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Libraries or Books

The Rent Collector

February 7, 2020 by Christine Leave a Comment

The Rent Collector by Camron Wright
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Adults & Teens

How do you find hope when your life is in the dump? I’m talking literally about the people who lived in shacks at a municipal dump in Cambodia and spent their days picking recyclables out of the trash to get enough money for food. This real life story was told in a 2009 documentary called River of Victory.
The director’s father, Camron Wright, was so moved by the struggle of these people that he wrote this book, which is a fictional story woven around many of the characters and facts from the documentary. The author added in the gift of literacy to one character and examined how literature has transformative power for us no matter what our background is or what our life circumstances are.
The Rent Collector is a truly wonderful story that, like other great literature, will make you think about who your heroes are.
Find it in the Catalog

Filed Under: Recommended for Adults, Recommended for Teens Tagged With: heroes, Hope, Libraries or Books

Sorcery of Thorns

June 10, 2019 by Mary Anne Leave a Comment

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
Publication Date: June 4, 2019
Format: Book
Who it’s for:  Teens, Adults

Elisabeth has grown up in one of the Great Libraries.  As a child she would play amongst the books and listen to them speak to her.  The Great Libraries are the home of many grimoires which are a sort of living book that will turn into monsters if they are provoked.  There is lots of magic in the Great Libraries and Elisabeth hopes to one day be a Warden, a protector of the libraries and magic contained within.

Elisabeth has been told that sorcery is evil and sorcerers are not to be trusted.  But, when she finally meets a sorcerer, Nathaniel Thorn, he doesn’t seem so bad.  Shortly after the sorcerer visits, a grimoire monster is unleashed and Elisabeth is wrongfully blamed for the death and destruction it caused.  So, she turns to her enemy, the sorcerer, for help.

Libraries, magic, books that are almost living things, a strong heroine and a little romance.  What more could you ask for??!!

Find it in the catalog

Filed Under: New for Teens, Recommended for Teens Tagged With: Adventure, Book, Fantasy, Fiction, Librarians, Libraries or Books, Magic, Romance, Sorcery, Young Adult

The Library Book

November 5, 2018 by Kimberle's Korner Leave a Comment

 New Material
The Library Book  by Susan Orlean
Publication Date: October 16, 2018
Format: eBook, Book, Audiobook
Who it’s for: Teens, Adults

“Filled with heart, passion, and unforgettable characters, The Library Book is classic Susan Orlean, and an homage to a beloved institution that remains a vital part of the heart, mind, and soul of our country and culture. The Library Book reopens the unsolved mystery of the 1986 fire at Los Angeles Public Library’s Central Library—the most catastrophic library fire in American history—and delivers a dazzling love letter to libraries as an institution. Weaving her life-long love of books and reading with the fascinating history of libraries and the sometimes-eccentric characters who run them, award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author Susan Orlean presents a mesmerizing and uniquely compelling story as only she can. Along the way, she reveals how these buildings provide much more than just books — and that they are needed now more than ever.” – Publisher’s blurb

I was using NetGalley for the first time and needed a book to familiarize myself with how NetGalley works. (NetGalley is a site where book reviewers and other professional readers can read books before they are published, in e-galley or digital galley form. Members register for free and can request review copies or be invited to review by the publisher.) Since I got this copy from NetGalley, I have a lil introduction from the publisher about the book and author, which is neat because it gave me needed info. I did not remember what the book was about, only that the title was on my TBR list. I also did not know the author but her name sounded familiar.

My initial reaction to this book after reading 3 chapters or so was “Ooo, fire! Ooo, books!” Orlean’s writing feels like fiction not dry facts. I really enjoyed her writing. The Library Book starts with the author’s love of libraries as a child, which switched to her love of buying (instead of borrowing) books when she became an adult. Orelan then rediscovers her love of libraries when she has her own child. (This part made me nostalgic.) She then describes the LA Central Public Library, the collections, the art, the people, and the building. All of it sounded very cool and now I want to visit it. I think book lovers will really enjoy this book for sooo many reasons.

After those beginning chapters, she describes the fire. On one the hand my heart hurts at the damage done by the fire and water. On the other hand, the fire is so very cool, so very large, and so extraordinary. I also loved the description of how the city of LA came together to help the library: “They formed a human chain, passing the books hand over hand from one person to the next, through the smoky building and out the door. It was as if, in this urgent moment, the people of Los Angeles formed a living library. They created, for that short time, a system to protect and pass along shared knowledge, to save what we know for each other, which is what libraries do every day.”

