Blog Post
National Library Week
by ngop
Starting Sunday, April 8th, National Library Week will be celebrated! Since 1958, National Library Week focuses on the promotion of library use and support. Within this week, National Library Workers Day will be celebrated on the 10th and Take Action for Libraries Day on the 12th.
Be sure to check out the events page to see what is happening here at the library. There will be a concert with Paul VornHagen & The American Songbook of Jazz in the multi-purpose room on April 11th. I hope to see you there!
Blog Post
Wednesdays at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market
by mbt
Wednesdays at The Ann Arbor Farmers Market will start up again in May. I always enjoy the weekday version of the outdoor market. Maybe it is because I have such fond memories of taking my kids there when they were young. Wednesday morning market days were full of parents and kids leisurely wandering around, usually ending up at the Zingerman's play area, everyone with a coffee in hand. I'm sure the tradition carries on, fifteen years later.
So, thinking about the Wednesday market opening soon, I started looking at Ann Arbor Fresh: Recipes and Stories from the Ann Arbor Farmer's Market and the Kerrytown Historic District. Flipping through the pages I noticed that it was published in 1998, but I quickly realized that it doesn't matter that the book is twenty years old. The idea behind the book is that recipes that were shared by the growers or by folks involved in the market, utilized ingredients found in the Kerrytown market area, both indoors and out. The opening paragraph of the preface, written by Raquel B. Agranoff, could have easily been written today. As she describes the variety of things available at the market and how "the Ann Arbor Farmer's Market is not simply a twice a week place where we savor, sniff and taste. It is a place to greet friends, to plan a meal, to buy a treat, to meander," I am transported back to those carefree Wednesday mornings, kids in tow, ready for a market adventure.
Blog Post
National School Librarian Day
by ngop
Today is National School Librarian Day! To all our school librarians, thank you for spending the time providing resources to children for their learning and keeping the library organized. Without you, the learning environment at school would be very different.
A good way to observe the day is to tell your school librarian, "Thank you!"
Blog Post
Migrant - by José Manuel Mateo -
by -alex-
Drawing inspiration from ancient Aztec art, Migrant puts a human face on illegal immigration by telling the story of a family's journey from a small village to Los Angeles. Seen through the eyes of a young child, the story follows the child, his or her sister, and their mother as they struggle with economic dislocation, shattered family bonds, and an ambiguous, uncertain future.
The format of this book is extraordinary. The action plays out in one one long, continuous illustration, which unfolds like an accordion. Text runs along the left - in English on one side, and Spanish on the reverse. The imagery is brooding, intricate, and deeply moving. While the material is definitely heavy, the story is beautifully told. Migrant will be equally engaging for children and adults. Follow the link for a review via Hyperallergic. You'll find Migrant in our youth picture book section.
Blog Post
Lenin on the Train - by Catherine Merridale -
by -alex-
Vladimir Lenin's 1917 train ride from Switzerland to Russia is one of the pivotal moments in Russian history - and also one of the most misunderstood. Lenin on the Train explores Lenin's personal journey as he hurtles across Europe in a desperate effort to reach the streets of St. Petersburg before the revolution passes him by.
The book also delves deep into the wider world Lenin inhabited. Europe is deeply mired in World War I when the people of St. Petersburg rise up against the Tsar. Foreign powers conspire, while the forces within Russian society threaten to tear the nation apart. Catherine Merridale writes vividly and breathes new life into the material. Lenin on the Train is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat.
Blog Post
Fabulous Fiction Firsts #663, “(C)hoice, not chance, determines your destiny.” ~ Aristotle
by muffy
Israeli bestselling-author Yoav Blum’s English-language debut The Coincidence Makers, * “artfully blend(s) elements of thriller, romance, and fantasy.” (Booklist)
Eric, Emily, and Guy are secret agents, trained in orchestrating life-changing encounters for their targets. They think of themselves as “creators of possibilities, givers of hints, winkers of tempting winks, discoverers of options”.
