Book Review for Mistborn and The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

The Final Empire is a world during a medieval-type era ruled by an immortal self-proclaimed god. It is a society consisting of nobility, slaves (Skaa), and those slaves brave enough to break free to become thieves and black market merchants. Some of the nobility and those with the mixed blood of Skaa and nobility can “burn metals,” which allows them to have powers that enable them to control the emotions of others, increase their strength, push or pull metals, heighten their senses, or shield those whom are burning metals from the prying eyes of those who can sense it. Most do not have any powers, of those that do, the majority only have one; then there are the Mistborn, who can burn all the metals and, thus, make the perfect assassins.

The Final Empire is a world shrouded in nightly mist and falling ash. A world whose sun is veiled, where the plants are brown and only the oldest legends hint at their once being green. Most are scared of the nightly mists, but that is where the Mistborn like to live and go about their work, for they can more easily hide their identities and the mist seems to embrace them as they use their powers.

Sanderson does an excellent job of creating a world a little different from our own, a world containing mists with things shrouded there that are different than anything we know. He does a good job of creating interesting characters that continue to deepen as you “get to know them” and who continue to better get to know themselves, as well. The fact that I cannot really come up with another story to compare it to speaks to its originality, for I have read quite a few stories.

Though Mistborn and The Well of Ascension have a main character who is a teenage girl, I would not consider them “young adult” books (though young adults would probably enjoy them, too). I guess they're a little deeper than most young adult books.

Mistborn is about Kelsier, a madman bent on overthrowing the Lord Ruler, the god who killed his wife and enslaved his people. He may be mad, daring, and reckless but he trusts his thieving crew, his friends, those he loves; even though his wife may have been the one who betrayed him. Even though the one he loved the most may have betrayed him, he chooses to trust, for he knows life is better that way.

It's also about Vin, a girl who tries to stay in the shadows and go unnoticed, who grew up on the streets and drifting from thieving crew to thieving crew with her brother who, above all else, tried to instill in her a sense of distrust, because he thought that was the best chance of her staying alive. To instill this lesson even further, he would beat her and finally abandoned her in a thieving world dominated by men of less than noble character. Kelsier finds her, suspects she is Mistborn, and takes her under his wing. Even though Vin thinks Kelsier is mad and that his plan will never work, because Vin is all about survival and Kelsier can show her how to be stronger, she decides to accept his mentorship. Also, Vin is attracted and bewildered by this thieving crew who seems to trust each other, she wants to wait around to see if it's real.

Mistborn is about a girl discovering her powers, it is about overthrowing a god, and making a 1000 year empire fall to the ground.

The Well of Ascension is about Vin growing up a little more, stabilizing a newly born society, and fighting off previously unknown enemies. It's about help from unlikely places and betrayal from others. It's about changing perspectives and trying to befriend others who are very different from ourselves.

What are these two stories most deeply about? Trust. Learning to trust and how a life filled with trust, though it makes you more vulnerable in some ways, is a better and more fulfilling life. In Mistborn Vin learns to trust her friends, to trust those she comes to view as family. In The Well of Ascension she continues to learn of this trust and also the trust which must accompany a more exclusive love.

These stories are about how trusting relationships can allow you to grow, discover who you are, to laugh freely, and let your guard down both physically and emotionally. They are about overcoming a very dark past, full of mistrust and valid reasons to distrust. They are about questioning whether we are being used, whether we can be loved and be useful, and being willing to be used because we love the one who needs us.

Here are two of my favorite quotes from The Well of Ascension concerning love (unfortunately I don't have access to Mistborn, because it was a library book):

“Honestly, Saze, sometimes I just think we're too different to be together...”

“At first glance, the key and the lock it fits may seem very different,” Sazed said. “Different in shape, different in function, different in design. The man who looks at them without knowledge of their true nature might think them opposites, for one is meant to open, and the other to keep closed. Yet, upon closer examination, he might see that without the one, the other becomes useless. The wise man then sees that both the lock and key were created for the same purpose.”

Another qoute by Sazed (one of my favorite characters):

“I simply offer counsel. Those who take lightly promises they make to those they love are people who find little lasting satisfaction in life.”

