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Author: Alyssa Larue
I am the Adult and Teen Services Coordinator at the DPL and the epitome of a book nerd. When I'm not producing a teen short film or teaching a yoga class, I can usually be found with my nose in a classic, historical fiction, or fantasy read!
Last night (Thursday, Feb. 23) we aired the documentaries that are nominated for Academy Awards in the short films category. We had a great showing, and the stories were powerful. We ask those who attend to vote for the film they think should win the Oscar, and the documentary they chose was “The White Helmets.” This 41-minute movie tells the
“The White Helmets” is one of five short documentaries nominated for an Oscar. It was our viewers’ pick to win.
story of the rescue crews, known as the White Helmets, who work in war-torn Syria.
These brave, unarmed and neutral civilians dig through the rubble after bombings, sometime dozens or more a day, to find survivors and recover the dead. They place themselves at risk, willingly, and while constantly in danger and even targeted themselves, they have saved more than 60,000 people.
We love Tuesdays at the library. Tuesday is the day new books are released! So what titles are we looking forward to that will be released Feb. 7 and 14? Here are a few of them:
“King’s Cage” (Red Queen #3) by Victoria Aveyard
Feb. 7: King’s Cage (Red Queen #3) by Victoria Aveyard — This third installment in the Red Queen series finds Mare Barrow held captive and without her lightning. Cal is exiled while his brother Maven, who holds the throne, attempts to maintain control over his country and his prisoner, Mare. 4.3 stars on Goodreads.
Feb. 7: Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller — Ingrid Coleman disappears from a Dover beach, leaving behind her husband and two daughters, after writing the last of the letters to her husband that expose the truth of their marriage. However, instead of giving her husband the letters, she has hidden them among the thousands of books he has collected. This book gets 3.9 stars on Goodreads.
“Swimming Lessons” by Claire Fuller
Feb. 7: Echoes in Death (In Death #44) by J.D. Robb — Read the latest adventure of NY Lt. Eve Dallas and her billionaire husband Roarke. Rated 4.6 stars by Goodreads readers.
Feb. 14: Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders — This is the first novel from a National Book Award-winning author. The novel takes place over one night, explores grief, death and more as Abraham Lincoln buries his 11-year-old son, Willie, as the country is divided by the Civil War. Goodreads readers rate this book 4.4 stars.
“The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir” by Jennifer Ryan
Feb. 14: The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir by Jennifer Ryan — Set in England as the country enters the dark, early days of World War II, this ensemble novel tells the story of the women of a small village named Chilbury. As the pastor seeks to disband the village church choir, a music professor encourages the women to keep singing. Told through letters and journals, the story shows the indomitable spirit of women on the home front. Rated 4.2 stars on Goodreads.
We’re well into January, and there are still some exciting new releases to look forward to this month.
“The Wicked City” by Beatriz Williams was released Jan. 17.
Here are a few of the titles we are most looking forward to (or glad they came out on Tuesday!) at the end of this month:
Jan. 17: The Wicked City by Beatriz Williams — Love the 1920s, speakeasies, and flappers? This might be just the book for you. Williams, who wrote A Certain Age, re-creates the Jazz Age in New York City in this novel that mixes past and present. The story centers on a “love triangle involving a rugged Prohibition agent, a saucy redheaded flapper, and a debonair Princetonian from a wealthy family.” Its rating on Goodreads is 4.06 stars.
Jan. 24: Eleventh Grave in Moonlight by Darynda Jones — Book 11 in the Charley Davidson series promises to be another excellent installment in the tales of the part-time private investigator, who is also the full-time Grim Reaper. It’s just another day in the life . . . filled with hell hounds,
“The Girl Before” by J.P. Delaney releases on Jan. 24.
evil gods and lots of dead people. If you love urban paranormal that is also laugh-out-loud funny, this series is a must-read. Goodreads readers give it 4.5 stars.
Jan. 24: The Girl Before by J.P. Delaney — Here is a story of two women who move into the same house, years apart. A psychological thriller that is already slated to be adapted to the big screen, reviews promise a suspenseful read with plenty of surprises. It rates 3.9 stars on Goodreads.
“Caraval” by Stephanie Garber
Jan. 31: Caraval (Caraval #1) by Stephanie Garber — This first title in a new young adult series is currently atop the list of most popular books published in January 2017 on Goodreads. A good match for readers who loved The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, this is a tale of two sisters who enter a legendary game of intrigue to escape their ruthless father. Advance readers have rated it 4.3 stars on Goodreads.
