Summer Reading 2024 Update

Thanks so much to everyone who participated in our summer reading program! We had 299 readers of all ages who recorded 10,725 hours in 8 weeks. In addition to the reading challenge, we hosted a range of programs including a hot air balloon demonstration.

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Local Roots: July

Lots has changed in the years the Berryville Library has been in our current building. We expect lots will change in the years the library will be housed in the new building we are hoping to break ground on soon. That’s why we think it is so important as we move towards this bigger, better future to remember our roots. To that end, we have created the Berryville Library Legacy Project, which lets donors highlight a piece of local history of their choice by selecting photographs to be displayed on the end of a shelving unit at the new library. We also remain committed to helping create a sense of place through our collection, so we are going to highlight our Arkansas section this year.  Each month, we’ll look at some of the different books and resources in that collection that feature unique parts of the history and culture of Berryville, Carroll County, the Ozarks, and Arkansas. There’s lots to explore about this place we call home! For July, we’re looking at local folklore.

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Andrey Kurkov’s The Silver Bone

Samson Kolechko is an engineer by training, but in the chaos that is Kyiv, Ukraine, in the spring of 1919, he finds himself a police investigator. Only weeks after losing his ear and his father to a rogue Cossack’s saber, Samson also contends with the uncertainty of everyday life in a world where the government changes every few weeks, depending on which army is in control of the city, and power and supply shortages, forced requisitions, and sudden violence are the only constants. Still, in the middle of all that, he finds himself immersed in an unusual case involving a silver bone.

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Book Buzz: Magical Realism, Summer Romances and Chick Lit, Comedic Mysteries, Sushi, and Audiobook Adventures

Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For July, we’re looking at magical realistic literary fiction set in the Dominican Republic, YA and adult chick lit and romance reads, comic mysteries that take on corporate America and the cozy genre, a how-to guide for making your own sushi, and a range of both fiction and nonfiction audiobooks.

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Make Time to Play: July

This year, we’re celebrating play at the library! Everyone knows how beneficial play is for kids, but did you know that it is equally important for adults? It can be a wonderful stress reliever, boosts creativity, alleviates boredom, and may even lower your blood pressure. To that end, every month in 2024, we’re highlighting a different form of play. Each month we’ll have a bingo-style fun card. If you complete all the activities for a blackout on your card, you’ll receive a special prize. The more of the 12 monthly fun cards you complete this year, the better chance you have to win the grand prize and be crowned our annual play champion!

It’s July, and even by Arkansas standards, it’s been blisteringly hot this summer, with plenty of daily heat advisories. So, for this month, we’re celebrating playing in the water! What better way to beat the heat?

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