An Academic Affair

Finished November 10

An Academic Affair by Jodi McAlister

This is a romance novel with its own special setting and the details are so well done. Sadie Shaw and Jonah Fisher have been academic rivals since first year university where they argued interpretations during an English seminar. They have also lived in the same large shared house with several other roommates in Sydney since Jonah's master degree time when Sadie was working to save up money. They ended up graduating with their English literature Ph.Ds. at the same time and have both been working at whatever teaching jobs they could since then. I really liked how this novel showed academia for what it truly is, underpaid, lots of unrecognized time spent in prep and marking, and few opportunities for permanent positions. 

When a permanent position is announced at the university in Hobart, both are aware the other will be applying. For Sadie, who specialized in popular fiction, the job mentions this as one of the specialties they are looking for, something that is rare indeed. For Jonah, the permanent position also mentions his specialty as one of the three they are looking for. Plus he has strong motivation to move close to his sister Fiona, who is dealing with the end of her marriage. 

When Sadie is going over the contract, she notes that their is an option for partner hire. This is an interesting detail of academic that definitely shows possibilities, the idea that one's life partner could also get a position, making the move more appealing to couples. 

Sadie approaches Jonah with the idea of getting married so that they both get the job, after all they are already living in the same house, which works to make it look that they've been together for a while.

The personal side of their lives was also something that added to their character. Sadie is very close to her older sister who pretty much raised her. Jonah grew up with a professor father who encouraged debate among his children and pushed them toward academia, something that only Fiona rebelled against. But Jonah knows that this advantage isn't always something he likes in his life, and makes choices about his own wants when he can. 

There is also a storyline around wine, with Sadie's sister having a passion for the national wine industry, and Fiona being close to two brothers who run a winery and restaurant. With Jonah's older brother having his own competitive rival, I can see possibilities for more books involving these characters.

This a read with believable characters with depth, interesting career and personal situations, and both fun banter and serious conversations. A definite winner for me. 

An Odyssey

Finished April 16
An Odyssey: A Father, A Son, and an Epic by Daniel Mendelsohn

This memoir encompasses a few months in Mendelsohn's life, with forays into his life at earlier times, and reflections on this time later. Shortly before the spring semester when Daniel was going to be teaching an undergraduate seminar on The Odyssey, his father, eighty-one at the time, asked to sit in on the course. Daniel is a writer and a classics scholar. His father, had worked first for Grumman, an aerospace corporation, and then as a computer science professor, but he took pride in the fact that he had studied Latin as a young man.
His father travelled in from his home on Long Island weekly that spring to participate in the course, and shortly after, when Daniel was discussing the experience with one of his mentors, she suggested a cruise that was being offered that summer that traced the route of Odysseus' journey. When Daniel mentioned it to his father, his dad was enthusiastic, and so they went.
This book traces both the disussion of the book in the seminar and the corresponding personal conversations he had with his father, and the time on the cruise that corresponded to that part of the story. It also describes the author's feelings and experience around his father's illness and death soon after this trip.
This is a very personal memoir of a father-son relationship that had its difficulties, but also moments of great intimacy. My reading of the Odyssey occured more than thirty years ago, but this brought my enjoyment of that story back to me.

Emerging Technologies

Finished October 24
Emerging Technologies: A Primer for Librarians by Jennifer Koerber and Michael P. Sauers

