Walk a Mile in My Shoes: December

This year, our theme is “Walk A Mile In My Shoes.” The idea that you can’t understand someone (and shouldn’t judge them) until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes is a pretty common sentiment. And research has shown that reading fiction is one way to really get such a walk going. So, that’s what we are going to do this year: use fiction (and some nonfiction when we just can’t resist) to take walks in someone’s shoes. We hope you join our journey. For December, our theme is poverty.

Continue reading “Walk a Mile in My Shoes: December”

Walk A Mile In My Shoes: February

This year, our theme is “Walk A Mile In My Shoes.” The idea that you can’t understand someone (and shouldn’t judge them) until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes is a pretty common sentiment. And research has shown that reading fiction is one way to really get such a walk going. So, that’s what we are going to do this year: use fiction (and some nonfiction when we just can’t resist) to take walks in someone’s shoes. We hope you lace up those sneakers and join our journey. For February, we’re going to be looking at a growing issue in Carroll County–homelessness.

Continue reading “Walk A Mile In My Shoes: February”

Old Favorites: A Christmas Carol

We’re focusing on newer books, movies, and television shows for 2018, but that doesn’t mean we’re entirely ignoring old favorites! After all, what’s that saying–what’s old may just become new again (or something like that)?

Is it really Christmas until you’ve either read or watched or listened to A Christmas Carol? Tiny Tim and Scrooge have been a holiday tradition for over 175 years. In fact, December 19 marks the anniversary of its publication in 1843. In that first year, it had sold out by Christmas Eve, and it remains a perennial favorite even now.

And here at the library, we’ve got a variety of traditional and contemporary ways for you to enjoy A Christmas Carol.

Continue reading “Old Favorites: A Christmas Carol”

Book Buzz: Mythological Fan Fiction, Dysfunctional Childhoods, and Literary Cookbooks

Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For June, we’re looking at a reworking of the myth of Circe, an ultimately triumphant memoir about a difficult Idaho childhood, and a literary-tinged Victorian cookbook.

Continue reading “Book Buzz: Mythological Fan Fiction, Dysfunctional Childhoods, and Literary Cookbooks”