The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler

The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler, 339 p.

"Simon Watson, a young librarian, lives alone in a house that is slowly crumbling toward the Long Island Sound. His parents are long dead. His mother, a circus mermaid who made her living by holding her breath, drowned in the very water his house overlooks. His younger sister, Enola, ran off six years ago and now reads tarot cards for a traveling carnival.

One June day, an old book arrives on Simon's doorstep, sent by an antiquarian bookseller who purchased it on speculation. Fragile and water damaged, the book is a log from the owner of a traveling carnival in the 1700s, who reports strange and magical things, including the drowning death of a circus mermaid. Since then, generations of "mermaids" in Simon's family have drowned--always on July 24, which is only weeks away. As his friend Alice looks on with alarm, Simon becomes increasingly worried about his sister. Could there be a curse on Simon's family? What does it have to do with the book, and can he get to the heart of the mystery in time to save Enola?"--Goodreads blurb

This was a strange and wonderful book. Learning about this family through many generations and it's blessings and curses was fascinating. Swyler was an engrossing author that wove the years together and kept the story at a good pace. Swyler was a new-to-me author that I will be reading in the future!

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

 

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams, 373 p.

"Widower Mukesh lives a quiet life in the London Borough of Ealing after losing his beloved wife. He shops every Wednesday, goes to Temple, and worries about his granddaughter, Priya, who hides in her room reading while he spends his evenings watching nature documentaries.

Aleisha is a bright but anxious teenager working at the local library for the summer when she discovers a crumpled-up piece of paper in the back of To Kill a Mockingbird. It’s a list of novels that she’s never heard of before. Intrigued, and a little bored with her slow job at the checkout desk, she impulsively decides to read every book on the list, one after the other. As each story gives up its magic, the books transport Aleisha from the painful realities she’s facing at home.

When Mukesh arrives at the library, desperate to forge a connection with his bookworm granddaughter, Aleisha passes along the reading list… hoping that it will be a lifeline for him too. Slowly, the shared books create a connection between two lonely souls, as fiction helps them escape their grief and everyday troubles and find joy again. "--Goodreads blurb

Wow. This book came highly recommended, and I am so glad I read it. This is one I will recommend to anyone, though please check trigger warnings beforehand. The characters and emotional storyline sit in your heart and won't leave for quite a while! 

The Man Who Loved Libraries

 by Andrew Larsen and Katty Maury - 32 pages

I found this book to be interesting and I was able to learn a few tidbits about Andrew Karnegie.

From Amazon:  Karnegie believed strongly in sharing his wealth, and one of the ways he did this was by funding over 2500 public libraries around the world. His philanthropy completely revolutionalized public libraries, which were not widespread at the time.

The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick

The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick - 348 pages

Librarian Martha Storm has always found it easier to connect with books than people—though not for lack of trying. She keeps careful lists of how to help others in her superhero-themed notebook. And yet, sometimes it feels like she’s invisible.

All of that changes when a book of fairy tales arrives on her doorstep. Inside, Martha finds a dedication written to her by her best friend—her grandmother Zelda—who died under mysterious circumstances years earlier. When Martha discovers a clue within the book that her grandmother may still be alive, she becomes determined to discover the truth. As she delves deeper into Zelda’s past, she unwittingly reveals a family secret that will change her life forever.

You Wouldn't Want to Live Without Libraries! by Fiona Macdonald, Illustrated by Mark Bergie

You Wouldn't Want to Live Without Libraries! by Fiona Macdonald

This is a great book for children and adults.  The book covers over 5000 years of the history of the library and what libraries offer their patrons!  A great book with beautiful illustrations!

Books, Books, Books by Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom

Books, Books, Books by Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom, 42 pages

How could I resist reading a book called Books?  This particular book is about the wide variety of  books in the British Library.  Come explore the amazing collection of the British Library.  This book is also beautifully illustrated.

