How I forgot about loving Twilight

Something odd happened this past weekend. I was sitting in a darkened theater, one of my YAAP teens behind me and a few other library regulars scattered throughout, and I suddenly remembered that I love Twilight.

I'm sure those of you that know me are wondering how I could have possibly forgotten such a thing, especially after pulling off the spectacular spectacle that was the Twilight Carnival. It should have been impossible, but since I've been hiding my Twilight fandom for the past year, the amount of love I have for those books honestly slipped my mind.

Let me clear one thing up very quickly, I am not ashamed to be a Twilight fan. The reason I've been skirting all things Twilight for the past year has nothing to do with all the haters* out there. Seriously, I couldn't care less about that. Actually, it been more of the opposite crowd that has put me off vampires that sparkle.

I remember picking up Twilight for the first time. It was just over three years ago, and I was immediately drawn to the pretty cover. I read the first chapter that night, and then set it aside for a few days. The next time I picked it up I didn't put it back down. I was hooked. I had to wait a week for the sequel to be released and came close to tackling the UPS guy when he walked through the library door.

I started handing the book to any teenager that walked into the library, even those that professed to hate reading. More and more of them started taking me up on my offer, and then they started passing it along to friends. Soon there was a group of us talking about Edward and Bella and Jacob as if we were all old friends. We lamented their choices and hypothesized about their futures. People looked at us like we were crazy, but we knew the truth. We were the cool kids.

Then, it happened. Twilight mania spread and suddenly everyone was talking about our books. And then the movie came out, and it only got worse. Now non-readers were professing themselves to be Team Edward or Team Jacob, without even really knowing who those people really were!


So, I cut myself off. I couldn't take it. I felt like a person who had built a club house for my friends, and then watched it get so popular that, not only was I no longer recognized, but I couldn't even get in the door.

I wasn't the only one, either. The conversations with my library friends haven't mentioned the T-word in ages. The fever with which we once discussed the Cullens is now reserved for Katniss and Gale** or Clary and Jace, or just involves saying "steampunk" as much as possible***. We moved on, and, quite honestly, couldn't figure out why the rest of the world hadn't moved with us.

Sunday afternoon, as a shirtless Jacob Black**** morphed into a wolf to protect Bella, I remembered. I remembered what it felt like to fall in love with Twilight for the first time, how much fun and exhilarating the stories are. I remembered that I love Twilight. I wonder how many other people remembered the same thing?



*I'm fine with the fact that people don't like Twilight. Really, I get it. I understand that it's not a piece of literary greatness. What I don't understand is the way some members of the YA community feel the need to bash the series (and, appallingly, the writer) whenever possible. Aren't we supposed to be excited about anything that gets people, especially young people, to read? There are popular books that I don't like at all, but I'm glad that they exist.

**Yes, I'm Team Gale, but only because I have taste.

***Sadly, it seems that this exercise has chased someone else out of their club house. After hearing me discussing the finer points of steampunk fashion with another librarian, one of my college age patrons declared steampunk officially dead. Apparently our knowledge of steampunk marks it as uncool.

****I can't help but wonder what his mom thinks about her teenage son parading around half-naked in front of millions of young and not-so-young girls.

In Defense of Purple Hair

As you may remember, I'm not typically a nonconformist. Sure, I might occasionally make out with a dragon or let teenagers draw on my forehead, but when it comes to permanent choices, I'm pretty much the definition of tame. I don't even have my ears pierced. So, it came as a shock to a few people when I showed up to work this week with purple hair.

The reactions have been pretty much as I anticipated, with one small exception. It seems the "Hey, cool!" comments that I expected out of teens are coming from adults, and the "What on earth did you do and why?" is falling from the lips of teens.

