Request for Proposals: Janitorial Services

Fri, 04/18/2025 - 2:46pm by eli

Ann Arbor District Library
Request for Proposals 
Janitorial Services 

The Ann Arbor District Library is accepting sealed bid proposals from qualified professional firms to furnish labor, materials and all equipment required to perform work specified all the Library’s six locations. This work must be performed as specified and in accordance with the specifications in this Request for Proposals (RFP). 

The acceptance of any proposal made pursuant to this invitation shall not be binding upon the Library until an agreement has been executed. 

Deadline of Submissions:  May 12, 2025 at 5:00pm 

Sealed bids may be hand delivered to the Downtown Library located at 343 S. 5th Ave Ann Arbor, MI 48104 or emailed to lemoriel@aadl.org. Sealed bids should be clearly marked, “Ann Arbor District Library Janitorial Services”. 

Any questions or requests for clarification to this RFP can be emailed to:

Contacts: 
Len Lemorie
lemoriel@aadl.org
734-327-4281

Andra Williams
williamsa@aadl.org
734-327-4288

Locations:

• Downtown, 343 S. 5th Ave, Ann Arbor, Mi 48104 
• Malletts Creek, 3090 E. Eisenhower Pkwy, Ann Arbor, MI 48108
• Pittsfield, 2359 Oak Valley Dr, Ann Arbor, MI 48103
• Traverwood, 3333 Traverwood Dr, Ann Arbor, MI 48105
• Westgate, 2503 Jackson Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48103
• Archives, Acquisitions and Logistics Facility, 265 Parkland Plaza, Ann Arbor, MI 48103

 Daily Scope Of Work 

1. Vacuum all carpeting.
2. Damp mop all hard surface floors using products approved by the Library Maintenance Supervisor.
3. Clean and wipe down all drinking fountains.
4. Clean and disinfect all tables and countertops.
5. Spot clean all entrances and study room partition glass. 
6. Wipe down all handrails. 
7. Vacuum and wipe down elevator cabs (Downtown and Traverwood).
8. Clean and disinfect all restroom toilets, urinals, sinks and mirrors. 
9. Restock hand towels and soap dispensers using products approved by the Library Maintenance Supervisor. 
10. Empty sanitary napkin receptacles. 
11. Trash and recycling receptacles in vending areas shall be emptied, and two bags shall be replaced to ensure waste and recycling aren’t mixed.  
12. All trash and recycling shall be removed from buildings and placed in dedicated dumpsters. 

Day Porter Services 

1. Contractor will schedule one day porter to the Westgate Branch Sunday- Saturday 12:00pm-5:00pm. Duties will include cleaning and restocking restrooms every hour, wiping down cafe and study room tables between use, clean spills and assist in program set ups as needed. 
2. Contractor will schedule one day porter to the Downtown location for specific Library events. Shifts will not exceed 6 hours. Library Management will provide dates this service will be necessary in advance. 

Terms and Conditions

1. The Library reserves the right to reject any or all proposals received, waive formalities, or accept any proposal it deems best.
2. The Library reserves the right to request clarification of information submitted and to request additional information.
3. The Library reserves the right to terminate the contract at its discretion should it be determined that the services being provided do not meet the Library’s expectations.
4. Payment for services will be made within thirty (30) days after receiving an invoice.
5. The Contractor will not exceed any timelines established for the completion of work at any location.
6. The Contractor will be responsible for any fees for alarm call responses outside of established building access times.

Contractor’s Responsibilities

1. Provide a description of similar contracts that demonstrate the Contractors ability to service clients of this size and scope.
2. Provide a written plan detailing the anticipated timeline for completion of tasks set forth in the Scope of Work. 
3. Provide three client references from past or current projects similar in scope.
4. The Contractor shall provide sufficient personnel to complete the required Scope of Work in the allotted time. 
5. The Contractor will provide a list of specialty equipment such as truck mounted carpet cleaning equipment, deep cleaning or extraction equipment. 
6. The Contractor shall provide their staff with vehicles and equipment to perform services set forth. 
7. The Contractor will be responsible for ensuring that janitorial personnel are familiar with the work to be performed, and that required service levels are being maintained. 
8. The Contractor will provide any Union affiliations. 
9. The Contractor shall not perform services in public areas while the Library is open unless work has been requested or approved by a Library representative with the exception of Day Porter services. 

Library’s Responsibilities 

1. The Library will provide a designated representative to work with the Contractor to coordinate both the Library’s and Contractor’s efforts and to inspect and verify work being performed by the Contractor.
2. The Library will provide access during regular business hours or during nights and weekends as approved by the Library’s designated representative. 
3. The Library will provide access to all areas necessary for the completion of this project, and space for storage of janitorial supplies and equipment to be used in the building. These areas are to be maintained in an orderly manner by the Contractor.
4. The Contractor will maintain any and all required Safety Data Sheets (SDS) on all products used on the premises by the Contractor and must be made available to the Library’s representative.  

Insurance

The successful bidder is required to procure, maintain and provide documentation for all necessary insurance.

Execution of Contract 

The bidders whose proposal is accepted shall be required to execute the contract start date of June 30, 2025.

Term

The terms of  services with the Library will be a three (3) year contract, with two (2) optional one year extensions. 

Performance Monitoring

Throughout the term of this agreement the Library’s representative will provide monthly feedback and schedule walk throughs with the Contractor as needed. 

Cancellation

Should the Library become dissatisfied with the quality of the performance, the Library will notify the Contractor and provide 30 days to improve performance and/or compliance issues. Repeated failure to perform or failure of the Contractor to remedy poor performance shall be grounds for contract termination.

Staff Picks: Fave Foodie Flicks

Mon, 04/14/2025 - 3:53pm by SaraP

Food and storytelling go hand in hand in these (mostly) older favorites that will whet the appetite of any foodie. 

Babette’s Feast (1987) | Request DVD or Request Blu-Ray

A mysterious woman arrives in a small, abominably dreary Danish village on the Jutland coast to keep house for a pair of aging sisters. The slow buildup for the first half of the film unfolds into one of the most extraordinary meditations on food, pleasure, piety, and—at the risk of sounding corny—neighborliness. While Babette’s famous feast does indeed bring together a group of neighbors, the relaxation of old grudges and ego amongst them transform into metaphor of a more profound nature. Come for the food (prepared with care and time and filmed with both), but leave with a bellyful of unexpected optimism about the human condition and our ability to connect over a good meal. 

East Side Sushi (2014) | Request DVD

A single mother, Juana, determined to carve out a place for herself as a chef, finds that that place might just be in a sushi kitchen. I love the rare indie film that actually sees a little mainstream daylight, which boosted my outlook on this one (it lapped up numerous festival awards during its circuit). But it’s the tender moments of curiosity and hope clashing with tradition and circumstance that breathe a dignified authenticity into the storyline. Colorful sushi shots pop from the screen and you can’t help but root for Juana as she tries her darndest to claim a spot at the table. 

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) | Request DVD 

Though not necessarily marketed as a food film, I always associate this comedic romp about big families and culture shock with greek food and bundt cake. Of course it’s the rom-com franchise that just keeps on giving, with new installments you may have already seen in 2016 and 2023. But, like an all-you-can-eat buffet, the food just keeps coming. It helps that the family restaurant sets the scene for Toula’s meet cute (if you count that first one—and you have to!). The fact that she works to escape her job as a server there doesn’t mean the food plays less of a role as the bride and groom’s families get to know one another. Whatever good family and good food can’t fix, windex surely can!

Tampopo (1985) | Request DVD

A noodle-shop owner is on a quest to find the perfect ramen recipe and, with the help of two truck-drivers, she just might succeed. It’s a wild, sensuous, preposterous, genre-bending, goofy love-story to food and human desire. If you haven't ventured much into Japanese cinema, this is as zany an introduction as you'll find—one of my favorite things about Tampopo being its juxtaposition of the preposterous with the earnest. Marketed as a “ramen western” in 1985, the film also plays with American film tropes, as well as food, class, and culture, all of which culminates in a masterpiece as layered and flavorful as a juicy onion. Fair warning: a few food scenes get pretty steamy—so if you might blanch under that kind of heat, this might not be your cup of tea. No matter how you like your eggs (iykyk), this is a joyous and at once provoking homage to the most basic of human needs: nourishment and pleasure.

Staff Picks: Picture Book Biographies

Thu, 04/03/2025 - 1:16pm by evelyn

It can be hard to sum up a person’s life in 32 pages, but these titles manage it! Biographies in the picture book format tend to focus on the emotional core of a person and their journey. However, they usually also have back matter to provide more detail about the person’s life for the reader who wants to know more. These books provide the best of all worlds—a compelling story to draw you in, beautiful pictures, and extra details to satisfy curiosity!

The Important Thing about Margaret Wise Brown, by Mac Barnett | Request Now

By far my favorite picture book biography is The Important Thing About Margaret Wise Brown, by the incredible children’s author Mac Barnett. While many picture books are written in poetic verse, the text in this book is sparse and direct. It does not shy away from the stranger things about Brown, in fact insisting (as Brown would have) that children deserve to know about the strange things in life as well as the beautiful. This honesty makes the book a celebration of the unconventional spirit that made Brown’s own writing so remarkable.

And She Was Loved: Toni Morrison’s Life in Stories, by Andrea Davis Pinkney | Request Now

Created by a blockbuster team of Corretta Scott King Author winner Andrea Davis Pinkney and Caldecott Honor illustrator Daniel Minter, this book bursts with color. The illustrations combine line drawings with paintings and patterned backgrounds. Each one dances around the page next to the poem that sums up Toni Morrison’s life from her childhood as Chloe in Ohio to her adulthood as one of the most highly lauded authors of our time. One thing I love about And She Was Loved is that the back matter contains not only more information about Morrison but also entries from Pinkney and Minter about how Morrison’s work impacted their lives. This personal touch adds depth to the biography, making it a testament to Morrison’s influence on generations of artists and readers.

Radiant Child: the Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, by Javaka Steptoe | Request Now

It could feel risky for an illustrator to take on a subject like artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. What could an artist possibly bring to the table that would improve upon Basquiat’s own work? However, author/illustrator Javaka Steptoe knocks it out of the park in this Caldecott winner. He created the book’s art on found wood, echoing Basquiat’s art painted on abandoned doors. Basquiat’s crowns can be found throughout the book, as can his distinctive handwriting. These details pay homage to Basquiat’s style without smothering Steptoe’s style. As in And She Was Loved, Steptoe ends his book with a note about what Basquiat means to him.

Introducing Sandwina: The Strongest Woman in the World, by Vicki Condrad | Request Now

While you may have heard of all of the other people on this list, strongwoman Katie Brumbach has faded into obscurity. Introducing Sandwina brings her roaring back to life. After beating Eugen Sandow in a strength contest, Brumbach took his name and became Sandwina, a famous circus performer. Written by Vicki Condrad, the book does a good job laying out Sandwina’s life and passions, but the art is where Introducing Sandwina really shines. With a palette consisting almost entirely of red, blue and yellow, illustrator Jeremy Golmes painstakingly recreates the vintage circus art style both in the images and fonts accompanying the book. I loved the attention to detail on every page, from the roaring tigers to the carousel horses—each illustration feels like a vintage circus poster. Together, they create a bold, vibrant tribute to Sandwina’s larger-than-life story.

Staff Picks: Celebrating Poetry

Mon, 03/31/2025 - 2:21pm by lucroe

Poetry is an art form that predates written language. It combines meaning, sound, and rhythm to craft enchanting realms that provide reflections on our inner selves and the mysteries beyond. While it can be challenging to define, we often turn to 
poetry in search of inspiration, as it has a unique ability to ignite the passion within us. Honor National Poetry Month by reading one of the excellent poetry books available to check out at AADL. Below are a few recommended titles to peak your interest.