This book begins with a discussion of the book's premise which is to provide a snapshot of new technology important to libraries and use that to show readers how to look at technology at it appears and gets applied in library environments. The chapters on technologies each have a brief overview of the technology giving background and current events, advantages and challenges to the technology's use in libraries, highlights of the most useful or well-known tools and/or devices in that technology and how libraries might use them, and some examples. The authors define emerging as those technologies just hitting the middle of the acceptance bell curve, so not leading edge, but also not mainstream. They also look at older technologies used in new ways.
The first technology they look at is audio/video. They cover hardware such as cameras and microphones, software such as screencasting, video-editing, and platforms such as Youtube, Vimeo, and Soundcloud. Uses include virtual library tours, training, memes, community engagement, events, and supporting makers.
The second technology is self-publishing. They look at the environment, platforms and tools, including some library-specific tools. There is discussion of the library's role.
The third technology is mobile technologies. Here the question is not if your library will use mobile technology, but which services should be provided. It looks at mobile websites and library apps, and proposes three sets of questions to ask: who creates and maintains the technology and its content; how are connections to third parties handled (ebooks, streaming media); and how is it serving, how are they accessing it, and what services does it provide. Hardware includes both the patrons' own as well as library-provided, through lending. Interfaces discusses range from native to apps to mobile web. Applications range from reference to ecommerce to collection access.
The fourth technology is crowdfunding and the main discussion is on platforms. Not all platforms allow non-profit use, and there is information on appropriate applications.
The fifth technology is wearables. Hardware includes activity trackers, life loggers, smart watches, and augmented and virtual reality. Not all uses discussed are patron-oriented. Some libraries use this technology for staff wellness programs.
The sixth technology is the Internet of Things. There is a long list of some that are becoming more common, but no library examples of use yet. Some ideas are given for future use by libraries.
The book now looks at the issue of privacy and security, noting that privacy is a core library ethic, and that it is part of our responsibility to help patrons learn how to keep their information secure as well as keeping public access computers as secure as possible. To do that, library staff have to know the basics themselves. Software includes browser controls and PAC resetting, as well as password managers, two factor authentication, and VPN.
The last chapter looks at how to apply this knowledge to other technologies as they emerge, and works on the basic ideas of read, play, and teach. Read widely, not just in the library field, but also social media, geek sources, and mainstream media. Play with technology by using devices in stores, reading instructions, pushing the buttons, spending time with different technologies and not being afraid. Teach by writing about what you learn, going beyond the basics, being prepared for random questions, knowing what next steps might be for learners, and setting goals for students in more formal settings. Several tools are mentioned here including Lynda, Gale Courses, edX, and Coursera.

Teaching Social Media

Finished October 12
Teaching Social Media: The Can-Do Guide by Liz Kirchoff

This book starts with an introduction that includes an overview of social media, why we teach about it, how to get organizational support if you don't already have it, and where to start. It outlines the preparation and planning that pertain to this type of teaching, ideas around format for the teaching, and the arguments for either live teaching or canned powerpoint teaching.
There is discussion of tone, and this is important as a casual tone fits well with this content. People have a lot of questions and they should be made to feel comfortable to ask those questions. For each class, you need to assess your audience and adjust your teaching for any difficulties particular to that group.
The following chapters deal with individual social media programs and follow similar outlines, covering common questions and concerns, variations for teaching, notes for the instructor, ways to use that program, sample handouts to use, and a list of some users of that social media that you may want to follow. Not all social media programs have all these sections, as they may not apply.
Chapters that dedicated to a particular social media include Twitter, Foursquare, Yelp, Pinterest, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+.
Then there is a chapter that gives shorter overviews of some other programs, including Goodreads, MyFitnessPal, TripAdvisor, Reddit, Tumblr, Ravelry, Pandora, Prezi, and GoogleDrive. It is interesting to note that some popular ones are missed, such as Instagram and Flickr. Of course, there are so many social media programs now they couldn't possibly cover them all. Here's a link to a Wikipedia list.
The Conclusion wraps things up nicely, talking about how to tailor these classes to your community, ways to evaluate whether the learning is happening, and how to stay effective and relevant.
This is a useful guide for those libraries just starting out teaching these programs.

