#FDL: October Reads
Try a witchy read, a gothic mystery, or a cozy book for the month of October!
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
A richly inventive novel about a centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch, and the mysterious manuscript that draws them together.
Deep in the stacks of Oxford’s Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.
The Lake House by Kate Morton
An abandoned house…
June 1933, and sixteen-year-old Alice Edevane is preparing for her family’s Midsummer Eve party at their country home, Loeanneth. But by the time midnight strikes and fireworks light up the night skies, the Edevane family will have suffered a loss so great that they leave Loeanneth forever.
A missing child…
Seventy years later, after a particularly troubling case, Detective Sadie Sparrow retreats to her beloved grandfather’s cottage in Cornwall. Once there, she stumbles upon an abandoned house, and learns the story of a baby boy who disappeared without a trace.
An unsolved mystery…
Meanwhile, in her elegant Hampstead home, the formidable Alice Edevane, now an old lady, leads a life as neatly plotted as the bestselling detective novels she writes. Until a young police detective starts asking questions about her family’s past, seeking to resurrect the complex tangle of secrets Alice has spent her life trying to escape…
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.
Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemí’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.
Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe by Heather Webber
Nestled in the mountain shadows of Alabama lies the little town of Wicklow. It is here that Anna Kate has returned to bury her beloved Granny Zee, owner of the Blackbird Café.
It was supposed to be a quick trip to close the café and settle her grandmother’s estate, but despite her best intentions to avoid forming ties or even getting to know her father’s side of the family, Anna Kate finds herself inexplicably drawn to the quirky Southern town her mother ran away from so many years ago, and the mysterious blackbird pie everybody can’t stop talking about.
As the truth about her past slowly becomes clear, Anna Kate will need to decide if this lone blackbird will finally be able to take her broken wings and fly.
Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
The enigmatic Winter has spent six decades creating various outlandish life histories for herself — all of them inventions that have brought her fame and fortune but have kept her violent and tragic past a secret. Now old and ailing, she at last wants to tell the truth about her extraordinary life. She summons biographer Margaret Lea, a young woman for whom the secret of her own birth, hidden by those who loved her most, remains an ever-present pain. Struck by a curious parallel between Miss Winter’s story and her own, Margaret takes on the commission.
As Vida disinters the life she meant to bury for good, Margaret is mesmerized. It is a tale of gothic strangeness featuring the Angelfield family, including the beautiful and willful Isabelle, the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline, a ghost, a governess, a topiary garden and a devastating fire.
Margaret succumbs to the power of Vida’s storytelling but remains suspicious of the author’s sincerity. She demands the truth from Vida, and together they confront the ghosts that have haunted them while becoming, finally, transformed by the truth themselves.
-Annotations from publishers
-Posted by Susie Rivera, Reference Specialist
#FDL is an update on all things Fondulac District Library and books.
FDL Reads: Padawan
Padawan by Kiersten White
Reviewed By: Rebecca Cox, Business Manager
Genre: Fiction
Suggested Age: Adults
What is This Book About? Obi-Wan Kenobi wants to be the best Padawan and best Jedi that he can be but he is constantly at odds with his Master Qui-Gon Jinn. Obi-Wan longs for adventure but Qui-Gonn believes in meditation and mastering the basics first. Obi-Wan finally convinces Qui-Gonn to go on a mission to find a lost planet, but Qui-Gonn doesn’t show up for their departure time. Obi-Wan takes off on his own to find the missing planet. Once there he encounters a group of teenagers who seem to have some connection to the Force. Obi-Wan is conflicted between joining them in their daring adventures or further questioning what he sees around him on this strange planet.
My Review: I loved this dive into the background of my favorite Jedi! The Obi-Wan we know in the movies is a wise and powerful Jedi but he wasn’t always that way. This coming of age story shows his trials with connecting to the Force as well as connecting to himself. The confident Jedi Master was once a teenager with insecurities about where he belonged – something that I think everybody can relate to. And the setting of Lenahra, the lost planet provided mystery and another brilliant setting within the Star Wars Galaxy. A very fun adventure read.
Three Words that Describe this Book: Fast-paced, Entertaining, Adventurous
Give this a try if you like… Master and Apprentice by Claudia Gray, Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule, Ahsoka by E.K. Johnston
Rating: 5/5
Candidate Petitions Available
Two six-year Fondulac Public Library District Board of Trustee seats are up for election in the April 4, 2023, consolidated election. These terms begin May 2023 and serve through May 2029.
One two-year Fondulac Public Library District Board of Trustee seat is up for election in the April 4, 2023, consolidated election. This term begins May 2023 and serves through May 2025.
Petition packets, including instructions, will be available for pickup at the library Business Office starting September 20, 2022, and can be filed with the library Business Office between December 12 and 19, 2022. If you come in the evening, on the weekend, or when the Business Office is closed, staff at the Checkout Desk will be able to assist you.
