Just got this today. So excited! I’ve already begun dissecting it and scribbling in the margins. I’m such a nerd.

This fascinates me.

bookmania:

The Peabody Stack Room of the George Peabody Library, Baltimore, Maryland. The George Peabody Library, formerly the Library of the Peabody Institute of the City of Baltimore, dates from the founding of the Peabody Institute in 1857. It contains more than 300,000 titles—most of which date from the eighteenth to the early twentieth centuries. Renowned for its striking architectural interior, the Peabody Stack Room contains five tiers of ornamental cast-iron balconies, which rise dramatically to the skylight 61 feet above the floor.

In addition to its traditional use as a research library, it is available as an event space. The library accommodates wedding ceremonies, wedding receptions, private dinners, holiday parties and lectures. (via Lisa Pisa)

I’m incredibly stubborn. And I like being a rebel. I tend to go against the grain because I hate doing something just because everyone else is. I don’t like peer pressure and I like being different. This usually applies to my reading choices, but I recently gave in and began The Hunger Games series as you can see in my reading section. I surrendered for a few reasons.

1. I heard that it was a genuinely good read, not just an easy read. I find easy-to-read books incredibly boring, unless they’re humorous or sarcastic like Chelsea Handler’s books or Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss.

2. We spent some time talking about censorship in a recent Ethics in Publishing course that I took and we touched on the topic of whether parents monitor what their children read. The Hunger Games was published under the young adult genre - meaning it was intended to be read by those between the ages of 12-18. But the whole premise of the book is children killing other children! That gave me the hint that it was probably a little more mature and interesting unlike other YA novels like Gossip Girl and the Twilight series.

3. All of my professors have read the series. I don’t think professors of publishing would be reading the books if they weren’t great.

So I bought the trilogy on my Kindle because I didn’t assume that these would be the type of books I would want on display in my wonderful library. And I have to mention that I bought all three books for $19 from Amazon for my e-reader! Now that I’m in the publishing industry (and especially now that I work for Barnes & Noble and they hate when I bring my Kindle in to read while I’m on my break) I know I’m supposed to hate Amazon but, seriously, how can you? Now it’s less than a week later and I’m onto the third book and loving every word. Yes, it’s an easy read. Yes, it’s a little cheesy. No, I’ll probably never re-read them. But it’s fun, it’s entertaining, it’s a nice change of pace, and they are genuinely good. Thank you Suzanne Collins.

As for the other popular series - and I obviously mean Twilight and Fifty Shades of Grey - will I ever give in? NEVER.

I find nothing appealing about sparkly vampires and mortals falling in love. Stephanie Meyer, what were you thinking? Plus, all I can think about now is Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson and what terrible actors they are. I’ve been criticized for judging the books before reading them but I couldn’t care less. The Oatmeal does a wonderful job of summing up my feelings towards the waste of paper here.

And now we have Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James. Where do I begin? I haven’t read this series either. But if I had to choose between this series and Twilight, I would surely choose this one. Why? Only because it’s an erotic version of Twilight! James began writing fanfiction for Twilight, utilizing the names of Edward and Bella to create her own twisted erotic story called Master of the Universe. Once it became popular, James simply changed the title and names of the characters and tweaked a few minor parts and called the story her own, taking advantage of fans who already loved Twilight. I personally find it sickening. I can’t believe Stephanie Meyer hasn’t come forward yet. Here are other articles that delve deeper into the issue than I care to: one by paranormal author Jami Gold and another from Media Bistro.

Okay, I’m done my rant.

Can ya dig it?

harperbooks:

That’s probably where you’ll find it.

** Underground New York Public Library **

This is super cool. A photographer captures everyday “Reading-Riders” on the subway. I find this fascinating because it showcases such a wide variety of people reading such a wide variety of titles. There are so many surprises. Of course, it’s not fair to judge a person solely based on their appearance, but, admittedly, there are certain things you can conclude from a glance - a man wearing a nice suit and tie on a Monday morning probably has a well-paying job; a woman driving a mini-van probably has multiple children; a teenager hanging out on a street corner at night is probably in a hell of a lot of trouble. But this blog disproves the bookworm stereotype. It’s impossible to look at a person and determine what titles they enjoy reading.

I personally don’t read on the subway, but that’s because I never have a very long ride and I hate when people read over my shoulder. Plus, I get easily distracted because I like to people watch. So I think the Underground New York Public Library is a really fun way to check out who is reading what, search for ideas on what to read next, and it’s a safe way for me to be nosy! Not to mention I might eventually see myself in the background of one of the pictures!

Can ya dig it?

David Sedaris, Me Talk Pretty One Day

My best friend Natalie just started a very entertaining blog called No One Likes You When You’re 23. Her goal is to write about her own trials and tribulations as a twenty-something looking to get a “big girl” job and move on independently. We’re both kind of in the same boat, except I’m trying to postpone my troubles by going to graduate school (I’ve always been a procrastinator) and hoping a new and better degree will get me further in life. But isn’t that what we all thought about our bachelor’s degrees too?

When my parents were young, many teenagers chose to not go to college and decided to enter the “real world” straight out of high school. But our generation has been taught that without a college degree we won’t excel past flipping burgers. Despite graduating in 2010 and going on countless interviews, Nat spent the majority of her time after college as a barista at Starbucks and a bartender at Ruby Tuesday, simply because no one wanted to hire a recent college grad. I find that employers rarely ever search for new talent, they always demand multiple years of experience in order to be hired. How are we to get experience if we’re never given the chance? Of the interviews I have gone on, many of the employers just scan my resume or don’t even look at it at all. They waste my time and theirs to ask questions that could be answered with the resume. So why create one to highlight our talents and accomplishments when they don’t seem to care?

Or, as Nat mentions in one of her posts, relationships play a big role in obtaining a job. My dad always says, “It’s not about WHAT you know, it’s WHO you know.” And he’s absolutely right.

Obviously, there are exceptions. I know a number of people who were able to obtain a job out of college without any professional experience. Fortunately, I was one of these exceptions after I graduated. I like to hope that it was because I’m fabulous, but I think I just got lucky because I happened to be a previous intern with the company, a spot had just become available, and it was convenient. I have since (gladly) quit.

The point is that a college degree, in no way, guarantees a full-time job and without one of those, living independently is out of the question. (Unless you find a sugar daddy/mama. In which case I would be incredibly jealous). So I’m excited to continue reading Nat’s blog, not only because I can relate, but because she’s my amazing and hilarious best friend. I suggest you check it out too.

Can ya dig it?