The Woman Upstairs

Finished July 27
The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud

This novel gives us the voice of Nora Eldridge. Nora is nearing 40, teaches third grade at an elementary school in Cambridge, and a responsible and dutiful daughter.
When the Shahid family enters her life, her dreams awaken. Dreams of being an artist, of having a child, of being in a loving relationship. Reza is in her class and his exotic looks and shy attitude draw her in. His mother Sirena is an artist working on her next installation, and her friendship and involvement of Nora in her own art give Nora hope for her own artistic dreams. His father Skandar is an intellectual who, while walking her home, engages her in interesting discussions. As she becomes more and more involved with this family, interacting with each member on an individual basis, she begins to have hopes for those dreams of hers.
The woman upstairs, is the good girl in all of us. The woman who does what is expected of her. The daughter who looks after her parents, being there when they need her. The woman who doesn't make waves. This is the woman Nora has been most of her life.
It is not until the final pages that Nora finds there is something even the woman upstairs won't accept and forgive.
This novel is about the dreams, hopes and passions that can be awakened in us. The chances we take to reach out for these, and the possibility of betrayal.

The Little Village School

Finished August 30
The Little Village School by Gervase Phinn

This is the first novel in a new series set in Barton-in-the-Dale. The village school has had an inspection recently and the report is pretty bad. Parents already had some complaints, but now some are taking their children out of the school in favour of a school in another villlage. When they advertise for a new head teacher, the pickings are slim, but one candidate stands out. Elizabeth Devine has been head teacher of a big inner city school and while some wonder why she would come to a smaller school, most are just hopeful. She has big changes in mind for Barton. Elizabeth settles in over the summer, making over a cottage nearby and beginning work on making the school more welcoming. Her manner is one that earns her the love of her students and the respect of her staff. She has parents and staff working together in a positive way. Facing challenges head-on, and using diplomacy and her professional knowledge, Elizabeth makes Barton-in-the-Dale her home and the village school one to be proud of.
A feel-good novel of village life, with all sorts of characters to enliven the plot, this gentle read will have readers clamouring for the next book in the series.

The Headmaster's Wager

Finished June 25
The Headmaster's Wager by Vincent Lam

This novel is set in Vietnam during the Vietnam War, but also looks back at the main character's life up to this point. Chen Pie Sou (Percival Chen) was born in China. His father dreamed of the Gold Mountain, earning money elsewhere to make a better life for his family. But he got caught up in the life there and seldom came home to his wife and child. When his mother died, Chen was sent to school in Hong Kong, where he learned English and set the road for his future. The Japanese invasion of Hong Kong resulted in Chen joining his father in Cholon, Vietnam and helping him back to the man he used to be.
Following the war, Chen found a new life for his father's warehouse in a school to teach English, and grew comfortable in the expat Chinese community there.
But the new war brings both trouble and opportunity. Chen's family is torn apart again, and he sinks further into the life of women and gambling that has always been a weakness. Desperate to save his school, he makes an extraordinary wager, all or nothing, that sets his future.
This is the story of four generations of Chinese men, of their pride, their love, and their dreams.
Lam gives a real sense of the life of a well-off Chinese man in Vietnam during this time period, the social situation, and the dangers. Chen is a complex man, and we see him develop over time, through his first love and marriage, and his later love. We see him as he becomes prideful, and comes to understand that pride has its place and time. He grows as a person, and has his own weaknesses and regrets, but turns out to have resourcefulness when it comes down to it.
A fascinating book, great for book clubs.

Alone in the Classroom

Finished August 21
Alone in the Classroom by Elizabeth Hay
This is a novel that crosses several time periods, told by Anne.
The earliest time is 1929, in a small town in Saskatchewan, where Connie Flood is a young teacher. The new principal, Parley Burns, unsettles many in the community. Connie finds his attentions unwelcome, while another teacher is drawn to him. Burns starts a dramatic club that puts on a play, and singles out a particular girl with tragic results. Connie takes a young man with a learning disability under her wing for special tutoring.
A few years later, in another town near Ottawa, Connie, now a journalist encounters Burns again when she is working on a story around a young girl who went missing. While in town she boards with Anne's grandmother, and her younger brother eventually marries Anne's mother.
As Anne looks back on the events that occurred in her and Connie's lives we see the patterns, and the parallels. One of the patterns is threes: principal, student, teacher; grandmother, mother, daughter; aunt, niece, lover; mentor, teacher, student. Another is the influence of older male on younger female. We see the results of obsessive love on people's lives. We also see how events early in a person's life can stay with them throughout the rest of their lives. This is a book about relationships, emotions, and impulses.
A good read.

