AAPLD Hosts Author and Naturalist Stan Tekiela

Spend an evening with author, naturalist, and wildlife photographer Stan Tekiela, Wednesday, April 9, at 7:00 pm, at the Luecht Auditorium at McHenry County College, for a fun and fascinating talk about our favorite (and not-so-favorite!) birds. Challenge what you think you know about common birds such as the European Starling, and the American Crow, for a new perspective and understanding of our backyard feathered friends.

Admission is free, but registration is required.

Tekiela is the originator of the popular state-specific field guide series, which includes the Birds of Illinois Field Guide, Trees of Illinois Field Guide and many more. Over the last four decades, he has authored more than 200 field guides, nature appreciation books, and wildlife audio CDs for nearly every state in the nation. A graduate of the University of Minnesota, he is also a syndicated columnist, and radio personality who travels the nation to study, photograph, and write about wildlife. Copies of his books will be available for purchase and signing at the event, courtesy of Read Between The Lynes bookstore in Woodstock.

The evening will also include an information expo featuring local conservation and nature organizations; the McHenry County Conservation District and Foundation, the Land Conservancy of McHenry County, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources- Moraine Hills and Volo Bog, McHenry County Audubon Society, the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County, Small Water Education, Illinois Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Crystal Lake Nature Center.

The evening is sponsored by a coalition of McHenry County libraries, including Algonquin Area Public Library, Cary Area Public Library, Crystal Lake Public Library, Harvard-Diggins Library, Huntley Area Public Library, Johnsburg Library, Marengo-Union Public Library, McHenry Public Library, Nippersink Public Library, and Woodstock Public Library. The coalition’s “Let’s All Read Together” community reading program encourages county residents to come together for a shared reading experience.

Discover March’s Library Reads

How's your Reading Marathon Challenge going?

For AAPLD cardholders who've signed up for the 26 book challenge, we're always ready with suggestions. Starting this month, through November 2025, our Library Reads posts will highlight books that fit our Reading Marathon categories. Chosen by librarians across the country as their favorite new releases, these books will keep you reading long into the night AND boost your Reading Marathon completions. Browse them here, or stop by the Main Library, and look for books with the Library Reads logo on the spine.

 

Reading Marathon Category: Title = Family

All The Other Mothers Hate Me by Sarah Harman - Florence Grimes, age thirty-one, always takes the easy way out. Single, broke and unfulfilled after the humiliating end to her girl-band career, she has only one reason to get out of bed each day: her ten-year-old son Dylan. But then Alfie Risby, her son’s bully and the heir to a vast frozen-food empire, mysteriously vanishes during a class trip, and Dylan becomes the prime suspect.

Florence, for once, is faced with a task she can’t quit: She’s got to find Alfie and clear her son’s name or risk losing Dylan forever—never mind that she has no useful skills (let alone investigative ones) and that all the other school moms hate her. Oh, and she has a reason to suspect Dylan might not be as innocent as she’d like to believe.

Reading Marathon Categories: Set Overseas, and Set in Birth Decade (1950s)

Inspired by a true literary mystery, New York Times bestselling author of the mesmerizing The Secret Book of Flora Lea returns with the sweeping story of a legendary book, a lost mother, and a daughter’s search for them both.

The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan Henry -In 1927, eight-year-old Clara Harrington’s magical childhood shatters when her mother, renowned author, Bronwyn Newcastle Fordham, disappears off the coast of South Carolina. Bronwyn stunned the world with a book written in an invented language that became a national sensation when she was just twelve years old. Her departure leaves behind not only a devoted husband and heartbroken daughter, but also the hope of ever translating the sequel to her landmark work. As the headlines focus on the missing author, Clara yearns for something far deeper and more her beautiful mother.

By 1952, Clara is an illustrator raising her own daughter, Wynnie. When a stranger named Charlie Jameson contacts her from London claiming to have discovered a handwritten dictionary of her mother’s lost language. Clara is skeptical. Compelled by the tragedy of her mother’s vanishing, she crosses the Atlantic with Wynnie only to arrive during one of London’s most deadly natural disasters—the Great Smog. With asthmatic Wynnie in peril, they escape the city with Charlie and find refuge in the Jameson’s family retreat nestled in the Lake District. It is there that Clara must find the courage to uncover the truth about her mother and the story she left behind.

