National Library Week! Free Stuff!

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Justin Brasher, Brash Librarian

HELLOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

It’s that time of the year, and I don’t just mean Easter candy is 70% off. IT’S NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK! To promote the awareness of this week, I will be posting stuff every day this week.

EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

Yup, you’ll hate me by Friday. Don’t worry, I’ll keep them short and sweet. I’ve already helped somebody towards getting their library card! (You’re welcome, Cassi.)

Today, I’m pushing Proquest and all their free stuff this week until the 20th which can be found below!

Complimentary Access* to Popular Research Databases and E-books

Want to see the rest of what they have? Click here!

…Still reading? Good! It’s time for the free presents!

See? Isn’t this thing awesome! And it’s free. FREEEEEE.

WTCOX is offering free “I love My Library” microfiber cloths to anyone who wants them – good for cleaning eye glasses, smart phone screens, e-readers, tablets, anything a library user may need! Visit their page here and fill out a few details. No obligations or shady stuff, get yours now!

No, really. NOW. I’m getting two, don’t judge me.

Oh, and speaking of 70% off Easter candy…

…I HAVE A PROBLEM.

Enjoy, and stay clean!

Justin Brasher, Brash Librarian

(OM NOM NOM NOM…Reese’s.)

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Brash Thoughts on Gun Control.

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Justin Brasher, Brash Librarian

Hey Friends!

Firstly, let me preface that this week’s post is meant to be light humored and comical. I know guns and their control are a hot topic right now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t defuse it with a funny story…a story about a different kind of gun control.

Our story comes from Indiana – not unlike our Mascot! A Porter County Public Library employee at the Valparaiso branch was sorting through newly donated books when then opened up a book and found a GUN. Apparently, “gun control” around there means “don’t leave your GUN in your BOOK“.

The book, “Outerbridge Reach,” was hollowed out and contained a historic-looking handgun, according to Valparaiso police. “Somebody just opened it up and said, ‘Oh my,’ ” said Assistant Library Director Phyllis Nelson.

I’d have personally said, “Whoa, cool!” or something of the like.

The weapon was described by police as a gold, wooden handle, A.S.M. brand, .31-caliber, single shot, black powder gun.

Seriously, who leaves a gun in their book?

Nelson said she contacted police and told them the book had been donated to the library. Thousands of books are donated each month, she said, and records are not kept, so there is no way of knowing who dropped off the book or when, she said.

According to the article, “Police determined the gun had not been stolen and it is being held as evidence“…evidence for what? Having an awesome book? Maaaybe endangerment? Just being a forgetful nincompoop?

BUT WAIT! Here comes my favorite part:

“Nelson said this is not the first time a gun was found in a book donated to the library. There was another incident sometime before she came on staff 12 years ago.”

…WHAT. Are you serious? How many guns come through this library? I wonder if it’s a famous pistol. For those interested, you can read the full article here.

DON’T FORGET! Next week is National Library Week. Hope you all get your reading on!

Stay Brash and don’t leave your guns in your books,

Justin Brasher, Brash Librarian

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Brash Librarian Celebrates One Year! Also, Celebrities Reading Books

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Justin Brasher, Brash Librarian

Hello, darlings!

Firstly, let’s give me a big round of applause – Brash Librarian the blog is celebrating it’s one year anniversary! WHEE!!! Never thought I’d be writing this blog a year ago when I first started, it feels amazing. I’m TOTALLY going to go buy myself a birthday cake.

So my always-awesome Brash Sidekick Katy pitched “celebrities reading books” as a fun topic, and I couldn’t agree more. What’s cooler than reading books? Sexy celebrities reading books, that’s what. I’ve posted a few of my favorites on here, but you can see the rest of them here. My top choices:

George Clooney

Joan Jett

Christoph Waltz

It’s all about the accent.

Jackie Kennedy

Johnny Depp

Marilyn Monroe

Sure, it’s upside down…I’ve seen many a nerd read this way.

Rupert Grint

Diane Kruger

Maybe Christoph can read to her?

Taye Diggs

…are those cans of dog food behind him?

Judy Garland

You can’t hide that book, don’t even try.

Joaquin Phoenix

Books good, smoking bad.

Katherine Heigl

Ten bucks says it’s “Little House on the Prairie”.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Jessica Biel

What else would you do while waiting for a flight.

Benedict Cumberbatch

I can vouch for this fact.

