Tuesday's Tome: A Matter of Murder

This was a fun one to review for School Library Journal.  I am a freak about all things "Pride and Prejudice."  So when this one came up, I could not refuse.  Here is my review of "A Matter of Murder." 

“A Matter Of Murder” is the conclusion to the Lizzie & Darcy duology. Ms. Price first establishes the characters in the previous book “In Want of a Suspect” (HarperCollins 2024).  Here is where Lizzie is established as a solicitor in her father’s firm, Longbourne, and where she meets the dashing Mr. Darcy.
 
In the latest mystery from Tirzah Price, Lizzie Bennet’s beloved sister, Jane has married Mr. Bingley and then moved to Netherfield Park.  The Bennet family along with Mr. Darcy decides to pay the newlyweds a visit. However, the visit soon turns menacing as a dead body has been found in the flue of the fireplace.  Lizzie, hoping for a bit of a rest from her last case, cannot help herself and soon a full blown investigation ensues. During her inquiries, Lizzie finds out that Netherfield is cursed, at least that is what the locals say.Knowing better than to believe in the absurdity of a curse, Lizzie and Darcy try to uncover the truth of the dead man found in the chimney.  The more they delve into the case, the more dangerous it becomes.  Now Lizzie and Darcy have to decide if the curse is real, or is there someone behind the scenes threatening them.
 
Fans of Jane Austen will delight in encountering familiar faces—Lizzie, her parents, her lively younger sisters, Darcy, Jane, Mr. Bingley, and even the formidable Lady Catherine de Bourgh. While a few plotlines diverge from the original Pride and Prejudice (Peter Pauper, 2023), the most notable difference is that Lizzie and Darcy do not marry alongside Jane and Mr. Bingley. Instead, they remain unmarried throughout much of this story. Still, devoted Austen enthusiasts will appreciate the twist and enjoy this charming mystery, where Lizzie and Darcy join forces and ultimately discover love together.
 
Verdict:  Those who love Jane Austen and/or mysteries will adore this version of the beloved couple, Lizzie and Darcy.  The book will be a superb addition to any 9-12th grade library.
 

Blog Posts - Our Favorites

 

I’m honestly surprised I’ve been able to keep this blog going since August 2012. A lot has changed since then, but I definitely still love what I do.  In looking back at all of the blog posts, here are the most popular ones.

In 5th place with 459 visits, #FirstPageFriday, April 2, 2019

In this post, I started advertising different eBooks from one of our digital resources called Open eBook.  It is an app that houses many different eBooks.  This app is free for Title I schools. I was worried about advertising a book from our collection and having it checked out the first day, and no one else having that chance to read it.  These eBooks have unlimited access which means many students can read the same book at the same time.  Problem solved!

In 4th place with 525 visits, Half Way Through the 40 Book Pledge, January 30, 2020

This was the first year I instituted the 40 Book Pledge as a reading challenge/book club.  The object of the challenge was to read 40 books from the 1st day of the school year to the last day of the school.  That averages 1 book per week - 36 weeks of school and 4 weeks on break (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Spring Break).  in addition, we met in person once a month to discuss the different books we were reading. Over the years this challenge evolved from a stand alone reading challenge to a book club to a book club with a digital component, Beanstack.  I'm looking at changing it up again for next year.  Stay tuned!

In 3rd place with 1227 visits is Christmas in the Library, December 12, 2012.

This was only my 5th blog entry ever.  This was when Blanca, Karen, and I were in the middle of Senior research while trying to decorate the library for Christmas.  I believe this was our first book Christmas tree, and we were invaded by Gingerbread men.  We also hid elves in our shelves in a different spot every day.  The students who found the elf got a flavored candy cane.  I might need to bring this tradition back.  That was fun!

In 2nd place with 1465 visits is Fall Fun in the Library, November 11, 2013.

We apparently hosted a carnival in the library for the Fall Open House.  After re-reading this post, I am exhausted.  LOL!  In addition to that, we went all out on the Halloween decorations.  I'm not sure I am ready to bring all that back.  That carnival was a lot of work, and those decorations were amazing.  We did have fun though!

In 1st place with 4915 visits is I Read . . . What's Your Superpower, May 26, 2013

I believe this was our first "Patron Appreciation Day," which is just a big party after school to celebrate the end of the year.  Our theme was superheroes.  So we decorated the library, had different arts and crafts, and gave away comic books.  There was never a dull moment when Blanca, Karen and I were together.  Those were the days!

