Bookstores Full of Stories

Posted on April 24, 2026April 10, 2026 by abbiebourelle

Dear readers, one of the many things I love about library work is seeing the variety of books that this world has to offer. Truly there is something for everyone. One of my favorite tasks is sorting and putting away the cart of new books. (This has resulted in the extreme growth of my ‘want to read’ list). As of late, I cannot help but notice the variety and abundance of books where the setting or theme revolves around a bookstore. These stories come in pretty much every genre! Dear reader, I wish to share with you a few titles that have caught my eye regarding this theme. Perhaps, like me, some of these will end up on your ‘want to read’ list.

The Bookstore Diaries by Susan Mallery

Many of the bookstore related books I have seen lately have been romances. The Bookstore Diaries is no exception, though the plot really caught my eye! The bookstore featured is called The Painted Lady Bookstore and is located in a gorgeous Victorian mansion. The Painted Lady Bookstore is run by Jax, a bit of a control freak. Though, as of late, everything around Jax seems to be going out of control. Her ex recently became engaged to another person. Her sister, Ryleigh, is looking to move away in search of a husband. To try to dissuade Ryleigh from moving away Jax hired on a handsome contractor. However, the contractor seems to instead be interested in Jax!

An odd quirk of the town is that everyone with a diary keeps it in a special lockbox inside The Painted Lady bookstore. Jax’s life suddenly becomes very interesting when the numbers on the lockboxes are somehow erased. The only way to find the owner of each is to read the diary! Secrets and scandals come to light resulting in a delightful drama.

If you are in the mood for some juicy drama and romance, give The Bookstore Diaries a read!

Click HERE to request The Bookstore Diaries!

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Fantasy, Fiction, Genre, Historical, Uncategorized

Great Historical Fantasy

Posted on April 17, 2026April 16, 2026 by Sydney Anderson

Genre fusions are having a bit of a moment right now, so today I want to talk about one of my favorites: historical fantasy. Plenty of fantasy novels have, for lack of a better word, historical vibes: most people are familiar with the basics of the ‘generic medieval fantasy setting’, even if they don’t read much fantasy themselves. But today I want to go beyond that, and explore books that introduce fantastical elements into real-world history. In a historical fantasy novel, an author has an opportunity to inject the unexpected into the familiar, and a historically inspired setting provides a window to explore what fantasy can be outside of the ‘medieval Europe but not quite’ formula. Here’s a selection of works of historical fantasy, all available through the Monarch Library System, that will appeal readers who love both genres and what happens when the two combine.

She Who Became The Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

In the middle of the 14th century, China is wracked by famine and scarred by war. This is the time of the Yuan Dynasty, the period of the Mongol Empire’s rule. After the death of her brother, a young girl assumes his identity to become Zhu Chongba, rising from obscurity to become a great military commander – but when faced with the brutal calculus of war, she must make an unspeakable choice. She Who Became The Sun bears some similarities to the legend of Hua Mulan, but readers shouldn’t expect anything like Disney’s cheery musical rendition of the story. Rather, Zhu Chongba resembles the thorny antiheroines of Seth Dickinson’s The Traitor Baru Cormorant and R.F. Kuang’s The Poppy War. The setting of this book is brilliantly realized: the bleak portrait of the famine-stricken village of Zhu Chongba’s childhood forms one of the most effective prologues I’ve read in a genre novel in some time. Parker-Chan also presents a brilliant antivillain in Ouyang, a captive who has risen high in the army and royal court of Henan. I couldn’t put this book down, and the ending left me with a fierce book hangover. Luckily, She Who Became The Sun is the first of a completed duology, and the conclusion, He Who Drowned The World, is also on the shelf at Mead, ready for avid readers to pick up right away.

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Cooking/Baking, Staff Picks, Uncategorized

What’s Cooking!? What’s Baking!?

Posted on February 27, 2026February 10, 2026 by abbiebourelle

Dear readers, it has been awhile since I have shared with you my love of cooking and baking. I feel so lucky to be able to use the magical power of my library card to access the hundreds of volumes of cookbooks that the library lets me check out FOR FREE!!!! It saves me money, AND it saves my house from becoming a cookbook hoard! Today I will be sharing with you four titles that I have sampled in the last couple of months. I hope you enjoy!

Bowl by Lukas Volger

I love Asian food. I especially love ramen. I had been looking for a good cookbook to help me make my own ramen dish at home for awhile and was captivated by this cover when I saw it. Look at that beautiful and delicious bowl of food! There are recipes in this book to tickle the palate of anyone looking to make their own Asian food at home. As this book is for making these dishes vegetarian, you will not find meat in any of these recipes. I like chicken, so I added chicken instead of tofu to my chosen recipe anyway. It tasted just fine.

The recipe I chose to make was the kimchi ramen. It turned out splendidly! The kimchi added an extra interesting spice to the broth (which is the most important part of a soup or noodle dish). The addition of the mushrooms, onion, and arugula gave the dish a hearty and fresh flavor profile. One of the most satisfying aspects of this dish was the crispy fried onions on top. When I saw I had to make them, my first thought was “Do I really want to do the extra work and make MORE dishes?” Dear readers, I am glad I did. They added just that extra flavor pop on top that ignited the senses. The toasted sesame seeds also added to the delight of the kimchi ramen recipe.

