• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Drake Public Library

Seeking Excellence

TwitterFacebookYoutube

641-856-6676

  • Blog
  • Event Calendar
  • Contact Us
  • Home
  • About
    • Our Mission
    • History
      • 2008 Library Renovation
    • Library Board
      • Agenda – Minutes
    • Support Our Library
      • Tribute and Memorial Gifts
    • Holiday Schedule
    • In the News
    • Photo Gallery
  • Services
  • Friends
    • About Friends
    • Friends FAQ
    • Books for Babies
    • Photo Gallery
    • Testimonials
  • On-line Research
    • Adults
    • Teens
    • Kids
      • Follett Destiny
      • Kids’ Links
  • Foundation
    • FAQ
    • How to Give
    • History
    • Estate Planning Professionals Information
  • FAQ
  • Resources
    • Event Calendar
    • Genealogy Society
    • Library Use Value Calculator
    • Local Links
    • Meeting Room
    • Who We Are – Census

Archives for July 2015

07.29.15 |

Book Review of Go Set a Watchman

Go Set a Watchman By Harper Lee (Supposedly)

 

AKA An utter abomination to the literary world.

 

Otherwise know as a complete waste of paper.

 

 

People often think of ‘One Hit Wonder’ as something undesirable or negative. But is it really such a bad thing if your “One Hit” earned you Pulitzer Prize, Presidential Metal of Freedom and a National Medal of the Arts among other things? Published in 1960 Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mocking Bird was an immediate best seller and remains so to this very day. The venerable Lee’s sole contribution to the world of literature is a highly renowned classic that came awfully close to claiming the title “Great American Novel” which seems so very elusive in the literary world.

 

My freshmen year of high school we were assigned the book To Kill a Mockingbird for my honors English class. It was a book that resonated with me to the extent that I reread it over and over again during Algebra for nearly an entire semester. That probably explains my horrifically embarrassing grade in algebra and my apprehension concerning the release of Go Set a Watchman. I should also add that I attended a very “un-diverse” high school in a highly diverse area…in the south. So segregation was not unfamiliar to me. Upon its alleged “discovery” Go Set a Watchman set the literary world into a feed frenzy. Excitement, speculation, amazement, fears all swirled around like the spun sugar in the cotton candy maker. Could it really be so? After all this time?

 

Despite the fact that is was only just published Go Set a Watchman is already a NYT best seller with a very controversial provenance. “Discovered” among her personal things some 50+ years after the release of her only full length book despite the fact that she has been quoted on numerous occasions stating that she will not publish anything else has certainly called some interesting things into question. However, knowing that I would be reviewing this book for our marvelous library patrons I refrained from getting all caught up in the drama and hoopla. I avoided the reviews and articles that talked about the release of Watchman until after I’d finished the book lest my options be biased leaving me unable to be objective. Plus I was already skeptical.

 

My honest, unbiased opinion is that this book was abysmal. The writing was sloppy and hard to follow. The characters lacked depth and substance. I frequently had to re-read whole paragraphs trying to siphon even an iota of meaning or understanding. Half way through the book I asked myself “What is this even about?!??” The book gets a little closer to finding its stride past the half way point but even then it isn’t great or very concise. Quite frankly the ending left me confused. I wonder if it was just a sloppy and abrupt ending or if the writer attempted to covey something very different but lacked the literary skills to pull it off successfully. Either way I didn’t really care since I hadn’t formed any attachment to the rather shallow characters. In the end it left a very bad taste in my mouth which I intend to wash away with several books about dragons, Merlin and the like….

 

I found this article very enlightening after the fact. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/25/opinion/joe-nocera-the-watchman-fraud.html

 

By Crystal McKissick

 

Picture of Go Set a Watchman

Harper Lee’s newest book.

 

07.22.15 |

Breaking the first rule of book club—talking about book club

Drake-Public-Library-drawin

We are a society of opinionated people and thanks to social media we enjoy sharing our vast and varied opinions with others via Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and the likes. However, there’s something to be said about sharing your thoughts and ideas from behind the safety and shield of a computer screen versus doing so in “real life”. It simply cannot compare to the thrill, risk and intellectual engagement of sharing those thoughts and opinions in person with people who may or may not hold the same ideas. Especially considering that while a highly communicative generation of humans we are finding ourselves communicating less and less with other humans. So drawing inspiration from the Socratic method of Ancient Greece, The Stein Salon of 27 Rue De Fleurus and the classroom of John Keating at Welton Academy* the Librarians at the Drake Public Library would like to invite you to consider joining our new Book Club the Genre Shifters.

