on finishing crap/just so-so books

I just finished the Westminster Abby book, and promptly started in on Lock and Key- the new Sarah Dessen novel.

Westminster Abbey by Micol Ostow
Well, I picked this one up for obvious reasons-- my complete obsession with any and all things British. The story sounded "cute" but I pretty much knew ahead of time that the book would lack any real good storytelling or writing, which it did. I WAS pleased with the incredibly detailed account of Abby in London, which was like revisiting all of the touristy spots all over again. But the shallow plot: girl gets in trouble with parents for going behind their backs to "see" her boyfriend, she finds out he's been cheating on her, breaks up with him. Parents then suggest she study abroad in London for 10 weeks to get her thinking less about boys and more about....I don't know, schoolwork?! Falls for a Brit named Ian, ex-boyfriend James comes to visit, blah blah blah... Yawn. But the description of St. Paul's cathedral was pretty good... I would recommend this series only to people who enjoy guidebooks and have obsessive tendencies with particular countries other than this one....


Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen
It's just been Ruby and her mother, living together in a tiny apartment, since her sister Cora moved away to college. Ruby and her mother share not only the apartment, but also the same name and the same red hair. But Ruby Sr. leaves much-to-be-desired as a mom: she comes home late, if at all- craps out on her delivery job (so her daughter ends up picking up the slack), drinks, smokes, and pretty much blocks herself off from the outside world most of the time. When she disappears one day, Ruby keeps living in the craphole apartment, drying her clothes on a clothesline in the kitchen, drinking occasional beers and just takes care of herself. She doesn't tell anyone that her mom has left, and doesn't really see a reason to bother. When someone finally reports to social services that Ruby's a minor and has been living on her own, her long-lost sister Cora shows up to take her in. Only a few months away from turning 18, and with so much time having passed since they last lived together, Ruby and Cora do not see eye-to-eye from the beginning. Though they grew up together, Cora's new life with her husband, great house, "new money" are all vastly different from what Ruby's used to. Upon moving in with her sister, Ruby now has to deal with a new (and much preppier) school, new friends, new routines- and obviously a new relationship with her new family. As she grapples with these issues and comes to terms with her new living arrangement, Ruby reluctantly connects with the new people in her life, and finds out that she's not the only person that has been hiding some deep dark secrets.

This was a good book, but I was a little disappointed. It wasn't as riveting as I expected it would be, though the characters were believable and the storyline was good. Perhaps it just wasn't the story I was in the mood for. Sometimes that happens. I don't "mesh" with certain books at certain times. Mostly I was just happy to be finished with it, since it was so LONG. (haha. It was a teen book, it was only long by teen standards I suppsoe)

And at the Library....
I started program planning for fall. I've got some fun things on the horizon, one that MIGHT be a peanut butter program. I know people are allergic to peanuts, but if the program says Peanut Butter Lovers Only, I mean-- they should get the point right? Also planning some Teen Tech night stuff and a Writers' Workshop for teens. Hopefully I can plan all of this stuff and also get some things on the books for our Adult patrons as well. I have a feeling I may over-book myself. Hahaha. Witty librarian joke.

I am off this weekend, and one of my classmates from UIUC's Leep program is coming to visit (from Chicago) and I'm incredibly excited. I'm going to take her to at least 3 libraries before we go to a pub and dish about all the exciting things that happen to her in her super-cool-life as a law-librarian in Chicago, and I'll tell her all the crazy stories I have about working in Central Ohio. I wonder who will win THAT competition....