Mixed-Up Archives
Welcome to the mixed-up archives of Mrs. Alicia Rudnicki. The links on this page will lead you to my WordPress blog Library Mix Archives, which contains many of the articles and essays I originally published at Examiner.com. The last section, titled “Older Stuff,” contains long-ago book reviews written for various print publications.
The links are organized thematically. Certain categories, such as “identity and racism,” are lifelong interests. Others, such as “vampires” and “zombies” developed somewhat by accident.
I originally meant to write only one article about why there are so many young adult books these days about what some call “fang fiction.” But this inquiry consumed many months, produced numerous articles, and showed me that people of all ages are reading this genre. I also discovered that vampires and zombies are great for encouraging the development of literacy.
Quick Mix
NPR: How Librarians Can Save the World (Jan. 30, 2011)
Color Online looks at 'Wench' (Feb. 1, 2011)
Internet Library: What did librarians do in 1947? (Feb. 2, 2011)
White Readers Meet Black Authors (Feb. 5, 2011)
Reading is... ahem... sexy! (Feb. 8, 2011)
Bookworm Parents website is a treasure chest (Feb. 18, 2011)
A magical video about a mysterious bookstore (January 9, 2012)
Lemonade stand money helps Canadian library reopen (January 13, 2012)
Mysterious appeal of getting rid of clutter (January 16, 2012)
Adult Book Buzz
Fathering, forgiveness and fierce love
Libraries change lives for the better
This Mother’s Day, drop everything and read
A love affair with libraries
Katz and dogs discovered at the library
How tough are these times?
Tough times for public libraries
Neptune’s Chariot by Irv Sternberg
Carleen Brice’s ‘Orange Mint and Honey
Zombies attack during a bleeding economy
Kid Book Buzz
Invest in your baby’s future at the library
Alice Schertle’s Button Up! Wrinkled Rhymes
Iturralde’s Islands Where the Moon Is Born
Claudia Mills’ Oliver Olson changes the world
Being Teddy Roosevelt by Claudia Mills
Girl meets sky: Michael Ferrari’s Born to Fly
Girl meets sky: Beautiful, daring Bessie Coleman
Girl meets sky: Amelia Earhart touched the stars
Girl meets sky: Forester’s Girl Who Could Fly
Where the wild things are too gloomy
Loehr’s delightfully creepy Mucumber McGee
Kids can ‘paws’ to read with pet pals
Teen Book Buzz
Carleen Brice’s Orange Mint and Honey
Mishna Wolff’s I’m Down
Matt de la Peña’s Mexican Whiteboy
Also see sections on identity, vampires, and zombies
Endangered Libraries
Help grow a library in Greensburg
Struggling to rebuild the Greensburg Library
Tough times for public libraries
Identity and Racism
Racial profiling: Real life mirrors fiction
Brian Copeland’s Not a Genuine Black Man
The good, the bad and the geeky
Trying hard not to be a racist
Mishna Wolff’s I’m Down
Matt de la Peña’s Mexican Whiteboy
Carleen Brice’s Orange Mint and Honey
Twilight encourages racial tolerance
Library Services
Tough times for public libraries
Celebrating Banned Books Week
Why libraries buy books in Spanish
Latinos, immigration, and library services
Pondering miller moths and library databases
Saying goodbye to the Dewey Decimal System
Libraries offer surprises for the recession weary
Literacy
Invest in your baby’s future at the library
Twilight “read-alikes” keep teens turning pages
Twilight saga appeals to many cultures
Graphic novels: The Vampire’s Assistant
This Mother’s Day, drop everything and read
Out West
Shreve Stockton’s Daily Coyote
Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas
Wacky Stuff
Pimp my bookcart!
‘Unshelved’ makes library lovers laugh
Valkyrie Bookcart Drill Team Triumphs
Vampires
The biting question that started it all
Twilight “read-alikes” keep teens turning pages
Why guys do and don’t like Twilight
Twilight saga appeals to many cultures
Drawn to Twilight like moths to lamplight
Ever-broadening pool of YA urban fantasy
Why write about teen vampire fiction?
