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TIME TRAVELING PIRATES!

The best part about working in a library with an established YA Librarian is the booty. And by booty I mean swag. And by swag I mean Adanced Readers Copies provided for free by publishing houses.

Free books. It's like getting the Beast's library without having to deal with the claw marks/fanged hickeys. 

So. Since I get to read these before anyone else, I think it's only fair that I get to judge them before anyone else. Obviously. And because the idea of ranking things with stars is cliche, we will be using the Harry Potter System of Rankings, which goes like this:

• Muggle: The author has no idea where their plot went, what their characters are doing, and doesn't seem to be self-aware enough to care. 

• Squib: The author tries-- seems to have some concept of an idea, but just doesn't manage to get it off the ground in the early planning stages, making the book a confusing and dull thing.

• Ron: The story has a few cool characters, some decent beginnings of a plot line, and could be cool. However, the author fails to seal the deal and you're left going "Uggh, what a Ron," and enjoying more of what you think the author could have done with it than enjoying the actual book.  

• Harry: A good book. Interesting story, a few twists and turns, and a nice feeling of satisfaction after you finish. You maybe don't read it again, but you liked it and would recommend it to a friend.

• Hermione: Not only beautiful done but just damned beautiful and fantastic and a lot of other awesome praise for plot, characters and diction. A story that makes you understand why you read books.

Steel by Carrie Vaughn ranks a solid Ron. 
Readalikes: Piratica by Tanith Lee

Professional Development: I Has It

Because all of a sudden, like more or less overnight, I have developed into a Professional! With a capital P and everything! I have discussions with people about how to advance my skills and grow as a person in my chosen field of interest and make myself more interesting as a resume-attached-face!

I know, I know, I'm surprised/confused/jealous/craving-Mexican-food too. So young. So young.

Yesterday-- get this-- I got to teach a class! That's like having 11 padawans at once! And not just a class, but TWO classes! Back to back! About Internet privacy and about how everything they put online stays forever and will totally impact their future job/life/spousal prospects!

Because the internet isn't written in pencil Mark, it's written in ink.

And then because, I dunno, putting me in charge of impressionable minds for 2 hours wasn't enough of a sign of the world ending,  I get to do it again next week! Four more times! That's right, four! As in one more than the number three and two less than the # of cups of coffee I've had today!

!

You should be using exclamation points right now, in the real world. Why aren't you using more exclamations points right now?