#FDL: Staff Favorites of 2021
FDL staff members shared their favorite reads of 2021:
No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood
“It’s the one that cut me the most – a brilliant, shattering account of how the Internet distorts each of our realities.” – Beth, Communications
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
“Solitary Linus Baker finds out that he doesn’t much like being alone all the time after he is sent to conduct an investigation of a mysterious orphanage full of magical children in this heartfelt, humorous story about creating a family that makes a house feel like home.” – Alice, Youth Services
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
“Addie LaRue is a tragic but beautiful story about a young women who is cursed to live forever and be forgotten” – Susie, Adult Services
Lincoln on the Verge: Thirteen Days to Washington by Ted Widmer
“This nonfiction book rockets along like a train eating up miles of track, and looks at the stressful times right before Lincoln’s inauguration, where Southern states tried to stop the vice president from certifying the votes that elected Lincoln president.” – Sylvia, Circulation
The First Sister by Linden A. Lewis
“With heavy influences from the Handmaid’s Tale, The First Sister also injects loads of political intrigue and futuristic covert space action to keep the reader enthralled.” – Jeremy, Adult Services
Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict
“I thought it was a fascinating story about Belle da Costa Greene and her influence in creating the J.P. Morgan Library. It also had a very interesting back story.”- Becky, Adult Services
“Arguably a work of ‘magical realism’, this wee -sized novel ‘makes up for’ its (relative) brevity with its richly fictile, and thoroughly lyrical prose, vaguely mythological, and folkloric implications, and, of course, its raw, and uncut content, which never fails to galvanize.” – Kaelan, Circulation
Posted by Susie Rivera, Reference Specialist
#FDL is an update on all things Fondulac District Library and books.
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FDL Reads: The Ocean at the End of Lane
The Ocean at the End of the Lane
By: Neil Gaiman
Reviewed by: Susie Rivera, Reference Specialist
Genre: Fantasy
Suggested Age: Adults
What is the book about? A man returns to the town where he grew up in England. He begins to remember his childhood friend, Lettie Hempstock, a mysterious girl who lived on a farm at the end of the lane. Thinking about her triggers memories of strange encounters, magical beings, and horrifying events. Everything comes flooding back to him, as if he’s repressed what really happened when he was seven years old for a long time.
My Review: At first, this book seemed very realistic. A man returns home to attend a funeral. Then, as he begins to recall events from his childhood, things start to take a weird turn into the fantastical. After becoming friends with the neighbor girl, Lettie, the boy accidently releases an evil being into the world. After reading this novella, I read a little background about it. The boy was based on Gaiman’s own childhood. Gaiman said that he would frequently imagine fantastical things happening in the real world, just as they do in this novella. He created the Hempstock family when he was nine years old and they appear in other works of his fiction. I really enjoyed this immersive and sometimes creepy fantasy standalone.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Creepy, Scary, Magical
Give This a Try if You Like…Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, Coraline by Neil Gaiman, The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
About FDL Reads
FDL Reads is a series of weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.
AARP Tax Preparation Assistance
AARP Tax Assistance at FDL
Free tax assistance will be provided through volunteers with the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide Program for qualifying individuals for the 2021 tax season. Phone registration begins Saturday, January 15. Call 309-697-3917 on January 15 to schedule an appointment or check eligibility. COVID-19 safety precautions will be followed during appointments. Appointments will be scheduled for Friday mornings February 4 – April 15.
AARP Foundation Tax-Aide Online Tax Assistance
Toll-free Nationwide: 888-OUR-AARP (888-687-2277)
2021 federal and state tax forms are not yet available at the library, but supplies will be announced as we receive them.
Adult Winter Reading Program – Choose Your Gnome Adventure!
Every time you open a book, you embark on a new adventure, and we think reading is the best way to brighten up the long winter season! So choose your own adventures this winter by curling up with some new books and signing up for FDL’s Winter Reading Program! Patrons age 18 and older are invited to read/listen to 4 books (or 3 books & 5 magazines) checked out from Fondulac District Library (or attend a library program) January 3 through February 28 to enter the prize drawing. Pick up a reading log from the library or register and track your progress with the Beanstack app or online at fondulaclibrary.beanstack.org. Enjoy your reading journey, even if the destination is ungnome!
Printable Reading Log: Adult Winter Reading Program 2022
FDL Reads: The Annual Migration of Clouds
The Annual Migration of Clouds by Premee Mohamed
Reviewed by: Melissa Friedlund, Reference Specialist
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian
Suggested Age: Adult, Teen
What is the book about? Reid is a young woman living in a post-climate-disaster world where food is scarce and a mysterious fungal infection afflicts many, including her. When presented with a rare opportunity, will she jump at the chance to leave and live a better life or remain behind to eek out a living with her mother to avoid the guilt of leaving her behind? To assuage her guilt, Reid and her friend, Henryk, join a dangerous hunt that could give her mother the resources she’ll need to survive or relieve Reid of any decision making by ending with her gory death.
My Review: I enjoyed this novella so much, I was craving a continuation of the story. With the brevity of the story, the reader is left without the answers to every question, but I was left with a feeling of hope for Reid’s situation. The enigmatic, semi-sapient fungal infection was definitely something that I would have liked Reid to explore more in the future… before it kills her. This felt a bit like Hunger Games crossed with Divergent yet sprinkled with something new. I look forward to more writings by this author.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Intriguing, Edgy, Engaging
Give This a Try if You Like… The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Divergent by Veronica Roth, The Fragile Earth by Susannah Wise
Rating: 4.5/5
About FDL Reads
FDL Reads is a series of weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.
The Wide World of Ability
Every kid has hopes and dreams, and every kid achieves those dreams differently from each other. Everyone has different abilities, and no two people are exactly alike! Here are a variety of books where kids make friends, experience new things, and work hard to achieve their goals. Some of these kids are blind, or have Autism, or need sensory accommodations for noisy places. Try out some of these books and explore how you’re similar and different! (Some books are also available from our digital collections.)
Early Readers
Can Bears Ski? by Raymond Antrobus
Out Into the Big Wide Lake by Paul Harbirdge (Axis 360)
Lucas at the Paralympics and Lucas Makes a Comeback by Igor Plohl
Hello Goodbye Dog by Maria Gianferrari
My Three Best Friends and Me, Zulay by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
This Beach is Loud! By Samantha Cotterill
The Black Book of Colors by Menena Cottin
Older Readers 
El Deafo by Cece Bell (Axis 360, Overdrive)
A Boy Called Bat by Elana Arnold (Axis 360)
Wink: A Novel by Rob Harrell (OverDrive)
Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen! By Sarah Kapit
The Chance to Fly by Ali Stroker (Axis 360)
The Many Mysteries of the Finkel Family by Sarah Kapit (Axis 360)
Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling (Axis 360, Overdrive)
True Stories
Unbound: The Life and Art of Judith Scott by Joyce Scott (Axis 360)
Fauja Singh Keeps Going by Simran Jeet Singh
Dark was the Night by Gary Golio
Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah by Laurie Ann Thompson (Axis 360)
Rescue and Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship by Jessica Kensky (Overdrive)
Brayden Speaks Up by Brayden Harrington
The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin by Julia Finley Mosca
General Books about Inclusion
Lovely by Jess Hong
Bodies are Cool by Tyler Feder
Just Ask!: Be Different, Be Brave, Be You by Sonia Sotomayor (Axis 360, Overdrive)
Don’t Hug Doug (He Doesn’t Like It) by Carrie Finison (Axis 360)
– Alice Mitchell, Youth Services Manager