District & School Surprises

In a previous post I lamented about the classroom supply money this year would not be provided by the state because of budget cuts. Our District came through by providing each teacher with a generous amount, and then my school will also give us money. All in all, my total for supplies is actually higher this year than last.

HOWEVER, there has been no accomodations made for lost library enhancement monies. I am fortuante to have book fair money saved back from previous years that I can use to fund the library this year.

School started with a bang. Car rider line the first day lasted over 1 hour, but by Friday we had it down to 30 minutes. Don't know if we became more proficient or that more kids were on the buses rather than their parents bringing them.

On Wednesday we checked out books to 8 homerooms, on Thursday 16, and on Friday 9. That covers our 5th and 6th grades. Fourth graders have to wait until their class comes for instruction before they can check out.


Two titles that were asked for....Fablehaven series, and Leven thumps series.

Wonderful Trip to the Beach

What a wonderful time our family had on vacation this July. Lots of swimming, looking for shells, cooking--low country boil, shrimp and grits, gumbo, boiled shrimp, fresh flounder, and hot dog!
Everyone helped...and all are super cooks. Finished 2 books The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder by Rebecca Wells (of Ya Ya Sisterhood fame) I predict a movie from this one too. And What Southern Women Know About Faith by Ronda Rich. I highly recommend it. I started on Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich but only finished it after we returned home.

School starts back in 1 week for faculty and staff and two weeks for students. It will be a year with little money as Alabama is in proration for education, and all our classroom supply money and library enhancement money has been taken away for this year.

But I started years ago with a chalkboard, chalk, and a teacher's edition. It can be done.

Return often to hear about this year in the library.

TO THE BEACH

It's to the beach this Saturday for a week long vacation with the whole family. As I am packing essentials there is, of course, a book bag going along. Right now it has 4 books for me.... however, a friend at the public library said she carried 3 bags of books on her recent vacation. My husband is trying to finish a Clive Cussler novel before we leave so I am not sure what he will be taking. We have a Jodi Piccoult on CD for the drive.

Friend's Passing

My funny, funny friend, Marsha McCrory Pope, librarian for 22 years at Sanford Middle School in Lee County, Alabama, died on Wednesday, July 8, after a brief battle with breast cancer.

She was a delightful friend, a dedicated teacher and librarian, and a wearer of the most tasteful seasonal earrings you can imagine. Her sister told me tonight at visitation that they made sure she had on some earrings......so God would recognize her.

September 1, 1946 - July 8, 2009

Mary Kay Andrews, Carolyn Hart, Dorothea Benton Frank, Charlaine Harris

Just finished Mary Kay Andrews new book The Fixer Upper set in fictional Guthrie, Georgia. Nice summer read. Reading now a Carolyn Hart book. Her main characters Max and Annie Darling live on a small island off the coast of South Carolina. Annie runs the Death on Demand book store. Mrs. Hart peppers her books with references to mysteries and mystery authors. One mentioned in this book is Charlaine Harris and her Sookie Stackhouse series (which I enjoyed much more in book form than I do the HBO version.) In the car I am on the last CD of the audiobook The Island of Mango Sunsets by Dorothea Benton Frank. Seems I am stuck on the south this summer. It is a nice place to be.

Montage-A-Google

This picture is a creation of Montage-A-Google using the word library. What a fun site. You can just create or create and save.

http://grant.robinson.name/projects/montage-a-google/app/

Love Mysteries? Need Suggestions?

Here is a useful link for mystery lovers http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/.

A blurb from their website reads


Stop, You’re Killing Me! is a resource for lovers of mystery, crime, thriller, spy, and suspense books. We list over 2,800 authors, with chronological lists of their books (over 32,000 titles), both series (3,200+) and non-series.


Some of my favorites

Anne George Southern Sisters Mysteries
Carolyn Haines Sarah Booth Delaney Series
Magaret Maron Judge Deborah Knott Mysteries
Catherine Coulter FBI Thrillers