Manga Shakespeare

Several of Shakespeare's dramas have been made in to Manga. We now have Romeo and Juliet, and Julius Caesar in the HS Library.

A whole serie of fantasy books

We now have all the books that have been published so far in George R R Martins serie A Song of Fire and Ice.
A Game of thrones
A Clash of Kings
A Storm of Swords
A Feast for Crows

Available in the library?

The Oxford Dictionary of Plays by Michael Patterson

Read a summary (under details) and check availability in KIS library catalog.

Your competent child by Jesper Juul

One of the best books of parenting (in my personal opinion), but quite challenging. I dare every parent to read it!
Is it available?

Usha K R recently visited KIS for the annual writers workshop. The library then acquired 2 of her novels, The Chosen and A Girl and a River. We got to tape Usha talking briefly about her authorship. Watch it below.

Author Usha K R is talking about her writing .

New books on contemporary India

Books mentioned in this video are:

• India after Gandhi by Ramachandra Guha
• India and the Global Financial Crisis by Y. V. Reddy
• Being Indian by Pavan K Varma
• India's new capitalists by Harish Damodaran
• India Unbound by Gurcharan Das
• Crossing the Rubicon by C Raja Mohan

Invitation to Terror by Frank Furedi

The Expanding Empire of the Unknown.
Is the book available?

Expressionism by Norbert Wolf

Which artists are represented? Is the book available? Check the library catalog!

The Broken Window by Jeffrey Deaver

Watch an interview with author Jeffery Deaver about how he goes about when writing a book. Quite interesting! The Broken Window is actually the latest in a series of novels about the quadriplegic homicide detective Lincoln Rhyme and his partner Amelia Sachs. Maybe someone has watched the film with Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie that was made out of the first one, The Bone Collector. Unfortunately we don't have any of the earlier Lincoln Rhyme novels in the library, but this book works quite well for itself.

I tried to embed this video, but for some reason it didn't work. You'll have to click on the link!

You can hear me now by Nicholas P Sullivan

How Microloans and Cell phones are connecting th world's poor to the Global economy.
Available?

The Beast by Roslund-Hellstrom

Available in the library?

The Redeemer by Jo Nesbo

A Harry Hole mystery.
If you like mystery novels, I recommend Jo Nesbo's books about Harry Hole. They are very intriguing.
Check which one's are available here.

The No-Fault Classroom by Sura HArt and Victoria Kindle Hodson

Is this book available in the library?

Art Now vol 3, Ed. by Hans Werner Holzwarth

A cutting edge selection of today's most exciting artists.

Available in the library?

Creating a world without poverty by Muhammad Yunus

Creating a world without poverty : social business and the future of capitalism.
Available? Check the library catalogue!

Banker to the poor by Muhammad Yunus

The autobiography of Muhammad Yunus, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006, Banker to the poor.

Available in the library? Check here!

The Last lecture by Randy Pausch

"When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn’t have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave—“Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams”—wasn’t about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because “time is all you have...and you may find one day that you have less than you think”). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living. In this book, Randy Pausch has combined the humor, inspiration and intelligence that made his lecture such a phenomenon and given it an indelible form. It is a book that will be shared for generations to come. "

From the website The Last Lecture where you can also watch the lecture that inspired the book.

Is this book available in the library?

Mohandas by Rajmohan Gandhi

Find out if this book is available in the library.

Economics, 6th edition by John Sloman

Is this book available? Check the library catalogue!

Psychology books by Mike Cardwell and Cara Flanagan.

Psychology AS, The Complete Companion
Psychology A2, The Complete Companion
Psychology AS, The Exam Companion
and Psychology AS the teacher's companion by Sara Berman, Cara Flanagan & Adrian Frost.
Links go to the library catalogue.

The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

Is this book available? See the library catalogue.

The schools our children deserve by Alfie Kohn

Is this book available? Check the library catalogue!