Both books are a decent length, but if you enjoy reading, I think they are enjoyable and worth the read. I would rate them PG-13 for violence, gore, sexual references (it doesn't go into details, but a lot of the nobility take mistresses from the Skaa) and some disturbing elements (Vin gets beat up a few times and the Skaa mistresses, by order of the Lord Ruler, have to be killed before they can have mixed blood children). Because of the violence, I would maybe place it between a PG-13 and an R.

A Little Note About Intelligences

As most of you know who bother to read my blog, I was a psychology major in college. I remember one of the things we discussed in, I believe, Psychological Testing was the fact that their has been some debate concerning the biases of intelligence tests and that they, perhaps, only test a certain type of intelligence. This is really something I should have followed up on the research through the years, because it was something I found very interesting at the time. The idea surfacing then was that there are different kinds of intelligence and that someone brilliant in one may not be in another. I'm not sure where the issue has come to rest or if it has come to rest at all, but, personally, I think there are different kinds.

Right now I'm working as a Maintenance Assistant at a hotel. There's one full-time guy and then there's a guy, probably in his early sixties, that comes in a couple days a week. These guys are both “country boys” with thick accents and, sometimes, bad grammar. Well, the older guy got kind of embarrassed during one of our breaks because he was trying to tell us about eating in a restaurant and he got mixed up on the proper usage of “eat” vs. “ate” (and some pronunciation/variation on those words that I'm not even sure what it was). We didn't call him out on it, he did. Anyway, the way he was acting made me sad because he was making it seem like I was smarter than him since I use proper grammar and went to college (some who've read multiple posts may disagree on the proper grammar:).

Guys and gals, I may have graduated Magna Cum Laude from college, but I can't fix my own plumbing, wire my house, fix my own car (without getting a detailed manual), and so many other things that both of these guys can just figure out. I know a lot of this know-how comes from experience, but none of these things are simple, they're all complicated and require a lot of intelligence.

Anyway, just wanted to share that. Whenever you're tempted to judge someone as less intelligent than you, stop and wonder a moment about all the things they can do and know of, about which you are clueless. That's not to say I don't think everyone should try to learn, better themselves, and speak as properly as they know how (or strive to speak more correctly), but perhaps our definitions of what we should learn and how we should better ourselves should widen. I suppose what I am saying is that I believe we should all strive to be well-rounded individuals in various areas of life, instead of strictly experts. This is something I need to work on in my own life, because I am simply dismal in math and I don't read/watch as much non-fiction as I should.

Some Ways in Which I Am Old, Some Ways in Which I Am Young

Some Ways in Which I Am An Old Man:

1. I love prunes, I think they may be my favorite dried fruit and probably one of my top four, in general.
2. I love looking through old magazine issues of Reminisce: The Magazine that Brings Back the Good Times (written by its old readers for other old readers) and Birds and Blooms
3. I love rocking chairs (preferably rocking chairs on a quiet porch) and porch swings
4. Though I am very aware of how the present is better in many ways (technology, in some ways, less prejudices, freer travel, better medicine, etc.) I miss “the good ole days.” Yes, I am aware it's hard to miss something I never knew, but I miss them all the same. I miss kids running around the neighborhood (which I did get to experience when I was a kid), people sitting out on their porches and knowing their neighbors, swimming holes and rope swings, family game nights, sitting around and reading aloud together, taffy pulls, sleigh rides, and ice skating on a creek or local pond. I know some of these are still attainable and I'm going to try my best to provide them to my future kids.
5. I love handwritten letters, yes, I know I'm horrible at writing back when people write me, but I still love them.
6. My joints have creaked for years and I already get a few hairs that grow out of my ears (I pluck them, of course).

Some Ways in Which I Am a Child:

1. I still like climbing trees and jungle gyms.
2. I still like playing in the rain (I've been called a “duck” by a dear friend)
3. I still like catching lightening bugs and stopping to look at other bugs
4. I like to experience my surroundings by multiple senses. When walking in the woods, I touch trees and moss as I go by, I stop to smell flowers, I like to shut my eyes to listen to waterfalls and brooks, and I love to close my eyes when it's really windy and just feel. Oh, and I love to put my head out the window (when someone else is driving), but I guess this is more like a dog than a child.
5. I like to show and/or give little things to people who are special to me. You know, like little kids enjoy showing you rocks or leaves or a piece of lint they found in their bellybutton (I may or may not show you the last one).
6. I have a poor concept of time, other than always being a little early for things, time doesn't mean much to me, days, months, years...some days are longer than years are, at least sometimes a year seems to drift away more quickly than some days pass.
7. If people 10 and up (most kids younger than that are horrible hiders) wanted to play hide and seek in the dark, I would love that. Looking back I probably wasn't that fun to play with, sometimes I would find a really good spot and just stay hidden there for multiple seeker switches (maybe that's the introvert side of me coming out, I was content to listen to the other people hiding and going to seek).