Something About Living by Lena Khalaf Tuffaha | Request Now
Tuffaha's impressive third collection and winner of the 2024 National Book Award, reflects on her Palestinian, Jordanian, and Syrian heritage. It is a poetry collection that captures the struggles of the Palestinian people in their quest for compassion and humanity. Her poetry delves into her relationships with loved ones and the communities they inhabit. She emphasizes that love is more than just a concept; it is a tangible action. She confronts the harsh realities of violence while conveying a message of hope for resilience. This is evident in the poem, “Variations on a Last Chance” “The fence does not hold, The wire sheds its barbs, softens to silken thread.” or in the first and last lines of the poem, “To be Self-Evident”, “Every empire tells its subjects a story of revelation…Every empire sings itself a lullaby.” Through her work, she invites readers to engage with deep themes of identity and sorrow. This remarkable collection will resonate deeply with those committed to fighting for a just future everywhere.

Zmagria by Mouna Ammar | Request Now or Read Online Here
Published by the library’s own Fifth Avenue Press, this is Ann Arborite Ammar’s debut work of poetry. The poems delve into a woman's journey, honoring her heritage and modern experiences, influenced by the aesthetics of North Africa and Southern California. This collection celebrates the blend of languages, landscapes, and cultural traditions, providing a visual tour of the author's travels. Ammar explains the title’s meaning in the opening “The word zmagria is slang in North African Arabic- Moroccan, Algerian- for an immigrant or someone who immigrated… I decided to own the word and the notion of being the hybrid not-easily-defined “outsider insider” and make it a source from which to draw strength.”  This can be seen in the powerful words of “1 Zmagria Place”: 

If only the ones who never experienced transplanting 
knew – glimpsed 
what it does
to be yanked out 
without warning and ordered to re-grow. 
If only the ones who have learned 
to grow transplanted– could glimpse 
What it does to run in place.

Zaftig by Molly Raynor | Request Now or Read Online Here
Also published by Fifth Avenue Press, local Ann Arbor poet and storyteller (among many other accomplishments) Raynor writes a collection of poetry steeped in Judaic cultural tradition, taking inspiration from the female role models in her life. She includes collages of family photos and handwritten recipes to give the feeling of a scrapbook. The book is broken into three sections inspired by the baking of challah bread: kneading, braiding, and rising. With humor, she writes of her love of family traditions in the poem, “I Come From Women Who Made Love”

“work. Who made a meal out of need. My 

great grandmothers kibitzing in Dinah’s hot 

kitchen, oiled knuckles caked in fine flour. 

I imagine their ghosts gossiping above me, 

hovering even in death, making sure I clear

my plate- brisket tender as a widow in grief, 

lemon cake tart & dusted in powdered sugar.”

Use the QR code at the end to listen to the Spotify album featuring selected poems read by Molly and set to music by world-renowned musician Josef Deas. Laugh, cry, and enjoy these lyrical pieces, some with a touch of Yiddish.

In the Hour of War: Poetry From Ukraine | Request Now
Award-winning Detroit poet, Carolyn Forché and Ukrainian born poet, Ilya Kaminsky, gather 50 poems from contemporary Ukrainian poets in English translation for this anthology that encapsulates the country and the on-going war as well as the incredible resilience of the people. Both tragedy and beauty exists with touches of hope emerging in these poems as in Kateryn Kalytko’s poem “He Writes”:

“Life is a house on the side of the road,

old-world style, like our peasant house, divided into two parts.

in one, they wash a dead man’s body and weep.

in the other, they dress a bride…”

Tripas by Brandon Som | Request Now
Winner of the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry, Som draws on his rich multicultural heritage of Chinese and Mexican ancestry. He could have written a memoir of his grandfather’s journey from Asia to the US or his grandmother’s work in a microchip factory on the Mexican/American border, or the labors of other relatives in butcher shops and corner stores but instead he pulled these stories into this book of beautiful and inventive poems. One poem discusses the environmental damage from his grandmother’s job at an electronics plant in “Fuchi”:  ‘chemicals that poison, cause cancers,/numb the senses’. Then in the same poem, Som recalls something many other Asian Americans may recognize: ‘Growing up chino/the question I was most often asked,/ besides what are you, was do you know/ kung fu.’ Som’s poems refuse to confine themselves or their forms to any one thing. All of them enfold and link multiple topics, injustice among them. He writes, as well, to honor people who endured, who made their own way.

Staff Picks: Farming & Gardening Ideas for Spring

Thu, 03/27/2025 - 1:55pm by eapearce

It may still feel chilly out, but spring is in the air! If you’re keeping your eyes open around town, you can see buds popping out on trees, crocuses and tulips starting to push up through the ground, and lots of other signs of spring. Many of us are itching to get outside and clean up the winter debris, tend to yards, plant seeds, and start growing vegetables and flowers. Check out some of the below books for ideas on designing gardens and growing things this year, no matter the size of your space.

Raised-Bed Vegetable Gardening Made Simple: The Three-Module Home Vegetable Garden, by Raymond Nones | Request Now

In this updated and revised version of the original handbook, Nones walks readers through how to create a garden in a small or limited space using raised beds. Raised bed gardening continues to increase in popularity not only because it makes growing things possible in smaller spaces, but because it also requires less bending and less weeding than a typical in-the-ground garden. Nones goes through all the steps of creating and maintaining your raised bed(s), from sowing the seeds, thinning them, mulching and watering, crop rotation over the years and even seed saving if you’re interested. This is a great tool for raised bed gardeners, whether it’s your first year working with a raised bed or you’re just looking to improve upon your current raised bed situation! Includes helpful illustrations and diagrams.

Backyard Farming: From Raising Chickens to Growing Veggies, the Beginner's Guide to Running a Self-Sustaining Farm | Request Now

For those with a little more space or those interested in expanding beyond just a garden, this beginner’s manual to starting and operating a small backyard farm might be just the thing to read before this growing season. The book teaches readers how to grow, raise and store your own food in a variety of settings, from urban to rural. It includes tips on growing fruit and vegetables, raising chickens, beekeeping, and general homesteading. While those looking for a huge amount of detail on a particular farm-related subject may want to look elsewhere, this is a great overview of what it takes to engage in a variety of food-raising activities at home.

The Michigan Gardener's Companion: An Insider's Guide to Gardening in the Great Lakes State, by Rita C. Henehan | Request Now

Let’s be honest: Michigan isn’t always the easiest state to grow things in! It’s easy to get excited and plant things too early, only to have a late frost set you back. Starting seeds inside is often recommended to avoid this, but not everyone has the space to do so. Temperatures and precipitation can be pretty unpredictable over the summer. And pests can be a real problem! The Michigan Gardener’s Companion covers all of these common garden issues, and more. From soil varieties (did you know that Michigan today has over 450 different kinds of soil?!), use of microclimates and growing season-extending techniques, Henehan has tons of advice for gardeners right here in our Mitten State (she herself lives in White Pigeon!). This is a title you’ll reference all season long.

The Mini Farming Guide to Composting, by Brett L. Markham | Request Now

If you’ve never composted before, getting started can feel daunting. Where do you put your food scraps? Doesn’t it smell? Will it attract pests? Best-selling author Markham is here to walk you through it all in this handy guide. Whether you live in the city, the suburbs or the wilderness, he believes that everyone should be composting. Doing so not only minimizes food waste and saves money, but you can then use your compost to improve the quality of any soil that you might be growing things in. And, no need to purchase a fancy composter—Markham explains how to build a simple composting structure of your own with just a few materials. Especially useful is how he describes the different types of ways to compost. Composting isn't just dumping food scraps into a big pile and turning it every so often—you can compost into bricks, you can compost in protected ways so that your pile isn’t frozen until mid-April and you can use your compost to start seedlings sooner, and you can even compost with minimal physical activity required to keep your compost fresh. Maybe you’ll want to give it a try this year!

You can find these and lots of other related titles at AADL. Try searching “farming” or “gardening” in the catalog to get you started on browsing our wide collection of titles on these subjects!

Staff Picks: Location, Location—Film & TV with a powerful sense of place 

Mon, 03/17/2025 - 7:17pm by SaraP

I savor a film where the storytelling and the setting are inseparable. The locations for these picks scratch that itch and leave you with visuals that are hard to forget. 

The Woman King | Request DVD or Request Blu-Ray

Buckle up for a riveting epic based on the real life, all-female warriors of the kingdom of Dahomey. While some of the characters were real, others are fictional, including Viola Davis’s knockout performance as a general training a new cohort of warriors. The sweeping South African filming locations, coupled with the history and a production centered on women of color, give this dramatic saga a powerful vibrancy and visual timbre that leaps from the screen in what might have otherwise been a straightforward action epic. 

Detectorists | Request DVD or Request Blu-Ray

This TV series—written, directed, and starring Mackenzie Crook (who was new to me in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Black Pearl, stealing the show with his false eye)—follows Andy and Lance and their group of fellow metal detectors (detectorists!!!), as they search for treasure. The tone is both comedic and effortlessly touching, thanks to the duo’s self-induced entanglements with family, jobs, and life in general. With an unassuming premise and modest budget, the quiet shots of the British countryside, flora, and fauna have all the more room to breath depth and grounding (pun intended) to this romp through the briar and bramble. You may just want to check out a metal detector after this, too!  

Little Bird | Request DVD

The forests, farms, and sweeping vistas of Canada serve as backdrop, but also a kind of lifeblood in this miniseries. As the main character, Bezhig Little Bird, searches for her biological family, the series slowly unpacks the trauma of the Sixties Scoop on Bezhig and her two families. It’s a mystery, a search for self and history, and a brutally wrenching portrayal of systemic forced adoption of indigenous people. Bezhig travels from Montreal to Saskatchewan, taking the viewer through grass, hills, trees, road, wind, time, and layers of complexity. You might expect a dip into melodrama here, but the brutal realism on the screen is more than enough to deliver a gut-punch on its own.  

Thelma & Louise | Request DVD or Request Blu-Ray

On a totally different note, scenes of the southwest in Thelma & Louise are inextricably linked to the escalating desperation of two friends on the run after a vacay gone horribly wrong. I love the shifts in Thelma and Louise’s friendship over the course of the film—their bond tested and intensified as the all-or-nothing stakes increase. The darker themes of the film are balanced by moments of satisfyingly reckless (and downright funny) unrestraint. As green mountains and cattle country give way to dust and desert, the chase heats up too and the women blaze an unexpectedly brazen, feminist trail across the southwest in a road movie as grand as the view.  

Staff Picks: Celebrate Women’s History Month With Great Biographies of Fascinating Women

Tue, 03/04/2025 - 2:16pm by eapearce

March is Women's History Month and one way to celebrate is to pick up a biography about a woman—or women—who changed the world in ways big and small. Maybe you've heard of her, maybe you haven't, there are always amazing new things to discover about the fantastic things women have achieved in their lives. Below are a few suggestions for titles about women who changed the course of history in their own very special ways. And of course, our biography sections at all of our locations have many more titles to help you celebrate women's history this month, or any time!

Agent Josephine: American Beauty, French Hero, British Spy, by Damien Lewis | Request Now

Dancer, singer and actress Josephine Baker fled racism and poverty in St. Louis, Missouri to travel to Europe to seek fame and a better life in the years before WWII. Though she gave many a riveting performance in theaters and ballrooms across France, author Lewis believes that Baker gave “the performance of her life” as spy for both the British and the French during the war. She was recruited in 1939 by French officials to befriend Italian embassy representatives to gather information about Mussolini’s intentions for his alliance with Hitler. From there, she was involved in helping determine Japan’s strategical positions, identifying Nazi agents in Paris and in smuggling classified intelligence across enemy lines. How did she manage that last part? The information was written in invisible ink on musical scores! Lewis does an excellent job both painting a portrait of an amazingly courageous and intelligent woman who truly altered the path of history and of interspersing her story with interesting facts about intelligence activities during WWII in general. This thrilling biography is a page-turner.

