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Controlologists & librarians

This has been a blog post in the making for a few months now after I left a Pilates session and realized how similar fabulous controlologists, the term Joe Pilates gave to his now namesake physical workout, and librarians are.

The studio I belong to is owned and operated by Nuhar, whose background in physical therapy led her to become an instructor and run a studio focused on the original and basic formula Pilates created. It’s not a loud obnoxious space packed with people with pulsating music churning out attendance numbers like newer studios are doing. And that absence creates the environment to take what we’re doing seriously. With focus and control, we’re stretching, moving, and strengthening our muscles. A skilled instructor like Nuhar is the crux: to use the apparatus or simply just a mat and have us leave stronger and flexible. She’s attentive to everyone’s body that day and any day they show up. She’s correcting moves and adjusting positions to ensure we’re getting the most out of the exercise while also demonstrating it herself AND cueing us at the same time. And she takes requests and completely adapts a 45-minute session based on a body part, an ache or pain, or a piece of equipment someone wants to use. I can only imagine that Nuhar’s brain is like Temple Grandin’s, with one comment like “foam roller”, Nuhar’s memory of endless exercises using a foam roller melds cohesively into a full session in the span of a minute or two of computation.

So why did I bring up librarians? I think we’re similar to contrololgists. Why? We curate an environment to take information seeking and gathering seriously. We focus on strengthening minds through the act of learning and reading and skill-building. We’re attentive to everyone’s needs and act accordingly. And in a series of conversations we’re matching books and resources to someone’s information needs. In the span of a few minutes of readers advisory, handfuls of books spin through my mind to share with that person (plus maybe a few recent articles or a newsreel I watched).

Working the body, working the mind. Isn’t that the perfect combination?

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on August 30, 2026 in Miscellaneous, Reflections

The art of packing and reading books on vacation

15 Aug

Taking an actual vacation with chill time isn’t a priority as much as vacations that allow me to explore new places, eat new foods, learn new things. That means that often there isn’t large chunks of time for reading, it’s often the opposite that my daily routines include plenty of chunks of reading time so there is an art to reading on vacation but also packing for it too.

Questions like how much room do I have on a carryon or stowaway luggage for books? How much will I need my phone (or want to be off of it) that I don’t want to rely on reading via apps? What types of books am I bringing? For instance, there are times that I’ll bring ARCs because I can dispose of them without the guilt. An ultimate question- do you ever bring library books for fear of misplacing them altogether? And I often have a significant reading list to tackle, so do I bring books I “need” to read versus ones that are simply ones I know I’ll enjoy? And my biggest hang up is always– I don’t know if I’ll enjoy them all so do I bring more so that I can be sure I’ll enjoy the ones I’m reading? Literally these are the thoughts running through my head when I’m packing alongside my hot iron, clothes, and shoes.

Then there’s the time on the vacation for reading. I’m not one to watch movies on my phone on the plane or train, so many of the books I pack are for the waiting before boarding the transportation. Once I’m at the destination I know I’d rather be sitting in quiet contemplation or the “doing” of vacation, so the books I also want to bring aren’t ones that require significant concentration. And there’s where I’ll be staying and how I’ll be traveling to figure out the size and type of book (hardcover versus paperback) based on what I’ll take as a personal bag.

So you can see how a bookish person thinks about the art of packing and reading on vacation. Overly complicated to some but logical for me. Anyone else?

This trip was an actual island vacation with lots of downtime. Only one event was scheduled each of the days we were there and it included a plane. Are you dying to know what I brought to read? Here it is (with explanation)!