Petitions will be required to have 14 signatures of qualified voters residing in the district. More information regarding the election can be found in the State of Illinois Candidate’s Guide. Page 36 of the Candidate’s Guide relates to Public Library Districts and is available from the Illinois State Board of Elections. (Direct download from https://www.elections.il.gov/DocDisplay.aspx?Doc=/Downloads/ElectionOperations/PDF/2023CanGuide.pdf&MID=624.)
More information about the library’s Board of Trustees can be found at https://www.fondulaclibrary.org/about-us/trustees/.
#FDL: Banned Books Week Writing Challenge
Enter the writing challenge below to win a bookish prize:
Take a look at the list of the ALA’s frequently challenged books and the list of banned or challenged classics.
Select three books that made an impression on you. Did you read them in an English class, on your own, or as an adult? Write about each book describing why it had such a lasting effect on you. What did you take away from each book? Why do you think each book was banned? How would you defend it to its critics?
Send your responses as an email to susie@fondulaclibrary.org to be entered in a prize drawing by 5:00p.m. on September 26. Also, please indicate in the email if it would be okay for us to share an excerpt of the writing in a #FDL blog post.
-Posted by Susie Rivera, Reference Specialist
#FDL is an update on all things Fondulac District Library and books.
#FDL: Read a Banned Book
This week is Banned Books Week. The American Library Association discusses the purpose and history of Banned Books Week here:
“Banned Books Week (September 18-24) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Typically held during the end of September, it spotlights current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools. It brings together the entire book community — librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types — in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.
The books featured during Banned Books Week have all been targeted for removal or restriction in libraries and schools. By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship.”
Despite the efforts of challenges, these materials have, for the most part, remained available to read. So stop by the library or place one of these books on hold to celebrate your freedom to read.
Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2021
The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 729 challenges to library, school, and university materials and services in 2021. Of the 1597 books that were targeted, here are the most challenged, along with the reasons cited for censoring the books:
- Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe
Reasons: Banned, challenged, and restricted for LGBTQIA+ content, and because it was considered to have sexually explicit images - Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison
Reasons: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to be sexually explicit - All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
Reasons: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content, profanity, and because it was considered to be sexually explicit - Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez
Reasons: Banned, challenged, and restricted for depictions of abuse and because it was considered to be sexually explicit - The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, violence, and because it was thought to promote an anti-police message and indoctrination of a social agenda - The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, sexual references and use of a derogatory term - Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
Reasons: Banned and challenged because it was considered sexually explicit and degrading to women - The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Reasons: Banned and challenged because it depicts child sexual abuse and was considered sexually explicit - This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson
Reasons: Banned, challenged, relocated, and restricted for providing sexual education and LGBTQIA+ content. - Beyond Magenta by Susan Kuklin
Reasons: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to be sexually explicit.
Lists of more banned or challenged books are available here.
#FDL is an update on all things Fondulac District Library and books.
FDL Reads: All Boys Aren’t Blue
All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson
Reviewed By: Alice Mitchell, Youth Services Manager
Genre: Memoir
Suggested Age: Adults & Teens (14+)
What is This Book About? George M. Johnson grew up in New Jersey, without the language to describe his intersecting identities as a queer Black boy. His essays capture what his life was like as a child, teen, and young adult experiencing racism, toxic masculinity, and homophobia in a variety of ways. There are plenty of moments filled with triumph and playfulness, even with how challenging and painful the content could be. His stories span a street fight at five, going to flea markets with his grandmother, experiencing first love, and attending an historically Black college. Despite the fact that his queer and Black identities don’t always mesh perfectly, Johnson comes to the realization that he is a complete person who doesn’t have to compromise his identities to define himself.
My Review: From the introduction I knew that this book would be a personally challenging book to read, but I love reading books about people different from myself and I really appreciated this opportunity. Johnson wrote about the ups and downs of his life in a conversational way that was really easy to connect to, despite our completely different experiences growing up. It felt like I was listening to a real person instead of simply reading a book.
I specifically read this book in celebration of Banned Books Week as people across the country have challenged its presence in school and public libraries because they say its content is inappropriate and too mature for teenagers. This frustrates me, as Johnson was a child and teenager during these experiences, and there are teenagers across this country who can see their experiences reflected in this book. To silence this book is to silence teens across the country who can relate to Johnson, and ban other people from the chance to learn from his life. This book should be taken as both a message to be yourself, and as a call to action for people outside of queer and Black identities to help transform the world to make it a safer, happier place for everyone.
Three Words that Describe this Book: realistic, honest, important
Give This A Try if You Like… Beyond Magenta by Susan Kuklin, You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson, Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram, Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Rating: 5/5