The labyrinth of solitude by Octavio Paz

Primo Levi, The monkey's wrench

The enterprise of knowledge, by John L Tomkinson

The Enterprise of knowledge by John L Tomkinson from Anna Kagedal on Vimeo.

Hear what Bryan Plymale has to say about this book that we recently got for the HS library.

High Performance Sports conditioning, Ed Bill Foran

Modern training for ultimate athletic development.

Sports injuries, their preventment and treatment, by Lars Peterson and Per Renström

The Good Neighbors 1, Kin by Holly Black and Ted Naifeh

"From Booklist
Rue Silver’s everyday life with her professor father and ethereal mother comes crashing to a surreal end when her mother one day simply disappears. As Rue starts noticing oddities in her little town—people with wings or animal faces, or vines that seem to sprout up over everything at night—she tries to tell herself that such things would be crazy. When her extended family appear and claim that she is part of a hidden faerie world, Rue finds herself embroiled in a magical fight for power. The first volume in a series, this book goes a long way in setting up a foreboding, darkly mysterious atmosphere while giving the reader quick details for characterization. Black, one of the authors of the Spiderwick Chronicles, does a wonderful job of weaving an alien faerie world through Rue’s urban landscape, and Naifeh’s art, rich with shadows, is expressive and angular and pulls the reader into the story with a solid sense of place. Urban-fantasy readers of Neil Gaiman, Charles de Lindt, and Terri Windling will be immediate fans of this title. Grades 10-12. --Tina Coleman"

The compassionate classroom by Sura Hart and Victoria Kindle Hodson

"This book is a practical How To Guide for creating emotionally safe learning environments. The same principles used in the classroom can be applied to the entire school community to transform it into a lab for learning to live responsibly, effectively, and compassionately in all areas of life."

Public Speaking for dummies

For all of you who don't like to speak in public, but have to do it anyway.

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Maran Illustrated computers

Tunnels by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams

Guitar world it is!

Shopaholic and Sister, Remember me? by Sophie Kinsella

Discworld series 1-4 by Terry Pratchett

The colour of magic, The light fantastic, Equal rites and Mort are the first 4 novels in the Discworld series by Sir Terry Pratchett.

We have also recently bought Thud! which is the 34th Discworld novel.

Neuromancer, Mona Lisa Overdrive, Count Zero by William Gibson

A lot of new books

After the book fair we have plenty of new books coming in to all 3 libraries. The library got to pick up books worth 15% of the total amount you bought at one of the companies stall. And there was quite a few books we think you will enjoy.

We also replaced some of the books we already had with fresh copies. We now have 6 fresh copies of Agatha Christie novels, and one new copy of the Lord of the Rings.

More guitar book votes please!

Ok - I need more votes on which guitar book to get, so I have prolonged the voting time.

Read this post, and then vote to the right please!

Update: Even a few more dates left to vote!

Unaccustomed earth by Jhumpa Lahiri

Some books I just want to grab immediately and start reading when they arrive at the library. Just look at how beautiful the cover is? And I have read so much praise for it.

Unaccustomed earth was the list of the 10 best books of 2008 by the New york Times:

"There is much cultural news in these precisely observed studies of modern-day Bengali-Americans — many of them Ivy-league strivers ensconced in prosperous suburbs who can’t quite overcome the tug of traditions nurtured in Calcutta. With quiet artistry and tender sympathy, Lahiri creates an impressive range of vivid characters — young and old, male and female, self-knowing and self-deluding — in engrossing stories that replenish the classic themes of domestic realism: loneliness, estrangement and family discord."

Yes, this is also a collection of short stories, just like her previous Pulitzer prize winning book Interpreter of maladies.

And I am sure this book must be interesting for many students at KIS, read this:

"here are eight stories of people who struck their roots into unaccustomed earth, either themselves or by their parents: typically Indian roots in America, sometimes via England (as in the case of Lahiri’s own parents)" From the Blurb

Ok - I should stop quoting other people right now, and start reading it.

