hey!
the boston public library take over appears to have been a sucess...
i would post pictures of what i've done in the last... long amount of time, but i have haven't done anything library related and cool, like invading the BPL.
anyway over the weekend my orchestra performed in a christmas service at my school. was really cool, but very tiring. we are perfomring again tomorrow in boston (i'm excited!!) ... and then i get to got home.

well
i shall see you sometime over break!

~Eleanor

Wes could get very used to this Controller of Destiny stuff....watch out all you peons! 

Somehow, the role if Saints just didn't seem quite right to us.... 

Ellen FINALLY got the Throne of Power. Bow down to She Who is Omnipotent! 

Foresiding is a book illustrating technique that wow-ed us all. 

We find out what it feels like to be a Hebrew prophet in the John Singer Sargent mural paintings... 

Leslie tries out the Chair of Power in Bernie's office. 

The rare collections "keeper" let us hold George Washington's Medal of Honor - the first one ever presented by the United States of America! 

On December 8th, he invited us on a private tour of the BPL as his guests! 

Bernie Margolis, president of the Boston Public Library was our guest during Teen Read Week in October. 

yay for invading the boston public library!
i wish i could have gone :( invading libraries os fun!!
i'm in the processing of convincing my mom to let me go to the LOTR film fest. i don't know if this is possible though, because i have someone coming to stay with me the next day, so as of now, i don't know if it would work, mostly because it involves alot of driving for my parents. but i am coming to a bookgroup meeting, make no mistake! (**evil laughter!**)
i had better get reading so i have something valuable to say when i do show up! :)

see ya (rather soon, actually!)
~Eleanor

Hi everybody,
Today is the magical day we get to invade the office of the president of the Boston Public Library.
Yeay! Bernie Margolis is actually a really good sport. He is planning to take us on a tour of the mural rooms, which, by reputation, are fabulous - very ornate and mythological - which we all love.....
Anyway, many of us are looking forward to the awesome LOTR marathon on Wed. of Christmas vacation. Hope you can make it, Eleanor..! Appropriate prizes will be awarded to stellar costume design. This event is not limited to teens, by-the-way, any and all LOTR fans are welcome. IT will start at noon and run until we are done. Whew!
I'll try to post photos from our BPL take-over.
Ellen

Hey!!
how is life?

i have been trying in vain to think of a thought provoking question to post on the blog...
i have a passage from a book i may post, if i ever remember to do it when i am near the book.

i am pretty sure that i will be able to visit for either a wednesday meeting, the LOTR film fest, or both. I am looking forward to visiting!! :)

hopefully over the upcoming vacation, i will be able to do some writing that i can post, because thats always fun. i miss reading all the cool stuff people used to write.
i feel very isolated from the coolness that is the book review group.
(i know you are probably getting sick of hearing this, from me, but posting on the blog would be really cool, and very much appreciated. send some deep, though provoking questions my way! :) )

oh!! we have snow here!!! but now its raining. alas.

see ya!
~Eleanor

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!
I just spent the holiday eating and reading...!
I finished Mortal Engines - a great action adventure story with plenty of good characters and a strange premise for a setting. Can't wait to read the sequel!
My favorite book was The Kiterunner, though. This is a book set in Afghanistan but written by an Afghan-American man who is a wonderful writer, though trained as a medical doctor. Wow. I was really moved by this, but it is definitely "yellow dot."
I've read a couple of other books that didn't thrill me - "godless" by Pete Hautman who also wrote Sweetblood, which I know is a favorite.
It was so enjoyable to spend the day yesterday curled up on the couch with my cat and a really good book!
Seeya on Wednesday...
Ellen

Hey!

I see you are having a Lord of the Rings Marathon... (grins evilly)
I'll be around then!!! (well, I make sure that I am in duxbury anyways.)
are you going to watch the extended version of the movies? you should because they are cooler than the regular ones. (actually I haven't seen the second or third movies' extended versions, but I assume that they would be cooler. as that is generally how it works.)

so, in english i'm reading As I Lay Dying, by Faulkner. Its really weird and confusing. Unfortunately i won't have much to say about books until thanksgiving break. because all my reading time is still being taken up by books for english.
alas.

I saw the picture on the website, too. that's from Salem correct? I wish i could have come. Salem is cool. but 'tis done.
I think that my sister is going to eat my soul. I stopped writing my really long story... (a while ago) alas.

Ida, keep writing the story on your blog!!!!!!!!!! Its really cool!!!!!!
*Must Read More!!!*

see ya!
~Eleanor

p.s. its very sad that the blog is not often used anymore. Please bring it back! ;)

happy samhain!

(i hope i selled that right, and i apologize if i did not.)
anyway...
please post!
that would make me very very happy! (besides you know you want to post on the blog, don't deny it!)

so...
tomorrow is election day... should be interesting...

i'm hoping that sometime during my thanksgiving break, there exists a wednesday that i will be able to randomly attend book group... (evil laughter)

but now, i must go. for i have workjob (i work in the kitchen...)

see ya!
~Eleanor

Here is the plot synopsis so far. I couldn't get all of it as we have some discrepancies in our text, but Katie knows FAR more about how it all fits together than I do. Just sayin'.....
Teen Novel Plot Synopsis:

Book 1: “The Story of the Life you Don’t Want to Live”

Kyle is in her senior year. She’s a girl from a poor family, lives with her father and is in love with the most popular guy in high school. Her mother died in child birth with her, dad wanted a boy, so named her “Kyle.”

Her best friend is named Jean (pronounced as the French) he’s a guy and a trekkie. (StarTrek fan)

The Popular Guy is going out with Kyle’s ex-best friend, Jessica. Jessica turns out to be a lesbian and has a crush on Kyle.

Kyle has a locket from her mom that she can’t open.

She starts abusing drugs and cutting herself. Has sex with popular guy and gets pregnant. He leaves her immediately. In her sorrow and pain, she has a fling with Jessica has a miscarriage and ends up in a coma. While in the coma, Kyle’s dad dies. When Kyle wakes up from coma she has partial amnesia and is very confused. “”Feels like a broken typewriter without a click.”

Book 2:

Main character is Jerry. Jerry wears a trenchcoat and was molested by his parents. He is confused about his sexuality and joins a Trekkie cult of “True Believers in order to fit somewhere. He lives near a railroad track and thinks about leaving every time he hears a train whistle blow.

He is gay and has a crush on Jean, Kyle’s best friend. One day Jerry gets his legs cut off by a train. He is maimed but does not die.

The cult of Trekkies make him endure a ritual ceremony that involves stabbing…..

hey!
did you scare the boston public library guy?
(i assume that you had some sort of unusual philosophical discussion...?)
sadly i still have no books to recommend to you for all my reading time has been taken up by the copious amounts of reading i must do for english/history class.
oh well, at least the book is interesting
which more than can be said for many books one reads for school.
so perhaps i can come visit you during my next vacation.

see ya!
~Eleanor

Hey!
alas. i don't think that i'll be able to meet you at salem... for i have no way of getting there.
so, have fun and take pictures!!!!!
(and go in costume other wise there is little point in taking pictures.)
anyway...
i'm bored...
it's saturday and no one's around...
i don't want to do my homework...
stupid homework...
i have nothing more to say...
alas...

see ya!
~Eleanor
ps. i want to see this ultimate YA novel summary that you wrote. it sounds most amusing
(and now i'm going to stop procratsinating... and do some homework...)

Good job, folks,
Bernie had a good time!
If you haven't given in your permission slip for Salem (Sat. Oct. 30) please do.
We will be making our plans for a visit to see Bernie at the BPL sometime this winter.
He wants all of us to get a photo with our feet on his desk - talk about a power trip!

hi!
When are you going to Salem?!
maybe i can meet you there...?