Weird, right? I'm convinced it has something to do with having what they see as a cool, taboo act becoming decidedly less cool and taboo when executed by an adult.*

One thing I've been asked over and over again is why I would go out and get my hair dyed purple. The simple answer is that I wanted to.** Really, there was no grand epiphany or mid-life crisis. I had started thinking about it after some of my YAAPers declared that I would never do anything crazy to my hair. The more I thought about it, the more I thought it would be really cool to have Gert hair. So, on my stay-cation, I went and spent an entire day at the beauty parlor*** and came out with purple hair.

And that was all there was supposed to be to it. But, now that I'm walking around with purple hair in a nice, conservative rural southern town, I've found that it's become a social experiment. It's interesting to watch people's reactions. It's amazing how much someone (including me) might assume they know about a person just because of their physical appearance. My change in hair color hasn't made me less responsible, intelligent, or trustworthy, but you wouldn't always know that by the way some people interact me.****

I'm really glad that I have purple hair. It's not going to last long*****, but I'll now always be able to say that I did it once. And maybe, just maybe, I'll be a little less quick to judge other people who make interesting choices when it comes to their personal appearance.

*Or, it could just be that they are more honest than adults. That is a possibility that I have considered.

**I used to think that when I was an adult I would make all my decisions based on this criteria. Sadly, I found that wasn't the case when I finally managed to grow up. Actually, I'm lucky to work at such an awesome place that we don't have a "no unnatural hair colors" policy.

***Yes, I go to an old school beauty parlor as opposed to a salon. It's Marshall County. It's what we do.

****Honestly, it hasn't been that bad, but there have been a few instances that I've had to roll my eyes and bite my tongue.

*****This statement is based on the fact that my shower fills with purple water every time I wash my hair.

NaReNoNoMo

I have a shocking statement to make: I am vowing to not read any novels during the month of November.

I know. It's crazy talk. I mean, I'm Miss Tammy. I read at least a novel a week, and it's usually more like two or three.* It's not only my job, it's my passion. I love reading.

So, what would prompt me to go on a book diet?

NaNoWriMo. For those of you unfamiliar with NaNoWriMo, here's the basic principle: During the month of November people from all over the world attempt to write a 50,000 word novel in thirty days.

And you thought going a month without a book was crazy.

But it's the good kind of crazy, right? Can't you see it - the late night writing marathons, endless cups of coffee**, falling asleep on your MacBook, glasses all askew***? It's the stuff montages are made of.

Of course, in order to reach 50,000 words (and still work full time)****, some things have to go. I'm not turning on the TV*****. I'm going to learn to say "no" when friends ask me to go to dinner or the movies. I'm going to let housework and laundry fall by the wayside.****** And, I'm not going to read any novels. I'm turning NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) into NaReNoNoMo (Nation Read No Novels Month).

Yeah, I'm not so sure I'll make it either. There's a good chance that I'll be cracking open a good book (or uploading one to my Kindle) by November 2. But, I'm going to try. Because, I figure it's like Charles O. Finley once said, "Sweat plus sacrifice equals success."******* And giving up reading? For me, that's the ultimate sacrifice.

* I remember one wonderful week last year when I read six novels in five days. It was awesome.

**Well, maybe not so much coffee as Mello Yello. Why can't coffee taste as good as it smells?

***Like Buffy, I wear glasses in my hard work montages.

****And do this all in the same month that houses Thanksgiving and begins the Christmas shopping season. Seriously, what were the people at NaNoWriMo thinking choosing November?

*****However, if the TV is magically on in the 8:00 hour on Wednesday nights then I won't be able to stop myself from watching Glee.

******To be quite honest, housework and laundry tend to always fall by the wayside.

*******Another confession: I found this quote via Google and had to look up who Charlie Finley was. But, hey, it worked really well there.

Zombie Week 2009

Nothing says "Teen Read Week" quite like zombies. *

OK, so maybe zombies aren't the first thing you think of when you think teens and reading. But, come on. Zombies are cool, and so is reading. See? Makes perfect sense.**

Now, without further rambling, the zombie-rific ways Marshall County teens*** can celebrate Teen Read Week **** :

Book Fine Forgiveness - Just ask and we'll make the computer zombies eat up any late book fees you have.***** (This would be an excellent time to return that summer reading book that is sitting on your dresser.)

