Genealogy Reads – Memoirs

Genealogy Reads – Memoirs

Look for these memoirs at the library. You will be fascinated by these personal stories of genealogy and family history.

  • The Stranger in My Genes: A Memoir by William C. Griffeth
  • Not My Father's Son: A Memoir by Alan Cumming
  • Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love by Dani Shapiro
  • All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley's Sack, a Black Family Keepsake by Tiya Miles
  • American Baby: A Mother, a Child, and the Secret History of Adoption by Gabrielle Glaser
  • White Like Her: My Family's Story of Race and Racial Passing by Gail Lukasik

Discover February’s Library Reads

Discover February’s Library Reads

Winter Reading might be over, but there's still plenty of cold weather left, perfect for cozying up with a good book! As always, we at AAPLD have plenty of suggestions, including this month's Library Reads. If you're not familiar with Library Reads, they're ten new releases chosen by librarians each month as their favorites. Library Reads cover just about every genre, and are a great way to discover authors you might not have read before.
This month's selections include an eerie gothic tale of marriage, lies and secrets, a fun and flirty novel perfect for Dancing With The Stars fans, and the latest from best-selling author Rebecca Makkai; a novel about 20-year-old cold case solved by true crime fans, and it's impact on everyone involved.
Click here to see this month's Library Reads flyer, or stop by the Main Library, where recent Library Reads can be found on the square shelf beside the New Releases display.

Mystery/Horror

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi - Once upon a time, a man who believed in fairy tales married a beautiful, mysterious woman named Indigo Maxwell-Casteñada. He was a scholar of myths. She was heiress to a fortune. They exchanged gifts and stories and believed they would live happily ever after--and in exchange for her love, Indigo extracted a promise: that her bridegroom would never pry into her past.

But when Indigo learns that her estranged aunt is dying and the couple is forced to return to her childhood home, the House of Dreams, the bridegroom will soon find himself unable to resist. For within the crumbling manor's extravagant rooms and musty halls, there lurks the shadow of another girl: Azure, Indigo's dearest childhood friend who suddenly disappeared. As the house slowly reveals his wife's secrets, the bridegroom will be forced to choose between reality and fantasy, even if doing so threatens to destroy their marriage . . . or their lives.

Combining the lush, haunting atmosphere of Mexican Gothic with the dreamy enchantment of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is a spellbinding and darkly romantic page-turner about love and lies, secrets and betrayal, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive.

Romance

Take The Lead by Alexis Daria - Gina Morales wants to make it big. In her four seasons on The Dance Off, she’s never even made it to the finals. But her latest partner, the sexy star of an Alaskan wilderness show, could be her chance. Who knew the strong, silent, survivalist-type had moves like that? She thinks Stone Nielson is her ticket to win it all—until her producer makes it clear they’re being set up for a showmance.

Joining a celebrity dance competition is the last thing Stone wants. However, he’ll endure anything to help his family, even as he fears revealing their secrets. While the fast pace of Los Angeles makes him long for the peace and privacy of home, he can’t hide his growing attraction for his dance partner. Neither wants to fake a romance for the cameras, but the explosive chemistry that flares between them is undeniable.

As Stone and Gina heat up the dance floor, the tabloids catch on to their developing romance. With the spotlight threatening to ruin everything, will they choose fame and fortune, or let love take the lead?

Mystery

I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai - A successful film professor and podcaster, Bodie Kane is content to forget her past—the family tragedy that marred her adolescence, her four largely miserable years at a New Hampshire boarding school, and the murder of her former roommate, Thalia Keith, in the spring of their senior year. Though the circumstances surrounding Thalia’s death and the conviction of the school’s athletic trainer, Omar Evans, are hotly debated online, Bodie prefers—needs—to let sleeping dogs lie.

But when the Granby School invites her back to teach a course, Bodie is inexorably drawn to the case and its increasingly apparent flaws. In their rush to convict Omar, did the school and the police overlook other suspects? Is the real killer still out there? As she falls down the very rabbit hole she was so determined to avoid, Bodie begins to wonder if she wasn’t as much of an outsider at Granby as she’d thought—if, perhaps, back in 1995, she knew something that might have held the key to solving the case.

