous novels, and I talk about The Daughter of Smoke and Bone, by Laini Taylor. Now DoSaB isn't exactly a novel about Mardi Gras, nor does it take place in New Orleans, but the cover does have a lovely mask that feels very festive and appropriate for the holiday. Plus, at some point in the video, I don a blue wig in honor of Karou, the heroine of the story.
Be sure to check out our next Valentine's themed episode! It's a great one for lovers AND haters of the holiday.
On this week's episode of Meg-A-Rae, Meg and I discuss Technology! Technology non-fiction available at the library, technology services (like checking out library e-books and researching with library databases) provided by the library, and technology themed books that are awesome to read! Meg reviews Robopocalypse by Daniel Wilson (a great adult read with crossover potential for our older teens). I review Cinder by Marissa Meyer (a great teen read with crossover potential for adults).
In this week's episode, Meg and I discuss a "new" genre that's been getting some press lately: New Adult. The idea behind this genre is that its intended audience is the 18-25 age range and the content is more mature. Meg discusses the dystopian novel, Pure, by Julianna Baggot - a book that MPL has in both the Adult and Teen collections. I discuss the awesomely titled Hold Me Closer, Necromancer, by Lish McBride - a book that is in our Teen collection and is a Rosie Nominee this year.
Be sure to check out our next episode: A Very Special Librarian Episode!
This week, Meg and I discuss how awesome and not-boring classics can be. We focus mainly on the gothics and anti-gothics of the early 1800s. Did you know that Jane Austen wrote a gothic parody the way some comic authors write vampire parodies today? Yeah, she's that cool. And if you're in the mood for angst, there's no need to look further than the gothic classics!
I have seen my future: I will be a crazy attic lady! Though, I wonder if that's anything like a crazy cat lady, because my dog really hates cats.
Join us for our next episode where we discuss the New Adult genre. Yup, there's another genre out there, and we're going to tell you all about it!
In this episode of Meg-A-Rae, Meg and talk about all the amazing, stupendous, mega-awesome books that are coming out in 2013. We are super-excited about these great new titles. Seriously, 2013 is going to be a fantastic year for reading and we can't wait to get started!!!
Join us next time as we discuss the classics and how non-boring they can be!
Meg and I got so excited about our Crossover episode that we got a wee bit long-winded. So this episode is broken up into three parts to making your viewing easier! In Part One, we discuss spring programming and we have a lot of really fun things going on next semester! In Part Two, I talk about awesome books written for adults, but would be totally awesome for teens, too. In Part Three, Meg talks about fantastic teen novels that adults should also read! Meg and I both read teen and adult books, so we kept talking and talking and talking about some of our favorites. Enjoy!
Part 1 - New Programs!
Part 2 - Rae on Adult Books for Teens
Part 3 - Meg on Teen Books for Adults
Watch for our next Very Special Episode where we talk about new books in 2013!
Christmastime is here! That means we're all running around and looking for gifts for the important people in our lives. Meg-A-Rae says: gift them a book! There's something for everyone! We talk about a slew of books that would make great gifts, including books that will be coming soon to a theater near you, awesome boxed sets, and titles for fans of The Hunger Games!
Next Week: A Very Special Cross-Over Episode, where Meg talks about great YA books for adults, and I talk about great Adult books for teens!
On this week's episode of Meg-A-Rae, Meg and I discuss espionage and even try our hand at the trade! Meg, of course, talks about Ian Fleming's Bond series, plus a couple of books about the Bond movies (I'm keeping the one with Daniel Craig on the cover!). I discuss the awesome Gallagher Girlseries by Ally Carter, a story about an all-girl spy school.
Be sure to check out our next installment: A Very VERY Special Victorian Christmas Episode!
In honor of one of our favorite holidays (and our favorite food: pie), Meg and I have compiled a list of the books we're thankful for. They are many and varied. Once you've checked out our video, see the blog post below for all of the books I talked about and see Meg's blog for her favorites!
First, I'm thankful for Michelle Sagara's Chronicles of Elantraseries. She is my second favorite fantasy author and this is my second favorite fantasy series EVER. She's created a fully realized world and a heroine that you want to stand up and cheer for! Though it's an adult book, it's a great teen crossover read, too. She's also written a very cool YA book, the first in a new series, called Silence.
