Yearly Archives: 2014

I have been going through a reading slump lately. I take a book home, and for whatever reason, I just can’t seem to get into it. I read lots of book reviews, but sometimes you can’t really go by those, as each person’s tastes are different. So, having nothing to lose, when I hit my slump, I turned to YA.

YA means YOUNG ADULT. That area is located near the non-fiction side of our library. Liz Strauss, our Teen Librarian, does a wonderful job of ordering a wide range of books that will appeal to the most reluctant reader, the reader who has ‘read everything’, and to me, an ‘old lady’. Liz will often recommend books to me, as she knows what will pique my interest. Sometimes I even recommend books to her. (OK, that has only happened twice, because Liz is on it!)

I didn’t realize that many of my favorite authors have also written YA books: Kathy Reichs. Robert B. Parker, Carl Hiaasen, Neil Gaiman, David Baldacci, and of course James Patterson. I stumbled upon Harlan Coben by reading his YA books, SHELTER, and SECONDS AWAY. Both were really great reads. Now, John Sandford has a new YA called UNCAGED. I just checked it out, can’t wait to get a day off to read it, and it’s book one of a series, so there are even more to come.

I enjoyed NOT A DROP TO DRINK by Mindy McGinnis, and THE COLDEST GIRL IN COLDTOWN by Holly Black. Holly will have a new book, THE IRON TRIAL (book 1 of the Magisterium series) out September 9th 2014, and Liz has me on hold for it for when it arrives!

So, if you just can’t seem to find anything to read, walk over to the YA area. You just might be surprised by what you find there!

Denise,

Adult Services & Interlibrary Loans

Growing up in northeastern Ohio, I have always had a general understanding of what happened in May of 1970 at Kent State. But learning of the tragedy in an academic setting after so much time has passed keeps it at a distance, sterilizes it from emotion. David Hassler was able to bring the story back to life using the voices of an entire community that was traumatized and still healing years after the events took place.

    “Kent State was not just Kent State.” “There were lots of truths.” These are unscripted lines, spoken from the hearts of those who lived through it, and they give those of us who have to learn from a distance an idea of what it was like living inside a symbol of a movement. The confusion, bewilderment, anger, and sorrow all come through from new and different perspectives, and they join together in a chorus that sings the song of a community divided against itself, searching for answers and acceptance.

    The lines of the play originate from the oral history collection courtesy of Kent State University, and I feel that the true expressions of individuals reliving their memories of those few days gives the dialogue more power. Hassler masterfully weaves the separate stories into a tapestry and creates a vision that speaks to our humanity: there are flashes of light and dark held up in stark contrast; people on both sides show the best and worst of all of us. Reading this play was an illuminating experience; both of the horrific events, and of the need to preserve our past along with the voices of those who lived it.

Claire Kandle, Local History Librarian

Doctor Sleep, the latest novel by Stephen King, looks at the adult life of little Danny Torrance from The Shining. Following in his father’s footsteps and suffering from living nightmares as a result of his time in the Overlook, Dan Torrance is an alcoholic drifter. However, he manages to recover and find some peace with his past. This peace is short lived, as he encounters Abra, a young girl with a stronger shining than he has ever encountered. Abra has come to the attention of the True Knot, a band of psychic vampires who roam the country in RVs. The Knot, led by a cunning villain named Rose the Hat, feeds off the “steam” children with the shining give off when they are tortured to death. Dan must face off against this group, and face the demons of his past, in order to protect Abra. While the story isn’t as flat-out terrifying as The Shining, it was a suspenseful and captivating read. ~Kathryn