In I Have Some Questions for You, award-winning author Rebecca Makkai has crafted her most irresistible novel yet: a stirring investigation into collective memory and a deeply felt examination of one woman’s reckoning with her past, with a transfixing mystery at its heart. Timely, hypnotic, and populated with a cast of unforgettable characters, I Have Some Questions for You is at once a compulsive page-turner and a literary triumph.

Debut Author!

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz - Alex has all but given up on her dreams of becoming a published author when she receives a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: attend an exclusive, month-long writing retreat at the estate of feminist horror writer Roza Vallo. Even the knowledge that Wren, her former best friend and current rival, is attending doesn’t dampen her excitement.

But when the attendees arrive, Roza drops a bombshell—they must all complete an entire novel from scratch during the next month, and the author of the best one will receive a life-changing seven-figure publishing deal. Determined to win this seemingly impossible contest, Alex buckles down and tries to ignore the strange happenings at the estate, including Roza’s erratic behavior, Wren’s cruel mind games, and the alleged haunting of the mansion itself. But when one of the writers vanishes during a snowstorm, Alex realizes that something very sinister is afoot. With the clock running out, she’s desperate to discover the truth and save herself.

Releases February 21.

Genealogy Goals for the New Year

Genealogy Goals for the New Year

Do you have any research goals for the upcoming year? My #1 goal is to become better organized with my genealogy files, so I have more time to focus on actual genealogy research. If you are like me, you know where everything is, but nobody else alive could find anything or even make sense out of your piles of  genealogy research. Are you ready for a change?

Join us for a virtual presentation with Jacqueline Schattner who will share amazing tips on organizing paper and computer genealogy files using a color coding system. You will also be inspired to organize family heirlooms, photos, and more. This is going to be a game-changer!

Register here

2022 In Review: Overlooked Books

2022 In Review: Overlooked Books

Not every great read of 2022 was a best seller! With hundreds of new books released each month, it's not surprising that some don't get the attention they deserve. Our Overlooked Books display in the Adult Services department gives some of these titles a little extra love. Stop in and browse the selections, and make one part of your Winter Reading. We hope you discover a hidden gem.

 

Psychological Suspense

The End of Getting Lost by Robin Kirman - A psychologically suspenseful, cunning love story following a young dancer unable to recall the last year of her life after suffering a head injury on her honeymoon, revealing an intimate portrait of love’s powers—as well as its dangers.

The year is 1996—a time before cell phones, status updates, and location tags—when you could still travel to a remote corner of the world and disappear, if you chose to do so. This is where we meet Gina Reinhold and Duncan Lowy, a young artistic couple madly in love, traveling around Europe on a romantic adventure. It’s a time both thrilling and dizzying for Gina, whose memories are hazy following a head injury—and the growing sense that the man at her side, her one companion on this strange continent, is keeping secrets from her.

Just what is Duncan hiding and how far will he go to keep their pasts at bay? As the pair hop borders across Europe, their former lives threatening to catch up with them while the truth grows more elusive, we witness how love can lead us astray, and what it means to lose oneself in love.

Historical Fiction

The Leopard Is Loose by Stephen Harrigan - The fragile, 1952 postwar tranquility of a five-year-old boy's world explodes one summer day when a leopard escapes from the zoo, throwing all of Oklahoma City into dangerous excitement, in this evocative story of a child's confrontation with his deepest fears.

For Grady McClarty, an ever-watchful but bewildered five-year-old boy, World War II is only a troubling, ungraspable event that occurred before he was born. But he feels its effects all around him. He and his older brother Danny are fatherless, and their mother, Bethie, is still grieving for her fighter-pilot husband. Most of all, Grady sees it in his two uncles: young combat veterans determined to step into a fatherhood role for their nephews, even as they struggle with the psychological scars they carry from the war.

When the news breaks that a leopard has escaped from the Oklahoma City Zoo, the playthings and imagined fears of Grady's childhood begin to give way to real-world terrors--the still-incomprehensible threats of battle fatigue, alcoholism, grief, Jim Crow laws, and, most imminently, the dangerous cat itself. The Leopard Is Loose is a stunning encapsulation of America in the 1950s, and a moving portrait of a young boy's struggle to find his place in his family's, and his nation's, history.