I could probably think of more to put on both lists, but I don't want to bore any who bother to read this. I guess I just wanted to share a little bit more of me. I know most of these things are things which are stereotypically associated with one age group or another but many on both ends may enjoy something I've mentioned. I guess "age," just like extrovertedness/introvertedness, beauty, and so many other things in our life is actually on a spectrum, is somewhat relative, and you cannot judge everyone based on a simple measurement. I firmly believe the passing of time is relative in multiple ways.

A Communion Thought

I did the devotional thought for Communion on Sunday, I thought I'd share on here what I shared then. I originally wrote it for a Communion thought I did in Ukraine in 2009.

When I am thinking and praying as I take the Lord's Supper each week I do not always just think about Christ's death and resurrection; but also sometimes think of the life he lived and remember the fact that he did live a life in the flesh on this earth.

We serve an Almighty God and, though he knows everything, sometimes, when we are suffering, we may be tempted to think he does not know what we are going through and that he cannot know how we feel because he has never experienced it. But as well as coming to earth for the obvious reason of saving us, I also think Christ lived a life in the flesh for this reason, so that when we cry to him and say God cannot not know how we feel, he can whisper gently back to us that he does, for he has felt it, too.

While on this earth Christ actually dwelt among us, the Son of God lived day by day feeling sometimes hungry and sometimes cold, feeling the hard ground beneath his back as he slept in the wilderness and the warmth of the sun on his face in the morning. And he did not live in a palace while here, being served by humanity, but was born to a somewhat poor family and continued to live in poverty his whole life, even when he could have charged so much money for the thousands he healed.

While Christ was here he was tempted and tried; he was doubted and ridiculed by the very ones he loved; he was made fun of and called names which where lies; he was shunned and rejected by the very nation of people who should have recognized him as their Savior; and then, then the most innocent man to have ever walked the earth was beaten because of jealously and died a lawbreaker's death because he was hated by those who claimed to serve his Father most faithfully.

The most pure Being to ever walk the earth took the sin and filth of those hypocrites upon himself, he took our guilt and failings upon himself. And as Paul says in 2 Corinthians, he who had no sin became sin for us. We serve a God who was not only willing to die to save us but was also willing to live to save us, to dwell among us for a time so that by seeing Christ and his actions, we might see the Father. So that through seeing Christ' blood, sweat, and tears and hearing his words of love, we could see the kind of God we serve and the type of God we are loved by. Finally, he lived here in the flesh so that we may look at his life and see how God wishes for us to live and love and strive to serve him.

Book Review for Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury

What is this book about? MAGIC! Though, as you're reading through it, you would be hard-pressed to actually find any particular instances of it, but it's about magic all the same. Childhood magic, deep magic, real magic. The magic of dawn, of memories, of new sneakers, arcades, riding machines, dandelion wine, porch swings, simple rituals, summertime, and of dusk.

This book is for those who remember the magic of childhood and for those who need reminding. I suppose a child of 12 or 13 would enjoy the book, but more than being a children's book, I think it is a book about childhood and growing up. It's about how a 12-year-old sees the world, how he deals with it, how he begins to realize his mortality but also the fact that he is really alive, that his body is amazing and the world is an amazing and, sometimes, horrifying place to live.

I've read Dandelion Wine three times now, and each time I love it just as much or more than the last. There is no grand adventure (besides the day to day adventure all of us live), no spectacular climax, but as I was reading it this time with the mindset of writing a book review, I quite often wanted to transcribe whole chapters to share; alas, that would break copyright laws, so I couldn't do it.

Dandelion Wine takes place in Green Town, Illinois (a made up place based on a town from Bradbury's childhood). It's a smallish town that's fairly quiet, but it's filled with characters who have great stories. The primary character is Douglas Spaulding, a 12-year-old who, during the summertime, basically lives outdoors. The book is somewhat about his adventures, but also about his neighbors' adventures and how Douglas and his brother, Tom, make sense of them all.

