State Of The Libraries Address

Today is Library Advocacy Day here in the States, which will entail a rally and a meeting with elected officials in Washington D.C. Meghan has a really nice post up about it over at her blog, Recreational Reading, which includes some library factoids you may not be aware of.

I don't spend a lot of blog space talking about my job. Admittedly I know the "librarian thing" makes me ever-so-slightly unique among the blogging masses, but it's not something I discuss in great detail. I have loads of reasons for this, but at the end the day it comes down to me knowing my place in the universe. I truly believe my job is important, that libraries are important, and that librarians help change lives for the better every day. But do I think my job is "more important" than say, that of a firefighter, a police officer, a nurse, a teacher, or a garbage man? Not really. I understand my place in the universe, and I know that in economic crap times like we're experiencing right now, that libraries are going to get the short end of the stick, no matter how "important" we are. It's the nature of the beast.

That being said, as the Unofficial Librarian Representative of Romance Bloglandia, plus because I want to, I thought I would talk about what my work as a collection development librarian is like right now. What with our new fiscal year beginning next week.

It's going to suck.

It's going to suck so hard that I'm probably going to lose fillings.

Currently, where I work, we are not cutting hours, all branches are staying open, and we haven't cut permanent staff. What has happened? We have no "substitute" help to speak of. So if your children's librarian goes out on maternity leave, or the branch manager's appendix bursts, there are no substitute workers you can call in to help you run your branch. So yeah, it's great we haven't cut hours or closed branches, but in many cases we're majorly short-staffed. Also? Our materials budget will be slashed by over 50% this new fiscal year. Yes, I will somehow have to figure out how to buy books for 30+ libraries with 50% less money than I had last year.

If you see me in the hotel bar at RWA in a few weeks, and I'm sobbing uncontrollably over my cosmopolitan, this would be why.

The truth of the matter is that I wasn't buying nearly the amount of titles and copies I should have been for a library system our size. We were making due. In many cases, as a library user, you might not find the book you wanted at your local branch, but chances are we had it in the system somewhere and could ship it over to you. Or if we didn't own it at all, we would do our best to buy a copy(s). This next year? Yeah. Well, I'm going to have to make hard choices. Some books are just not going to get bought. Period. I'm going to have to say no to some things. I'm going to have to cut way down on how many copies get ordered. And that means people will have to wait even longer than they were waiting before.

In the grand scheme of things, I shouldn't be whining. As bad as it is for my employer, there are neighboring libraries who have it a lot worse. I've heard everything from cutting hours, closing branches to...brace yourselves for it...no materials budget. None. Nada. Zip. Zilch. As in no money to buy books, DVDs, CDs, ebooks, newspapers, magazines, etc. at all. None. Zero. Ain't happening.

Which ultimately means, of course, that those people who typically use the surrounding libraries will likely land on our doorstep. Because while our budget is gonna blow, at least we'll be buying some new things. Uh, occasionally. When I find some change under couch cushions.

The nature of this post isn't for you, the gentle blog reader, to feel sorry for me (poor, poor Wendy ::eyeroll::), but to help you understand what it's like right now for the library community. God bless librarians, we're a lot like romance readers. We have a massive inferiority complex and it's one of the few jobs on the planet where we constantly have to justify our right to exist. The only thing that really works in our favor is that people generally have warm, fuzzy feelings about the library. Only a monster would come right out and say, "I hate libraries." It would be liking saying you hate puppies, kittens, rainbows, and pretty flowers. So in hard times, as politicians look for ways to slash budgets, the community does tend to support and rally around public libraries.

If you ever want to see democracy in action, just wander into your local library. It's the one place in the community that is open and free for all. We serve everybody. The entire public. Even the folks we don't like all that much. Because it's our job. It's what we do. And certainly there are some days when we want to toss all the computers out the front door and run over them with a Hummer, but we don't. Because for all the aggravation, all the trials, deep down we know our job is important. And we'll justify the hell out of it until the last breath leaves our body.

So be nice to your local librarian the next time you see them. Smile at the clerk who checks out your books. Don't argue about that 25 cent overdue fine. Don't lie to us and say you didn't leave that book out in the rain, you checked it out like that and just pay the replacement fee. Try to understand that we're doing the best we can with what we have to work with (which isn't much!) while trying to meet the growing demands of communities that are relying on us more and more.

That's the state of libraries right now. Overworked, stressed out staff trying to figure out how we're going to meet the needs of the community. Actually not that different from a lot of other public service jobs at the moment. Sad to say.

