Posted to Campbell Unclassified on July 3, 2020 at 2:12 PM by Genesis Gaule
If you are a fan of graphic novels and comic books, here are three great selections available on Overdrive you can read right now on your tablet or web browser!
Smile by Raina Telgemeier
Becoming your most unattractive self when you hit adolescence is like a rite of passage, but what if you added dental trauma on top of it? Smile recounts Telgemeier's dental nightmares and social struggles she endured between the sixth and ninth grades. Even readers who weren't/aren’t forced to wear braces will identify with the author's troubles with friends, feelings for the boy who ignores her, and difficulties figuring out just who she is.
Suggested Age: 10 and up (dental trauma, surgery/blood, puberty, bullying)
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The Stonekeeper (Amulet Series, Book 1) by Kazu Kibuishi
After the tragic death of their father, Emily and Navin move with their mother to the home of her deceased great-grandfather, but the ancient house holds a dangerous magic amulet and a portal to a strange world filled with creepy man-eating monsters, sentient robots, and talking animals. Their way home blocked and their mother's life on the line, what is Emily willing to risk to save the people she loves?
Suggested Age: 10 and up (creepy imagery, death, life-and-death action)
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They Called Us Enemy by George Takei
Before he braved new frontiers in Star Trek, George Takei was a four-year-old boy and one of over 100,000 Japanese Americans imprisoned by the U.S. government in American concentration camps during World War II. Takei recounts his child-like innocence of the horrific events as well as the political climate and his parents recounted stories; beautifully highlighted by Harmony Becker's black and white illustrations.
Suggested Age: 15 and up (war, dehumanization, racial violence, politics, grief and loss)
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Be sure to check out our Overdrive catalog for more great graphic novels and comic books!
Posted to Campbell Unclassified on June 12, 2020 at 11:28 AM by Genesis Gaule
Today we’re going to give you a sneak peek into what our community is reading! Whether or not you’re on the cutting edge of book trends or not, it can always be fun to see what someone else is reading. Without further ado, the top five most checked out books from our library so far in 2020.
1. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Mystery OWENS, Mystery LP OWENS, eBook and eAudio
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Perhaps unsurprising to many, Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens is the most checked out book so far in our library. Owens follows Kya Clark, the “Marsh Girl” of Barkley Cove. Abandoned by her family, Kya has survived for years on the marsh alone, finding friends in the gulls and other wild creatures. When a prominent citizen of the cove is murdered the locals immediately suspect Kya, but the truth is much more complicated than it looks.
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2. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Mystery MICHAELIDES, eBook and eAudio
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Mystery thriller The Silent Patient is number 2. Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. She’s a famous painter married to a fashion photographer. She lives in a glamorous house in London. But one day, her husband returns home late from a fashion shoot and Alicia shoots him five times in the face. Her refusal to talk or give any kind of explanation only increases the public fervor. Will Theo Faber, criminal psychotherapist, be able to unravel the mystery of the silent patient or will Alicia’s crimes remain a mystery?
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3. We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter
HUNTER and eAudio
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We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter is based on the true story of a family of Polish Jews who scatter at the start of World War II. As war looms, three generations of the Kurc family are doing their best to live normal lives. Talk is of new babies and budding romance, not of the increasing hardships facing Jews in Poland. Soon though the horrors overtaking Europe becoming inescapable. One sibling is forced into exiles, while another attempts to flee the continent. Others work grueling hours in ghetto factories or hide as gentiles in plain sight. The Kurcs must rely on hope, ingenuity, and inner strength to live to see one another again.
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4. The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
MORRIS, eBook and eAudio
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Another World War II drama takes number 4. When Nazis at Auschwitz discover that Slovakian Jewish prisoner Lale Sokolov speaks several languages, he is put to work as a Tätowierer, a tattooist. For two and a half years, Lale is tasked with permanently marking his fellow prisoners, giving them a number that will become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust. One day in July 1942, Lale comforts a trembling young woman named Gita waiting to have the number 34902 tattooed on her arm. From their very first encounter, Lale vows to somehow survive the camp and marry her. If you’ve already read our number 4 pick, you should check out Cilka’s Journey, another World War II book from Heather Morris.
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5. Bloody Genius by John Sandford
Mystery SANDFORD and eBook
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Rounding out the top 5 is Bloody Genius, the 12th book in John Sandford’s Virgil Flowers series. At the local state university, two feuding departments have faced off on the battleground of political correctness. Each carries their views to extremes that seem absurd, but highly educated people of sound mind and good intentions can reasonably disagree, right? Then someone turns up dead. Virgil Flowers will have to watch his back – and his mouth – as he investigates a college culture war turned deadly.
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Posted to Campbell Unclassified on May 15, 2020 at 10:46 AM by Angela Salgado
This question comes up a lot, in one form or another, at Campbell Library. Sometimes it’s a discussion between staff members, who like any group of coworkers have very diverse tastes in books. Sometimes it’s a patron, who seems a little embarrassed that they generally only read a certain type of book and don't branch out from their comfort zone often. It can be a sensitive subject but I am here to say, it’s alright to read whatever it is that brings you joy and fulfills your purpose for reading!
However, there’s definitely advantages to both reading for fun and reading to learn. Here’s the balance I have struck in my own reading habits. The time I do my most reading is right before bed at night. By then, I’m pretty tired and have no interest in working through something really difficult that’s going to require a lot of thought. So I mostly stick to novels that are engaging (but not so thrilling that I won’t put the book down and go to sleep). A few of my recent favorites that the library owns in e-book format include The Dutch House by Ann Patchett, Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout, Long Bright River by Liz Moore, American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins, and An American Marriage by Tayari Jones.
On the other hand, first thing in the morning while I am running or driving, I find that I have the mental energy to learn something new and that is when I engage in rereading the classics, and listening to nonfiction titles in audiobook format. I find that this is an especially great time to listen to memoirs, because they are often read by the author which makes them extra interesting! My recommendations from our catalog would include Open Book by Jessica Simpson, Becoming by Michelle Obama, and Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick.
Although of the two, I treasure my late night bestseller reading time more, I find the time I spend listening to nonfiction or classics in the morning to be so valuable. It absolutely broadens my horizons, helps me to see the world from new perspectives, teaches me new information about our modern world, and gives me a foundation of knowledge about the past. If I didn’t commit that time to nonfiction books, I’d be missing out!
But going back to where we started...this is a deeply personal topic and there is no wrong answer! Read what brings you joy, when it works for you. And know that the staff at Campbell Library is there to help you find that right next book to dive into, and that we too don’t always read what we “should” but rather read what we enjoy and what fulfills our purposes for that time and space in our lives. Happy reading!