Palaces for the People, How Social Infrastructure Can Help fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life by Eric Klinenberg

Palaces for the People by Eric Klinenberg, 277 pages

If you think about it, in the last 30 years, social media has replaced almost all human contact.  So, where are the people to meet, gather, and socialize?  Eric Klinenberg, a professor of sociology, addresses such issues.  Where can people come together?  One such place the book focuses on is the public library.  The library is a great place for all people to gather.  He also says the future of democratic societies rests on shared spaces, such as churches, schools, daycare centers, libraries, bookstores, and parks.  This is social infrastructure.  When it is strong communities flourish, when neglected communities decline.  He sites the great heat wave in Chicago in 1995.  Communities who were tight knit saw less deaths than those that were not.  Not only focusing on libraries as palaces for the people, where people can gather safely, one also must look beyond to where the future is for safe gathering spots for all people.

Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts by Christopher De Hamel

Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts: Twelve Journeys into the Medieval World by Christopher De Hamel -632 pages

The author is a scholar of illuminated manuscripts who invites the reader along to examine in detail twelve rare documents in several institutions around the world. The manuscripts range in age from the very early middle ages to the late fifteenth century, and the book is richly illustrated. De Hamel is perceptive and also wry in his descriptions of the documents and the sometimes stuffy institutions that possess them. A fun book to browse chapter by chapter. 

Library on Wheels by Sharlee Glenn

Library on Wheels by Sharlee Glenn, 51 pages

This was such an inspiring story about Mary Lemist Titcomb who started the first bookmobile, even before there were motorized cars.  Mary was sent to school at the time when most women studied to become nurses or teachers.  After she finished her higher education she went on to try and become a librarian after starting out as an apprentice.  She worked her way up to head of a library.  She began to wonder how she could get more books out in the hands of farmers who lived quite a distance from the library.  Therefore, she came up with the idea of the first book mobile.  I was surprised to learn how many miles the bookmobile covered and that each family was allowed to check out thirty books.  This was a very fascinating read for all ages.

The Storied City by Charlie English

The Storied City: The Quest for Timbuktu and the Fantastic Mission to Save Its Past by Charlie English --- 400 pages including notes, selected bibliography, acknowledgements and index.

Relying on extensive research and contemporary reporting, Charlie English, former international editor of The Guardian and a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, expertly interweaves two suspenseful stories: the 19th century European obsession with finding the legendary African city of Timbuktu; and in 2012, the desperate effort to preserve Timbuktu's scholarly Islamic heritage from destruction when al-Qaeda jihadists occupied the city for eleven months. English combines scholarship and journalism to create a compulsively readable account of the myth and the reality of Timbuktu and why the place continues to enthrall our imagination.

Click HERE to read the review from Kirkus Reviews.

Click HERE to read the review from Publishers Weekly.

Click HERE to read the prepub alert review from Library Journal.

Click HERE to read the review from The Economist.

 

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo-182 pages

I watched the movie a few years ago, so I decided to read this book since this month is books about animals. Opal Buloni goes to a Winn-Dixie grocery store in Naomi, Florida where she has just moved and meets a mischievous, friendly stray dog who she claims is hers and names Winn-Dixie after the grocery store. Because of Winn-Dixie she meets and befriends Franny Block, who runs the Herman W. Block Memorial Library. Additionally, she meets and befriends Otis, who runs a pet store. Opal also becomes friends with Amanda, the Dewberry boys, Gloria Dump, and Sweetie Pie Thomas. She makes all of these friends because of her dog Winn-Dixie. Opal also reaches an understanding about her mom leaving her and her dad, the preacher. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book, although I was disappointed that the grammar was not better. There are many examples throughout the book of improper grammar usage (i.e. I seen, I brung, etc.). I understand that Opal is 10 and many of her friends are kids, also, but I would like to see more proper grammar.

Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine

Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine  355 pages

Ruthless and supremely powerful, the Great Library is now a presence in every major city, governing the flow of knowledge to the masses. Alchemy allows the Library to deliver the content of the greatest works of history instantly but the personal ownership of books is expressly forbidden. Jess Brightwell believes in the value of the Library, but the majority of his knowledge comes from illegal books obtained by his family, who are involved in the thriving black market. Jess has been sent to be his family s spy, but his loyalties are tested in the final months of his training to enter the Library s service. When he inadvertently commits heresy by creating a device that could change the world, Jess discovers that those who control the Great Library believe that knowledge is more valuable than any human life and soon both heretics and books will burn.