Random Romance Sunday: The Princess And The Blue-Eyed Warrior

The Book: Butterfly Swords by Jeannie Lin

The Particulars: Harlequin Historical, October 2010, Not Yet Published

The Blurb:

During China’s infamous Tang Dynasty, a time awash with luxury, yet littered with deadly intrigues and fallen royalty, betrayed Princess Ai Li flees before her wedding.

Miles from home, with only her delicate butterfly swords for a defense, she enlists the reluctant protection of a blue-eyed warrior…

Battle-scarred, embittered Ryam has always held his own life at cheap value. Ai Li’s innocent trust in him and honorable, stubborn nature make him desperate to protect her – which means not seducing the first woman he has ever truly wanted….

Is It In Wendy's TBR?: Not yet. But it shall be...

Any Reviews?: This book doesn't come out until October, so no. But! It did win the RWA Golden Heart for best historical romance manuscript at last year's RWA conference in Washington D.C. What I remember about Lin's acceptance speech? When she announced the story had sold to Harlequin/Mills & Boon. I almost stood up in the aisle and started dancing a jig. No lie.

And while cover quotes generally don't move me, Lin received two nice ones for this book:

“Swords, warrior princesses, and a barbarian to love! Butterfly Swords was a delight!”

– Jade Lee, USA Today bestseller

“In Butterfly Swords, Jeannie Lin tells a classic tale of courage, adventure, and impossible love—and she sets it in a fascinating new world: Tang China , where a warrior princess must fight for her family and her country with only a barbarian swordsman to help her. Jeannie Lin is a fresh new voice in historical romance, and Butterfly Swords rocks!”

– Mary Jo Putney, New York Times bestseller, author of Never Less Than a Lady

Anything Else?: I'm really very excited about this book. The setting alone sold me on it, but the author winning the Golden Heart also helps grease the wheels. Over the years I've read a handful of Golden Heart winners, as the books got picked up by publishers, and they tend to be good, solid reads. So I'm expecting good things here with Lin's debut.

She's Got Ambition Baby

When I first heard about Maid To Match by Deeanne Gist all the way back in December 2009, I knew I was going to have to read it. Inspirational or no, I've literally been waiting for this book my whole historical romance reading loving life. A romance between a lady's maid and footman? Seriously, how can I not read this? And while it didn't quite live up to the immense hype I managed to conjure in my wee lil' librarian brain, it was still a very solid read, and one of the more memorable historicals I've run up against this year.

At 18, Tillie Reese has learned she is in the running to become Mrs. Vanderbilt's new lady's maid. Currently head parlormaid, getting promoted to lady's maid would be a huge honkin' deal. Only the housekeeper is higher in rank among the female staff, and the lady's maid gets to bathe whenever she darn well pleases, gets to read books aloud to Mrs. Vanderbilt, gets to dress in the same incredible fashions, and she'll get to travel with the Vanderbilts! It's what she, and her mother, have been working towards the past 18 years and it's almost within Tillie's grasp. However there's another girl in the running for the position, so Tillie has her work cut out for her. She cannot afford any distractions or any slip-ups. And that's when Mack Danvers shows up.

Mack's twin bother Earl already works up the Biltmore estate for the Vanderbilts as a footman. With both of their parents now gone, the boys have had to split up their family - farming the younger boys out to neighbors in their mountain community and putting the youngest girl in the local orphanage. When he finds out that the supposedly fine, upstanding head of the orphanage is beating the girls, he's determined to get his sister out of there. But for that he needs money, a lot more than he's making in his current job, and Earl's playboy ways means he's no help whatsoever. Then, in an amazing turn of events, he's offered a job at the Biltmore as the new useful man. He's loathe to take it, but dang, the Vanderbilts pay very well. More money means he can reunite the family that much sooner.

Of course, this throws a wrench into Tillie's ambitions. Naturally Mrs. Vanderbilt doesn't want Mack to be a useful man forever. He's just as handsome as his twin brother, and just think? Identical twin footmen! She'll be the envy of...well...every lady capable of breath. But Mack has spent his whole life in the mountains. He tends to speak freely and readily use his fists when someone crosses him the wrong way. It's up to Tillie to mold him into a proper servant, and getting her head turned by him is not an option. Getting tangled up with the fellow servant would lead to immediate dismissal and her dreams would go up in smoke.

