Recommendation Withdrawal

Way back in July of last year I recommended a new book website called paperbackswap.com.

You can read the post here: http://pleasanthillbookclub.blogspot.com/2009/07/paperback-swap.html.

Paperback Swap was a cool site where members traded books and it was completely free. Soon after they added a book store component to their site and it is growing evermore obvious that quality books that may have been found on their site for free are now ONLY being SOLD. It has gone from a great community of shared reading to just another book market. This morning I used up my last credits on their site and have deleted my account in protest. I recommend you do the same if you have an account there.

Greatest Quiz EVER!!

http://www.sporcle.com/games/MonteCresta/phbcphbc

I expect a 100% from Bryan and Whitney on this!

Milestones!

The PHBC blog has just surpassed two very significant milestones. First the site is now over 5000 hits and has been read in over 50 countries! Very exciting to know that so many people outside of our group are reading our blog.

Our next milestone to look forward to is to see if our Facebook group can hit double digits!

New Online Book Store

I actually don't know how 'new' this is, but its new to me. Abebooks.com has an incredible selection of used books (some very rare) that are mostly under $4.00. Many of the books have free shipping or cost only $1.00. Not too bad, me thinks.

New Children's Book Recommendations

It took me a long time to come around to this book. I felt it was a little cliche, and was looking for more original books to read to my son before bed. In fact, the only reason I even got this book is because I got it for free from the library through their summer reading program.

I am very glad I did. Not only does my son LOVE this book, but I realized that this is a great book for learning new words. And not just the words in the book. When I finish reading this book to my son, we then go around the house saying goodnight to all kinds of objects. It really is a great tool to improve language.

For other children's book recommendations click on the hyperlinks below.


PS- here is a Sporcle quiz on Goodnight Moon

http://www.sporcle.com/games/livfred/goodnight_moon

Batman #1 For Sale (From Yahoo News)

Comic book buff selling rare copy of Batman No. 1


FAIRBANKS, Alaska – A longtime Alaska comic book buff is selling one of the gems in his vast collection, a rare copy of Batman No. 1 published 70 years ago.

Mike Wheat of Fairbanks has put the 1940 comic book on the auction block through Dallas-based Heritage Auction Galleries, where it's expected to fetch more than $40,000. Online bids already have climbed to $35,000 for the book, believed to be one of fewer than 300 still in existence.

Online bids will compete with a live auction set for Thursday.

The second and fourth Batman issues also will be part of Thursday's auction. They are expected to bring more than $5,000 combined.

Wheat, a retired city wastewater treatment plant operator, said he considers the Batman comics an investment. He said it feels like the right time to sell.

"I just decided it's time for someone else to have it," he said.

The Batman No. 1 comic book was discovered after local businessman Ron Jaeger bought an old dresser at a garage sale in the early 1970s, then kept it in storage for a few years. When Jaeger finally brought it out, he noticed one of the drawers didn't slide easily.

Three comic books and a few old issues of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner were tucked beneath the drawer and a quarter-inch piece of plywood. The haul included a copy of Batman No. 1, Superman No. 17 and an old issue of a Red Ryder Western comic.

Wheat already had a reputation as an avid comic collector in 1974, and Jaeger sold him the comic books for $300.

The auction house has handled many copies of Batman No. 1, but Wheat's copy is notable because the low humidity and cool temperatures in Fairbanks have kept the paper in excellent condition, said Barry Sandoval, director of comic auctions and operations at Heritage. Old comics were printed on cheap newsprint, but the pages in Wheat's copy remain white and crisp.

"If we got a Batman No. 1 from Texas or Louisiana, if you opened it up after 70 years the pages would start to crumble," Sandoval said.

The condition of comics is graded on a scale of one to 10. Wheat's copy has been graded a 5.5. That's a middling score for a newer comic, but impressive for a vintage copy.

"I see how most comics from that era look," Sandoval said. "Most 70-year-old comics are in pretty rough shape."

