• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

On the Shelf

Header Right

  • Library Home
  • My Account
  • How Do I?
  • Contact Us
  • Get a Library Card!

Header Right Social

FacebookInstagramYoutubeMeetupOn the Shelf Blog

Header Right Search

  • Read, Listen, Watch
    • Search the Catalog
    • eBooks and Audiobooks
    • Streaming Movies and Music
    • eMagazines
    • Search MD Libraries
    • Check Out a Hotspot
    • Check Out a Ukulele
    • Suggest a Title for Purchase
    • Recommended Reading
    • On the Shelf
    • Local Newspaper Archive
  • Library Services
    • Get a Library Card
    • Using Your Library Card
    • SMART Card
    • Curbside Pickup
    • Computers and Printing
    • 3D Printing
    • Meeting and Study Rooms
    • Makerspace at Leonardtown Library
    • Donate to the Library
    • Exam Proctoring
    • Notary Service
    • Tell Us Your Library Story
  • Research and Learn
    • All Online Resources
    • Genealogy and Local History
    • Language Learning
    • LinkedIn Learning
    • Cisco Networking Academy
    • Job Seeker’s Toolkit
    • Resources for Grant Seekers
    • Computer and Technology Instruction
    • Homework Help
    • Local Newspaper Archive
  • Events
    • Calendar
    • Kids Events
    • Teen Events
    • Adult Events
    • Book Discussions
    • Computer and Technology Instruction
  • Kids
    • Kids Events
    • Virtual Storytime
    • Homework Help
    • Recommended Reading
    • Tumble Book Library
    • 500 by Five
    • Ready to Read
    • Resources for Parents and Educators
  • Teens
    • Teens at the Library
    • Teen Events
    • Homework Help
    • SMART Card
    • Recommended Reading
    • Resources for Parents and Educators
  • About Us
    • Locations and Hours
    • Library Policies
    • Library Administration
    • Board of Library Trustees
    • Strategic Plan
    • Libraries Stand Against Racism
    • Donate to the Library
    • Jobs at the Library
    • Volunteer at the Library
    • Friends of the St. Mary’s County Library
    • St. Mary’s County Library Foundation
    • Community Partners

Tough Stuff

Malibu Rising

July 2, 2021 by Brittany Leave a Comment

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Format: Audiobook
Who it’s for: Adults

It’s official: I am obsessed with Taylor Jenkins Reid and her writing. This book is about the Rivas family and their life in lavish Malibu. As most families, the Rivas have a few dysfunctions and each individual character has a secret of their own. Nina, the oldest is currently on a journey to find herself. She never wanted to be the center of attention but in order to provide for her family, she is thrown into a life of fame that brings people into her life that she’s not sure are there for her, or for something else. The book tells a story of what happens on the night of the infamous Nina Rivas end of summer bash. The twists and turns of this book, and the secrets that these characters hold will have you wanting to know more and more about this family.

I am a big fan of audiobooks and the narrator was able to bring this story to life. I cannot wait to see what Taylor Jenkins Reid gives us next.

Find it in the catalog

Filed Under: New for Adults, Recommended for Adults Tagged With: Emotions, Family, Friendship, Tough Stuff

Me and My Fear

July 2, 2021 by Angela Leave a Comment

Me and My Fear written and illustrated by Francesca Sanna
Format: Picture Book
Who’s it For: Kids

Me and My Fear tells the story in a comforting tone of a young girl processing a great deal of change. These changes include moving to a new country and attending a new school with all of the uncertainty change brings. Fear is an ever present albeit soothing companion ironically, not frightening or dark. As the young girl navigates her new world she discovers friends and becomes aware that fear is present in everyone’s life in some shape or form.

Me and My Fear continues the story of a refugee family which began with The Journey. The story easily stands on its own focusing on a young girl processing a great deal of change.

Find Me and My Fear here!

