November is National Novel Writing Month (often abbreviated as NaNoWriMo). If you’ve always wanted to write a novel, but didn’t have the courage to do it, here is your chance! Here’s the basics: throughout November, people sign up on the NaNoWriMo webpage to accept this challenge. Then from Nov 1 through Nov 30, their goal is to write a 175 page (50,000 word) novel. This is a national effort, so nobody’s alone.  The NaNoWriMo website acts as a support network, connecting writers through forums, resources, and peptalks (given by acclaimed writers like Philip Pullman!).

One of the main ideas behind the project is this: don’t worry about quality, focus on quantity (the revision and tune-up process comes later, maybe in December?). Their webpage states “The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.”

This year they’ve added a Young Writers Program component to their usual challenge: “our Young Writers Program allows participants who are 17 years old and younger to set reasonable, yet challenging, word-count goals.”

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Halloween is Friday, and the spooky creatures will be creeping out!  Zombies have been spotted at the library lurking on several shelves.  If you want to try and catch sight of one, I have spotted them between the pages of:

·         The boy who couldn’t die by William Sleator

·         The death collector by Justin Richards

·         Generation dead by Daniel Waters

·         World war Z by Max Brooks

·         Zombie Blondes by Brian James

Fandango has created a list of their favorite zombie film stars; the library has a few films from their Countdown to the Dead list, so be on the lookout for: 

·         #7 – Shaun of the Dead (2004)

·         #6 – 28 Days Later (2002)

·         #5 – Dawn of the Dead (2004)

·         #1 – Night of the Living Dead (1968)

I will be watching out for these frightening creatures on Friday as I tiptoe around the library stacks.  What do you most fear finding at the library?  Ghosts?  Ghouls?  Goblins?  Happy Halloween!

If you were afraid to brave the lines this past week on Memorial Drive, you still have a chance to vote early and avoid potentially long lines on election day.  You can vote in advance starting today, October 27 and ending on Friday, October 31 at several locations around DeKalb County.  Voting hours are 7:00 am to 7:00 pm.

For more information on the candidates and the issues, check out this previous post, or look here for more info on voting in DeKalb County.

THIS Saturday, October 25, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Decatur High School Parking Lot (Corner of N. McDonough Street and Howard Avenue), come recycle your cell phones, televisions, and other electronic components.

For the first time at this event, TV’s will be recycled for a minimal fee of $10 cash only per TV set with exact change. There is no charge to recycle other items.  For more information, please visit the City of Decatur Website.

With the financial crisis making headlines every day, children are naturally wondering what to make of it.  Slate had a great article a couple of weeks ago called Great Kids’ Books About Financial Ruin.  The author lists several childrens books dealing with money (or the lack of) and recessions.  All of the books (except one title, which is on order) are available in our system.  They won’t necessarily explain the current crisis, but they’ll provide a solid background for understanding what’s happening.

Has “the biggest economic crisis since the Great Depression” gotten you down? Okay, I just bummed myself out by writing that. Are you anxiously awaiting the fast-approaching holiday season? Could you maybe just use some extra pocket change? Well, let’s all put down the worries and pick up a fun, insightful book instead.

Odd Jobs: 101 Ways To Make An Extra Buck (Skyhorse Publishing) is a quirky, compact handbook full of information about…well, odd jobs. In this book author Abigail R. Gehring highlights some unique ways to bring in some additional income. The 101 featured jobs cover a broad spectrum of fields. There are hospitality and service positions such as barista, hospice/elderly care and house cleaner. Other occupations are for the truly adventurous like shell picking in Kauai, commercial skydiving in New Zealand or even FEMA Disaster Assistant. Still other gigs listed in this book can best be described as “off-the-beaten path” including lipstick reading (think Mary Kay lady meets Psychic Friends Hotline) or vacuum dust sorter.

Gehring offers some helpful hints on how to break into each of these professions–yes, they are all doable, believe it or not–and what to expect once you’ve become, say, a human scarecrow (yep!). I’ve borrowed this book from the library three times now because, for starters, I always feel like I can use some extra dough . But the main reason I enjoy Odd Jobs is because it’s a very well-written and entertaining read. The author, who has held 24 of the jobs featured here, fills the book with many of her own personal insights and experiences. The key to most of these jobs is an open mind, creativity, a fair bit of elbow-grease and a touch of luck. It’s a great way to think about one’s own job and life in general.

Hop over to DCPL and give Odd Jobs a try. You could be well on your way to becoming a top notch Betta Fish Breeder!

The Decatur branch has an ongoing program called Musical Bookings. The Friends of the Decatur Library provide the money for this program. Over the years, many people who have attended have heard a wide variety of music. They are always held on a Thursday night from 7 p.m. until 8:30 p.m.

This Thursday, October 23rd  is our next program. It will feature the  group Peavine Creek. They play old-time music for contra dancing and square dancing and were featured on the “Mountain Music and Medicine” show aired on Georgia Public Television in March 2008.

To check out additional upcoming bookings, please check out our calendar under events, musical.  While you are waiting for our next booking, enjoy the video that someone made while attending the performance of the band Recess Monkey.

Do you understand the current financial crisis?  Neither do I!  But if you’re looking for an easy to understand lingo-free (or as free as possible) explanation of the mess we’re in, then you should listen to the following This American Life episodes.  I listened to them a few days ago and actually feel like I have a very basic grasp on what’s going on.  Amazing!

• The Giant Pool of Money
  This episode explains how the housing crisis led to a bigger financial crisis.  How come banks started lending money to just anybody?  How bad is the problem, really?  This episode answers all these questions.  Click on “Full Episode” to listen.
• Another Frightening Show About the Economy
  The same group of reporters return to explain how the housing market is connected and affects the rest of our economy.  Why are banks and other large businesses going out of business?  Also, is the bailout a good idea?  What are some of the other options?  Click on “Full Episode” to listen.
• Planet Money Podcast
  A regular podcast that answers your questions about the economy in layman’s terms.  This is not a This American Life episode, but an NPR podcast made by the same people who covered these topics in the previous links.

If you’re a regular DCPLive reader, you probably know that we normally post Monday through Thursday, with a different blogger posting each day.  We’ve recently decided to make a few changes, which we hope will bring a little more variety and interest to the blog.

We’ll be welcoming two new bloggers to our team, and starting an alternating schedule.  We’ll have six bloggers and they’ll post every other week on a Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday schedule.  So if you’re used to reading Ginny’s posts on Wednesdays about kids’ books, for example, look for her posts now to appear  every other Thursday.  We also hope to add blogger bios soon, so you can learn a little more about our team!

If you have any comments or questions, feel free to let us know!

Remember Lisa Loeb? She was the singer behind the hit single “Stay (I missed you)” that was featured in the movie, Reality Bites. Ms. Loeb talks about how important libraries are in the following video produced by the American Library Association.

As she sings, “Everybody feels this way, and I do.” I agree with the sentiments Ms. Loeb expresses and love the line about having “intellectual curiosity.” Hopefully, you feel this way too!

I discovered this video on Visibility @ Your Library, the blog of the American Library Association’s Public Information Office.