Holly, Author at Awful Library Books

World Leaders Past and Present

April 11, 2022 Holly Biography, Spanning the Globe 8 comments

Margaret Thatcher
World Leaders, Past and Present
Garfinkle
1985

Submitter: Or, as a friend put it, “Dictators and a Couple of OK People”. This is a YA nonfic series that we only weeded a couple of years ago from the Norwood Public Library where I’m the Library Assistant. They have been sitting in our book sale room ever since; strangely, nobody has bought any of them.

These books were published in the 80s, when I was in high school. Even as a voracious reader of anything I could get my hands on, these would have bored me to tears, with their dense text and black-and-white photos. The librarian who ordered them back then was probably talked into the set by a slick salesman, since she was completely out of touch with teenagers.

Holly: More like “World Leaders, Past and Past-er.” What’s up with the font styles on the spines? That’s dumb.

Choose Your Own Sex Adventure

April 1, 2022 Holly Friday Fiction 18 comments

He Gave Her Roses
Grove
1990

Submitter: This book is a “choose-your-own-ending” type of book about dating, but with a heavy religious theme, full of fear, shame, and judgement; and putting all the responsibility on the girl. In my opinion, it has no place in a public library to begin with, but it’s been sitting on my library’s YA shelves since 1990, even though it had not been checked out in over six years, and only a few times total. The cover art is horrendous, the girl looks like either a mannequin or corpse, and the story is even worse.

Stacey has her first serious boyfriend and is faced with deciding to have sex. In some of the paths, she ends up pregnant, and may have an abortion, give up the baby, or keep it. She may or may not marry the father, may or may not finish school. The ending that caught my eye was the one where she went to college and started dating a nice Christian boy, but then he dumps her when he finds out she’s not a virgin. But she doesn’t blame him, she just wonders if she will ever find anyone to love her. You know, now that she’s damaged goods and all. Just gross!

Holly: That’s a new one: Choose your own sex adventure.

Sissy Squats

March 31, 2022 Holly Sports, Games, and Exercise 3 comments

Bruce Jenner’s The Athletic Body: A Complete Fitness Guide for Teenagers
Jenner and Cobbins
1984

Submitter: This book was weeded from a suburban high school in Georgia. Really everything about this book, including the exercises & title, is outdated. I wonder if Caitlyn would cringe about the ‘sissy’ squats terminology? It could be considered a little offensive in today’s world. My favorite part of the book is the dedication page to “all the future Jenner kids”… who knew there would be so many Kardashian ones as well?!

Holly: Sissy squats? That’s awful! What’s with the kids’ pants on the cover, too? They’re HUGE!

Poodle Pomadours

March 28, 2022 Holly Critters 11 comments

Know How To Clip A Poodle
The Pet Library LTD
Miller
1962

Submitter: This little bit of fluff crossed my desk because of its condition. It was split right down the middle as you can see in picture #2 / the spread. We won’t be sending this one off to the binder and instead be tossing it in the dog pound, I mean recycling bin.

Holly: My husband’s grandma has a standard poodle. I’ll have to send her the link to this post to get her opinion.

I don’t understand the Royal Dutch Clip. Basically, just shave the dog bald around its middle and down to the poofed tail? But…whyyyy?

500 Salads

March 21, 2022 Holly You Ate What? 9 comments

500 Delicious Salad Recipes
Culinary Arts Institute
1954

Submitter: To be honest – I expected more gross Jello salads than were found in this book. But the Frozen Seafood salad made up for it. The only request I got for this book was not to dump it in the lunchroom recycling bin and to use the one out in the hall.

Holly: How many books are there in this series?? Please note the “perky shapes” on the fourth image below (top, left-corner of that page), the molded jellied salads.

Brace yourselves for Dairy

March 7, 2022 Holly You Ate What? 16 comments

300 Tasty, Healthful Dairy Dishes
Culinary Arts Institute
1940

Submitter: Hold onto your stomachs for this one. Just when you think you have found everyone of these items for the series, another mystery stained volume appears like a zombie crawling out of a hefty bag. I hope this won’t spoil anyone’s lunch!

Holly: Instant recognition after the egg cookbook! Dairy is so 1940.

Mary: Thank God this is in black and white. I think if we saw the Green Pea Ring recipe all decked out in a pea color, it could cause some kind of trauma.

DIY Bazooka

February 28, 2022 Holly Health and Safety 19 comments

Bazooka : How to Build Your Own
Lewis
1993

Submitter: This explosive title came in a box of donations. “Simple Follow this procedure step by step, and before you know it you’ll be blasting away like Rambo on a good day” I think this is the same imagination that has been taking place in our bathrooms lately. Easy to say this went to recycling bin.

Holly: The good news is that WorldCat doesn’t show any library holdings for this book. The better news is that its subject heading:

Bazookas — Design and construction — Amateurs’ manuals

only matches this one title in WorldCat. Apparently no one else cashed in on the lucrative publishing industry of DIY bazooka manuals.

I know we’re Awful “Library” Books, but indulge me in this one anyway. It’s too good to pass up. And by good I mean awful.

Apply Within

February 25, 2022 Holly Working 9-5 4 comments

100 Best Careers for the 21st Century: 2nd Edition
Field
1999

Submitter: I found this book while weeding my high school library’s non-fiction section. It was published in 1999, and may have been correct at one point, but now all the information is outdated, from the earnings to the tips on how to get the job. I will give it credit in the technology section. They say that it is growing so fast that it’s good to keep as up to date as possible with information in that field, however it seems they didn’t predict how prevalent the internet was going to be.

Holly: Submitter chose the perfect two careers to include (images below): travel agent and print reporter. Those jobs have changed drastically in the last two years, let alone the last two decades.