See ya!
~Eleanor

Hi folks!
We are good to go with our Salem trip. I and Ida's mom, Emily's dad, and Erin's mom are driving.
If you can't go, don't worry. We'll be taking other trips in and around the Boston area throughout the year.
Katie - Great job with the novel synopsis. I can't believe you got everyone's input, but you did.
Wow. We should posted it here so Elenaor can read it, too. She'll definitely get it.
Eleanor - I hope you are doing well. We miss you! Trickster's Queen is out and everyone is on hold for it. Other books we talked about last week are: the Persepolis books I & II by Satrapi, Odo Hirsh books, Orca Soundings books (very short, but good), Perks (of course), Witches Key to Terror, the Led Zeppelin biography: Stairway to Heaven.
Ida noted that she and her French penpal have REALLY bonded. They seem to like the same kind of things.
My impression is that next weekend is the Drama club's Fall Festival. I hope all goes well for it. I will be in Chicago visiting my daughter, Anna. She is really liking the University of Chicago. It is a place where the "Life of the Mind" is alive and well. The discussons are great and the readings blend science, philosophy, and literature.
Bernie Margolis, the president of the Boston Public Library is coming to our next Bookmarks' meeting. I hope he enjoys it. I think we should have one of our deeper discussions for him....
Ellen

hey, I was writing beacause I want more Ideas for our story so I can write it more completly.
Thank you,
Katie

Hey everybody (especially Leslie cuz she posted)!

someone else posted! it made me happy! YAY!
i would have to agree with Leslie: it is very depressing that no one posts anymore. alas. you MUST post! the force of the BLOG and the BOOK REVIEW GROUP compels you!
yes, as you may be able to tell, i have too much energy and nothing to do with it right now. study hall hasn't even started and i am pretty much done with my homework! i'll have nothing to do for two hours! AHHH!
oh well, i'm at the library so i'm sure that i'll be able to find some way to amuse myself.
i'm considering posting my annoyance with both the democratic and republican parties. hmm... do i wish to create controversy?
YES, of course i do! why bother asking?!

okay, here goes:
Both party the Democrats and Republicans have very similar views on issues (many of which i don't agree with) and thus, i am annoyed.
for example, they both support the death penalty, neither party wants to address global warming, and such. (the Green Party is interesting, by the way... i had to do a report on them for government class...)

it would be cool if people would respond to this, and we can get the "talking to people" part of the blog going again cuz that's fun (and because i really don't think that you want to read me ramble about nothing on a daily basis)

so, what books have been recommended? i want some books to read in my free time that i don't have! ;)

See Ya!
~Eleanor

hey!
no one writes anymore! its so depressing!
i started reading it and i was like omg! Elenore is the only person who types
so yea
Hi elenor!

Hi!
here is my contribution to the book review group this week. Biting the Sun by Tanith lee is really good. I'm not quite done yet, but so far i'd say it deserves a gold sticker. and the book Winesburg, Ohio is really weird, but kinda cool.
When does the Trickster's Queen come out? i must know! i'm rereading the tricksters choice, as i wait impatiently for the next part of the story. so if anyone knows please tell me!
also, if anyone knows when the fall festival of plays is please post it on the blog because if possible, i intend to go see it. :) sadly i don't think i'll be able to invade a book review group meeting when i have my first vacation/ long weekend type thing, because there is no wednesday then. alas. perhaps i can come and visit over thanksgiving break or christmas break or something like that.
alas, for now i must go continue my homework.

See ya!
~Eleanor

Hey!
i think my personal blog has officially died. alas... i got writers block and couldn't figure out what to do with the story. although i think it would be cool if i could think of anything to write. maybe it will come to me in a dream... hmm...
Does any one know when the new Tamora Pierce book comes out? i know its soon, but when?! i must read it! does any one have any other books to recommend? or any interesting philosphical discussion stuff? if i think of a good topic, i'll let you know.

See Ya!
~Eleanor

Hi All,
I'm posting from Brownsville, Kentucky at their amazing little public library. (Yeay, public libraries!)
We dropped off Anna at University of Chicago the other day and are enjoying the sights and peculiarities of the Mammoth Caves National Park. It really is spectacular. Caverns are cool - in more ways than one!

Eleanor, I think part of the lack of activity on this blog is that I need to RE-introduce our slacker book group folks to the concept of the blog. It can really be fun if we can get some action going. I won't be back in Duxbury until the 27th so don't expect more than Ida and Matty to post until then. Hey, maybe smeone is reading this and will surprise us! Won't that be nice!

Matty, I gave your name and phone # to Elaine, our director, since she asked me for an eleventh grader who might be interested in being on the Long Term Planning Board of the library. It shouldn't be too much work and it will look GREAT on your college applications...... Hope that was Okie Dokey. Say, by the way, did you guys make it to the beach last Wednesday?

See y'all in a couple of licks. (Catch the Kentucky slang goin' on?)
Ellen

Hey.
no one's posting.
don't make me boycott posting! ;) (actually, i probably wouldn't do that because i'd get too bored...)
but really, i think that the last three or so posts have been by me, and its kinda sad, in my opinion.
so i think i'll send the book review group a (long) email in the near future, cuz i'm cool like that.... yeah.
so you should all post! (i refuse to let the blog die! after all, i got most of you to start posting in the first place.) ;)

see ya!
~Eleanor

Hey,
i'm bored! i have nothing to do until 10:50!
what books have been recommended rececently?
i think that more people need to post on the blog... its the only way i can talk to most of you!
I may e able to come back and visit duxbury sometime in the middle of october. (i think that the weekend might be the 16th of october, or something around there.)
if anyone knows when the Fall Festival of Plays is, please tell me! it would be much appreciated.
so, how the new schedule working out? does it still suck as much as it did at first? (if so, i am very sorry...).

see ya!
~Eleanor

Hey,
i'm bored! i have nothing to do until 10:50!
what books have been recommended rececently?
i think that more people need to post on the blog... its the only way i can talk to most of you!
I may e able to come back and visit duxbury sometime in the middle of october. (i think that the weekend might be the 16th of october, or something around there.)
if anyone knows when the Fall Festival of Plays is, please tell me! it would be much appreciated.
so, how the new schedule working out? does it still suck as much as it did at first? (if so, i am very sorry...).

see ya!
~Eleanor

Hey!
wow, my sense of time is dead! i have been at school for about three weeks, but it doesn't feel like three weeks. and i can't decide if it feels like more or less time than that. i think it is both, which makes no sense to anyone but me... i'm confusing myself... i'll stop now.
anyway, has anyone read the short story "yellow wall paper"? its really weird, and kinda cool... its about a lady who has postpartum depression. so her husband, who is a doctor takes her to the counrty to get well. but they stay in a room with very disturbing yellow wall paper. eventaully she thinks she sees some one trapped behind the pattern in the wall paper. it turns out that she is the one who is trapped. its a cool, but really weird story.
sadly i have very little time to read on my own... alas.
so hmm... what else have i to say?
grr! i'm still jelous of you guys for getting to meet Tamora Pierce! grr... oh well.
so... "The Raven", by Poe, is really cool. it has a really cool rythm and rhym scheme. yeah, i sound like a dork, but i care not!
so if your planning any trips in the near future, tell me. perhaps i'll be able to meet you guys somewhere...

See ya!
~Eleanor

It's good to hear from Eleanor!
We miss you but are glad to know you're still just a "click" of the mouse away.
I am getting ready to embark on my ten day vacation out to the Heartland of America.
Dropping Anna off at Univ. of Chicago, then on to points unknown.... We were planning to venture southward and explore Mammoth Caves in Kentucky, but Ivan the Terrible to marching ever northward, bringing rain, wind and flooding in his wake. I think Canada is looking better and better...!
Talking to Tamora Pierce about the use of magic got me to thinking. Many is the time I've wished for a bit of magic to get me out of a situation or two. She emphasized that she doesn't use magic as an "escape hatch." That's just too easy and not realistic. Instead, she sees magic as just another part of someone's personality - frequently one that needs to be tamed and brought under control in order for it to be useful to the person. Sometimes I think people actually have powers that they don't understand or utilize fully. If they did, they'd be considered far more powerful than they are. Do you have a quality that, if tapped or enhanced, would be magical? What if you could just embellish it a tiny bit? (Hmmmm...the possibilities are verrrrry interesting.......)

Hey,
so, whats up?
yes, i know i need to post more often. i think my last post was sometime perhaps two weeks ago... or some such thing.
anyway how is life?
i haven't been able to read much because i've been busy. i want my free time back! (okay, so i never really had any to begin with. actually now that i think about it, i may have more free time here than i did at home... thats not the point!)
school is good for the most part, at times it is stressful, but alas that is the way school is...
send me some philosophical questions, for they are most amusing. i can contemplate them during study hall whan i finish my homework early.

see ya!
~Eleanor

Hi All -
Some of us went up to Boston to visit Tamora ("Call me Tammy") Pierce. She was a riot. She talked about how she comes up with her characters (clips cool looking picture of people out magazines and uses them as models) and how plot is actually way trickier to get right than characters.

She also told us that she is going to be writing a book that comes out FIRST as a full cast audio CD before it is pbulished as a printed book! This is kind of weird but she's a good friend of Bruce Coville who is now publishing audiobooks of full cast productions of books already written, and it seems to be the next best thing.

I went to a cool music festival yesterday - The Rhythm and Roots Festival - in Rhode Island. It was really fun. A lot of dancing and eating of Cajun cooking. Next week I drive out to Chicago to take Anna to college. University of Chicago starts late. It sounds kind of like Eleanor's school in that it has 3 terms and people only take 3 to 4 courses at a time. Lots of reading, though.

See y'all on Wed.

Hi,
i'm sorry your new schedule sucks... 'tis sad.
my schedule is quite weird. there are 3 terms and only 2 classes per term... and theres lots and lots of homework. ah alas....
but anyway, I have school tomorrow, which is annoying cuz its a holiday. at least I get to sleep late.
and hmmm... what else have I to say. i know not.

see ya!
~Eleanor

Hi!
No one is writing, which makes me sad....
please write and post on the blog! for I must ahve a away to takl to people!

See ya!
~Eleanor

P.S. How is school, with eth new chedule and all?