The Nakano Thrift Shop by Hiromi Kawakami
- A library book that was my dark horse paperback. I had seen a few recommendations and borrowed it and themed by books into two categories for the trip: Japanese literary fiction and food. This was the airport and plane ride to the destination.
Best Wishes from The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki
- Another library book (hardcover) but a choice I made knowing I enjoyed the first volume. This is a low stakes literary fiction title featuring a pop up coffee shop that suits the needs of those who find it. This was my poolside and sunset read on day one on island.
The Kamogawa Food Detectives: Menu of Happiness by Hisashi Kashiwai
- Another library book (hardcover) that I knew I’d fall in love with because it’s the third installment of the series in which cases are presented to the owner of a diner and his daughter when visitors seek out the diner to track down a specific food item/recipe they had previously. These are a series of unconnected (but ultimately connected) short stories that are about the human experience through food memories and taste. Food is love. This was my breakfast and poolside read for days two and three on island.
An Everlasting Meal by Tamar Adler
- This was a personal paperback copy signed by Adler at an event I saw her at more than a year ago that I hadn’t read yet. Part cook memoir and recipe cookbook, it blended the sensations of food and the utilitarianism of eating magically. This was my airport and plane ride back home read that made me absolutely hungry for a homecooked, albeit, late night meal.
The Art of Eating by M.F.K. Fisher
- This was my “reach” read, tucked at the bottom of the checked bag and ready if need be. A behemoth at over 700-pages but a paperback, I’ve owned it for over two years now and haven’t read it because I’m scared I’ll love it so much and won’t be able to re-read it for the first time ever again. The hype of Fisher is real. So back to my TBR shelf it goes, but I have a plan for when I’m cracking it open.

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on August 15, 2026 in Adult, Authors, Events, Fiction

Three movies that were better than their books

27 Jul

I owned a shirt that read “the book was better than the movie”. Of course, I’m a librarian. And that quote is often true, but not always. The slogan is more about promoting readership than actually being anti-movie adaptation to a book. So here are three movies that are better than the book, in my opinion. The disclaimer is that, I don’t watch a lot of movies in general. There could be more, but these are three that I can confirm.

First, let’s go way back to Anne Rice’s Interview With the Vampire. I was a rabid Rice fan when I was in my teens, but I was more into the witches than the vampires. However, when blockbuster names and a screen adaptation that provides the haunting atmosphere and longing provide the ambience that I didn’t think was there in the book, we’ve got the first movie that was better than the book.

Netflix’s adaptation of Jenny Han’s To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before was visually stunning, with music, color pops, and lively characters that felt like teenagehood. When I read the book way back when I just remember thinking- I couldn’t relate to the sisters drama that seemed primary to the romcom’s secondary status. But building up the romcom made it the delightful movie that it was which means that this is the second movie that was better than the book.

And last, and most recent, Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. I wanted to see it in theaters, alas, it didn’t happen and I watched it while donating platelets. I giggled, I cried, I was visually taken aback by a man in a spaceship just trying to save the world. That said, I was blown away by The Martian both the book and the movie, but there was something extra special about the casting and delivery of the movie of Project Hail Mary that makes it the third movie that was better than the book.

Do you agree or disagree? Do you others that fit the bill?

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on July 27, 2026 in Adult, Authors, Fiction

America 250: A non-comprehensive list

04 Jul

I would be remiss not to compile a list of a handful favorites highlighting the history of the United States on its 250th birthday. Obviously not all of it is positive, but it is America’s story. Which books would you add to the list?

People

You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington by Alexis Coe focuses on being a female biographer with humor for days
Teri Kanefield’s The Making of America series from Alexander Hamilton to Thurgood Marshall are accessible middle grade biographies
Sheinkin and Robinson’s Two Miserable Presidents: Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn’t Tell You About the Civil War entertain and teach at the same time
Any James L. Swanson book featuring the tragic stories of assassinations of people like Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy Jr. such as End of Days: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy. Swanson’s dedication to American history is unparalleled

Events

Brown’s The Great American Dust Bowl: A Graphic Novel
Graff’s The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11
Slade and Gonzalez’s Countdown: 2979 Days to the Moon
Any of Kate Messner’s History Smashers series books from learning about the Mayflower to the Salem Witch Trials
Brown’s Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans

