Virtual Book Club – Week 5 – Book Woman

ShannonLeave a comment

We can’t believe it’s the final week of our May virtual book club already! So in this last Sunday, we’re going to wrap up the discussion of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek.

If you’re just finding this post today, no worries! Click the link above to get a copy of the book from Hoopla, where it is always available. If you are a little late to join the discussion, you can always go back and comment on the older posts, too, using the ‘virtual book club’ tag. We are so interested to hear what you think about this fascinating work of historical fiction, so please share! Now, let’s get to the discussion questions:

  • What do you think life was like for the people of Troublesome? What are some of the highlights of living in such a remote place? What are some of the challenges the people on Cussy’s library route face?  
  • Back then, entering into a prohibited or interracial marriage in Kentucky was a misdemeanor that could result in incarceration, and we see these racial tensions attempt to sever Cussy and Jackson’s relationship. Discuss antimiscegenation laws and marriage laws. Do you think this kind of prejudice still exists toward interracial couples?  
  • What do you think happens to Cussy, Jackson, Honey, and the other inhabitants of Troublesome after the story ends? Imagine you were Cussy. How would you feel leaving Troublesome for good? 

Questions from the author’s website.

Thank for you joining us on this journey into the hills of Appalachia! We hoped you learned a lot about life in Kentucky during the Great Depression, the Librarian Pack Horse Program, and about Kentucky’s famous Blue People.  

And please make sure to join us for the Summer Reading Program, starting June 6! Find more information here. Check back here at the blog every week for more summer reading posts, book lists, virtual programs, and lots of other fun stuff!

Your Library Staff at Home – Book Recommendation

EmmaLeave a comment

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I am back to my favorite genre again: historical fiction. This week, I am reviewing The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant by Kayte Nunn, a work of historical fiction that could also be classified as a romance novel.

The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant toggles between two distinct eras: 1951 and 2018.

In 1951 Esther is depressed after the sudden death of her youngest son and her husband, John, does not know what to do to help her.  Eventually he calls upon psychiatrist Richard Cresswell, who on the isolated island of Little Embers helps veterans recover from the trauma they experienced during war. Esther is his first female patient on the island.

Decades later, in 2018, marine biologist Rachel Parker is washed ashore during a violent storm at Little Embers. She recuperates with the help of Leah, the only inhabitant on the island. Rachel discovers a stash of love letters in a suitcase full of clothes Leah offers her. Rachel is determined to return the never mailed letters to “E” and determine the writer’s identity.

I really enjoyed this book. It was interesting parsing between the two time periods and putting the pieces together. I would heartily recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction or romance stories.

~Emma

 

Your Library Staff at Home – Need a little laugh?

BethLeave a comment

Is the news continually bringing you down? I know that I’ve had to take some news breaks myself. Another way I try to counter balance all of the brutal reality of today is to distract myself with laughter. I’ve always appreciated stand-up comedy, and since I can’t necessary go to a comedy club right now to see live comedy, Hoopla is coming in very handy.

Hoopla has hundred, and maybe thousand of stand-up comedy albums available for you to borrow right now. Here are some of my favorite comedian stand-up albums available through Hoopla:

-Beth

Your Library Staff at Home- RiverCon! 2020 Excitement

NicoleLeave a comment

As much as I have enjoyed spending time at home with my cats, husband, and favorite yoga pants, I am so stoked about spending some time back in the library beginning next week! Library staff is slowly returning to the library to bring our amazing community some great programming, materials, and more to enjoy this summer! In particular, I am brimming with excitement for RiverCon! That is why there are so many exclamation points already in this post.

If you are into pop culture, comics books, graphic novels, and manga you don’t want to miss this celebration of nerdom. You can take a look at the goodness coming your way on our RiverCon webpage!

We’ve got something for everyone and it all kicks off Saturday, June 6th. What might that day look like for you if you were to participate in this at home mini-con? Let me paint the picture for you!

  • 9 am- 1 pm: Patrons who pre-registered for a RiverCon@Home activity kit (if you didn’t claim your kit yet click here!) can pick-up their kits by stopping at the front entrance of the library to grab your kit from one of the librarians. You can also sign-up early for one of our super fun summer reading programs! Pre-registration for kits will end June 5th, but fear not- we will have unclaimed RiverCon@Home kits on hand to pass out to anyone who stops by on a while supplies last basis!
  • What will my RiverCon@Home kit include? A RiverCon magnet, materials to make your own upcycled comic book bookmark, blank panel pages to draw your own comics, a librarian curated graphic novel reading list with discussion questions to explore at home, superhero stickers, and more!
  • 2-3 pm: Teens and adults can learn all about the interesting history of comics and graphic novels in Cleveland from CSU literature professor Jeff Karem at our Graphic Novelists in Cleveland webinar.
  • 2-3:30 pm: Kids ages 8-12 can sign up to participate in our online Nintendo Gaming Tournament.

