Staff Picks: Level-Up Your Lunch!

Thu, 08/24/2023 - 4:25pm by emjane

Whether the start of the school year means you’re packing lunches for the kids in your life or if you just want to get out of a packed lunch slump yourself, I’ve got great news. There are books that can help! And we have a LOT of them! Here are four favorites:

Lunchbox by Marnie Hanel and Jen Stevenson | Request Now

It’s so easy to get in a rut with packing kids’ lunches; heck, once that responsibility got passed on to me as a student, I literally packed the same peanut butter crackers, apple, and carrots every single day. So often, you just need a reminder of other items that pack easily, and Hanel & Stevenson are the perfect duo to remind you! Their basic lunchbox formula is “Fruit, Vegetable, Main, Crunchy Snack, Protein Snack, Tiny Treat” and they give enough suggestions of these to make 478! different lunches (that’s 478 factorial, not merely 478 options). Their photos of colorful lunches serve as a great inspiration, and if you’ve got a kid in your life who might have fun helping to pack their own lunches, going through this book together could be a fun project to last all the way through the school year!  

Staff Picks: Teen Halloween Comics

Mon, 08/21/2023 - 10:15am by nicole

Spooky season is upon us, which means it's time for windy weather, scary stories, and pumpkin-everything. These comics from AADL's teen section are full of pumpkins, monsters, and all the fall vibes you'll need to get in the Halloween spirit.

Pumpkinheads, by Rainbow Rowell | Request Now

This lighthearted read follows Deja and Josiah, seasonal best friends who work together every autumn at the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world. They say good-bye each Halloween, and are reunited every September 1. But this Halloween is different: Josiah and Deja are finally high school seniors, and this is their last season at the pumpkin patch. Their last shift together. Their last good-bye. Josiah's ready to spend the whole night moping about it, but Deja isn't ready to let him. She's got a plan: What if they went out with a bang? They could see all the sights! Taste all the snacks! And Josiah could finally talk to that cute girl he's been mooning over for years. What if their last shift at the pumpkin patch was an adventure?

Reimagining Classic Tales

Sun, 08/20/2023 - 6:49pm by lucroe

For centuries, in every corner of the globe, people have shared fairy tales, myths, & legends. It is not surprising that these stories still generate so much interest with the plethora of modern retellings and reimaginings available today. Here are just a few of the many books in our collection in which contemporary writers retell some classic tales.

My Mother she Killed me, my Father he ate me : Forty new Fairy Tales | Request Now

Here is a great anthology of 40 contemporary retellings of fairy tales and legends from around the world written by some well-known authors, like Neil Gaiman and Joyce Carol Oates, as well as some not as known in the U.S., like Hiromi Itō and Ilya Kaminsky. While some are obvious in the tale they are retelling, like Oates’ Blue-bearded Lover or Francine Prose’s take on Hansel & Gretel, others are not. Luckily an afterword is provided following each story that sheds some light on the story itself and the choices the author made when writing it. Other retellings include the Baba Yaga character from Russian lore to folktales from Vietnam and Mexico.

Staff Picks: Great Graphic Memoirs

Fri, 08/18/2023 - 12:14pm by nicole

If you're into facts, but don't have the attention span for long nonfiction books, AADL has tons of nonfiction comics to choose from. The perfect blend of words and art, these graphic memoirs will pull you in with their vivid images and deeply personal stories:

Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands, by Kate Beaton | Request Now

Katie heads out west to take advantage of Alberta's oil rush-part of the long tradition of East Coasters who seek gainful employment elsewhere when they can't find it in the homeland they love so much. Katie encounters the harsh reality of life in the oil sands, where trauma is an everyday occurrence yet is never discussed. Beaton's natural cartooning prowess is on full display as she draws colossal machinery and mammoth vehicles set against a sublime Albertan backdrop of wildlife, northern lights, and boreal forest. Her first full length graphic narrative, Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands is an untold story of Canada: a country that prides itself on its egalitarian ethos and natural beauty while simultaneously exploiting both the riches of its land and the humanity of its people. Readers should be aware this story deals with themes of sexual assault.

Staff Picks: Read the Book, Meet the Author: A2 Community Bookfest

Thu, 08/17/2023 - 12:43pm by emjane

What’s better than reading a great book? Reading a great book and then getting to see the author IN REAL LIFE!! 

Lucky for all of us, we’ve got a wonderful slate of authors coming as part of the A2 Community Bookfest on Sunday, September 10. Read one of these books in anticipation of the event or take advantage of the chance to pick up a signed copy in September!

Lies and Other Love Languages by Sonali Dev | Request Now | Hear Sonali Speak

Staff Picks: Anticipated Late-Summer Fiction Releases

Tue, 08/15/2023 - 2:54pm by eapearce

Late summer and early fall are great times for book publication! There are lots of highly anticipated titles from beloved authors that have either just been released or are coming out in the next month or so. AADL often pre-orders books so that you can put your name on the hold list before the title is officially published! Check out some suggestions for exciting upcoming releases below, and add your name to the waitlist.

