Experimental new feature for the blog - video book recommendations.
Wednesday, November 9, 2016
National Book Award Finalists List
The nominees for the National Book Award have been announced! If you haven't taken a look at the list yet, here's your chance to do so:
Fiction Nominees
The Throwback Special by Chris Bachelder
A night of football turns into a night of soul-searching for twenty-two American guys.
A night of football turns into a night of soul-searching for twenty-two American guys.
News of the World by Paulette Jiles
In post-Civil War America a newspaper reporter is charged with returning a young captive of Kiowa Indians to her family.
In post-Civil War America a newspaper reporter is charged with returning a young captive of Kiowa Indians to her family.
The Association of Small Bombs by Karan Mahajan
After a terrorist attack in India a young man finds his life changed by a local activist.
After a terrorist attack in India a young man finds his life changed by a local activist.
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
An escaped slave makes her way across America.
An escaped slave makes her way across America.
Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson
Reunited friends find that their memories of childhood might be tinged by too much of a nostalgic haze.
Non-Fiction Nominees
Strangers in their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right by Arlie Russell Hochschild
Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi
Nothing Ever Dies: Vietnam and the Memory of War by Viet Thanh Nguyen
The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America by Andrés Reséndez
Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy by Heather Ann Thompson
Poetry
The Performance of Becoming Human by Daniel Borzutsky
Collected Poems 1974 - 2004 by Rita Dove
Archeophonics by Peter Gizzi
The Abridged History of Rainfall by Jay Hopler
Look by Solmaz Sharif
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Seed 'em and Reap: William Hall Library's How-To Agricultural Fair
William Hall will be hosting an agricultural fair on Saturday, April 16th from 2:00PM - 5:00PM! This event is open to everyone from would-be gardeners to experienced green thumbs! Some of the groups that will be participating include:
URI Master Gardeners will be there to answer your gardening questions, whether you're an old pro with a specific concern or a newbie just wants to know how to get started planting.
cluck! urban farm and garden supply will bring chickens and answer your poultry questions. Urban farming has become more and more popular in recent years and chances are you won't be the first or last family on your street to invest in a fine feathered friend for fresh eggs.
Rhode Island Beekeeper's Association will be there to teach you all you could want to know about how to maintain an apiary. Healthy colonies are integral to healthy plant life and healthy plant life is integral to a healthy planet. And the honey is just a bonus.
We will also have small crafts and other activities to enjoy - and remember to bring a soil sample for testing!
Celebrate Rhode Island Library Day!
April 16th is Rhode Island Library Day and we're celebrating with fine amnesty! Not that any of you loyal blog-readers have fines (though some of the staff members who write the blog do!), but if you have, say, a friend who forgot to return a stack of DVDs recently and is just cringing thinking of the potential fines, they're in luck!
What is fine amnesty?
Just what the name implies! If you have any items out on your card that are overdue and you return them on April 16th, those fines will be waived! So bring back that long-overdue non-fiction book that you were using on a book report that was handed in weeks ago. Return that movie that you kept meaning to get around to, but never did! And feel free to give up on that bestseller that you couldn't quite get into, but didn't want to hand in because there must be some reason it wound up in the NY Times.
What about lost books? Can I get those fines waived too?
Alas, no. If you have actually lost a book in your travels, the price of the book does need to be paid, amnesty only applies to items that are currently overdue.
Well, I have fines on my card from books I've turned in, will you get rid of those for me?
Not on the 16th! Fine amnesty only applies to items that are currently checked out on your card and are currently accruing fines. We will not be waiving fines that are already on your card.
Why do you even charge fines? Is that how you buy books?
What a great question! Our book buying funds are secured at the beginning of the year and while we will often supplement our collection through patron donations, we don't rely on fine money to buy new books. Fines are an incentive to bring materials back on time and to discourage patrons from keeping them too long past the due date. Even librarians can be tardy with returns and we all need a reminder from time to time to keep up with our due dates.
