Ashley Pohlenz – Page 42 – Derby Public Library's Blog

Notary services at the library

What is a notary public?

A notary public is an official appointed by the Secretary of State to witness signing and verifying the identity of the signers. We have six notaries on staff here at the library in an effort have one available at all times the library is open.

The task of a notary public is an important one. Many companies want to know that the person who is filling out and signing paperwork is who they claim to be. A notary will then view the signer’s photo ID and match the face and signature to the one presented on the identification.

Before becoming a notary public, I had very little idea what their official tasks were. However, since I was appointed I have learned a lot through interactions with patrons and fellow notaries. It is important to make sure that the documents are completed, the person proves who they are and that they sign in front of the notary public.

There are many different forms that have to be notarized such as conceal and carry, piercing permissions, and wills. Every document is different, which can get confusing. Some documents have detailed instructions and others do not. We often get questions about how to fill in the forms but since we have no legal training, it is not something we can usually answer. We do try to help them find answers if possible.

There are fewer businesses offering notary services in the area, and businesses that offer notary services often charge for the service. Here at the library it’s free of charge. Please call ahead to make sure there is a notary available.

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Book Review: One for Sorrow

One for Sorrow by Mary Downing Hahn

First Line: Although I didn’t realize it, my troubles began when we moved to Portman Street, and I became a student in the Pearce Academy for Girls, the finest school in the town of Mount Pleasant, according to Father.

Summary: Annie is a young girl in 1918. World War I is still raging in Europe and the Spanish flu is spreading across the United States. When Annie starts at a new school she meets a strange girl, Elsie, who instantly claims her as her friend. Annie discovers that Elsie is not liked by the other girls in the class. She is picked on and teased by others, which make Annie a target now too. But when Annie befriends the other girls in the school and drops Elsie things get worse. The flu finally hits Mount Pleasant. Annie’s new friends decide to pretend to be mourners and attend funerals in order to receive free treats. When they attend one funeral they are shocked to see that it is Elsie’s. She had succumbed to the flu after the girls had teased her and taken away her flu mask. All the girls feel terrible about what happened but when Annie receives a concussion from a sled ride she starts to see Elsie’s ghost. And she is not happy.

Highlights: This is spooky. I read Mary Downing Hahn’s books when I was younger and remember them being scary. Even now as an adult I was a little creeped out by the character of Elsie. It was also a history lesson. I have read and seen many shows that depict the time of Spanish flu but this makes it more real and scary too. To think how many people died and how quickly it happened can be a little terrifying.

Lowlights: I got really annoyed with Elsie. The repetition of her obsession with Annie kept dragging on. This I am sure is what the author intended since she is the villain of the story.

FYI: May be too scary for younger readers.

Book Review: The Horse Dancer

The Horse Dancer by Jojo Moyes

First Line: He saw her yellow dress before he saw her, glowing in the fading light; a beacon at the far end of the stables.

Summary: A young girl lives with her grandfather in London. He has been teaching her to ride and do very difficult tricks with her horse. But when her grandfather has a stroke she is in a difficult place. A young lawyer is going through a separation and dealing with high-profile cases. When she finds a young girl stealing from a local minimart she decides to take her in with the help of her soon-to-be ex-husband. The situation becomes harder than anyone expected.

Highlights: Jojo Moyes does such a great job bringing social issues to life in her stories. I was never one for chick lit but Moyes is amazing. I read a majority of this in two days. I know nothing about horses but now I want to go riding.

Lowlights: A little slow in the middle but worth it.

FYI: Be ready to read it straight through.

Book Review: Alex and Eliza

Alex and Eliza by Melissa de la Cruz

First Line: Like a latter-day Greek temple, the Schuyler family mansion sat atop a softly rounded hill outside Albany.

Summary: Eliza Schuyler is the daughter of a wealthy general. Alexander Hamilton is the right hand man of General George Washington. When the two meet at Eliza’s home, the first encounter is not the one of fairy tales. However, when they meet up again several months later their friendship grows and a romance for the ages is born in the midst of the American Revolution.

Highlights: This is a very quick read and great for a first book about Alexander Hamilton. With the popularity of the musical, Hamilton, this book is appearing at just the right time. I know very little about the man who had a key role in the establishment of our country. I am a huge fan of Melissa de la Cruz. I think she does a good job of bringing this story to readers in a YA version.

Lowlights: The book is almost more juvenile than YA usually are. I expected a little more surrounding the war. I do plan to read the next one as well.

FYI: Perfect introduction into the story of Alexander Hamilton.

Book Review: The Fallen Kingdom

The Fallen Kingdom by Elizabeth May

First Line: I am the beginning of a girl: her throat filled with ash, desperately clawing her way from the earth with weak, trembling limbs and an urgent message on her lips.

Summary: In the third book in the Falconer series, Aileana has returned from the dead and with powers given to her by a faery. She knows that in order to return her world to the way it once was is to find the Book and the only way to do that is to enlist the help of the faery who killed her.

Highlights: Very action packed with many fight scenes and witty remarks. This book made me laugh often. I love the character of Derrick. He has been my favorite part since the very first book.

Lowlights: The story seemed a little weaker than the rest. It could have been included in the second book as a short ending. The author seemed to stretch it out at times.

FYI: Perfect for readers of Sarah Maas and Cassandra Clare.

Book Review: Gilded Cage

Gilded Cage by Vic James

First Line: She heard the motorbike first, then the galloping horse—two distant points of noise in the darkness, converging on her as she ran.

