A Bookworm and Her Books

Author: Leslye Penelope Title: The Monsters We Defy Genre: Fantasy Publication Date: August 9, 2022 Number of Pages: 384 Geographical Setting: Washington D.C. Time Period: 1920s Series (If applicable): N/A Plot Summary: Every charm a spirit bestows comes with a price, one young Clara Johnson knows about all too well. Clara uses her ability to walk the line between the living and dead to often broker deals on behalf of spirits with those desperate enough to make them. When local residents start acting strange, almost zombielike, before they go missing, Clara uses her gifts and discovers a magical ring may be the connection. With the help of a handsome musician, his gifted cousin, Clara’s strange albino roommate, and a glamourist, Clara and resulting company find themselves on a dangerous mission that takes them through Washington, D.C.’s historical 1925 Black community, one filled with speakeasies, literary salons, and Fairy Balls as they discover the true meaning of lov...

When it comes to reading, I’ve always been a person who prefers to hold a book in their hand. I like the weight and feel of a book in my hand, the sound of the pages as they’re being turned, and yes, even the smell sometimes. There’s nothing like the smell of a new book. Or one from the library that’s gone through multiple readers. That musty book smell... there’s nothing like it. I never really cared for e-books or audiobooks. I don’t like to read things on a screen unless I absolutely have to because I don’t like scrolling or the feel of a mouse in my hand for long periods of time, or on my iPad, swiping back and forth between pages. I also have sensitive eyes so trying to read for long periods of time on a screen is difficult after a while, even with my glasses. I do like that with the e-readers and e-book apps you can adjust the font, line spacing, and color of text as well as the page colors but it’s still difficult for me to read on a screen. I know a lot of library patrons tho...

"Books are something social. A writer speaking to a reader. So I think making the reading of a book the center of a social event, the meeting of a book club is a brilliant idea" - Yann Martel  I’ve never been in a book club before, so this has been quite the experience for me. Not only am I in one, but I just recently joined another. The first book club is through my work. After some discussion last fall, our head cataloger in our Collections Management and Development department decided to form a book club specifically for our department and Outreach. The other is a book club through one of our local churches that a co-worker invited me to, so for this assignment I’ll be taking a look at both. For my work book club, our head cataloger, Ashley, is our leader and will lead the discussion by asking if we’ve finished the book, and then asking for our thoughts and opinions on the book. It’s an open discussion, and we each take turns speaking. The first book we read, The Last Fl...

My ‘to be read’ pile was much smaller until I discovered a little corner of the world called ‘Bookstagram.’ For those who do not know, or who are unfamiliar with the ‘Bookstagram’ community, it is generally defined as an Instagram account solely dedicated to sharing book covers, book reviews, what the user is currently reading or has previously read, book clubs, discussions, etc. According to Google Trends, the term itself came about as early as 2004, but the hashtag didn’t appear or become popular until 2014 (Google Trends). I created my own bookstagram account at the end of 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it feels as if I’ve stepped into a glorious community of fellow book lovers… but on social media. According to a 2018 study published by the American Psychological Association, less than 20 percent of teens in the United States reported reading a book, magazine, or newspaper daily for pleasure; however, more than 80 percent of those same teens say they use soc...

In all my years as a reader, I’d never given much thought to so called ‘fake’ or ‘faux’ celebrity memoirs, or faux memoirs in general. I haven’t been much of a non-fiction reader in the past though, so I found this compelling that someone would go so far out of their way to write about a life they never lived. Or put such an exaggerated spin on their actual lives for the purpose of profiting off of it. I know there are people out there who do that, but it never occurred to me that there were books written about it. One of the best examples of this is James Frey’s 2003 memoir, A Million Little Pieces which made it to the top of Oprah’s Book Club list, which in turn then made it onto the best seller’s list. Frey wrote about his life as an addict and his time in an drug and alcohol treatment facility, and what he experienced during detox and withdrawal. He also shares about the patients he meets who are as troubled as he is, who become his friends and confidants, his advisors. It’s des...

  Author: Ruth Ware  Title: The Turn of the Key  Genre: Mystery  Publication Date: May 12, 2020  Number of Pages: 384  Geographical Setting : Scottish Highlands, British Isle, Scotland  Time Period:   21 st Century Series (If applicable): No  Plot Summary: “I am the nanny in the Elincourt case, Mr. Wrexham. And I didn’t kill that child.” A modern day twist on a classic, Ware has done it again and continued her reign as the modern Agatha Christie with The Turn of the Key. Rowan Caine wasn’t looking for a job as a live-in nanny, until she stumbled across the ad: WANTED LARGE FAMILY SEEKS EXPERIENCED LIVE IN NANNY. COMPETITIVE SALARY, USE OF CAR, EIGHT WEEKS HOLIDAY A YEAR. HEATHERBRAE HOUSE, CARN. BRIDGE. Heatherbrae House. A beautiful home, outfitted with all the modern conveniences, a luxurious smart home with a picture-perfect family and a beautiful location: the Scottish Highlands. It was perfect. E...

One of my favorite things about my previous position as a Children’s Clerk was getting to brainstorm and implement creative displays to help with Reader’s Advisory and to help familiarize myself with the collection as a whole. Romance is one of those genres where people either love it or hate it. They either read it, fully committed, or they actively avoid it like the plague and say that it’s not for them. I used to be one of those people. Until I found bookstagram. And now I read at least one to two romances a month.... side note: Emily Henry and Christina Lauren are my FAVORITE romance authors. To change things up a bit for the month of February at my local library, last year I did a kid friendly version of a ‘Blind Date with a Book’ display. I pulled different titles from different genres (picture book, non-fiction, fiction, graphic novel), wrapped them up in corresponding colors, and put them on a Valentine’s Day themed display for the month of February. I asked my co-workers to ...