They each have specialties (Guy's in matchmaking). New assignments are slipped under their apartment doors, and the latest one, being of the highest level in complexity and danger, has Guy in a moral quandary. Asked to work above his pay grade (and expertise) on a mission that could alter world history, Guy must decide if he could ignore his conscience and get the job done. In the meantime, Emily, frustrated by unrequited love, arranges a personal coincidence to devastating consequences. As the plot hurtles towards a stunning conclusion, layers of deception and orchestrated coincidences are revealed, and lives are forever changed.
A good choice for book groups interested in exploring issues of chance vs. fate, and free will. “Blum's clever, original piece of speculative fiction may appeal to fans Alice Hoffman and Paulo Coehlo.” (Library Journal)
* = Starred review
Blog Post
Unbored
by ngop
I discovered a book in the youth section called Unbored by Elizabeth Larson and Joshua Glenn. Unbored is a great guide for introducing different activities and hobbies for people that have free time (like me). Although it is geared towards children and families, that doesn't mean any adult or teen could not enjoy it!
The guidebook has vibrant designs and illustrations with activities that are actually fun and doable. This book is a great way to teach anyone to do things. Some activities include stop-action movie-making, skateboard repair, geocaching, and blogging. It's a definite must for parents since summer is coming soon.
Check out Unbored Games and Unbored Adventure as well. They rock!
Blog Post
Fabulous Fiction Firsts #662, “When all else fails, give up and go to the library. " ~ Stephen King
by muffy
Rhodes Scholar and Guggenheim fellow, Sue Halper sets her fiction debut Summer Hours at the Robbers Library * * in Riverton, NH, a once prosperous mill town now in decline. The public library, a gift from local business mogul Albert Robers (drawing comparison to Andrew Carnegie of the "Robber" baron fame) is a beacon for lost souls, being the only well-maintained building in town.
There is Kit, the librarian, acerbic and secretive, seeking solitude and anonymity from a traumatic past; Sunny, the 15 year-old juvenile offender, sentenced to community service at the library for shoplifting a dictionary; and Rusty, a Wall Street high-roller, adrift without a parachute, hanging onto the library’s wifi connection as if a lifeline. Over the course of a summer, these individuals will come to realize that family is not a matter of blood, but those who will stand by you in adversity. (* * = 2 starred reviews)
Suggested read-alike - Felicity Hayes-McCoy's U.S. debut The Library at the Edge of the World, where a librarian must find a way to rebuild her community and her own life on Ireland’s stunning West Coast.
Blog Post
Picture Books For Spring!
by mbt
It doesn't feel like spring yet, so here are a few picture books that you and your little one can cozy up with until the warm weather arrives!
Finding Spring by Carin Berger
Bunny's First Spring by Sally Loyd-Jones
Blog Post
Fabulous Fiction Firsts #661, British Debut Thrillers
by muffy
In The French Girl by Lexie Elliott, the decade after six Oxford friends spent a summer week at a Dordogne farmhouse, life took them in different directions. Their reunion is marred by the arrival of a French detective reopening a missing person's case upon discovery of Severine's (their neighbor) body in the well behind the farmhouse.
As the friends are being questioned, Kate Channing, a legal recruiter, appears to have an obvious motive. Her then boyfriend Seb(astian), had slept with the missing girl.
“As the narrator, Kate is smart, funny, and attractive, with some confidence issues, making her relatable...As the detective continues to dig, the shifting dynamics within the group will keep the reader guessing until the end. First novelist Elliott has done a phenomenal job of combining a whodunit with a Big Chill vibe.” (Library Journal)
The Chalk Man by C. J. Tudor is "an absorbing debut with a well-crafted mystery and a solid dose of Stand by Me creepiness” (Booklist)
In the summer of 1986, 12-year-old Eddie Adams and his friends rode their bikes all over the village of Anderbury looking for excitement, and leaving secret messages for each other with chalk stick figures. Their game turned deadly when chalk figures led them to the dismembered body of a local girl. Though the police lacked solid evidence, suspicion drove their new teacher Mr. Halloran to suicide.
30 years later, thinking the past is behind them, Eddie and his friends start getting chalk figure messages in the mail. When the only person who claims to know the identity of the killer turns up dead, Eddie realizes to save himself means figuring out what really happened all those years ago.
“Taut plotting, smooth writing, and a compelling premise will satisfy fans of Jo Nesbø, Camilla Läckberg, and Tana French.” (Library Journal)