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TAG: books

Young Adult novels with adult reader appeal

Posted in Explore and Discover on September 27, 2016 at 6:00 am

By Rachel Edmondson In recent years, Young Adult (YA) literature has become increasingly popular, and studies have shown that a surprising number of YA readers are adults. According to a 2012 study, 55% of buyers purchasing YA literature are 18 or older. Also, 78% of these buyers indicate that they are purchasing the books for […]

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Irena’s Children: Q&A with Mary Cronk Farrell

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

By Sheri Boggs Local author Mary Cronk Farrell writes about the kinds of people whose stories aren’t widely told, but ought to be. In Pure Grit: How American World War II Nurses Survived Battle and Prison Camp in the Pacific, she tells the story of nearly 100 army and navy nurses who struggled to not […]

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Building and planting next year’s garden

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

By David Wyatt Earlier this summer when it was still scorching, I fenced off a portion of our yard to keep our new raised-bed garden out of reach of our two mutts. The dogs were not pleased to have lost some of their lawn. Too exhausted from the heat to do any more, I took […]

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The Whole30: for heart health, for life

Posted in Explore and Discover on September 8, 2016 at 6:00 am

By Jane Baker The cardiologist gave me a choice: lose weight, lower your blood pressure, and get more cardio exercise or begin taking a prescription. After we talked it through, I made the decision to forgo the medication, and return in six months for a follow-up on how things were going. “Stay away from carbohydrates, […]

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Celebrating Grandparents

Posted in Explore and Discover, kids, Teens on September 1, 2016 at 6:00 am

By Gwendolyn Haley Both my husband and I grew up living hours away from our grandparents, and consequently only saw them once or twice a year at most. When we started our family, we lived five hours away from our own parents, so our children were also on track to only see their grandparents a […]

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Dynamic audiobook performers

Posted in Explore and Discover on August 25, 2016 at 6:00 am

By Melanie Boerner I understand that, as a librarian, I am expected to have piles upon piles of books throughout my house and be well versed in all types of literature. With that said, I have a confession to make: I have piles of half-read books around my house. As a full-time working mom of […]

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Prime Time Family Reading: discovering ideas together

Posted in Explore and Discover, kids, Parents and Teachers on August 16, 2016 at 6:00 am

By Gwendolyn Haley Something magical happens when families read books together and then talk about the big ideas they encounter. Reading is always fun, but talking about books and ideas helps us learn about the world and one another in a whole new way. Prime Time Family Reading from Humanities Washington taps into that magic […]

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A creative booklist from Loretta West

Posted in Explore and Discover on August 2, 2016 at 6:00 am

by Erin Dodge Local artist Loretta West teaches the meditative art form of Zentangle at the Library District during August as part of our 2016 Summer Programs. In a previous post, Loretta graciously answered my questions about Zentangle and where she finds inspiration. Today, she shares a booklist filled with books that have touched her soul and […]

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Great Stories Club: Hack the Feed

Posted in Explore and Discover, Teens on June 2, 2016 at 6:00 am

By Kelsey Hudson Every once in awhile, something comes together in just the right way to bring about a fantastic opportunity. You could say, the odds were ever in your favor! Last summer, my colleague librarian Sheree West and I were talking about a new collaboration she’d begun with Mica Peak High School (MPHS) in […]

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Science Fiction & Fantasy Go Global

Posted in Explore and Discover on May 31, 2016 at 6:00 am

by Brian Vander Veen Yes, science fiction and fantasy have been global phenomena for a long time, but it feels like the last few years have seen an uptick in the number of foreign SFF novels getting English translations. Last year, The Three-Body Problem by Chinese author Cixin Liu became the first novel in translation […]

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