What is fine amnesty?
Just what the name implies! If you have any items out on your card that are overdue and you return them on April 16th, those fines will be waived! So bring back that long-overdue non-fiction book that you were using on a book report that was handed in weeks ago. Return that movie that you kept meaning to get around to, but never did! And feel free to give up on that bestseller that you couldn't quite get into, but didn't want to hand in because there must be some reason it wound up in the NY Times.
What about lost books? Can I get those fines waived too?
Alas, no. If you have actually lost a book in your travels, the price of the book does need to be paid, amnesty only applies to items that are currently overdue.
Well, I have fines on my card from books I've turned in, will you get rid of those for me?
Not on the 16th! Fine amnesty only applies to items that are currently checked out on your card and are currently accruing fines. We will not be waiving fines that are already on your card.
Why do you even charge fines? Is that how you buy books?
What a great question! Our book buying funds are secured at the beginning of the year and while we will often supplement our collection through patron donations, we don't rely on fine money to buy new books. Fines are an incentive to bring materials back on time and to discourage patrons from keeping them too long past the due date. Even librarians can be tardy with returns and we all need a reminder from time to time to keep up with our due dates.
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
William Hall Library By the Book
Welcome to a new installation at the William Hall Library! Periodically, we will quiz the staff on their literary tastes in the style of the New York Times "By the Book" column. Our first entry comes courtesy of our Youth Services Librarian, Elise!
What books are currently on your night stand?
The books that are on my nightstand are SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard, In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick, and Only Love Can Break Your Heart by Ed Tarkington – okay, okay, so none of these are kids’ books, I’m just taking a little break!
Who is your favorite novelist of all time? (For now)
Do I have to pick just one? It’s really a toss-up between Jane Austen and P.G. Wodehouse, both are authors whose works I can read over and over again.
Who are your favorite fiction writers working today?
Jeffrey Eugenides, Chris Bojhalian, Sarah Waters, Emma Donoghue, and I have to admit a soft spot for Anne Rice.
And which children’s book authors do you especially admire?
Lois Lowry is always a winner, lately I’ve developed a fondness for Roddy Doyle, though when I was in middle school I was obsessed with Mildred D. Taylor. My favorite teen authors are Libba Bray and John Green, though John Barnes wrote a terrific YA novel that I love, Tales of the Madman Underground, but he usually writes for adults.
What books might we be surprised to find on your shelves?
I absolutely refuse to get rid of my dozens of Babysitters’ Club books because I am convinced that someday I will read them again. They’re not just on my shelf, there are boxes full of them that I won’t part with.
What’s the last book you read that made you laugh?
Snappsy the Alligator: “Did Not Ask to Be in this Book!” It’s a picture book about a necktie-wearing alligator named Snappsy whose life is being narrated (and embellished), it’s hilarious and it’s a good way of teaching kids about ‘objective’ versus ‘subjective’ perspectives.
The last book you read that made you cry?
I think it was Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell – I got all choked up reading about the British surrender.
The last book you read that made you furious?
All the Rage by Courtney Summers, it’s a teen book about a girl who was raped by the sheriff’s son. She went to the police to report the crime, but no one believed her and as result she is essentially shunned by the entire town. The book is about her processing her experience and learning to cope and move on – as the title implies, she’s angry and I got angry on her behalf.
What kind of reader were you as a child? Your favorite book? Most beloved character?
I would like to say I was the kind of kid who read everything, but while I certainly read a lot, I had my favorites and I stuck to them. Mostly, I read historical fiction, a smattering of fantasy, some sci-fi, and occasionally some realistic fiction. I tended to get pretty into certain series, like the American Girl books, or the Dear America series. My favorite book when I was younger was probably The Giver by Lois Lowry, but my favorite book character was Mary Lennox. She was, and continues to be, one of my literary heroines because her journey had nothing to do with going from being a “bad” child to a “good” child. She went from being unhappy to happy and, as a result, was less of a pill to deal with, but she certainly never had to dim her spark or conform to stultifying behavioral expectations.