The Exceptions: Nancy Hopkins, MIT and the Fight for Women in Science, by Kate Zernike | Request Now

In 1999, MIT molecular scientist Nancy Hopkins and 15 other female scientists forced the insinuation to reconcile with its long history of discrimination against women in the sciences. Despite claiming to support and encourage women scientists, in the mid-1990s, women made up less than 8% of the faculty across MIT’s science departments. Hopkins herself, who had arrived at MIT in 1973 as an assistant professor, had endured decades of mistreatment, slights and derision while still conducting important genetic research. Fed up, Hopkins began reaching out to her female colleagues to hear more about if her experience was unique—of course, it wasn’t. Working together, the women ultimately formed the Committee on Women Faculty, which then went on to compile a report detailing the marginalization of women in the sciences. Readers will struggle not to feel infuriated along with Hopkins and her colleagues, and will cheer on their determination to make changes in institutions of higher learning.

All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family’s Keepsake, by Tiya Miles | Request Now

MacArthur fellow and former University of Michigan professor Tiya Miles revolves this stunning history around a single item. Now displayed in the Smithsonian, the titular cloth sack was first packed in 1852 by Rose, an enslaved woman, for her nine-year-old daughter, Ashley. Rose gave Ashley the sack, filled with a few keepsakes, when Ashley was sold to a new master in South Carolina and mother and daughter were separated. Ashley held onto the sack as a precious reminder of her mother, and in 1921 her granddaughter Ruth embroidered it with Rose and Ashley’s story. From there, the sack was lost to the family and not rediscovered until 2007. It is Miles herself who dissects plantation records to identify Rose and and Ashley and in the process explores the lives of enslaved Black women of the era. Miles analyzes how the original contents of the sack, which included a handful of pecans, a dress and a braid of Rose’s hair, tell a larger picture of what Black women endured at the hands of their enslavers. This is a difficult but deeply moving and important read.

A Life of One’s Own: Nine Women Writers Begin Again, by Joanna Biggs | Request Now

This title is a blend of memoir, literary criticism and biography. Harper’s Magazine editor Biggs draws inspiration from eight fellow writers who dedicated themselves to their work and made difficult choices in their relationships despite societal expectations. Biggs shares how she struggled in her 30s as her marriage faltered and her mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis upended the family. Seeking solace, Biggs turned to books by women who defied tradition when it came to love, sense of self-worth and creative pursuits. Mary Wollstonecraft, for example, opted to spend most of her life happily unmarried despite the social norms of the time period. George Eliot inspires Biggs too; Eliot found both success in love and writing in midlife after losing both of her parents and experiencing a series of romantic disappointments. Janie Crawford, the protagonist of Their Eyes Were Watching God, fortifies Biggs with her refusal to settle for a mediocre romantic relationship. Publisher’s Weekly wrote of the book: “The sharp analysis and biographical sketches testify to how literature has long served as a site of reinvention for women.” Book lovers and anyone who wishes to take inspiration from the wide range of choices talented women have made throughout history will find much to enjoy in this thoughtful meditation.

Staff Picks: Best Biopics of the Last Few Years

Mon, 03/03/2025 - 6:54pm by SaraP

It's been a big few years for biopics. Maybe you loved A Complete Unknown in the theaters and need a marathon. Maybe you missed Oppenheimer (did anyone?). Maybe you just love a good story. Well, here's a whole slew of mostly-true ones about fascinating people. I learned something new in each of these!

Cabrini | Request DVD or Request Blu-Ray
A stirring tale of Italian immigrant Francesca Cabrini's fight for better living conditions and justice in 1880s New York City. Winner of several Septimius awards, and a film fest favorite, this period piece is full of drama and pathos.

Bob Marley: One Love | Request DVD or Request Blu-Ray
Follow Marley from the assassination attempts before the Smile Jamaica concert in 1976, to the One Love Peace Concert in 1978. Kingsley Ben-Adir is worth the watch, if, for some wild reason, the award-winning soundtrack wasn't enough to entice you.  

Piece by Piece | Request DVD or Request Blu-Ray
One of the best biopic genre-benders to hit theaters in 2024, but a commercial flop. I loved it for the heart, humor, and super fun Lego animation style—a new approach to the music bio for sure and as charismatic as Pharrell Williams' music! 

The Iron Claw | Request DVD or Request Blu-Ray
This powerbomb of a biopic surprised me (perhaps unsurprisingly as someone who knows next to nothing about wrestling) with both the Von Erich family's story—the action-packed rise to wrestling fame, laced with tragedy—coupled with the emotional heft it pulls. 

Oppenheimer | Request DVD or Request Blu-Ray
Did anyone fail to see this in the theater?? We have it, if you did. It's a big biopic chronicling an even bigger moment in human and scientific history: J. Robert Oppenheimer's work on the first nuclear weapons during WWII. Tough subject matter, but superb performances. 

Staff Picks: Pie, Pi and Pies

Mon, 03/03/2025 - 6:06pm by erin

Pi day is March 14, so let’s mix a little mathematical constant fun with some delicious sweet, savory, and pizza pies! 

The Book on Pie: Everything You Need to Know to Bake Perfect Pies by Erin Jeanne McDowell | Request Now
McDowell starts with an in-depth tutorial, complete with troubleshooting tips for decorating pies, before delving into recipes for every kind of pie imaginable. Whether you're partial to fruit, custard, cream, chiffon, cold-set, or savory, McDowell offers an endless arsenal of pies for your kitchen. You'll learn how to make the flakiest crust, the tallest swoops of meringue, and even how to cut the pies for the perfect slice

Pie Squared: Irresistibly Easy Sweet & Savory Slab Pies by Cathy Barrow | Request Now
Made in a sheet pan, a slab pie can make enough dinner or dessert for a crowd. PIE SQUARED includes more than 60 savory and sweet pie recipes, along with 20 crust and topping recipes and step-by-step techniques for rolling and decorating that will appeal to baking aficionados as well as occasional bakers. This fresh, uncomplicated take on pie will encourage those of you who have been reluctant in the past to now take out your rolling pin and try it.

Humble Pi: When Math Goes Wrong in the Real World by Matt Parker | Request Now
This tour of real-world mathematical disasters reveals the importance of math in everyday life. All sorts of seemingly innocuous mathematical mistakes can have significant consequences. Exploring and explaining a litany of glitches, near misses, and mathematical mishaps involving the internet, big data, elections, street signs, lotteries, the Roman Empire, and an Olympic team, Matt Parker uncovers the ways math trips us up

Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi: A Math Adventure by Cindy Neuschwander | Request Now

When Sir Cumference drinks a potion which turns him into a dragon, his son Radius searches for the magic number known as pi, which will restore him to his former shape.

Perfect Pan Pizza: Square Pies to Make at Home, From Roman, Sicilian, and Detroit, to Grandma Pies and Focaccia by Peter Reinhart | Request Now
Starting with recipes for three master doughs that can be made with commercial yeast, as well as a brief intro to sourdough starters, Perfect Pan Pizza illustrates how to make several styles of pan pizza, including Detroit-style deep-pan pizza, focaccia, Roman, and Sicilian. Totaling forty-four classic and unique recipes.

Dinner Pies: From Shepherd's Pies and pot Pies to Turnovers, Quiches, Hand Pies, and More, With 100 Delectable & Foolproof Recipes by Ken Haedrich | Request Now

Dinner Pies includes 100 recipes for two-crust, one-crust, and no-crust pies. As a recognized master in the art of making pies, Ken Haedrich includes updated and perfected versions from the great savory pie traditions, including British, New England Yankee, and Southern Ư- recipes for classics including cottage pie, shepard's pie and a best-ever chicken pot pie.

Staff Picks: Fact or Fiction? Why Not Both? Fictionalized Portrayals of Real People

Sat, 03/01/2025 - 12:00pm by emjane

These novels certainly take creative liberties, but I bet you can’t help but start looking up what elements have their basis in truth! 

Circling the Sun by Paula McLain | Request Now

Though McLain reached most notoriety for The Paris Wife (another book that could be on this list!), my favorite of hers is Circling the Sun, due especially to its Kenyan setting and fiery female lead. McClain centers her story on Beryl Markham, a relatively minor character in Isak Dinesen’s memoir Out of Africa. Beryl pushes against expectations of the time, first training horses, then taking to the skies as an aviator. Though romance complicates Beryl’s life, her sense of self pushes through.

Booth by Karen Joy Fowler | Request Now

This expansive historical tome looks at the lie of John Wilkes Booth through the perspectives of his many siblings. Fowler is a decadent writer and especially shines when giving voice to the female characters, who are often overlooked when telling the Booth story due to the lack of recorded history about them. Though this lengthy book has unusual pacing, I didn’t find myself wishing the story were tighter told. Instead, I appreciated the time I got to spend with Fowler’s version of this complicated family, wondering how close her narrative leaps aligned with actuality.

The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict | Request Now

Part I of The Only Woman in the Room is a combination of WWII novel and unhappy marriage story; the underestimation of a woman’s intelligence proves to be her ticket to a new life. Oh, and that woman is Hedy Lamarr. Part II takes us to old Hollywood and the story more folks might expect from a Lamarr narrative. Though certainly a book one chooses more for its plot and quick pace rather than author’s turns of phrase, The Only Woman in the Room was a quick read, and the ties to real historical figures kept me interested. Reading this book led me down a rabbit hole about the real-life Hedy Lamarr, and I was astounded to find out how much of this book had a strong basis in actuality. What a fascinating woman!

The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont | Request Now

In 1926, famed mystery author Agatha Christie disappeared for nearly two weeks. No, this isn’t just plot, that bit actually happened, and we know very little about it aside from that. de Gramont takes this historical mystery to the page, creating a story (with its own mystery!) to explain the motives of the disappearance and what Christie got up to during that time. There might not be much proven historical fact in this book, but The Christie Affair is a little treat of a historical mystery, and it’s good fun to wonder about a real-life mystery that is likely to remain forever unsolved.

Staff Picks: Top Vinyl Records to Spin

Fri, 02/28/2025 - 3:10pm by bunkleyj@aadl.org

Looking for some new vinyl to spin on your record player this year? Try any of these titles, perfect for dancing, relaxing, sparking discussion, or singing along.

Songs of the Lost World, The Cure | Request Now
It’s been 16 years since the Cure’s last album and 46 years since the first.  A band that’s been around this long has will have its high and lows and after a 16 year hiatus, I wouldn’t expect much. But “Songs of the Lost” is just as good and in some ways better than their best releases.  Themes of loss, solitude, and mortality are enhanced by drums, bass, synths, string arrangements, distorted guitars, and pump organs. Robert Smith’s voice and lyrics still are as touching as it was in 1979.  Sweeping, sultry, swooning comes to mind with a bit of melancholy .

The Collective, Kim Gordon | Request Now
Kim Gordon's second solo album is one of the most thrilling body of works from 2024.  Gritty hip-hop beats with the familiar grinding sounds that she brought when she was member of Sonic Youth. This album is an amalgamation of beat poets such as Ferlinghetti and Ginsberg with 1979 No Wave post punk sounds of NYC think Lydia Lunch…oh, and throw in some hip hop flavor from the Bronx thank you Boogie Down Productions.  This album exudes courage, rage, and power. 

Ayo Ke Disco: Boogie, Pop & Funk from the South China Sea (1974-1988) Various Artist | Request Now
Funk clubs, basement parties, discos of the 1970s and early 1980s was special place to dance the night away.  Dancing to soulful funk and disco was not lost on Malaysia, Singapore ,Thailand, Hong Kong, and the Philippines. This 10-song compilation is one that makes me want to dance all day and night - it also makes me want to use my DuoLingo more so I can sing along!  This would be a perfect fit on my next mixtape with Brides of Funkenstein, Mandrill and and Ohio Players.   