Overall, the book is like a draught of sunshine just like, in the book, a draught or even a sip of Dandelion Wine taken in wintertime is like a piece of summertime. It's to be read in summertime as a reminder to notice the little things, and to be read in the wintertime time to remember the sun and warmth of summer. Though the book is essentially light (in emotional tone and brightness) the book also deals with loss, death, growing old, doomed romance, and sadness; but through each of these things a lesson is learned, Douglas and Tom keep on living and growing, and many of the characters become at peace with their experiences.

Like I said before, most of the things I wish to share have to be shared by the chapter, without context, it wouldn't mean as much. But I do want to share what Douglas' grandpa prescribes when Douglas is feeling down, “ Now upstairs, run three times around the block, do five somersets, six pushups, climb two trees, and you'll be concertmaster instead of chief mourner. Get!” Later on in the book Tom shares his ideas of some similar medicine, “A good night's sleep, or a ten-minute bawl, or a pint of chocolate ice cream, or all three together, is good medicine, Doug. You listen to Tom Spaulding, M.D.” Now I know people and kids sometimes have serious problems that they need treatment or medication for, but I also believe that little boys (and some big ones) sometimes just need a little more of what was mentioned, individually or, even better, all together.

So if you're looking for an easy read, something filled with simple wisdom and lessons learned, I encourage you to read this gem.

I would rate it PG or maybe even PG13 because, like I said before, it deals with death and loss. There is a woman murdered and some other characters also die (though they're of natural causes). When you can, I think it's best when you parents read books first or at the same time as your kids, if you can't do that, at least ask them to talk about what they're reading.

Oh, another note. For those of you who have read or tried to read some of Bradbury's short stories and did not like them because of their dark tone and violence, this is not anything like those. If you are of a similar personality to me, within the first couple lines you will be smiling. If you read this book and fall in love with Bradbury's writing, Fahrenheit 451 is a little similar, in the fact that some of the characters notice and love small wonders, but it is somewhat dark. Though I have not read it yet, I think The Halloween Tree has a similar tone to Dandelion Wine, though it has “magic” other than the kind I talked of. Just know that his short stories, particularly The Illustrated Man, start out violent and depressing and, I feel, become more so the further you go in the book.

Some Things You May Not Have Known About Introverts

First thoughts, I seem to be seeing a lot of articles and things about understanding introverts, but I haven't seen many recently about understanding extroverts. Is this because extroverts verbally explain to us introverts how to understand them or is it because many introverts enjoy writing, are introspective, and, thus, like to share our quiet inner workings? Maybe a combination of both and other things.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and share some of the inner workings of my head. I do this because, I think, the things I will share can be related to many introverts...or maybe I'm the oddball out and am just laying my oddities out on a line. If you're an introvert and can relate, back me up. Thanks.

A lot of the articles talk about how introverts are more easily simulated, respond more aggressively to outside stimuli and environments; in certain areas of my life I can very much see how this is true. If I'm in a crowded room with a lot of people talking, my brain tries to listen to multiple conversations at a time, I have a hard time focusing in on one (especially if I am not actively engaged in one of the conversations). After a while, my head just gets a little overwhelmed. Now, this is not to say I don't like being in big crowds (for a little while), I enjoy going to downtown fireworks, parades, and theme parks. I think this is because I like to people watch and there's so many people the “many conversations” kind of get drowned out into background noise. In general, when in groups, introverts like to be observers (aka Wallflowers); perhaps this is one reason we need to recharge after being around people, our brain isn't just processing one conversation, but trying to process many.

Along with this, if I'm sitting in a small room with multiple conversations going on, just because I'm sitting in your little group, doesn't mean I'm focusing on your conversation. I said I have a hard time focusing, but if there's a conversation across the room that I find more interesting, I'm actually pretty good at tuning your group out and listening to that other conversation. Some may consider this “eavesdropping,” but most of the time I wouldn't and the reason may be because the next thing I'm going to share (and the fact that they're talking in a room with other people).

