Derby Public Library's Blog

I remember as a child being read to before bedtime. My father worked early (driving 45 minutes to work at 4 a.m.) but he still made time to read to my sister and I before we went to sleep. He read us books that he loved from his childhood and hoped that we would enjoy as well. The two books that I remember the most are The Hobbit and Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby.

When this book showed up in a box of donations I was suddenly taken back to my childhood. The story follows Brer Rabbit being captured by Brer Fox and Brer Bear using a tar baby as a decoy. But the smart Brer Rabbit uses his wit to get away from his captors by convincing them to throw him into the briar patch.

I remember laughing at this funny story and how smart the rabbit was. When our family took a trip to Disney World several years later I was excited to see that there was a ride centered around the story of Brer Rabbit and his fall into the briar patch. This has continued to be one of my favorite rides at the Disney parks because of the nostalgia. Thanks to whomever donated this book to us and to my father for making time to read to my sister and I as children and instilling in me the love of reading!

Do you have any books that you remember loving as a child? Did one of your parents read to you before bed? Let us know!

The hardest working ladies in the biz, the ILL (Interlibrary Loan) department, have started tracking where our books travel to. Two of the most interesting places so far have been Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, and Hamilton, New York (voted one of the top 10 friendliest places to live).

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:

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.

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.

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 love to accept donations of fiction and nonfiction books, DVDs and books on CD. But every so often we find a real treasure in the bottom of boxes…and we thank you! Our staff really enjoys finding little surprises in donations (but not the creepy crawly type). Recently, buried under a stack of classics, we found one such treasure.

I am sure this will get a lot of use for either work or fun! Thank you to the patron who brightened our winter days. 🙂

Who would know that library paste could be so dangerous?! Guess we should all listen to our kindergarten teachers who warned us not to eat the glue.

An unknown man in Nevada was found dead after he ingested a tube of library paste that he found in a dumpster.

Thanks to Find A Grave for sharing this!

We’re well into January, and there are still some exciting new releases to look forward to this month.

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,

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.

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.