Told in Patti Callahan Henry’s lyrical, enchanting prose, The Story She Left Behind is a captivating novel of mystery and family legacy that captures the profound longing for a mother and the evergreen allure of secrets.

 

Reading Marathon Category: Extreme Adventure

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy - A family on a remote island. A mysterious woman washed ashore. A rising storm on the horizon.

Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers of Shearwater, a tiny island not far from Antarctica. Home to the world’s largest seed bank, Shearwater was once full of researchers. But with sea levels rising, the Salts are now its final inhabitants, packing up the seeds before they are transported to safer ground. Despite the wild beauty of life here, isolation has taken its toll on the Salts. Raff, eighteen and suffering his first heartbreak, can only find relief at his punching bag; Fen, seventeen, has started spending her nights on the beach among the seals; nine-year-old Orly, obsessed with botany, fears the loss of his beloved natural world; and Dominic can’t stop turning back toward the past, and the loss that drove the family to Shearwater in the first place.

Then, during the worst storm the island has ever seen, a woman washes up on shore. As the Salts nurse the woman, Rowan, back to life, their suspicion gives way to affection, and they finally begin to feel like a family again. Rowan, long accustomed to protecting her heart, begins to fall for the Salts, too. But Rowan isn’t telling the whole truth about why she set out for Shearwater. And when she discovers the sabotaged radios and a freshly dug grave, she realizes Dominic is keeping his own dark secrets. As the storms on Shearwater gather force, the characters must decide if they can trust each other enough to protect the precious seeds in their care before it’s too late—and if they can finally put the tragedies of the past behind them to create something new, together.

Reading Marathon Category: Essays

The long-awaited follow-up from one of the most original and hilarious voices writing today.

Sucker Punch: Scaachi Koul - Scaachi Koul’s first book was a collection of raw, perceptive, and hilarious essays reckoning with the issues of race, body image, love, friendship, and growing up the daughter of immigrants. When the time came to start writing her next book, Scaachi assumed she’d be updating her story with essays about her elaborate four-day wedding, settling down to domestic bliss, and continuing her never-ending arguments with her parents. Instead, the Covid pandemic hit, the world went into lockdown, Scaachi’s marriage fell apart, she lost her job, and her mother was diagnosed with cancer.

Sucker Punch is about what happens when the life you thought you’d be living radically changes course, everything you thought you knew about the world and yourself has tilted on its axis, and you have to start forging a new path forward. Scaachi employs her signature humor and fierce intelligence to interrogate her previous belief that fighting is the most effective tool for progress. She examines the fights she’s had—with her parents, her ex-husband, her friends, online strangers, and herself—all in an attempt to understand when a fight is worth having, and when it's better to walk away.

Meet This Month’s Featured Artist!

For March, AAPLD welcomes pastel artist Susan L. Chelminski to the Art Wall in the Adult Services Department. Learn a little more about this talented artist.

The Artist: Susan L. Chelminski
Background/Experience:  I began my interest in art at a very early age. My mother was a professional artist and she mentored me and stoked the fires. I studied under the internationally renowned artist Joseph Abbrescia at The Village Art School, in Skokie. I also studied under the direction of Frankie Johnson, Susan Plough and Barb Benstein. My career took a left turn as I worked in the field  of psychology, though I continued to dabble in creative writing, jewelry making and tole painting. Nearing the close of my counseling career, I decided to resurrect my passion for art. I have been juried into art shows at the Dole in Crystal Lake, the Main Street Art Center Gallery in Lake Zurich, and The Land Conservancy’s Art of the Land.

My favorite medium: Pastels offer me the ability to fully immerse myself in my work. I love color, and soft pastels help me to indulge this passion.
What inspires me: My subject matter varies depending on my mood, though the bulk of my work is deigned to have an element of surprise, suh as my “Something Fishy” series, which combines the flow of flamenco dancers with that of a betta fish. The series “We Are What Eat” combines people and food.