Literary Fiction

The Apartment of Calle Uruguay by Zachary Lazar - Beginning in the first summer of the post-Obama world, Zachary Lazar's bewitching and masterful new novel tells the story of Christopher Bell, a blocked painter on the East End of Long Island, and Ana Ramirez, a journalist who fled the crisis in Venezuela and is looking for work in New York. Bell has always felt marked by his foreignness, having emigrated to the U.S. as a child, and has come to believe that "words like 'identity' and 'American' are somehow very meaningful and very meaningless at the same time.” He has retreated to a modest house near a patch of woods, “a rural nowhere…that sometimes held more meaning for me in its silence than human language.”

In the woods, he encounters Ana, who is trying to “reinvent herself as the kind of person she’d been before” the world she knew disappeared. A complicated romance develops that gradually reveals their buried histories—from the death of Bell’s former partner, Malika Jordan, a fellow artist, to the prison farm where he visits Malika’s incarcerated brother Jesse, to Mexico City, where Ana’s exiled family now lives. All of them have faced the same problem: how to build a new life once the idea you've had of "home" vanishes or becomes unrecognizable.

Discover January’s Library Reads

Discover January’s Library Reads

Every month, librarians and library staff throughout the country select their top ten favorite new releases. Library Reads celebrate both established authors and exciting newcomers writing in a variety of genres. We'll highlight a few notable Library Reads picks for the month, which you can check out from AAPLD. Find the complete list of January's Library Reads here.

Romantic Comedy

Exes & O's by Amy Lea - Romance-novel connoisseur Tara Chen has had her heart broken ten times by ten different men--all of whom dumped her because of her "stage-five clinger" tendencies. Nevertheless, Tara is determined to find The One. The only problem? Classic meet-cutes are dead thanks to modern dating apps. So Tara decides to revisit her exes in hopes of securing her very own trope-worthy second-chance romance.

Boston firefighter Trevor Metcalfe will be the first to rush into a burning building but the last to rush into a relationship. Love just isn't his thing. When his new roommate Tara enlists him to help her reconnect with her exes, he reluctantly agrees. But Tara's journey is leading him to discover his own new chapter.

The more time they spend together, the more Tara realizes Trevor seems to be the only one who appreciates her authentic, dramatic self. To claim their happily-ever-after, can Tara and Trevor read between the lines of their growing connection?

Debut Author

The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff - Geeta's no-good husband disappeared five years ago. She didn't kill him, but everyone thinks she did--no matter how much she protests. But she soon discovers that being known as a "self-made" widow has some surprising perks. No one messes with her, no one threatens her, and no one tries to control (ahem, marry) her. It's even been good for her business; no one wants to risk getting on her bad side by not buying her jewelry.

Freedom must look good on Geeta, because other women in the village have started asking for her help to get rid of their own no-good husbands...but not all of them are asking nicely.

Now that Geeta's fearsome reputation has become a double-edged sword, she must decide how far to go to protect it, along with the life she's built. Because even the best-laid plans of would-be widows tend to go awry.

Psychological Suspense

The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes - Maya was a high school senior when her best friend, Aubrey, mysteriously dropped dead in front of the enigmatic man named Frank whom they'd been spending time with all summer.

Seven years later, Maya lives in Boston with a loving boyfriend and is kicking the secret addiction that has allowed her to cope with what happened years ago, the gaps in her memories, and the lost time that she can't account for. But her past comes rushing back when she comes across a recent YouTube video in which a young woman suddenly keels over and dies in a diner while sitting across from none other than Frank. Plunged into the trauma that has defined her life, Maya heads to her Berkshires hometown to relive that fateful summer--the influence Frank once had on her and the obsessive jealousy that nearly destroyed her friendship with Aubrey.

At her mother's house, she excavates fragments of her past and notices hidden messages in her deceased Guatemalan father's book that didn't stand out to her earlier. To save herself, she must understand a story written before she was born, but time keeps running out, and soon, all roads are leading back to Frank's cabin....

 

Genealogy Reads

Genealogy Reads

Look for these genealogy reads at the library, and discover how DNA might be used to find connections to family.