Which leads me to my #1 all time favorite fantasy author and series of all time: J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. Tolkien is the master of his craft and, in my opinion, the father of all fantasy. He is magic, and I can't wait to see the new Hobbit movies. Thus, I'm also thankful for Peter Jackson.
I'm thankful for adult author Sarah Addison Allen for her beautifully written magical realism books.
I'm extremely thankful to any author who DOESN'T kill the loveable dog, horse, owl, or other sweet beastie just for something silly like plot progression or character growth. I'm looking at you J.K.
I'm thankful for Ally Carter and her super-fun Gallagher Girls novels. The series is about a secret school for girls who learn to be spies. To find out what I really think, check out my review of book 4: Only the Good Spy Young.
I'm thankful for Sarah Rees Brennan and GinaDamico for ruining my life with their amazing books. These books are full of humor, snark, and heartbreak. They are mustache-twirling authors who like to cause their reader's pain - and I loved every second of it! These books hurt so good!
I'm incredibly thankful for Jasper Fforde and his amazeballs Thursday Next series and for entering the YA genre with The Last Dragonslayer. I finished that book in two days and it was SPECTACULAR! No one writes like Mr. Fforde! His books are incredibly clever, witty, magical, and fantastical! I heart every well-chosen word!
Finally, I'm thankful for Gail Carriger - she's one of my all-time favorite authors, a Master of Steampunk and creator of the amazing adult series The Parasol Protectorate. I'm beyond excited that she's starting the new Finishing School series for YA and that Etiquette and Espionage, the first book in the series, comes out this February! I need it in my hands NOW!
Hope you all have a very happy Thanksgiving and may you eat your weight in pumpkin pie!
What do you do when you have wax lips? Make a comedy episode! Bad puns & book reviews make up this week's installment of Meg-A-Rae! Meg discusses the hilarity of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series and I discuss the mirth created from Louise Rennison's Georgia Nicholson!
Join us for our next installment: A Very VERY Special Thank Turkey Day Episode!
In this episode of Meg-A-Rae, Meg and I discuss Halloween! This is the fifth and final episode in our Spooktastic October Series - all month long we talk about ghosts, the paranormal, magic, and anything we consider scary!
Here we talk about Scary Stuff, wear fantastic hats, and find out that Rae's idea of "scary" is a little different! Meg reviews The Stand by Stephen King (I wonder if she had to put the book in the freezer...). Rae reviews a particularly scary story: The Twilight Saga, namely Breaking Dawn, by Stephenie Meyer. Hey, romance is scary, too! Be sure to stick around till after the credits where something...funny...happens!
Be sure to join us again next week when we don't review something scary! Yay November!
In this episode of Meg-A-Rae, Meg and I discuss October and all things Spooktacular! This is the fourth episode in our Spooktastic October Series - all month long we'll be talking about ghosts, the paranormal, magic, and anything we consider scary!
Here we talk about Ghosts and find out that Rae has been possessed and likes pancakes! Meg reviews Haunting Obsession by R.J. Sullivan (a local author!), about a man who's obsessed with an old movie star, a la Marilyn Monroe, and ends up being haunted by her! She also reviews Ghost Hunters, a non-fiction history of ghost hunting by Deborah Blum. Then Rae reviews The Graveyard Book by the brilliant Neil Gaiman (you can find my full review here).
Be sure to check out Episode 13 - the final episode in our Spooktastic October series! It seems appropriate that the Halloween episode takes place in the 13th episode...makes you wonder...
In this episode of Meg-A-Rae, Meg and I discuss October and all things Spooktacular! This is the third episode in our Spooktastic October Series - all month long we'll be talking about ghosts, the paranormal, magic, and anything we consider scary!
Here we talk about Magic and find out that Meg has some real skills! Meg works her magic and then reviews Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, by Susanna Clarke (which I've also read and reviewed here) the story of two men that bring magic back to Britain during the Napoleonic Wars. She also talks about the ultimate magical series, your favorite and mine: Harry Potter! I discuss two books: Sorcery and Cecelia, or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot, by Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer, the story of two girls in Regency England who find themselves mixed up in a magical mystery (how's that for alliteration?!?). I then talk about White Cat (Curse Workers #1), by Holly Black, about a teen and a magic mafia!
Seriously, though, why didn't Meg get a letter to Hogwarts? She's a natural!