Endlessness, Nala Sinephro | Request Now
London-based composer and jazz composer musician Nala Sinephro's second album Endlessness  is an auditory meditative experience. She predominantly plays the pedal harp, piano, and synthesizers. On Endlessness, her harp glissandos fit perfectly with saxophone and synthesizer. Endlessness is calm and soothing yet experimental and luxurious.  It sometimes is not fair to compare artist but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Coltranes (John, Alice and Ravi) are an important part of her music library. I hope that wasn’t a comparison, and if it was, then she is in good company.

Staff Picks: Oscar-Winning Movies

Sun, 02/16/2025 - 5:25pm by lucroe

The 97th Academy Awards will take place on March 2 so we bring you some movies in our collection that were underdogs in the Best Picture category of years past. Read on to discover just a few that were not considered favorites during the time they were nominated and maybe you will discover a new favorite film among them or rewatch ones you haven’t seen in a while.  

How Green Was My Valley (1941) Directed by John Ford | Request Now
How Green Was My Valley is a moving family drama set in a Welsh mining town, directed by John Ford. The film resonated with audiences during a pivotal time, tackling themes of tradition and sacrifice shortly after Pearl Harbor. Despite being an excellent film, it often gets overshadowed by classics like The Maltese Falcon, Suspicion, and Citizen Kane. Although Kane received nine nominations, it only won for Best Original Screenplay, while Valley claimed five Oscars, including Best Director for Ford.

Kramer vs Kramer (1979) Directed by Robert Benton | Request Now
Kramer vs. Kramer is an intense drama about divorce and the ensuing battle over child custody that took home several top awards at the 52nd Academy Awards. It's hard to dispute that Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep deserved their wins for lead actor and supporting actress, as the film is really a showcase for incredible performances. However, when it comes to the Best Picture and Best Director awards, things get a bit tricky, especially since it beat out Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now, which is often hailed as one of the greatest films of all time. Plus, Bob Fosse's stunning work in All That Jazz might have made him a more deserving choice for Best Director than Robert Benton. Maybe the Academy thought Coppola had already had his moment with The Godfather, but not recognizing Apocalypse Now is still a hot topic of debate.

Crash (2005) Directed by Paul Haggis | Request Now
Writer-director Paul Haggis weaves together interconnected stories reflecting on race, class, family, and gender in post-9/11 Los Angeles. While some critics feel this movie is a superficial look at racism that only makes some pat conclusions, others found it worthy enough for best picture in 2005. Up against it was what was considered a shoo-in, Brokeback Mountain, the groundbreaking gay love story between two cowboys. In contrast, Crash had some critical acclaim but lacked a Golden Globe Best Picture nomination. The only other film to win an Oscar for Best Picture without a Golden Globe nod was The Sting in 1974. Both films had similar nominations—Brokeback with eight and Crash with six—and each won in the screenplay category. Ang Lee’s directorial win for Brokeback made it seem like a frontrunner for Best Picture, yet Crash took the award instead, sparking ongoing controversy and criticism of the Academy.

Moonlight (2016) Directed by Barry Jenkins | Request Now
Director Barry Jenkins’ profound coming-of-age story follows a young Black man as he explores his sexuality and identity over the course of his life. It was not heavily favored to win best picture at the 2017 awards, whereas the movie La La Land was, having received 14 nominations and already winning six awards, including Best Director for Damien Chazelle. However, in a shocking turn of events, presenters Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty mistakenly announced La La Land as the winner due to being given the wrong envelope, and Moonlight was later revealed to be the actual Best Picture winner.

Parasite (2019) Directed by Bong Joon-ho | Request Now
In 2020 there were nine movies up for best picture, some with big names attached like Scorsese’s The Irishman and Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in...Hollywood. However, it was a little black comedy from Korea that unexpectedly beat out this heavy competition. Parasite not only became the first non-English-language film to win Best Picture, it won the most awards of the night with four, including Best Director. Parasite is both an outstanding thriller and an emotionally charged drama which includes some dark comedic touches. The film tells the story of two families divided by their social classes and highlights the unexpected fallout of the poorer family’s efforts to bridge that gap. To preserve its surprises, keep summaries vague, as the film’s unpredictability is a key strength. With stellar pacing and outstanding performances, Parasite rightfully stands among the top Best Picture winners, cementing its place as a unique entry in the realm of award-winning comedies.

Staff Picks: At Sea—The Wager Readalikes 

Sun, 02/16/2025 - 2:12pm by evelyn

Did you love David Grann’s thrilling book The Wager: a Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder? Want more stories of shipwrecks? Try these nonfiction books for excitement on the open sea (and sea floor). 

The Ship Beneath the Ice, by Mensun Bound | Request Now

Perhaps one of the most famous shipwrecks of all time is Endurance, Sir Ernest Shackleton’s barquentine. In 1914 Shackleton and his crew set sail for Antarctica, but the ship sank during her maiden voyage. Shackleton ordered his crew to abandon ship. He then launched a daring multistep escape from the ice, in which his crew first camped on the sea ice, then launched lifeboats over an 800 mile journey, first to Elephant Island and then to South Georgia. Shackleton was able to keep all 28 of the ship’s crew alive for almost a year, until they were ultimately rescued by a Chilean mission. In 2022, Endurance was located on the floor of the Weddell Sea, nearly perfectly preserved by ice. The Ship Beneath the Ice beautifully weaves together the stories of Shackleton’s doomed voyage to Antarctica and the mission to find Endurance a century later.

Empire of Ice and Stone, by Buddy Levy | Request Now

If Shackleton was lauded for saving his crew, explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson, leader of the Canadian 1916 Arctic exploration, was perhaps his opposite. When his ship, Karluk, became stuck in ice, Stefansson took five men with him and left. He successfully reached safety but declined to try to rescue Karluk, choosing instead to continue hunting caribou. Ship Captain Bob Bartlett was left to attempt a rescue for his crew, taking one of the Inuit hunters who had been aboard the ship and traveling 1000 miles to find help. Empire of Ice and Stone traces this daring journey, contrasting the characters of two leaders- highly selfish and completely selfless.  

A History of the World in 12 Shipwrecks, by David Gibbins | Request Now 

Can’t get enough shipwrecks? Check out A History of the World in 12 Shipwrecks. Maritime archaeologist David Gibbins traces world history through 12 shipwrecks, each of which represents something about the world at the time of the boat’s sinking. Starting with the Bronze Age and progressing through to World War II, the book also details the danger and complications in searching for and exploring shipwrecks. The book traces human migration, hopes, danger and loss through thousands of years. 

The Underworld: Journeys to the Depths of the Ocean  | Request Now 

If you want more oceanography in your shipwreck book, check out Susan Casey’s The Underworld: Journeys to the Depths of the Ocean. Casey takes the reader on a journey to the deepest parts of the ocean, meeting strange creatures and curious humans along the way. There are shipwrecks here, as well as myths and legends, marine scientists and more. 

Fabulous Fiction Firsts #849, A Many-Splendored Thing

Fri, 02/14/2025 - 7:10pm by muffy

Homeseeking * *  by Karissa Chen (also in downloadable eBook and audiobook)

“From heart-wrenching regrets to breathtaking redemptions, Chen's debut novel seamlessly crosses geographical, cultural, and temporal barriers to deliver a love story that touches all extremes of the human condition.” (Booklist)

Zhang Suchi and Wang Haiwen met as children in Japanese-occupied Shanghai during the 1930s; and fell in love as teenagers. During the war between Mao's Communists and Chiang Kai Shek's Nationalists, a misguided Haiwen secretly enlisted in the Nationalist army in 1947 to save his brother from the draft, leaving Suchi his violin and a note: Forgive me. Soon after Suchi and her older sister were sent to Hong Kong as the fighting intensified in the Mainland. 

Meeting only briefly in the 1960s, they crossed paths again at a 99 Ranch Market produce section in Los Angeles in 2008. Though they follow different paths and marry other people, they remain emotionally "tethered to each other," as predicted in 1945 by a fortune teller.

“Over a decade in the making, Homeseeking embodies the ambitious scope of James Michener’s historical novels or (while not nearly as long) Vikram Seth’s A Suitable Boy. Chen’s ability to navigate effortlessly across cultures and eras reflects not only the depth of her research, but also her natural gifts as a storyteller.” (BookPage) 

Water Moon * * *  by Samantha Sotto Yambao  (also in downloadable eBook and audiobook)

For generations, the Ishikawa family owned and ran a pawnshop down a quiet alley in Toyko’s Asakusa District. It does not have a name and not everyone can find it. Most will see only a cosy ramen restaurant, but for the right clientele, it’s a place to pawn one’s life choices and deepest regrets.

Hana Ishikawa wakes on her first morning as its new owner to find the pawnshop ransacked, the shop’s most precious acquisition stolen and her father missing. And then into the shop stumbles a charming stranger Keishin, a brilliant physicist looking for ramen but insists on staying to help Hana find her father. 

“So unfurls a story that is equal parts adventure and romance, lighthearted and devastating, philosophical and emotionally resonant. Hana and Kei embark on a journey through Isekai, jumping into puddles and coming out in other realms, folding into paper, climbing ladders through clouds and witnessing the release of the stars”. (BookPage)

“...(a) lovely, cozy fantasy reminiscent of Erin Morgenstern's The Starless Sea (2019). This book is charming, fresh, and difficult to put down.” (Booklist) 

* * * = 3 Starred reviews

* * - 2 starred reviews

Staff Picks: Black Voices

Fri, 02/14/2025 - 4:01pm by evelyn

Do you know about our Black Studies collection? This unique collection started in 1969, primarily to assist local teachers who taught Black Studies courses in the local high schools. At the time of its opening it was not a circulating collection, but it is now. You can browse the collection online or visit the collection in person on the second floor of the Downtown library. Check out some of the selections below!

The Fire Next Time, by James Baldwin | Request Now
The Black Studies collection contains many classics of Black American thought, including works by luminaries like W. E. B. Du Bois, Toni Morrison and bell hooks, as well as modern writers like Ta-Nehisi Coates and Ijeoma Oluo. James Baldwin’s classic 1963 book The Fire Next Time contains two of his most influential essays: "My Dungeon Shook: Letter to my Nephew on the One Hundredth Anniversary of the Emancipation" and "Down at the Cross: Letter from a Region of My Mind." Pair this classic book about race and religion with the modern response The Fire This Time, edited by National Book Award-winner Jesmyn Ward, for an incisive look at race in America that spans more than half a century.

You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey, by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar | Request Now
You may know Amber Ruffin from her hilarious segments on Late Night with Seth Meyers (for which she is also a writer) or her own show The Amber Ruffin Show. Ruffin has also been announced as the host of the 2025 White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Written with her sister Lacey Lamar, You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories About Racism, is a darkly hilarious take on race. Unlike Ruffin, Lamar still lives in their home state of Nebraska and according to both sisters is a lightning rod for interactions with white people that range from clueless to truly terrible. If you listen to the audiobook (which is great) I implore you to also look up the pictures of Lacey imitating some of the women that white people have told her she looks like: Harriet Tubman, Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, Rae Dawn Chong, and Condoleezza Rice. And if you’re thinking wow those women don’t really look anything like each other… no. No they do not. Ruffin describes the stories as those in which “no one gets hurt. No one dies… [these are] the stories you’re expected to swallow or forget.” The book is funny, horrifying, and a quick read- check it out today!

The Sisterhood, by Courtney Thorsson | Request Now

From 1977 to 1979, an incredible group of scholars met to talk over and promote their work. Founded by novelist Alice Walker and poet June Jordan, the group supported and promoted the work of many important Black women intellectuals of the 20th century, including Toni Morrison, Audre Lorde, and Margo Jefferson. Author Courtney Thorsson started the research for this book when she came across a photograph of Nana Maynard, Ntozake Shange, Audreen Ballard, Vertamae Grosvenor, Alice Walker, Lori Sharpe, Toni Morrison and June Jordan. Thorsson spent years researching the history behind the photograph and the interactions between these intellectual giants. The result is a fascinating book that showcases both a moment in history and how it influenced the rest of 20th century American literature.