The good universities guide 2009, Australia

For those of you who are planning to go to university in Australia, this new University guide might be interesting. And here is the corresponding website.

The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo

Since Nemesis has been constantly checked out since it arrived in the HS library, I felt we needed some more books by Jo Nesbo. It seems difficult to get the 2 first books in the Harry Hole series (The bat man and the Cockroaches) but the Redbreast is the 3rd. (Nemesis is the 4th).

Read more about Nesbo and Harry Hole.

Business and management revision workbook

"This Revision Workbook is intended for use by students following the International Baccalaureate course in Business and Management and accompanies the main textbook Business and Management, available from IBID Press."

Read more

Mind Explosion Max out your brain for exam success, by Verity Aylward

Would you like to…

* Revise for less time but to maximum effect?
* Get motivated and stay on track?
* Tap into your own brainpower - with surprising results?
* Re-learn and recall stacks of notes in short sharp bursts of time?
* Diagnose specific ways in which you can improve your grades?
* Use exam practice to find your winning strategy?
* Confront anxiety and stress - or use it to your own advantage?
* Maximize your exam performance on the day?

If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, then the principles and strategies taught in Mind Explosion: Max Out Your Brain For Exam Success are for you.


Read more about the author and the book and why not check out the blog with the compelling name iloveexams.blogspot.com.

Guitar books for the library

Inspired by the Great Music Festival arranged at the school last week, I decided to get some guitar songbooks for the library. There are so many out there, so I would like your opinion on what to get.

Below are links to a few books. Look at the links to find more info on the books, and which songs are included, and then vote in the poll to the right.

You can of course give me another suggestion as well, then just comment on this post (here is an extensive list of books to give you some ideas) . But please write your name, so that I can get back to you.

1. Monster book of rock guitar
   
2. The definitive guitar songbook
   
3. Guitar Hero songbook
4. The Beatles complete Chord songbook
   
5. Forget about the books! Subscribe to Guitar world instead!
   

Peeps by Scott Westerfeld

Book review - Peeps by Scott Westerfeld from Anna Kagedal on Vimeo.

In this video I am talking about Peeps by Scott Westerfeld. The Sequel The last days is also mentioned.

You can really hear that I am in a school, all though I tried to hide from the most public spaces this time. But at one point the bell rings. School it is.

Results of the poll about fiction organization

The poll about how to organize the fiction section is now closed, and I am happy that 47 of you took the time to answer.

The result was clear, you want the fiction section to be organized in one, hardcover and paperbacks mixed instead of the current organization with hardcover and paperbacks separated.

So - we'll get onto that task, read more!

Robotics books

Early this semester we got a bunch of new Robotics books for the library. These are the titles:

• Advanced NXT: The Da Vinci Inventions Book (Technology in Action) by Matthias Paul Scholz
• The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Idea Book: Design, Invent, and Build by Martijn Boogaarts et al
  
• FIRST LEGO League: The Unofficial Guide by James Kelly (read it for free at google books)
  
• The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT One-Kit Wonders: Ten Inventions to Spark Your Imagination by James Floyd Kelly
• NXT Robotics Competition Workbook by James Floyd Kelly and Jonathan Daudelin
  
  
• Classroom Activities for the Busy Teacher by Damien Kee

I have a friend who is also into robotics, Check out his R2D2 here! And here is a video clip from my previous library - one of the staff got a farewell gift.

Uglies, Pretties, Specials by Scott Westerfeld

"Uglies is the first book of the trilogy. The second book is Pretties and the third is Specials. It's about a world in which everyone has an operation when they turn sixteen, making them supermodel beautiful. Big eyes, full lips, no one fat or skinny. This seems like a good thing, but it's not. Especially if you're one of the uglies, a bunch of radical teens who've decided they want to keep their own faces. (How anti-social of them.)"

This trilogy is no longer a trilogy since the forth book, Extras, has been published. Extras is still for the Library to acquire though.