 

 

Filed Under: Recommended for Kids Tagged With: Being Different, comfort, Emotions, fear, Foreign Culture, Friendship, refugees, Tough Stuff

Rain before Rainbows

December 8, 2020 by Ms. Karen Leave a Comment

 

Rain Before Rainbows by Smriti Prasadam-Halls, illustrated by David Litchfield
Format: Book
Who it’s For: Kids

 

This book is so hopeful and uplifting! Life has its share of good days and bad, and there is a time for everything. Sorrow and joy, dark and light, loss and abundance, planting and harvest. This simple rhyming tale of a Girl and her friend Fox chronicles their journey from troubled times to a new and meaningful life. They must pass through darkness, storms and worry, but with help and inspiration from friends, hopeful dreams and wise words to live by, Girl and Fox finally find their bright new morning.

In challenging and uncertain times, Rain before Rainbows is a perfect story for helping little ones to learn that “this too shall pass” and that better days lie ahead. You will love the gorgeous illustrations too!

Find it in the catalog!

Filed Under: Recommended for Kids Tagged With: Emotions, Picture Book, Rhyming, Tough Stuff

The Overstory

July 8, 2019 by Mr.Eric Leave a Comment

The Overstory by Richard Powers
Format: Book
Who’s it for: Adults

“The single best thing you can do for the world?  The problem begins with the word world.  It means two such opposite things.  The real one we cannot see.  The invented one we can’t escape.”- from The Overstory.

What would you say if I told you that this isn’t our planet?

Sure, we built things on it.  Raised our children on it.  Molded it to fit our every conceivable need.  But really, in the grand scheme of things, we are simply recent roommates to the rest of life that has existed for millennia on this planet before we showed up on its doorstep unannounced.  Showed up with bags in our hands and plans for a renovation.

Have you ever wondered why it feels so good to be in nature?  Why so many of us have images on our desktop of trees, water, sun and dirt?  Why so many movies and scenes in popular culture show the ocean, mountains, and forests so prominently?  It’s because to be in nature is to be in the realm of truth.  Where there are no lies, no misconceptions, no fake news, no hidden meanings or subtext.  Just truth.  A tree is a tree is a tree.  Our world, on the other hand, the one invented by humans, the one that teaches us all the rules of how we are supposed to act and what we should value, is in the realm of fiction.  It’s as invented as the wheel.

The Oversrtory, by Richard Powers, attempts to explain the ideas of truth and fiction from the perspective of trees.  If that seems like a heady concept, then you should strap in for one heck of a profound journey.  At face value, The Overstory is the story of nine geographical separate individuals that find their paths crossing throughout their lives.  What makes it unique is that Powers attempts to tell their stories through the lens of trees, where a human lifetime is a mere afternoon to a tree and one where the most significant of moments happen at a speed too slow for us to even comprehend.  To a tree your story doesn’t start with your birth, it starts generation’s before you were even conceived, with an ancestor that you’ve never thought of or even knew existed.  To a tree, the invented world that we live in is nothing short of perplexing.

We use bits of paper to buy food for our mouths.  Adorable.

We think that having (name the last purchase you made on Amazon) is important.  Silly.

We get into arguments about what people we’ve never met said on the internet.  Downright hilarious.

Although Powers argues that we can never fully escape the invented world, for it is too ingrained into what makes us “us”, we can attempt to glimpse the slivers of truth that we experience in nature.  We may never escape it, but trying to envision our day-to-day problems and worries through the perspective of a tree may help us to realize that many of those concerns aren’t as important as previously thought.  At its core, The Overstory attempts to answer the question “what would the world look like if we valued all life instead of just the life that looked, and talked and thought like us?”  If this type of deep question sounds like something you would like to explore further, then The Oversrtory may be the book for you.

Find it in the catalog.

