Library Program

New Books Tuesday @ RRPL

semanurLeave a comment

There are many exciting new book releases coming and you don’t want to miss it…

Bewilderment by Richard Powers – A widowed astrobiologist and single father to a troubled son contemplates an experimental neurofeedback treatment that trains the boy on the recorded patterns of his mother’s brain in the new novel from the Pulitzer Prize–winning and #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Overstory.

The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki – A novel explores the themes of loss, growing up, and our relationship with things.

Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty by Anderson Cooper & Katherine Howe – Drawing on never-before-seen documents and told from a unique insider’s viewpoint, the CNN anchor and New York Times bestselling author tells the story of his legendary family and their remarkable influence.

A Darker Reality by Anne Perry – Elena Standish investigates the mysterious death of Lila Worth, who she discovers is a British spy, at an anniversary party for her parents in Washington, D.C., in the third novel of the series following A Question of Betrayal.

Daughter of the Morning Star by Craig Johnson – After a Native high school basketball star whose sister disappeared begins receiving death threats, Tribal Police Chief Long, Absaroka County Sheriff Walt Longmire and Henry Standing Bear investigate in the latest novel of the series following Next to Last Stand.

An Impossible Promise by Jude Deveraux – Although they were lovers in the past, Liam O’Conner and Cora McLeod are just roommates in the present as they try to follow the angels’ commands in the second novel of the series following An Impossible Promise.

The Burning by Jonathan Kellerman & Jesse Kellerman – When deputy coroner Clay Edison discovers a link between the murder he is investigating and his brother, he is forced to reckon with his own suspicions, resentments and loyalties.

The Jailhouse Lawyer by James Patterson – When a young lawyer takes on a judge who is destroying her hometown, she ends up in jail where she learns the deadly truth about why the jail is so crowded and why so few prisoners are released.

When Ghosts Come Home by Wiley Cash – When a plane crash lands at the nearby airfield on the coast of North Carolina, Sheriff Winston Barnes begins a murder investigation that will change the course of his life and the fate of the community he has sworn to protect.

~Semanur

Visiting the Monarchs

DoriLeave a comment

I saw my first Monarch yesterday, floating over my flower beds, landing on my milkweed, maybe (fingers crossed) laying an egg that will start the cycle of the Monarch all over again, from egg, to chrysalis, to butterfly, to Mexico!

In Bicycling with Butterflies, the author Sara Dykman begins her journey in Mexico where the Monarchs overwinter, and follows the Monarchs as they start their 3,000 mile journey north to reproduce and start new generations. The Monarchs have been at their overwintering sites in Mexico since early November, roosting in high altitude, tropical fir forests. Mexico has created monarch sanctuaries to protect these overwintering grounds, the Cerro Pelon and Piedra Herrada sanctuaries in the State of Mexico, and El Rosario and Sierra Chincua on the eastern edge of Michoacán state.

If you want to visit these sanctuaries from November to March, you’d fly into Mexico City and travel to Zitácuaro, Michoacán, the closest major city. Be forewarned, however: monarch roosts are at high altitude, and you need to hike or ride a horse to see the sites closely.

Monarch butterflies and their sanctuaries are threatened by climate change, loss of habitat, the eradication of milkweed, and toxic pesticides. There has also been concern that violence and illegal logging in the area will affect those who work and support the sanctuaries.

I for one, would love to escape our Cleveland Winter in December for trip to see the Monarchs. There are so many ways to visit and support them from your doorstep as well – plant milkweed, plant a pollinator garden, advocate for habitat restoration, and, of course, keep informed! And register for our talk with author Sara Dykman, who, I’m sure, will have many more suggestions for ensuring that future generations experience the magic of Monarchs!

~ Dori

Discover Films @RRPL

MaryLeave a comment

Did you know that RRPL is an online provider of entertainment to our patrons? We offer entertainment through the streaming services AcornTV, Hoopla and Kanopy. Simply go to our website here. Click on the streaming service of your choice, create an account with your library card and begin browsing.

On a monthly basis we offer two separate programs, Film Club and Streaming Stories Spotlight, which highlights a film selected from one of our streaming services.

In March, Film Club will be discussing Ex Machina, a 2014 science fiction psychological thriller.  If you are a fan of West World, you will love this film.  It’s a clever sci-fi narrative with high level intrigue and unpredictability.  We will meet on March 25th at 7pm, and you can sign up here.  The film is currently streaming on Kanopy. 

Ex Machina (2014) - IMDb

Also in March, Streaming Stories Spotlight will highlight Float Like A Butterfly, a 2018 film about Irish Travellers, boxing and female emancipation. The film is currently streaming on Hoopla. You can view our review of this film here.

Float Like a Butterfly (2018) - Rotten Tomatoes

February is Women in Horror Month

NicoleLeave a comment

For the past twelve years, February has been celebrated as Women in Horror Month, a topic very near and dear to my heart. According to the Women in Horror Month website, “Women in Horror Month (WiHM) is an international, grassroots initiative, which encourages supporters to learn about and showcase the underrepresented work of women in the horror industries. Whether they are on the screen, behind the scenes, or contributing in their other various artistic ways, it is clear that women love, appreciate, and contribute to the horror genre.” WiHM aims to help horror works by and featuring women reach a wider audience. This inclusive and positive movement is open to everyone, of course, just as they believe the horror genre should be open to everyone.

