Halloween

It’s the end of the month and I’ve only read four books but I’ve been around a lot of fun authors! I traveled to St Louis with four other librarians from our district and had such a blast meeting other like-minded librarians and authors. We ate delicious food in the downtown area and had cocktails at The Moniker! I’d go back to St. Louis just to have one of their delicious drinks.

On the first night we went early to a James Ponti Spy party and ended up helping him and Stuart Gibbs set up for the party which gave us the opportunity to have one on one conversations with them as well as Erin Soderberg Downing. For librarians who love reading this was magical. We came back with so much swag and free books we barely fit back into the van.

I also found out that one of my author idols, Laurie Halse Anderson, is not only a very gifted writer but is a cheerleader for authors. More than one author mentioned how encouraging she was to them. Jason Reynolds (rock star author!) was in conversation on Saturday morning and he was absolutely amazing. Like a groupie I rushed to get one of his signed books and was crushed that I didn’t make it in time. The conference was amazing and I’m so happy I was able to participate.

I just finished reading The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians by James Patterson and had a connection with almost every story. If you’ve ever wanted to be a bookseller or a librarian the stories told in the book will have your full attention.

I’m almost finished with The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. I wish it was a little more condensed but I agree with his philosophy. Our kids have changed by tech, specifically having free access to the internet 24/7. I think schools should be phone free and that we should really think about how much tech we use at school plus home. For kids it becomes an addiction. If I could design my own elementary school it would have more playtime, recess before lunch so students come in hungry, better quality lunches, and more hands-on activities.

I hope this Halloween every one is safe and had fun, that Israel stops bombing Palestine, and that hope for the world remains in my heart.