Iconic

Larson’s The Devil in the White City highlighting both the Chicago World’s Fair and an infamous serial killer H.H. Holmes
Biden’s inauguration was only memorable (for me) because of Gorman’s recitation of her original poem, The Hill We Climb, accessible in print but best listened to
Jarrow is known for her investigative science storytelling for teens and her newest White House Secrets: Medical Lies and Cover-Ups fulfills that. Her focus on certain presidents was enough to realize she wanted to write a follow up book too
Kluger and Shamir’s To the Moon!: The True Story of the American Heroes on the Apollo 8 Spaceship because you can’t talk about American without talking about space exploration
Aberg-Riger’s America Redux: Visual Stories from Our Dynamic History: Visual Stories from Our Dynamic History is a visual feast and provides unique storytelling that’s just as dynamic as the title implies

Social Justice

Cooper and Aronson’s book Poisoned Water: How the Citizens of Flint, Michigan, Fought for Their Lives and Warned the Nation
Mann’s Shift Happens: The History of Labor in the United States
Smith, Barnes, and Anyabwile’s graphic novel collaboration Victory. Stand!: Raising My Fist for Justice
Blumenthal’s Jane Against the World: Roe v. Wade and the Fight for Reproductive Rights
Elliott’s Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival & Hope in an American City
Yoo’s Rising from the Ashes: Los Angeles, 1992. Edward Jae Song Lee, Latasha Harlins, Rodney King, and a City on Fire
Tunnell’s Desert Diary: Japanese American Kids Behind Barbed Wire

I could go on and on… Perhaps I’ll create a few additional posts around the subject!

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on July 4, 2026 in Adult, Authors, Events, Graphic novels, Middle grade, Nonfiction, Poetry, Young Adult

Favorite fathers

21 Jun

It’s Father’s Day, so here are some of my favorite father’s in literature.

To Marko from Saga, the heart what it wants and he’ll stop at nothing to care for his daughter Hazel.

To Malala’s dad, who instilled in Malala that education is important for girls and that’s what she fights for even in the face of danger.

To the grandpa in Drawn Together, you reached out to your grandson who spoke a different language than you and found common ground to bond.

Loid Forger aka Twilight is a meticulous spy in Spy x Family but built a family and adopted Anya- yes it’s for a mission- but somehow readers know it’s built to last.

Navigating the pitfalls of growing up with body esteem issues, Ellie’s dad finds opportunities to allow Ellie to learn and grow and love herself.

While he was grieving and not at all perfect as the beginning of the Sheets graphic novel trilogy opens, the third book, Delicates, hits a home run with Marjorie’s dad explaining friendship as they’re hanging Christmas lights: “They light up different parts of your life. But see, they all cast shadows, too… There’s good and bad in everyone, you know? But the more friends you have in your life… well… the more, uh, brightness you’ll have overall.”

Roadtripping with your young daughter isn’t for the faint of heart after losing your wife, yet Coyote’s dad is patient and fun in Coyote Lost and Found.

I just finished Landing in Place Friday and Anisa’s pilot father was a pivotal character (along with the coworker, his friend, who was a confidant to Anisa). There was a specialness to his support and motivation.

Martin is funny enough recounting the stories of his childhood, but the way Martin showcases his father in the second book, Mexikid Dreams, is heartwarming. From poking fun at him adding an “e” in front of every word but also sharing how organized he was in the work they were doing in the hopes of giving his kids opportunities.

And one of the most classic dads of all time. Calvin’s dad’s continued commentary that the hard things built character in Calvin or his annoyance at Calvin’s antics endeared him even more to readers of the comic strip. I was able to walk back in time when the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, NY had an exhibit running on it’s 40th anniversary.

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on June 21, 2026 in Adult, Authors, Childrens, Comics, Fiction, Graphic novels, Illustrators, Manga, Middle grade, Nonfiction, Young Adult

Under the spell of Witch Hat Atelier

25 May

I changed in November 2022 when I read the first volume of Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama. I distinctly remember finishing the book and finding construction paper to make my own hat in the likeness of Coco’s that day. Several years later I put together a full cosplay as Coco to accompany my Japanese Culture Club students to a comic con replete with a homemade brush baby and a sigil on the bottom of my shoes. And several years after that, I have collected every volume of the original series, every volume of the spinoff of Witch Hat Atelier Kitchen, and a hardcover beauty called The Art of Witch Hat Atelier gifted by my son.