WiHM recently announced that as of March 1, 2021 there will no longer be an official WiHM organization, but that they have found there is more than enough content, traffic, and engagement to bring this celebration to communities year round. So, Women in Horror Month might look different moving forward as everyone is now encouraged to choose their own month to celebrate, but I look forward to seeing the creativity and innovation from this community in the years to come!

You can take a look at events going on around the country celebrating WiHM here. Two events I was particularly excited about this month are the “Females of Fright: Zoom Edition” live author panels, both offered for free, thanks to the Horror Writer’s Association! The first panel took place on Friday, February 12th but luckily you can watch it on the HWA’s YouTube channel here. The first panel included Zoje Stage, author of Wonderland, which just so happens to be the next title up for discussion in our Novel Scares book club. Interested in joining us on March 18th to discuss this great creepy novel? Sign up here! The next “Females of Fright” panel is Friday, February 26th at 8 pm (EST) and you can register here.

Looking for more resources for WiHM? Check out two of my favorite blogs, RA for All: Horror, and Ladies of Horror Fiction. Finally, I want to share a recent discovery that is full of dark and horrific literary treasures- including some up and coming women authors- Nightmare Magazine. You can read and listen to full articles for free on their website, and the February 2021 issue includes this *amazing* short story from author E.A. Petricone, “We, the Girls Who Did Not Make It.” I cannot stop thinking about this piece and look forward to reading more from her!

Happy reading and stay safe and warm!

Discover Book Club Kits@ RRPL

MaryLeave a comment

We know how difficult it is to choose a book for your next book group meeting, and to find enough copies for all the members of your group. We would like to make this easier for you by offering Book Club Kits to our patrons. You will receive 8 copies of the same title, a set of discussion questions and other pertinent information about the book or author, all inside a canvas library bag, to be checked out on the library card of the patron picking up the kit. The loan period for the kit is 6 weeks. We own 18 Book Club Kits, 12 fiction book titles and 6 nonfiction book titles. I’d like to share with you one of our newly selected book titles, Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell..

“On a summer’s day in 1596, a young girl in
Stratford-on Avon takes to her bed with a
fever. Her twin brother, Hamnet, searches
everywhere for help. Why is nobody at
home? Their mother, Agnes, is over a
mile away, in the garden where she grows
medicinal herbs. Their father, a playwright,
is working in London. Neither parent knows
that one of the children will not survive
the week.

Hamnet is a novel inspired by the son of a
famous playwright. It is a story of the bond
between twins and of a marriage pushed
to the brink by grief.

Above all, it is the tender reimagining of a
boy whose life has been all but forgotten, but whose name
was given to one of the most celebrated plays ever written.”

http://www.womensprizeforfiction.co.uk
© Women’s Prize for Fiction

Cowan Pottery Museum Needs Your Help!

GregLeave a comment


The Cowan Pottery Museum wants to hear from you! As the Museum plans its 2021 programming, we seek your feedback on how the Museum can expand its services. What type of programs would you like offered by the Museum? In what new ways can we provide more information about our collection? Please, click here to submit your feedback before December 1.

5Days4Democracy: Advocacy

NicoleLeave a comment

Welcome to day 4 of City Club Cleveland’s 5 Days For Democracy! I hope you’ve been enjoying the great content shared and have hopefully learned something new along the way. Today, as we welcome October, we celebrate advocacy!

What is advocacy? Advocacy is most simply defined as any action that speaks in favor of, recommends, argues for a cause, supports or defends, or pleads on behalf of others. Read more about what advocacy means and the different types of advocacy (community advocacy vs. legal advocacy) in this article from the Philanthropy Journal. You may wonder- how is advocacy different from lobbying? Well, lobbying is a type of advocacy in which you advocate for a or against a specific legislation, but not all advocacy means lobbying!

What activities comprise advocacy work? There are *so many* ways that Americans of all ages can get involved in work to support their beliefs and views. Here are a few examples of advocacy work:

  • Organize: Organize a meeting or rally with others who share your views to mobilize for change! This could be coffee with your neighbors over Zoom, it doesn’t need to be a big meeting to make big change.
  • Educate Legislators: Provide information to legislators on issues you care about. Many non-profits help you to advocate by providing fact sheets or scripts to use when reaching out to legislators. Not sure who represents you? Find out using Ballotpedia.org here.
  • Research: We librarians know the importance of research! Find relevant resources that exhibit your story. Check out this list of institutes and think tanks put together by the Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy. Find legislation that affects you and track it’s progress in Congress here at GovTrack.us .
  • Nonpartisan Voter Education: Inform your community on the issues you care about and how to vote for change! Nonpartisan groups like the League of Women Voters can help you to become an advocate and get involved.
  • Lobby: As a member of the general public, you can advocate for or against specific legislation through grassroots lobbying efforts! It is citizen participation in government and a great way to make your voice heard.

Feeling like you are already working hard as an advocate? The Ohio ACLU shared this list of useful tips on how to become a better advocate, including the importance of challenging our own biases when we look to become an advocate for others. The ACLU is another great resource for those looking to get involved, and you can check out the Ohio ACLU’s advocacy page here .

It might seem more challenging to be an advocate now amidst the pandemic, but according to the Institute for Free Speech, “Even when we’re stuck at home, the groups we join to support shared causes continue to give us a voice in Washington and our state capitals.” thanks in a large part to online advocacy! Use social media to organize virtual letter writing campaigns with friends or use Twitter to engage with public officials. You don’t need to leave your house to be an awesome advocate.

Image from the Institute for Free Speech.