BLK MKT Vintage, by Kiyanna Stewart and Jannah Handy | Request Now
As above, a photograph of eight towering intellectuals. A Tuskegee airplane, or the bus upon which Rosa Parks was arrested. These artifacts from Black History loom large in museums but don’t exactly represent the history of everyday Black Americans. And few vintage stores revolve around Black American life in the way that the store BLK MKT Vintage does. Named after their store, BLK MKT Vintage by curators (and real life couple) Kiyanna Stewart and Jannah Handy shows off their collection of ephemera and vintage wares. Some of their pieces represent famous figures, such as a handwritten Christmas card from Shirley Chisholm or a canister of Madam C. J. Walker hair product. However, much of what they show in the book has to do with regular life- a sign from a 1960s NAACP parade, books and magazines from personal collections, posters and vintage hair tools. The book is a visual feast and also includes interviews with other Black collectors and archivists. 

Staff Pick: Books from 2024 You May Have Missed

Tue, 02/11/2025 - 10:25am by emjane

Great Books from 2024 You Might Have Missed

It’s IMPOSSIBLE to read all the good books that come out in a single year (don’t spend too much time dwelling on that thought, and instead, just pick up a good book!). Here are some of my favorites from last year that may not have made it to your To Be Read pile!

Come and Get It by Kiley Reid | Request Now
Set in a college campus in Arkansas, Come and Get It, focuses on Millie—an RA who dreams of owning her own house— while also delving into the lives and desires of some of the students and a professor who touch Millie’s story. Given the opportunity to earn some extra money by sharing personal details about some of the young women who live in her dorm, Millie jumps at it, even if it involves potentially questionable behavior. As morally complicated situations often do (especially in books), things eventually spiral.

Reid’s dialogue is a highlight of this reading experience, giving the reader a peek into the life of college women, and how money (and lack of it) deeply impacts behavior and identity. This was my first 5-star read of 2024, and it’s one I know I’ll return to in a reread a few years down the line.

Real Americans by Rachel Khong | Request Now
Told in three parts, Real Americans centers on three generations of Asian Americans. The book begins with Lily, a young New Yorker struggling to balance her tight finances, her job where she is often tokenized, and the complexities of being in a relationship with someone much richer than her. Part two centers on high schooler Nick, his complicated relationship with his mother (and lack of relationship with his father), and figuring out his college plans. In a short third section, one more character’s perspective is revealed (I’m being purposefully cagey!) giving the story one more layer of depth. 

Readers expecting the epic storytelling typically associated with multi-generational family sagas may be disappointed. However, I found all three perspectives lovable despite their flaws and the fast pacing a refreshing shift from the genre’s standards. 

Bite by Bite: Nourishments & Jamborees by Aimee Nezhukumatathil | Request Now
Poet and essayist Nezhukumatathil focuses on food in Bite by Bite, her second collection. (If you haven’t read it yet, her first World of Wonders is also a gem!) With each short essay, most no longer than a few pages, Nezhukumatathil focuses on a particular food or ingredient, weaving together facts and histories with personal stories for an engaging bite of information and connection. These tastes are further enhanced by the beautiful watercolor illustrations accompanying them. The structure of the book makes it a great fit for dipping in and out of, but don’t be surprised if you find yourself taking in the whole feast at once!

Greta & Valdin by Rebecca K. Reilly | Request Now
Though Greta & Valdin was originally published in 2021, it got its US publication in 2024, so I’m counting it—particularly because it was one of my favorite reads of the year! Siblings and roommates Greta & Valdin have always supported each other. But, both facing their own versions of identity crises (Greta, uncertain with her role in academia and her romantic relationships; Valdin coping with anxieties, how his Indigenous identity meshes with his on-camera job, and getting over a defining breakup), the two are not always there for each other. 

Reilly does an excellent job of writing lovable characters with realistic challenges and flaws, not to mention the book is incredibly funny! Though I loved reading it so much, I was disappointed when it was over, it came to a beautifully satisfying conclusion.

Staff Picks: Visible Mending

Fri, 02/07/2025 - 9:34am by audreyh

There’s something undeniably special about taking a worn out garment and giving it new life by mending it. In my experience, mending doesn’t always look perfect, it instead has its own charm that has everything to do with the imperfection of the garment and the energy you invested into it by taking the time to repair it. Mending is kind of magical! So, if you’ve got a worn out jacket or pair of jeans sitting in the back of your closet, this is your sign to get out a needle and thread and breathe some new life into your wardrobe. If these books don't offer quite enough how-to support, you can always bring your project to a Sewing Lab at AADL, or check out one of our Mending Looms. 

Mending with Love: Creative Repairs for Your Favorite Things by Noriko Misumi | Request Now

Misumi tackles a wide variety of garments and techniques in her book. From embroidery, patchwork, darning, felting, stamping, and crochet, Misumi’s clear instructions will supply you with a variety of techniques to try out on your worn out garments. Extending the life of a meaningful object instead of buying something new can be a great way to develop your own sense of fashion, and it’s eco-friendly to boot! Misumi encourages readers to approach their clothing repair with a simple, common sense flair.

Visible Creative Mending for Knitwear by Flora Collingwood-Norris | Request Now
With a focus on knitwear, this book is a great companion for any hand knitters out there who want to preserve handiwork that has stood the test of time. Even if you’re not a knitter, this books has great tips on how to repair that gorgeous vintage sweater that you just can’t replace or your expensive woolen socks. Colingwood-Noris has a great sense of color, and her bright patches are a source of inspiration for anyone who wants to make their visible mending stand out.

Mending Matters: Stitch, Patch, and Repair Your Favorite Denim and More by Katrina Rodabaugh | Request Now
There are few articles of clothing that get harder wear than jeans. We love our denim here in the United States, and extending the life of a pair of jeans can be an effective way to keep a beloved wardrobe item in your closet and out of a landfill. In this book, Rodabaugh shares techniques that will allow you to extend the life of your denim and encourages reflection on the ways that mending encourages qualities like self-reliance and confidence. Her style is edgy and modern, while incorporating traditional stitching techniques that are accessible to anyone with a needle and thread.

Visible Mending: Repair, Renew, Reuse the Clothes You Love by Around Khounnoraj | Request Now
A gorgeous book that covers twelve core mending techniques, plus ten key stitches, this book is a true mending inspiration. Khounnoraj’s sense of style is modern and elegant, and she is able to make her mending look wonderfully intentional. Khounnoraj's instructions are clear and easy to follow. You'll find yourself perusing the back of your closet for things to mend after you read this must-have mending book. 
 

Staff Picks: Black History Month Films

Mon, 02/03/2025 - 2:48pm by erin

Celebrate Black History Month with a selection of compelling films about real people and historical stories told from a variety of viewpoints.

Bessie | Request Now

This biopic about American blues singer Bessie Smith stars Queen Latifah as Bessie and Mo'Nique as Ma Rainey. Bessie came out in 2015 on HBO and focuses on her transformation as a struggling young singer into "The Empress of the Blues". Born in 1894 Bessie died in 1937 and was incredibly beloved during the Jazz Age. She was the most popular Blues singer in the 1930s and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.

Daughters of the Dust | Request Now
Set in 1902, Daughters of the Dust, is about three generations of Gullah (or Geechee) women from the Peazant family on Saint Helena Island, South Carolina, as they prepare to migrate from the rural South to the North. Released in 1991 the film was written and directed by Julie Dash. 

Fences  | Request DVD or Request Blu-ray
Based on August Wilson's Pulitzer prize-winning masterpiece, Fences, was released in 2016. Fences stars Denzel Washington, and Viola Davis. A black garbage collector named Troy Maxson in 1950s Pittsburgh is bitter that baseball's color barrier was only broken after his own heyday in the Negro Leagues, Maxson is prone to taking out his frustrations on his loved ones. The film earned four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor (for Washington), and Best Adapted Screenplay (for Wilson), at the 89th Academy Awards, with Davis winning Best Supporting Actress.

If Beale Street Could Talk | Request DVD or Request Blu-ray
Based on the novel by James Baldwin, If Beale Street Could Talk, is a timeless love story set in early 1970s Harlem involving newly engaged nineteen-year-old Tish and her fiance Fonny who have a beautiful future ahead. But their plans are derailed when Fonny is arrested for a crime he did not commit. Now the pair and their families must fight for justice in the name of love and the promise of the American dream. The film received numerous accolades, including Best Supporting Actress wins for Regina King at the Academy Awards and Golden Globes. It was also nominated for Best Motion Picture – Drama and Best Screenplay at the 76th Golden Globe Awards, and Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Score at the 91st Academy Awards.

Loving | Request DVD or Request Blu-ray
Loving is the story of Richard and Mildred Loving, an interracial couple, whose challenge of their anti-miscegenation arrest for their marriage in Virginia led to a legal battle that would end at the US Supreme Court. Loving was nominated for numerous awards, including a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor for Joel Edgerton and Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Ruth Negga.

Request for Proposals - HVAC & Mechanical Maintenance

Fri, 01/31/2025 - 8:32pm by eli

Ann Arbor District Library

Request for Proposal

Full-Service Maintenance Agreement for 

HVAC, Related Equipment and Other Equipment

This RFP closed on April 4th, 2025

The Ann Arbor District Library is soliciting bids to provide preventative maintenance and repairs for the Library’s heating, cooling, ventilation and related equipment. The Library’s facilities are located at:

• Downtown Branch, 343 S. 5th Ave. Ann Arbor, 48104
• Malletts Creek Branch, 3090 E. Eisenhower Pkwy, Ann Arbor, 48108
• Traverwood Branch, 3333 Traverwood Drive, Ann Arbor, 48105
• Westgate Branch, 2503 Jackson Road, Ann Arbor, 48103
• Archives, Acquisitions and Logistics Facility, Ann Arbor, 48103
• Pittsfield Branch, 2359 Oak Valley Drive, Ann Arbor, 48103

Scope of Service: The vendor must provide everything that is needed in order to maintain equipment in running condition so that it is operational and performs within manufacturer’s specifications at all times, including but not limited to the following:

• The cost of all labor, including overtime pay.
• Travel and vehicle expense.
• All parts, supplies, materials and equipment.
• State of Michigan mandated inspections and disassembly for governmental agencies.
• Diagnosing and testing.
• Specialized equipment or personnel. All startup costs.

Service:

• Overtime and/or premium wages will not be paid by the Library for service calls.
• The contractor shall notify the Maintenance Supervisor or Facilities Manager before performing preventative maintenance or repairs to any equipment.
• Equipment should be operational and ready at all times unless it is out of service because of preventative maintenance or repairs.
• The contractor will furnish a detailed written report to the Facilities Director at the completion of each job outlining the service or work.
• The contractor shall respond to service calls of a non-emergency nature in a timely manner.

Emergency Service:

The contractor shall respond immediately to service calls of an emergency nature.

• An emergency is defined as a call for service when delaying action would cause further damage to equipment, closing of any Library building(s), injury

to staff or patrons, or place staff or patrons of the Library in a hazardous situation. 

Bidding Process:

• Contractors wishing to bid MUST schedule a site visits. Please arrange with Andra Williams (734)327-4288,  williamsa@aadl.org or Len Lemorie (734)327-4281. lemoriel@aadl.org
• Questions can be emailed to lemoriel@aadl.org 
• Late bids will NOT be accepted.
• All bidders must include the following information along with the sealed bid:
  1. The returned bid must contain at least (3) references where like services have been performed within the preceding (12) months.
  2. Include the names of the business or government entity, the address, the name of the contact person, and the contact person’s telephone number.
  3. Indicate when you last performed service at that location.
  4. Bids submitted without references will be rejected.
  5. Bids must provide Labor/Union affiliations if applicable. 
• Contractors are bidding on a three-year contract beginning July 1, 2025 with an option for years four and five.
• Contractors shall submit a bid covering all locations.
• NOTE: The Ann Arbor District Library reserves the right to reject any or all bids.

Proposals MUST be received no later than April 4, 2025 at 5:00PM.