The Fraud, by Zadie Smith | Request Now

Acclaimed and bestselling author Smith has written a new historical fiction novel based on real events. Set in 1873, a legal trial is about to divide Victorian England, and raise questions about who is allowed to tell their side of a story and who is believed. Eliza Touchet is the cousin of famous novelist William Ainsworth. Eliza has lots of interests and is well-connected to writers and artists of the time, but she is skeptical of many of them. She questions Ainsworth’s talent, she considers Charles Dickens a bully, and she thinks the literary world of England is mostly a facade. Andrew Bogle grew up enslaved on a plantation in Jamaica, but eventually finds himself in London as the star witness in a case of imposture: a lower-class butcher is claiming that he is in fact the rightful heir of a sizable estate and title. Andrew knows that his future depends on him telling the “right” story–but what is the right story? As Eliza and Andrew’s worlds collide, and the rest of England becomes enthralled with the trial, questions of self-deception and what is really true become increasingly complicated. Publisher Penguin Random House calls The Fraud, “ a dazzling novel about truth and fiction, Jamaica and Britain, fraudulence and authenticity and the mystery of ‘other people.’”

Staff Picks: Look Up For The Perseid Meteor Shower!

Sat, 07/29/2023 - 12:25pm by lucroe

The Perseid meteor shower will peak from August 11-13. Learn about the science behind this phenomenon to enhance your viewing experience. Explore the universe, our place in it, and the wonders of the night sky with titles from the Library's collection including streaming video content which can be found here.

Impact :  How Rocks From Space Led to Life, Culture, and Donkey Kong by Greg Brennecka | Request Now

Staff Picks: Beach Reads For Your August

Wed, 07/26/2023 - 12:51pm by eapearce

Ah, August… we cling on to the last month of summer before school starts back up, before football season begins, before cooler temperatures start to breeze through on occasion. There’s still plenty of summer left, and what better time to grab a good old fashioned beach read, plop down in a sun chair and just relax? Here are a few suggestions for you!

Meant to Be, by Emily Giffin | Request Now

Bestselling author Emily Giffin’s latest was published last year, which makes it perfect for a beach read this summer since the hold list has gone down! Meant to Be is loosely based on the story of John F. Kennedy, Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. Giffin is a longtime Kennedy family fan and history buff, and wanted to reimagine the complicated love story between the two as well as their tragic deaths in a plane crash. In the book, Joseph S. Kingsley, Jr. inherits both the family helm and the family wealth when his father dies in a tragic accident. A free spirit, he struggles to take on his new role and meet his mother’s expectations for a life in politics. Meanwhile, Cate Cooper grew up in a challenging household, fending for herself. Discovered at age 16 by a modeling agency, she skyrockets to fame, with her face on billboards and in magazines. Yet she feels like a fraud in her glamorous new world, struggling to move beyond the trauma in her past. When Joseph and Cate meet, they have an instant connection, but there’s lots of work to be done if their relationship can survive the glare of media attention and the so-called “Kingsley curse.” This charming love story is a surprising page-turner that will really have readers rooting for John and Caroyln, er, Joseph and Cate.

Staff Picks: Great Books from 2022 You Might Have Missed

Mon, 07/24/2023 - 2:49pm by emjane

Countless amazing and meaningful books come out EVERY YEAR and it is IMPOSSIBLE to read them all. Maybe you missed hearing about a title. Maybe you peeped at the hold-list and thought “another time.” That time is now: here are four great books that came out in 2022 that are worth circling back for!

Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson | Request Now

The 1920s roared in London as well, as highlighted in Kate Atkinson’s latest Shrines of Gaiety! Centered around the family and nightclubs of proprietor Nellie Coker, Shrines of Gaiety jumps between multiple perspectives, giving the reader insight into both sides of the nightclub life: the rich family that runs them and the police force that attempts to keep them in check. Throw in a mystery of a once-librarian trying to find a missing girl, and you’ve got a real page-turner! Compared to some of Atkinson’s other (beautiful) books, Shrines has a somewhat lighter tone, and I didn’t mind not having to cope with literary heartbreak! 

Staff Picks: Shark Week Celebration

Tue, 07/11/2023 - 9:11am by lucroe

Did you know sharks have been around for 455 million years and have survived 5 mass extinction events? There are currently more than 465 known species of shark. Unfortunately, humans kill some 100 million sharks per year and one in four shark species are threatened with extinction due to human activities. It seems they have more to fear from us than the other way around. To continue understanding these predators of the sea, the library has some streaming videos here, as well as some DVDs you can check out here. To continue shark week beyond once a year, check out these books:

Shark : : why we Need to Save the World's Most Misunderstood Predator by Paul de Gelder | Request Now
Noted Australian diver and shark attack survivor (he lost part of an arm & leg), de Gelder writes about the need for better understanding of sharks and the need to protect them. He often shares his love of all things shark during Discovery Channel’s Shark Week. This book covers in short bites (no pun intended!) information about a variety of sharks including their evolution, feeding habits, & anatomy as well as what needs to be done to save those on the edge of extinction. From the smallest shark to largest (lantern shark about 8 inches to whale shark about 60 ft), this is a great guide to a this misunderstood fish.