  • The Forever Witness : How DNA and Genealogy Solved a Cold Case Double Murder by Edward Humes
  • Npe*: A Story Guide for Unexpected DNA Discoveries (*a non-paternity event - when 'dad' is not... your biological father) by Leanne Hay
  • Your DNA Guide the Book : Step-by-step Plans to Connect You with Your Family Using Your DNA by Diahan Southard
  • Finding Family : My Search for Roots and the Secrets in My DNA by Richard Hill
  • The Lost Family: How DNA Testing is Uncovering Secrets, Reuniting Relatives, and Upending Who We Are by Libby Copeland

2022 In Review – Top Digital Check-outs from Libby

2022 In Review – Top Digital Check-outs from Libby

Need some Winter Reading suggestions? Why not try an ebook or downloadable audiobook? Ebooks and downloadable audiobooks count toward Winter Reading the same as print books, and go where you go! Just download the free apps from Libby, Hoopla, or Axis360, enter your AAPLD card number, and you're in! Cardholders from other libraries can access digital books through their home library. If you need assistance, contact the Adult Services department.

Read on to see Libby's ten most popular ebooks and downloadable audiobooks for 2022. How many have you read?

Most popular ebooks borrowed from Libby/OverDrive in 2022

 

  1. The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave (Simon & Schuster)
  2. Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty (Henry Holt and Co.)
  3. The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah (St. Martin’s Publishing Group)
  4. Verity by Colleen Hoover (Grand Central Publishing)
  5. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Washington Square Press)
  6. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles (Penguin Publishing Group)
  7. It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover (Atria Books)
  8. The Girl in His Shadow by Audrey Blake (Sourcebooks) *Big Library Read title
  9. The Judge’s List by John Grisham (Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group)
  10. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by E. Schwab (Tor Publishing Group)

 

 

Most popular audiobooks borrowed from Libby/OverDrive in 2022

  1. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (Books on Tape)
  2. The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave (Simon & Schuster Audio)
  3. The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah (Macmillan Audio)
  4. Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty (Macmillan Audio)
  5. The Guest List by Lucy Foley (HarperAudio)
  6. Atomic Habits by James Clear (Books on Tape)
  7. Dune by Frank Herbert (Macmillan Audio)
  8. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson (HarperAudio)
  9. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Simon & Schuster Audio)
  10. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (Duke Classics)

Kick off Winter Reading With A Sweet Holiday Read

Kick off Winter Reading With A Sweet Holiday Read

Sweet Reads Winter Reading 2023 is here! What better way to earn prizes and celebrate this special season, than indulging in holiday reads! Whether you enjoy your books happy and heartwarming, delight in classics, cozies, or warm to novels that explore the inspiration for the season, we're pleased to present some reading suggestions. Stop by the Main Library and browse our Holiday Reads display, or search our online catalog.

And don't forget to register for Sweet Reads Winter Reading. Signing up is easy! If you've participated in our past reading programs, just log into Beanstack on or after December 19,  click on the Sweet Reads Winter Reading 2023 logo, and you're set. If you're new to Beanstack, or would like some help, stop by the library and a staff member will be happy to get you signed up. Winter Reading ends January 31, 2023.

 

Found Families

Book cover- view through a window at christmas tree and fireplaceA Vineyard Christmas by Jean Stone -Annie Sutton is finally following her dream of living on Martha's Vineyard. In her cozy rented cottage she's settling in for her first Vineyard winter--complete with a fierce nor'easter on the way. But the blizzard also brings something unexpected to Annie's front porch: a basket, encircled by a ribbon, containing a baby girl.  Adopted as a child, Annie is grateful for wonderful parents who raised her as their own. Yet she also hopes to spare the little girl the feelings of abandonment that still haunt her. And so, rather than take the baby to the police, Annie decides to keep her and try to find the birth mother, giving her a chance to change her mind.

But it's not easy keeping a secret in a close-knit, island community, especially amid the bustle of Christmas. Before the holiday ends, there will be revelations, rekindled hope, and proof that families--the ones we are born into and the ones we claim for ourselves--are the gifts that truly matter . . .

 

Book Cover- Staircase decorated with garland and lightsThe Gift of Family by Mary Monroe - Successful, and still very much in love, middle-aged couple Eugene and Rosemary Johnson have never given up on one special wish--to be parents. And while Christmas always brings happiness and a whirlwind of holiday fun, their hopes for children of their own seem further away than ever. Especially this year, when Rosemary must have emergency surgery and home help to recuperate. Wanting to lift his wife's spirits, Eugene suddenly has an inspiration.