Bettie Page

Robert Pattinson

Being immortal means you never have to stop reading!

Renee Zellweger

Good thing that’s a diary. She better not be writing in those books.

Bruce Lee

How about some silly ones?

On the Monty Python set

On the set of Star Trek

Dean Martin

Yes, he’s drinking while reading “The Drinking Man’s Diet”.

Nathan Fillion

And the best for last….

SEAN CONNERY!

Gentlemen, ladies…you can be a celebrity too! Just pick up a book and read. Fellas – if you want the ladies, get reading. Girls like a smart man. Ladies, keep turning those pages for us.

That’s all for now, there should be enough to tide you all over for a week. Right? :p

Justin Brasher, Brash Librarian

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Brash Librarian Hits Megacon!

Posted on March 30, 2013 by Justin Brasher, Brash Librarian

Ahoy, Superheroes!

So I promised you guys that when I had some photos from the Megacon comic book/videogame/tv/movie/fantasy/sci-fi convention in Orlando, I’d totally put some up. It’s your lucky day! Along with my friends Stephen, Jessica, Allen and The Bookaneer, we spent the weekend at the Orange County Convention Center with several thousand people dressed in some fantastic costumes. The Bookaneer went as Power Girl from DC Comics, I went as Big Boss from Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and Jessica put on some stubble to become Commander Riker from Star Trek.

Everything and anything was here – clothes, toys, movies, swords, accessories, jewelry, artwork…and of course, comics. Artists, writers, celebrites – everything! Patrick Stewart and Lou Ferrigno were there. I was so busy getting photos taken of myself with fans, I barely had time to take any myself! My good friend Allen Finley is a spectacular photographer, and I snagged a few of his photos to show off his talent. Check out all his photos on his Facebook page to see the rest of the convention!

I’ve got to say, I’ve never been approached by so many people before, especially women. If I had a dollar for every scantily-clad girl who ran up and begged to take a picture with me because I’m “the sexiest videogame character ever!” or guy who needed a photo with “the most badass soldier in videogame history”, I could’ve paid for my gas back to Gainesville. While conversing with some of them, I mentioned that I work in the library field and most of them were shocked – after the shock wore off, they were incredibly impressed. Fellas, women like an educated library man. And let me be perfectly clear…the women here were HOT. Check Allen’s photos if you need more proof. Ladies, the men were pretty darn muscled, too!

Saturday morning with the Bookaneer and Jessica! (Or Powergirl and Commander Riker!)

Spider-Man! This guy’s costume was indeed AMAZING. See what I did there? I’m a nerd.

Man, this guy did a really good Wolverine. Those claws are pretty rad.

Dynamo from The Running Man! I had to get this for Alex and Dylan.

LEGO had an entire area on display, literally an entire LEGO city. This thing was huge! Also, I have no idea what’s up with the bottle on the right.

Nick Fury from The Avengers shook my hand. We one-eyed heroes gotta stick together!

Superheroes everywhere! Another Powergirl! That Superman and Green Lantern were pretty ripped. Enjoy, ladies!

My nemesis, Revolver Ocelot! It was awesome to run into characters from my own series.

Gotta say, I had an amazing time. I loved going in costume, and I look forward to making more friends and talking about how awesome a librarian can be. My point from all this? Don’t be afraid to be yourself, people. Dress up, geek out, get nerdy, show your inner fanboy (or fangirl). Be bold, be Brash, and be awesome!

Stay nerdy,

Justin Brasher, Brash Librarian

(AKA Big Boss!)

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Surprise Contest!

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Justin Brasher, Brash Librarian

Hey Friends!

As promised, here’s this week’s second post. Unfortunately, I don’t have all my pics from Megacon organized yet, but I can push that to next week. This week, I’d like to address something that’s been on my mind.

I’ve been discussing with some people the idea of a new logo for Brash Librarian. While I love my Indiana Jones logo that my friend Jovon designed, I feel that I may want something original (and not copyrighted) to put up on the blog. I’ve been brainstorming this ever since becoming the Brash Librarian, and I realized I should be asking you guys! As of now, I’m officially opening a contest for fan art and logo ideas. Got something in mind? Send it to me at brashlibrarian@gmail.com or you can post it on here or even on the Brash Facebook group! Don’t have the time/skill/other to submit art but still have some great ideas? Send those too! The nominees will be featured in an upcoming blog and the winner will be the new logo for Brash Librarian, along with getting a special prize from me!

