Truth in Fiction - All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

I'm still here, and I'm grateful, because otherwise I would be missing this. Sometimes it's good to be awake.
~Finch p. 42

Water is peaceful. I am at rest. in the water, I am safe and pulled in where I can't get out. Everything slows down - the noise and the racing of my thoughts. ~Finch p. 106

I'm up the rest of the night making a list called "How to Stay Awake" There's the obvious -Red Bill, caffeine, NoDoz and other drugs - but this isn't about skipping a couple hours' sleep, it's about staying up and staying here for the long haul.
1. Run
2. Write (this includes any thoughts I don't want to have - write them out fast so they're out of me and on the paper).
3. Along those lines, accept any and all thoughts (don't be afraid of them no matter what they are).
4. Surround myself with water.
5. Plan
6. Drive anywhere and everywhere, even when there's nowhere to go. (Note: There's always somewhere to go.)
7. Plat guitar.
8. Organize room, notes, thoughts. (This is different from planning.)
9. Do whatever it takes to remind myself that I'm still here and have a say.
10. Violet

You have to live your life like you'll never be sorry. It's easier just to do the right thing from the start so there's nothing to apologize for. ~Finch p.129

Before I die I want to Play guitar like Jimmy Page. Come up with a song that will change the world. Find the Great Manifesto. Count for something. Be the person I'm meant to be and have that be enough. Know what it's like to have a best friend. Matter. ~Finch p.135

Before I die I want to stop being afraid. Stop thinking too much. Fill the holes left behind. Drive again. Write. Breathe. ~Violet p.135

I know life well enough to know you can't count on things staying around or standing still, no matter how much you want them to. ~Finch p.139

Better to keep the unhappy, mad, bad, unpleasant words separate, where you can watch them and make sure they don't surprise you when you're not expecting them. ~ Finch in response to Decca removing negative words from books. (Think tabloids) p.166

"Growth itself contains the germ of happiness."Pearl S. Buck ~Violet brainstorming ideas for her new blog, Germ  p.190

"Well, Robert Jordan knows he's going to die. 'There is only now', he says, 'and if now is only two days, then two days your life and everything in it will be in proportion.' None of us knows how long we have , maybe another month, maybe another fifty years - I like living as if I only have that two days." ~ Finch p. 194

Sometimes, things feel true to us even if they're not. ~ Finch p. 195

The thing I know about bipolar disorder is that it's a label. One you give crazy people. ~Finch p. 271

Actually I am, which is part of the problem; we are all alone, trapped in these bodies and our own minds, and whatever company we have in this life is only fleeting and superficial. ~Finch p. 272 In response to being told, "you are not alone."

All I know is what I wonder: Which of my feelings are real? Which of the mes is me? ~ Finch p.315

What a terrible feeling to love someone and not be able to help them. ~Violet p.349

If I think about him, he won't be completely gone either. Just because they're dead, they don't have to be. ~ Violet p.361

The thing I realize is that it's not what you take, it's what you leave. ~Violet p. 376

A Rambling Tale of Gratitude, Meeting a New Book, and Saying "Yes"

It is interesting how some books come into our lives.  Generally speaking, I read literary fiction, a cozy mystery now and again,  middle grade children's fiction and contemporary, realistic Young Adult fiction. Sometimes, most times for me, the introduction to a new book is fairly straightforward. A favorite author, a starred review, a book club title, an interesting book jacket, book buzz from my personal learning network...but then there are books that I never would have read except for the occurrence of an exact, special certain set of circumstances. I want to tell you about such a situation. Consider this a tale of how I met my current book.

A short while ago I was feeling particularly low. I was due to travel on September 11th, I had received the results from some medical tests and the results were not good. I was sad. I was disappointed. I was angry. I needed "a good book" and I needed this book to make me LOL. I do not mean I needed a funny book. I do not mean I needed a comfort read. Anne of Green Gables remains my go-to comfort read. I mean I needed a book that would make me LAUGH OUT LOUD. There are certain books that make you laugh so hard that you don't care if you are on public transportation with people giving you the look. I needed that kind of book.

I am a librarian. I know how to find books. Did I dive into specialized databases? No, not this time. Did I look for reviews in professional journals? Nope. What did I do? I went to Facebook. That's right Facebook. More specifically, I went to the ALA Think Tank Group on Facebook. I asked my professional, and some not so professional colleagues (their description not mine)  for their suggestions and they delivered. Wow, did they deliver. I can't say enough about the awesomeness that is  my personal learning network. I received hundreds and hundreds of titles and anecdotes. Needless to say my TBR pile grew exponentially, but back to the story at hand.

I read the suggestions and smiled. I read the suggestions and laughed. I read the suggestions and felt better. Some I had read before. Some were not my tastes. Some were absolutely marvelously me. All were shared with caring and delight. THANK YOU, ALA THINK TANK! THANK YOU!
I narrowed down the list and had decided on two titles. The titles weren't and aren't the matter of importance here. What is important is that I reached out and my library community helped me through a difficult time.

Fast forward to September 22nd. My trip was successful. My first presentation at a library conference had gone well. I  had scheduled needed medical appointments and I was back at work. Actually, I was asked to work on-call at another library and I had said yes. I should note that it is hard to get a yes out of me for most on-call shifts. Anyway, I am working a shift at a nice library and one of the librarians asked if I could work another shift there the next day. I said yes. She asked if I would help her with some collection development. I said yes. I returned the 23rd and began helping her weed. As I was weeding, I was distracted by a paperback with a sky blue spine and a familiar title. Yes Man by Danny Wallace. I laughed out loud right there in the stacks. This was one of the titles that had been recommended to me by ALA Think Tank. I checked it out. The irony was not lost on me that I would not have met this book, if I hadn't said yes to asking the ALA Think Tank for help, yes to working on-call, and yes to helping a fellow librarian with her weeding assignment. So, this has been the tale of how I met my current book. More accurately, this has been a shout-out to the ALA Think Tank,  a rambling tale of gratitude, why I am reading Yes Man, and the interesting things that can happen when you say yes.

Libraries Making a Difference

Along with being a public librarian, I am also the clerk of my Meeting's Library Committee. Serving Friends in this way is an honor and a privilege. Recently a Friend asked for a Pendle Hill Pamphlet on depression. When s/he returned the pamphlet I asked if it had been helpful or if I needed to find additional materials to meet her/his needs. The Friend was kind of enough to share that the pamphlet was indeed helpful. After reading "Depression and Spiritual Growth" by Dimitri Mihalis an intervention was held by the family. Please hold this family, and all families dealing with depression, in the Light.

Member: You know you have a reputation.

Me: Complete look of dread on my face

Member: You have a reputation for finding just the right book for someone to read.

Me: Thank you so much! That is one of the nicest compliments I will ever receive.