A Likely Story

Finished March 6
A Likely Story by Eric Wright
This Canadian mystery is from the Joe Barley series. Joe is a man working on a novel, supporting himself as a part-time lecturer at a college in Toronto and part-time detective work. Here, his partner Carole is about to have a baby and he is thinking about the need to get a more permanent job.
First, a couple of cars disappear from campus parking lots, and then a part-time teacher goes AWOL. Joe tries to track down the teacher, but keeps getting information that contradicts what he thinks he knows. When the alternative campus paper starts running anonymous letters detailing battles between the English and Business faculties, the administration takes an interest.
Joe is trying to get to the truth behind these various mysteries, and is worrying about his impending fatherhood.
This is the first book I've read in this series, but it is a nice light mystery with an intriguing plot and good characters. Very enjoyable.

The Other Side of the Dale

Finished December 6
The Other Side of the Dale by Gervase Phinn
I've had this on my shelf for a while, but it was a quick read once I got started. Phinn writes about his experience as a school inspector in Yorkshire. This book begins with Phinn's interview for the inspection position, and continues through the first few months of his job.
His work requires travel, diplomacy, and sometimes physical exertion. There is a lot of humour, a great deal of insight, and lots of good stories.
Phinn clearly loves his job, and enjoys the variety of interactions his job entails. I found this book a feel-good one, with a positive outlook. I am looking forward to the books that follow this one.

Audiobook

Finished September 21
Noah's Compass by Anne Tyler, read by Arthur Morey
The voice of Morey is perfect for this novel. Liam Pennywell has just been downsized from his job teaching fifth-grade at a private school, a job that was itself not his ideal job. As a philosophy graduate, Liam's life took a hard turn many years ago when he was left as a single father. Now he finds himself moving into a smaller apartment in the suburbs of Baltimore. On the night he moves in to his new home, he is burgled and suffers a head injury, the result of which he has no memory after going to bed the previous evening.
His memory loss troubles him and he grasps straws trying to find ways to bring it back. These efforts lead him to interesting acts and encounters that change his life in ways he would never have expected.
As Liam states at one point, he feels that he has never really been engaged in his own life. And while that sounds sad, this book isn't. It is in fact hopeful, as is Liam.

Second in a series

Finished February 3
Extracurricular Activities by Maggie Barbieri
This is the second book in the series that started with Murder 101. The series features college professor Alison Bergeron. Here we have her best friend, Max, about to get married and her ex-husband, Ray still hanging around more than she likes. Also hanging around is another acquaintance from college, Peter Miceli, husband of Gianna Miceli, and member of the mob.
Alison is waiting for her wanna-be boyfriend, NYPD detective Bobby Crawford to be free of his previous relationship before she starts a relationship with him.
When a dead body, missing parts, is left in her kitchen, things start going bad. There are more visits from Peter and other unwanted visitors, threats and injuries. There is also another body. Alison just wants to get her job of collecting curricula for her department done, and be with Bobby, but things are not going her way.
I find Alison a great character, and can really get into her. The plot keeps things moving and there are enough unexpected events to keep things interesting. Another good one.