Free Glow-In-The-Dark Mini-Zombie - They're zombies. They're little. They glow in the dark. And you get one just for checking out a book. (Glow-In-The-Dark Mini-Zombies come recommended by Forest of Hands and Teeth author Carrie Ryan, which increases their coolness factor.)

Learn The Thriller Dance - Join me at the Benton Library on Tuesday, Oct 20, at 3:30 to learn how to dance like a zombie! Bonus points to anyone that can moonwalk!

Zombie Survival Seminar - This could be the most important library event we've ever held. On Friday, Oct 23, we will be hosting a NAZFA****** certified seminar that explains what zombies are, where they come from, and how to protect yourself from them. The event will be held at the Calvert City branch of the library from 5:00 - 7:00 PM.

Join The Zombie Discussion - During Teen Read Week I'll be tweeting random zombie facts and thoughts. You can join the discussion by using the #trwzombiesurvival tag on Twitter. (Non-Twitter users can follow the discussion by clicking on the link.)

* I guess zombies wouldn't really say "Teen Read Week" quite as much as moan it.

** It makes perfect sense when you apply Miss Tammy logic, which rarely resembles real logic.

*** The Marshall County Public Library System defines "teen" as anyone in grades seven through twelve.

**** Teen Read Week is October 18 - 24. The real theme is "Read Beyond "Reality", but somehow that morphed into Zombie Week here in Marshall County.

***** Late book fees only. No DVD fees or lost materials. And yes, there really are zombies living in the library's computers. Would I just make that sort of thing up?

****** NAZFA is the National Association for a Zombie Free America

Celebrate Banned Book Week

Banned Book Week is September 26 - October 3, 2009. If, like me, you believe in Intellectual Freedom, and specifically the Freedom to Read, please take the time to celebrate in one of the following ways

Declare yourself as a reader a banned books. Use your Facebook status or Twitter account to say, "My name is [insert your name here], and I read banned books."

Read one of the most frequently challenged books of 2008.

Show your support to an author who is facing a book challenge by letting them know how much their books mean to you.*

Read the Banned Books Week Manifesto by Ellen Hopkins and share it with others.**

Become a fan of Banned Books Week on Facebook.

Follow on the National Coalition Against Censorship on Twitter.

Buy Miss Tammy this shirt.

*Some recent YA authors who have faced book challenges: Jo Knowles and Laurie Halse Anderson in a Mt. Sterling, Kentucky school. Ellen Hopkins had some issues in Oklahoma. And, of course, there was that whole Ladies in Pink vs Maureen Johnson thing.

**I have been known to cry when reading this.

Nice Girls Don't Talk To Teenagers

As some of you may remember, a couple of months ago I read a book called Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs. Now, the fact that I was reading a book about vampires wasn't exactly noteworthy, but the fact that I used to eat lunch with the author (Molly Harper) was.*

So, since I'm in so tight with the author, she agreed to come and speak at the library on Thursday.** She was great! She talked about her path to publication, gave some advice to the aspiring writers in the room, answered a ton of curious questions, and even signed Katie's pants.***

I think the best thing about having Molly come to visit was that she proved that (1) writers are real people****; (2) you don't have to be from New York, LA, or Salt Lake City to be a successful writer;***** and (3) I didn't make up the fact that we used to work together.

I'm truly thankful that Mollly came to visit my teens. If given the opportunity, I highly recommend hearing her speak.****** And if you haven't read her books yet, what are you waiting for?

*By "eating together" I mean that we were the two lone employees eating in the smoke-free lunchroom. On opposite ends. Facing away from each other. Each with our noses buried in a book.

**I'm pretty sure I saw, "Oh, yeah. I remember you. You were strangely protective of your milk," flicker across her face upon seeing me.