The fun continues all month with our first ever Community Cosplay Contest running from June 6th- June 29th! Find all the necessary information for participation here. We want to see your creativity! All ages are invited to bring to life your favorite characters for a chance to win a sweet prize bag. Two lucky winners will win a selection of graphic novels and gift cards to Carol & John’s Comic Shop, Immortals Inc., and Mitchell’s Ice Cream!

Keep checking back here every Thursday, June 11- July 2 to read interviews with talented local comic artists and writers! We will be talking to Karly West, creator of The Scholarly Banana, comics designer and artist Clare Kolat, and Tony Isabella, creator of Black Lightning, to name a few.

I’ll be posting some sneak peeks of our RiverCon@Home kits next Thursday, highlighting some more of the great comic book content we have curated for you, and reminding you all of the awesomeness ahead one more time before the big kick-off day! It’s so nice to have something to look forward to these days, don’t you think?

Stay safe and well until next time!

Your Library Staff at Home-Racism In the News

MeganLeave a comment

As regular readers of my ramblings know, my focus during this quarantine has been on anxiety and uncertainty. As we are slowing transitioning back to library for some of our shifts there will still be anxiety and uncertainty, but I am looking forward to seeing familiar faces in a familiar setting. So I want to use my final Your Library Staff at Home post to present readers with a list of books that I have found helpful in my own personal quest to learn more about race and racism in America. It is by no means a comprehensive list, but I have found them to be easily accessible.

If you only have time for one book, I highly recommend it be White Fragility: Why it’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Dr. Robin DiAngelo. DiAngelo coined the term white fragility to refer to the tendency for white people to become defensive when confronted with their racial advantage. I appreciated this book so much that after listening to it I ordered a print copy to have to refer back to. It IS hard to talk about racism. This book can help make it easier.

So, you’re ready to talk about race. That’s a great start. Yes, it’s just a start. This next book was an eye-opener for me. How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi is another fantastic social justice read. Kendi asks readers to think of what an antiracist society looks like. He digs into history and science as he outlines many different types of racism. He thoughtfully examines his own past thoughts and behaviors that he deemed to be racist. This is an engaging look at race and provides many excellent topics of discussion as well as practical ideas to implement in order to create an antiracist society.

Finally, I recommend Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America by Michael Eric Dyson. Dyson, a professor of sociology at Georgetown University, argues “The time is at hand for reckoning with the past, recognizing the truth of the present, and moving together to redeem the nation for our future. If we don’t act now, if you don’t address race immediately, there very well may be no future.”

These are just a few of the nonfiction titles that have had a profound effect on me. One of the things I love about books is that they are a safe way to confront tough topics and they can give us the tools we need to grow.

We are all in this together. Let’s be kind to one another.

~Megan

Your Library Staff At Home… 4 Book Clubs You Can Join Now

MaryLeave a comment

Struggling with what to read next? This can be overwhelming, especially with the constant barrage of best seller lists readily available anywhere, yet ever changing.  Joining a celebrity or popular book club can be a great way to discover new books and possibly dive into some meaningful discussion. This can be a great option if you can not physically attend a book group.

Here are 4 celebrity or popular book groups you should consider joining now:

Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club, Hello Sunshine.  The book choices in her club focus on books written by female authors.  Reese’s current book pick is The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi

The Henna Artist - ebook

 

Jenna Hager Bush, co-host of NBC “Today Show”, Read With Jenna Book Club.  The book choices in her club are generally contemporary novels with a compelling plot.  Hager explained her book tastes in an interview as, “No matter what, you have to have a great, compulsively readable plot. Something where you cannot wait to figure out what’s going to happen.”  Jenna’s current book pick is All Adults Here by Emma Straub.

All Adults Here - ebook

 

Oprah Winfrey’s Book Club,  Oprah’s Book Club.  Oprah deserves the ultimate round of applause for popularizing book clubs across the county. Oprah unveils her pick each month, and then features an interview with the author. Oprah’s current book pick is Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker.

Hidden Valley Road - ebook

 

Now Read This, a book club from PBS NewsHour and The New York Times.   This is a staff created book list in which they choose a book that, in their own words, “helps us makes sense of the world we’re living in — fiction, history, memoir, and more.”  The current fiction book choice is Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips.

Disappearing Earth - ebook

Your Library Staff at Home — Thanks, Universe?

carolLeave a comment

It has been nice to be able to continue with exercise classes online during the quarantine, but it was not so nice when I overdid it a couple days ago during such a class and felt an ouch. Bummer! Nothing serious but my routine is thrown and now my body is insisting that I need a few days off. I’ve been icing the swelling, elevating and resting and feeling a bit better, but it’s hard not to be discouraged– I had a schedule and a plan and life instead told me to slow down.

Pretty sure many of us had to swallow a truth sandwich as a result of the pandemic and the need for sheltering in place. Vacations were cancelled and postponed; graduations are being held remotely; and some of our really big events have turned into intimate ones. None of this is by choice.