Hi!
i am jelous, for you get to meet Tamora Pierce, and i am unable to leave school. *grr!* alas...
i don't really have anything new and exciting to say (since yesterday)...
so, i think i'll post the very begining of one of my numerous stories. comments and constructive criticism are welcome. sugestions are much appreciated.
here it is:

I clutched my fiddle case and dashed out of the house.
That thoughtless, inconsiderate, uncaring, b----d of a father! How dare he! Angry thoughts exploded in my head. I didn’t want to marry some snot-nosed prince! I couldn’t care less about the family name! My marriage was to save the family. Ha!
He hadn’t even asked me! I might be subject to his decisions, but that didn’t mean I was some mindless creature built to serve the family name. I deserve a say in my future!
My thoughts carried me to the cliff overlooking the ocean. The sky was grey-blue and spotted with lavender-tinged clouds. The sea pounded against the cliffs and shore. Green-blue waves rode beneath caps of white foam. A swift breeze pushed the clouds across the sky.
The top of the cliff was mostly flat, with a few large rocks that stuck up; good for seats. moss carpeted most of the top. I sat down on a rock and took out my fiddle. I set my bow to the strings and began to play. At first a fast angry melody, then melting into a sad haunting one. The music asked what will become of me? Why? Why didn’t I have a choice?
I played and played until the sun had set below the horizon.
Music was really the only way I could say what I wanted to say, not what others thought I should say. My true voice.
I was getting dark. With regret, I packed my fiddle away and turned reluctantly toward home. I dreaded facing my father.

i know the editing out at the top is odd, and possibly unnessicary, but i'm not sure whats appropriate for this site. (and i don't want to get in trouble with my school)
see ya!
~Eleanor

Hi All,
Well the video contest went GREAT thanks in large part to the efforts of Devin, Katie, Tory, Kim, and Emily. Charlotte came later, but looked great so that was fun. I got a lot of feedback from folks who came that they really enjoyed it. Now we just need to encourage more Duxbury entries. Kudos go to Greg Wadsworth, Scott Maloney and Jonathan McKenzie for their terrific kung fu action video. They were the only Duxbury participants to attend.... Maybe next year we'll get some more folks from DHS.....
Saturday we are going up to see Tamora Pierce in Boston. She's hosting a little private party to which we are invited....! I just fininshed reading City of Ember which I thought was great. Nancy Hoffman has the sequel now, but I've got dibs on it next, People of Sparks is what it's called.
What are you all reading?

Hello!
i bring you greetings from western mass! (i'm at school. northfield mount herman for anyone who wishes to know the name)
so far things have been going well, although classes have not yet begun. i start on the first of sept. same day as you guys!
so, anything new in book group? please send philosphical discussion questions! for i must have meaningful things to ponder when i am bored ( which will probably not be very often, once i start getting homework *grr!*. but that is entirely beside the point!)
"Biting the Sun" by Tanith Lee, is...interesting. theres actually some cool ideas in it. for example, if you die, (like in a car crash), then you imediately come back in a new body. its not like being reincarnated, b/c you still remember all of you life, you just have a new body... so i wonder if these people can die. are they immortal... but i don't think that many/any of you have read the book (its rather annoying to find), so i'll stop rambling about it.
so keep me posted on when you're having trips. i might be able to meet you guys at different places... 'tis quite possible!
hope to see you this fall!
~Eleanor

Hey Everybody!
i am currently at school. grr... my classes begin in a day and a half... (sept. 1)
anyway, whats up at book club? any perticularly interesting philosphical discussion topics lately?
i haven't had much time to read lately (i've been packing and unpacking a lot lately, and traveling, and stuff...) but so far "biting the sun" is pretty good. its very weird... you can die and then come back in a new body. but its not like being reborn, cuz you remember all you past experiances, you just look completely different? then i wonder if they can die at all... since they can just be put into a new body... its a cool book, lots of strange ideas.
but now i must go,
i hope to see you all, sometime this fall...
~Eleanor

Hi everybody,
Well, I for one, felt that the LOTR exhibit exceeded my expectations. It was amazing....!
Hope everyone else had a good time.
Now I'm gearing up for next week's South Shore Video Contest. It's happening on Friday, August 27th at 7:30 p.m. in the Merry Room. You're al invited. Feel free to wear Hollywood-type clothes.
(We make fun of the whole "Oscars" thing, giving out our "Felix" awards with great fanfare....)

My daughter, Gretchen was bringing back a group of kids from a sleepover at a Mass. Audubon camp in N.H. and held an improptu "Socrates Cafe" en route. She found it REALLY interesting. The kids were VERY opinionated, which made it fun. They discussed (argued) about whether or not people are destined to lead a particular life or not and whether there really is such a thing as Free Will. Destiny vs. Free Will. what do you say?
See you on Wed.

Hey!
after three weeks of no access to a computer i am now able to takl to everyone again!!! Yay!
the LOTR trip rocked!
keep posting philosophical questions online so i can still contribute to book group! and everyone else need to get into this blogging thing! more people should create accounts. they don't know what they are missing! it is indeed a good time...
anyway, as soon as i am done with my summer reading, i'm going to read "Bite the Sun" by Tanith Lee. It sounds cool.
perhaps i'll post some of my story that i'm writing, on the blog.... later, when i'm not so tired...
see ya!
~Eleanor

Hey Bookmarks -
Based on our opeing discussion the other day of why authors frequently use fairy tales as vehicles for telling a newer story, I'd like everyone to consider all the different kinds of metaphors or devices that they have found in their reading that authors use as a lens to tell a new story: a bible story re-told, a fairy tale, a nursery rhyme, for instance - how does a modern author use such a device in a new, fresh way? What does it add? Is it successful or simply cumbersome?
Think about it or our next meeting.
Ellen

Hi fellow Bookmarks -
The deal with the LOTR is this: We can't do the late night event, so I got tickets for Thursday, August 19th at 5:30 p.m. We 'll be back by 8 p.m. so if anyone wants to organize a sleepover among friends, that's up to you. I'm kind of arguing with the Museum over the ticket price as they sent me a confirmation for a $5 prixe, but now they want to charge us $20/each, which is the regular ticket price.
I'll try to sort all that out by Wed.s meeting.
I have permission slips so anyone wanting to go needs to get one signed and turned in.
The good thing about this date is that Eleanor can some with us.....Yeay!
Ellen

Hi!
starting tommorrow, i will be unable to post anything on the blog for about a month *tear*. (i'm off to music camp)

anyway, i have recently come to the following conclusion (with the help of my sister's obsession with "Wicked"): Glinda (the "good" witch) was a backstabbing traitor, Dorothy was evil, and Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West), was horribly misunderstood and really cool! and everyone in Oz is very confused, very, very confused...
although this may seem extremely random, my sister recently got the "Wicked" soundtrack and has been listening to it most of the day. and i feel i must point this out: people are sympathizing with the wrong characters!
and i have a question for anyone who has read or seen "Wicked": who is the Tinman, really? (i think i know, but i'm not sure. since i have yet to read the book, which might be entirely different from the musical anyway. but at the monent that is beside the point...)
and does anyone know what the Wicked Witch of the East did to be considered wicked anyway? i am slightly confused...
and while we're on the topic, in the "Wizard of Oz" what did the wicked witch do anyway? i know she sent flying monkeys after Dorothy and her companions, but they were coming to kill her... wouldn't you send flying monkeys after someone coming to murder you in your own home...
i'm done now... for the time being...
okay, i do sound a bit obsessed at the moment... oh well...
i do belive i must read "Wicked" now...

see ya at Lord of the Rings!
~Eleanor

I think Matty is onto something here....
You guys make your plans accordingly.
Anyway, remember our discussion yesterday about why literature matters?
Here is the passage I was looking for in "Reading Lolita in Tehran" :
"Nabokov (the author) calls every great novel a fairy tale....(they) abound with frightening witches who eat children and wicked stepmothers who poison their beautiful stepdaughters and weak fathers who leave their children behind in forests. But the magic comes from the power of good, that force which tells us we need not give in to the limitations and restrictions imposed on us by McFate, as Nabokov called it. Every fairy tale offers the potential to surpass present limits, so in a sense the fairy tale offers you freedoms that reality denies..." She goes on to say how powerful it is to read life and freedom affirming literature in a society which imposes inhuman restrictions on its citizens. Reading such things is an act of treason, a defiance that can be punished by rape or murder - and still she and her friends do it. They feel compelled to do to to affirm their link (their place on the human family) with the rest of the world........Scary to think about, isn't it?

hi!
i think i might be able to come to book review tommorrow! :) i'm going to be in duxbury for some of the day, and i think i might be around at four.... it is at four, right?

see ya!
~Eleanor

Hi!
I'm going to say my thing for the deep and meaningful question ms. ellen posted. so here goes...
literature and reading is nessecary for our culture to be functioning properly. reading fiction can make you think about things that have happened and how they could have been different and how they could be changed. For example, the book, to kill a mockingbird, was about an event similar to something that actually happened. the book tells about the trial of a black man acused of rape (this took place during the 30's). however, there was a good deal of evidence saying that he didn't committ the crime. but he was convicted anyway. hearing about an event like this form the point of view of a person with opinions about it, is much different from hearing about it from an emotionless news person. when reading a book, you become emotionally involved with the characters, when you hear about a unjust or disturbing event, you think about it more than if all you are told is a brief summary.
reading books give the reader acess to many different piont of view, and this helps each person form thier own thoughts opinions and values. if that is taken away, people can become much easier to controll. if you are only showed one side of a story, then, you will believe that that is how it really happened.
i hope thats clear enough...
i'll probably think of more to say later.

see ya!
~Eleanor

OK
Here is one of the questions I want to consider next week at our meeting:
According to the latest survey (NEA,2004), people are reading less and less fiction. They are playing video games, surfing the net, reading some non-fiction, watching TV, and generally being lazy. Big surprise.
My question is this: does it matter if people are no longer reading novels? What purpose do novels and poetry play in our culture?