By the same author, we already have Peeps (vampires again) and it's sequel The last days in the MS library. I am reading Peeps at the moment, and I think I would have liked it more if I was a teenager, the author tries a little too hard to sound like someone "cool" for my liking.

Uglies was checked out the moment it arrived, so I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but I will.

New new books display

If you haven't been to the library recently you might not know that we now have a new display for new books. This one shows the covers better and gives an easier overview, in my humble opinion. Thanks to Alphonse who made it for us!

Tamil books

We are working on a section for non english books in the library, and we are adding quite a few books in Tamil. This is one of the recent purchases of Tamil books - Obama by Senthil Nathan. (blog in Tamil). Unfortunately my Tamil needs some work, so I can't actually say anything more about this book than the fact that it is about Barack Obama and in Tamil.

As you can see I couldn't even find an online image of the book, so you'll have to do with this one from my phonecamera.

If anyone has read the book - please write a comment.

Introducing the book review on video

Introduction to book blog from Anna Kagedal on Vimeo.

In this video clip, I talk about the book blog and the video reviews in general and recommend this book: A thousand splendid suns by Khaled Hosseini

Fashion books and blogs

The library has now updated it's collection of fashion books with the following books:

1. Style A to Zoe by Rachel Zoe
2. A guide to Quality, Taste and Style by Tim Gunn
3. The little Dictionary of Fashion by Christian Dior.

And here are a few inspirational fashion blogs for you as well:

• The Sartorialist
• Facehunter
• Garance Dore
• Sea of shoes
  

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

I am sure not many people have been able to avoid Stephenie Meyers extremely successful books about the vampire Edward and human Bella in the Twilight series. The HS library acquired the series last semester and they have been on constant waiting lists since then. We now have 2 copies of the two first novels, Twilight and New Moon to reduce the waiting a little.

The Host is Meyers first novel intended for a grown up audience. Aliens, called souls, has invaded the earth and the soul Wanderer is placed in the body of the human Melanie. Melanie is among the few humans left on the earth and she refuses to leave her body. The impossible happens, and they become friends.

I thought this book was a bit slow in the beginning, but after some time I really enjoyed it.

New college books from The Princeton Review

The Best 368 Colleges, 2009 edition "College students (120,000 of them) reveal what life is really like at the nation's top schools. This must-have guide gives you college rankings like no other and covers all the essentials -- from academics to social life to financial aid, and everything in between."

Guide to College majors, 2009 edition "Choosing an undergraduate major is a difficult decision that impacts a student’s college years and future career path. Guide to College Majors includes the most current information possible on over 350 of the most popular majors. Perfect for high school students who want to plan ahead and for college students in the process of choosing a major!"

You find them at the new books shelf at the HS library.

Current Protocols Essential Laboratory Techniques

We have recently been gifted this book by one of the editors, Sean R. Gallagher.

The online version of this book has recently won the PROSE award for excellency in Biology and Life Sciences

"Current Protocols Essential Laboratory Techniques (CPET) provides every researcher with the skills and understanding of fundamental laboratory procedures needed to ensure greater success at the bench. CPET takes the novice researcher from very basic skills like weight and volume measurement, through reagent preparation and the use of routine instrumentation, and finally into advanced topics such as real-time PCR and bioinformatics."

Quote from here.

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld

American Wife is loosely based on the life of Laura Bush, and some of the people close to her and her husband can be recognized. Other than that, this is fiction.

"A kind, bookish only child born in the 1940s, Alice learned the virtues of politeness early on from her stolid parents and small Wisconsin hometown. But a tragic accident when she was seventeen shattered her identity and made her understand the fragility of life and the tenuousness of luck. So more than a decade later, when she met boisterous, charismatic Charlie Blackwell, she hardly gave him a second look: (...)Comfortable in her quiet and unassuming life, she felt inured to his charms. And then, much to her surprise, Alice fell for Charlie."

Quote from the website of Curtis Sittenfeld