Find her on Instagram at sooz.art3

If you’re a local artist interested in exhibiting your work, please submit samples of your work and contact information to social@aapld.org

 

Spice Club – March 2025 – Cumin

Cumin is a spice made from the dried seeds of the Cuminum cyminum plant, which belongs to the parsley family. It has a warm, earthy, and slightly nutty flavor. It is used in
cuisines across India, Mexico, the Middle East, and North Africa.

Flavor Profile: Cumin has a warm, earthy, and slightly nutty taste with a hint of citrus and peppery notes.

Culinary Uses: spice blends (essential in curry powder, garam masala, taco seasoning, and berbere spice), soups & stews (adds warmth to lentil soups, chili, and stews), rice & grains
(used in pilafs, biryanis, and couscous), meats & vegetables (rubbed on grilled meats and roasted vegetables), breads & dips (delicious in flatbreads, hummus, and yogurt sauces).

Health Benefits: Aids Digestion: Helps reduce bloating and indigestion.

  • Rich in Antioxidants: Contains compounds that fight inflammation and oxidative stress.
  • Supports Immunity: Has antimicrobial properties that may help fight infections.
  • Regulates Blood Sugar: May help control blood sugar levels.

Fun Facts: Cumin was used in ancient Egypt for mummification and as a seasoning. In medieval Europe, cumin symbolized love and loyalty, often given to soldiers before battle. In some cultures, cumin is believed to ward off the evil eye and bring good luck.

Download Recipes

Get Planting! Seed Library Returns March 1!

Just in time for spring planting, Algonquin Area Public Library, is excited to offer the Seed Library which provides seeds to local gardeners free of charge!

How It Works

Take a look at the Seed Library Catalog. Each listing includes photos and descriptions of plant varieties, along with helpful details on when, where, and how to plant them. Seed packet quantities range from 2 to 20 seeds, depending on the plant type.

Visit the Adult Services desk at the Main Library on Harnish Drive to explore our Seed Library collection in person, and take up to 20 packets/household, one per variety.

What Seeds Are Available?

garden fresh vegetables Carrots, cauliflower, tomatoes, leeksChoose from over 130 varieties of vegetable, fruit, flower and herb seeds! Options include:

  • Vegetables - Cucumbers, lettuce, onions, peppers, squash, tomatoes
  • Herbs- Basil, chives, cilantro, parsley, thyme and more
  • Garden Favorites- Carrots, beans, leeks, melons and cauliflower
  • Flowers and Landscaping- Daisies, zinnias, sunflowers
  • Annuals & Perennials- Plants that bloom for a season, or return each year

 

Do I Have To Return The Seeds?

Although we call it a "Seed Library," no library card is required and you don't need to return seeds from your harvest. However, we'd love to see photos of your garden and crops! Email them to us at info@aapld.org

If you have leftover seeds, simply store them in their packets in an airtight glass jar, and keep it in a cool dark place like your basement or garage, for future planting.

Photography Club Returns to AAPLD!

The popular Worth 1,000 Words Photography Club returns to AAPLD on Sunday, March 2, at 2 p.m.

The monthly gathering will include discussion of photography techniques, style, and more. We look forward to offering photography challenges, field trips, and other opportunities to learn and grow as a photographer. Whether you’re a veteran or new to the art, use digital, film or cellphone cameras, this is a chance to share photos, display your work, learn, teach and connect with others in the community.

Meetings will be held on the first Sunday of the month, at 2 p.m. at the Main Library on Harnish Drive. Register for the next meeting today!

Meet This Month’s Featured Artist!

In February, AAPLD is delighted to welcome fine art photographer Kirsten Barry to the Art Wall in the Adult Services Department. Learn a little more about this talented artist.

