Traits that Hufflepuffs and Librarians share

*non-potterheads might want to skip this one*

I've been in a Potter mood as of late. Not sure why, however it may have something to do with a wonderful Hufflepuff t-shirt I purchased about a month back. I've been contemplating Hufflepuff values for some time in relation to my job. I know it might sound a bit weird to apply a set of values from a fictional house in a fictional school to my real world, but I've always said one of the whole points of reading is that it help you relate to other people and concepts. Even if they're not based in reality, you apply the reality to it. Get it? No, I'm waffling.

Madam Pince, the Librarian at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry is largely an unlikable character. The ability to do her job is never called into question, however her thin, vulture-esque description, coupled with her strictness paints an unappealing image. She is suspicious of Hermione when she attempts to get a book from the restricted section, despite her note from the teacher. She screeches at Harry and Ginny after catching them eating an Easter egg in the Library and bewitches their belongings to hit them on the head as they rush out. And her reaction to Harry's old, written-in copy of Advanced Potion Making? "...what have you been doing to that book you depraved boy? // Despoiled! Desecrated! Befouled!" It didn't even belong to the Library.

Movie Madam Pince [picture credit]

I don't think it's ever mentioned which house she hails from, assuming she attended Hogwarts herself. I think you might have gathered from this post so far, that I (yes, I realise it's not real) am a Hufflepuff. I joined Pottermore, was sorted and placed into Hufflepuff and thought that to be the best choice for me personally. I am a happy Huff.

But how does being a Hufflepuff tie in with my library work. Well I personally have decided that Library work is perfectly suited to me and my Huffly nature. Lets go through three reasons...

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
The key word here being patience. If you engage in Library work that has anything to do with other humans, you need to be patient. You need to show the 100th person in that day how to use the printer, even though you're sure at least half of them have been shown a million times before. You need to sit down with people and explain what might be to you a very basic thing, like saving a document to a memory stick and how to access that same document again afterwards. You need to patiently explain about reservations when people get annoyed that the book they need isn't available right this very second. Patience is definitely a virtue in this work.

The Sorting Hat rains praise on Huffs [picture credit]

I'll teach the lot and treat them just them same
Inclusion and equality. Big players in the Library sector. A misunderstanding about this line is that you don't have to have anything special about you to be in Huff. It's exactly the opposite. Huff doesn't care if there's anything special about you or not at face value. When you first come to the Library desk, my job is to assume nothing and give everything possible. I wouldn't turn anyone away until they give me a reason to. The library concept treats everyone equally (or tries to) by giving everyone access to free materials, allowing everyone to share the same space and applying the same rules to everyone using that space. Rich, poor, struggling student, honours student, it's all the same to us.

Much smiling  [picture credit]

The Badger
The house emblem. Badgers dig their homes, they dig for food. They do make good finders, (I know the fact that Hufflepuffs are good finders is a running joke from A Very Potter Musical, but it applies here :D).  Give a Librarian enough time and we'll try our utmost to find what you need. At library school you're equipped with your searching tools and tactics, just as a badger is equipped with it's nose and claws at birth to find what it needs to survive. Also, "A badger ... has loosely fitting skin which makes it difficult for an antagonist to get a firm grip of a badger in a fight" (badgertrust.org.uk). Libraries have been under fire from cutbacks for years and years, but we haven't lost the battle yet. To back this up it's said somewhere the J. K Rowling chose the Badger for Huff because it is often underestimated, but when provoked can fight off animals much bigger than itself. Libraries are quite often underestimated. You should give us a chance :) Also, have you ever heard of a badger character in a book that's been evil? I can't think of one. (Would love to be corrected here though!)

Beautiful Huff illustration by Skaralett [picture credit]

So there you have it. Three traits that I think Hufflepuffs and Librarian's share. I personally think Ravenclaws would make great Librarian's too! Scary Madam Pince was a funny, stereotypical character, but Librarians now are usually much friendlier! We'll also probably have snacks to share too.

Over and out.

I'm reading a shiny dictionary

Well, sort of. No I'm not trawling through that classic reference volume The Oxford Dictionary (yes I have heard of people who actually do that). Instead, I would like to present you with my latest purchase: Firefly: The Gorramn Shiniest Dictionary and Phrasebook in the 'verse by Monica Valentinelli.

[Image Credit: waterstones.com]

This book is new. As in, really new. It was published on the 15th April 2016. It's a fairly nice size at around 160 pages with some incredible photos, sketches and quotes that bring the pages to life. Here's the blurb:

Insult your enemies in magnificent style and learn brand new declarations of love! This comprehensive Firefly dictionary and phrasebook takes in both the history of language in the 'Verse and modern usage. Explore all the terminology used in the show, be it spacefaring-speak, medical jargon or frontier phrases. Plus, get the inside scoop from the show's language consultant. A must-have for all Browncoats.

It largely reads as a dictionary should, you know, in alphabetical order. The main idea (I imagine) was to create a definitive source for definitions of the Firefly-specific terms, such as Alliance terminology, 'verse slang and Browncoat banter. However you get much more than just this. Quite normal words have their place in this little book, words like 'strawberries'. These 'normal' words are sometimes explained in the most basic sense, but more often their meaning is described in regards to the show. As fans will know, strawberries are a super rare and delicious treat (as is most fresh produce) and Kaylee especially has a cute strawberry moment in the first episode, after Shepherd Book partially pays for his ship fare with a box of the sweet fruits. The entry for 'strawberry' reads:

Strawberry, n. Fresh berry enjoyed by Kaylee in "Serentity". The fruit is rare and hard to come by for travelers. 