I just read a terrific book called, "Reading Lolita in Tehran," by this Iranian English professor who had this incredible experience teaching American and English novels in the totalitarian, fundamentalist Islamic Republic of Iran. She had to do it in secret, hoping that she would not be found out and put in jail (rape and torture could follow). She eventually moved to Virginia and now teaches there.
She feels strongly that there is wisdom and insight in literature that is not accessible in other formats. Do you agree or disagree? Do we need literature to be a civilized society, or is it just fun but not really essential?
We'll talk about this next week.....
Ellen

Yippeeee!
i'm happy! (can you tell?)
i might be able to come to the LOTR trip! Yay!
i finished the first sandman comic book, very cool, now i must go borrow the next book, from my neighbor...
i need to update my blog... hmm perhaps i should do that now... i kinda started writing something else and stopped writing my blog story. its hard to write two things at once.

some one please send me a thought provoking question that i can ponder when i am really BORED. thanx!

and now i'm going to sound really dorky, but who cares! does anyone have a copy of "Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics", or know where i could locate a copy of it? i'm going to read Beowulf (again) and i wish to look at that book. I tried to find it in my local library system, but i failed... 'tis sad.

see ya!
~Eleanor

Stop everything.
The LOTR trip is off in its current manifestation.
We do not have permission to hold a library-hosted trip of this nature and do a sleepover at the library. I'm sorry, guys, but it really is too much to ask and plan.
Now I am devising an evening trip perhaps later in the month of August so Eleanor, among other LOTR fans, can come with us. It would make a nice final event with her. So Eleanor, give us your Duxbury August dates again so we can make an alternative plan.
By-the-way, I have some really thought-provoking questions to bring up at the next Wed. meeting regarding the value of reading literature in our lives.... Come ready to really get a good discussion going!
Ellen

hi.
i am very sad...
i can't come with you guys to the LOTR trip, and you get to go on opening day! (i'm soooooooo jealous! grrr...) :(
and i just went to the sci-fi convention to check the dates, and then i check the northfield calendar, to see if i could come, but it a closed weekend, and i'm not allowed to leave school! *whines a bit more* (i'm more jealous now....) :(
anyway, on a slightly more happy and interesting note, i started reading the Sandman comic books, by Neil Gaiman. I'm almost done with the first one. i'm enjoying it... anyone who likes dark, disturbing fantasy, would like these books.

see ya
~eleanor

p.s. does anyone know where i could find a copy of "Beowulf: the Monsters and the Critics" by J.R.R. Tolkien that i could borrow. i've been looking for a copy, but i can't seem to locate in the cape cod library system... it is very sad. (i know i sound like a dork right now, but that's ok with me!)

Gee, I guess Emma has an opinion about this movie! I did have to edit your posting, Emma, (F*** word) because we really can't condone bad language on the library web site. It's OK to have strong feelings, just express them a bit more tactfully, please!

Let's not forget that this issue (the war, the Bush administration, etc) is pretty controversial, so we need to be aware that thoughtful people may disagree about this. I don't want anyone to feel intimidated to express a differing opinion, so let's keep it straight and express ourselves honestly, but in good taste.
Thanks!
Ellen

OH MY GOD! I AM SO EXCITED!
I'm at the Ref. Desk today, so I happened to surf by the Museum of Science LOTR web page and GUESS WHAT! They are having a Grand Opening in the middle of the night on Sat-Sun. July 31 - Aug.1 so I immediately got us 16 teen tickets and 4 adult! They are only $5 each! They encourage folks to come in costume!!!!! We'll be there from 12:30 A.M. until about 3-4 a.m. then drive home and crash.
I called Emma's Mom ASAP and she's OK with driving up and I'm sure I can get my girls to drive in, so we need a couple other parents to go, too. What do you say?
Ellen

Leslie -
It is good to have you back!
As far as Fahrenheit 9-11 is concerned, the facts Michael Moore presents are pretty well documented. The film certainly is an opinion piece in that it has a strong view that it is aspousing and uses the facts that back that view up, but it is hard to dispute the record. It would be good to see the film before you comment on it. Hope you can.
See you on Wed. at 4 p.m.!
I am reading some historical fiction now, but just finished "The Gospel According to Larry," by Janet Tashjian, which was terrfic. The sequel just came out and we're getting it ASAP.
Ellen

Hey everyone,
I just want to say to anyone who has seen farenhight 911 that alot of the facts they say bush new about alqueda isn't true.
I myself haven't seen it but I've read sevral reviews and herd alot of opinions from normal people and basically the movie is like totally anti-bush. Alot of the facts arn't true or they're more detailed and clear in the movie than they were in real life. I'm just saying this because I have alot of anti-bush friends in and out of the book club and personally i don't hate bush.Many people say he shouldn't of attacked right after 9/11 but what would you of done if you were president? It was either attacking or risking being attacked again killing more innocent citizens. And he didn't make the choice alone, there was congress and everything. So for all those people who hate bush can you honestly think of anything better he could of done? I'm only saying this because alot of people hate bush but its not like he's not just trying to do the right thing by his country. Farenhight 911 is a hate bush movie and i can see exactly why its rated R.
-Leslie

hi!
i'm BORED! yeah, so any thing new and exciting happen at book group?
i'm trying to start my summer reading, but it is very difficult. I don't want to read stuff someone tells me to read! I want to choose my own books! (okay, i'll stop whining now...)
so keep me posted as to when the trips and stuff are happening.
anyway, what's up with the progressive novel?

See ya!
~Eleanor

I'm so bored right now. I'm trying to figure out if there is Bookclub today or not. If there is, I'm coming. If there's not, well, then I have more free time to be bored. Lucky me. I think I'm gonna go play Puggle right now which is this really stupid game I like on www.fiends.com, if any of you are interested. Blah. Camp starts in like, a little over a week, and parents keep yelling at me to read the play. I will read it...just having too much fun being bored right now.

Yeah, so blah. If anyone is able to locate Ida, get her address and phone number for me. I have some serious yelling to do, because she left me for the summer.

Lotsa love,
Emma

hey,
i am going to make a movie for the southshore video contes. but I need people to help me with infront of the camera things like acting! and Someone to help me write it! so if ur interested in helping me contact me on my e-mail at wolfy161@netscape.net.



Thanx,
Katie Sullivan
P.S. I need your response A.S.A.P. Thanx again.

hey,
i am going to make a movie for the southshore video contes. but I need people to help me with infront of the camera things like acting! and Someone to help me write it! so if ur interested in helping me contact me on my e-mail at wolfy161@netscape.net.



Thanx,
Katie Sullivan
P.S. I need your response A.S.A.P. Thanx again.

Hey,
IM BORED!!!!!!!!!!!! who else is bored? if you are bored to call me and we can have a boring get togather YAY!please oh and by the way more people need to come to book review !!!!!!!!!!!! okay goodbye now!

Oops!
I see that it sounds like we're goig on a trip next week. No. We are merely planning our trip next week. I can't take you guys to Fehrenheit 911 myself as it is R-rated (Lord only knows why) and you have to be accompanied by your parent(s).
I was suggesting that we go out to Rutland, MA to see the cool and (somewhat) weird animals that we might purchase for our Heifer Project friends in far off countries....
It will have to be on a day that I don't have to be on the Reference Desk - which is only Mondays....! So I guess we will have to go on a Monday.Let's talk about it on Wed. PM.