Witch Hat Atelier, volume 14 not pictured

A few of my students asked the other week if I had watched the anime, which I knew had dropped on Crunchyroll. I told them about my reluctance to watch it (as with any book that I’m enamored with) because I love the original too much to have it mutilated by another format. I also know that the reviews have been positive.

Fast forward to Saturday night of a long weekend and I did it, I started watching the anime. I instantly fell in love. I said I would pace myself. There were eight episodes available and I now know that there are a planned thirteen total to drop by the end of June. What did I do? By Sunday afternoon I had watched all eight and yearn for more. Luckily I only have to wait about 24 hours for episode nine.

Let me break it down. The groundwork that Shirahama created with the series about a girl wishing to be a witch and ultimately being pulled into the orbit of witches by a witch named Qifrey at an atelier for apprentice witches was the start. Then the anime adaptation takes the imaginative creativity of Shirahama’s world and personifies it with color, cuteness, and attention to detail. I was absorbed on the screen for each scene in addition to the opening credits that use a visual paper folding that wows. Each chapter was a feast. The animation and the writing are unparalleled. If you haven’t been swept up into the orbit of the series in print or anime, here is your sign to start.

I’m going to be falling asleep envisioning my own ability to create sigils to make magic. Join me. I’m under the spell of Witch Hat Atelier.

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on May 25, 2026 in Authors, Illustrators, Manga, Upcoming Releases

Thirteen for Thursday

21 May

What have I been reading lately? Here are thirteen for Thursday in thirteen words each.

A Scar Like A River by Lisa Graff
- Girl takes a stand and realizes her full potential to take back power
The Beginning After the End, volume 1 by TurtleMe
- Creative isekai manga about starting over in a kingdom with powers and determination
Chernobyl, Life, and Other Disasters: A Graphic Memoir by Yevgenia Nayberg
- Memoir focused on growing up, being artsy amidst the backdrop of a disaster
Cocoon by Machiko Kyo
- Dark exploration of the impact and toll war can take physically and mentally
Eden of Witches, volume 1 by Yumeji
- Fantasy manga with a rich backstory and unique natural setting that feels magical
Flight by Alan Gratz
- Side story fully explored in the world of Gratz’s familiar tales of human suffering
Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker
- Nonlinear psychological and ghost thriller with an epic cover and two intertwined stories
Labor: One Woman’s Work by Dr. Mary Fariba Afsai
- Audiobook narrated by Afsai about her career in obstetrics and her goals
London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family’s Search for Truth by Patrick Radden Keefe
- Unraveling a murder mystery with more questions than answers along the Thames River
Max, a Little Axolotl: Breaking Out by Joey Spiotto
- Will read every book in this series with the adorable Max, an axolotl
Mixed Feelings by Sara Amini and Shadia Amin
- Identity and authentic coming of age mix perfectly for a middle grade audience
My Journey to Japan: Escape to Yokai Mountain by Matthew Loux
- A travelogue of the best of Japan but add yokai too? Yes please.
Smash or Pass by Birdie Schae
- Neurodiverse girl plays volleyball at summer camp and finds love and her voice

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on May 21, 2026 in Adult, Audiobooks, Authors, Childrens, Fiction, Graphic novels, Illustrators, Manga, Middle grade, Nonfiction, Young Adult

Field tripping to the Con

05 May

For the fifth year in a row, I’ve brought a group of high schoolers from my Japanese Culture Club (formerly Anime Club) to a local comic con, Saratoga Comic Con, that is put on twice a year: once in the fall and once in the spring, and we alternate the season we attend.

There has been a cut of grant money that covers our enrichment club’s cost to attend each year for the last few years allowing the students to have the school bus and entrance fee paid for which makes it enticing to spend five hours on a Saturday to attend when their money can go toward items from the hundreds of vendors there. Undoubtedly, they’ll get hooked and another favorite part of the day is running into former students there on their own enjoying the con. A requisite picture is always taken.

