Resume and Career Management Workshop

Resume and Career Management Workshop

Wednesday, July 15, 20097:30pm – 9:00pm

Burbank Temporary Aid Center
Gary McCormick Conference Room

Learn how to manage your career and spruce up your resume. Brad Bucklin of Career Pro Resumes & Professional Literary Services will teach you how to build a resume to help boost your career search and how to manage your career.

Sponsored by the Burbank Jaycees.

No charge for BTAC clients
Cost for non-Jaycees: $10
Cost for Jaycees: food donations


Please RSVP by Sunday, July 12, 2009 with Jessica Duong at 310-896-6245 or jess_c_5377@hotmail.com or Lindsay Baca at lindsayjayceegal@gmail.com or 323-449-4965 for more information.

Classics Corner: Frankenstein

Classics Corner is an ongoing series highlighting classic literature that I was not assigned in school. This time I read through Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.

I don't know much about the Frankenstein monster. At this point in time, my only exposure to this cultural icon has been through Mel Brooks' highly entertaining Young Frankenstein ("Franken-STEEN!"). I was fairly confident that Mary Shelley's monster never danced a choreographed routine to the song Puttin' on the Ritz. I thought him to be a big, lumbering beast that grunted a lot.

Nope.

Frankenstein is a moody, atmospheric novel that slowly gets to the "good stuff", the creation of a life most foul, and then promptly dashes off to mope. I was surprised that the monster played a very minimal role until much later in the book. By the time Frankenstein and monster meet again, he is limber and silver-tongued...a far cry from his depiction in the media I have seen to date. His is a pitiful tale, and it's almost hard to sympathize with Frankenstein after he spurns the creature he made and then abandoned. Many tragedies befall Frankenstein at the hands of his creation, and in the end he races to the frozen north to enact his revenge.

It may appear that I wasn't too fond of the book, but this is not the case. I really did enjoy it, even though it was not what I was expecting. If you like a book that focuses on character and setting versus plot (a story that is somewhat leisurely even in action), this is definitely a novel worth reading.

1776 - what to watch for the July 4th holiday.

Looking for something to watch in honor of the July 4th holiday? While that could be a tough question, I have the perfect answer for your viewing consideration!
Try watching a relatively little known but outstanding musical, 1776 that features Ken Howard as Thomas Jefferson, William Daniels as John Adams [IMHO the best ever use of his flinty persona] and my personal favorite performance in the film, Howard Da Silva who is a cagey delight as Benjamin Franklin [this should have been an Academy Award nominated performance]. Featuring many of the Broadway cast reprising their roles, 1776 is a delightful musical celebration of the founding of The United States of America. The story centers around the familiar historical characters as they organize a movement for independence from Mother England. All events lead up to that most significant date, July 4, 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was signed.

What We're Reading: Tana French

Librarians read a lot of reviews. Since we order hundreds of books for the library every year, there’s no way that one person (or even eight or nine) can read every one of those books, so we look to the reviewers to help us out. As a teen librarian, though, I have discovered that I need to seek out reviews written by readers (i.e., teens) in addition to those written for library journals, because some of the novels that adult reviewers think are the perfect young adult book turn out to be ho hum in the opinion of teens. This has given me the habit of seeking out the reviews posted by the public on Amazon.com, as well as checking social networking sites for readers—LibraryThing or GoodReads—for picks and pans. Now I look at those for my own (non-work-related) reading as well, and sometimes they give me a laugh.

I recently picked up a book because I liked the way the cover art expressed the title. (Yes, cover art DOES matter.) The book is In the Woods, by Tana French, and on the cover blurb it is billed as a mystery/suspense novel. I enjoy most genres of fiction, and mystery is one of them; but in Tana French I discovered not just a mystery writer, but a master of detail and expression. I was delighted to discover that she had written a second novel, The Likeness, which, while not a direct sequel, revisits some of the same characters shortly after the conclusion of the first book.

Not to disparage mysteries like Robert B. Parker’s Spencer novels, for instance—they do what they are supposed to do, and very well—but after having read at least half a dozen of them, I find I know very little about the main character; he is the pivot upon which the story turns, but most of the messy details of his life are omitted. After reading French’s books, on the other hand, I would recognize her protagonists if I saw them on the street, and would immediately invite certain of them out for a coffee. It’s not just that she writes with attention to detail; I find the psychological complexities of her characters and the tension of their inner battles and their relationships with others riveting. She also has the talent to write likeable people—not in a cute or cozy way, but rather by enlisting your sympathy and admiration for their thoughts and actions, even when these may be less than commendable.