Hi!
what is this trip you speak of? I think i can come. (is this the Fahrenheit 9-11 trip?)
has anyone read the Invisible man (by Ralph Ellison) of This Boy's Life (by Tobias Wolff)? I have to read them for summer reading. just wondering i they are good. and i get to read Mists of Avalon for summer reading because i get to choose one of my three books myself, that made me very happy ;).

see ya later!
~Eleanor

Welcome back Leslie, Marlana, and Julie!
Let's see. I get the impression that the trip to Colorado wasn't too bad (understatement of the year). We already have ZAZOO in our collection and it's been on the new book carousel for a looooong time. I'm really glad you liked it! White water rafting IS great. I've done it a couple of times in Montana. It's like a natural roller coaster!
We had a small but good book group meeting on Wed. We are planning a trip, so for those of you game to go meet us next week on Wed. at 4 p.m. I might be a little late 'cause I've got to take my uncle tot he V.A. hospital in Brockton earlier in the day, but I should be back by 4. Did anyone see Fehrenheit 911 yet? It's pretty amazing.
Ellen

Hey everyone!
I had an awesome time in colorado! iT WAS TOTALLY wILD! I got to sit in an arch in arches national park and watch it thunder, lightning, and rain about 5 miles away. It was totally awesome. We also got to go to Mesa Verde were there are a bunch of cliff dwellings(for those of you who don't know cliff dwellings are communities like buildings and stuff build into a naturally formed oppening halfway down a cliff). It was the coolest thing. We got to climb up 600 feet all at one point and if you fell you were climbing up an almost flat space besides from foot and hand holes so chances of survival or avoidance of seriouse injury were low. IT WAS SO COOL!!!!!! Everyone in our girl scout troop like flipped out every time we went climbing on high hights but i loved it (doont you dare deny that julie and marlana cause its true). I LOVE LOVE LOVE high hights and I want to go back to Crested Butte to go skiing so badly! We also got to ride up on the ski lift. That was awesome because underneath you there was a 100-200 foot drop at least at all times. I was in paradise. Well thats until we reached the top and had to walk down 4.3 miles and got lost like 3 times and ended up on an extreme sport downhill biking race track. witch was also totally awesome. Before that we went White water rafting which if you dont do once in your life you've missed out!(That gos for you too ellen if you've never gone because my 60 year old girl scout leader even said it was a blast, to put it in her owen words, "Wow I waited till I was sixty to do that! I've missed out!)It would be the oh so coolest thing if the book group took a trip to main and went on class 5 rapids! Anyway those were the highlights of our trip so i wont bore you any longer. Ta-ta
-Leslie
P.S. Ellen if you don't buy the book ZAZOO I will be terribly sorry for all those who don't get to read it. It is an AWESOME book. yes it does deserve awesome in uppercase letters and a gold sticker would look nice on it's cover. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE buy it when you get the chance I loved it! YOU would too!

hi!
so, how was book group?
is ms. ellen back yet? (How was florida?)
anyway... please come to my blog, i would really appreciate some comments or suggestions.
also, i thought of another story, but i'm not sure if i want to make it into a blog...

see ya later!
~Eleanor

hey all. louisiana is pretty good.

i also finished ch 1 on my story. ellen kindly put the link up for me.


email me at dragon_gurl7719@yahoo.com

hi!
so when is this road trip every one keeps talking about? i am determined to come.
I finished reading the Pit Dragon Trilogy by Jane Yolen, it was very very good! Some one please put gold stickers on "Dragon's Blood", "Heart's Blood" and "A Sending of Dragons" for me, at the next book review group. i also read "The Others" by Jean Thesman, it was good too, but i don't think it deserves a gold sticker.
when are we going to the lord of the rings exhibit?

See ya later!
~Eleanor

Yeah, Matty, I was bummed about missing Amelia.
But otherwise, it's been fun meeting so many author who continue to say that libraries are VITAL to a healthy democracy! Considering how badly we are paid, it is nice to know that we are upholding our corner of the tattered American flag of Free Speech. Richard Clarke, the terrorist expert was awesome and really P.O.d at the current State of Affairs. Julie, Marlana and Leslie are in Colorado now, right? I wonder how that's going. Hope they're having a great time! Let's plan a Road Trip when I get back.
Ellen

GUESS WHAT!!
Because librarians saved his first book, Stupid White Men, from oblivion, Michael Moore loves librarians! He is donating a screening of Fehrehiet 911 to us on SUnday night at 10 p.m. so I'm GOING! We'll see what all the fuss is about. I'm sure it is pretty strong anti-Bush rhetoric, but, what the heck.
I will probably still want to see it again when I get back to cool, calm Duxbury, so let's make plans. Don't forget that the FCC made it R-rated (which is really bogus and probably very political, by the way....)
Ellen

Hi folks!
I'm here in Orlando.
Just got a copy of Trickster's Choice autographed by Tammy Pierce.
She says she looks forward to having lunch with us in Boston on Labor Day Weekend!!!

I missed Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, but the conference is going OK anyway. I get to see Richard Clarke as a speaker this PM (he's the national security guy who wrote the book) We get to go to Universal Studios tonight for FREE!!! Yay Proquest Databases - they're footing the bill. I already went but didn't get into The Mummy or Shrek so I guess that's what I'll do tonight. Florida is hot. Gatorland was cool, but kind of gory. I got to hold a small alligator and watch some big ones jump up to eat whole raw chickens. That was real messy...
See y'all next week!
Ellen
P.S. Good for you for getting the novel started! It sounds pretty good so far. Chapter one, Leslie, chapter 2, Katie, did I get that right? Don't forget to play off the last chapter when you write.
More later.
Ellen

sorry the last post posted 2 times i dont know why!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

gggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr stupid COMPUTER!!!!

The winds kicked up the last of the dry dirt into the cool damp air. The storm was finnaly coming, I ran for cover when I heard the ran fall harder. I sank to the ground under the blueberry bush as I heard the finnal scream of my father as he let the weather take him alive. I could feel the sun as I got up from the mud, crying, my father and I were the only ones left. and he had given himself for me. The storm had past, like the others had for centuries, but I couldn't get used to it because everytime it came, it took someone with it. I stoped it was silent. No birds, No crickets, No gentle wind, I realized that I had been stupid to think the storm was over. and then I saw it The winds. The massive clouds of the storm were coming back, It was to late, I ducked I felt 1,000s of pounds of pressure pushing down on my back. I couldn't breath.





ummmm... I guess this is a chapter so HERE!

The winds kicked up the last of the dry dirt into the cool damp air. The storm was finnaly coming, I ran for cover when I heard the ran fall harder. I sank to the ground under the blueberry bush as I heard the finnal scream of my father as he let the weather take him alive. I could feel the sun as I got up from the mud, crying, my father and I were the only ones left. and he had given himself for me. The storm had past, like the others had for centuries, but I couldn't get used to it because everytime it came, it took someone with it. I stoped it was silent. No birds, No crickets, No gentle wind, I realized that I had been stupid to think the storm was over. and then I saw it The winds. The massive clouds of the storm were coming back, It was to late, I ducked I felt 1,000s of pounds of pressure pushing down on my back. I couldn't breath.





ummmm... I guess this is a chapter so HERE!

Hey Guys some one was talking about writing the first chapter of a story so here is mine um...yea and this is leslie if you don't know