This year’s trip was no different than in years past– I end up feeling an immense love toward all of the kids that attend because they are overjoyed to attend, see and take pictures with those that are cosplaying, buy items with their favorite characters, and spend time with each other. They are a solid group of awesome teens. They were screaming before they even got off the bus. I wouldn’t trade this yearly field trip for anything. My sights, eventually, with enough money, would be to get a group down to New York City for their annual con.

And as is my practice, I cosplayed a favorite character. For five years running I have been Kiki from Kiki’s Delivery Service, Erica Slaughter from Something is Killing the Children, red blood cell from Cells at Work, Coco from Witch Hat Atelier, and Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel. I’m already starting to think about next year’s outfit since it’ll be coming up in November.

I’m grateful to one of our culinary instructors, who wore a dapper Pokemon button up, and one parent for attending (as he has done in years past) to wrap our arms around our happy kids who gladly pose for a picture at the end to commemorate the day. It’s a photo I cherish each year that we do this.

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on May 5, 2026 in Events, Reflections

Author visits: It’s all worth it

28 Apr

This year, our library celebrated fifteen years of author visits with our twentieth author. It was a phenomenal day with Gail Jarrow. One that our students, staff, and I won’t soon forget from her fantastically gross images on screen to her deep knowledge of science and history. Couple it with thoughtful questions from the students, and books (free to them through a grant) to have her sign, each student had a personalized experience with her. Plus, it was captured by our dedicated communications staff person who popped up throughout the day to capture it all for which I’m grateful to have the memories that will last afterward but also from better angles and more creative shots with a fancy camera than I could ever get.

It’s been one week and I’m still thinking about it daily. This one but also the ones that came before it.

No one will say author visits are easy. In fact, every year I get frustrated at least once (an understatement) and tell my colleague that I’m never doing it again, but, like childbirth, here we are fifteen years later (though because I had twins, I only did childbirth once so I kind of cheated). Yet, what keeps me doing it year after year is the students. I have received messages years after students have graduated talking about memories of author visits. I look back at the folder of pictures from visits and see the smiling faces. I see the statistics of increased book check out. I hear the teachers talking.

Often the frustration lies with funding, policies, and procedures. Unnecessarily complicated. Not student-centered. Procedures made up by people far removed from the everyday grind of making it happen. But I won’t dwell on the negative. Simply to share that it’s all worth it.

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on April 28, 2026 in Authors, Events, Nonfiction, Reflections, Young Adult

Fly me to the moon: Stellar books about space

14 Apr

Who hasn’t loved all of the coverage of NASA’s Artemis II’s flight around the dark side of the moon and back? From the naming of a crater on the moon for the deceased wife of one of the astronauts to the flying Nutella jar that was the coolest advertisement, my favorite post as a public school librarian was a reminder that the next astronaut could be sitting in our classrooms because all four of the astronauts went to public schools.

How does anyone grow and learn? Reading of course, so here are some stellar books about space that are sure to continue the excitement about Artemis II’s journey with Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen into the future.

Picture Books

Our Solar System! A Stellar Neighborhood by McAnulty and illustrated by Lewis (plus all of our Our Universe series)
Wanda Hears the Stars: A Blind Astronomer Listens to the Universe by Hansen, Merced, and Mendoza
Starstruck: The Cosmic Journey of Neil deGrasse Tyson by Krull, Brewer, and Morrison
I Am Neil Armstrong (Ordinary People Change the World series) by Meltzer and Eliopoulos
A Computer Called Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Helped Put America on the Moon by Slade and Jamison
Margaret and the Moon: How Margaret Hamilton Saved the First Lunar Landing by Robbins and Knisley

Middle Grade

History Smashers: The Space Race by Messner
The Extraordinary Orbit of Alex Ramirez by Paulino
Rocket to the Moon! (Big Ideas That Changed the World series) by Brown
Countdown: 2979 Days to the Moon by Slade and Gonzalez
A Rover’s Story by Warga

Young Adult

Spacewalking With You by Doronoda (a fabulous manga featuring neurodiverse characters)
Crownchasers by Coffindaffer
To the Moon!: The True Story of the American Heroes on the Apollo 8 Spaceship by Kluger and Shamir

Adult