Faithful and sensible, Ethel Perkins raised Eugene and his brother. Unforeseen tragedy has left the sixty-something widow struggling with little money and two jobs to keep her great-grandchildren off the streets. She's glad to help Rosemary back on her feet. But she can only stay until Rosemary is well enough to resume her normal routine. For Ethel, survival means keeping to her grueling schedule, being there for everyone but herself, and, as always, handling her troubles all on her own . . .

As Ethel's problems go from bad to much worse, Rosemary and Eugene find themselves helping her more and more--and growing close to her lively youngsters. Soon, there's only one way both families can salvage the season: by celebrating it together. But will their temporary family work into the future . . . and possibly make a lifetime of happiness?

Nativity Novels

The Christmas Journey by Donna VanLiere - The eighty-mile journey of a common carpenter and a simple peasant girl is one of the most powerful stories in history. As books go out of print and stories fade from memory, the journey of Joseph and Mary and her delivery inside a common barn continues to bless and inspire hope in people around the world. Donna VanLiere’s retelling shows that the story of the Nativity is alive in our modern world.

 

 

Book Cover with title in old fashioned letteringThe Handmaid and the Carpenter by Elizabeth Berg -  Berg, the bestselling author of "We Are All Welcome Here "and "The Year of Pleasures," transports us to Nazareth in biblical times to reimagine the events of the classic Christmas story. We see Mary-young, strong, and inquisitive-as she first meets Joseph, a serious-minded young carpenter who is steadfastly devoted to the religious traditions of their people. The two become betrothed, but are soon faced with an unexpected pregnancy. Aided by a great and abiding love, they endure challenges to their relationship as well as threats to their lives as they come to terms with the mysterious circumstances surrounding the birth of their child, Jesus. For Mary, the pregnancy is a divine miracle and a privilege. For Joseph, it is an ongoing test not only of his courage but of his faith-in his wife as well as in his God.

Murder Under the Mistletoe

December Dread by Jess Lourey - 'Tis the season for grinning sales-elves on TV and maddeningly jolly muzak. But for Mira James and other Battle Lake-area women, the holidays are marred by something far worse—a serial killer leaving candy canes as his calling card. His target? Thirty-something brunettes who look just like Mira. When a woman from her high school graduating class becomes the latest victim, Mira plows through a case of online dating turned deadly.

A Christmas Revelation by Anne Perry - In this intriguing, uplifting holiday mystery from bestselling author Anne Perry, an orphan boy investigates a woman's kidnapping--and discovers there's more at stake than a disappearance. When Worm, a young orphan boy who works at the local clinic, sees Eloise being kidnapped by two men in the days leading up to Christmas, he immediately recruits Squeaky Robinson to help rescue her. But as they track Eloise down, they're surprised to hear that she does not, in fact, wish to be rescued. Instead, Eloise intends to bring the kidnappers, who drew her father into their shady business deals and then murdered him, to justice. The kidnappers are skilled illusionists, and after they try their tricks on Worm and Squeaky, the friends are determined to help Eloise with her plan--and they might just be able to use the kidnappers' tricks against them.

Scrooged!

The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand - On Christmas Eve five years ago, Holly was visited by three ghosts who showed her how selfish and spoiled she'd become. They tried to convince her to mend her ways.She didn't. And then she died.

Now she's stuck working for the top-secret company Project Scrooge--as the latest Ghost of Christmas Past. Every year, they save another miserly grouch. Every year, Holly stays frozen at seventeen while her family and friends go on living without her. So far, Holly's afterlife has been miserable.But this year, everything is about to change. . . .

Book Cover showing a bearded Ghost of Christmas PresentA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens - Dickens' story of solitary miser Ebenezer Scrooge, who is taught the true meaning of Christmas by a series of ghostly visitors, has proved one of his most well-loved works. Ever since it was published in 1843 it has had an enduring influence on the way we think about the traditions of Christmas. Dickens' other Christmas writings collected here include 'The Story of the Goblins who Stole a Sexton', the short story from The Pickwick Papers on which A Christmas Carol was based; The Haunted Man, a tale of a man tormented by painful memories; along with shorter pieces, some drawn from the 'Christmas Stories' that Dickens wrote annually for his weekly journals. In all of them Dickens celebrates the season as one of geniality, charity and remembrance.

