10 Reasons to go to Iceland

I leave for Iceland a month from today, and every time I tell people (mostly students) that I am going to visit the land of Ice and Fire, they cock their heads to the side like confused dogs and ask in disapproving tones, “Why would you want to go there?”  I have at least ten good reasons to go to Iceland.  

Reason 1--Volcanoes, Volcanoes, Volcanoes

Iceland has 130 volcanoes, and one major eruption of Hekla formed a volcanic ridge that spans 25 miles.  Two continental plates that meet on Iceland are drifting apart, which creates the dramatic steam pots, sulfur pits, and enables Icelanders to harness more geothermal energy than anywhere else in the world.  I need to see this.

Reason 2--The Aurora Borealis

The solar flares this year have made the night sky come alive in Iceland, and the Northern Lights should be on every person’s bucket list.  Do the lights really ripple across the sky?  How long does it last?  Will I be able to sleep?  Is this where the Norsemen got the idea for the Rainbow Bridge to Valhalla?  Basically, it’s like the heavens are unleashing an exploding rainbow, and I can’t wait to see it.  

Reason 3--Clean, delicious fresh water

Friends, I live in San Diego, where the drinking water tastes like the water that Harry forced Dumbledore to drink at the end of The Half-Blood Prince that made the dead creatures climb out of the pool in the cave.  It’s the worst tasting water in America.  Conversely, Iceland is said to have the most delicious water in the world.  Icelanders claim that their water is what makes them so healthy and happy, and it is the reason for their long lives.   Just so you know, I am traveling a long way for a cool drink of water.

Reason 4--Pools and Saunas

Iceland has several geothermal pools in virtually every city.  Icelanders take their pools seriously, and I want to relax in as many as possible.  And, every hotel I have looked at has saunas.  The pools are where news is exchanged, where people gossip, and people relax and chat. 

Reason 5--Hidden Folk

Icelanders believe in a phenomena known as the huldufolk or “the hidden people,” (a charming term for mystical creatures like elves and dwarves).  Some sources say 62% of Icelanders believe in the hidden folk.  Terry Gunner, a folklore professor at the University of Iceland said that the belief in the huldufolk makes perfect sense:  this is a place of fire and ice, where steam billows out of the ground, where the sky lights up with ripples of green and purple, and survival is miraculous.  I am going to Iceland because I want to be around people who believe in more than what is seen.

Reason 6--"Blind is the man without a book"

Icelanders might be the most prolific readers in the world.  I read a study from Bifrost University that 93% of Icelanders read more than one book a year, and 50% read more than eight books a year.  At Christmas time, they have the jolabokaflod, or the book flood, when most books are published and everyone gets a book for Christmas.  And I read on the BBC that one in ten Icelanders publishes a book each year.  What does this mean to me?  Icelanders will like a librarian.  It means this is a country of people who care about each other and the world they live in.  They are thinkers.  And, have you read anything Icelandic?  I read Burial Rites by Hannah Kent and then jumped into Independent People by Halldor Laxness.  Icelandic writers can make farming in the remote corners of the frozen landscape riveting.  This is a country with a rich history of storytelling, which is the perfect place for a librarian to vacation.

Reason 7--Puffins

I don’t need to explain this.  Everyone love puffins.

Reason 8--Icelandic

Have you seen the words?  Have you heard Icelanders speak it?  It has to be the most complicated and difficult language.  I just want to listen to it.  I think it’s prettier than French and Portuguese multiplied by a thousand.

Reason 9--Vikings

I don’t need to explain this either.  Vikings are cool. 

Reason 10--No murders

I just read on a website that Iceland is the only country in the world where no death or crime is due to murder.  The rate is nearly the lowest in the world at 1.8 per 100,000.  Iceland is safe.  The descendants of Vikings don’t hurt each other compared to the rest of the world.  

I’m taking a road trip around Iceland with my husband to celebrate 20 years of marriage, and we’ll be staying in guest houses along the way.  I'll write blogs along the way and share my pictures, too.  I suspect I won't want to come home to San Diego after visiting Iceland.  

New Book: Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh

We just added Allie Brosh's first book, half of which has already appeared on the web in her blog, and the other half is entirely new material.  The image on the cover is Allie Brosh herself, and the yellow triangle is her pony tail.