If I'm in a group that is talking, looking at the different people who are speaking and sometimes making eye contact with them, I feel like I'm a part of the conversation, even if I don't actually say anything. A part of this is that I don't like to interrupt (and if it's a group, there's always someone talking). Another reason is, I figure someone will eventually say what I thought of saying, even if it is two minutes later. If you question whether or not I'm actually a part of the conversation, well, I can tell you I've probably heard more of what everybody has said than the people who are are doing most of the talking (unless I'm listening to a conversation 10 feet behind us). A possible slightly embarrassing side effect of actually listening to another conversation than you're in? You laugh at a seemingly inappropriate time. :)

A lot of people assume introverts are shy because we don't often talk to strangers (or even acquaintances), it not that I'm shy, oftentimes I honestly just don't want to talk or feel the need to talk. Actually, if it's a group setting, I may not even really talk to my close friends. I do try to smile at people to let them know I'm not being cold. A common theme running through things I've read about introverts is that we're not a fan of small talk and, well, I think that's true. That's not to say I won't exchange pleasantries, I do out of politeness, but it so often feels insubstantial. Also, I feel the need to clarify. I don't mind “one time” small talk with strangers, like if I'm volunteering at the library, working in a store, or addressed to the cashier checking me out, that's what is expected and to do more would be a little strange; it's when I've already seen you two times today and I know we're not actually going to have a conversation, it's literally quite painful to say “what's up?” or have it said to me yet again...I would rather us not say anything.

Lastly, kind of going along with the previous paragraph, I don't like to compete for people's attention. That's one reason I don't talk much in groups, that's the reason I like to go on hikes with friends (preferably outside of cell reception), try to set up outings with 1 or 2 people, and enjoy meeting people at quiet coffee shops. Basically, I'm selfish and, if I'm going to spend time with you, I don't want to share you with too many people or things at once. :) Maybe this is the reason that, in college, generally I didn't become friends with peer groups, but rather collected people from groups and would hang out with them one on one or two or three. A lot of my friends weren't really friends and I wasn't really friends with their friends.

Why I Believe Libraries are Vitally Important and Why I Someday Want to Work in One

Part of this was taken from something that was originally meant to be a post and another part was taken from a letter I sent to different libraries I was applying to. I, sadly, was not hired to any of the 10 or 15 positions I applied to. Ah well, someday.

I was at a wedding a couple months ago and it came up that I was applying to different library jobs. We were also talking about audiobooks and e-books which can be borrowed through the library. All of this lead to someone saying that they think libraries (as a physical location with physical books) are going to, perhaps in the not too distant future, go by the wayside and “librarians” will mostly be a much smaller group of people who are essentially tech support people. That conversation caused me to want to share why I think, and very much hope, this won't come to pass or, if it does, that we are going to be missing a lot more than a few paper books.

First, I suppose I have to admit that some of the things I will speak of are ideal situations, in other words, I know not all libraries live up to the virtues which I am going to attribute to them, not all of them are gathering places. I do believe that some libraries are beginning to understand the possibility of the above situation and are trying harder to make use of their building, personnel, and resources. I have to be fair and also say that there are some who have always made use of all of these things.

Communities used to have naturally occurring community gathering places, the barbershop, the drug store with a soda fountain, the local diner, the schoolhouse, or, in those small communities in which there was only a couple churches, it could be the church. These were places where gossip was shared, stories were told, ideas were displayed and, well, people gathered and connected; in short they were places which helped establish a sense of community. I will not go into the factors that caused many of these entities to no longer be in existence, because that is a whole different tangent.

Since I have only had 4 “professional” haircuts (and have had to go home and re-cut it each time), I cannot really speak about current barbershops with much certainty, but I think most do not encourage people to gather for a cup of coffee, do shop talk, and get no haircut. Though most drug stores now have everything from medicine to the latest “as seen on TV gadget,” I'm not sure they would approve of you pulling out their camp chairs and opening a bottle of soda. A few diners are struggling on and those that do still exist, I think are happy when locals linger a bit, but the diners are too few and far between. I think if you were to try and “gather” too often at your schools, you may end up getting arrested and people would question why you're there. And churches, well, churches are still a wonderful gathering spot, but in most towns, even small ones, there's normally many more than two. So the ones who do go to church only see a small portion of their community and a lot of people just don't go anymore. That leaves the local library. I know many of you may not think of it as a local gathering place, but I think it has the potential to be. I think the local library is one of the few community gathering places that a lot of communities have left.