But this isn't just a dictionary, oh no Sir. So what else can we expect? Well, to start, language biographies for each of the main characters (Captain Mal, Jayne, Inara, Kaylee, River, Shepherd Book, Simon, Wash & Zoe) take a page each in their respective alphabetical place in the dictionary. This explains a little about how the characters talk and how their language is influenced by their upbringing, history and surroundings. 

Kaylee does subtlety [Image Credit: buzzfeed]

The books has a forward entitled 'Language use in the 'Verse' before the main dictionary begins. One of my favourite bits of this book is toward the end. There's an interview with Jenny Lynn, who was a translator for the Chinese usage in the show (including some hilarious stories about translating curse words). Following this is 'keys to understanding Pinyin' before Pinyin translations of the Chinese used in the show in episodic order. So remember when you first watched Firefly and a Chinese phrase was flung at you and you were left like 'wait what?' (my DVD copy did not grace me with subtitles). Well this explains it alllll. Ending the book is a FAQ section with the author of the book (who btw also worked on the Firefly RPG). 

I haven't even finished the whole thing yet, but I think any proud 'fly fans out there will love love love this book. I've already started re-watching the series because it made me remember how incredible this show is, not only for its very Whedon-esque linguistic edge, but just for its absolute ability to make you fall in love after the first episode with all the characters (even Jayne).

We <3 Jayne and his hat. [Image Credit: Pintrest]

Considering this isn't even a proper review, it's getting a bit lengthy, so i'll quit rambling. Basically, if you loved Firefly, buy this book. Or I'll lend it to you if I'm feeling nice. If you have no idea what Firefly is, congrats for making it this far down the post without dying of boredom, and you should go now and binge-watch Firefly with all your might. Because hey, there's only one season (don't get me started).

Over and out. 

Why I'm beginning to like those '100 books to read before you die' lists.

A lecturer I had for Uni once said something along the lines of:

"I hate book lists. Who cares if lots of other people think it's good? I barely have time to read the books I've decided I want to read, let alone trying to complete some upperty list full of Jane Austen."

And for a long time I agreed. My 'to read' pile is large, and I keep stumbling across new books to add to it. Books that friends recommend, books that I like the cover of, the next book in a series I started once and always meant to read the sequal. However, whilst lurking around bookish sites on the web I stumbled across a list. I've mentioned this a couple of other times in other posts: The BBC's Big Read top 100 list. Way back in 2003, a poll/survey/something happened, and the BBC compiled a list of 100 best books as voted for by the general public. Two things appealed to me about the list:

1) I had read and enjoyed at least 10 books on the list already. This was appealing a) because I'm lazy, and if I'm already 10 books down, all the better and b) because if I had read and enjoyed at least 10 of the books on the list, perhaps my reading taste mirrored that of whoever was surveyed and I would enjoy more of the books on the list.

2) I was sadly lacking in 'classic' reading. I read what I had to for school, sixth form and university and so far not much had appealed to me and from then on I avoided the classics like some suspicious looking stain on a hotel mattress. I decided that I was now an adult, therefore a) my reading tastes may have also matured a la some tasty french cheese and b) I work in a library and people keep assuming I've read everything by Thomas Hardy and Charlotte Bronte. Which I haven't and it's embarrassing to tell people much younger than myself this awkward fact.

When I'm asked if I've read all the books in the Library

[Picture Credit]

Another reason to complete these lists full of classic books, is that they're usually fairly easy to get hold of from a library. Because they're classics. And everyone loves them, right?

I have now read almost 50 of the titles on this list, and I HAVE ACTUALLY ENJOYED SOME OF THEM. They're books that I would never usually go near if I had the choice, Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte. Who the hell would known that I would actually love that book. Like...I could not stop turning the pages. Jane Eyre.

Okay it hasn't been all sunshine and daisies. I tried Perfume by Patrick Suskind, number 71 on the list over Christmas and considered it possibly the most ridiculous and unnecessary piece of asshattery that ever made it to print. I honestly felt slightly nauseous the whole way through. They made a film based on that book. Who would do that? But on the whole things have been surprising. I am slightly dreading reading more Jane Austen - I keep ignoring it but I suppose I'll read it one day, if only to say I have read all 100 on the list.

Most challenging length-wise on the list so far has probably been Gone with the Wind by Margeret Mitchell, clocking in at 1011 pages. Most disliked (aside from Perfume) probably Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier (see my grumbless in a post I did at the time). Currently reading The Godfather by Mario Puzo and somewhat enjoying it. More than I thought I would anyway. But this, I suppose, is the whole point. I'll probably do some more reviews about books from the list along the way and I'll update with my progress when I reach a suitable milestone.

Me reaching the end of Gone with the Wind

[Picture Credit]

My point here, after all this garbling, is perhaps try to complete a booklist. If you don't fancy 100 books, I'm sure there's shorter versions out there. You might just find a new favourite genre.

Over and out.