The Public Library: A Photographic Essay by Robert Dawson

The Public Library: A Photographic Essay by Robert Dawson, 191 pages

If I had a coffee table, this book would be on it.  I love this book!!  If you love the public library, you must read this book!!  This book was 18 years in the making and was a family affair.  The author spent 18 years traveling the United States and visiting hundreds of public libraries.  The book contains a brief history of the American Public Library.  Did you know there are about 17,000 libraries in the United States?  And, that the first tax supported public library was founded in New Hampshire in 1833?  This book does not discriminate. It includes pictures of the poorest and smallest libraries in the United States, as well as architecturally beautiful buildings in more wealthier areas.  The pictures in this book are phenomenal!  Each picture tells a heart felt story of a public library.  Some of the descriptions of the libraries are as fascinating as the pictures.  From rural America to urban America, the author takes us on an adventure across the country in search of America's Public Libraries.

When the Library Lights Go Out by Megan McDonald

When the Library Lights Go Out 

by Megan McDonald, 40 pages

The lights are out, the library staff and all the patrons are gone. So the library is empty, right? Not so much! Three story time puppets use the opportunity to some out and play.

A fun read, especially for a child who's parent works at a real library.

Sweet Revenge by Diane Mott Davidson

Sweet Revenge by Diane Mott Davidson, 359 pages

It's the winter holiday season and caterer Goldy is up to her eyeballs in parties to cater. While setting up for the staff party at the local library, a body is found - one of the local map collectors. And the game is afoot while Goldy tries to figure out who committed the heinous crime.

Of course, more attacks and deaths follow before this crime is solved. Be sure to look for recipes at the back of the book!

The Library Card by Jerry Spinelli

The Library Card by Jerry Spinelli, 148 pages

The Library Card is divided into four short stories.  Each story is about a different kid.  Each kid finds a blue library card that changes their individual lives forever. Mongoose finds a blue library card, and it opens his life to a world of knowledge.  Brenda gives up watching TV and discovers the mysterious world of the library.  Sonseray really needs the library card for his mere existence.  Finally, the bookmobile makes major life changes for April. This book was published in 1997 which makes it a little dated and the stories are mysterious, but the cool thing was to see how library cards can make a difference in a kid's life.

The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman

 The Grimm Legacy  by Polly Shulman  325 pages

High school student Elizabeth is feeling lonely: her new stepmother is taking up most of her father's time and she just transferred to a new school where she doesn't have any friends. When her history teacher suggests that she get a job with the New York Circulating Material Repository, she looks forward to the new experience. The Repository is a lending library of objects - some ordinary and some possessing secret powers. Fascinated by the Grimm Collection and its magical menagerie of items taken straight out of Grimm's fairy tales, Elizabeth and her friends at the repository are entangled in a web of mystery as items and people begin to disappear! It's up to Elizabeth and her friends to solve the mystery and return the powerful artifacts to the collection.

Reading With The Stars by Leonard Kniffel

Reading With The Stars by Leonard Kniffel, 158 pages

Leonard Kniffel was editor in chief of American Libraries from 1996 to 2011.  In this book, he compiles interviews and essays from some very famous Americans on their thoughts on their reading experiences and libraries.  Barack Obama tells how libraries made a difference in his life.  Bill Gates explains how important it is to bring internet to rural libraries.  Oprah Winfrey says getting her library card was like getting citizenship!

Dewey's Nine Lives BY: Vicki Myron with Bret Witter

Dewey's Nine Lives by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter 306 pages
I didn't give this book much hope when I first saw it, because how much more can you say about one cat. Curiosity won out and luckily I gave it a try and I thought this was a great follow-up to the original story Dewey the Library Cat. which I really enjoyed.
I thought it was a great idea for the author to tell the stories about nine other cat lives, who's owners were inspired to share with the author after reading or hearing about Dewey.  I believe it speaks well of this librarian and her co-author to bring these wonderful stories to life for all to enjoy.

Check It Out!: The Book About Libraries by Gail Gibbons

Check It Out!: The Book About Libraries by Gail Gibbons. 32 pages

Though written in 1985, this wonderful book is still full of relevant information about librarians and libraries and how they serve their communities. Kids will likely ask questions about records, tapes, microfilm and catalog cards. Parents will enjoy reminiscing about their childhood library.