If you are looking to make ramen, bibimbap, pho, or any other delectable Asian dish, I highly recommend Bowl.

Click HERE to request a copy of Bowl!

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Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction

Love Across Time

Posted on February 13, 2026February 4, 2026 by Sydney Anderson

Romance, particularly where it overlaps with fantasy and science fiction, needs a challenge for the main characters to overcome in order to be together. Could anything be more challenging to overcome than time itself? Today, I’m spotlighting a trendy subgenre that doesn’t seem to have an official name, but that I like to call “timestream romance”. These books feature characters who fall in love amidst the tangles of time travel, time loops, and multiple reincarnations across the centuries. Let’s get started!

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone

The story of This Is How You Lose The Time War unfolds as a series of letters between Red and Blue, agents of two enemy organizations whose battlefield is time itself. As Red and Blue leave messages for one another across time, their enmity first thaws into respect, and then blossoms into love. But what will it cost for the two of them to be together? This book is both exquisitely written and emotionally honest in spite of the out-of-this-world situation it portrays, with character voices that expertly thread the delicate needle of being witty and charming while still feeling real. I found it pretty refreshing to read an enemies-to-lovers romance that focused on a meeting of the minds rather than flashy duels. This book is an intense emotional journey in a small package, certain to stay with you even after the final page is turned.

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Award Winners, Fiction, Kids 0-5, Kids 5-12, Nonfiction, Teen & Young Adult, Uncategorized

Youth Award Books 2026

Posted on February 6, 2026February 5, 2026 by Bree

The American Library Association recently announced the winners of the 2026 Youth Media Awards. Materials for children and teens were selected by committees of literature and media specialists under different categories for their excellence. Take a look at some of this year’s winners below, which include publishers’ summaries. Be sure to click the link for any you’re interested in reading for yourself to reserve your copy through the Monarch catalog. The full list of this year’s winners is also linked at the bottom of this post.

John Newbery Medal

The John Newbery Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. This year’s winner is All the Blues in the Sky, written by Renée Watson.

All the Blues in the Sky, by Renée Watson

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Fantasy, Games, Science Fiction

Zachary’s Recent Games

Posted on January 23, 2026January 22, 2026 by Zachary

When the weather gets cold, I like to get cozy and settle in to a game. I have a bad habit of playing a few games at the same time and bouncing between them as my interest in a particular game fluctuates. This week’s blog post is a list of the games I’m currently playing. If a game is on multiple platforms, I’ll include links to the different versions.

The Outer Worlds 2 (PS5/Xbox)

Obsidian developed my favorite Fallout game, so I’ve been partial to their games for the last few years. They’ve continued a design choice since Avowed that I appreciate. Avowed was open enough that it felt like an open-world game, but it was contained enough that I didn’t feel punished by going in a particular direction. Sometimes open-world games prioritize the size of the world without filling it with enough content to reward exploration, and to be honest, as I’ve gotten older, I don’t want to spend hundreds of hours sifting through a game to find what’s worth looting. Avowed also allowed you to upgrade the equipment that you liked throughout the entire game, so I didn’t have to waste time on loot grind. It was nice to see The Outer Worlds 2 kept that streamlined design, and I find the Outer Worlds setting interesting. Outer Worlds’ setting tends to be a little more comedic than Fallout: New Vegas was, but it still itches that Obsidian itch.

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Adult, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror

Great Speculative Fiction from 2025

Posted on January 9, 2026January 7, 2026 by Sydney Anderson

It’s that time of year again! Last year, I surveyed a sampling of the years’ greatest sci-fi, fantasy, and horror. You can read that post here – all of those books still come highly recommended. Now the time has come to do the same for the new releases of 2025. The same caveat from last year applies: I’m only one person, I can only read so many books in a year. Therefore I couldn’t possibly include every amazing new speculative fiction release from the past year, no matter how much I might like to. I’d also be remiss if I didn’t point out that 2025 has been an absolute banner year for horror, and this list leans a lot more towards that genre than last years’. With the preamble out of the way, let’s get started!

The Works of Vermin by Hiron Ennes

In the city of Tilliard, opera is bloodsport, perfume is politics, and one person can have many names over the course of a life. We view this city through the eyes of Guy Moulène, one of the rank and file of Tilliard’s pest control companies. On a routine job, Guy discovers an insect the size of a dragon – one that may be even more dangerous after it’s slain. Guy’s story entwines with that of Asteritha Vost, perfumer to Tilliard’s elite. When Aster becomes entangled with Mallory vont Passant, a newcomer to Tilliard with a past shrouded in mystery, she unearths secrets that may shake the city to its core – that touch upon the past of her ruthless employer, Grand Marshal Maximian Sorav. As a work of horror fantasy, The Works of Vermin is no less than the total package. Tilliard’s atmosphere of rotten beauty is pitch-perfect, calling to mind Jeff Vandermeer’s Ambergris and China Miéville’s New Crobuzon. Innes also delivers on pacing and plot – there’s a sequence of plot twists about three quarters of the way through that literally made my jaw drop. Prospective readers should definitely exercise discretion about content, as this story goes to some extremely dark places. That said, it’s also suffused with some welcome macabre humor: when things get that bad, sometimes there’s nothing to do but laugh. The Works of Vermin was a privilege to read, a book over four-hundred pages that I wish was longer. If Ennes ever wants to return to the Tilliard setting, I’ll happily come along, bugs and all.