If you had to name one book that made you who you are today, what would it be?
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. I had no idea it was part of a series and now that I do know, I have no intention to read the other entries because I had such powerful emotional associations with that one book. I loved Meg Murray, loved the fact that she really wasn’t the greatest at anything, she wasn’t that good in school, she wasn’t amazingly pretty or even particularly kind (are you noticing my theme of favorite awkward heroines?), but she had a strong sense of justice and wanted to do the right thing, and she also had a serious spine of steel to traverse multiple dimensions to save her father. She wasn’t a ‘chosen one,’ kind of heroine, she was just a weird kid who got caught up in a bizarre situation and became her best self. I thought that was pretty great.
If you could require the president to read one book, what would it be?
I feel like he’s the one person in the world who I could force to read The Bully Pulpit by Doris Kearns Goodwin. In the first place, it’s about two presidents, so it’s a topic he’s familiar with and in the second, one of those presidents was a lawyer and a judge, so obviously it’s a topic right up his alley. I’m really just desperate to discuss with book with someone, but it’s incredibly long and I just can’t get anyone to volunteer to read it. So, actually, not only would I have to force him to read it, I’d then have to force him to sit down and talk to me about it. Probably for at least an hour.
Disappointing, overrated, just not good: What book did you feel you were supposed to like, and didn’t? Do you remember the last book you put down without finishing?
The last book I put down without finishing was Infinite In Between by Carolyn Mackler, but that wasn’t the book’s fault, I had recently finished reading another teen book about kids whose lives changed after high school and I didn’t particularly want to read another one. The last book I set aside because I genuinely didn’t like it was The Wolfman by Nicholas Pekearo, I was in the mood for some supernatural horror fiction, but it was a little bland. But there are many books that I’ve read and just hated that I know most of the world loves – I can’t stand The Catcher in the Rye, I didn’t make it all the way through Great Expectations, and I have a deep loathing for Tess of the d’Urbervilles. Oh! And I also hated Mr. Lemoncello’s Library and I think I’m the only children’s librarian in the state who has that opinion.
What’s the one book you wish someone would write?
Asexuals on a road trip. Just that, a group of friends of various genders on an adventure and no one hooks up with anyone else. I’m also waiting for A.M. Jenkins to write the sequel to Night Road.
Whom would you want to write your life story?
Jane Austen because she could really elevate the mundane details of my day-to-day doings into something hilarious that also reveals deep truths about human nature.
What books are you embarrassed not to have read yet?
I haven’t read so many things, it’s kind of ridiculous. I always mean to read A Tale of Two Cities (I hate Charles Dickens as a person, but I still want to try to like his books). I will say, though, that I don’t really believe that the Canon of Western Literature actually means anything, so when people react with shock that I haven’t read, say, Catch-22, I don’t really care.
You’re having a dinner party. Which three authors, living or not, will you invite? Why??
Jane Austen, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Hannah More.
Reason 1: They are AWESOME.
Reason 2: They were roughly contemporaries, so they’ll have a lot to discuss.
Reason 3: I really, really, really want to meet them.
What books are currently on your night stand?
The books that are on my nightstand are SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard, In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick, and Only Love Can Break Your Heart by Ed Tarkington – okay, okay, so none of these are kids’ books, I’m just taking a little break!
Who is your favorite novelist of all time? (For now)
Do I have to pick just one? It’s really a toss-up between Jane Austen and P.G. Wodehouse, both are authors whose works I can read over and over again.
Who are your favorite fiction writers working today?
Jeffrey Eugenides, Chris Bojhalian, Sarah Waters, Emma Donoghue, and I have to admit a soft spot for Anne Rice.
And which children’s book authors do you especially admire?