New Moon wolf pack is a multicultural magnet
Twilight encourages racial tolerance
Vampires aren’t what they used to be
Graphic novels: The Vampire’s Assistant
Vampires romp on the playground
Girls love Vampire Academy’s feisty heroine
Zombies
Zombies attack during a bleeding economy
On the way to the library: A zombie crawl
Zombies invade politics and YA fiction
Apocalypse on the library shelves
Older Stuff
The links are organized thematically. Certain categories, such as “identity and racism,” are lifelong interests. Others, such as “vampires” and “zombies” developed somewhat by accident.
I originally meant to write only one article about why there are so many young adult books these days about what some call “fang fiction.” But this inquiry consumed many months, produced numerous articles, and showed me that people of all ages are reading this genre. I also discovered that vampires and zombies are great for encouraging the development of literacy.
Quick Mix
NPR: How Librarians Can Save the World (Jan. 30, 2011)
Color Online looks at 'Wench' (Feb. 1, 2011)
Internet Library: What did librarians do in 1947? (Feb. 2, 2011)
White Readers Meet Black Authors (Feb. 5, 2011)
Reading is... ahem... sexy! (Feb. 8, 2011)
Bookworm Parents website is a treasure chest (Feb. 18, 2011)
A magical video about a mysterious bookstore (January 9, 2012)
Lemonade stand money helps Canadian library reopen (January 13, 2012)
Mysterious appeal of getting rid of clutter (January 16, 2012)
Adult Book Buzz
Fathering, forgiveness and fierce love
Libraries change lives for the better
This Mother’s Day, drop everything and read
A love affair with libraries
Katz and dogs discovered at the library
How tough are these times?
Tough times for public libraries
Neptune’s Chariot by Irv Sternberg
Carleen Brice’s ‘Orange Mint and Honey
Zombies attack during a bleeding economy
Kid Book Buzz
Invest in your baby’s future at the library
Alice Schertle’s Button Up! Wrinkled Rhymes
Iturralde’s Islands Where the Moon Is Born
Claudia Mills’ Oliver Olson changes the world
Being Teddy Roosevelt by Claudia Mills
Girl meets sky: Michael Ferrari’s Born to Fly
Girl meets sky: Beautiful, daring Bessie Coleman
Girl meets sky: Amelia Earhart touched the stars
Girl meets sky: Forester’s Girl Who Could Fly
Where the wild things are too gloomy
Loehr’s delightfully creepy Mucumber McGee
Kids can ‘paws’ to read with pet pals
Teen Book Buzz
Carleen Brice’s Orange Mint and Honey
Mishna Wolff’s I’m Down
Matt de la Peña’s Mexican Whiteboy
Also see sections on identity, vampires, and zombies
Endangered Libraries
Help grow a library in Greensburg
Struggling to rebuild the Greensburg Library
Tough times for public libraries
Identity and Racism
Racial profiling: Real life mirrors fiction
Brian Copeland’s Not a Genuine Black Man
The good, the bad and the geeky
Trying hard not to be a racist
Mishna Wolff’s I’m Down
Matt de la Peña’s Mexican Whiteboy
Carleen Brice’s Orange Mint and Honey
Twilight encourages racial tolerance
Library Services
Tough times for public libraries
Celebrating Banned Books Week
Why libraries buy books in Spanish
Latinos, immigration, and library services
Pondering miller moths and library databases
Saying goodbye to the Dewey Decimal System
Libraries offer surprises for the recession weary
Literacy
Invest in your baby’s future at the library
Twilight “read-alikes” keep teens turning pages
Twilight saga appeals to many cultures
Graphic novels: The Vampire’s Assistant
This Mother’s Day, drop everything and read
Out West
Shreve Stockton’s Daily Coyote
Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas
Wacky Stuff
Pimp my bookcart!
‘Unshelved’ makes library lovers laugh
Valkyrie Bookcart Drill Team Triumphs
Vampires
The biting question that started it all
Twilight “read-alikes” keep teens turning pages
Why guys do and don’t like Twilight
Twilight saga appeals to many cultures
Drawn to Twilight like moths to lamplight
Ever-broadening pool of YA urban fantasy
Why write about teen vampire fiction?
New Moon wolf pack is a multicultural magnet
Twilight encourages racial tolerance
Vampires aren’t what they used to be
Graphic novels: The Vampire’s Assistant
Vampires romp on the playground
Girls love Vampire Academy’s feisty heroine
Zombies
Zombies attack during a bleeding economy
On the way to the library: A zombie crawl
Zombies invade politics and YA fiction
Apocalypse on the library shelves
Older Stuff