Stay tuned for next week's episode all about ghosts! I wonder if the ghost from the Paranormal Episode will make another appearance...
In this episode of Meg-A-Rae, Meg and I discuss October and all things Spooktacular! This is the second episode in our Spooktastic October Series - all month long we'll be talking about ghosts, the paranormal, magic, and anything we consider scary!
Here we talk about Mysteries and live one of our own! What's that maid doing to my tea?!? Meg talks about our Mega-Awesome Mystery Dinner that will be happening this weekend! Woohoo! Then we talk about mysteries: I review Storm Front (Dresden Files #1), by Jim Butcher, an adult mystery series about private detective and magic wielder Harry Dresden as he tries to solve a missing person's case and a mysterious murder. I then review A Spy in the House (The Agency #1), by Y.S. Lee, about a girl who becomes a spy in 1800s England. Meg reviews Real Murders (Aurora Teagarden #1), by Charlaine Harris. Harris is the author of the Sookie Stackhouse series (aka True Blood), but this series doesn't have any vampires or werewolves, but there are librarians and plenty of MURDER!!!
Annnnnnd thennnn - shenanigans.
Don't worry, guys, I'm ok! For proof, you'll see me hale and hearty in our next episode: A Very Special Magical Episode! (Spoiler Alert: Meg is MAGICAL!!!)
In this episode of Meg-A-Rae, Meg and I discuss October and all things Spooktacular! This is the first episode in our Spooktastic October Series - all month long we'll be talking about ghosts, the paranormal, magic, and anything we consider scary!
Meg reviews Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife, by Mary Roach, a non-fiction book that scientifically and hilariously looks into the science of death and what happens after (dun dun dunnnnnn!). I review Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs, a story about a teen who finds out the scary and fantastical stories his grandfather used to tell him may actually be real (for my blog review and the official book trailer, check out my post here!)
And check out our next episode: A Very Special Mystery Episode (in honor of our Mystery Dinner program). Beware, there are shenanigans and a shifty maid!
It's Banned Books Week and we're celebrating in style! My coworker and friend, the MEGA-fantastic Miss Meg, and I have been working hard for this week and we have a lot to offer our patrons!
With the help of some of our friends and teens, we've wrapped about 50 books that have been banned, censored, and challenged over the years. Inside each book is a card explaining why the book was challenged and a bookmark proclaiming "Join the Banned!" We finished the whole shebang off with caution tape. When you come to the library, make sure to grab one of these books - you won't know what's inside until you leave the library, but it's a fun surprise - like Christmas!
The Teen/Tween/Youth books are wrapped in red.
Notice the FORBIDDEN in the background.
We firmly believe in everyones Freedom To Read, as well as Intellectual Freedom, which is why we think Banned Books Week is so important! Find out more about MPL's Banned Books Week in our MEGA-awesome Meg-A-Rae Episode! One of the books I talk about is John Green's Looking for Alaska: you can find my full review here.
Then watch our hi-larious dramatic reading of the first two books in Louise Rennison's Georgia Nicolson series:
Please ignore my facial expressions in both of these video screenshots. They are...unfortunate.
Make sure to stop by and celebrate with us this week and read the FORBIDDEN! If you'd like more information about Banned Books Week and books that have been banned or censored, check out the American Library Associations page on Banned Books Week! (The PDF links at the bottom will take you to the banned and censored books from 2004-2011.) Or come to the Teen Room (the YAZ) at the library and take a look at our booklist binder for these titles!
On this week's episode of Meg-A-Rae, Meg and I discuss piratey things! We are also lucky to have a surprise visit from MPL's own Sammy the Toucan, who fully embraces the pirating look, if not lifestyle.
In addition to buckling swashes, we also review the Pirate King and Bloody Jack!
Join us for our next episode about Banned Books Week!
On this week's episode of Meg-A-Rae, Meg and I discuss (and fight) vampires! Mooresville Public Library was fortunate enough to have IU Health Morgan Hospital bring their giant interactive heart to our facility! It was super exciting; too bad the giant heart drew in an undesirable element. Good thing Meg and I are fully prepared and capable librarians and we were able to take care of the problem!
In addition to fighting off the fanged menace, we also review the Sookie Stackhouse series and Team Human!
Join us next week for a Very Special Sammy Takeover Episode!
