2011 ALSC Newbery and Caldecott Medal Winners

 Newbery Medal:

Melding the entirely true and the wildly fictional, Dead End in Norvelt is a novel about an incredible two months for a kid named Jack Gantos, whose plans for vacation excitement are shot down when he is "grounded for life" by his feuding parents, and whose nose spews bad blood at every little shock he gets. But plenty of excitement (and shocks) are coming Jack's way once his mom loans him out to help a fiesty old neighbor with a most unusual chore—typewriting obituaries filled with stories about the people who founded his utopian town. As one obituary leads to another, Jack is launced on a strange adventure involving molten wax, Eleanor Roosevelt, twisted promises, a homemade airplane, Girl Scout cookies, a man on a trike, a dancing plague, voices from the past, Hells Angels . . . and possibly murder. Endlessly surprising, this sly, sharp-edged narrative is the author at his very best, making readers laugh out loud at the most unexpected things in a dead-funny depiction of growing up in a slightly off-kilter place where the past is present, the present is confusing, and the future is completely up in the air.

Caldecott Medal:

Here's a story about love and loss as only Chris Rashcka can tell it.  Any child who has ever had a beloved toy break will relate to Daisy's anguish when her favorite ball is destroyed by a bigger dog. In the tradition of his nearly wordless picture book Yo! Yes?, Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka explores in pictures the joy and sadness that having a special toy can bring.  Raschka's signature swirling, impressionistic illustrations and his affectionate story will particularly appeal to young dog lovers and teachers and parents who have children dealing with the loss of something special.

Congratulations to Jack Gantos and Chris Raschka!

Diagnosing Bibliophilia

In recent months, a growing awareness has been spreading the country of a new and frightening disorder. No one knows how long this disorder has plagued the world, but now there is finally a way of diagnosing, and potentially curing, this ailment. It's called Bibliophilia, and it's consuming lives at an unstoppable rate. Doing our part to ease the madness, Old Firehouse Books is providing a list of symptoms, so that you might be able to diagnose yourself or loved ones before it's too late.

Symptoms include, but are not limited to:
-Arriving at any appointment and hoping that there will be a wait, so you have time to read
-Carrying at least one book with you at any given moment
-Suffering from anxiety as a result of separation from the written word
-Headaches caused by the constant conundrum of never knowing what to read next
-Constant repetition of the phrase "Just let me finish this one page/chapter..."
-Excitement over missed flights/buses because of the extra reading time allowed
-Denying companionship because the friend/loved one never shuts up long enough for you to finish your book
-Short attention span and inability to sit and do nothing, a book must always be open
-Aversion/disgust of television
-English major...
-Inability to shut up when asked if you've read anything good lately
-Owning enough bookmarks to be able to wall paper a house
-Inability to walk through a bookstore without buying something

If you exhibit two or more of these symptoms, you may be suffering from Bibliophilia. If you believe you may be a victim of this disorder, please report immediately to Old Firehouse Books for the only available cure. Actually, we probably can't help, since we're all afflicted ourselves, but at least you'll be in good company!

Have you seen this?

Sean Ohlenkamp and his wife put this video together for Type Bookstore in Toronto and we love them for it.

If you haven't seen it, watch and be amazed. If you have, well...watch it again because it's that good.

The New Year Address

For the first time in 2012, all of us at the Firehouse would like to say hello to our fellow readers-

Hello!

With the first week of the new year behind us, many people will be deciding which resolutions to keep, and which to drop.  We suggest that if you don't already have a resolution to read more this year, then make one!  Maybe this is the year to tackle those reads that you fear as much as a shark circling you out in the open ocean.  Or possibly, this is the year to go back and enjoy a book that you haven't read in a long time.  No matter what it is you might want to read, we are always down here to help.  Suggestions, special orders... We do it all.   

And so, most importantly, we would like to say thank you all for being the loyal customers whose support makes us a thriving independent bookstore.  Our resolution is to continue improving our inventory and services, always doing our best to enhance your reading experience.  So cheers all, to 2012.  May the upcoming reads treat you well, and may we all share them for many more years to come.  

OH MY GOSH YOU GUYS (Or: The Hobbit is coming out!)