Holiday Romance

10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston - Sophie wants one thing for Christmas-a little freedom from her overprotective parents. So when they decide to spend Christmas in South Louisiana with her very pregnant older sister, Sophie flees to her grandparents' house, where the rest of her boisterous extended family is gathered for the holiday. That's when her nonna devises a (not so) brilliant plan: Over the next ten days, Sophie will be set up on ten different blind dates by different family members. Like her sweet cousin Sara, who sets her up with a hot guy at an exclusive underground party. Or her crazy aunt Patrice, who signs Sophie up for a lead role in a living nativity. With a boy who barely reaches her shoulder. And a screaming baby.  Sophie feels more confused than ever. Because maybe, just maybe, she's started to have feelings for someone else . . . Someone who is definitely not available.

book cover showing attractive couple beside a christmas treeThe Christmas Wedding Ring by Susan Mallery - In her youth, Molly Anderson couldn't help crushing on gorgeous bad-boy Dylan Black—even though he only had eyes for her older sister. When things didn't work out between them, he said goodbye to Molly as well, vowing they'd have a great adventure when she grew up. Years later, dumped by her fiancé just before Christmas, she's finally ready to take Dylan up on his promise.
A guarded Dylan always had a weakness for Molly, and when she waltzes back into his life—grown-up and gorgeous—he's stunned. So why not whisk her away for some no-strings-attached fun?
Laughter-filled days and late-night kisses are changing Molly's life, for good. The only gift she truly wants now is Dylan's love, but when he discovers the secret she's been keeping, she may lose him again…this time forever.

Discover December’s Library Reads

Discover December’s Library Reads

Every month, librarians and library staff throughout the country select their top ten favorite new releases. Library Reads celebrate both established authors and exciting newcomers writing in a variety of genres. We'll highlight a few notable Library Reads picks for the month, which you can check out from AAPLD. Find the complete list of December's Library Reads here.

 

Historical Fiction

Circus Train book cover, night sky with train silhouetteThe Circus Train - Amita Parikh Lena Papadopoulos has never quite found her place within the circus, even as the daughter of the extraordinary headlining illusionist, Theo. Brilliant and curious, Lena yearns for the real-world magic of science and medicine, despite her father's overprotection and the limits her world places on her because she is disabled. Her unconventional life takes an exciting turn when she rescues Alexandre, an orphan with his own secrets and a mysterious past. Over several years, as their friendship flourishes and Alexandre trains as the illusionist's apprentice, World War II escalates around them. When Theo and Alexandre are contracted to work and perform in a model town for Jews set up by the Nazis, Lena becomes separated from everything she knows. Forced to make her own way, Lena must confront her doubts and dare to believe in the impossible--herself.

A must-read for fans of The Night Circus and Water for Elephants, The Circus Train will take readers on a heart-wrenching and spectacular two-decade journey across Europe. When all is lost, how do you find the courage to keep moving forward?

Thriller

Book Cover with close-up of a glamorous woman against a dark backgroundSomeone Had To Do It - Amber and Danielle Brown Brandi Maxwell is living her dream as an intern at the prestigious Manhattan fashion house Simon Hanson. Except “living the dream” looks more like scrubbing puke out of couture dresses worn by hard-partying runway models and putting up with constant microaggressions from her white colleagues, who think her braids “don’t fit with the culture” at Simon Hanson.

When Brandi snags an invite to an exclusive party at the home of Simon himself, she’s excited to meet his daughter, Taylor, a style influencer whose taste she loves. But at the party, she accidentally overhears something she can never un-hear. And her life shatters.

Taylor Hanson has everything…and is this close to losing it all. Her dictator of a father—who, as far as she’s concerned, is responsible for her mother’s death—has threatened to donate her entire inheritance to a wildlife charity if she fails her next drug test. Taylor wants the money that’s rightfully hers. Wouldn’t it be terrible if something happened to Simon?

