Drake Public Library

Seeking Excellence

JeNel Barth

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September tidbits from the Drake Public Library……

JeNel is hosting after school programs on Mondays and Thursdays. Join her Mondays at 4 p.m. for storytime for grade school children. Thursdays at 4 p.m. she is holding a hobby hour. All programs last until 5 p.m. For more information, call JeNel at the library at 641-856-6676.

Toddler storytime is still Wednesday mornings at 11:30 am.

The library has a new color/black and white copier. The machine, prints, copies, scans, and faxes. Black and white copies are 10 cents a page and color copies are 50 cents per page. Faxing is $1.00 per page to send, faxes sent to a toll free number are free.

Genre-Shifter’s book club is currently reading “The Night Circus” by Erin Morgenstern. Join us for book discussion on Friday September 25th at 6 p.m. October’s book is “Beyond the Great Snowy Mountains” by Louis L’Amour.

Wondering about that classmate that you sat by in High School Geometry class? Did you know that the Drake Library has CHS yearbooks dating back into the 1920’s? Stop by and browse the years and giggle over those out dated hair styles!

The library will be closed on Saturday September 26, 2015. This holiday is known as Pancake Day and the librarians enjoy eating pancakes and shushing people during the “Big” parade.

Don’t forget that September is National Library Card sign up month.

“You want weapons? We’re in a library! Books! The best weapons in the world!”
— The Doctor, Season 2, Episode 2

Fun Fact: Did you know that the Drake Library subscribes to over 90 magazines? All paid for by the Friends of the Drake Public Library.

Goat kissing ceremony will be Friday September 11, 2015 at 3:30 p.m. Information and photos on next week’s blog.

Greger Barth

Write in candidate for Goat Kissing Contest

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Book review

Book Eeny Meeny by M.J. Arlidge

Eeny Meeny by M.J. Arlidge

This thriller was suggested to me by a patron. The premise is frightening, a couple or pair are abducted and wake up in an enclosed space. There is no water, food, or other means of survival. There is a burner phone with a sinister text message and a gun. To get out, one must die. This horror story plot makes for a gruesome story with some disturbing moments. The abductions happen to more than one couple. Each one more terrifying than the last.
The police cannot figure out the abductions. The main investigator, Helen Grace, is a lone wolf with a damaged background. She doesn’t trust others, has no family and is full of secrets. In a somewhat stereotypical role, we don’t really get to know her or her personality. She rides a motorcycle at extremely high speeds, hits the gym, and doesn’t trust a lot of people, but has a hidden heart of gold.

The brief chapters are two to three pages at the most. The story jumps around from character to character with flashbacks in time. The plot advances with these techniques in place. The mystery or puzzle of the abductions keeps the reader guessing until the very end.

This is the author’s debut novel. She has a series planned around the chief police investigator Helen Grace. The next novel, Pop Goes the Weasel will be out on October 6, 2015. I will definitely read the next title. I enjoyed the suspense and the unknown perpetrator in this story. However some of the violence may be a turn off for readers.

Other new books recently in at the Drake Public Library:

X by Sue Grafton
Friction by Sandra Brown
The Solomon Curse by Clive Cussler
Dark Ghost by Christine Feehan
Purity by Jonathan Franzen
Undercover by Danielle Steel
Starlight on Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs
The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny

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Hey–what’s your genre?

Genre is a word that I say all the time! As a librarian and a nosy person, I constantly ask people what their favorite book or genre is. According to Merriam Webster, genre is defined as: a particular type or category of literature or art.  I love to find out what other people read, so I guess I have the perfect job as a librarian.

Goodreads ranks the most popular book of the year (2015) so far as “The Girl on the Train” by Paula Hawkins. This title is a mystery/thriller. Mysteries seem to be a very popular genre right now. Authors like Gillian Flynn, James Patterson, and John Sandford are in demand at the Drake  Public Library and currently  rule the New York Times Bestseller list. “The Girl on the Train” has been a steady winner on the list for the last 29 weeks.

Romance novels are a fun genre also. The romance section includes, paranormal romances like “All I want for Christmas is a Vampire” by Kerrelyn Sparks. Other sub genres within the romance world include historical romances, inspirational romances, and young adult romances. According to the Romance Writer’s of America website, in 2013, annual total sales of romance novels (print and electronic) totaled 1.08 billion dollars! The romance genre makes up 13% of all adult book sales. 84% of romance readers are female and 16% are male.