Mack is this great mix of Alpha and Beta hero. Certainly he's rough around the edges, and uses his fists, but it's always to protect those in need. Women and children mostly. Because while many men from the mountain aren't big on equal rights, his father raised the boys to respect women. Period. So when Mack sees injustice, he tends to hit first and ask questions later. He's also immediately smitten with Tillie, and desperate to catch her favor. He knows she's also attracted to him, but he can't understand why she's so determined to give up her entire youth, a chance to marry and have children of her own, to serve some rich lady.

Tillie takes immense pride in her work, and sees the chance at being the new lady's maid as her ticket to a better life. Yes, she'll have to give up marriage and children. And yes, she'll be thrown over for some new young thang once she reaches a certain age. But, lady's maids are paid very, very well. It's money that can be used to help out her parents and further her own philanthropic endeavors. Plus, Mrs. Vanderbilt does a lot of good in the community. As a lady's maid, she could be part of that. The problem is, the more time she spends with Mack, the more she begins to question her dream. Is being a lady's maid really what she wants?

The author delivers a wonderful sense of place, utilizing the immense backdrop of the Biltmore to set her story. She also manages to portray the most realistic depiction of servants I've ever read in a romance novel. Granted, that's probably not saying much, since the historical accuracy of "the staff" in historical romances has always been laughable, at best. She gets the feel of "below stairs" just right. The gossip. The hierarchy. The demands. All of it. And to top it off we get an author's note at the end, explaining...well...a lot (FYI - American servant class = different from British servant class).

Given that this is an inspirational, "God stuff" should be expected. It's actually light to non-existent for the first half of the story. It becomes more prevalent in the latter half, as Tillie wrestles with the notion of what she really wants out of her life. The romance here is solid, but I actually wished it had been developed a bit more thoroughly. The attraction between Mack and Tillie is quite obvious. What isn't so obvious is them "falling in love." I wanted a lot more "how and why" and instead it just sort of "happens."

I also was a wee bit taken aback by a dark moment that occurs in the latter portion of this story. Not that the first half was light and fluffy, but just that it had the definite feel of "upstairs/downstairs" with the drama of dealing with visiting, and demanding, house guests. Certainly I enjoy "gritty" moments in my romances, welcome them in fact, but there's a development during the climatic final chapters that literally made me sit up, take notice, and wonder "what the?!?!?!" Was it realistic? Sadly, yes. Was it shocking? Way yes. It certainly does the job of moving the story through the concluding chapters, but I can't help but feel like I was blindsided with a sledge-hammer. Now obviously, the story ends the way all historical romances should end (yes, happy ending), but that doesn't make that moment any less shocking, any less troubling, or, most importantly, any less upsetting.

I loved the backdrop of the Biltmore Estate and the North Carolina mountains. I loved the careful historical research detailing the lives of the servants. I loved that while the Vanderbilts played decent-sized supporting roles, that this story was really about those people who served them. It's a strong, solid historical romance. If you're an inspirational fan, you need to plan on reading this book. Like, now. And for those of you desperate for the kind of story that secular publishers of historical romance seem determined to never give us? I didn't think it was great, but that doesn't make it any less good.

Final Grade = B

Booktastic Bus For Sale

My Mom isn't much of a book reader. She apparently used to be, before three kids, working her way through college, a full time job, and taking care of a household sucked up all her time. What she has always done though is read the newspaper. Every day, without fail, every section, all of it. She is also "one of those" who clips out newspaper articles and sends them to people. Oh, like her daughters. I can always count on her sending me any clippings that have anything to do with librarians, libraries, romance novels, or books in general. However, every so often she joins the 21st century, finds the article online and e-mails it to me. Which is what she did last night. And behold! The most wonderful blog fodder ever!

Ladies and gentlemen, may I present the dormant Bookmobile for the Kalamazoo Public Library. The 1994 Venture Farber Specialty Vehicle has 119,000 miles on it and is currently for sale for the bargain price of $19,000, or any reasonable offer.

Like many libraries across the country, KPL is shuttering it's bookmobile due to declining demand for the service and a craptastic budget. Mom thinks I should buy it to put my TBR Mountain Range on wheels. Frankly, I'm thinking the So. Cal. Bloggers should buy it. Just think of the possibilities! We could be like a traveling band of book gypsies! Like the romance genre equivalent to the ice cream man! It could be like Travels With Charley minus the dog! Like Smokey And The Bandit, but instead of bootlegging Coors beer we could be transporting romance novels over state and county lines!

I wonder, does the Bookmobile come with a CB radio?