Some ideas I have that might help:

-What’s a brash activity? Brash animal? What is something that encompasses brash?

-What also is something library-related? What combines brashness and books?

-What does brash mean to you in general?

-Brash things I can think of: Tigers, superheroes, ninjas, explosions, fire in general, bright colors…I’ll think of more later.

As much as I’d like to add more, I have a project due tonight and another due on Sunday. Best of luck, hope to see some great stuff from you guys!

Justin Brasher, the Brash Librarian

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Road Trips Galore!

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Justin Brasher, Brash Librarian

YO HO! TO ADVENTURE!!!

Boy, have this last week or two had some traveling! I know, I know, I had several angry emails wondering why there was no BL last week. Along with the traveling, I’ve also been on spring break and getting ready for Megacon. Don’t worry! There will be two posts this week to make up for the Brash absence. Let’s jump into the first post of this week, shall we?

As a few of you know, I went to visit my Brash Sidekick and Crush-worth librarian Katy in South Florida last weekend. In true Katy fashion, she had plenty of baked goods – brownies, cookies, cookie dough, pizza, the works. I asked Katy to make chocolate chip-less cookie dough, but I didn’t ask her to put it on anything. My sweet tooth is no stranger to Brash decisions, so I put it on top of my brownies.

Cookie dough-covered brownies. OH. MY. GOD. I ate three in one sitting without blinking an eye.

After that incredible sugary blessing, there was tv, catching up, yoga, farmer’s markets and all sorts of fun to be had. Truly, Katy is one of the best friends I’ve ever had. I will never forget the look of shock/disgust/horror on her face as she watched me down three giant brownies covered in cookie dough. My tummy was too happy to care!

Fast forward to Tuesday, and our next adventure takes us to Tallahassee, the Florida State Capitol as I rode with the Levy County Public Library System supporters for library legislation day. Along with a group of 40 or 50 strong, including Friends of The Library (FOL) members, home school children and their parents, the Bookaneer and myself, we worked our way around the Capitol building to thank our senators for their support to libraries.

Senators Charlie Dean and Charlie Stone took time out of their busy schedules to speak with us and talk about what libraries mean to them. Additional photos and information on our trip can be found on Jeff Hardison’s online newspaper, Hardisonink.com. Check it out and see some photos of yours truly!

Yup, I’m next to Senator Charlie Dean. Cause I’m cool, that’s why! Credit to Jeff Hardison for this shot.

Here are some other highlight photos:

A shot of Tallahassee from the top floor viewing platform. Neato!

Thanks, building sign!

Lovely signs and facts from our friends at the Florida Library Association (FLA)!

Handy-dandy information!

Was this enough for the Brash Librarian? Of course not. It wouldn’t be Brash! We visited the State Library where I got to see my long time friend Cindy!

The State Library Building! It’s bigger than it looks.

Deep in the basement of the State Library is their Florida History Museum. Some choice shots I took:

Coooool.

The Bookaneer, queen of the bones!

Treasure. I want that ingot.

Man the cannon! They actually had a boat to wander through.

Some of those swords have glass blades. WICKED.

Also known as, “The History of Bang Bang!”

Silver Springs diorama. I LOVE the attention to detail in dioramas.

Yes, that is a primitive camper/RV. I want one.

That’s all for this week, I hope you enjoyed it! Coming up later this week: If I have Megacon pics, I’ll talk about that. Otherwise, I’ll treat you all to one of my regularly scheduled fun posts.

Support your libraries!

Justin Brasher, Brash Librarian

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Blog Tour for “Don’t Kill Dinner”…Don’t miss it!

Posted on March 7, 2013 by Justin Brasher, Brash Librarian

Hey Friends!

So a friend mine from undergrad, Jennifer, has been working on her debut novel, “Don’t Kill Dinner”. When she announced that she wanted to do a blog tour to promote her novel’s release, I jumped at the chance to help her. As Brash Librarian, I hope to get people reading – and what better material than my friends’ books? We can all use a little help getting ourselves out there, so I’d like to take this week’s posting to do so.

I haven’t seen Jennifer in ages, we go way back to our theater days at UF when she rode a motorcycle with bubblegum pink stars. Yes, she’s THAT awesome. BEHOLD…

jenn bike

And it was FAST.

Alright, let’s get to the juicy bits you really want to know!

