Ornithology, in spite of having such a long name, is bound to remain a traditional, oral and emphirical craft. You can't have a correspondence course in birds. You have to go out to them in person, with a companion to start you by experience and word of mouth, and then you have got to find [...]
A fun escape from the winter doldrums. The temperature's about to plunge again (goodbye, Fake Spring!), so if you need a fun read set in sunny LA to bring you out of the winter doldrums, may I recommend The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory (2018; 325 pages)? Nik is at a baseball game with her boyfriend [...]
If you haven't yet heard of Eva Mozes Kor, here's your chance to learn about this incredible woman. The Floyd County Library is hosting a series of programs around her book, Surviving the Angel of Death: The Story of a Mengele Twin in Auschwitz, and a new documentary about her life journey. Surviving the [...]
Is there anything better than when a great book gets turned into a (hopefully great) movie? How about when you grab the book from your library early before there's a long holds list? If you want to get a jump on some of the books being turned into movies and TV shows this year, here's [...]
Several of us from your library have been attending the American Library Association's Midwinter Meeting in Seattle this weekend. One of the highlights of the conference for me is the announcement of the Youth Media Awards winners. I'm so pleased to share with you this year's winners: 2019 Newbery Medal Merci Suarez Changes Gears by [...]
If you or someone you know currently has students enrolled in homeschooling, we'd love you to drop in to the library for our Homeschooler Fridays program. This program is geared for elementary-age students, but older or younger are welcome. Last Fall we learned about animal camouflage with a speaker from Purdue Extension; our program and [...]
Valentine's Day is coming up, and that means romance is about to be all around us. Depending on your appetite for love, this may or may not be to your taste, but fear not! I'm bringing a Choose Your Own Adventure spirit to this Valentine's Day recommendation post. Think of yourself as Goldilocks and these [...]
I've been watching anime for years, but have only recently begun reading manga. The first manga series I read was Kamisama Kiss by Julietta Suzuki (2010, 200 pages). I chose this one because I had watched the anime and I wanted to see if it differed in any way. It definitely did! There's a lot [...]
Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" by Zora Neale Hurston (2018), 171 pages (Large Print book) (Hoopla eAudiobook) (Overdrive ebook) Recently, a unique and remarkable little book was published that was actually written almost 100 years ago. It was penned by a now-famous author before almost anyone knew her name. Barracoon: [...]
The idiom “child’s play” suggests a simplicity and frivolity that does not do justice to the important work that takes place when children play. Decades of early childhood research show that play is essential for healthy child development; building fine motor skills, developing spatial awareness, understanding symbols and abstract concepts. Neuroscience confirms that when young [...]