Well, thanks for humoring me as I strolled down memory lane!  Keep reading.

End of Year Statistics for 25-26

 Overall, I am pleased with this year.  Most all of my usage statistics trend upward which is always a good sign that the library is well used.  The only one that went down - slightly - are the books added to the collection this year.  We added 559 books last year, and only 471 this year.

The trend I find most interesting are the top 10 books checked out this year.  This year 6 of them are manga/graphic novels, and only 4 traditional fiction and nonfiction books earned a top spot this year.  However, last year I had only 3 manga/graphic novels make the top 10 list.  That means there were 7 fiction or nonfiction books.  Funny enough - Atomic Habits made the list in the 10 spot both years.  What are the odds of that?

If you want to compare last year to this year, you can visit my previous blog post and compare.  End of 24-25 School Year.

Now that my last contract day is here, I am so ready for summer.  I plan to read, play with my kitties, and float in our pool. I am sure there will be some house maintenance to be done, but I plan to enjoy every free day I have.  

Enjoy! Keep reading.

Tuesday's Tome: The Other Bennet Sister

 

The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow was a very long read.  I have quite the commute to and from school every day, and I check out audiobooks through the Dallas Public Library on the Libby App.  This was my longest read yet at 18 hours.  I'd like to mention that I am one of those people who always read audiobooks at "normal speed," but I was really tempted to speed this one up.  It has 3 parts and 99 chapters.  Of course the reader has to hear almost all of Pride and Prejudice from Mary's POV.  Let me tell you, it becomes apparent that this author is not a fan of Elizabeth Bennet.  After she recounts Lydia getting married, and then Charlotte Lucas' marriage to their cousin Mr. Collins, we hear that Jane and Elizabeth are wed along with Kitty.  So Mary is stuck at home with a mother who is disappointed in here, and a father that does not care.  It is truly a depressing read up to this point.  

Then Mary goes to live with the Gardner family at their house on Grace Church Street in London.  This is where the story finally gets interesting.  Now we have something new.  Mary blossoms into a steadfast and charming young lady who finds herself between two suitors, Tom Hayward and Will Ryder.  In comes Ms. Bingley who was unable to snag Mr. Darcy.  So now she has her eyes on Will.  However, Will becomes interested in Mary when he sees there is another suitor after her, Tom Hayward.  I guess it is one of those situation where Mary seems more eligible when someone else is after her.  Will is the impulsive one, very much like Mr. Willoughby (Sense and Sensibility).  Then there is the steadfast Tom Hayward much like Colonel Brandon (also like Sense and Sensibility)  However in this particular story, Tom is a high ranking business class citizen, and Will is a gentleman inheriting money from Lady Catherine De Bourgh of all people.  

Of course Mary make the right decision for her in the end, but not before there is a little drama as Will and his party (including Ms. Bingley) intrude on the Gardner family, Mary and Tom as they tour the famous "Lake Country."

I hear this book is being turned into a series to be streamed on BritBox.  It will probably make a good series.  There is definitely enough material in the book.  As an avid Austen fan, I am glad I read this story - any excuse to go back into that world.  However, I only recommend this one for other avid Austen fans.  The causal fan will probably DNF this one after the first 10 chapters.

Whether you decide to read this book or not . . . Keep Reading!

End of the Year Evaluation

Every year at this time, I receive an email from my appraiser about my yearly evaluation.  In my almost 23 year as a librarian, I have been appraised in many ways.  My appraisers have used the teacher appraisal, the paraprofessional appraisal, and then various appraisals that have been created just for librarians - which are the one I prefer.  In addition, I have also gone years without an appraisal at all, or I have appraised myself.  I've set goals, provided documentation, timelines, and paper evidence. I've seen & done it all!  However, I probably like my current appraisal best.  It is the one that is actually aligned with our library standards. 