Chapter 1 of some story cant think of title

Vira galloped through the forest that was thick with snow. Little flurries of snow still fell lazily from the tree tops mixing with the early morning light and little bits of green from evergreen trees. She came upon a small clearing and stopped to soak up the beauty of the sunrise and to study her surroundings. She looked over her shoulder with this uncontrollable feeling that there was someone following her but shrugged it off when she saw no one. Where was she, she wondered. Her eyes scanned the clearing around the wine red scarf covering all but her eyes protecting her face from the cold. She looks around taking everything in with eyes of green like the trees surrounding the clearing she was in. Her horse Brial fidgeted at the surrounding snow drifts but quieted swiftly from a quick pat from Vira. Then off in the distance she sees a lone rider standing out faintly among the trees. He looks armed and dangerous but peaceful at the same time. His horse is slow, picking its way among the underbrush and around trees in the surrounding forest. She looks on with curious eyes. The rider sees her. He starts foreword just a little faster now. She puts her hand to her sword as he comes closer; she was ready for any potential threat for the kings swords master taught her well. Studying his face she sees kind sharp eyes that are both as gray as the sky before a storm. He has his hand on his hilt too as he stops his horse about a yard away. His face is covered like hers, except he has a gray scarf. His eyes met hers with a searching look and then another look she couldn’t quite catch before they became shadowed. He looked up towards the sky, “Lovely morning for a ride, don’t you think?” She nodded. She couldn’t figure out this odd stranger, “Hello.” He looked at her, “Why hello, how rude of me to skip introductions,” he held out his hand, “My name is Sir William, and yours my…lady is it? I can’t tell with your scarf.” She blushed and made no move to pull off her scarf, just held out her hand to grip his, “My name is Lady Vira.” He smiled and removed his scarf revealing sand colored hair and a mischievous smile. She estimated he was about a year or two older than her, “Finally you say something, I was afraid maybe you couldn’t speak or something.” She laughed a little, “You aren’t the first to believe such a thing.” He smiled. She looked at him curiously, he carried a large pack as if he had been traveling a long hard time or was planning to. He looked at her again, “Are you hungry? I am starving.” She nodded because in truth her stomach was rumbling. She had rushed out leaving no time to grab any sort of food. William looked at the pack on his back, “Of course I have food but I find myself too lazy. I’d rather get it at a local tavern. Would you like to join me?” She nodded. That was one thing she had in abundance, money. Just the word it’s self left a bad taste in her mouth but it was crucial to survival. William turned his mount after trotting a little ways away, “Well, aren’t you coming?” She nodded and trotted her horse next to his. He chatted along about his relatives and asked her easy yes and no questions. She wasn’t paying much attention to him as she studied his mount. He had a beautiful white gelding, majestic and fierce as any stallion but more loyal and gentle. He was rambling on about elves, “They’ve been seen a lot-” “Where did you get such a beautiful horse?” He looked surprised and then smiled, “You are a strait forward little thing aren’t you? Well I got Snow Dancer here when he was born four years ago. My father wanted me to learn to train my own horse by myself so I did.” She smiled, “Wasn’t it a challenge training such a strong willed beast?” William leaned forward and patted Snow Dancer on the neck, “He’s a good horse and a better companion.” Vira nodded, “I can see that.” Then the two continued riding onwards until they broke out into an open field. Across the field was a small town, “The tavern is just there, are you going to join me?” Vira nodded and they both broke into a gallop. With a rush of adrenaline and appreciation of such a beautiful day that can not be put into words, they raced like children. Vira started laughing for the mood had lightened considerably. William was right in front of her and stopped short in front of the tavern followed by a whirlwind of snow. They tied up there horses in an old barn. Probably the only barn in such a small town such as this. They walked in and Vira followed William’s lead of hanging her jacket on a coat rack and then sitting down at a corner table. William bowed, “I shall get a drink for the masked lady.” She laughed; she hadn’t taken off her mask though it was too dangerous. It was when she was sitting alone with her head in her hands when she saw the sword blade slip below her throat. She was just a hair too late to move and now was trapped, “Damn! So who are you and what do you want?!” She heard a chuckle from overhead, “I only want a run away princess who has a pretty penny as a ransom on her head.” She knew there had been some one following her she should of paid attention. She sighed, “So you want to have a waltz with death too?” William approached and started to draw his sword, “Don’t be foolish Sir William. This is probably some duke or something,” She looked up slowly, “So what are you anyway?” She was getting angry. The man chuckled again, “A duke, how could you tell?” Then in a flash she slid away and pulled out her sword, pointing the blade at his neck, “All dukes are horrible swordsmen and I’ve herd have a thing for the romanticism kind of capture.” With a yell the duke leapt towards her, “Don’t mock me you silly princess brat!” Vira slashed and he fell, stunned not killed. William stood stunned, “Who are you really?” She grabbed his sleeve and dragged him towards the door, “Are you coming with me or not?” She flung on her jacket and he grabbed his, “Of coarse I’m coming.” There was a yell behind them as the duke lurched to his feet, “Why you little girl” Both William and Vira ran and jumped on there horses galloping towards the trees, the duke close on their heels

hey
is there ever a time that it is right to be wrong or wrong to be right or even when u know everything at a time where u need to know nothing?

Hi!
i just finished "Dragon's Blood". it was really good. i couldn't put it down. now i have to read the next book in the series.
has anyone started the bookgroup "progressive novel" yet? if anyboy has please post it so i can help write it. (thank you)
hmmm...not much to say, and if not in the mood to write random poetry, so i guess i'll go work on my blog

see ya!
~Eleanor

p.s. matty, my email: starcat1413@aol.com

Hi!
when are you going to Farenhiet 9-11? if it is possible, i'm coming! another road trip (yet another chance to show the world just how freakish the book review group is. sounds like fun!).

anyway i'm now in cape cod (i geuss i have semi-officially moved now (?). 'tis sad), but i'm allowed to come back for book group trips, even if it means i must "borrow" one of my parents and their car and drive back myself!

i am plotting my inevitable return!
~Eleanor

Hi folks!
Summer is FINALLY here!!!!
I know what Katie means - the thing is, as you get older, you find out that it is a gas to keep learning and reading about stuff even if you're not in school. School and education was not equal to each other. School is only a sub-set of education....
I'm glad you guys are meeting next week without me. Just don't eat up in the YA area as it tends to get trashed.... No reflection on you guys, of course...heh..heh...
We should all plan o go to Farenheit 9-11 together. Colin's mom is revved up to go, so we shiould be able to get to it. It will probably only be showoing in arty movies houses in Cambrisge or Brookline or something.... Road Trip!
Ellen

P.S. Eleano'r blog link finally works. Now we should take up Dan's challenge and start writing our progressive novel. Anoyone redy to write the first chapter? I can always contribute from Florida...

ok why is it that people are so glad for summer? well maybe because they don't relizes the importance of a good education. why would someone not want to learn more to be smarter intelligence is a very high power and should be apperciated.

i tried to make a link to my blog, but it failed. 'tis very sad. i think that you might have to be an administrator or something to do that. i do not know, alas...

~Eleanor

HI!
i have my own blog now! i wrote a 1st chapter for this book we're going to write, but then i decided i liked tit too much to trust other people with my characters, so now i'm going to put on my blog.
its at:

http://www.moonwolf_dreamwalker.blogspot.com

~Eleanor

Kissing Kate is a good book and I gave it the gold sticker. READ IT!

Hi!
*finals are evil! (had to mention that)
so, i finished another book, "Kissing Kate". it was very good, it deserve the gold sticker it has previously been awarded. Now i'm going to try to read "Child of the Prophesy" before friday (when i go to cape cod for the summer)

i think that i am going to start my own blog for my writing. i'll set it up after the insanity of finals is over.

see ya at book group!
~Eleanor

Wow - Lots of things to respond to...!
First, Leslie: I totally agree about the dissing people thought. It's really tacky to make fun of people who are in any way vulnerable. As Christian Titus pointed out to us, to be truly funny is to know what is within bounds and what is off-limits. People you know are off-limits. People who are vulnerable in any way are off-limits. People who are famous and/or powerful in anyway are completely OK to make fun of. Making fun of yourself is OK as long as you don't take it seriously. The problem with making fun of people you know is that it is hurtful and can do greater damage than you might think. Things have a way of escaping your control. (has that ever happened to any of you?)

Ida & Eleanor: I've psyched that you are both writing! Maybe you could copy and paste some of your material into this blog and we can get this progressive novel written here...?

The dates for the LOTR field trip will have to be between Aug. 18th and Aug. 25 as I am pretty busy with the video contest and my reference desk duties.

Matty: Shiver me timbers, girl! You've got this Harry P. thing going and coming. I guess I'd better get cracking on that 5th book.

Hi!
Yeah, there is book review next week. We're goning to meet at the library and them go to Farfar's! Yay!

I'm thinking of starting my own blog and posting my stories so you all can read them when i'm not in duxbury anymore :,( . if i start one i'll let you know.

see ya at bookgroup
~Eleanor the Wolfalker

i made the first chapter of my story.
w00t...

yea... um... yea...

is there gonna be book group this wednesday?

http://www.livejournal.com/community/vampyrehaven/

wheee

AYE!
okay... so Ms. Soneyenbos wanted to know my summer schedule. Here goes:
i'm going to camp on july 25 and i get back on august 18. and i have to be at school on august 27-28.

anyway... i have started a first chapter for this book we supposed to write. this will be interesting indeed. my chapter is kinda strange 'cause i'm not sure of the plot...then again i might decide that i ;like the idea too much to turn it over to other writers...

Farewell!
~Eleanor the Wolfwalker

Saying HELLO TO THE PEOPLE of computer town USA if ur not a resident, How the heck are you reading this?

Hey,
People sometimes don't know what they're saying they insult someone and don't understand that it hurts others. They are sometimes trying to be cool but end up making fools of themselves in the process or even worse they are encouraged by the people around them by the laughs at their "joke". It's not funny and people should think of what they're saying before they say it. Definitely.

Hey, people,
that last posting was really Katie on me machine.
We'll have to fix this....
Ellen

Hey
I was sent to Earth to inform you of the idea of intelligent life form by the name of Dan Goldman he has given you a chance to get creative. His idea was for you yes, YOU! to write the first chapter in a book and share it with your friends at book review then we will decide what idea is suitable to write a book . . . A WHOLE BOOK!!!
Soooooooooooooo . . . Get writing NOW!!! THAT'S AN ORDER.
over and out
-Your informer

Why do alot of people say stuff like, "I'm going to kill you," . It's so very hateful. People insult even their friends every day constantly. Sometimes some of it is all in good fun you can laugh and joke and no one gets hurt. But alo of the time it goes way to far, rascism, segregation, that kind of thing. I can't name the amount of times I've felt so put down by my friends. I mean I never say anything and just laugh it off but why all the hate? Is it entirly nescissary? I mean arn't most of the people I know like in the book club better than that. Do people really need to tell others that they're going to "kill them" or beat there "a**es* Why?


Yes I am actaully looking for other peoples opinions here.





really






yea really





stop asking questions!

Hi!
I have not yet seen Harry Potter...perhaps this weekend...
anyway Troy is good (the book, i haven't seen the movie). I recommand it to anyone who likes Greek mythology,
Sadly i shall be unable to attend book review this week. I have to stay after to get extra help in french for the exam :( so it anything important comes up please tell me!
are we meeting next week? and when are we going to the LOTR exhibit?
see you all later!