This is why I've decided to work towards my masters in Library Science, why I someday want to work in a library and a public library in particular. Because I think public libraries are important both as a means for the public to access information and also as a community gathering place. I want to strive to keep public libraries culturally relevant in an increasingly digital age. My wish for doing this is because the aforementioned reasons and also the more selfish reason of, I love stories and especially love paper books which can be held. I am not completely old fashioned, I often enjoy digital audiobooks and have read e-books and realize their worth when traveling, but there is something about the feel and smell of a paper book that I particularly love.

I believe one why to keep physical libraries relevant is through the programs they offer at their building and I would be delighted to be a part of those already established, such as children's story times and book clubs, and maybe help to establish some others. For instance, I know public libraries often feature a little bit of art by local artists, but why not have a rotating selection which features more of it and have a special “gallery opening” in which a percentage of the proceeds goes to benefit the library? Also, I love movies as well as books, so maybe a film club could be established to go along with the book club, featuring movies which have been drawn from books. Then, the following week, the members could discuss the adaptation and just the movie in general.

Around Halloween or periodically throughout the year, have a historical costume party during which people are dressed up either as one of their favorite characters from a story or a favorite author. Depending on how comfortable they are, they could present why they chose who they chose or have cards with information they can hand out to people who ask.

The bookmobile at my local library in TN, which travels around to area schools, caused me to also think that it would be neat to start a lending program with area children's hospitals or children's wards. Also, to have a story time for them there, since they can't come to the library. At one library I applied to, their bookmobile also visited the area senior centers, which is pretty cool.

The next idea is still kind of vague in my head, because I want it to be an area that is aesthetically pleasing, as well as a place to find new books. Wherever I eventually work and get deeply involved, I want to grow a book garden. This would be an area where staff and patrons could put their favorite books so others could find them and there would be a bulletin board or something where people could write about why they placed a particular book in the garden. My desire for this is because people tend to find their niche and genre and then do not really branch out. Until I volunteered in the library, I pretty much went to the adult/young adult fiction but, then as I volunteered and reshelved books and movies, I kept coming across interesting hobbyist books, biographies, and documentaries I otherwise wouldn't have seen. Ideally the book garden would be an area where people could easily be exposed to areas of interest that they didn't know they were interested in.

As I mentioned earlier, I think libraries are important as a means to access information. Well, I think they should be a means to access more than just books and media. I know a lot of libraries have various computer classes but libraries could also make use of their space by having education classes done by local volunteers. Have a hobbyist forum in which people can share why they're passionate about something and what their hobby consists of. You could even involve area schools by doing this in the summer and suggesting teachers have their students chose at least one hobby they have to go and learn about. I believe something like this has the potential to open up “a whole new world” to some people and kids, to expose them to something they could learn to love that they may never have even thought of.

I suppose I will preface this next by saying, I am very much an introvert, I love quiet places. But, saying that, I will say, I think the libraries of today need to get loud and get comfortable. One of the things I loved about my library in Murfreesboro, TN is that the downstairs librarians weren't scared to be loud or have patrons be loud. Upstairs was the reference section where people could go to study and be quiet, but downstairs there was always laughter, visiting, and gossip. If their isn't an upstairs and a downstairs or one section that can be loud and another quiet, maybe even think about having quiet hours and a couple hours set aside during the day for “visit and gossip time.”

I know the “get comfortable” part will be hard for a lot of libraries because space always seems to be an issue, but how hard is it to stick a comfy chair in a few corners or to have a small area that, instead of desks, has a few comfy chairs pushed together? Also, get a few beanbags that can be tossed around the children's area and teen's area. I know funding is an issue, too, well, ask your patrons if they want it and, if they do, ask them to help get it.

Like I said before, offering programs is a great way to keep libraries culturally relevant, but more than that, getting local volunteers involved with these programs is just as important or more so. Have kids volunteer to decorate their areas for each holiday, teens to decorate theirs, and adults to decorate theirs. The more you can get people involved, not only benefiting from but contributing to, the more they will come to view the library as “their” library, the more they will grow to love it and want it to continue.

To wrap things up, recently I've heard from various friends that their stereotype of a librarian is someone who is “mean.” That has not been my personal experience, but maybe it is something to be aware of. Well, until I join your ranks, oh noble librarians, I bid you ado. Keep fighting the good fight and remember that a part of guarding books is to get people to read them and love them.