Lois Lowry is always a winner, lately I’ve developed a fondness for Roddy Doyle, though when I was in middle school I was obsessed with Mildred D. Taylor. My favorite teen authors are Libba Bray and John Green, though John Barnes wrote a terrific YA novel that I love, Tales of the Madman Underground, but he usually writes for adults.
What books might we be surprised to find on your shelves?
I absolutely refuse to get rid of my dozens of Babysitters’ Club books because I am convinced that someday I will read them again. They’re not just on my shelf, there are boxes full of them that I won’t part with.
What’s the last book you read that made you laugh?
Snappsy the Alligator: “Did Not Ask to Be in this Book!” It’s a picture book about a necktie-wearing alligator named Snappsy whose life is being narrated (and embellished), it’s hilarious and it’s a good way of teaching kids about ‘objective’ versus ‘subjective’ perspectives.
The last book you read that made you cry?
I think it was Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell – I got all choked up reading about the British surrender.
The last book you read that made you furious?
All the Rage by Courtney Summers, it’s a teen book about a girl who was raped by the sheriff’s son. She went to the police to report the crime, but no one believed her and as result she is essentially shunned by the entire town. The book is about her processing her experience and learning to cope and move on – as the title implies, she’s angry and I got angry on her behalf.
What kind of reader were you as a child? Your favorite book? Most beloved character?
I would like to say I was the kind of kid who read everything, but while I certainly read a lot, I had my favorites and I stuck to them. Mostly, I read historical fiction, a smattering of fantasy, some sci-fi, and occasionally some realistic fiction. I tended to get pretty into certain series, like the American Girl books, or the Dear America series. My favorite book when I was younger was probably The Giver by Lois Lowry, but my favorite book character was Mary Lennox. She was, and continues to be, one of my literary heroines because her journey had nothing to do with going from being a “bad” child to a “good” child. She went from being unhappy to happy and, as a result, was less of a pill to deal with, but she certainly never had to dim her spark or conform to stultifying behavioral expectations.
If you had to name one book that made you who you are today, what would it be?
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. I had no idea it was part of a series and now that I do know, I have no intention to read the other entries because I had such powerful emotional associations with that one book. I loved Meg Murray, loved the fact that she really wasn’t the greatest at anything, she wasn’t that good in school, she wasn’t amazingly pretty or even particularly kind (are you noticing my theme of favorite awkward heroines?), but she had a strong sense of justice and wanted to do the right thing, and she also had a serious spine of steel to traverse multiple dimensions to save her father. She wasn’t a ‘chosen one,’ kind of heroine, she was just a weird kid who got caught up in a bizarre situation and became her best self. I thought that was pretty great.
If you could require the president to read one book, what would it be?
I feel like he’s the one person in the world who I could force to read The Bully Pulpit by Doris Kearns Goodwin. In the first place, it’s about two presidents, so it’s a topic he’s familiar with and in the second, one of those presidents was a lawyer and a judge, so obviously it’s a topic right up his alley. I’m really just desperate to discuss with book with someone, but it’s incredibly long and I just can’t get anyone to volunteer to read it. So, actually, not only would I have to force him to read it, I’d then have to force him to sit down and talk to me about it. Probably for at least an hour.
Disappointing, overrated, just not good: What book did you feel you were supposed to like, and didn’t? Do you remember the last book you put down without finishing?
The last book I put down without finishing was Infinite In Between by Carolyn Mackler, but that wasn’t the book’s fault, I had recently finished reading another teen book about kids whose lives changed after high school and I didn’t particularly want to read another one. The last book I set aside because I genuinely didn’t like it was The Wolfman by Nicholas Pekearo, I was in the mood for some supernatural horror fiction, but it was a little bland. But there are many books that I’ve read and just hated that I know most of the world loves – I can’t stand The Catcher in the Rye, I didn’t make it all the way through Great Expectations, and I have a deep loathing for Tess of the d’Urbervilles. Oh! And I also hated Mr. Lemoncello’s Library and I think I’m the only children’s librarian in the state who has that opinion.
