Ray Bradbury on Libraries and Etiquette and Espionage

 What a fantastic idea for Spring! Checking out seeds at the library!

Planting the seed of a lifelong reading habit has taken on a literal

meaning for a small public library in Basalt, Colo., that "is trying an

experiment: in addition to borrowing books, residents can now check out

seeds

http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz15969950,"

NPR reported.

Patrons with a library card receive a packet of seeds. "You then grow

the fruits and vegetables, harvest the new seeds from the biggest and

best, and return those seeds so the library can lend them out to

others," NPR wrote.

Library director Barbara Milnor called the idea another way to draw

people into libraries: "You have to be fleet of foot if you're going to

stay relevant, and that's what the big problem is with a lot of

libraries, is relevance."

I've requested a review copy of this book, as it sounds like something my son and I would both enjoy!
The Obsidian Dagger http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz16045309
by Brad A. LaMar (Light Messages), the first in a new YA fantasy series,
Celtic Mythos.

I love this! Writers speak on the importance of libraries. I couldn't agree more. Libraries are sacred spaces for me, and have been since I learned to read when I was 4 years old, back in 1965.
http://flavorwire.com/371702/25-writers-on-the-importance-of-libraries

25 Writers on the Importance of Libraries

By Alison Nastasi on Feb 17, 2013

British children’s author Terry Deary — best known for his Horrible Histories series and controversial chatter about the nation’s school systems — told the Guardian he thinks libraries “have had their day.” He’d prefer that people buy their books instead of borrowing them, claiming that “books aren’t public property.” Deary added, “Authors, booksellers and publishers need to eat. We don’t expect to go to a food library to be fed.” The cranky comments feel like a swift kick in the teeth since libraries around the world are struggling against significant budget cuts each year, and authors have been tirelessly advocating for their importance. We gathered a few passionate statements from 20 writers that emphasize why libraries aren’t “sentimental” institutions. See what Neil Gaiman, Judy Blume, Ray Bradbury, and other writers have to contribute to the conversation, below.


Ray Bradbury
“I spent three days a week for 10 years educating myself in the public library, and it’s better than college. People should educate themselves — you can get a complete education for no money. At the end of 10 years, I had read every book in the library, and I’d written a thousand stories.”

If I had a room like this, I'd spend nearly every waking hour there: http://nymag.com/homedesign/greatrooms/donald-oresman-2013-2/

Finally, I just finished reading Gail Carriger's "Etiquette and Espionage" the first book in her young adult series based in the same world as the Parasol Protectorate series, which I adored. Though it is very steampunkish, Carriger manages to lend class, style and wit to the characters and the setting, so it doesn't feel quite as begrimed as other steampunk novels do. I can never finish one of her books without smiling and feeling that I'd been in good company for the hours I'd spent in her merry old England. Cracking great stuff, as the British are wont to say! Highly recommended!