Frankly, I think the idea has merit, although when I told My Man about it he seemed less than enthusiastic. Some nonsense about "where would we keep it?" and thinking $19,000 could be better spent on something other than an old Bookmobile. Personally? I think he lacks vision.

The So. Cal. Bloggers traveling the country spreading the lurve of romance novels. A totally kick-ass idea if I do say so myself. Sort of like in this clip from one of my favorite South Park episodes. Um, back when South Park was still funny. Here the boys hop on board the Booktastic Bus and discover the wonder of...romance novels. That could be us. But with more swearing, and less "chicken loving" (seriously, this whole episode is warped, which is probably why it's one of my personal favorites).

eBook Review: Parker's Price

Ever read a book that you know you should really dislike and yet...you don't? I can count on one hand how many times it has happened to me, but happened it has. And now I have a new title to add to my list of examples: Parker's Price by Ann Bruce. In this instance, I credit the author's skill for keeping me engaged in the story and a jaw-droppingly, sexy-beyond-words hero.

Parker Quinn is working overtime to make sure her charity auction is a rousing success, but instead she's dealing with an ex-boyfriend who just won't catch a clue. She counts her blessings when a devastatingly handsome stranger comes to her rescue, but then she finds out that said stranger is none other than Dean Maxwell. The same Dean Maxwell who knocked up her sister and abandoned her. Talk about a mood killer!

Dean's a little confused when the sexy woman he was flirting with immediately turns cold after he tells her his name, but he's not about to take no for an answer. So just as the charity auction is about to wrap up, he drops a very tidy sum of money to win a date with Parker. She's not happy, but is effectively cornered and there is no way to extricate herself. He immediately puts on the full court press in wooing her, and in doing so, Parker begins to question what she thinks she knows about the man.

Essentially what readers are going to get here is a category romance. If I were to label this one, using the print Harlequin lines, I would say this is a cross between a Harlequin Presents and a Silhouette Desire. Somewhere in that ball park at any rate. Dean certainly fits the mold of those types of heroes. He's Alpha all the way, sexy as sin, with plenty of money to throw around, and is also protective and persistent. Readers who generally gravitate towards hero first, heroine second, are going to be very happy with this guy. Yummers!

What didn't work so well for me in this story was the biggest aspect of the conflict and Parker's reaction to it. She's confronted by the guy who supposedly knocked up and abandoned her sister. What does she do? Nothing. Seriously? OK, unless you think your sister is a skank-tastic ho bag and you essentially have no relationship with her, who does that sort of thing? Dean tries to ask her about her cold shoulder and she brushes him off. Really? Really? Granted I love and adore my sisters, but even if we didn't have a strong relationship, had I been confronted by a guy who did something like that to them the very least I would have done is toss my drink in his face and let loose a string of expletives that would make a Marine blush. Parker does nothing. She stews. Oh and she spends time with him, flirts with him, and barely manages to keep her panties on around him. And I mean....barely.

Now, blessedly, this doesn't drag out for the whole story. And I do like that when confronted by aspects of Dean's personality that don't mesh with what she thinks she knows about him already, Parker does begin to question. But her not confronting him immediately with this perceived douchebaggery just did not ring true to me. At all.

With that aspect of the plot dealt with, the author throws in a suspense sub plot that is pretty light in the pants, but does keep the story moving along. While Parker does have trust issues, this isn't a real angst-y internal conflict driven read. Dean is blessedly free of stereotypical hero angst (OMG, a hero who had a happy childhood?!) so the job of keeping this story moving is thrust on Parker, the external conflict, and some smokin' hot love scenes that bring sexy back.

So what does that leave me with? A yummy beyond words hero (seriously, to die for), a heroine whose conflict response didn't ring true for me (at all), sexy love scenes, and external conflict that did the job, but didn't light my world on fire. Yep, we're left with a mixed bag.

Final Grade = C

This title can be purchased at Carina Press and other fine digital book outlets.

Blogger Fun, Facelifts, Book Anticipation, And Johnny Mac

To start off today's hodge-podge of linky goodness, I'm "on the road" today over at Access Romance Readers Gab talking about "why romance novels?" Think of all the reasons you like to read romance, throw those reasons in a pot, let it simmer on the stove, and what are you left with? Why not go on over, read my post, and let the whole Interwebs know?

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All About Romance has had a face lift! Go on over and take a gander. At first blush, I really like it. I haven't had a chance to poke around, navigate, or do much of anything other than glance at it - but it sure is pretty, and the front page is definitely loads more eye-catching! Congrats to the entire staff over there.

