Garden Valley District Library

It took over five years for Nathaniel Rich to finish his first novel — maybe because he was writing The Mayor's Tongue secretly, first as a college student, and then while writing film criticism during the day.

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Last night at AASL several Unshelved fans told me how much they're enjoying Not Invented Here, the new comic strip written by yours truly and drawn by Paul Southworth. That emboldened me to encourage you once again to check it out (start at the beginning here) and sign up for email delivery

Posted by Bill on 11/6/2009 6:14:00 AM

Back in high school, I gave up on my dream of becoming an astronaut.  Apparently allergies are a problem – NASA doesn't like snotty astronauts.

But I had other dreams.  I wanted to be a librarian. And I wanted to be a writer. I decided that if I became a librarian first, I'd probably be able to eat while I learned to write.  (I doubted the opposite would be true). After teaching overseas and going to library school I was lucky enough to get a job with the library system I grew up using.

I've been a librarian for 9 awesome years -- first in teen services/reference then in staff development -- and I've loved every minute of it.   But for the last 7 years I've led a double life as Gene Ambaum during nights, weekends, and vacations. There were a lot of things I couldn't help Bill with (thanks Bill!), and even more ideas I couldn't start because I didn't have the time.

So I gave notice.  Last week was my last as a full-time librarian. I'll still occasionally work the reference desk as a sub, but it's time to concentrate my efforts on Unshelved, writing projects, and other things that are important to me.

I want to thank those of you who read our comic – this is all because of you.  (And I also want to thank my wife who, as we talked about it, said, “Just quit already!” even though she doesn't get our jokes. Thanks Honey!)

Posted by Gene on 11/4/2009 6:38:00 AM

Here are the details of the second-to-last leg of our Fall speaking tour, with delights for school librarians and library shools alike. Please tell your friends so we can have a great turnout!

Thursday we're putting on a series of shows at the Ingram booth 155 at AASL. I'll be drawing Unshelved characters while Gene and I chat with each other and the audience about the strip. We'll raffle off all the art I draw. Shows start at 5:15pm, 6:00pm, and 6:45pm.

Friday 3:00pm - 4:30pm we'll be at the Ingram booth, selling and signing Unshelved books, bags, and hats.

Friday 7pm we'll be speaking to UNC library students (and anyone else who shows up) at the UNC Charlotte campus, Fretwell building room 100, followed by a little selling and signing.

Saturday 9:30am - 11:00am we'll be selling and signing one last time at the Ingram booth.

Saturday 5:00pm we'll be speaking in Columbia, SC to USC library students (and anyone else who shows up) at the SC State Library on the corner of Senate and Bull St, followed by a little selling and signing.

All this presupposes that we don't die of exhaustion before then, but let's hope for the best.

Posted by Bill on 11/3/2009 8:50:00 AM

Plan a winter vacation for the whole family with this week's sponsor Hachette Book Group and their Winter Reading List!

Posted by Bill on 11/2/2009 12:00:00 AM

Pimp My Bookcart 2009 is over. We got tons of great entries from around the world. Now Gene and I will retreat to an undisclosed location for a few weeks to evaluate them. Expect the judging to conclude mid-November. Meanwhile check them out and make your own judgements!

Posted by Bill on 11/1/2009 12:00:00 AM

Thanks to this week's sponsor Backstage Library Works, the new owner of the OCLC Preservation Service Center, provider of microfilm and digitization services.

Posted by Bill on 10/31/2009 7:34:00 PM

Today I direct your attention to our friends at Shelf Awareness, who are rolling out a new product called Maximum Shelf, an issue wholly dedicated to a book they feel will be a big hit, with in-depth features and interviews by their great book reviewer (and my occasional officemate) Marilyn Dahl and sponsored by the publisher.

This month it's Alice I Have Been, a fictional life of the real-life protagonist behind Alice in Wonderland. I was really interested and I thought you would be too.

Posted by Bill on 10/27/2009 12:00:00 AM

Before the financial crisis hit, John Paulson was just your run-of-the-mill hedge fund operator, worth millions of dollars. But when the market crashed, Paulson made billions. How he did it lies at the heart of a new book called The Greatest Trade Ever. The book's author, Gregory R. Zuckerman, offers his insight.

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