Proposals can be emailed to lemoriel@aadl.org , mailed to, or hand-deliver to the Downtown Branch, 4th Floor Administration Offices 343 S. 5th Ave Ann Arbor, MI 48104

Terms and Conditions

Rights of Library:

The Ann Arbor District Library retains the right to call another vendor to perform maintenance or to diagnose and make necessary repairs if the contractor fails to carry out maintenance as specified by the manufacturer, conduct repairs, or respond to any service call to the satisfaction of the Library. The expense of such maintenance, diagnosis, and repairs will be deducted from the total amount of this agreement and the monthly payment to the contractor will be adjusted accordingly to equal the new balance. If at the time of service or repair, the contractor agrees to reimburse the Library for any additional cost over and above that amount. 

Equipment and Supplies: The contractor shall furnish all labor, materials, equipment, and other items necessary to perform the herein specified work.

Contract Price: Rates include all costs of labor, materials, equipment, overtime pay, supervision, travel, vehicle expense, taxes and insurance required to fulfill the specifications as outlined in this proposal.

Compensation: Payment shall be due on the last day of each month in which servicers are performed. 

Change in Work Performed: The above price is based upon the specifications as outlined in this request for bid. If there are changes in services, the Owner agrees to negotiate a reasonable price adjustment with the contractor. 

Modification: The parties may from time-to-time request changes in this agreement. Such changes, including any increase or decrease in compensation, shall be effective when incorporated in written amendments to this agreement. 

Insurance: The contractor shall maintain insurance coverage in the forms and at least the amounts specified below during the terms of this agreement and until (2) years after the completion of the services as outlined under this agreement and the policies shall name the Ann Arbor District Library as an additional insured. 

General Liability:

General Aggregate_______________________________________$2,000,000

Products/Completed:

Operations Aggregate___________________________________$2,000,000

Bodily Injury/Property:

Damage Liability_________________________________________$1,000,000

Fire Damage______________________________________________________$50,000 any one fire

Medical Expense_________________________________________________$10,000 each occurrence

 Workers Compensation and Employer’s Liability:

Bodily injury each accident____________________________$100,000

Bodily injury by disease________________________________$500,000

Bond: $25,000

The contractor shall furnish to the Library certificates of liability and worker’s compensation insurance. Policies must show the coverage and limits of liability and that the Library is named as an additional insured party, where needed. The contractor’s insurance shall be primary and not entitled to contributions from any insurance maintained by the Library.

Companies shall write all insurance with an AM Best rating of “A” or higher. Such certificates shall require that policies shall not be cancelled or reduced in coverage until the contractor and the Library have received 30-days written notice of such cancellation or reduction.

If the contractor neglects or refuses to provide any insurance required in the agreement, or if any insurance is cancelled, the Library may, at its option, procure such insurance and adjust the contract downward by the reasonable amount of the premiums paid or to be paid.

Indemnification: The contractor shall indemnify, hold harmless and, at the Library’s option, defend the Library, its present and future employees, representatives and agents from and against any and all claims, losses, damages, liabilities, and expenses (including costs of defense, arbitration, settlement, and reasonable attorney’s fees) for death or bodily injury to any person, destruction of or damage to any property, loss of any property rights or entitlements, contamination of or adverse effects on the environment, or violation of Government laws, regulations, or orders, if and to the extent they result from, arise out of or are in connection with the contractor’s performance of these services described in this agreement. In addition, the contractor promises to comply with all applicable laws regulating employment, conditions of employment, equal protection and unemployment and worker’s compensation.

Handling and Disposal of Generated Waste: The contractor shall store, transport, manage, or dispose of waste materials generated in the course of performance of the services in accordance with federal, state, and local laws and regulations, including obtaining all necessary permits, if any. All use and disposal of chemicals or other agents must conform to current OSHA health and safety standards. An OSHA, Hazard Communication form must be provided to the Facilities Manager at the inception of this contract- per CFR.1910.1200.

Right to Terminate: This agreement shall be for a period of 3-years from the effective date with an option for years four and five. Not withstanding any other section or provision of this agreement, either party may terminate this agreement upon 30-days written notice sent to the other party’s address of record. 

Independent Contractor: The parties intend that the contractor in performing services herein specified shall act as an independent contractor and shall have control of the work and manner in which it is performed. The contractor shall select its own employees or agents and such employees or agents shall be responsible to the contractor. The contractor may perform the services by any reasonable means and shall not be responsible for delays in performance caused by strike, lockout, act of God, accident, or any other circumstance out of the contractor’s control. 

Contractor’s Employees: The contractor agrees that it will not permit its employees to violate any of the use rules of the Library, nor disturb the privacy of any of the Library employees or patrons; nor disclose the contents of any document, correspondence, communication, report, or record to anyone; nor permit smoking inside or outside of any Library building. 

Applicable Law: The laws of the state in which the services are performed shall govern this agreement. If any provision in this agreement is held by any court to be invalid, void, or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall nevertheless continue in full force. 

Entire Agreement: The agreement contains the entire legal agreement between the parties and takes precedence over any other written agreement signed or unsigned. All prior negotiations between the parties are merged in the agreement, and there are no understandings or agreements other than those incorporated herein. This agreement may not be modified except by written instrument signed by both parties. The terms and conditions outlined in this agreement shall be included as part of any other agreement between the two parties and shall be considered primary. 

Fabulous Fiction Firsts #848, The Great American Road Trip

Fri, 01/31/2025 - 4:48pm by muffy

Housemates,*  Emma Copley Eisenberg’s fiction debut (also available in downloadable eBook and audiobook) is an "exceptional, keenly observed meditation on art and love in a fractured America." (People Magazine) 

Bernie Abbott, a barista and photographer answers an ad (four Swarthmore grads, looking for a fifth housemate… queer preferred) where she meets Leah McCausland, a media studies PhD candidate and begins an intense and defiantly uncategorizable friendship. Both aspire to capture the world around them: Leah through her writing; Bernie through her photography. 

When Bernie's former photography professor, the once-renowned but now-denounced Daniel Dunn, dies and leaves her a complicated inheritance, Leah volunteers to accompany Bernie to his home in Mifflin County to pick up Dunn's belongings, and the pair sets off on  a three-week journey that takes them through central Pennsylvania. 

“En route, they encounter rebellious cigarette-smoking Amish teens outside a country buffet and smarmy men lurking around their motel, and their partnership becomes not just creative but romantic." (Publishers Weekly) 

“The 2016 presidential election and the Covid-19 pandemic offer temporal touchstones. Shifting mores around sexuality and gender, the complicated demands of social justice movements, how we deal with bad people who create good art, and the difference between recording and actually seeing are just some of the topics Eisenberg lays out before setting her Gen Z protagonists loose to explore them…  Eisenberg has a poet's eye for truth, and her prose is gorgeously precise and empathetic while remaining cleareyed. Emotionally rich and quietly thought-provoking, this is simply a stunning debut.” (Kirkus Reviews) 

Off the Books * by Soma Mei Sheng Frazier (also available in downloadable eBook) is a fresh take on the classic American road novel.”  

Mei dropped out of Dartmouth just shy of graduation when her father died unexpectedly. Estranged from her mother, she leaned on her eccentric, pot-smoking, video game-playing lǎoyé (Mandarin for "grandfather") who bought her a car and convinced her to work off-the-book as a chauffeur, mostly for sex workers. Then he set her up with Henry Lee who hired Mei to drive him cross country, from San Francisco to Syracuse. 

Handsome and reserved, Henry piques Mei's interest. But what intrigues her most is his devotion to the enormous black suitcase which he totes everywhere, more concerned with taking frequent breaks than making good time on the road. 

“It's not long before we learn his secret: Stowed in his luggage is an 11-year-old Uyghur girl named Anna, whom he's trying to reunite with her father, who's in trouble with Chinese authorities.” (The Guardian)  

“Frazier expertly weaves historic and contemporary injustices faced by Chinese Americans and Uyghurs through this fast-paced, propulsive book, which is at its most powerful when depicting the way Mĕi's family navigates life after catastrophe. She has a knack for writing funny dialogue--scathing sarcasm underpinned by a great deal of love--and there are plenty of hilarious exchanges to lighten the dark political context of the novel. A vital, enthralling debut in which devastating social commentary is delivered with a wink.” (Kirkus Reviews)

 How Does That Make You Feel, Magda Eklund? by Anna Montague (also in downloadable eBook and audiobook) is a moving novel about love, loss, and new beginnings found on an unlikely road trip.

NYC psychologist Magda Eklund is about to turn 70 but she has no plan to celebrate, still grieving the sudden death of her life-long friend Sara. After helping the prickly widower sort through Sara’s things, she did not expect to be made custodian of Sara’s urn as well, just because the widower does not want the presence of the urn to upset his new girlfriend.    

While going through Sara’s old journal, Magda discovers her friend’s last directive: plans for a road trip they would take together in celebration of Magda’s birthday.  With the encouragement of her colleagues and friends, and with Sara’s urn in tow, Magda decides to hit the road.

“As Magda winds her way to the Southwest and through various touch points from their lives, she finds herself revisiting defining moments from the past, particularly her childhood and the relationship with her sister… As Magda makes her way back home, she finds herself forced to confront the realities of her relationship with Sara as well as her inner desires. Montague's debut novel imparts an affecting journey into the tricky bonds of grief and aging alongside the rewards of self-discovery.” (Booklist)   For fans of Mrs. Nash's Ashes (2023) 

 * = Starred review

Staff Picks: Cultivating Friendships

Fri, 01/31/2025 - 10:04am by evelyn

Valentine’s Day may be soon but that doesn’t mean that romantic relationships are all that matter! Check out these books to help you make, strengthen, and center your friendships. 

Platonic by Marisa Franco | Request Now
In Platonic, psychologist Marisa Franco urges readers to examine their friendships through the lens of attachment style. Generally described as either anxious, avoidant or secure, this theory tends to be applied to romantic relationships. However, Franco believes that learning about yourself can help improve all aspects of your life, including your friendships! Immensely popular when it was first published, Platonic also delves into historical aspects of friendship, how to put in the work of friendships, how to act and live with generosity, and how to be vulnerable. 

The Other Significant Others by Rhaina Cohen | Request Now
Should marriage or a romantic partnership be the only relationship one orients one life around? NPR journalist Rhaina Cohen posits that friendships are just as valid of a guiding force in life. This book is a mix of personal stories and sociological research. If you are interested in reading about people who have rejected societal norms in favor of putting dedicated friendships at the center of their lives, check out this book.

The Laws of Connection by David Robson | Request Now
From science writer David Robson comes an analytical take on friendship. Robson asserts that friendship is critical to good health and extending ones lifespan. This book combines psychology and neuroscience to explain why connection is so important to humans, and what a lack of social groups costs us. Luckily, the book doesn’t stop with just science. For those who want to improve their own relationships, it also offers suggestions on how to do so. With its mix of research and practical advice, The Laws of Connection is both a useful read for anyone looking to deepen their social bonds.

Friendshipping by Jenn Bane and Trin Garritano | Request Now
If you are less interested in social science and more interested in advice for making and keeping friends, check out Friendshipping from podcasters Jenn Bane and Trin Garritano.. This light and breezy book features illustrations and direct ideas for making friends, how to navigate social media, and what to do in the case of a friend breakup. Its warm, funny tone and practical tips make Friendshipping a great choice for anyone looking to build stronger, healthier friendships.

Staff Picks: Phenomenal Female Artists

Wed, 01/29/2025 - 2:27pm by audreyh

Switch up your home decor by borrowing some Art Prints from the library! You can borrow prints for eight weeks at a time. This month we thought we'd serve up some art made by notable female artists. If you're curious about our other prints, you can go ahead and browse the entire collection. 