What’s the one book you wish someone would write?
Asexuals on a road trip. Just that, a group of friends of various genders on an adventure and no one hooks up with anyone else. I’m also waiting for A.M. Jenkins to write the sequel to Night Road.
Whom would you want to write your life story?
Jane Austen because she could really elevate the mundane details of my day-to-day doings into something hilarious that also reveals deep truths about human nature.
What books are you embarrassed not to have read yet?
I haven’t read so many things, it’s kind of ridiculous. I always mean to read A Tale of Two Cities (I hate Charles Dickens as a person, but I still want to try to like his books). I will say, though, that I don’t really believe that the Canon of Western Literature actually means anything, so when people react with shock that I haven’t read, say, Catch-22, I don’t really care.
You’re having a dinner party. Which three authors, living or not, will you invite? Why??
Jane Austen, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Hannah More.
Reason 1: They are AWESOME.
Reason 2: They were roughly contemporaries, so they’ll have a lot to discuss.
Reason 3: I really, really, really want to meet them.
April Vacation Week
Clear your calendars, it's almost time for April Vacation Week! (Already? Yes, already!) Check out the events we'll be hosting at the library for kids and teens below:
Kids Programs at William Hall include:
Introduction to Quidditch: Learn all about the sport of wizards in this hour-long lesson in our (broom-less) version of the game. Open to kids in Grades 3 - 8, this event will be held on Monday, April 18th from 2:30PM - 3:30PM. Be sure to wear closed-toe shoes! Registration is recommended.
Kids' 3D Printing Workshop: An introductory workshop that takes place over two days and is open to kids in Grades 3 - 6, participants will learn about how a 3D printer works and will be able to design their own items to print using Tinkercad. This workshop will take place on Tuesday, April 19th and Thursday, April 21st from 2:30PM - 4:00PM, participants must attend both days. Registration is required, space is limited.
Lego Build - This ongoing program will begin on Wednesday, April 20th and run from 3:00PM - 4:00PM and is open to kids in Grades K - 5. Participants will work together on a group building project centered around a theme. Our first theme will be Demolition Derby. Registration is not required.
Teen Programs at William Hall include:
Teen Volunteering Opportunities: Teens in Grades 5 - 12 will be able to earn community service hours by coming in between 4:00PM and 6:00PM on Thursday, April 21st to create fleece blankets and toys for shelter animals. Registration is not required.
And, finally, this last program for kids is not part of vacation week, but it is happening close to it!
American Girl Tea Party: A tea party for anyone who loves American Girl books and dolls, participants will enjoy cupcakes, games, and a craft! Open to kids ages 6 - 13, this event will take place on Saturday, April 30th from 2:30PM - 4:00PM. Registration is required.
Monday, January 11, 2016
Children's Programs Winter 2015
Children's programs will resume soon! Here are a list of programs we will be running regularly through the winter months:
1, 2, 3, Play with Me! This storytime is intended for children ages 3 and under to attend with an adult caregiver. The program runs from 11AM-12PM every Thursday morning. During this time the library itself is closed, so participants must enter via the back door from the parking lot. The first half hour of the program is focused on play, with rhymes, songs, and a story offered during the second half hour. This program will begin on January 21st.
Minecraft Club This program is open to children in grades 4-8, it is a Minecraft play session intended for experienced Minecraft users who can either play together in a world or separately on their own adventure. The program is offered on the first Thursday of the month from 3PM-4PM. This program will begin on February 4th.
Blind Date with a Book This daring reading contest will be open to teens (ages 12-18), during the month of February. A number of wrapped books will be available for check-out, but you won't know what they are! Take a chance on a book, fill out a short survey and return both the book and the survey to the library before the month is over to be entered in a raffle and win a prize. This program will begin on February 1st.
For information on any of these programs, call 781-2450 or email epetrarca@cranstonlibrary.org.
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