The Artist: Kirsten Barry
Background/Experience:  I am a fine art photographer who enjoys exploring the world around me whether out in nature or working indoors. Although you can find me with a camera most any time, my predominant genre is still life photography. It is where I return to most often to showcase many of the treasures I have collected through the years.
What inspires me: I have always found the world to be endlessly fascinating and I love trying to capture
what I discover in my travels. My goal is always to present the inherent beauty I see in my subject. If I can make someone smile, see something in a new way, or bring back a long forgotten memory, I have succeeded.

I feel it is the heart, not the eye, that should determine the intent of the photograph. What the eyes see is its own. What the heart can perceive is a very different matter.” – Gordon Parks – photographer

Contact her at kirstenbarry2004@yahoo.com

If you’re a local artist interested in exhibiting your work, please submit samples of your work and contact information to social@aapld.org

 

Spice Club – February 2025 -Nutmeg

Nutmeg is a warm, aromatic spice derived from the seed of the nutmeg tree (Myristica fragrans), native to the Maluku Islands (now part of Indonesia). It has been valued for centuries for its flavor, aroma, and medicinal properties.

Flavor Profile: warm, sweet, and slightly nutty flavor with a hint of spiciness.

Culinary Uses: baking (pies, cookies, cakes) and beverages (eggnog, mulled wine), savory dishes (soups, stews, curries, and sauces). Pairs well with cinnamon, cloves, and ginger.
Health Benefits:

Digestive Aid: May help reduce bloating and indigestion.

  • Anti-inflammatory: Contains compounds that may reduce inflammation.
  • Sleep Aid: Used in traditional remedies to promote relaxation and sleep.
  • Rich in Antioxidants: Protects the body from free radical damage.

Note: Nutmeg should be consumed in moderation, as large amounts can be toxic.

Fun Facts: Nutmeg was so valuable in the 16th century that wars were fought over its trade. The Dutch, Portuguese, and British all sought to dominate the lucrative nutmeg trade, leading to conflicts such as the Anglo-Dutch Wars. The nutmeg tree also produces mace, a spice made from the red covering of the seed.

Download Recipes

Spice Club - February 2025 - Nutmeg

7 Tips for Reading Marathon Success

Get ready, get set, go!

Reading Marathon, AAPLD's newest reading challenge starts today, and we're excited! Beginning February 1, AAPLD cardholders, 18 and over, will have the chance to stretch their reading muscles by reading 26 books! With 26 different reading themes-- like 26 miles in a marathon-- there's plenty to keep you reading all the way to the end of November.  Even better, any Reading Marathon books read during Summer Reading, count towards both programs.  To read more about how the Reading Marathon Challenge works, check out our page.

Now if you're thinking, "26 books? Easy peasy!" be sure to stop by the Adult Services desk and tell us what you're reading!  (The rumors are true...library staff love to talk about books.) But if you're thinking, "26 books? You've got to be kidding!" Read on. You can do this, and we're here to help, with 7 tips for success.

  1. Review Your To Be Read List- if you keep a list of books you'd like to read, pick up a Reading Marathon log sheet at the Adult Services desk and note which books fit the themes. Use Goodreads or NoveList to see covers, page counts, author info and more.
  2. Attend a book club meeting - Many AAPLD book clubs will read at least one book this year that fits a Reading Marathon theme. A few suggestions: The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo (Title = Family; Unicorns & Spaceships, February) Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld (NYT Bestseller; Happily Ever After, April), The Nigerwife by Vanessa Walters (Set overseas; Nail Biters, June), I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai (Illinois Author; Fiction Addition, July); Confessions by Kanae Minato (Translated Work; Oh, The Horror!, August); Trippy: The Peril and Promise of Medicinal Psychedelics by Ernesto Londono (Road on the Cover; Stranger Than Fiction, September)
  3. Browse our displays - Each month, we'll feature two Reading Marathon themes on display in the Adult Services area by Study Room D.
  4. Look Around Your House- The "Own It, Haven't Read It" theme lets you choose a book from your household collection. You might find unread books that fit other themes too.
  5. Try an E-book or Audiobook- While there's nothing like curling up with a print book, ebooks and audiobooks are great for reading on the go. Listen on your commute, while working around the house, or on a road trip. Download ebooks so you always have a book handy.
  6. Ask us! Need suggestions for what to read, or want to learn to use our reading apps? Your friendly library staff is ready to help.
  7. Make reading a healthy new habit - For many of us, the problem isn't what to read, but finding the time. Ebooks can help you fit reading into the small pockets of time you're likely to spend scrolling. Combine audiobooks with walks, or workouts at the gym. Swap your phone, social media and news apps for a book-- especially before bedtime. Your mind and body will thank you!

