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The Lineup: Parker

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Parker’s Lineup

Book: Last night a DJ saved my life: The history of the disc jockey by Bill Brewster

Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey: Brewster, Bill: 8601417208380: Amazon.com: Books

As a member of the MTV generation, I love music, especially techno, electronica, and house music, and this book dives deep into range of music scenes, from Chicago house music to Balearic beats and much more. You’ll find narratives about the top DJs, including Frankie Knuckles and Jose Padilla, and learn about their backgrounds and their approaches to mixing.

Available to check out here.

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Music: Luxury

Luxury is one of my all-time favorite albums from one of my all-time favorite DJs, Fantastic Plastic Machine, and it’s been on repeat in my iTunes for weeks. Like many Shibuya-kei albums, it’s a mix of electronica, syncopated samba and bossa nova rhythms, and kitschy ‘60s sounds, especially from French pop music.

Luxury — Fantastic Plastic Machine | Last.fm

My favorite singles are “Honolulu, Calcutta” and “Bossa for Jackie,” but I love every track.

Available to stream here or here.

Book: Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood

Cocaine Blues (Phryne Fisher Mysteries, 1): Greenwood, Kerry: 9781590583852: Amazon.com: Books

Phryne Fisher, a former street-urchin who, thanks to a large inheritance and experience as a nurse in the Great War, has transformed into a most glamorous private detective. After showing quick-wit in capturing in jewel thief, Miss Fisher is hired by a colonel to investigate the suspected poisoning of his daughter, Lydia. She throws caution to the wind and sets sail for Melbourne, but her hometown has become dangerous in her absence. Between the main suspect, Lydia’s husband, turning up dead, and an illegal abortion market, it’s anyone’s guess whether she’ll track down the culprit or get eliminated. Having enjoyed Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, I knew I’d like the novels. This first one is definitely superior to the show, fast-paced and complex. I’d recommend it for anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries.

Available to check out here.

Visit: Tacos from Roadrunner Mexican Fast Food in Wichita

I find myself gravitating toward Roadrunner when I don’t want to cook, which, to be honest, has been more often lately. It’s also reasonably close to my house. They have all sorts of good food, but I love their simple beef tacos best. You should check it out when you’re in the area.

Visit their website for location and more information.

Writing Challenge Winner: The Villain, the Traitor, and the Daredevil by Isaac McKinnie

Isaac McKinnie is a twelve-year old writer who participated in the 2022 Seafarer’s Writing Challenge in which he wrote a 5,000 word original short story this summer. Isaac’s sci-fi thriller involves a young motorcyclist participating in a race that takes a drastic and traitorous detour.

Read the full story below!

Roads are dull. There is no other way to describe them. They are just slabs of concrete shaped to make a meaningless line. However, roads are even more mind-numbing when no one is using them. On these occasions it almost hurts to see a sight so boring. Luckily for the road next the small harbor in Winfred, Sasnak, this was hardly ever the case; and today was no exception. If someone had been counting how many cars had passed through, they would have lost count in the first ten seconds.

Yet, in all the hustle and bustle of this road, one vehicle stood out. It was a motorcycle, a Hoss Boss to be exact. Its black body paint glistened like obsidian in the early afternoon sun. The beautiful Hoss Boss sped down the (still dull) road with the same amount of importance as King Arthur and his own steed would have. The driver was unfortunately neither wearing a helmet nor taking any safety precautions at all. You might say that he was not very smart. If you did, I would commend you for being smarter than him. However, he seemed to prefer riding without any safety measures. Dylan (for that was the name of the motorcycle rider) laughed as the salty sea wind blew back his black hair and lifted the smell of the ocean to his nostrils. After he finished admiring the view, he revved the engine and sped off. As he rode, he decided to take a route he had not taken yet before going to the meeting place. He sped and then took a random turn. This was what excited him about motorcycling the most: the constant adrenaline, the rush of fear when he took a sharp turn, and the idea that anything might happen. He wove his way around the roads until he finally found his way to the meeting place. There it was––an abandoned warehouse. Now, this warehouse might look like any other abandoned warehouse. But if you went inside and walked through the abandoned warehouse you would find a tear in the wall. If you squeezed through that tear, you would see a small shed. It was there that Dylan met up with his friends.

Monica’s Musings: The Tuesday Night Survivors’ Club

The Tuesday Night Survivors’ Club by Lynn Cahoon

“She’d spent long enough pretending she wasn’t still recovering from the cancer treatments. It was time to check into her body again.”