 

I will confess that from time to time I do thoroughly enjoy engaging in the art of debate however the goal of the Genre Shifters if to provide a gathering for book lovers for the purpose of having fun and exploring a variety of literary options. We’ll be picking a different genre of literature each month to encourage those of us who perhaps get caught in a rut of reading similar subjects. Says the library who is on her 8th Arthurian tale in a row….

 

Would you consider joining us on this new adventure? There will be cookies!

 

We will be hosting an informative tea on August 10th from 5-7:30 to answer any questions.

By: Crystal McKissick

 

07.15.15 |

Dog days of Summer

Two boys creating Lego sculptures

 

Join us on Thursday July 16, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. for a visit from Honey Creek State Park Naturalist. She will be presenting “How to be an environmental Hero” free of charge in the meeting room at the library.

 

Friday at 11:00 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. Friends of the Drake Library will be cooking out at Fareway in Centerville, Iowa. They will have a menu of delicious food that can be assembled for lunch! Proceeds go directly to the Drake Public Library.

 

 

Bulldog and girl.

Bruno the bulldog visits a young fan.

 

The hot temperatures make staying cool a real chore. Remember you are welcome to use the library as a cooling station. We welcome you during our operating hours Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Stay cool and drink plenty of liquids!

 

 

 

 

Here are some pictures from our recent events: American Girl Doll Tea Party, Doggie Day, and Lego afternoon.

 

A girl and her American Girl Doll

Young boy and dog.

07.08.15 |

Reading challenge

A boy reading a book.

A boy relaxes at the Drake Library

 

 

To ignite your reading, try a reading challenge list. Here is one I found on popsugar.com

 

A book with more than 500 pages

A popular author’s first book

A book that scares you

A book written by an author with your same initials

A trilogy

A book with bad reviews

A book based entirely on its cover

A memoir

A book that came out the year you were born

 

 

Challenge your kids to a summer reading list. Some ideas:

A book with no pictures

A book with a sequel

A book that a movie was made from

A book that has over 200 pages

A book recommended by Mom or Dad

A book published over 100 years ago

 

Keep reading this summer!

 

 

07.01.15 |

July Activities

July Round-Up “Fun” Raiser

Fareway and Friends

Here is what you do:

Pick up your grocery items, go to the checkout, tell the cashier to press the YELLOW “Round up for Charity button” for a donation to Friends of the Drake Public Library.

Drake Library benefits from all proceeds

ProhibitionCover_7F1582814AB08

Author Event

Saturday July 11, 2015

11 a.m. in the Drake Library meeting room on the top floor.

Linda McCann will be discussing her book “Prohibition in Eastern Iowa” at the Drake Library.  She is seeking information on the Civilian Conservation Corps camps in Iowa.  Join us for an informative event!

sidebar

Blog Sidebar

Library News Sign-up!

* = required field

Tag Cloud

American Girl Christmas Tea Party Arcadia Author Visit Banned Books Week Book club Book recommendations Book Review Book Reviews Bridges Children's Books Children's Library Dan Wardell Dedication of the Drake Library Dial a Story Doggie Days Drake Public Library Drake Public Library Board Drake Public Library Foundation Drake Public Library website DVDs Library services EASTER EGG SURPRISES Endowments FEH Architects FIFTY POUNDS OF PENNIES Friends of the Drake Public Library Goosebumps Governor F.M. Drake Help Wanted Iowa Public Television IPTV Library Board Library history Library materials Library Reads Library Renovation Library resources Little Listeners Movie Night RAGBRAI READING PHOTO CONTEST Storytime story time Summer Reading Program website Zumba

Footer

Secure Website

Support Drake Public Library

Amazon Smiles - Drake Public Library

Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to Drake Public Library whenever you shop on AmazonSmile.

Library News Sign-up!

* = required field

  • Sitemap
  • Log-in

©2022 Drake Public Library | All Rights Reserved.
115 Drake Avenue
Centerville, Iowa 52544
641-856-6676
Website Developed by: MBS Communications, LLC