The Derby Arts Council is pleased to announce the installation of “Macro/Melange,” an exhibit featuring photographic works by the members of the Wichita Area Camera Club. The exhibit, which opens Jan. 9, 2017, in the Gathering Space Gallery at the Derby Public Library,
“Magnolia Pod Awakening” by Glenda Webster
features macro and standard photography. Viewers of the exhibit will find themselves reflecting on their interests and asking questions prompted by the photos.
Macro photography, taking close-up photographs of tiny objects, has become a more popular technique with the advent of digital cameras. It presents the photographer with many challenges, as trying to capture the essence of something so tiny and taking that image to a size many hundreds of times larger can be both frustrating and exhilarating.
Members of the Wichita Area Camera Club take great care with their subjects, working to bring focus and deliberation to their photographs.
“Polydamas” by Sondra Barry
This often results in the viewer exploring the photograph in ways unfamiliar to them.
Members of the club meet monthly at Douglas Photographic Imaging on the second Tuesday of the month. Each month’s meeting includes a photography assignment challenge. The mission of the club is to educate its members and offer opportunities for each member to improve their skills. Each member is encouraged to seek out photo competitions, group photo shoots and other activities that will stretch them as photographers.
The public is cordially invited to attend a reception honoring the artists 6-7:30 p.m. Feb. 9, 2017, in the Community Room at the Derby Public Library.
“Strawberry Fizz” by Paulette Mattingly
Photographers featured in the show will be on hand to answer questions and discuss their photos and techniques. Call Tami English at 316-788-0760 for more information regarding the exhibit, reception or purchase of photos.
Over the years, we’ve had conversations and interactions with patrons that, let’s just say are interesting. We’ve also overheard things that make us laugh out loud as well. So we thought we’d share some of those ‘interesting’ interactions with you guys. Here’s a third set of “things overheard in the library.”
Welcome to the “Book Factory”!
-A parent told me her son used to call the Library “The Book Factory”
-Mom to her little boy:
Mom-What happens when we run in the library?
Boy- *silence*
Mom- The floor opens up and it eats you!
-Talking with a regular patron, he was trying to describe an actor to me, and some of the movies he’s been in and he says “You know, the good looking one?” I say “Bradley Cooper” he says “YES!”
-A lady just asked where the card catalogs are! That is still one of my favorite questions. She was holding an iPhone in her hand too.
-A teen hands me his library card to check a video game controller out and says “Don’t mind if that’s sticky.”
-Patron: I looked up the book in some website amazon.com or something like that.
It’s almost a new year, and that means another whole year of new books to look forward to. Here are some of the books our staff is most looking forward to that will be released in the first two weeks of January.
Jan. 3: Unf*ck Your Habitat: You’re Better Than Your Mess by Rachel Hoffman — Hoffman takes and fresh and irreverent look at the organizing/decluttering/neatening movement that seems to be everywhere these days. This is a practical guide for the rest of us, based on a 20/10 system, 20 minutes of cleaning followed by a 10-minute break. It has a 3.71 rating on Goodreads.
Jan 10: A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn (Veronica Speedwell #2) — the intrepid Miss Speedwell finds herself in a new adventure following an invitation from the mysterious Lady Sundridge. Her task? Save a prominent patron of the arts, who has been accused of murdering his mistress, from hanging. Veronica and Stoker find themselves in a grotto, Bohemian art colony and a royal palace as they race the clock to find the true killer. It has a 4.08 rating on Goodreads.
Jan. 10: The Bear & the Nightingale by Katherine Arden — A debut novel described as magical, this book tells the story of Vasilia, who lives at the edge of the Russian wilderness. Vasilia’s father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife after Vasilia’s mother dies. When Vasilia’s stepmother forbids the family from honoring the household spirits, danger begins to circle and Vasilia calls on gifts she has long concealed. 4.32 stars (out of 5) on Goodreads
Jan. 10: A List of Cages by Robin Roe — Another debut novel, this one for young adults, follows Adam Blake during his senior year, when he lands his dream class-serving as an aide to the school psychologist. When a request from the doctor to find a troubled freshman leads him to his former foster brother, life gets crazy. Robin Roe drew on her own life experiences in writing her first novel. A List of Cages has a 4.48 rating on Goodreads.