― Lynn Cahoon, The Tuesday Night Survivors’ Club

Summary:

Two things got Rarity through her breast cancer treatments: friends and books. Now cancer-free, Rarity is devoting her life to helping others find their way through the maze of healing. She’s also started the Tuesday Night Survivors book club. It is the perfect fit for Rarity’s bookstore and a close-knit group of survivors.

Their club is disrupted when one of their members suddenly goes missing. Martha has always kept to herself, never opening up much of her personal life to the group. Now she’s nowhere to be found. With her car abandoned on a trail and her dog left home alone, Rarity is sure something terrible has happened—but will she be able to uncover Martha’s secrets before it’s too late?

This is the first book of a new series by Lynn Cahoon.

My Thoughts:

Honestly, cozy mystery is not really my jam. I wanted to give this one a try because it sounded interesting enough, but the overall story line seemed to drag on compared to many other mysteries I have indulged in. I can’t complain too much though, because the story wrapped up nicely, and although the book seemed slow in a few places, I found it good enough to finish it! If you are a fan of cozy mysteries this is right up your alley.

I did appreciate the fact that the author drew from her own cancer journey. She stated in her dedication that a nurse gave her a bag of cozy mysteries to read during her cancer treatments, and that had made all the difference in her journey. This particular genre is sentimental to the author because of that.

*This is available as an eBook or eAudiobook on Sunflower eLibrary, or potentially through interlibrary loan.

Writing Challenge Winner: The Worst But Somehow the Best Summer Ever by Amy Rogers

Amy Rogers is a twelve-year old writer who participated in the 2022 Seafarer’s Writing Challenge in which she wrote a 5,000 word original short story this summer. Amy’s contemporary story explores a young girl’s unexpected summer with her aunt which turns bloodier than expected.

Read the full story below!

Original artwork by Amy of her main character, Ana

I was happy with my life. No, I wasn’t just happy with my life, I loved it! I had indoor plumbing, electricity throughout the whole house, a comfortable smelling house [you know that nice scent when you come into a clean inviting house], and best of all I got to watch television and play video games! I didn’t have to worry about goats needing milked, and leaky roofs needing fixed, or even any chores at all. In short, I was a lazy, selfish, entitled princess who only cared about herself and nothing else.

But one day, a week before summer break, my father and stepmother told me something that changed my life forever…

What’s Ashley Reading?: Upgrade

Upgrade by Blake Crouch

First line: We found Henrik Soren at a wine bar in the international terminal, thirty minutes from boarding a hyperjet to Tokyo.

Summary: Logan Ramsay is a part of the Gene Protection Agency. He spends his days hunting down scientists and criminals who are using gene technology to enhance or harm the world’s population. However, after a raid that leaves him in intensive care he starts to notice changes to his body and mind. It appears that the explosion at the raid infected him with a gene altering substance that appears to be upgrading his DNA. But the government will not let him continue living as a regular citizen which leads him to make the decision to run for his life.

My Thoughts: Blake Crouch writes a solid story. I do not understand the science behind the plot but the story is always fast moving and thrilling. The story appears to take place in the near future which gives the story a feeling of reality. We have been living through a pandemic and racing to find cures. I can see how easy it would be to rely on science to change humans to survive as the world around us is falling apart. It seems hopeful but Crouch shows that behind every bright spot there is a dark underbelly. As with his other stories I flew through this and cannot wait for his next sci-fi thriller!

FYI: Read his other books if you have not yet. Dark Matter is a book I have recommended many times for its instant action and thrilling plot.

Writing Challenge Winner: Captain Howe by Layla Mendoza

Layla Mendoza is a twelve-year old writer who participated in the 2022 Seafarer’s Writing Challenge in which she wrote a 5,000 word original short story this summer. Layla’s nautical adventure tells the swashbuckling tale of Captain Howe and the spell that changes his life.

Read the full story below!

There really was no explanation as to how Captain Howe’s vessel had ended up in the Pacific Ocean. He could have sworn that they were going to stay in the Atlantic waters, but nooooooo, they just had to end up in the Pacific Ocean, and right by the Ring of Fire, too, if he had read his maps correctly.

“Uh, Cap’n’?”

“WHAT?” Captain Howe shouted, banging one pudgy fist down on the wooden table where he was sitting. Maps and books that had been on the edge of the table fell to the floor, and his Cartographer, the one who had spoken, slumped a bit lower in his seat.

