Popular Titles You Might Have Missed

Posted on May 29, 2020May 27, 2020 by Anneliese

Now that it’s possible to get physical library books again, I thought I would take a quick look at the most popular new fiction in our catalog. These four books are recent purchases at Mead, and as of writing this post, they were all available for checkout without a waitlist. The descriptions below are pulled from our catalog.

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Beach Haven by T. I. Lowe

Free-spirited Opal Gilbert seems to have everything she needs to keep living a happy life in Sunset Cove as she refurbishes vintage furniture to sell at her funky ocean-side boutique, Bless This Mess. Until Lincoln Cole, a new-to-town ex-Marine nursing deep wounds and harboring hurts he can’t seem to shake, wanders into her shop.

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Adult, DIY & How To, eBooks & eAudio

The Seed Waits for Its Garden

Posted on May 27, 2020May 20, 2020 by Zachary

The weather is finally starting to warm up. That means soon that we’ll be able to start growing gardens! I haven’t ever planted a proper vegetable garden before, so I found some books that sounded helpful. I’ve included the book’s description under each title.

The Timber Press Guide to Vegetable Gardening in the Midwest (Monarch/Libby/Hoopla)

“There is nothing more regionally specific than vegetable gardening—what to plant, when to plant it, and when to harvest are decisions based on climate, weather, and first frost. The Timber Press Guide to Vegetable Gardening in the Midwest, by regional expert Michael VanderBrug, focuses on the unique eccentricities of the Midwest gardening calendar. The month-by-month format makes it perfect for beginners and accessible to everyone—gardeners can start gardening the month they pick it up. Perfect for home gardeners in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.”

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Adult, Contemporary, eBooks & eAudio, Fiction, Horror

Modern Classics: Jane Austen

Posted on May 20, 2020May 20, 2020 by Carol

Known for expressing her wit and social commentary through her characters, Jane Austen is a staple of classrooms and beloved by many. But for readers new to Austen, the language can feel challenging and lots of sneaky jokes get lost along the way. (Consider: a character preaching about the importance of frugality while renting the carriage equivalent of an Audi.) Modern retellings can reframe those jokes in a way that doesn’t require extensive knowledge of 1800s British customs, or offer a fresh take for those who know Austen’s works well. For longtime Austen fans and newcomers alike, here are 6 adaptations of Jane Austen’s novels.

The Austen Project:
Emma by Alexander McCall Smith & Eligble by Curtis Sittenfeld

The Austen Project brings Jane Austen into the present day. Eligible imagines Elizabeth as a writer for a magazine and Jane as a yoga instructor in New York. After their father has a health scare, the daughters return to their childhood city of Cincinnati to find the home in disrepair and a mother determined to marry off Jane before her 40th birthday.

In Emma, the titular character returns home from university to start her career in interior design. While she plans to get her business off the ground, she uses her free time to offer guidance to those she deems less wise in the ways of the world than she is – and she includes nearly everyone in Highbury in that tally.

Two other adaptations in the series, Northanger Abbey by Val McDermid and Sense and Sensibility have been released as well.

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Adult, Games, New & Upcoming, Science Fiction, Teen & Young Adult

A New Foe Has Appeared!

Posted on May 15, 2020May 14, 2020 by Zachary

Most years, we’d be approaching E3 season. That may be canceled, but there are a few games that I’m looking forward to that have already been announced. I’m sure as announcements trickle in that there will be more games that I’ll look forward to, but we’ll start with these.

Maneater (PS4/Xbox One)

As much as I love a good story, I’m a sucker for an open-world RPG. This one has piqued my interest because it’s not the usual shooter or fantasy RPG. It’s tough to say from the gameplay they’ve shown how much variety there will be for what you can do. So far, it’s eating things and swimming through beautiful aquatic scenery. I suspect that’s why the game is cheaper than most games upon release, but I still want to try it.

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Adult, eBooks & eAudio, Fantasy, Games, Graphic Novels & Memoirs, Horror

Insert Coin to Continue

Posted on April 27, 2020April 24, 2020 by Zachary

The last few weeks have been good for gaming, but even I can get burned out after a few days. Sometimes, you get caught up in the story or world you were playing in, though. This week I found a few books that are set in some favorite videogame worlds.

The Infernal City (Libby/Monarch)

This novel is set after the Oblivion Crisis. Though I feel like to fully enjoy it, you need to have played The Elder Scrolls III, or at least The Elder Scrolls Online. The novel visits places in Morrowind like Vivec City and mentions the fall of the Ministry of Truth. That may not be as much of an issue for other people as it would be for me, though.

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Adult, Award Winners, eBooks & eAudio, Graphic Novels & Memoirs, Nonfiction

Read-alikes for Educated

Posted on April 17, 2020April 9, 2020 by Aleah

Have you been waiting on the holds list to read Educated by Tara Westover and just want a book to pass the time? Or have you just finished Educated and now you’re wondering what you could possibly read that could ever compare?

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Here’s a list of books that just might fill the Educated void:

Estranged by Jessica Berger Gross

This memoir follows Jessica’s journey as a young woman who is abused, both physically and emotionally, by her father. Later in her life, she decides to break away and cut all ties with her dysfunctional family to finally create a life for herself. Though she struggles to overcome the trauma and pain that has internally built up throughout her childhood, Jessica works her way down an inspiring path to happiness.
This book is currently available right away in Audiobook format on Hoopla

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Nonfiction

Languages Through Kanopy

Posted on April 15, 2020March 31, 2020 by Anneliese

If you have, for one reason or another, found yourself with some time on your hands… one thing you might be interested in is some of the electronic resources that Mead has for learning a new language.

Many people are familiar with the fact that library patrons can access Rosetta Stone and Transparent Language (and even a few through Gale Courses!), but did you know that Kanopy also has video courses – and, since they’re part of the Great Courses series, they don’t count towards your 10-video monthly limit! Kanopy’s Great Courses aren’t always the easiest to search through, but here are the current offerings for language courses:

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Learning Spanish: How to Understand and Speak a New Language

Presented by Bill Worden, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Spanish and Director of Spanish Programs at The University of Alabama.

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Film, History, Nonfiction, Science

Nights at the Museum

Posted on April 13, 2020April 8, 2020 by Zachary

One of my favorite things to do is to visit museums. Needless to say, I can’t do that these days while in quarantine. So here are some museums that are doing virtual tours that I paired with a documentary on Hoopla or Kanopy.

The Louvre (Hoopla/Monarch)

International travel, like late-night Taco Bell or book shopping, is just one of those things we don’t get to do in-person right now. So instead of risking a plane trip, bring the Louvre to you!

I thought it was interesting that, before this documentary, the Louvre had not been filmed.

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eBooks & eAudio, Fiction, Kids 5-12, Uncategorized

Down Time Storytime

Posted on April 9, 2020April 9, 2020 by Bree

With busy days of working and doing schoolwork at home, you may be looking for ways to break up the day a bit. Have you considered having a storytime at home? How about a family storytime that caregivers can sit back and enjoy? You can even set it up for the kids and take advantage of having a bit of free time for yourself while the kids are occupied by their story. Mead Library cardholders have access to Hoopla. Hoopla offers a variety of media for both children and adults to check out – up to 10 items per month. Included in this media selection are thousands of children’s audiobooks. There are short stories for younger listeners, as well as chapter books for older listeners. You can search for specific books, or simply browse the children’s selection. I have some recommendations for chapter books that will appeal to school-age children. Try pairing a story up with another relaxing activity, such as coloring or doing a puzzle. Listen to a couple of chapters, and enjoy a screen-free break in your day!