Title: Don’t Kill Dinner
Series: The Rules Trilogy
Author: Jennifer Martinez
Genre: Urban Fantasy/New Adult Paranormal (Mature audiences only. Mild to moderate swearing and damn sexy sexual situations)
Page Length: 170
Release Date: March 15, 2013
Tour Organizer: B3 Tours

**Notes: The first day proceeds of Don’t Kill Dinner will be donated to Rain Pet Rescue of Fort Myers. They take in animals from High Kill shelters throughout Florida. This is my adoption agency of choice and I am a proud supporter of adopting your family members.**
Rain on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rain.rescueanimalsinneed?fref=ts
Rain’s webpage: http://www.rescueanimalsinneed.org

Quote for Cover: “I love you Kenna and I will never lose you. I promise.”

don't kill dinner

Pretty awesome cover, right? I dig the sparkly bracelet.

Official Blurb:
There are three rules when it comes to being a vampire in New Orleans.

  1. Don’t kill dinner.
  2. Don’t feed from people you know.
  3. Don’t tell anyone.

Not too hard, right? Wrong. Kenna is a new vampire filled with a passion that has turned into an uncontrollable lust for blood.
Will Arthur be able to stop her feeding spree before the coven comes after her or is Kenna beyond saving?

Arthur has been watching Kenna for years, wanting her to try her own hand in life before he gave her the ultimate proposal. Now that she has accepted, will his love be enough to save her?

Being from Louisiana and finding vampires awesome, I’m dying to get my hands on this book. Get it now on Amazon or check out the trailer below!


Want to see more of Jennifer? Take a look at her links below:

Jennifer Martinez Official Webpage
Jennifer Martinez on Facebook
Jennifer Martinez on Twitter
Jennifer Martinez on Amazon
Actor for Hire, The Rules Trilogy 0.5 Kenna’s Story on Amazon
Actor for Hire, The Rules Trilogy 0.5 Kenna’s Story on Smashwords

Jennifer’s Bio:

One day while slaving away at her monotonous day job, Jennifer Martinez found her true calling. Like a firefly in the night, the pages called to her. Once she caught the bug there was no stopping it. Her fingers flew furiously across the keyboard winding tales of love, mystery and anger. She snapped out of her reverie to find herself still behind the desk but at least she knew who she was… Author Jennifer Martinez.
I like to think of myself as a beautiful conundrum. When I am not writing, I can be found surrounded by my amazing family and 4 dogs or volunteering at a local animal rescue. I love who I am and don’t mind at all when I get strange looks from people. I am a tattoo covered, child and animal lover who looks forward to destroying peoples preconceived notions of what “someone like me” would be interested in. You only live life once… you may as well make it interesting.
I love to get lost in a good book and hope that everyone will get lost in mine.

jenn bio pic

My friend (and now author) Jennifer! Thanks for keeping books awesome.

That’s all I got for this week. Next time on BL, I’ll discuss my visit to Brash Sidekick Katy along with some other wicked awesome stuff. Stay brash like Jennifer and me!

Justin Brasher, Brash Librarian

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New to Libraries? Ask the NINJAS!!!

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Justin Brasher, Brash Librarian

I’m not just the president, I’m also a member.

By the way, that ninja is me. Told you I’m a ninja.

Coming up next week, I should talking about an author friend of mine, but I don’t want to give away too much…Guess you’ll have to come back next week. Until then…WHEE!

Justin Brasher, Brash Librarian

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The Brash Librarian Gets Dirty Again! AND dressed up!

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Justin Brasher, Brash Librarian

HEY FRIENDS!

Yup, it’s been a long week. Last weekenend I ran in the Rugged Maniac 5k mud race with The Bookaneer and her friend – and now, my friend too – Odette and had a jolly good time! I’ll admit, I haven’t been training or dieting as strictly as I have in past races and I definitely felt it. Or rather, I didn’t feel it because it was so &*%&^$^ cold! Icy water and mud pits, getting soaked to the bone going through tunnels and under barbed wire, add a little wind and you’ve got a party! By party, I mean “300 or so people shivering and shaking”.

The Bookaneer, our friend Odette, and yours truly. MUDDY!

I had the unexpected surprise of running into Jesse, the man who trained Dylan and me for our first mud race last year as we crossed the finish line! To think that race was almost a year ago! You can read about our first race here. I also got two beers at the finish line. Thank you, girl who was allergic to gluten and couldn’t drink her beer!

