If I wrote a book about being a teen librarian the above would probably be the title. Librarianship makes for great titles. If I were to be writing about the reference desk I could title books things like No, You Can’t Have That Loose Cat in the Library or I Can’t Tell if You’re Joking When You Ask if the Library has a Sushi Counter So I’m Going to Treat it as a Serious Reference Question. They would be instant bestsellers I’m sure.
But I did eat a bug for a teen program. The program was . . . to basically just get edible insects on the internet and then eat them. It was a smashing success! The teens loved it and apparently, insects are a very sustainable source of protein and we should probably eat more of them. It wasn’t my favorite – it might have been buffalo flavored? WHY?! – but I did eat one.
And then I made a GIF of me eating a bug:
In other news, the library is going well! We’re doing our Teen Poetry Contest, a phone film festival, and I’m planning on DM-ing (Dungeon Mastering for the cool people out there; it means “running”) a game of Dungeons & Dragons for teens that I’m super excited about. Basically, I’m spent the last few years morphing into a Super Nerd and so now I like things like tabletop role-playing games! And other tabletop games! Video games! Comics and more! I thought I had achieved Peak Nerd with my love of “Battlestar Galactica” and the greatest show of all time AKA “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” but there’s so much more to be incredibly dorky about. I’m happy about it. I’ll just be a big nerd who loves comics and space and games and sewing and running and baking. And it will be glorious.
Since it’s been a while – you thought I wouldn’t mention that, you say? – here are some things I’ve been enjoying that you’d probably enjoy too:
Neko Atsume – it’s a phone game where you collect cats. That’s it. It’s amazing!
Mission: Red Planet – It’s a tabletop game where you send steampunk astronauts to Mars. It makes sense in the game, trust me. I wrote about it in my monthly game column at WWAC. (Does this make me a board games columnist? I don’t know!)
Steven Universe – Yes, this is a cartoon, ostensibly for children, but it’s beautiful, heartwarming, and hilarious. Plus the storytelling and progressive attitudes are serious pluses.
Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee – You think I’d let you leave without some book recommendations? Of course not! If you like opera or the Franco-Prussian War (apparently that was a thing), you should read it. It’s a bit long but very engaging and beautifully written.
Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan – Listen to the audiobook, it’s perfect. This also is about music and the audiobook includes a lot of musical excerpts which make it a wonderful listen.
What have you been up to lately? Eat any good bugs?!
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