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Adult, Fantasy, Horror

Let’s Get Gothic

Posted on November 7, 2025November 4, 2025 by Sydney Anderson

October may be over, but I don’t think there’s ever a bad time to recommend something gloriously grim. When you’re craving the decaying splendor and unspeakable secrets of a gothic novel, nothing else will do. Each of these selections puts a unique contemporary spin on the gothic genre, and all will be an excellent accompaniment to the cold days and long nights coming right around the corner.

The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling

Jane Shoringfield is aware that her hasty marriage to Dr. Augustine Lawrence is highly irregular. Dr. Lawrence insists upon certain unusual rules – particularly that Jane never set foot in Lindridge Hall, the Lawrence family’s ancestral home. But when Jane finds herself with no choice but to break her husband’s prohibitions, she realizes her marriage comes with more than she bargained for: magical secrets and the very literal ghosts of Augustine’s past. In The Death of Jane Lawrence, Caitlin Starling has deftly crafted a gothic novel that feels like the classics while speaking directly to what modern readers want. At first, this book appears to be a fantasy-influenced homage to gothic mainstays, such as Rebecca and Jane Eyre. But gradually, alongside the heroine, the reader comes to realize that this is in no way the story that they were expecting. The ending was one of the best twists I’ve had the pleasure of reading this year. Naturally, I wouldn’t dream of spoiling it.

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Film, Horror

Just Some Good Horror Movies

Posted on October 24, 2025October 9, 2025 by Sydney Anderson

There’s nothing like watching a scary movie when fall is in the air. Every year, horror buffs look forward to the countdown to Halloween, when it’s socially acceptable to binge-watch as many horror movies as you want, and even the squeamish might give the genre a try. Today’s list isn’t complicated. It’s just a selection of horror films, all available at Mead, that I really liked, and that I hope you’ll like too. One quick note: these are the preferences of a long-time horror aficionado – viewer discretion is advised for all of these selections. With that out of the way, let’s get started!

Stopmotion

Stopmotion follows Ella, creative assistant to her mother Suzanne, a celebrated stop-motion animator. Ella yearns to find her own artistic voice, but she’s been smothered by Suzanne’s personal and professional mistreatment. When Suzanne’s health takes a turn for the worse, a mysterious young girl begins to haunt Ella. The apparition encourages her to abandon her mother’s unfinished film and tell a different, very macabre story. Ella thinks she’s found her chance to come into her own – until the film begins to haunt her. Stopmotion is a brilliant work of psychological horror – I was literally on the edge of my seat by the end. I really appreciate how the film doesn’t overexplain itself. It’s left up to interpretation whether the haunting represents Ella’s abusive upbringing, the toll of her devotion to art, fear of mortality triggered by her mother’s failing health, or something else entirely. Furthermore, the stop-motion animation sections of the film impress, both on a technical level and in scare factor. Stopmotion is a good story well told, capable of sending shivers up a jaded horror buff’s spine, and it absolutely deserves a place on your watchlist.

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Film, Horror, Uncategorized

Vampire Cinema

Posted on September 19, 2025September 16, 2025 by Sydney Anderson

In my opinion, it’s never too early to start thinking about the scary movies you’re going to watch in the lead-up to Halloween. Vampires are having a bit of a moment right now, so there’s no better time to explore the history of one of the most iconic and enduring subgenres of horror cinema. Unfortunately, it would be pretty much impossible to cover the entire history of vampire movies in a single blog post: there are just too many great ones! So, with the acknowledgement that any short list of vampire movies will also necessarily be an incomplete one, I’d like to use this space to talk about a few of my favorites. Let’s get started!

Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula is indisputably the grandfather of the modern vampire story, and I thought for a while about which of its’ many, many cinematic adaptations should go on this list. Should I spotlight F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu, the loose adaptation of Dracula that invented the vampire film genre as we know it today? Or should I highlight the legendary performance of Bela Lugosi? How about Christopher Lee? While those are all great options, in the end I decided on this 1992 adaptation by Francis Ford Coppola. Forget what you’ve heard about Keanu Reeves as Jonathan Harker, because this movie also features excellent performances from Gary Oldman as Dracula, Anthony Hopkins as Van Helsing, Winona Rider as Mina Harker, and Tom Waits (!) as Renfield. This take on the story departs from Stoker’s novel in that it explores the idea of a potential romantic connection between Dracula and Mina Harker. No matter how you feel about the adaptational changes to the original story, this film is undeniably stylish. With Coppola’s directorial touch, a haunting score by Wojciech Kilar and gorgeous Oscar-nominated costumes by Eiko Ishioka, Bram Stoker’s Dracula is nothing short of an unforgettable cinematic experience .

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