Sunday Salon: ALA planning

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Happy Sunday, everyone! The last few months have been incredibly hectic, and I'm really looking forward to a calmer work life this summer. My reading has picked up, and I'm enjoying not having a backlog of reviews to write too! I finished Ann Patchett's Run last night and am spending my afternoon and evening today with Roopa Farooki's The Flying Man from this year's Orange Prize longlist. I'll be reviewing both later this week.

In just over one month, I'll be heading to Anaheim, California for the American Library Association's Annual Conference! I'm really looking forward to the trip for a number of reasons:
  • As I've mentioned before, I was blessed to be chosen as a 2012 ALA Emerging Leader. Anaheim marks the culmination my group's project. All of the Emerging Leaders teams will be presenting Friday, June 23. It will be my first presentation at a national conference, and I'm particularly glad it happens on the first day so I can relax for the rest of it!
  • As an academic librarian, so little of my job is talking to people about books, but at ALA conferences, where public, academic, special and school librarians all come together, I get to sneak in a few presentations about books and see authors I enjoy. It's a wonderful mix of pleasure and business.
  • RUSA, the Reference and User Services Association, has started the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and Non-fiction. It's the first ALA award for adult books, and you all know how much I adore book awards! I'll be going to the award presentation on Sunday, June 25. It will be first time attending a book award presentation in person, and I was excited to see I've read two of the three fiction finalists, which were announced this week. The three finalists in the fiction category are:
    • The Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright (my review)
    • Lost Memory of Skin by Russell Banks
    • Swamplandia! by Karen Russell (my review)
Will any of you be in Anaheim for ALA in June? If so, let me know; I'd love to meet up!

The conference ends Tuesday, June 26, but Mr. Nomadreader will be flying out that day, and we've decided to spend a couple of days exploring Southern California. Right now, we're thinking of Orange County and San Diego, but we'd love to hear suggestions of things to do, places to eat, and things to avoid! We both want to drive down the Pacific Coast Highway, so coastal suggestions are most welcome. Thanks!

Now tell me: what are you up to this Sunday afternoon?



Comments

  1. TiMay 22, 2012 at 1:36 PM

    I am more north of where you'll be but San Diego is lovely. There are lots of shops and restaurants. Laguna Beach is gorgeous too. If you were heading up this way I'd say Santa Barbara. Such a fun town but there is so much to see where you are headed, too.

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    Replies
    1. nomadreaderMay 24, 2012 at 12:53 PM

      I am definitely going to see Laguna after watching it on tv for so many years! I thought about doing Santa Barbara too, but we're flying into Orange County, so I went with simplicity!

      Delete
  2. MelodyMay 24, 2012 at 12:52 AM

    I'm not too far from Anaheim...half hour-ish. I agree with Ti about those beautiful places. San Diego has a lot to offer, with the Gaslamp District, Balboa Park, and I enjoy Old Town with it's mission and Mexican history. I hope that you enjoy the area and ALA!

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  3. EmilyMay 27, 2012 at 9:39 PM

    Confession: I'm not a huge fan of Southern California (I'm originally from Northern CA - the better half of the state!). However. I have heard that there are about a million things to do in San Diego, including see the amazing Geisel Library on the UCSD campus. (If you go see it, will you pretty please take pictures? And share them with us?) Spend as much time out of Anaheim as you can - the smog there is terrible. Oh, and don't drink the water. It tastes like something died in it. (But that might be my snotty Northern CA side talking . . .)

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