The book isn't all that different from her blog;  she writes about the mundane--her two dogs and the rules they must live by, including no bees.  Her classic blog, "The God of Cake," her retelling of the time she ate her grandfather's birthday cake, is still just as funny as it was the first time I read it, but in the context of this book, next to the new blog posts, the story has another layer. In this book, Brosh exposes and reflects on her crippling depression in at least two posts, and she does so in a way that makes the experience crystal clear to those folks who have never struggled with depression.  She also reflects on her arbitrary rules for life, which made me think about perception and reality, and of course, philosophy. She even depicts herself on a forbidden quest to a cave where she reads the writing on the wall.

I've always loved Matt Inman's The Oatmeal, and I've often compared Inman and Brosh and both comedic geniuses,  but after reading this book, I have to say that Inman is funny in a superficial and scientific way, and he encourages wonder with the world with his emphasis on animals and science. But Brosh understands the heart, she shows what it is to be human, and she does it while making me laugh.  She reminds me of the time in own childhood when I teamed up with my sister to harrass and annoy our mother.

This book won't stay on the shelf long, friends.

NaNoWriMo

We're deep into November already, and I just want to remind you that NaNoWriMo isn't even half way over.  These writers have some great tips about writing.  Pick up that pen, and keep going!

Library Orientation Video

What is The Deep Web?

This short video provides a clear explanation of the Deep Web, the majority of the material on the Internet, and helps explain how Google only scratches the surface of the material available, but you can access the deepest parts of the web through library services.  Just ask me how!

Fun with Psychological Disorders

ODD or Oppositional Defiance Disorder is my favorite psychological disorder.  And, yes, I have a favorite.  I’ve always liked this one because for many years I thought my husband suffered from ODD.  People with ODD blame others for their mistakes. They frequently have temper tantrums and angry outbursts, and they struggle with authority. Most importantly, they purposefully annoy others. While this may appear to describe every teenager on the planet, it is not a common disorder.  Young ones with ODD have a hard time making friends and doing well in school because their outbursts are rather off-putting.

But, as I examined the DSM, I realized Hubs probably didn’t have ODD.  Honestly, I was just making excuses for him because he is difficult.  After much thought, I realized his disorder wasn’t on the DSM at all, so I decided to create a disorder for him.  I call it CDD or Compassion Deficit Disorder. Those suffering from this disorder have trouble feeling any empathy for others.  When they should feel empathy, they express annoyance.  Their motto is: “That’s what you get,” and while they show no compassion for struggling friends or family, even their children, they feel an inordinate amount of compassion for kitties and cute furry creatures.  It is this conflict of their compassion that makes the disorder so easy to identify.  

And if my husband has CDD, I suffer from an entirely different disorder.  It’s called Hyper-Empathy Disorder (HED) and can be described as having an overabundance of feelings that aren’t even necessarily one’s own.  The sufferers of my fictitious disorder feel the emotions that others near them feel even more intensely than the actual subjects.  They feel the feelings people with CDD should feel but cannot.  They struggle to watch horror films and anything suspenseful, and they fall apart if anyone is upset with them.  Furthermore, if they see a car accident or a particularly emotional commercial, they might start crying.  And, that’s why they hate crowds and crowded places like Disneyland.  

I really hate everything about Disneyland.

P.S. I ordered this magazine for the library if you want to read it.
P.S.S. Psychological disorders are serious, and aren't funny at all.  But when you have one, making light of it can make it more bearable.
P.P.S.S.  Learn the DSM and try to identify the characters you read and the characters on TV with disorders.

 

Three New Books

Just One Year
Gayle Forman's much anticipated companion book for Just One Day does not disappoint.  This book picks up where Willem and Allyson are separated in Paris.  Told from Willem's point of view, Just One Day breaks the stereotypes of free-spirits and commitment-phobia boys.  Don't miss it!

Love in the Time of Global Warming
Set in post-apocalyptic Los Angeles, rich poetic language marks this re-imagining of Homer's Odyssey. Cyclops, sirens, lotus flowers...it's all there and it's surprisingly relevant.

The House of Hades
The fourth book in The Heroes of Olympus series, House of Hades picks up where The Mark of Athena (book 3) lets off.  From Amazon.com:  "Annabeth and Percy tumble into a pit leading straight to the Underworld.  The other five demigods have put aside their grief and follow Percy's instructions to find the mortal side of the Doors of Death.  If they can fight their way through the Gaea's forces, and Percy and Annabeth can survive the House of Hades, then the Seven will be able to seal the Doors from both sides and prevent the giants from raising Gaea.  But, Leo wonders, if the Doors are sealed, how will Percy and Annabeth be able to escape?"