LOVE my job!

Now that I've finished reading all of the 2011-2012 Gateways, I felt it was time for a personal post!  So, I'm going to use it up bragging about how much I ACTUALLY love my job!  I have only been at it for about three weeks, but I can already tell that it is my dream job.  It's the first time in my life that I actually look forward to going to work.  For me, that is HUGE!  Not that teaching Spanish was horrible (it had it's low and high moments to be sure), but I just didn't feel like myself in that job.

One of my favorite things that I have had the opportunity to do thus far is to visit English classes to talk to them about each of the Gateway novels.  Students looked pretty interested (although their "interested" faces may have been cleverly disguised glossed over, bored faces).  I have also had the opportunity to create a new library website (feedback welcome!).  I'm actually kind of proud of it!  I'm taking a web design course this semester, so I will hopefully be able to make it even better.

The next several blog posts you will see will be reviews for 26 young adult novels that I will be reading in order to help select the 2012-2013 Gateway nominees.  I'm not sure if I'll have time to actually blog about all 26, as I will need to be reading at least 2, and sometimes 3 a week (also, did I mention that I am taking 2 grad classes this semster?)!  I'm about a fourth of the way into the first one, Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi.  So far, I am enjoying it!  It is very refreshing to be out of the realistic fiction genre.  I'm a little burnt out on it, to be honest.  Look for a review soon!