“Uh, um, just that, we- ah- seem to be getting fairly close to some active volcanoes that are part of the Ring of Fire, if I’m right about where we are on the map. We aren’t exactly headed directly towards a volcano, but we might pass by one. But,” he shrugged his shoulders, “If you don’t want to take precautions-”

“No, no,” Captain Howe said gruffly. “Do take precautions. Try to alter our course so that we don’t have the chance of getting blown up by a volcano.”

Monica’s Musings : The Tobacco Wives

The Tobacco Wives by Adele Myers

“Knowledge is power, she had argued. And conversely, the withholding of knowledge is an act of oppression.”
― Adele Myers, The Tobacco Wives

Summary:

Maddie is an amateur seamstress who just arrived in Bright Leaf, North Carolina—the tobacco capital of the South—where her aunt has a thriving sewing business. Maddie is dazzled by the bustle of her aunt’s clientele: the wives of the powerful tobacco executives.

However, she soon learns that Bright Leaf isn’t quite the carefree paradise that it seems. Tobacco is marketed to women in 1946, especially moms, and many women began to experience substantial health problems. Although Maddie is quick to believe this is a coincidence, she uncovers evidence that suggests otherwise.

Maddie wants to report what she knows, but in a town where everyone depends on Big Tobacco to survive, she doesn’t know who she can trust—and fears that exposing the truth may destroy the lives of the proud women with whom she has forged strong bonds. Shedding light on the hidden history of women’s activism during the post-war period, at its heart, The Tobacco Wives is an emotionally satisfying and dramatic novel about the importance of seeking truth.

My thoughts:

It is nearly impossible to imagine the world the way it was before people knew the dangers of smoking. It only seems logical to us now that filling your lungs with smoke, nicotine, and chemicals is not good for you, and it’s terrible for pregnant women and babies. It’s so hard to imagine the doctors actually recommended that women smoke to “calm their nerves”!

This book takes us back to the time when that was totally and completely acceptable. It is also almost shocking the way women were treated; the way men condescended to them and treated them as if they were fragile little beings who could not do much. We have come such a long way. I love the way the book highlighted all of the social differences between that time and the present.

The plot itself was well done. I love a book with an epilogue that tied things up in the end and this book delivered on that.

*FYI, this is the current read for the book club, Bemused Bibliophiles, who meet September 7, 2022 at 1:00 pm!

Early Literacy Program Changes

The Youth Services department is redesigning the early literacy programs to better serve our littlest patrons and their grown-ups! Here are the details…

But first, what exactly is early literacy?

Early literacy programs are not intended to teach children how to read. Instead, these programs are designed to help children develop the skills they will need to learn to read in school. The fancy terms for these skills are vocabulary, print motivation, print awareness, narrative skills, letter knowledge, and phonological awareness. Translated into easier language these skills are knowing all the letters of the ABCs, knowing how books work, recognizing printed words on a page, being able to make individual letter sounds, and knowing how to tell a story or describe an activity. Early literacy at the library is driven by the five practices of sing, talk, read, write, and play.

Toddler Time

Wonderful Ones and Tales for Twos is being combined into one program called Toddler Time. The program will replace the Tales for Twos time slot on Fridays at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. All the same elements will be presented, such as books, fingerplays, flannel stories, and songs. Toddler Time is intended for toddlers age 1-3 and their grown-ups.

Baby Storytime

Baby and Me is being renamed as Baby Storytime and will be moved up one hour to 10 a.m. on Thursdays. Grown-ups and their babies age 0-12 months can look forward to even more books, bounces, songs, and fingerplays.

Preschool Storytime

Good news! There is no change to Preschool Storytime! The program will continue to be offered Tuesday and Wednesday mornings at 10 a.m. Preschool Storytime is designed for children age 3-5, but younger and older siblings are always welcome.

For more information about all of our Youth Services programs, check out the YS Fall program brochure here.

What’s Ashley Reading?: Padawan

Padawan by Kiersten White

First line: The tentacles appeared with no warning, wrapping around Obi-Wan Kenobi’s wrist in a deadly barbed grip.

Summary: Obi-Wan Kenobi is a young padawan in the Jedi order. He has spent nearly his whole life learning the ways of the Force. Now he is studying under the tutelage of his master, Qui-Gon Jinn. However, he is finding this part of his training even more difficult than he thought. It involves lots of meditation and waiting for his master to decide what to teach him next. But when he finds a mysterious message in the temple he hopes that he can convince his mentor to travel to an unknown planet to search for the answers and a little adventure. When Qui-Gon does not show, Obi-Wan decides that he is going to seek the answers on his own. No matter the consequences.

