When I first was introduced to the Anita Blake series, I loved it. Anita was a kick butt heroine with some hefty emotional issues, trying to cope with the horrors of her job as an animator. But slowly and surely Hamilton bumped up the kink with the multiple men and the ardeur plot line which meant that in the second half of the series is practically page after page of sex. Now I like a little bit of raunch just as much as the next girl, but enough is enough.
That was why I was glad that Hit List, the most recent edition to the series only had one very short scene. At the same time, Anita has added another man to her already full dance card and spent most of the rest of the book putting up a feminist defense to the overbearing bully of a U.S. Marshal. It's old. And it leaves me wondering whether or not Hamilton can keep the series going. The logistics of Anita's life are mind boggling and if another guy or two gets added each book ... I can't even keep them straight now. Plus, I keep forgetting who she's done and who she hasn't; I need to make a score card like I did for the Merry Gentry series.
Plus, Hamilton has killed off the Marmee Noir plot line, a little to easily for my taste. But what now? I mean the Olaf plot is heating up, but how far can that go? Does Hamilton have some bigger, badder monster than the Mother of All Darkness? On the other hand, how is this series going to end? The only way I can see is that Anita has to die, but that isn't exactly the happy ending I want. This series is too much like an amusement park ride. It's great and exciting while your on it, but at some point you have to get off. But when do we get off?
Ok, so the resolution is not going so well as this post is already three days late, but better late then never.
Anyway, I've been on campus for the past week and have been working full-time at the library and it has really driven home all the pet peeves I have about this job. No job is perfect and I am planning to have a career in the library, but I have to rant.
Patrons who walk right in front of the desk and make you think they want help, but really they're just walking by. Let's just say I am a helpful person. I want to make people's lives easier. So, when I see someone approach the desk I go into super-informed-and-helpful-Liz mode only to be let down by those people who are too lazy or rude to walk around the rope barriers.
Patrons who assume that since I work at the library I should know everything about the computers. I have no background in IT and am almost computer illiterate for a person of my generation, but I try to help as much as possible. But sometimes, patrons just don't get that we don't have an IT person just for our library. They also don't get that our computers are public ones and don't allow a lot of downloading or saving for long periods of time. (Can you tell I had an issue like this today?)
The deluge of returns that occur right before closing time.It never fails that within the last hour and a half before closing time (which usually only happens two times a week as we are open 24/5) everyone suddenly remembers that they have material to return and rush up to the desk and hand everything over. We have so much time during the day to shelve, yet we leave for the day with at least two carts of material to shelve.
Professors who don't know how to put material on reserve, check out material on reserve, and give out the incorrect information about reserves to their students. This one is pretty self-explanatory, but has a simple fix. I propose that we offer an hour class/seminar to all the professors on campus on the reserve system. I'm sure that IPM (Information Processing Management) would thank us and would even have someone there to help run it.
Trying to shelve in the compact shelving. There isn't anything I can do about this, but having to step out of the shelves and wait for a patron to find the items they want, and since all the graphic novels are there, it takes a little time. I usually go to another section and shelve for awhile, but sometimes, like today, it was one after another who wanted to get into the shelves.
The fact that somehow as soon as someone starts looking for a DVD all the glorious shelves of perfectly straightened DVDs look like an earthquake has occurred. I will admit that our shelves are slippery, as are the newer DVD cases, but ... really, can they just clean up after themselves?
The creepy middle-aged, male patrons who watch porn on library computers and try to hide it.Don't kid yourself, we all know what you're doing, and it's gross. The only reason you come to the library is because you don't want your wife/girlfriend to know how many porn sites you subscribe to or you don't want viruses on your home computer. Just stop, no one else wants to see you, so go home and enjoy yourself in privacy.
Patrons who just plop materials on the desk. It's just rude, and I can't read minds so I don't know if they want to check out or if they are returning items. A nice "Hello" would be nice or even just a "Hi," but to just stand there waiting ... ARGH!
That's all I can think of right now, and I think I covered everything, but I may be adding later. In the meantime, enjoy this awesome video:
I first heard of this book earlier this year when it was suggested for me by Amazon. You know one of those annoying emails that fill up your inbox and you know you should ignore them, but they still make you curious enough to open them? Any hoo, I was appalled at first because the very idea of messing with Jane Austen is just taboo in my book, especially when you make Elizabeth Bennett fight zombies while verbally sparring with Mr. Darcy. Here is a link to my original view point of this book, written in the heat of the moment.
However, a copy came into the Undergrad today and - I'm curious. I mean ... who would come up with mixing zombies and Jane Austen? Really? Even for a guy it's a little far-fetched. So I'm curious and I think I may read it but, I'm still not sure if it will ruin one of my favorite books of all time. However, I can always fall back on North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell if I want an untainted English comedy of manners with a tall, dark, handsome, and brusk male lead.
I will keep you aprised of any further developments.
