Welcome to the sweltering summer. Where I live, in South Florida, the temperatures have been staying in the 90’s, with a “feels like” hovering in the low 100s. But we have it better than most of the country where people are suffering from the hottest summer on record; everything here is air-conditioned. I go from my air-conditioned house to my air-conditioned car to my air-conditioned job to the air-conditioned supermarket, etc. You get the idea. (Just keeping my fingers crossed that we don’t get hit by any hurricanes this year and lose power and that precious A/C!) Arizona is probably similarly air-conditioned as well as parts of Texas, but most of the country is not.
Deaths from heat are becoming more common, and personally, I am still reeling from Governor Abbot (Texas) signing a new law that says employers no longer have to schedule water breaks for their employees who work outdoors. It’s even hotter in Texas than in Florida, and depriving workers of scheduled water breaks will surely lead to more deaths. Turns out Texas is not alone — from The Washington Post:
Forcing people to work in deadly heat is mostly legal in the U.S.
“As the planet records some of its highest average temperatures, workers have barely any legal protections from extreme heat.”
And let’s not forget about the flooding in the northeast, the fires burning through Canada that are polluting the air along our northern borders, the landslides in California, and who knows what’s next.
Book News
Paperback or hardcover? Used or new? Let’s talk about our book habits.
Michael Dirda shares 29 of his rules for reading. They are not hard and fast.
This one spoke to me:
“Typeface troubles: My heart sinks when I see a desirable book printed in eye-strainingly small type. Publishers must imagine that only eagles will read it.”
Public libraries are the latest front in culture war battle over books
TL;DR
A few months earlier, a handful of residents had begun demanding the removal of certain books in the children’s section of Warren County’s only public library. Most of the titles involved LGBTQ+ themes. Powered by support from conservative media, the group persuaded the county’s Board of Supervisors in June to withhold 75 percent of the library’s funding until something was done to address the complaints…moving books around will have to be enough. Banning them — removing books that the library’s trained professionals have determined to be in the interest of even a small number of people in the community — that can’t happen.
Schneider, G. S. (2023, July 23). Public libraries are the latest front in culture war battle over books. The Washington Post. https://wapo.st/46Y88Yu
How book-banning campaigns have changed the lives and education of librarians
By Nicole A. Cooke, 24 Jul 2023 (This time it’s personal!)
They now need to learn how to plan for safety and legally protect themselves.
Despite misconceptions and stereotypes – ranging from what librarians Gretchen Keer and Andrew Carlos have described as the “middle-aged, bun-wearing, comfortably shod, shushing librarian” to the “sexy librarian … and the hipster or tattooed librarian” – library professionals are more than book jockeys, and they do more than read at story time.
They are experts in classification, pedagogy, data science, social media, disinformation, [I’m adding misinformation,] health sciences, music, art, media literacy and, yes, storytelling.
And right now, librarians are taking on an old role. They are defending the rights of readers and writers in the battles raging across the U.S. over censorship, book challenges and book bans. Continue reading…
Food News
I hadn’t heard of this type of “fruit ice cream” until I read this article about it. From what I can tell, it is not being sold in South Florida, where I live. There is a machine that mixes frozen fruit into vanilla ice cream, then dipsenses it in a swirl. I love ice cream, and this sounds intriguing. If you’ve tried it, please let me know in the comments!
Other News
We are getting ready for a visit from my son and his family – I can’t wait! We usually go up to NY to see them in the summer, and while airfare between South Florida & NYC is still pretty decent, the rates at hotels in the area have gone through the roof! We usually stay at the Brooklyn Sheraton, as it’s only a half a mile from their apartment. We paid about $900 for a week two summers ago, $500 for three nights last summer, but this summer, they want $800+ for three nights. It’s a nice hotel, but there’s nothing special or fancy about it to warrant those kinds of rates. They are not alone though; travel expenses this summer have risen dramatically. I kept seeing articles like this one but was hoping for the best – I am the eternal optimist! Sadly, my optimism here has crashed and burned.
Summer vacation is coming. Get ready to empty your wallet.
It’s going to be hot, crowded and expensive
My grandson turned two-years-old in March and can no longer be called a baby – he is a little boy, through and through. He loves playing outside on the playground, reading books, helping whoever is cooking, and palling around with his best friend, Ollie.
A personal note: I moved from working in a public library (for almost 18 years!) to an academic one four years ago, and I’ve never regretted it. There are things (and people) I miss from my old job, but my new one has been fulfilling and brings me happiness most days. August 4 is looming, however – that is my current library director’s last day at Lynn University. Amy Filiatreau is moving to the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA, to start leading their library with the fall semester, and they are incredibly lucky to get her.
I understand why she is leaving, but nonetheless, I am so sad about it. I have had a few good bosses in my life, but only two I can say who became good friends (looking at you, Ron Block!) and Amy. Amy is brilliant, empathetic, and kind, and it is such a rarity to work for someone that I respect and admire so much. With that comes fear for the future. Change is always difficult, but Amy and her amazing staff made my transition to Lynn easy. I wish that for her in her new position. Meanwhile, there will be a search for a new library director here at Lynn, and I am hoping for the best – Amy set the standard, and, it is, frankly, impossibly high.
As always, thanks for reading, and stay safe.
Thanks to The New York Times and The Washington Post for allowing me to “gift” my readers with free access to these articles, a lovely perk for subscribers.
Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™ 
There is nothing nicer than taking the granddaughter to the local berry farm on a hot summers day, and having a raspberry, strawberry or blueberry ice cream made with frozen blueberries – a real treat.