Orbits, 1934 by Agnes Pelton | Request Now
Agnes Pelton was a modernist painter who used visionary symbolism in her work, especially her later work which was more spiritual in nature. She was born in 1881 to American parents living in Germany, moved to the United States as a child and studied art in the United States and Europe. Orbits is an example of her later work, which was notable for its transcendent nature rooted in the California desert landscap. Pelton was relatively isolated from the art world during her lifetime, resulting in her becoming a well known artist only after her death in 1961.

 Bigger Than You Know, 2010 by Nava Lubelski | Request Now
Nava Lubelski is a contemporary American artist who currently lives and works in North Carolina. She is known for her fiber art, particularly paper sculptures, and 3D stitched pieces. Lubelski often stitches over stained, ripped, or damaged fabrics, contrasting the accidental with her meticulous needlework. Her works are often considered painterly, despite the fiber medium. Bigger Than You Know features a canvas that has been completely covered fully in different shades of green, and  then ripped. Lubelski finished the work with careful, thin stitching executed in Lubelski’s signature style.

Tar Beach #2, 1990-1992 by Faith Ringgold | Request Now
Faith Ringgold was an American painter, author, mixed media sculptor, performance artist, and intersectional activist. She is best known for her narrative quilts, like Tar Beach #2.  Ringgold moved away from traditional painting to working with fabric to get away from the Western European art traditions. Tar Beach #2 was inspired by Ringgold’s childhood memories of summertime in Harlem, New York, and tells the story of a young girl named Cassie Louise Lightfoot with the power of flight.

Horizontal Horse’s or Mule’s Skull with Feather, 1936 by Georgia O’Keeffe | Request Now
Georgia O’Keeffe was an American modernist painter whose career spanned seven decades. Her work remained largely independent of contemporary art movements. Landscapes, flowers, and bones were common subject matter for O’Keeffe’s work. Horizontal Horse’s or Mule’s Skull with Feather was painted while O’Keeffe lived in New Mexico, around the time that she completed a series of landscape paintings inspired by the New Mexico desert, including some of her best known works. 

Staff Picks: Celebrating Arab & Arab American Authors

Mon, 01/27/2025 - 10:22am by ohheyitselle

April is National Arab American Heritage Month so we've picked out a few top-notch Fiction books specifically by Arab & Arab American authors for you to check out! 

Dearborn by Ghassan Zeineddine  | Request Now
This contemporary fiction collection of stories spans over several decades and is set mostly in Dearborn! (We LOVE a Michigan setting!!) 

The ten stories are often bittersweet but constantly surprising, all while inviting readers to consider what it means to be a part of a community and more importantly how to help one another. Zeineddine explores a diverse range of complexities raging from sexuality and queerness to generational trauma and migration. His ability to capture a vast range of ages and personalties is nothing short of impressive. 

This moving, funny, contemplative book is as complex as the characters within and without a doubt one to add to your list. 

Bride of the Sea by Eman Quotah  | Request Now
This fractured family drama starts with the deteriorating marriage of Saeedah and Muneer, living in Ohio. Shortly after the birth of their daughter, Hanadi, the couple divorces. Post divorce, Muneer goes back to Saudi Arabia while Saeedah stays stateside with Hanadi. Saeedah's overprotectiveness of her daughter and her resentfulness towards Muneer cause her to disappear with Hanadi, leaving Muneer to spend years searching for his daughter overseas. The repercussions of Saeedah's actions ripple outward, changing the lives of not only the immediate family, but everyone connected to them as well. When Hanadi comes of age, she reunited with her father and the family she never knew, which causes rifts of its own. 

Quotah's debut novel gives an intimate portrayal of loss, healing, religion, immigration, and family. 

The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah  | Request Now
Abdullah's debut fantasy is the first of the Sandsea trilogy revolving around the ancient struggle between humans and jinn. Loulie al-Nazari is the Midnight Merchant: a criminal who, with the help of her jinn bodyguard, hunts and sells illegal magic. Loulie is discovered by the sultan of Madinne who then forces her to go to great lengths to retrieve an ancient relic-- a lamp imprisoning an incredibly powerful jinn... but the sultan's intentions with the lamp are dangerous to say the least. Abdullah cleverly nods to classic tales from One Thousand and One Nights, but carefully crafts a new adventure. Lush descriptions will take the reader right into the setting, with a focus on myth and storytelling that contradicts the harsh reality faced by the characters. 

If you're a fantasy reader, be sure to give this enchanting book a try (if you haven't already, that is!)

Fencing with the King by Diana Abu-Jaber | Request Now
Is it another family drama?? IT IS! 

Amani Hamdan, recent divorcee and poet, discovers a mysterious poem written by her deceased grandmother. Coincidentally, an invitation arrives for her father, Gabe, to return to his native home in Jordan for a fencing demonstration alongside the king. Amani convinces her father to accept and accompanies him, making it her first trip there. Once in Jordan, Amani hopes to discover more about the mysterious poem but ends up learning a whole slew of family secrets. 

Set in the mid-90's, Abu-Jaber captures the tenuous role of Jordan while telling a resonant and perceptive story about family. 

Staff Picks: Bored? Games!

Thu, 01/23/2025 - 5:26pm by ohheyitselle

There's nothing like gathering up with family or friends to play a nice lil game... but sometimes playing Monopoly just won't do! So PASS GO and try something new! 

Mysterium | Request Now

If Clue and Dixit had a baby, it would be this game! Players get to work together trying to solve a murder based on suspect, location, and weapon by getting hints from the "ghost"... and by "ghost" we mean another player who can only communicate via illustrated cards. 

Playing as the ghost and as the psychic investigators are completely different experiences, giving this game some major replay-ability! 

Sushi Go!  | Request Now

This fast paced, card passing game is an absolute delight to play... plus it just plain cute! Gather the best sushi dishes (and dessert) to accumulate the most points! This is a perfect quick game to play a few rounds of, so you'll have plenty of chances to win. 

The only downside? It'll certainly make you hungry. 

Letter Jam  | Request Now

Wordle, meet a board game format.
Letter Jam, meet AADL patrons. 

Each player has a secret 5-letter word in front of them (made by another player). The goal of the game is to guess the the word in front of you based on words the other players create. This is a cooperative game so everyone is a winner... or a loser... but still a winner to us. 

Everdell | Request Now

Turtles and Bunnies and Squirrels- OH MY! 

Players will work their way though the seasons to make sure their little critter cities are established enough to make it through the winter! This game is easy to learn, but the more comfortable you are playing it, the more depth you can add to your strategy making for interesting replays. 

The artwork in this game is stunning and cozy... so what are you waiting for??? Time is a-ticking!!!! 

Staff Picks: Spruce Up Your Living Space

Thu, 01/23/2025 - 1:38pm by eapearce

Making changes to the space you live in can seem daunting—and sometimes expensive! But it doesn’t always have to be. Lots of new books have come out in recent years with simple, easily employed ideas for ways to make little changes to a variety of areas in your home, whether it’s de-cluttering your kitchen countertops, adding colors to your bedroom that promote sleep and relaxation, cozy-ing up your living room or adding a plant or a piece of art in just the right spot. Check out one of the below titles to get you started if the space where you spend your days needs a little change or two!

House + Love = Home: Creating Warm, Intentional Spaces for a Beautiful Life, by Jenny Marrs | Request Now
Marrs and her husband Dave are the hosts of the popular HGTV show Fixer to Fabulous, on which they’ve re-built and remodeled hundreds of homes with the goal of having each house reflect the intentions and lifestyle of its inhabitants. In her book, Marrs shares what she has learned over the years so that readers too, can employ her techniques and ideas to make their homes a reflection of who they are and how they live their lives. The book focuses on specific aspects of the home, from lighting and light fixtures, to flooring and rugs, and emphasizes that “perfection is never the goal” when designing your home; instead, “living well is.” Readers will find inspiration in the many photos of the Marrs’ home, along with photos of a variety of different homes that they have helped design and decorate over the years.

Weekend Refresh: Home Design in 48 Hours or Less | Request Now
Home design and decoration can take a lot of time, and not everyone has a great deal of that to spare! If you lead a busy life and are daunted by trying to find the time to make changes to your home, check out Weekend Refresh! The book offers 65 different ideas for relatively easy ways to spruce up your home. If you’re looking to enhance curb appeal, try painting your front door a new color or installing a window box or two. If your kitchen is small and cramped, jazz it up with an easy-to-install backsplash or save space with a wall-mounted folding table. There are also tips for decorating with house plants, maximizing your space and keeping things clean and tidy. This is a great book full of ideas for homes of any size and for folks with even minimal DIY-skill levels—there’s no shame in that!

My Hygge Home: How to Make Home Your Happy Place, by Meik Wiking | Request Now
You’re likely familiar with the Danish word “hygge,” which translates to “a cozy and contented mood evoked by comfort and conviviality.” Much of what we think of as Scandinavian design aims to create a feeling of hygge, and you can feel hygge in your home, too, with the aid of this fun book. Wiking draws on tips from The Happiness Institute (he’s the CEO), based in Copenhagen, and on the lifestyles of people in Scandinavian countries to share ideas for how to create comfort and joy in your home, regardless of your budget or available space. The Library Journal review from when My Hygge Home was published in 2022 may summarize this delightful volume best: “It covers the why and the how in thorough detail, and it is brimful of practical and specific design ideas, tips, advice, summaries, and checklists. It goes beyond home design to embrace lifestyles with recommendations, such as cooking a slow dish or growing one's own food to slow down and center oneself. This book is engaging, informative, timely, and inspirational, all in one.” This writer enjoyed the book so much that I actually purchased it (after checking it out from the library of course!) to keep on my coffee table and reference whenever I feel that I need a little extra comfort and peace in my life.

Your Space Made Simple: Recipes for Approachable, Affordable and Sustainable Interior Design, by Ariel Magidson | Request Now
Magidson is a professional decorator and offers behind-the-scenes looks at interior design strategies in her lovely book. She bases her designing techniques on having customers—and in the book, readers—list their daily habits and then offers suggestions for how to shape living spaces around those day-to-day activities. Each type of room in the home receives its own chapter in the book, making it easy for readers to flip through and focus on the room or rooms that they personally are working on. The book also offers helpful diagrams and a huge variety of photos for inspiration. Magidson emphasizes sustainability in her design styles, which comes through in the book in her suggestions for reusing and recycling materials and for working with sustainable materials when purchasing new. She also focuses on accessibility, cultural appropriation and social justice concepts in decorating, and it’s refreshing to see often-overlooked concepts in this genre discussed. This book may be best for folks embarking on larger design projects, but anyone can enjoy getting inspiration from a flip-through!

Staff Picks: Cozy SciFi

Thu, 01/23/2025 - 10:56am by audreyh

Science Fiction has a long history of exploring our fears about changes in the present and extrapolating them into an imagined world that is different from our own, often delivering dark warnings about the unexpected consequences of new technologies or societal choices along the way. These books take a different approach and, while there is some scary stuff floating around, focus in on characters and their individual journeys. Underlying all of these books is the promise that, in the end, everything will be okay. The result is a pleasantly cozy reading experience, a perfect tonic for the short, cold days of deep space winter. 

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers | Request Now

Rosemary Harper is leaving it all behind by any means possible (who hasn't been there once or twice?). She doesn’t expect much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer. While the patched-up ship has seen better days, it offers her a bed, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and most importantly, some distance from her past. In the far reaches of deep space, the tiny Wayfarer crew will confront a host of unexpected mishaps and thrilling adventures that force them to depend on each other. To survive, Rosemary’s got to learn how to rely on this assortment of oddballs—an experience that teaches her about love and trust, and that having a family isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the universe.

The Stars Too Fondly by Emily Hamilton | Request Now

A group of precocious teens accidentally steal a spaceship. As they try to figure out a way home they must contend with the AI ghost of the former captain and solve the mystery of the crew’s disappearance 50 years ago. Also, romance! All of your favorite things, in space. 

Lying somewhere in the subspace between science fantasy and sapphic rom-com, The Stars Too Fondly is a soaring near-future adventure about dark matter and alternate dimensions, leaving home and finding family, and the galaxy-saving power of letting yourself love and be loved.