Batman No. 1 was the first solo spin-off for the character, who made his first appearance in 1939 as a character in Detective Comics No. 27. The debut includes the original appearances by two of Batman's key foes, the Joker and Catwoman.

Sunday Morning (Pretty Funny)

I implore you to read this article and watch the attached video. Its about 'celebrities' doing dramatic readings of other 'celebrities' autobiographies.

Enjoy.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/05/16/sunday/main6489596.shtml?tag=cbsnewsSectionsArea.3

For those who were wondering...

The new Daniel X book is out! The next edition of my guilty pleasure is here! Its entitled Daniel X: Demons and Druids and it apparently came out some time in July. I know it doesn't have quite the hype of a midnight Harry Potter release, but I know at least one other PHBC member who can't wait to read it (T.C.). I personally will be waiting for the library to carry it which may be awhile, but I know it will be worth the wait!

PHBC Group on Facebook

The Pleasant Hill Book Club is now a group on Facebook. Go there to post ideas on books we should read or any other reading related topics.

Here is a link to the page:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1033966831#!/group.php?gid=123618094349066&v=wall&ref=mf

The goal is to get over 130,000 members (which would be more than either Borders or Barnes and Noble) Do your part!!

Running for City Council?

In our last post I mentioned at the end that someone should run against our incumbent city council members. Well, I am from the school of thought that you shouldn't ask someone to do something that you aren't willing to do yourself. With that said, a couple days ago I went down to city hall and began the process to be put on the ballot for this November's City Council election.

HOWEVER, after some deep thinking about the time commitment, I have decided NOT to run. I know that with two children under two, teaching, being my subject's department head, coaching our chess team, being a member of a book club, and writing monthly book reviews doesn't really leave a whole lot of free time to be a member of a city council. If I was to win, and I am VERY confident that I could have, I would have to stop doing some (probably most) of those activities, and for less than $600 a month I not willing to do that.

So, if there is anyone out there who wants to run and has the time to give I strongly encourage you to do so.

Pleasant Hill Quality of Life Survey Results

A few weeks back residents were mailed a quality of life survey by the city of Pleasant Hill and today the results are in. One of the questions asked how important maintaining library hours and services were. According to the mailer 78% of residents said it was either a high or medium priority (although we don't know how much was high and how much was medium because the statistics display is not very good). Though 78% is very high, this came in 5th place behind safety issues, pot holes, and storm drains. I'm glad our priorities are in order.

Later on in the mailer, there is a section that describes how the city is addressing all of these issues. Disappointingly, when it comes to the library the city uses its tried and trusted cop-out line of, "Additional local funding is needed to keep the library open for the hours desired by the community." This cop-out of "additional funding" being needed is not given for any of the other areas of concern.

I'm not saying there aren't any economic problems in this city or state. I just question how what money we do have is being spent. Maybe we will maintain our beautiful parks, smooth roads, clear storm drains, have our library hours diminish to almost nothing and grow so ignorant that the Morlocks will fatten us up and feast on us every night (HG Well Time Machine).

What upsets me the most is that this excuse of no money will be perpetually used to defeat any library improvement initiative with no action plan to solve the problem every being discussed. The only solution is to vote out the city council the first chance we can.

Here are the members of the city council:
http://www.ci.pleasant-hill.ca.us/index.aspx?nid=64

Unless we get some more library improvement, please vote for whoever may be running against them whenever that election might be. Or better yet, maybe YOU should run against them!

So Long Harvey Pekar (1939-2010)

On Monday the graphic novel world lost a legend and true original. Harvey Pekar was the creator of the American Splendor series and the subject of a movie by the same title. I know I am in the minority as far as those in this club who read graphic novels but I highly recommend giving his books a look.

Here are two articles and an NPR clip on the passing of this literary original:

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/books/2010/07/13/harvey-pekar-and-the-death-of-a-splendid-american/

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128465797

More Quiz Fun

http://www.sporcle.com/games/LTH/book_ends

Got 17 out of 30. Really upset that I spaced on the Adam Smith book.

Spoiler alert: One of the books is a former Book Club selection!