Typically, after a chance to pull back from work, re-group and rest up I find myself on Sunday morning either stimulated physically or intellectually. Last week, it was physical. I was able to accept this sinus stuff as my new norm and I did fall cleaning with vim and vigor and even fit in a visit to the gym.

Today, it’s intellectual. I’ve been online for four five hours now, collecting information on delicious.com, tweeting and visiting discussions on Linkedin. I received a very interested email from AIME in which tech guru Joyce Kasman Valenza creates a manifesto for 21st century librarians. I like that this listing validates many of the changes I’ve tried to implement while challenging me to do more. I wish I had the energy to compel my district to break down the tech barriers they create for our students, thus intensifying the digital divide, but I don’t. I don’t even know that I have the intellectual energy to create ways to jump over those barriers.

Having a three day weekend in front of me is energizing in and of itself! Should be a good week to get in extra gym visits and get a few more Cybil nonfiction nominees read.

Is it just me, or are the year end book lists a lot more popular than usual this year? No point re-hashing them here, they’re everywhere. I’ve considered doing a list of my own favorites, and may do so later. Or not. What’s useful for me right now is deciding my Christmas gift list. When my children were younger and were invited to birthday parties, we would only give books as presents. (One more sign I was meant to be a librarian.) I’m finding that now, even with adult friends, I’m very likely to give books as gifts. Books, however, can be an intensely personal gift. They should reflect how well we know someone’s interests or tastes and not just what we’ve read and enjoyed. Well, not always!

So, what would I give my children?

I think I know my youngest son’s reading tastes the least as we don’t often get the chance to discuss his taste in books. From his spiritual, political and intellectual interests combined with his love of country… it’s a real challenge! I think I’d give him

Never Drank the Koolaid by Toure

The Essential Noam Chomsky

Surf Mules by G. Neri

Sun of Suns by Karl Schroeder and maybe even Westerfeld’s Leviathan series

My daughter? Can I just give her a barrel of books?? I love that my children love to read and continually want ‘to know’!!

Dead Aid by Dambisa Moyo

For Color Girls Who Have Considered Suiced/Whe nthe Rainbow is Enuf by Ntzake Shange

Before you Suffocate Your Own Fool Self by Danielle Evans

Sister Outsider by Audre Lourde

My oldest son? He’s read two of my very all time favorites and loved them. He’s gotten the best of the best from me and has to have high expectations.

Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher

Brown:The Last Discovery of America by Richard Rodriguez

Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

and I’d have to throw in the Monster Blood Tattoo series for good measure!

I’d give my teachers

Pull by B. A. Binns so that they begin to realize that although our students have a lot going on, they’re not all thugs, or thug wannabees.

And I’ve give them the link to 20 Things I Learned about Browsers and the Web. We won’t create 21st century learners unless teachers develop the skills to teach them. This FREE online book does a wonderful job of building background information for the informed and even providing good background information to people like me who just do stuff on the ‘net without taking the time to get the basics.

What books would you like to be given? What books will you be thankful to have time to read this week?