My campus appraiser is very no-nonsense, and I really like that.  Her philosophy is that "proficient" is the norm.  If she scores me below "proficient," she will produce written documentation for me to see.  If I want to score above "proficient," then I have to provide the documentation for her to see.  That started during the 2021-22 school year.  At that point, I only had a few weeks to put all of my documentation together.  I had a lot, but it was all over the place - Google Drive, folders on my desktop, Canvas, and maybe some stuff in Canva too.  So in three weeks, I put together as much as I could remember, and organized it using one library standard per slide, which is how the appraisal is organized.  It looked like this . . . Appraisal Documentation for the 2021 - 2022 School Year

Over the years, I have started gathering my documentation earlier, and I've been able to get more information into my final product. Around year 2 of gathering this documentation, I created a Google Site instead of using Google Slides - just a personal preference.  I am still working on this year, but here is what I have so far . . . Appraisal Documentation for the 2025-2026 School Year.

Why go through all of this if I am okay with the proficient status?  After all, my performance is not tied to a bonus, or a promotion, or anything like that. To be honest, I like to see a few "distinguished" marks on my appraisal.  I don't need all "distinguished," because I truly believe that is not possible.  I always look at my data at the end of the year, and I can tell where I dropped the ball.  One year I concentrate on books circulated, and then I realize I have neglected my makerspace projects.  Another year, I concentrate on technology, and teaching classes, and my book circulations take a hit.  So in answer to the question I first proposed at the beginning of this paragraph, I gather all of this documentation so I can analyze my year and decide what goals I need to set for next year. I believe I am always learning.  Right now, I am seeking that balance to have a well-rounded library program. 

 

Tuesday's Tome: The Correspondent

 

I realize this book gets mixed reviews, but I really enjoyed it.  If you prefer a plot driven story instead of a character driven story, this is not the book for you.  It has a leisurely pace, but I found it very interesting how the main character, Sybil Van Antwerp,  relates better to people writing letters rather than talking in person.  It is how she makes sense of the world around her, and her place in it. Of course, the reason why she prefers letters to people is slowly revealed which makes me love her even more. Sybil writes to friends, family members, and complete strangers.  Her collection of letters over the years include famous people too.  She writes to her best friend, and those letters always include what they are reading at the time.  As an avid reader, she also writes letters to famous authors, like Larry McMurtry, to let them know how she enjoyed their book.  She even writes to Stephen Spielberg to ask him to encourage her youngest pen pal with his budding movie career. Sybil also writes notes to her neighbor, a German man who lost his family to a concentration camp in World War II.

It isn't all happy times for Sybil.  She and her daughter have an estranged relationship since the death of a family member and the subsequent divorce that occurred because of that.  The daughter does not understand her mouther's preference of letters to people.  They often argue about that.  These family dynamics come to a boiling point when Sybil's ex-husband is dying.  Sybil doesn't want to go visit, and part of that is her facing what happened to their son.  This event is forcing Sybil to examine the most painful part of her life.  She realizes she cannot move on until she can forgive what happened and everyone involved.  

This story is a breath of fresh air with its slow pace and character development through correspondence.  This is one of my new favorites, and I have recommended it to many people.  

Fifth 6 Weeks Check In

 

And here we go again!  I feel like I just posted about our 4th six weeks, and here we are, already at the 5th six weeks. Before you know it, we will be out for the summer.  However, we do have to get through "testing season" first.  April will be the state mandated EOC tests; the first half of May will be AP testing, and then we have final exams.  The students' last day is Thursday, May 21st, and teachers are out on the 22nd. Our graduation is first up on Friday, during our teacher work day.  I feel bad for all of those senior teachers who give an exam on Thursday, and then have to grade them and finalize their grades before Friday morning.  Who thought that was a good idea?

However, back to the subject at hand . . . the library usage statistics.  As always, I am proud of how our library is used.  Lots of students coming in, checking out books, playing games, and using our computers and/or printer.  Our Beanstack reading minutes continue to rise.  Last 6 weeks, it was a little above 9,000 minutes, and this time around it was over 11,000.  I also like to see some of the older books hit the top 5.  Harry Potter was number 1 this time.  So fun!  I am sure that has something to do with the hype about the new series coming to . . . . is it Netflix, Paramount, maybe Disney +?  It's hard to keep up with those streaming services these days.

I think my favorite activity I started this year is to recognize my top 5 students who checked out the most books.  One of my goals this year is to bump up the number of books checked out per person.  I have been holding steady at a whopping 2 - two books per child for the whole year.  My goal this year is 4 books per kid.  This is one of the ways I am trying to create more book traffic, to announce the top 5 students every 6 weeks.   I'll let you know at the end of the year how that goal goes.  Wish me luck!