New York Mystery

Finished January 11
Murder 101 by Maggie Barbieri
This fast-moving mystery centers around Alison Bergeron, a literature professor at a small Catholic college in New York City. First Alison's old Volvo is stolen from the college parking lot. Then two NYPD homicide detectives show up to grill her. Her car has been found with the body of one of her students inside.
Alison is supported by her old school friend Max, yet still keeps getting into hot water. One of the detectives, Bobby Crawford, thinks she is an innocent victim, and tries to give her support when he can, but not even he can keep her out of trouble.
Alison comes across as smart, too-nice (especially to those who don't deserve it), and a bit of a klutz. I can relate!
This is the first in a series, and I'll have to hunt out the others.

Prize-Winner

Finished October 31
Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones
This is a book I've been meaning to read for a while as it came highly recommended. I'm glad I finally made time for it, as it was wonderful.
The story takes place on a remote island in the Solomon Islands. The story is told from the point of view of a young girl in the community, Matilda. Her father has gone to work overseas, in Australia, and her mother is gripped by religion. The mines on the island have been closed due to insurgency and there is fighting between local rebels and soldiers. All the whites have left except one man, Mr. Watts.
Mr. Watts takes over the school to keep the children occupied and he reads Charles Dickens' Great Expectations to the children, explaining as he goes. In addition to the reading, various members of the community visit the school to impart their knowledge about everything from fishing to knowledge of colour. As the village comes under attack by the players in the conflict, the community finds that imagination can be dangerous as well as freeing.
Matilda is an intelligent girl, who remains shaped by this period in her life. Her observations of the members of her community and the knowledge she gains from this experience are insightful and illustrative.

A Memoir and a Tale from World War One

Finished August 23
Botswana Time by Will Randall
I've had this one beside my bed for a while, reading it slowly and savouring it. This memoir is by a British teacher about the time he spent teaching and living in Kasane, Botswana. As he becomes part of the community and engages both with the children and with the other teachers and parents, he also learns about Botwana. He has a great respect for the country and its people and that comes through strongly here. His affection for the children also comes through strongly, and he draws the personalities nicely. He also, of course, encounters the animals, sometimes happily, sometimes not so much, but always described with great humour. He is self-deprecating, but not dishonestly. I really enjoyed this book.

In the Dark by Deborah Moggach
This tale set in Southwark during World War II, is of a teenage boy and his mother, running a rooming house. The father has been killed in the war, and the two are struggling to make ends meet, especially after the rationing begins. The maid, Winnie, is from the country, and acts like an older sister to the boy, Ralph. The local butcher, Neville Turk, is attracted to the mother and woos her by "helping out", sending her nice cuts of meat, and arranging delivery of coal when they run low. This strategy works, and as he marries Eithne and moves into the house, he begins making changes, starting with the addition of electricity. Ralph rebels by becoming a vegetarian and befriends one of the tenants, who is blind. Winnie also befriends Alwyne, reading to him in the evening. As the war continues, Turk continues his plans for the property and shows little regard for others' feelings. Ralph continues his transition to adulthood and Alwyne turns out to be aware of more than others think. An interesting story, told with subtlety and humour.

Reading this week

I have a lot of books on the go right now, but only finished two this week.

Finished today, Saturday, Feb 10th
Children of My Heart by Gabrielle Roy
I decided to read this book, a Canadian classic that I never got around to reading, because it was one of the choices for CBC's Canada Reads.
It was a great read. The book is in 3 parts, with each part set in a different school. They are all from the point of view of a young teacher, and discuss her relationship with her students. The first on is in a town school and the other two are in villages. The stories are emotional and read very true. I really enjoyed the book.

Finished February 6th
Murder in the Museum by Simon Brett
This book is part of the Fethering series, set in the area of the town Fethering. Carole Seddon is on the board of a home of a renowned poet Esmund Chadleigh. When a body is discovered by gardeners on the site, Carole happens to be present. She grows interested and involves her friend Jude who knows another of the people involved through her volunteer work. The politics on the board grow more evident, and Jude is visited by an old lover, who becomes involved from an academic point of view. All in all, lots of possibilities and a great story.