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On Saturday a whole horde of So. Cal. Bloggers and authors got together in honor of Pearl being in town (and since she lives in Europe, it was a big occasion!). I suck and did not take any pictures, but several others did, so be sure to make your blogging hopping rounds in the next few days. We had a great time, and the parking lot book exchange was off the hook - as usual. I restrained myself and didn't buy any books at Borders, and only snagged three books from the exchange (all from the trunk of Lori's car - I'm pretty sure). I've been trying to restrain myself in the book buying department of late because 1) my TBR pile is beyond embarrassing and 2) Yes, I am going to RWA next month.

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Holy crap! Ice Cold by Tess Gerritsen comes out next week on June 29?! Why was I thinking it was a mid-July release? I mean, I already ordered our copies for work, but Gerritsen is one of those rare (rare, rare, way rare) authors I buy new and in hard cover. The release date sort of snuck up on me. Guess what will land in my shopping cart when I'm at Costco the weekend of July 2?


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This warmed the cockles of my heart when I made my blogging hopping rounds this morning. John MacDonald (AKA "Johnny Mac") of Toronto Blue Jays fame, hit a home run yesterday on Father's Day. His father passed away earlier in the week after a battle with liver cancer.

If you're a casual baseball fan and don't know who Johnny Mac is, that's not all that surprising. He's a career utility player, having spent the bulk of his years in Toronto (he did have a cup of coffee with my Tigers a few years back). He's very solid defensively (short stop and second base) but is not known for his bat. Well, at all. Most of the time he can't hit the broad side of a barn. But he played long ball yesterday, and don't that just beat all? Brings a tear to my eye it does. You can watch the video of his bomb here.

Way to go Johnny. Dad would be proud.

Random Romance Sunday: Wanted: Sexy Sheriff

The Book: Jack Murray, Sheriff by Janice Kay Johnson

The Particulars: Harlequin SuperRomance #913, 2000, Out Of Print

The Blurb:

Sheriff Jack Murray isn't the man for her...

Beth Sommers isn't looking for love.

She's concentrating on her daughters and her business -- and on convincing her ex-husband that their marriage really is over. Even if she was looking, it wouldn't be at a man like Sheriff Jack Murray.

She knows Jack's a good cop, a good man... one she can count on. She still figures she'll be better off with a quiet, gentle -- maybe even slightly boring -- guy. She's already had enough excitement to last her a lifetime.

But before long, Jack has her thinking that his kind of excitement is exactly what she needs.

Is It In Wendy's TBR?: Shockingly, no. But more on that in a minute...

Any Reviews?: Why, yes! RT gave this one 4.5 Stars:

Janice Kay Johnson adds a special touch to a problem ripped out of today's headlines with memorable characters, strong interplay and a few heart-stopping moments.

But the real meat and potatoes review can be found over at TRR, written by the lovely and incomparable Linda Mowery, who gave this one 4 Hearts (equivalent to a B grade):

During the first half of Jack Murray, Sheriff, I was mesmerized. As much as I like humor in a book, this serious, intense story had me hooked. I didn't laugh, didn't grin and didn't put the story down. Wow! Too bad the heroine had to go squirrely on me during the second half....

Jack Murray, Sheriff is refreshing in its honesty, its intensity and the depth used to explore second chances. Perhaps the second half will read as effortlessly for you as the first half did for me. If so, you're in for a real treat.

Anything Else?: I'll admit that I decided to highlight this book because the title tickled me. Jack Murray, Sheriff. Like Bond, James Bond. How about Mike, Plumber? Steve, Firefighter? Carlos, Real Estate Tycoon? Heck, I can keep this up all day folks!

Josh, IT Geek?

Bob, CPA?

Doug, Lawyer?

OK, I'll stop now.

Having only recently discovered her, I was naturally overjoyed to learn that Johnson tends to specialize in highly-charged, highly-emotional reads. Yeah, be warned that if you're "one of those" who like to tell me that all category romance is mindless fluff, I'm likely to chuck a JKJ novel at your head. Which might be OK for you, since JKJ is kickass, plus I throw like a girl. The experience isn't likely to be all that painful for you.

The only thing that has stopped me from falling into a full-blown glom with this author (besides my already ginormous TBR Mountain Range) is holy cow! This woman's backlist is huge! Although I have already managed to collect six of them. I'm trying to pace myself and not fall completely off the deep end. But heck, we all know it's likely just a matter of time...

If it hasn't happened already....

Oh hell, who am I kidding?