But as I was recouping over the weekend with a Downton Abbey marathon, I’m determined to focus for a silver lining. Perhaps though fictionalized, Downton Abbey provides an excellent example of how humans are capable of growth and change. Along with all the scandal and drama that make compelling television, the Crawley family of Downton face the real-life challenges of surviving first World War, the Spanish Flu, and changes to their Aristocratic way of life. Generations before us have learned to play by new rules. It’s not easy but humans are resilient. We rest, evaluate and then, adapt. We’ll get through this–it’s human nature.

And meanwhile, let’s look at the silver lining. For me, today, the windows are open, the birds are singing, Downton is on and a copy of Denise Mina’s latest mystery Conviction is available for me on Overdrive. It’s going to be a fine day. Thanks, Universe!

Your Library Staff at Home -and at curbside -and celebrating Memorial Day!

staceyLeave a comment

After so much wait and see, this was very much a #doersdoing kind of week. The Library began offering curbside pick-up of materials for patrons notified that their holds were available and everything went pretty well! I spent time working in Children’s, Adult Reference, and Circulation, and I’ll be doing the same this coming week. I hope I get to talk to you -and be ready to suggest a new favorite snack if we chat!

If you’re still going strong on digital stories, I enjoyed all these three: The Greatest Love Story Ever Told by Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman, Weather by Jenny Offill, and Recipe for a Perfect Wife by Karma Brown. Megan and Nick are funny and charming, Ms. Offill’s book is short in length but long lasting in impact, and Ms. Brown is new to me but this book has convinced me we should become good (book) friends! If you try any of these, let me know what you think (or thought)? Or maybe you’re still enjoying soothing tunes from Freegal– no worries, there’s plenty of time for all the things!

And if you want a quick, but interesting, look at the history of how Memorial Day began and changed over the years -check out this article on History.com.

Don’t forget to be kind to yourself this week!
—Stacey

Virtual Book Club – Week 4 – Book Woman

ShannonLeave a comment

This Memorial Day weekend, we’re talking about another holiday celebration: one that takes place in The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson.

If you’d like to read along with us, click the link above to go to Hoopla, one of our e-media services. All you need is your card number and PIN to check out a copy of the book – no holds, no waiting! And what better to do over a long weekend stuck at home than to read? Now, let’s get to the discussion…

  • How do you think Cussy feels when she is ostracized at the Independence Day celebration, despite her change of skin color? Can you relate to her feelings of isolation? 
  • If Cussy was alive today, do you think she would still face the same kind of prejudices against her skin color that she did during the Great Depression?
  • Cussy has to deal with the loss of many loved ones in a very short amount of time. How do you think she handles her grief? Which loss was the most difficult for you to read?  

Some questions from the author’s website, some additions by me.

Check back next Sunday for our final week of discussing Book Woman! We’ll post the last batch of discussion questions and close out our virtual book club for May. Whether you comment or just read, we’re happy you’re here!

Your Library Staff at Home – Book Recommendation

Emma1 Comment

Hope Never Dies by Andrew Shaffer Amazon.com: Hope Rides Again: An Obama Biden Mystery (Obama Biden ...

There certainly is no shortage of books by and about politicians these days–be they memoirs, analyses, or biographies. So it’s fun to step back and enjoy a fun novel about some of these figures. The Obama-Biden mystery series by Andrew Shaffer, with two books so far, are fun stories featuring these storied figures as main characters.

In Hope Never Dies (2018), Finn Donnelly, an Amtrak conductor and friend of Joe’s is dead. His remains are found on railroad tracks. Was it an accident, a suicide, or a murder? As the story unfolds the reader learns more about Finn, his sick wife,  his financial woes, and his connection to a motorcycle gang dealing drugs. The former vice president no longer has secret service protection but the former president does. Joe, Barack, and Secret Service officer Steve work to solve the mystery.

In Hope Rides Again (2019), we find Joe, Barack, and Steve all in the Obama hometown of Chicago. Obama’s foundation is working hard to make a difference in the lives of young Chicagoans. Joe makes acquaintance with a young man at one of the foundation’s programs. Soon, though, the young man is embroiled in violence and scandal that exposes a seedier side of Chicago that runs the gamut of Chicago’s power structures. This book features cameo appearances from several other figures from the Obama administration, including Michelle Obama and Rahm Emanuel.

Fictional forms of political figures aren’t exactly uncommon–whether it’s TV’s The West Wing (1999-2006), a fully fictionalized world that mirrored real-life figures and events; an anonymously published novel Primary Colors (1996) which fictionalizes the 1992 presidential campaign; or books like Curtis Sittenfeld’s American Wife (2008) and Rodham (2020), novels about Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton, respectively. These, though, tend to be serious analyses or treatises with occasional moments of levity. Andrew Shaffer’s Obama-Biden Mysteries are the exact opposite–silly, over-the-top, and fun.

It’s fun to witness the relationship between Joe and Barack in these stories. Joe is definitely in charge of the investigation  I am curious if Joe Biden and Barack Obama have read the books and, if so, what they think of them.

~Emma