Over the years, we’ve had conversations and interactions with patrons that, let’s just say are interesting. We’ve also overheard things that make us laugh out loud as well. So we thought we’d share some of those ‘interesting’ interactions with you guys. Here’s another set of “things overheard in the library.”
-Patron: I looked up the book in some website amazon.com or something like that.
-4 year old to mom after putting a few books in the book drop, “I need to go relax a few minutes.”
“Open sesame! No? OK, then.”
-Patron to the door as he was leaving “Open Sesame! No? OK, then.”
-Patron came up to me and asks “Is the checkout limit 4?” Yes. “Is there anyway we can stretch that to 5?”
-A little boy was running and his mom said “Stop, I told you not to run!’ his response “Mom, my feet are out of control!”
You’re at home and you have a document that you need to print. You don’t have a printer. Or you realize that your printer is broken. Or out of ink or toner.
You are on your phone or tablet, and someone sent you a file that you don’t want to read on that little screen. You don’t have a printer connected to your mobile device, or don’t have a printer at home.
Or you are out running errands when that file or document comes to your email and you don’t want to have to go back home to print it. Maybe you are already in the library and just need to print from your laptop, phone or tablet.
Did you know that you can use printing services at the library from anywhere? You can even print from your phone or other mobile device.
Derby Public Library has the solution for every one of these situations. You can print your documents on the go with our mobile printing service. If you have an Internet connected device (computer, smartphone or tablet), you can submit documents or photos for printing at the library no matter where you are. Print jobs will be held for two hours and can be released by staff members at the circulation desk. Printing costs 25 cents a page.
If you are already in the library, just connect your laptop or mobile device to the DPL_GUEST network. If you are printing from another location, make sure your laptop or mobile device is connected to the Internet.
From a home computer or a laptop, no matter where you are printing from, you will click on the link to the printer support site. Then, follow the steps as outlined, being prepared to provide your email address. Staff will identify your print jobs by your email address.
Choose the file you wish to print (from your computer or the URL of a Web page if that’s what you need to print). Click the print icon and you will see the status of your print job.
If printing from a mobile device, you will need to download the PrinterOn app from your device’s app store.
We’ll be closed Saturday, Dec. 24 through Monday, Dec. 26 so our staff members can spend Christmas with their families. We will be open 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 23. We will re-open after Christmas at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 27 and will resume normal business hours for the week.
Deep characters, an amazing (single) setting, gorgeous writing, a lavishly constructed story with a most satisfying ending, this book has it all. I was so happy to hear that Amor Towles had a new book on the way, and I was eagerly awaiting it. This book absolutely exceeded all my expectations, and I had high expectations after Rules of Civility.
Amor Towles’ “A Gentleman in Moscow” book on CD is available at the Derby Public Library, as is the book.
Setting: The book takes place almost exclusively in the grand Metropol Hotel, which sits across the street from the Kremlin. I love books in which the setting is more than the just the location of the story, but this setting becomes such an integral part of the story but in such a way that it never gets in the way of the story. The hotel comes to life under the pen of Amor Towles, in such a gratifying way. It ages over the course of the story (which takes place over a little more than 30 years beginning shortly after the Bolshevik revolution), gracefully and wonderfully. And the beauty of Towles’ writing is that the reader is never burdened by excessive descriptions, just spare, lilting writing that transports to you to the Metropol and its lobby, ballroom, restaurants and most of all the belfry.
Characters: Count Rostov nearly jumped off the pages into my imagination and in the best way possible. The other inhabitants of this confined, yet limitless setting, are each so clearly painted that I felt like I was walking alongside them, or joining them in a meal, or eavesdropping on their conversations. The Count, Andrey, Emile, Anna, Nina and Sofia, and even the more minor characters are so alive.
Writing: Stunningly gorgeous. I’m not exaggerating. If I could even dream to put together words and phrases and sentences the way Towles does I would be deliriously happy. I highlighted sentences in my Kindle. I almost never do that. I have this as an e-book, but I went out and bought it in hardcover, because this is most definitely a book I will read again and again.
I took a few weeks to read this book. Not because I didn’t enjoy it, but because I wanted to make the pleasure of reading last as long as possible. I savored every minute of reading. I didn’t want it to end, but I wanted to know how it ended. And the ending was so satisfactory.
I’ve waited a few days to write this review, because I can’t get this book off my mind, and I want to write a review that will do this book justice. I received an e-galley of this book from NetGalley.