***My YA programs tend to defy explanation, although Katie did attempt it once.

****Except for Maureen Johnson. She's a robot.

*****Can someone please explain to me why so many writers live in Salt Lake City?

******Molly is just as entertaining and funny in person as in print...and not just because she mentioned Buffy.

YAAP - The Real Story

The first Young Adult Advisory Panel meeting is less than two weeks away (Wednesday, September 9, to be exact). This would normally be where I talk about how awesome YAAP is and how much it means to me and how anyone reading this that qualifies (lives in or near Marshall County; in grades 8-12) should join. But then I got Lizard Lover's zine submission this summer and realized that my "Hey, it's fun!" doesn't quite convey the actual awesomeness that is YAAP. So, with the permission of the author, here is an insider's view of an actual YAAP meeting. (Please note: the footnotes are Miss Tammy's thoughts.)

I walk into YAAP early to get to the sugary snack of the day* before all the other ravaging teens devour it. As I fill myself a cup of gummy bears, Tori comes in waving a book. It reads backwards, has a funky name and the cover features a blue haired guy with big eyeballs. She is referred to as Little Sister. Or is it Big Sister…? Anyway, she is followed by Jake who is toting a fantasy book and a gym bag. Jake is Big Brother. They both fill up a cup of gummy bears and grab a Sam’s Cola. Jake shuffles through his bag, mutters something about tennis balls, and leaves.

Almost immediately thereafter, Emily bounces in with mysterious spheres in her sleeves. Emily’s nickname is Jorgé or George**, depending on everyone’s mood. Gummy bears and soda. She plops into her seat with a mischievous grin and pulls a tennis ball out of her jacket sleeves. Big Brother returns.

“You!” he blurts out.

“Me?” Jorgé asks innocently.

“You have my tennis balls, you…you block of wood!” Big Brother accuses.

George gasps; “I am hurt!”

Tori, who left during the Great Tennis Debate, returns with Kathryn, who I think is the other sister. I think.

Enter Miss Tammy, or… Miss Tammy. She is frowning. She gets on the phone; “Hi…Phil? I need help…I need an old priest a new priest and a-… how’d you know?”*** She continues on like this for a while. Meg, Rachel, and Madison sneak in, and Ray begins to rave about the Hunger Games. Sammy Jean and Cassidy have also come in. We start our meeting minus the projector because Miss Tammy’s Laptop has been possessed by disembodied Gossip Girl voices****. Jorgé and Big Brother are still fighting over Tennis Balls. Kathryn asks Big Brother about underwear and he turns the color of beet juice (which would be an excellent name for a band, Beet Juice would).

Miss Tammy sighs. “I have no control.”*****

About 20 minutes later, Telle arrives looking as if she has carpooled with wildebeests. Apparently, she rode in the back of a van between two caffeine crazed teenage boys. I feel her pain. One topic in the meeting is particularly interesting. A Ball. A Costume Ball. Sammy Jean and I sit up straight, look at each other and simultaneously say “We can go together!” You see, in a play YAAP put on, Sammy jean and I were “couple”, despite the fact we’re both girls. Since then it has been our joke. Miss Tammy comments that we are becoming quite the couple. No one seems to see quite the humor in the situation that Sam and I do.

The meeting is now over. Everyone, except for an unnamed 3, raves on about Twilight and Taylor Lautner And how New Moon is coming out soon. Soon it is time to part ways. Miss Tammy asks one burning question as we leave.

“Has anyone seen TooDee?”******

*Sometimes it is actually a salty snack, but I guess that is unimportant. The point is: there is always a snack.

**This is a result of Killer Bunnies insanity. Killer Bunnies always results in insanity. Also, I have a tendency to rename people for no good reason.

***It's not until you see your own words in print that you realize how odd you must sound to others.

****I still have nightmares.

*****I say this at least once every meeting.

******For anyone concerned, TooDee is home safely.