My Thoughts: I was very excited to get this book especially after the airing of Obi-Wan on Disney+. In the original trilogy, Ewan McGregor and his portrayal of Obi-Wan was my favorite part. He did a great job bringing the younger version to life on the screen. And I have to say that the narrator of this audio book was excellent at copying the speaking patterns of the character/actor.

I enjoyed seeing the struggle that Obi-Wan dealt with during this time in his life. He always seems to be in control and very mindful of the force in the movies but to see him questioning gave his character a bit of humanness. And we get introduced to a minor character from the movies, which was a fun easter egg to throw into the storyline.

For fans who want a little bit more of this character after the Disney+ show, I would highly recommend giving this audio book a try.

The Lineup: Monica

Monica’s Lineup

Book: Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins

When Lux and her boyfriend are hired to sail two women to a remote island for a large chunk of change, it seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. After a few days at sea, Meroe Island is every bit the paradise they expect, despite a mysterious history of shipwrecks, cannibalism, and even rumors of murder. And when one person goes missing and another turns up dead, Lux begins to wonder if any of them will make it off the island alive.

There is quite a bit of tension and unease throughout this book. What seems to be a light and fun time suddenly becomes a nightmare. Nothing major happens in this book until about a third of the way into it, and then it becomes fast-paced and full of action. It all happens so quickly, so I think the ending could have been a little tidier, but otherwise, this is an interesting island thriller!

Available to check out here.

TV Show: Stranger Things

The long-awaited season four of Stranger Things came out this summer and… WOW! I watched seasons one through three in a several-day-long binge with my husband in 2019, so we have been patiently waiting for the story to continue for the past few years. Season four came out in two parts, and for each one, we spent the day hunkered down binge-watching! I am so excited about how the plot is progressing in the series. If you have no clue what Stranger Things is about, here is a summary.

“When Will Byers suddenly goes missing, the whole town of Hawkins, Indiana, turns upside down. Many people search for Will, including his mother Joyce, his brother Jonathan, his friends Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Police Chief Jim Hopper, and a few others. But one thing leads to another, creating a supernatural trail. And things get even weirder when a girl, Eleven, comes into the story. She has telekinetic powers and is on the run from the Hawkins Laboratory. The laboratory is researching supernatural phenomena and might have unwittingly unlocked a gateway to another dimension.” (imdb.com)

If you have not watched Stranger Things yet, I recommend hopping on the bandwagon because the next season will be the final season!

Available to stream on Netflix.

Hobby: MadFit for Lifestyle/Health

When the world shut down in 2020, we all had to find ways to live our lives within our own four walls. Working out is something I enjoy, and I go to the gym nearly every day. I like working out in a way that works strength and mobility, but not in a way that makes me feel like I am dying (no offense runners). I discovered the YouTube channel MadFit in my search on how to do at-home workouts without equipment. Maddie Lymburner runs the channel and offers workouts for literally everything. HIIT workouts, dance workouts, stretching, strength, and anything else you can think of. Even now that the gyms are open again, I have her workouts written down in my notes on my phone, so I do them there too.

Recently, she has created an app where you can pay for a subscription to keep you on track with your fitness goals. This app helps track your diet and make workout plans designed for your needs. I just like to use the free YouTube videos, but this is a great option for anyone who might want a little more structure with getting started!

Available to watch here and the MadFit app can be downloaded on the App store or Google Play.

Music: Harry’s House

Harry Styles - Harry's House – Salvaje Music Store

Oh boy, do I love a good Harry Styles album. Harry’s House is the third solo album from Harry since the band he was in, One Direction, went on a hiatus. Many may not know, but I was an avid Directioner (still am), which is what One Direction fans called themselves back in 2012. While I occasionally listen to the other four member’s solo music, Harry’s has consistently been my favorite. I have even gotten my family to be fans of the music. Harry’s House ranks second on my list of his albums. My absolute favorite is the first album, Harry Styles, and third is Fine Line. All are amazing, and I recommend you give them a listen if you haven’t already. My favorite songs from the new album are Matilda and Daydreaming.

Here is 12-year-old me pumped to get a magazine with One Direction on the cover for my birthday. I guess I am just as big of a fan girl as I was ten years ago!

Stream the album here or any music streaming platform.