May is here, and The Summer Reading Program will start the last week of this month. And this year, we're excited to Dream Big and Own the Night with children and teens all over the area.
In preparation for this, several of our staff members go around to area schools and talk to kids about The Summer Reading Program. I'm lucky enough to be one of the staff members who gets to talk at local schools. Going around and getting kids excited about reading is one of my favorite parts of my job.
James A. Reed Road is near the Blue Ridge Branch. My husband and I like going to the James A. Reed Memorial Wildlife Area so my husband can take photographs. As we roamed around the area the other day, I started to wonder, "Who is James A. Reed?"
As it turns out, James A. Reed was born in Ohio in 1861 and moved to Kansas City in 1887 where he made a name for himself as a lawyer and local politician. After finding out more about him, I can understand why his name is on so many things around town.
There is less than a month before our Summer Reading Program begins! I thought it’d be fun to play a game to see how well you know the books in our collection. Can you identify a book just by seeing part of the cover?
For March, the Monday Mystery Book Club read Wild Indigo by Sandi Ault. As mysteries go, this one is weak. We thought it was supposed to be a Tony Hillerman read-a-like, but it was a disappointment when held up to Hillerman’s books. However, there were a couple members who did enjoy this one. They weren’t as put off by the author’s note at the beginning of the book as some others were.
In March, Thursday’s Mystery Book Club discussed A Prisoner of Birth by Jeffrey Archer. Everyone in the group agreed that Archer does such a fine job with the characterizations in the novel that you never need to turn back pages to remember who people are--a major accomplishment in our eyes. This book isn’t going down in history as a great classic, but the strong characters and a clever plot make it a worthwhile read. The main character, Danny, strives for justice regardless of the cost. As far as heroes go, he is essentially good.
Earth Day Reads: How Silent Spring Made Some Noise
Books have the power to change our lives and can be responsible for huge social and cultural changes. The Hunger Games trilogy, Twilight series, and Harry Potter have all inspired movies, fashion, sports trends, and even theme parks.
It all started with a pair of jeans from a secondhand store and four friends who came up with a way to wear and share these pants during summer vacation. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares was the first book in a series that captivated young girls and teens.
This is a republication of a previous blog post. This post was chosen as a winner of our first internal blog contest.
I’m probably what most people would consider a music geek. I have over 109 gigabytes (somewhere around 19,000+ songs) in my iTunes library, ranging from high-quality recordings of classical piano music to heavy, fast, grungy punk records of varying obscurity. But if I had to choose my most prized mp3s in my digital treasure chest, it would be the volumes of old blues recordings.
Tornado season is already upon us, and the potential for a fire, power outage, or other emergency remains with us year-round. The American Red Cross and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security wants individuals and families to be prepared in case of an emergency.