~Eleanor the Wolfwalker
(does anyone else use their nickname?)

Hey guys -
I saw Harry Potter yesterday and ran into a lot of you there: Pat, Colin, Kim, Tory...
Wow. I definitely thought it was the best of the movies so far.
I've got to read the fifth book still...I'll probably take it down to ALA in Orlando to read.
What say you?

Hello!
I finished yet an other book. I started "Shattered Mirror" yesterday and finished it the same day! i couldn't put it down. I recomend it to all vampire fans (but you've probably read it already) ("i do 2!!!!!" said Lillian). Now I am reading Troy. Its pretty good so far
so...there is a meeting next week?
hmm... what else have i to say...
i might have a philosophical discussion idea...
What makes something real? (yes, i do belive that i have brought this up in some form at least ten times this year)

as shadows dance

shadows dance
while night sings
and i gaze upon them in wonder
the world i know is so far away
hesitant steps lead
into the unknown
strange shadows cast
bend my sights to imagination
as i follow the light of the waxing moon

well, that poem just jumped into my head an demanded to be written...if that makes any sense...yeah it was kinda odd...
~Eleanor the Wolfwalker

Hi everyone!
I haven't posted in a while. I forgot about this actually. Oops. I have a bad memory. I am going to be around pretty much all summer. I was planning on hibernating all summer but I like your plan better. I am pretty sure I can go but I have to ask my mom and stuff.
Sorry I wasn't at book group today. I wasn't in school either for reasons I really don't want to talk about. Ellen, I am so sorry, I keep forgeting the 10 dollars. I will try my best to bring it next week but I know I will forget again. I don't like Harry Potter so I am in no rush to go see it. I would rather go see something like "The Day After Tommorow."
Did anyone else notice that the movie reviews in the rolling stones always say "The best movie of whatever season it is?" You really can't have 5 best movies of the same season.
Why can everyone but me write poems? I can't write at all. When I try the poem comes out all screwed up. When I write poems for school I always fail them.
I am probably going to go to my room and be depressed for a while (yes it is actually possible for me to be depressed for all those disbelievers) or maybe just sit in a chair somewhere and be sad.
Goodbye y'all (I swear I am not a red-neck I go to family reunions just to see my family, not to pick up dates)

Hiya. i havent updated in a while...

HOWEVER!!!!!!!!!

i am making a 'book' of sorts, and it will be online at:

http://www.livejournal.com/community/vampyrehaven

i would enjoy feedback... the prologue is currently up.

I just heard a review of the new Harry Potter on the BBC. They LOVED it. They said it was the best movie version yet! It does have a new director and this has added a new dimension to the film. I can hardly wait to see it. On Tues. I am ordering tickets to the LOTR exhibit at the Museum of Science. I think I'll probably pick a weekday in early August and get twenty tickets. Many of you guys wil not be around, but of those who are, let me know if you are interested. I'm thinking of getting a bus.

Hey,
Are you all going to Harry Potter opening night?
I can't go as it is the night before my daughter graduates from high school. We'll be going later in June, I guess.....
Is there a new director for this film?
that's what I heard....

Hello!
Emma, I like you poem! You should turn it into a song cause it rhymes so it would work and it would be COOL! yeah...
so when is this LOTR exhibit you speak of, I might not be around in Duxbury but I can probably get some one to drive me back, else-wise i shall commandeer one of my parents and drive back my self *laughs evilly*.
anyway here's a poem i wrote a while ago and meant to post, but i never got around to it...

live
dance to life's intoxicating beat
and heart's own melody in perfect rhythm
joy and grief, passion, fear, anger, love,
emotions blend together
creating a myriad of vividly coloured harmonies
a symphony
spinning the notes
of life
to weave my
soul

yes, this is what i do with the free time i don't have...
see you all at book review group!
~Eleanor

hey guys.. i found myself again! i have been lost...well, actually, i just couldnt re-find the blog, but whatever. Are we still going to the LOTR exhibit in july? we should. heres a terrible poem thingy i wrote, if ne one wanted to read it in their spare time:

Please Tell Me

Please tell me what I see in you
Your not the man from my dreams
But there's something different about you
Something wonderful it seems

Please tell me why you won't leave my head
For that's why I write this song
Is it his fault I feel this way
For a reason, is that wrong

I had feelings for another
But only because I thought he loved me
My feelings for you are so much stronger
Is this love? Will you please tell me?

Yeah, I know, it sux, but I was bored, so there it is. Me happy because I get to go to Book Club on Wednesday, because I don't have stupid voice lesson. So, see you guys then

<3 Emma

Hi folks,
I am getting some ideas of ways to improve our little (?) book group. One thing I'd like to do is have some discussion sessions over the summer that deal with specific issues that interest us. IT looks like we will probably meet over the summer at 4 p.m on Wed.s Come if you're around!
BTY, the tee shirts are in and they do look cool. Thanks, Eleanor! The red dragon is really good. They cost $10 each so I hope you folks will buy them so I can get my money back.
Wear with pride. Anyone going to the opening of Harry Potter?

Hey,
You guys were really helpful yesterday. Phoebe enjoyed herself and I've got 3 more penpals for the French connection!
I think it will be fun to meet over the summer. I'm working on dates for field trips, so stay tuned. The discussion about the threat letters makes me wonder. Do we feel kind of held hostage by the person threatening us? What can we expect from the authorities who are trying to make us safe and apprehend the person? Is it (the threat), like Christian says, a symptom of a reaction to a basic disrespect of adults towards teens or is it an individual's mental derangement which has no over-arching meaning to society as a whole?

I am tired, I have like 10 essays to write tonight. I should probably get going so that I don't need to pull an all nighter again (they aren't fun). Shoot I have a Latin test tommorrow. EVIL LATIN I loath the you are dead why do I need to learn you to be a functioning member of socioty. Wait a sec, why do I have to be a functioning member of socioty. I had a concert tonight and it wasn't bad, I hated it but that was because I wanted to be home working on my homework. I hate homework. I want to go to sleep tonight so I am going to go do my reports. Bye everyone. I don't know, should I grease my hair back tommorow?

To get people to be good and to get the group more on task we should get rid of the people who are bad or disrespectful so that only the good people are left. Only a thought. I am sorry I had to go outside yesterday for a couple minutes, I felt really sick and I needed a little fresh air. I don't like being sick, does anybody?

Hi,
I missed book review group yesterday, so what happened?
I hear Ms. Snoeyenbos...lost her temper...or something like that. So what happened!?
and did I miss any important info?

I have a book to review that deserves a gold sticker! It's called "Briar Rose". It a retelling of sleeping beauty. The main character, Becca, is trying to find out where her family came from. Her grandmother claimed to be Briar Rose before she died, and Becca made a promise to find the place she came from. The story is about the holocaust.
yeah... its and awesome book.

so see you all at book review group next week!
~Eleanor

Sorry to go "postal" yesterday, but I was getting pretty tired of pulling on the leash, so to speak. I really want our time to be spent in civilized conversation - not just a bunch of "over-talking." That's what Fox News is for.
If anyone has any suggestions on keeping things respectful and friendly, I'm all ears.
Don;t forget our Tamora Pierce discussion on Friday, May 21st!

It was a rainy afternoon at the library. I was alone by myself but so tempted to go dancing in the rain. It was a light rain, just a little heavier than a mist. It was so beautiful though people hate the wet grass and the puddles.

Well, everybody.
I was at this conference from Wed. to Fri.
Thursday night, there was an auction and I bid on this really cool item.
You know what a power-hungry corporate-type I am... well, I am going to be trading jobs for a day with the President of the Boston Public Library, Bernie Margolis!!!!!!!!
This is actually a rather big deal. I will don my power suit and march up the marble corridors of the Copley Main branch and he will don a "Bookmarks" tee shirt and sit in on a Wed. afternoon "Bookmarks" Meeting...!!!!!!
You all have to behave (don't be mean) but it is very much OK to have a hot and heavy ethical discussion. This will probably take place in mid-June.

On another note....I forgot that I have to go out to Amherst on Friday after work, so we have to move the Anime Festival to the following Friday, May 14th. The Magic Card Group can still meet on the 7th, though....

Hi,
Leslie, your story was COOL!

hehehe! Ms. Snoeyenbos has very good news for all you guys! 'tis most amusing! but, I'm not going to tell you! ;) You must to hear fromm Ms. Snoeyenbos!

My little sister, Addy, has something to say: "Two words:Hi!" (^_^)

Anyway, see ya at book review group!