All she needs is the perfect person to take the fall for it…

 

Fiction

Ms. Demeanor book cover with cartoon woman wearing a pantsuit, falling through the skyMs. Demeanor by Elinor Lipman - Jane Morgan is a valued member of her law firm--or was, until a prudish neighbor, binoculars poised, observes her having sex on the roof of her NYC apartment building. Police are summoned, and a punishing judge sentences her to six months of home confinement. With Jane now jobless and rootless, trapped at home, life looks bleak. Yes, her twin sister provides support and advice, but mostly of the unwelcome kind. When a doorman lets slip that Jane isn't the only resident wearing an ankle monitor, she strikes up a friendship with fellow white-collar felon Perry Salisbury. As she tries to adapt to life within her apartment walls, she discovers she hasn't heard the end of that tattletale neighbor--whose past isn't as decorous as her 9-1-1 snitching would suggest. Why are police knocking on Jane's door again? Can her house arrest have a silver lining? Can two wrongs make a right?

Celebrate Native American Heritage Month

Celebrate Native American Heritage Month

November marks National Native American Heritage Month-- a time when we recognize the rich cultural heritage, traditions, and contributions of North America's Indigenous people. Algonquin Area Public Library invites everyone to take part in these fun and informative activities, that run throughout the month.

Native American Heritage Beanstack Challenge

This challenge runs November 1 - 30 and includes both reading and activities that explore the heritage of Native Americans. To start, log into Beanstack and register for the Native American Heritage Month challenge. You'll earn a Medicine Wheel Beading Kit, available at the Adult Services Desk, just for signing up. Complete the Book Recommendations Activity Badge, plus any two of the additional badges explained below, to win a special Native American Heritage Month Button.

Activity Badge #1 Book Recommendations(required):

  • Read a book written by an Indigenous author. Choose from one of the recommendations for Adults listed in Beanstack, select a book from the Native American Heritage display at the Main Library, or ask a library staff member for a recommendation. Type the name of the book you choose in the box at the bottom of the recommendations list.

Complete two of the following Activity Badges and record your progress in Beanstack

Activity Badge #2 Events from Algonquin Library: Attend ONE of these in-person or virtual library events:

Activity Badge #3 Land Acknowledgements: Complete BOTH activities to earn this badge:

Activity Badge #4: Local Indigenous History: Explore ONE of these websites:

  • Visit the Cahokia Mounds website. Cahokia Mounds is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, located near Collinsville, IL that contains the archaeological remnants of an ancient Indigenous settlement.
  • Explore the Trickster Cultural Center website. The Trickster Cultural Center in Schaumburg features contemporary Native American art, and exhibits relating to the contributions of Native people to the U.S. military.
  • Visit the website of Mitchell Museum of the American Indian in Evanston. You can also get two free regular admissions with your Algonquin Library card and the Museum Adventure Pass, while supplies last. Contact the Main Library or Eastgate Branch to check availability.
  • Visit the American Indian Center Gallery website. The Gallery is dedicated to Native American First Voice Art. Explore the website and plan a visit.

Activity Badge #5: Native American Voices. Watch ONE of these webinars:

The Native American Voices Webinar Series was presented in collaboration with Illinois public libraries, and the College of DuPage Native American Studies Committee. The webinars are recommended for ages 14 and over.

Activity Badge #6: Suggested Viewing. Complete ONE of these activities:

Watch something on Kanopy or Hoopla about Indigenous people. An Algonquin Library card is required to access these resources. Don't have an Algonquin Library card? Check with your home library to see if they have access.

Activity Badge #7: Visit the Museum. Complete ONE of these activities:

Google Arts and Culture works with institutions and artists to bring the world's art and culture online so it's accessible to anyone.

Big Library Read

The Big Library Read, the world's largest digital book club, will read the Newberry Award-winning Young Adult fantasy novel A Snake Falls To Earth by indigenous author Darcie Little Badger. Between November 2-16, library patrons can check out the digital book from Libby with no waiting.

Reader holding a digital reading device showing cover of A Snake Falls to EarthNina, a Lipan Apache girl has always felt there was something more beyond her quiet life, and still believes in the old stories. Oli is a young cottonmouth from the land of spirits and monsters. Like all cottonmouths, he's been cast from home, but has found a new one on the banks of a bottomless lake. Nina and Oli have no idea the other exists. But  a strange sickness that befalls Oli's best friend brings their worlds together, even as there are those who will kill to keep their worlds apart.

Once you've read the book, join the online discussion board to share your thoughts with readers from around the world, through November 23.