Another aspect of the book I found delightful are the book titles with their library info at the beginning of each chapter. You can guess what the chapter will be about from the book listed.  I appreciated how Orlean goes back and forth with the time in each chapter. One chapter she is following librarians of the LA public library around in present day, the next chapter she is interviewing folks about the fire or describing the fire, and the next chapter she is giving us anecdotal library history. I found the history of library fires fascinating even though it made me sad. She also tells stories about notable folks that were involved with the library. The past directors of the LA public library were some characters!

The question of whether or not Harry Peake started the fire, was there on the day of the fire, or was just lying for attention and was completely innocent is not answered. Read the book and tell me your conclusion. Personally, I think Harry was there and started the fire accidentally.

Request your copy here!

Filed Under: New for Adults, Recommended for Adults, Recommended for Teens Tagged With: Book, Community Life, eBook, ed, Fire, Librarians, Libraries or Books, Nostalgia, True Crime, True Stories

I Am a Story

March 29, 2018 by Sara Leave a Comment

Submitted by Ms. Karen!

Stories are all around us, but how did they start? Who told them, and how did they tell them? We love stories because they make us feel all the feels: happy, sad, excited, even angry. I Am a Story, written and illustrated by Dan Yaccarino, tells the story of Story, told by storytellers in the dark around campfires, told in paintings on cave walls, inked with woodblocks, typed on a laptop. Story has been spoken and danced on stage, kept in all sorts of libraries private and public, even dispensed from vending machines! This book is just the right start to the history of Story for your youngest readers, with great pictures to show how stories and information lived and continue to live all around us. See this book listed in our catalog

Filed Under: Recommended for Kids Tagged With: History, Libraries or Books, Picture Book, Thought Provoking

Hooray for Today and Hooray for Books

February 9, 2018 by Sara Leave a Comment

Submitted by Ms. Jill!

Hooray for Today by Brian Won. Hooray! It’s going to be a good, good day! Owl is wide awake, has loaded up her wagon with her favorite things, and is ready to play! She just needs a friend to play with her. Small problem: Owl’s “day” is the middle of the night, and she can’t seem to tempt anyone out of bed for a playdate. She offers her silly hat, her trumpet, balloons, and a stack of books to her friends, but only gets the same answer: “Not now, I’m sleepy!” Poor lonely Owl… it’s turning out to be a bad, bad day. The sun is rising as she straggles back to her nest to sleep, all alone. But wait! Will a surprise ending turn her bad, bad day around? Read along to find out.

Hooray for Books by Brian Won. Turtle is looking for his favorite book. This wouldn’t be so hard, except that Turtle and all his friends LOVE to read and LOVE to share their books with each other – Hooray for books! But all that reading and sharing means there are stacks of books everywhere, and Turtle’s favorite could be in any of them. Everyone tries to help by offering Turtle some of their own favorites to read – would he like a book about unicorns from Zebra? A story about eagles from Owl? How about Giraffe’s roller-skating book, or Elephant’s how-to-juggle guide? But no, sometimes only your own favorite book will do. Will poor Turtle ever get to read his very favorite story again? Follow along in this joyful celebration of reading and sharing to find out.
Don’t miss Hooray for Hat either! See all three books listed in our catalog
(Full disclosure: Brian Won is a very nice person who sent me lovely stickers after I tweeted about Hooray for Hat being an awesome storytime book, which makes me like all of his books even more.)

Filed Under: Recommended for Kids Tagged With: Animals, Bedtime, Emotions, Friendship, Libraries or Books, Picture Book

Roger is Reading a Book

January 10, 2018 by Sara Leave a Comment

Submitted by Ms. Karen!

Roger Is Reading a Book written and illustrated by Koen Van Biesen.
Shhh. Quiet. Roger is reading a book. Well, he’s trying to anyway, but his young neighbor Emily, cooped up in her apartment on a dark and rainy day, is busy being creative, and athletic, and musical… and very noisy! Roger knocks and KNOCKS on the wall to explain that he is reading and would she please be quiet, but to no avail. At this point of course, Roger is not reading a book, he is thinking. What to do? Roger makes up his mind, coat on and out the door. Soon, he is at Emily’s front door. With a Present! What is it? Will it make Emily be quiet? Will Roger ever finish his book? Find out the answers to these burning questions when you read Roger Is Reading a Book. You’ll enjoy the humorous twist in the tale at the very end, told largely through the wonderful mixed media illustrations. See this book listed in our catalog

Filed Under: Recommended for Kids Tagged With: Friendship, Humour, Libraries or Books, Picture Book

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