Exciting news! (OH how this news is exciting!)

The trailer for The Hobbit is out! I have nothing but high hopes and great things to say about this movie. It's directed by the same person who was in charge of the Lord of the Rings, and it's The Hobbit!

Secretly--or, not so secretly now--The Hobbit was always my favorite Tolkien book. You can keep your Two Towers and your Return of the King, but The Hobbit is mine. My... precious.

(Actually, fun fact, I can recite the opening paragraph of The Hobbit from memory. It remains one of my favorite openings in all of book-dom.)

Anyway, you can watch the trailer on Youtube by clicking on this statement. Otherwise, you can check almost every entertainment/book-oriented blog on the whole of the internet.

--KELLER

Books are awesome.

Something that makes us jump up and down and throw our hands in the air:

"When you give a 'real world' book to someone you are saying, 'I am totally in love with this book and think you will be too,' or 'The sentiment in this book reminded me of you,' or 'Here, this is a journey you will never forget.' A book is a personal gift--something uniquely picked out, inscribed, and physically presented to another person. It has emotional and actual weight. I am not saying there are not other good gifts out there (a ukulele comes to mind), but with a book you don't have to: mortgage the home, guess bra size, learn to sing, or find out too late that they are allergic to nuts. That is why I think the book is the best gift you can give. It is economical, beautiful, hours of entertainment, thoughtful, and can last (both physically and in the mind) a lifetime."

-- Steven Salardino, manager of Skylight Books, Los Angeles, Calif., from the bookstore's latest e-newsletter.

Guest Post: Sarah Paige Ryan's Holiday Survival Guide

Oh, the holidays. The shopping lists. The paper cuts. The delayed flights. The family gatherings where Grandma reminds everyone that she thought you’d never graduate from high school. If you’re like me, then the season of giving is a source of both joy and dread. After years of holiday meltdowns, I’ve compiled the perfect survival guide to see you through the merry-making.

Old-Fashioneds
You might associate this classic cocktail with the likes of Don and Betty Draper, but I have my in-laws to thank for this hangover-proof mood enhancer. Every year, my relatives gather around the Christmas tree and get good and drunk on their own version of the Old-Fashioned: lemon-lime soda, brandy, a dash of bitters, a slice of orange, a maraschino cherry, lots of ice and, for good measure, a sprinkling of Sweet’N Low.

Bad Sex
Why waste your time on a furtive quickie when you can read other people’s half-baked exploits? On December 6, the British magazine The Literary Review will announce the winner of the Bad Sex in Fiction Award. According to the editors, “The purpose of the prize is to draw attention to the crude, tasteless, often perfunctory use of redundant passages of sexual description in the modern novel and to discourage it." Twelve authors from around the world are on the shortlist, including Stephen King, Haruki Murakami, Jean Auel, and David Guterson. Extracts are available online at The Guardian.

A Good Book
There’s no better excuse for retreating to an armchair with an old-fashioned and a warm blanket than a really good read. When the season strikes, I want to be transported to distant locales. I want to ooh and aah over the marvelous and strange. If you love novels, I recommend Ann Patchett’s State of Wonder for its fire and ice evocation of disparate locales (Minnesota and the Amazon) and love and nature. If you prefer to dabble, pick up a copy of The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities and enjoy a bizarre and horrifying collection in which parasites might hold the key to religious ecstasy and mechanical teachers are linked to the development of mustard gas.

Schadenfreude is the time-honored art of deriving pleasure from the misfortunes of others. It’s distinctly un-seasonal, but it’s also an invaluable source of relief at a time when there’s so much pressure to love one another. On Wednesday, November 30, at 7pm, the members of the Old Town Writing Group will share their tales of holiday mishaps during the Feast of Fools event at Bas Bleu Theatre in Fort Collins. The reading is free. The writers include Karye Cattrell, Dana Masden, Laura Pritchett, Laura Resau, Carrie Visintainer, and myself. Work off that Thanksgiving stress with stories of social disorder.


Sarah Paige Ryan is a local writer and blogger. Her memoir, Solar-Powered Sex Machine, is available online. Learn more at www.sarahpaigeryan.com.