I’ve come a long way in racing, and I’ve decided it step up my game. I have decided to run in the 8-mile Superhero Scramble race in May and have pre-registered for the 12-mile Tough Mudder adventure race in December. I’ll need to be at the top of my game, and I’ll certainly be motivated to eat right and exercise more. Thankfully, this won’t be my first time crossing blades with the Superhero Scramble. I had the pleasure of running this race last year and they have since changed up how it works. Don’t worry, I’ll be ready.

In the meantime, I’ll be going to the MegaCon comic book/sci fi convention on March 16th in Orlando. I haven’t decided what costumes to wear. Any suggestions? Should anyone like to join me for running or dressing up, feel free to come along!

That’s all for this week, catch you next week!

Justin Brasher, Brash Librarian

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The Brash Librarian Salutes YOU This Valentine’s Day!

Posted on February 15, 2013 by Justin Brasher, Brash Librarian

Hey Friends!

Happy Valentine’s Day! What a great week it’s been! I feel loved by family, friends, and I get to love some people in return. This week, I’m showing off a few people I admire and saluting them for the hard work they do. They’re strong, they’re bold, and they sure are Brash!

Let’s jump right in! Most of you who follow my blog have heard me talk about my Brash Sidekick Katy. I nominated Katy for Librarian Wardrobe’s Valentine’s Day Crush contest, and she was selected as one of the winners! Every year, Librarian Wardrobe selects members of the LIS profession to be recognized academically, professionally, personally or even just fashionably and awards them with the title of “crush-worthy”. Katy’s picture and interview are featured on their website with the other winners, take a look and let’s give Katy a big hand for being a crush-worthy librarian!

A big hand for our crush-worthy librarian and Brash Sidekick, Katy!

I also nominated another friend, whom most of you know as The Bookaneer. While she didn’t win, she certainly got her fame in singing at the Hoggetowne Medieval Faire this year. Performing in her singing troupe, she singled me out in the audience and planted a giant smackeroo on my cheek. Thankfully (depending on who you ask), her sister got a great photo of said smackeroo, said below. She suffered through losing her voice and long days at the Faire, but she toughed it out!

The wenches, they just can’t get enough of me. If you look closely, you can see my roommate Caitlin holding my turkey leg. MEAT!

The glasses and pigtails just kill me. I don’t know who that guy is, but that’s a sweet hat.

Ah, what a fun day at the Faire. I saw friends I haven’t seen in years, I made new friends, I drank blueberry mead, ate turkey, stood on a gypsy acrobat, helped a performer set up his flaming machete routine, and had a great time. Ryan, Jess, Anne, Caitlin, Sherman (accept my friend request, already!), Kayla, a different Kayla, Pippin, Tucker…you were all a blast to hang around!

Was this enough for The Bookaneer? NO.

Well done, Crissy! Busy, busy, busy!

BAM! She has also been planning a Valentine’s Day 50’s sock hop dance at her library! It’s her first major project at the library, and I know she was a bit nervous. I’m sure it went over well, along with her “Blind date with a book” program! Yup, wrapping up books and letting people take home a book, blind date style. To top it all off, we’re running in the Rugged Maniac 5K mud race this Saturday! We just don’t know when to stop.

The other person I’d like to salute this week is my friend Laura. Laura has a travel blog detailing her adventures abroad. She’s traveled around the world trying to help people, teaching English, and trying to improve the lives of everyone around her. Laura is currently in China raising funds for her Project FUTURES’ Challenge Ride bike trip, promoting awareness of human trafficking and raising funds for victims of trafficking in Southeast Asia. On February 26th, she will cycle through Vietnam and Cambodia in a 400 km (250 miles) journey through villages and orchards. Donate here if you can, her trip is less than two weeks away!

My friend Laura! Donate to this little lady’s cause and help make a difference!

You don’t need to be a librarian to be brash, all you need is a little courage and determination. Great job Laura! Your altruism brings out the superhero in me.

Last but not least, a shout out to some of my best friends Ashley and Nigel! I had the great pleasure of being at their baby shower over the weekend and had an amazing time. There were baby games, bib decorating contests, lots of silly/nerdy/totally awesome gifts, and cake! We all can’t wait to meet Alistair. 🙂

That’s all I have for this week. I love all these people, they are great friends! This week, I challenge you to find and appreciate those good people in your life. Valentine’s isn’t just for that special someone, it’s for all the special someones in your life. Stay Brash and have a great Valentine’s Day, everyone!

Justin Brasher, Brash Librarian

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