 

Discover January’s Library Reads

Valentine's Day isn't for another month, but with chilly temps outside, it's a great time to heat things up with a steamy read! January's Library Reads list offers romance on the ice, in the woods; or cautionary tales about sinister narcissists we meet on business trips (short answer: avoid them at all costs!) plus, a whole lot more. Chosen by librarians across the country as their favorite new releases, these books will keep you reading long into the night. Browse them here, or stop by the Main Library, and look for books with the Library Reads logo on the spine.

Fiction

The Favorites by Layne FargoAn epic love story set in the sparkling, savage sphere of elite figure skating about a woman determined to carve her own path on and off the ice.

To the world, they were a scandal. To each other, an obsession.

She might not have a famous name, funding, or her family’s support, but Katarina Shaw has always known that she was destined to become an Olympic skater. When she meets Heath Rocha, a lonely kid stuck in the foster care system, their instant connection makes them a formidable duo on the ice. Clinging to skating—and each other—to escape their turbulent lives, Kat and Heath go from childhood sweethearts to champion ice dancers, captivating the world with their scorching chemistry, rebellious style, and rollercoaster relationship. Until a shocking incident at the Olympic Games brings their partnership to a sudden end.

As the ten-year anniversary of their final skate approaches, an unauthorized documentary reignites the public obsession with Shaw and Rocha, claiming to uncover the "real story" through interviews with their closest friends and fiercest rivals. Kat wants nothing to do with the documentary. But she can't stand the thought of someone else defining her legacy either. So, after a decade of silence, she's telling her story: from the childhood tragedies that created her all-consuming bond with Heath to the clash of desires that tore them apart. Sensational rumors have haunted their every step for years, but the truth may be even more shocking than the headlines.

Inspired by the powerful love and hate that fuel Emily Bronte’s classic, Wuthering Heights, The Favorites is an exhilarating dance between passion, ambition, and what it truly means to win.

Romance

Out of the Woods by Hannah Bonham-YoungHigh school sweethearts Sarah and Caleb Linwood have always been a sure thing. For the past seventeen years, they have had each other’s backs through all of life’s ups and downs, achievements, losses, stages, and phases.

But Sarah has begun to wonder... Who is she without her other half?

When she decides to take on a project of her own, a fundraising gala in memoriam of her late mother, Sarah wants nothing more than to prove to herself—and to everyone else—that she doesn’t need Caleb’s help to succeed. She’s still her mother’s daughter, after all. Independent and capable.

That is until the event fails and Caleb uninvitedly steps in to save the day.

The rift that follows unearths a decade of grievances between them and doubts begin to grow. Are they truly the same people they were when they got married at nineteen? Are they supposed to be?

In a desperate attempt to fix what they fear is near breaking, Sarah and Caleb make the spontaneous decision to join a grueling hiking trip intended to guide couples through rough patches.

What follows is a life-affirming comedy of errors as two nature-averse people fight their way out of the woods in order to find their way back to their roots.

Thriller

The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia - Stephanie and Jasmine have nothing and everything in common. The two women don’t know each other but are on the same plane. Stephanie is on a business trip and Jasmine is fleeing an abusive relationship. After a few days, they text their friends the same exact messages about the same man—the messages becoming stranger and more erratic.

And then the two women vanish. The texts go silent, the red flags go up, and the panic sets in. When Stephanie and Jasmine are each declared missing and in danger, it begs the questions: Who is Trent McCarthy? What did he do to these women— or what did they do to him?

Twist upon twist, layer upon layer, where nothing is as it seems, THE BUSINESS TRIP takes you on a descent into the depths of a mastermind manipulator. But who is playing who?