I am writing about genres today because we are starting a new book club at the Drake Public Library. The book club will read a different genre each month. The goal is to try other genres and sub genres of literature. There is time to join. Our first selection is “The Night Circus” by Erin Morgenstern. It is a fantasy tale full of magic, competition, and a dash of romance.  Stop by and request your copy. We will be borrowing copies from other libraries in the state of Iowa. If you are interested, the group will be meeting in September to discuss this book. Check the website’s calendar for the exact date and time.

 

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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

 

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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.

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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!

 

 

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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

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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!

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A page out of our busy summer play book

The library is bustling! Kids are in every day turning in time logs, collecting prizes, and checking out more books. As of 6/23/15 we have 321 kids signed up for the program. 55 kids have turned in their time logs. This means that each of them have read 10 hours.

The Friends of the Drake Library sponsor the entire program. They have purchased all the t-shirts, yard signs, and most of the prizes. Several businesses have donated to the prizes as well.

 

Summer Reader

Summer Reader

The Blank Park Zoo program was well attended with roughly 50 kids at each program.  In July the library will host a Veteran’s Program to thank our heroes for their sacrifices for freedom. The Science Center of Iowa will be here for a big program on Thursday July 23, 2015 at 11 am about super hero science.

A lego event and an American Girl Tea Party are also planned for July! JeNel Allen Barth, youth librarian, works hard to plan fun events.

The Finale Event will be a movie night at the library on Saturday August 1, 2015. We will show a movie behind the library, projected on the wall of the KFC. We will also show a different movie upstairs in the meeting room. We plan on having popcorn, hot dogs, drinks, and a make your own minion bar.

It is not too late to sign up! Stop by and visit the children’s section of the Drake Library and remember—“Every Hero has a story!”

Summer Reader

Another reader

Summer program activity

Kids working on an activity.

 

 

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Tsundoku

 

Addicted to Reading

Name Tag

 

 

Have you ever tried to weed your own personal library? Have you succeeded? I was helping a patron and she rewarded me with a fresh peach. She said it was her new life philosophy—If I can’t eat it or wear it, I don’t want it.

I started thinking about that statement. I decided that I should probably get rid of some of my clutter. I tend to “collect” things. Three or more of the same items is a collection. I have collected many things in my life. I used to collect angel figurines, then it was cat statues, now I collect bulldog and pug items and Pyrex dishes.

My largest collection of things by far would be my books.  The thought of getting rid of even one book terrifies me! I choke up and can’t even bring myself to look at my books.

I mostly buy my books used. I like to go to yard sales and find them. Most of my books have the memory of the yard sale attached to them. Oh that was the day I traveled to Ottumwa to go to sales with my cousin and we bought a giant box of donuts and ate them all. I picked up those three cookbooks that day at the yard sale with the two yappy poodles in the garage.

I always think I am going to pass these books down to my future grandkids. That is why I had a child I believe. I wanted someone to appreciate my bookcases as much as I do! I love my daughter as a good parent should. However she doesn’t delight in yard sales or books as much as I do. So I suppose I should have had two children. I may have lucked out on that second one.

When I do manage to part with books, I bring them to the Drake Library and put them in the book nook. The book nook is a treasure trove of donated books. We sell the books for ten cents each or a dollar a bag. I know the books go to a good home this way.

So if you ever decide to part with some of your books—horrifying thought—I know! Be sure to donate them to the Drake Library. We are all book lovers here and we understand how hard it is to part with your precious!

Legos that spell out READ

Carson D. made this. Pretty cool!

 

Tsundoku–Japanese word for book hoarder

 

 

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Summer Oasis

Summer is here. As I write this, the temperatures are in the 90’s and the humidity is about 100 percent. May was a blur and now the lazy sweltering days of June and July are before us.

I am sure summertime means different things to people. Vacations, golf, baseball, county fairs, and swimming are just some of the activities enjoyed in the heat. Growing up I never participated in sports, the bugs loved to nibble me, and the sun made my skin blister, so I filled my hours with books.

Browsing the aisles of the Drake Library was a joy! Where else could one spend hours on end and be left alone? No nosy store clerks asking if assistance was needed. No parents or teachers checking to make sure the books were age appropriate. I devoured the V.C. Andrews’ books, worked my way through Stephen King, dabbled in true crime, and read whatever I wanted.  I learned all about the seedy dark side of life! It was fabulous.

I logged hundreds of summer hours with my teenage nose buried in a book, eating sunflower seeds and sucking down generic Mountain Dew. I was never bored! My mom knew better than to recommend that I spend some time with friends outside of the house.

I miss those days–especially when I wake up with a start, fumbling to take the book off my face after I have dozed off after five minutes of reading. Being a grown up is hard and tedious! So try to carve out some time this summer and dig into a trashy read. Preferably one that would scandalize an upstanding adult.

 

Three books

Three summer books.