Summary: England is being ruled by the Equals, people with powers called Skill. They overthrew King Charles and have ruled ever since. When the Equals took power they invoked new laws including the 10-year period of slavery for all the commoners. When the Hadley family decides to start their slave days they are hoping to all be sent to the manor house of Kyneston to work for one of the leading Skilled families. However, Luke, the teenage son, is sent to a slave town instead. As each member of the family works their slave days, they each begin to learn about the Skilled and the world that they live in.

Highlights: Good dystopian storyline. I still cannot figure out what to make of the Jardine brothers. The Hadley family is the straightforward characters of dystopian fiction but the brothers are a little more complex. Are they good? Are they bad? I cannot wait to find out.

Lowlights: Nothing to complain about except that it ended at a cliffhanger. What is going to happen? How are they going to continue?

FYI: Great for readers of Hunger Games and Harry Potter!

Book Review: The Other Einstein

The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict

First Line: The end is near.

Summary: We all know who Albert Einstein is. But do you know the other Einstein? Mileva Maric is a young Serbian woman with a lame leg and a mind for math and science. She always expected to live a life alone in the pursuit of a degree and job in physics. While attending the university in Zurich she meets a young man, Albert Einstein, and her plans for her life change.

Highlights: I had never heard of Mileva Maric until I read a YA novel by Margaret Peterson Haddix. She sounds like a fascinating woman that has been forgotten by history. Married to one of the greatest minds in history and working alongside him there is great controversy about if she was a contributor to the theories and breakthroughs of her husband. I like that the author has fleshed out and brought this woman to life. I understood her plight with herself about giving up her dream to marry. As a reader I could feel her pain and struggle as I read.

Lowlights: Unfortunately when reading historical fiction and learning about a person there are elaborations or stretches. But there are also truths. It is always hard to see a well-known figure made human and see the faults that lie within them. Benedict presents Albert’s faults and it tarnishes him a little.

FYI: Very informative about the early life of Albert Einstein.

Book Review: The Shadow Land

The Shadow Land by Elizabeth Kostova

First Line: Sofia, the year 2008.

Summary: When Alexandra takes a summer job in Sofia, Bulgaria she thinks that it will be the perfect way to heal the loss of her brother who disappeared on a hiking trip. But things do not turn out the way she had planned. She meets a group of three people outside a hotel but when they go their separate ways she notices that she has kept one of their bags. Inside are human ashes. With the help of the friendly taxi driver, Bobby, she is determined to find the group and return the remains. Everything is not as easy as she expected when threats and warnings start to appear as they dig deeper into whose ashes are in the urn.

Highlights: I love the pieces near the end when you get to look into the life of Stoyan Lazarov. He details his time after the war and living in Communist controlled Bulgaria. The strength that he possesses is astounding. I have read a lot about prisoners during the Holocaust and it always scares me plus amazes me the will power and strength these people have.

Lowlights: The middle is slow moving as they are traveling around Bulgaria looking for the relatives of Stoyan. It was a lot of detail gathering and talking that leads up till the ending but it got long.

FYI: Read her other book, The Historian! Amazing read. But make sure you keep the lights on.

Book Review: Caraval

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

First Line: It took seven years to get the letter right.

Summary: Scarlett is a young woman who lives on an island with her sister and cruel father. She is engaged to be married to a man she has never met but has high hopes of him taking her away from her father and the life she has known. But she has dreams of visiting Caraval, the mysterious carnival/game that is filled with magic and wonder. Her grandmother raised her on stories of Grand Master Legend and his amazing magical world. When she suddenly receives an invitation for her, her sister and her fiancé, she is thrust into a game she does not know how to win. Her father forbids her to leave but when her sister goes missing she has to believe that she has left for Caraval and it is up to Scarlett and the arrogant seaman, Julian to find Tella and bring her back before her father discovers them missing.

Highlights: The world of Caraval is beautiful. The descriptions of the island and its inhabitants are as detailed as a painting. I wanted to live in this world apart from the terrors and trials that Scarlett had to endure. I love how strong and passionate Scarlett was about finding her sister. It is great to see relationships like that with strong female characters. And the twist at the end was fulfilling for the whole story.

Lowlights: Some pieces of the story were a little predictable. I was able to guess things before they happened but other pieces I thought I had figured out and was not even close.

FYI: I listened to this on audio while taking the long drive to Colorado and really enjoyed it. It made the dreariness of I-70 fly by.

Book Review: Siracusa

Siracusa by Delia Ephron

First Line: I have a snapshot of me standing on Finn’s shoulders when I was twenty-nine, a trick we’d perfected.

Summary: A vacation to Italy sounds like a great idea until you take one with another couple. Lizzie and Michael along with Finn and Taylor plus their daughter, Snow, decide to take a summer vacation. Tensions are high between the couples who each have secrets. As time together puts more and more tension on the group the secrets start to reveal themselves but the biggest shock comes when they start their stay on the small island of Siracusa.

Highlights: The beachy but twisted read makes the book worthwhile. The characters all have issues and you get to see each person’s point of view throughout their trip. It gives more perspective and doesn’t leave you wondering what someone was thinking.

Lowlights: I almost stopped reading this in the first 30 pages. The sentences are very choppy and to the point. There are 4 different character viewpoints. This makes it very hard at the beginning when you are still trying to learn character names and keep them straight. Once you are in the story I was waiting to get to certain characters so that I knew what was happening or how they were feeling.

FYI: A little dark at the end but worth the read.