TAG: books

Another world: Picture books about refugee and immigrant experiences

Posted in kids, Parents and Teachers on February 28, 2017 at 6:00 am

By Sheri Boggs Imagine your home—the furniture, the walls, the books, the art, the smells, the landscape where you live. Imagine what it would be like if war came and things got so bad you had to leave. Imagine leaving your belongings and your pets, your friends and your neighborhood. Imagine traveling day and night, […]

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Fractured fairy tales: re-inventing imagined worlds

Posted in Explore and Discover on February 14, 2017 at 6:00 am

By Rachel Edmondson It’s that time of year again when thoughts turn to true love and finding happily-ever-after. Most of the time, life is not a fairy tale. Unless, of course, you’re reading the original fairy tales, which are darker and more gruesome than the Disneyesque versions. Sometimes real life feels a bit too similar […]

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It’s the bee’s knees: learning about urban beekeeping

Posted in Explore and Discover on January 31, 2017 at 6:00 am

By David Wyatt “The keeping of bees is like the direction of sunbeams.” ― Henry David Thoreau In the midst of February is probably not when most of us would be thinking of bees. However, it is an excellent time to plan for spring and think happy thoughts of the warmer seasons ahead. As part […]

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Q&A with romance novelists: Asa Maria Bradley, Katee Robert, and Rebecca Zanetti

Posted in Explore and Discover on January 24, 2017 at 6:00 am

By Erin Dodge My inner fangirl starts jumping up and down every time I find out that an author is coming to the library to give a reading or discuss writing. So you can imagine the backflips (my inner fangirl is much more flexible than I am) when I heard that three amazing authors are […]

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New year, new stitch: cross-stitching with attitude

Posted in Explore and Discover on January 17, 2017 at 6:00 am

By Stefani Miller Looking for something new try in 2017? Consider cross-stitch. Cross-stitch—a once neglected art form (some may argue)—is making a serious comeback with new patterns and a healthy dose of attitude. Out with the elaborate garden scenes. In with sugar skulls and humorous, snarky sayings. In other words, this is definitely not yo […]

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Cult films and why we love, hate them

Posted in Explore and Discover on January 10, 2017 at 6:00 am

  By Melanie Boerner You know you have one—the movie you can quote on the fly (and for some of us, from beginning to end). Or you may have one movie that, when mentioned, you cringe because you loathe it. These are the movies we’ve watched dozens (100s?) of times—whether we like them or not. […]

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Reluctant readers, the right books, and Minecraft

Posted in Explore and Discover, kids, Parents and Teachers on January 3, 2017 at 6:00 am

By Gwendolyn Haley Do you have a kid who is a reluctant reader? When kids complain that reading is boring, they are probably just reading the wrong book. . . for them. Reluctant readers often will try books about things that they already love. If you have a Minecrafter in your house, you may have checked […]

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Broadway Court Estates Book Club (when the library comes to you)

Posted in Explore and Discover, For You on December 27, 2016 at 6:00 am

By Erin Dodge Meet Charline and Margy (standing) and Suzanne, Jean, and Winnie (seated)—about half of the Broadway Court Estates Book Club (busy schedules and winter colds prevented others from making it). I was invited come along to their December meeting by Margy, Public Services Specialist at Spokane Valley Library and facilitator of the group […]

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Romance families and their sagas

Posted in Explore and Discover on December 13, 2016 at 6:00 am

By Stefani Miller Have you ever really loved a character and wished there were 10 more just like him or her? Behold! I bring you the family saga romance. In this romance sub-genre, not only do you get to follow the story of the character you love but also the stories of that character’s brothers, […]

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Gift guide: kids books perfect for giving (and reading)

Posted in Explore and Discover on November 22, 2016 at 6:00 am

By Sheri Boggs In looking over the thousands of books published in 2016, I have found that there’s no shortage of great gift ideas for the children and teens on your holiday list. A few high profile releases come out before or around Thanksgiving: Diary of a Wimpy Kid #11: Double Down and the newest […]

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