Space Opera by Catherynne Valente | Request Now

After a galactic war tore intelligent space life apart, the powers that be decreed that MUSIC would be a balm for all souls. After all, nothing brings people together like music. And this year is the year that humanity bursts onto the scene, having recently caught up with everyone else and discovered space travel. While humans expected to discover a grand drama of diplomacy, gunships, wormholes, and stoic councils of aliens, they have instead found glitter, lipstick, and electric guitars. Mankind will not get to fight for its destiny—they must sing.

Decibel Jones and the Absolute Zeroes have been chosen to represent their planet on the greatest stage in the galaxy. And the fate of Earth lies in their ability to rock.

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki | Request Now

I loved this book, in fact it was one of my favorite books of 2024. It's about a bargain with a devil, the heart and soul of art, space donuts, and love. And the messiness of being human, family, and figuring out what is worth fighting for. It's an incredible book. 

Shizuka Satomi has made a deal to deliver the souls of seven violin prodigies to the devil. She has already delivered six. But Shizuka doesn't deliver just any old soul and she's looking for the perfect person to be her final prodigy. Enter Katrina Nguyen, a transgender runaway with tremendous talent. 

But in a donut shop off a bustling highway in the San Gabriel Valley, Shizuka meets Lan Tran, retired starship captain, interstellar refugee, and mother of four. Shizuka doesn't have time for crushes or coffee dates, what with her very soul on the line, but Lan's kind smile and eyes like stars might just redefine a soul's worth.

As the lives of these three women become entangled by chance and fate, a story of magic, identity, curses, and hope begins, and a family worth crossing the universe for is found.

Peri Peri Paprika by Leanne Su | Request Now

This gem was written by a local author and published by our very own Fifth Avenue Press! You can find it as a download in our catalog if you prefer to read an ebook. 

Moss is sleepwalking through her life as a pilot aboard the Rusty Raccoon, a trash collection ship traveling through interstellar space. When she stumbles across her supervisor Turnip attempting to flee the ship, she's forced to wake up and start making choices about her life. By happenstance and Moss's own hesitant cooperation, Turnip technically kidnaps Moss-legally speaking-launching the pair into a true space adventure. Using Turnip's engineering know-how and Moss's piloting expertise, they travel through the stars, stealing ships from the rich, dodging the Galactic United Peace Patrol Implementers, and enjoying all the absurdity that the universe has to offer. Moss doesn't know where Turnip is taking them, but discovering herself along the way is a worthy exchange.

Staff Picks: Folk Fest Favorites

Mon, 01/20/2025 - 4:31pm by Sara W

The Ark's annual Ann Arbor Folk Fest has brought stellar lineups of performers to town for 48 years now. Here's a look at some albums from a few of the artists who made appearances or are scheduled for  this year's festival! Happy listening!

The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers by Valerie June | Request Now

This album by folk-soul singer Valerie June features deep, perceptive expressions of love, loss, and the passage of time with her trademark mountain music flavor. The emotions captured here makes this a heftier listening experience than her delightful debut Pushin' Against a Stone, making it perfect company for a cold winter evening. Valerie June performed at the 2023 Ann Arbor Folk Festival.

Urban Driftwood by Yasmin Williams | Request Now

Multi-instrumentalist Yasmin Williams' incredible compositions include her simultaneous use of her voice, guitar or banjo, percussion instrument, and the rhythm of her tap shoe-clad feet. That one person can make so much happen at once, so seamlessly is a totally transporting experience. She pushes yet more limits on her 2024 album Acadia, which slips a little further from the folk foundations of her earlier recordings and into an atmospheric, almost meditative state in its later instrumental tracks. Yasmin Williams also performed at the 2023 Ann Arbor Folk Festival.

50 Years of Blonde on Blonde by The Old Crow Medicine Show | Request Now

This is Bob Dylan's beloved Blonde on Blonde album performed by Old Crow Medicine Show - if Dylan had been raised in an Appalachian holler, the original might have sounded a little something like this. Songs like "Visions of Johanna" take on a new dimension of timelessness, while the clamor of "Rainy Day Women #12 and 35" feels right at home with everything this old-time string band brings into it. Old Crow Medicine Show performed at the 2024 Ann Arbor Folk Festival and founding member Ketch Secor will emcee the 2025 festival. 

Tigers Blood by Waxahatchee | Request Now

Katie Crutchfield, the singer-songwriter who performs as Waxahatchee, moves deeper into folk rock/roots territory with Tigers Blood. Her precise, confessional lyrics bring a determination and earnestness balanced out by the natural, almost-casual perfection of the harmonies between Crutchfield and her collaborator MJ Lenderman. Her spare, lamenting EP Great Thunder, featuring the unshakeable song "Chapel of Pines," is available as part of AADL's vinyl collection. Tigers Blood is up for Best Americana Album at the 2025 Grammy Awards and Waxahatchee will perform at the 2025 Ann Arbor Folk Festival.

Staff Picks: Mystery Movies with a Twist

Mon, 01/20/2025 - 10:13am by SaraP

Most like their mysteries with a little something shocking—an unexpected plot twist, or a pinch of narrative surprise. Have fun puzzling out one of these newer films, or rewatching an old fave. One thing’s for certain: each one of these is to die for!

Knives Out | Request DVD or Request Blu-Ray
It’s an Agatha-Christie-style whodunit with bright splashes of comedy and a fresh take on characters. A big old house on a sprawling estate serves as backdrop to a humdinger of a family dinner party. Things go south the next morning and the Thrombey clan are given a run for their ample money. Truth, lies, alibis (and a little vomit) fly, as Daniel Craig leads a top-notch ensemble cast through this twisty romp of a mystery. And did I mention Craig’s ridiculous southern accent—he’s having as much fun as I did watching the movie.

Missing | Request DVD 
Did you miss Missing in 2023? Well don’t miss it now! It’s an edge of the seat thriller that will keep you guessing when Storm Reid’s mom, Nia Long, goes missing. Not exactly a sequel to Searching (2018), but sitting comfortably beside it, Reid deftly acts the part of a tech-whiz 20-something racing to find her mom and uncovering a web of secrets along the way.

Clue | Request DVD or Request Blu-Ray
No chance you missed this madcap cult classic (right??), but it’s always worth a re-watch! Cozy up on a dark cold night and laugh your buttered popcorn off. There’s no lack of clues here, and yet there’s always at least one thing I don’t understand. Whether it’s the multiple endings, the number of bullets, the number of corpses for that matter—two corpses, everything’s fine—or why the car stopped, I’m sure of one thing and it’s who should watch this ASAP: it’s YOU! 

Motherless Brooklyn | Request DVD or Request Blu-Ray
If settling in for noir-inspired, politically meaty fare is more your style, then sink your teeth into Motherless Brooklyn. Don’t let the box office numbers fool you, there’s a lot of extremely solid acting from leads Edward Norton, who also directs, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Norton investigates the murder of his mentor. Alec Baldwin takes a turn as the scuzziest of powerful con-men. As Norton is drawn into a network of corruption in 1950s Brooklyn and Harlem, the real twist here is watching Norton’s character turn his Tourrettes-battered mind into a tour-de-force.

Staff Picks: Indoor Plant Guides

Fri, 01/17/2025 - 1:35pm by lucroe

With winter fully upon us, it is time to turn the gardener in us to our often neglected indoor plants. The following is just a smattering of tips available in AADL's collection to keep all of your plants alive and healthy through the cold weather and beyond.

The New Plant Parent by Darryl Cheng | Request Now
Cheng suggests that instead of just giving quick solutions to plant issues, plant parents should deeply understand how plants grow by gaining knowledge and observing them. He emphasizes that plants need light to survive. Based on the light plants receive, they can be either starving or healthy. To assess this, Cheng advises people to view things from the plant's perspective. He describes different types of light: direct, bright-indirect, and low light and mentions that all plants benefit from seeing daytime sky. Additionally, he connects light to water needs, explaining that a plant in good light requires more water, which varies monthly. The more you learn about how plants exist in their natural habitats, the better we care for them. If you like his book, check out his newest one, the New Plant Collector where those of us more familiar with their care, can get serious about the rare and unusual varieties. Here he presents care guides for such beauties as Alocasia, Hoya, Monstera as well as a variety of succulents.

Living Wild : How to Plant Style Your Home & Cultivate Happiness by Hilton Carter | Request Now
The interior stylist and plant-fluencer (read about his PBS special recorded in Ferndale, MI here) brings his fourth book to those who are ready to go beyond the basics. He takes a deep dive into colors, textures, and statement-making combinations. Along the way, he takes readers into eight lush homes that he styled, including his own. So if you are looking for a book that takes interior design to the next level with living art as its focus, and of course gorgeous photography throughout, then this is your book. Then once you’ve immersed yourself in decorating with the plants you have, you may want to turn to adding more plants utilizing his book, The Propagation Handbook, his latest addition. As he states in the beginning of the book, plant propagation is “the gift that keeps on giving,” All the whys to propagating (its free!) to the methods of doing so like stem, tip, or leaf cuttings on soil or root cuttings in water. He also goes into soil blends, container types, and tools to use for propagation. 

What is my Plant Telling me? by Emily L. Hay Hinsdale | Request Now 
Why are those leaves browning or yellowing or just dropping off? Will this plant thrive better in a southwest facing window? Low or high light or just a hint? This book covers the care of 50 common houseplants in alpha order A (African violet) to Z (ZZ plant). Great for beginners. Her other book is another great gift for the absolute beginner to indoor gardening called Never Put a Cactus in the Bathroom. This book goes over the basics of easy indoor plant care like the best lighting, watering tips, and best plants for different places in your home.

Grow in the Dark: How to Choose and Care for Low-Light Houseplants by Lisa E. Steinkopf | Request Now
Another great book for indoor plant novices especially for those that lack sunny windows in their home or office. If both points are about you, this book is a great place to start. It has 50 low- to medium-light plants and instructions on caring for them. The guide is dedicated to the best plants to grow in a dim or dark room. The author, Lisa Eldred-Steinkopf, reveals the information she has gathered from caring for her home jungle of more than 1,000 indoor plants. The reader will also learn which houseplants are safe to keep near pets.

Fabulous Fiction Firsts #847, Author! Author!

Sat, 01/11/2025 - 4:55pm by muffy

The Three Lives of Cate Kay * * * (also in downloadable eBook and audiobook), debut novel by Emmy Award-winning sports journalist (and a former WNBL player) Kate Fagan, is one of the most anticipated releases in the new year, and the January pick of Reese’s Book Club.

Bestselling novelist Cate Kay, elusive author of the blockbuster trilogy The Very Best is about to discover how hard the media is trying to expose her, with the filming of the series adaptation about to begin, starring the current ‘it” girl Ryan Channing. The narrative, framed as Kay's unpublished memoir, gradually unravels her story. 

Anne Marie (called Annie) raised by a single mother in upstate New York, shared the dream of escaping to Hollywood with best friend and fellow thespian Amanda, after high school. A tragic accident the night before their departure forced Annie to travel alone, taking on the identity of Cass Ford, falling in with an ambitious law student named Sydney Collins. The pair moved to New York City and Cass began writing while working as a barista. 

“The story is presented as Cate Kay's memoir and sprinkled with her own footnotes, but it also offers brief chapters from the first-person viewpoints of many other characters, implying that Cass has reached out to them for their perspectives. Through this documentary-like setup, author Fagan is able to round out the picture of Annie/Cass/Cate and the way she's coped with various traumas. “(Kirkus Reviews)

“Though the pace is leisurely, the tension of the story is taut and explores how ambitions clash with genuine connection and test the humanity of compassionate relationships. It is intimate and personal and digs into the often-opaque motivations of its characters. At its heart, it is about how we deal--or don't deal--when tragedy strikes. Fagan's (All the Colors Came Out, 2021) journalism-honed observational skills make her fiction debut shine.” (Booklist) 

* * * = 3 starred reviews