Filed Under: Recommended for Adults Tagged With: Big Picture, Go Green, Life, Multiple Main Characters, Nature, Society, Time, Tough Stuff, Trees

The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish

July 5, 2019 by Shannon Leave a Comment

The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish
Format: Digital Audiobook
Who it’s for: Adults

This book is hilarious. The audiobook is exuberantly read by the author and her grit and honesty shine through from the very first line. Haddish unfurls an intense string of experiences that make readers feel a personal connection with her. She shares stories of her grade school bullies, her time in foster care, a mother with mental illness, experiences with sexual abuse, and domestic violence. Her hardships have been intense but through humor and bravery she refuses to fail.
Haddish opens her life to her us with no filter. The language is excessively profane but the blunt retelling of her experiences makes the reader feel spellbound by her strength and self confidence. This book leaves readers with the feeling that they can succeed through anything. If you’re looking for a gritty, uplifting read, this is a winner. Find it in the catalog.

Filed Under: Recommended for Adults Tagged With: African American, Audiobook, Biography, Comedian, Comedy, Digital Audiobook, Hardship, Humour, Tough Stuff, Uplifting

Rough Patch

June 19, 2019 by Ms. Karen Leave a Comment

Written and illustrated by Brian Lies
Format: Book
Who Its For: Kids

Have you ever had a super-good friend? Have you ever lost a friend?  In The Rough Patch, Evan experiences both.  Evan and his dog are best friends. They go everywhere and do everything together, in all weather, year in and year out. Their very favorite thing is working in Evan’s amazing garden, where they grow beautiful things to see and eat. Then one terrible day, Evan’s doggy friend dies. He is heart-broken, bitter, angry and alone. What will he do without his best friend? No longer able to stand the sight of their beautiful garden, when he feels so dark and sad inside, Evan chops it all down! He then turns his garden into the saddest, loneliest spot he can, a place that grows only terrible plants with thorns and bad smells, until the day a pumpkin vine creeps in under his fence. He begins to care for it and slowly, as it grows, he begins to remember happier times. That vine produces a HUGE pumpkin and Evan decides to enter it at the Fair, where at last he shakes off his darkness and, very unexpectedly, makes a new friend.

Gloriously illustrated by the multiple award winning author of Bats at the Beach, this is an honest and hopeful book about friendship, healing and the ways we deal with loss. A 2019 Caldecott Honor Book and an ALA Notable Book

Find it in the catalog!

 

Filed Under: Recommended for Kids Tagged With: Death, Friendship, Gardening, Picture Book, Tough Stuff

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 14
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

On the Shelf Home

 

Welcome to On the Shelf! Find reviews and recommendations for books, movies, music, library resources, and more. All posts from the Kid’s Book Blog have been brought over to On the Shelf, so your old favorites are still here!

Subscribe so you don’t miss a post!

Recent Posts

  • Chunky
  • Light of the Jedi
  • The Guest List
  • The Passover Guest
  • The Silent Patient

Categories

Tags

Adventure African American Animals Audiobook Award Winner Bears Bedtime Being Different Birds Book Cats Classic Clothes Colors Counting Dogs Emotions Family Fantasy Fiction Food Foreign Culture Friendship Go Green History Holidays Humour Interactive Jobs Libraries or Books Mice Monsters Music Mystery Nonfiction On the Farm Picture Book Rhyming Romance School Seasons Things That Go Tough Stuff True Stories Weather

Archives

St. Mary's County Library

Monday – Thursday: 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Friday – Saturday: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sunday: 1 – 5 p.m. (Lexington Park Library only)

 

Friends of the St. Mary’s County Library

St. Mary’s County Library Foundation

Locations

Charlotte Hall Library
37600 New Market Rd., Charlotte Hall, MD
301-884-2211

Leonardtown Library
23630 Hayden Farm Ln., Leonardtown, MD
301-475-2846

Lexington Park Library
21677 FDR Blvd., Lexington Park, MD
301-863-8188

Quick Links

  • My Account
  • Search the Catalog
  • eBooks and Audiobooks
  • Streaming Movies and Music
  • Search MD Libraries
  • Online Resources
  • Events
  • Meeting Rooms
  • Mobile Print Service
Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Accessibility
FacebookInstagramYoutubeMeetupOn the Shelf Blog