February 16, 2016

News & Updates
I would rather be ashes than dust!  
I would rather that my spark should burn out  
    in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot.  
I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom  
    of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.  
The function of man is to live, not to exist.  
I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them.  
I shall use my time.  

--Jack London, ( 1876-1916)
YouTube Pick of the Week

"We are forced to be here," says one young girl. "If I had the chance to go back to Syria I would love to, but we can't." This film is a humanizing and necessary look at how refugees themselves navigate the loss of land and home as a result of conflict.
--Freewheel Stories

Books

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (2016) by J.K. Rowling

Location: n/a
Availability: July 31, 2016

***THIS BOOK IS NOT AVAILABLE YET***
(It's appearance here is only to herald its blessed coming)

Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a new play by Jack Thorne, is the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. It will receive its world premiere in London's West End on 30th July 2016 

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn't much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband, and father of three school-age children.

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes darkness comes from unexpected places.--
Goodreads

Pre-order the book here...


Carry On (2015) by Rainbow Rowell

Call Number: FIC Rowell
Availability: click here

Simon Snow is the worst chosen one who's ever been chosen.

That's what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he's probably right.

Half the time, Simon can't even make his wand work, and the other half, he sets something on fire. His mentor's avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there's a magic-eating monster running around wearing Simon's face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here-it's their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon's infuriating nemesis didn't even bother to show up.

Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you'd expect from a Rainbow Rowell story-but far, far more monsters. 
-- Goodreads

more details on
Carry On...


American Born Chinese  (2006) by  Gene Luen Yang
 
Call Number:  GRA Yang
Availability: click  here

All Jin Wang wants is to fit in. When his family moves to a new neighborhood, he suddenly finds that he's the only Chinese American student at his school. Jocks and bullies pick on him constantly, and he has hardly any friends. Then, to make matters worse, he falls in love with an all-American girl...

Born to rule over all the monkeys in the world, the story of the Monkey King is one of the oldest and greatest Chinese fables. Adored by his subjects, master of the arts of kung-fu, he is the most powerful monkey on earth. But the Monkey King doesn't want to be a monkey. He wants to be hailed as a god...

Chin-Kee is the ultimate negative Chinese stereotype, and he's ruining his cousin Danny's life. Danny's a popular kid at school, but every year Chin-Kee comes to visit, and every year Danny has to transfer to a new school to escape the shame. This year, though, things quickly go from bad to worse...

These three apparently unrelated tales come together with an unexpected twist, in a modern fable that is hilarious, poignant and action-packed. American Born Chinese  is an amazing rise, all the way up to the astonishing climax--and confirms what a growing number of readers already know: Gene Yang is a major talent. -- Goodreads

"I just read this book straight through, in one sitting; and right when I put it down, I wanted to pick it back up again." --Mr. Apo

more details on American Born Chinese...

Tech Corner

Neko Atsume

This will not assist you in your classes. This is not a curricular piece of technology. This is a game about cats.

Gianna Mae Tan *shout-out* tipped me off to this delightful little app a few weeks ago. In this Japanese-made game, downloadable on your smart phone or mobile device, the player is given a small yard and items to place in the yard. Once you're done with that, 30 seconds later, you're pretty much on auto-pilot after that. The goal of this "game" is to attract stray cats into your yard. You are given a "cat book" and a camera to document which cats have entered your yard and how often. There are rare cats, like Joe DiMeowgio and SeƱor Don Gato, and your run of the mill cats, like Tubbs and Snowball. There is certainly something Zen to "playing" this "game"; so if you're in the market for some cute, digital kittens, download Neko Atsume below.

Download the app on iTunes here...
Download the app on Android here...
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