Others, however, did not share my enthusiasm for her explication of every character and setting, including wardrobe, paint color and shrubbery. A quote from Amazon reader/reviewer “I’m Not Cocteau”:

Tana French is a superb writer who never says in a paragraph what she can state in five pages. With enough plot for a short story, this acclaimed author has filled 466 pages with lengthy conversations and precise descriptions of everything under the sun, utilizing a prose that makes you beg for the comparative terseness of an Agatha Christie. Possibly if The Likeness had not been billed as a mystery, I would not have felt I had been bilked out of time I could have better spent learning Dutch, baking a pie, or cleaning under my desk.

So—I won’t give you the plot details on French’s books, but rather will recommend that you pick them up and see if you agree with me (and about 40 percent of the amateur reviewers) that the writing both enhances and transcends the story—or with the other 60 percent, who wanted a mystery that was clear, concise, and wrapped up neatly with a big red bow on the last page.

Lĭt / uh / ruh / sē Äw / fĭs

Declaration for the Right to Literacy
Literacy Powerline: June 17, 2009

The Right to Literacy Convention was a part of the National Community Literacy Conference in Buffalo, New York on June 13, 2009. Delegates from across the country determined and voted on the first United States Declaration for the Right to Literacy.

It is a truth held evident by our United States Declaration of Independence: that all men [and women] are created equal, and thus shall have the opportunity to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. To preserve these rights, we, residents of the United States of America, designate “literacy” as the foundation of such principles and organize our powers to enable every person to affect that ideal. In that pursuit, we acknowledge and agree, as we did in Seneca Falls in 1848 and again 100 years later as part of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, that education shall be guaranteed for all members of the human family—men, women and children. The realization of this vision requires that all residents, regardless of age or status, be able to read and write in order to participate fully and equitably in our democracy.

Click here to endorse the
DECLARATION FOR THE RIGHT TO LITERACY !

New President = New books on the Presidents.

New from the DK Eyewitness series is Presidents 3rd ed. and from National Geographic comes Our Country's Presidents . Both are excellent updates to past editions and both will well serve interested children through 4th grade [the DK Eyewitness book] and 5th-8th graders [the National Geographic book]. Both books feature short summaries of each President, interesting facts and plenty of pictures, illustrations and special features [plenty of online resources will be found]. I will quibble slightly with the DK book in that they condense some Presidents into a group of two or three sharing a 2 page entry. This results in unequal information available about those Presidents bunched together in comparison to Washington and Lincoln, etc. Better content balance is available in the National Geographic book. However, both books make great browsing for children and parents alike but if you are looking for homework report help, Our Country's Presidents will better serve your needs. As the resident staff Presidents enthusiast, I highly approve of both books.

What We're Reading: Defying the Diva

Defying the Diva, by D. Anne Love is the story of Haley Patterson, the 14 year old teenager who writes for the gossip column of her school's newspaper. Thinking the freedom of press would protect her, she writes about a party given by popular diva Camilla Quinn. This brings down the wrath of Camilla and she starts the campaign to destroy Haley. Ostracized by everyone at school, Haley keeps the pain to herself and looks forward to spending the summer with her aunt and getting a reprieve from the school's bullying.

Feeling tense, anxious, and with low self-esteem, Haley lands a job at the exclusive mountain resort in Copper Springs. With the support of her co-workers, gradually she gains the confidence to confront Camilla. Summer love, friendships, and the topic of this book make it a captivating read.

30 percent of teens in the United States are involved in bullying. Bullies have a strong need to dominate others and usually have little empathy for their targets. The friends of bullies are often followers who do not initiate bullying, but participate in it. The consequences of bullying can be devastating for teenagers. It can increase the social isolation and cause depression. The National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center @ 1-866-723-3968, recommends talking to an adult about the problem, not to blame oneself, act confident, make friends with other students, avoid situations where bullying can happen, and not to resort to violence.*

* The National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center

Lĭt / uh / ruh / sē Äw / fĭs

Green Books to Give for Father’s Day
from Eco Libris

Plenty of great green books for dads to enjoy. Here's the first 5 from the Top 10 at Eco Libris. Check out the right green book to give your dad !

1. For the father who likes to build and renovate
Green Building & Remodeling for Dummies by Eric Corey Freed
690.8047 2008 FREED @ Burbank Public Library

2. For the thinking father
Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future
by Bill McKibben
306.3 MCKIB @ Burbank Public Library

3. For the escapist father
How to live off-grid: Journeys Outside the System by Nick Rosen

4. For the techie father who is interested in energy
Earth: The Sequel by Fred Krupp and Miriam Horn
333.79 KRUPP @ Burbank Public Library

5. For the father with farming ambitions
Farewell My Subaru: An Epic Adventure in Local Living by Doug Fine
333.72 FINE @ Burbank Public Library

6. For the corporate father
7. For the busy father
8. For the nature-loving father
9. For the father who wants to be a green parent
10. For the father who is looking for the right answers

Happy Father's Day,
Raz @ Eco-Libris