~eleanor

Leslie -
That was a cool piece.
So was Matty's.
This blog will make it easier for us to copy and paste stuff into our literary journal. Anyone want to volunteer? It would mean just sitting down at my machine some day and copy/pasting it into the format I've already got set up......
See you guys next week.
P.S. Did yo meet yesterday? I am at this conference and have a BIG presentation to make today. ARGH. I hope all my equipment works.....
Ellen

The smoke drifted around in the room. You could see it around the dim glow of the few lamps set around the bar. Many a person sat drinking but oddly silent as a girl about eighteen stood at the small stand up podeum. They anticipated that she would ing. She was nervouse and had sung befor but nothing of her own heart's creation. This was a Rosey original. She cleared her throat, "Hello everyone." She heard quiet chatting as it began again in the beat up sofas surrounding the stage. She felt so small and alone standing an the stage yet she got up the corage to say before she began to sing, "This is the first of my songs that i actually wrote." She herd scattedred applause as she began the song. She had poured her heart and soul into this paper and as she sang her beautiful voice filled the room. People sat quietly taking in the sound of a sad soul. And as she neared the last stanza of her song people began to clap. She smiled and no longer felt so lonely. Then as her voice died away clapping filled the room and she was swept away by a stranger asking to buy her a drink. She accepted a drink from this dark complexioned starnger. He was handsom enough for anyone to admire with dark green eyes and dark bron hair and a pretty smile. She thought she had just met another friend.

Hi I was at my dad's all week and I didn't get a chance to post. How is everybody? I am still working on that story. I don't have anything yet. Hey, guess what, I am reading a book. Counter Attack. Not so bad so far. It is about war and aliens and stuff.

Hi.
Did I mention that Terry Pratchett will be at the Sci Fi Convention, too?

I just dropped off Jeremiah at the train back to Bean Town.
Wow, what a fun day I had with some of you doing video stuff!
I hope you got some ideas and will get those mental gears churning...

Emma, Eleanor and I emailed the Sci Fi convention that is coming to Boston over Labor Day weekend to see if we could get a group rate.
They emailed back and said we could get a one-day pass at a much reduced rate. They suggested watching to see when Tamora Pierce is speaking and come in for that day!!!!
Whadiya think?
Ellen

why doesn't anyone post anymore? i come on and everyone runs away? *cries* ah well. amybe i'll post a poem later. ida's over and i'm probably boring her. we were gonna shoot some shots for our video, but my dad won't let us use the camera. bye bye for now.

<3 emma

words from ida- t0d4y w45 funnnnn... bl000000000p...
22959955111197418147489487

im bored. mom yelling at me about violin. i wanna get away from home. can i runaway to someone elses house?

hello. i'm at the library wth eleanor and ellen, but nobody else came to book group. where are the rest of you?
<3emma

hmmm i still dont have a nickname that I like... i want something that i could even use outside of book group... preferably without the word 'the'... i guess... i dunno..

i made kitty ears... im so proud of them...

mmmmyea... how bout... ........um........ i dunno...
im out... g2g update the ol' livejournal...

~nyu

i have an awesome book to recommend! its called

the true story of hansel and gretel
by .... i forget... something murphy... i think...

yea its really good, its about the last few months of nazi occupied poland, and two children are 'abandoned' and are found and taken in by an old woman called witch by the locals. the parents are on a crusade of sorts, and the father is always looking for his children.

i havent finished it yet, but its reeeeeeeeeeeeeally good so far...


...yea....

ima gonna�go now...

~nyu

Hey!
so there is book review group tomorrow...that's good!
and now a poem...

"what if"...
two simple words
echoing off the walls of fate already sealed
bubbling with wishes to change the past
and
heavy with the dread promise
that history is static
murky possiblities
become crystal clear as time passes
and "what if" returns
a haunting presence
what if...

well, that was pretty random, and i just made it up. :)
anyway, see you tomorrow!

Oops!
Sorry, Matty!
My tired old eyes are deceiving me.
Good going, British Pirate!
Ellen

t'was mattys poem

Wow, Ida, cool poem!
It really feels right to me after the last few days when we could actually go outside and spend some time there.... Anyone else have a poem or story? I think we should resurrect our journal again...I'll start compiling the stuff off this blog whcih makes re-typing not an issue (let's remember how badly I botched that last time...!) Keep up the good work!

I will be around this Wednesday if people want to get together to talk at our usual book group time and place, so yeah, let's have a meeting.
I have just read "The Curious Incident of the Dog at Night" which is this really strange but good book written from the point-of-view of an autisic teenage boy who is trying to figure out who killed his neighbor's dog and why. It's British, (of course) and pretty funny in an odd sort of way. It's a really cool view into the mind of a compulsive math whiz.... I really wouldn't know anything about that, myself!
Ellen

...is there gonna be book group on this wednesday?

Yay!
at last people are writing stuff! i'm excited.
anyway, i really should attempt my own challenge. I've been trying to think of what to write about (and failing miserably) oh well perhaps i'll be stuck with a brilliant idea later today.
I just finished "Pirates". It was awesome! (I stayed up 'til one this morning to finish it). thanks for recommending it Matty!
okay, now i have music to search for...
~farewell.
Oh! does anyone know if there is book review group this wednesday?

Wow, Ida is really onto something!
That angel stuff is pretty powerful.
Now, can you get some context into it? It may need to qualify for Eleanor's 100 word story....
What do you think?

Hi Jeremiah and Ida.
Welcome to our small, cramped space on the Internet.
Does it remind you of our meetings?
Many people, not enough chairs?
Hey, don't all talk at once!
It's mighty good to have a quiet repose in which to gather my thoughts.

Well, I am very impressed with this book I'm reading in between reference questions.
"You Don't Know Me" Wow. this book is quite good. I love the guy's sense of irony.
Can you be ironic? I am way...... to earnest to be ironic, but I like to read stuff like that.
It's like, "I don't know much about art, but I sure know what I like and that's not much!"
Anywat, enough about me.
What's everyboy else doing over vacation?

hey bizatches...

I guess this is my new blog that I'll post in every once in a while, but I'll probably forget to... seeing as I already have a Livejournal and a Blurty, but w/e...

So. Yea... .................................................... I really dunno what to write... i could try Ellie's writing thingy... Yea, I think I'll do that...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

...The angels' blood was clear and fell from the sky like holy raindrops, spattering lightly onto the heads of those who watched silently below. With broken wings, it tumbled from the sky and landed onto the pavement, defeated. Mortal tears joined the blood, mourning for the death of hope...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hell yea... 49 words... wow I'm kinda in a lethargic mood... sorry about that everyone... just don't mind me....

Yeay, Matty!
Tell us what you and Lindsey thought of the movie. I love a good romance.
Let's try out Eleanor's challenge - a story in fifty words.
I'm going to be at work tomorrow (Sat.) so maybe, while I'm manning the reference desk, I'll let the creative juices flow...onto the page, that is...!
Don't forget to come to the video workshop on Thurs. from 10 - Noon.
I'm going down to Washington D.C. for a march next Saturday with my older daughter. She and her friends want an "old-time hippie" to go with so they can do all cool chants and yell politically appropriate remarks at the hecklers.....Somehow that's supposed to make me feel OK. I think it's just making me feel old.....
See y'all later.
Ellen

I really like "Life in a Nutshell"
What did you think?
Good work, Liillian!
I'm thinking of another take on your premise...Just give me a few minutes...
Ellen

Hi, Bobbie and Leslie! Welcome to our little square of Internet space...
Hey listen, people:
We just got invited to a teen library conference at the Wilbraham Public Library!
Teen Library Groups from all over the state are invited. It's on Sat. May 22 from 1 - 6 p.m.
Unfortunately, I can't go as my oldest daughter is graduating from college that weekend and, needless-to-say I kind of gotta be there...
But that doesn't mean The Bookmarks can't get a couple other adults to take them!
What do you think?
Ellen

Hi everyone. sorry it took so long for me to get on, I got in trouble because my brother made a mess and I wouldn't pick it up for him he blamed it on my and of course my mom believed him and now I am not aloud to use the computer, but thay are not home so yeah. they just got back got to go

Hey all you crazy bookmarks! I'm happy to be a blogger personal now! Yeah! hmm I wonder if they have spellcheck on this hmm...... Well today wasn't so bad. I spent half of it in the nurses office but you know its all good. Anyway, afterwards I went to .... Just guess....bookclub! It was so much fun! Well I gotta check out talk to you all later!

Hi!
here's an example of some one who has sucessfully completed my challenge.

Life In A Nutshell
Do we really exist? Maybe we are just an illusion. Maybe we are just part of someone’s imagination. Maybe when we think we are asleep we are awake and when we think we are awake we are really asleep. You decide! The fact is, life can’t fit in a nutshell.
by Lillian
this was written by my sister.
so now, I expect to see you posting stuff!

Hey everybody,
ELeanor has just issued a challenge. Anybody ready to respond?
If you are a DFL Bookmark and you want to be a blogger with us, just send me an email and we can set you up!
Ellen is at: ellens@ocln.org

I just finished reading "Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister" which was really good. It's by the same guy who wrote, "Wicked". now I'm reading, "You Don't Know Me, " which Ida and LEslie read and liked. I am really liking it, too! See you all soon, Ellen

Hi!
I see no one has posted since october....
hmmm.... this must change!
anyway, I have a challenge for all of you. *mwahahaha!*
I challenge you to write a story in exactly 50 words. Or if you so choose in exactly 100 words.
this shall be most amusing!
... and yes these stories must make sense!