Library News & Events2018-09-27T15:54:30-05:00

FDL Reads: A Psalm for the Wild-Built

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

Reviewed by: Beth Weimer, Communications Specialist

Genre: Sci-Fi. Solarpunk

Suggested Age: Adults, Teens

What is the book about?: Long ago, the humans of Panga consumed their planet to the brink of disaster, and the robots gained self-awareness and chose to disappear into the forests. Human society rebuilt itself with sustainability and harmony, and now a Tea Monk named Dex travels to villages offering comfort and ritual by the mugful. Dex enjoys their mission and yet they are not completely fulfilled, and impulsively they leave the known roads in search of long-lost cricket song. Sibling Dex soon encounters a mythical robot named Mosscap, making the first known contact between humans and robots in hundreds of years, and together they embark on a journey to answer the robot’s only question, “What do humans need?”

My Review: This book feels like a warm hug for anyone who’s been feeling a bit lost or restless. Chambers creates a lush world where everyone has value, and humans have finally learned from their mistakes and figured out how to live comfortably and respectfully with the natural world. The novella reads like a modern parable, clever and comforting as it deals with complicated themes of identity, purpose, ecology, and more. In a utopia, the main conflict is having every need met and still being plagued by the annoying human trait of dissatisfaction, so those looking for action should probably skip. My only complaints are that the character’s religion felt too basic and clumsy for an enlightened society (or maybe just was not explained well), and the format of the story as the first novella in a series of two is frustrating – why not just publish the entire story as a fully-fleshed novel? Overall, this story is a refreshing departure from the usual doom of dystopian fiction, and one I think most anyone will appreciate.

Three Words That Describe This Book: Wholesome, Optimistic, Philosophical

Give This a Try if You Like… The Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers, Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Rating: 5/5

Find it at the library!

About FDL Reads

FDL Reads is a series of weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.

FDL Reads
November 11th, 2021|

The Season for Mysteries, Thrillers, & Suspense – #FDL November Giveaway

 

The days are getting shorter and the nights are getting longer… Here are some thrills and chills perfect for this time of year. Enter the giveaway below to win these books!

The Missing Hours by Julia Dahl

From a distance, Claudia Castro has it all: a famous family, a trust fund, thousands of Instagram followers, and a spot in NYU’s freshman class. But look closer, and things are messier: her parents are separating, she’s just been humiliated by a sleazy documentary, and her sister is about to have a baby with a man she barely knows.

Claudia starts the school year resolved to find a path toward something positive, maybe even meaningful – and then one drunken night everything changes. Reeling, her memory hazy, Claudia cuts herself off from her family, seeking solace in a new friendship. But when the rest of school comes back from spring break, Claudia is missing.

Suddenly, the whole city is trying to piece together the hours of that terrible night.

From the critically acclaimed author of Invisible City and Conviction, The Missing Hours is a novel about obsession, privilege, and the explosive consequences of one violent act.

Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurlan

Meet Chloe Sevre. She’s a freshman honor student, a leggings-wearing hot girl next door, who also happens to be a psychopath. Her hobbies include yogalates, frat parties, and plotting to kill Will Bachman, a childhood friend who grievously wronged her.

Chloe is one of seven students at her DC-based college who are part of an unusual clinical study for psychopaths—students like herself who lack empathy and can’t comprehend emotions like fear or guilt. The study, led by a renowned psychologist, requires them to wear smart watches that track their moods and movements.

When one of the students in the study is found murdered in the psychology building, a dangerous game of cat and mouse begins, and Chloe goes from hunter to prey. As she races to identify the killer and put her own plan into action, she’ll be forced to decide if she can trust any of her fellow psychopaths—and everybody knows you should never trust a psychopath.

Never Saw Me Coming is a compulsive, voice-driven thriller by an exciting new voice in fiction, that will keep you pinned to the page and rooting for a would-be killer.

The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward

In a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three.

A teenage girl who isn’t allowed outside, not after last time.
A man who drinks alone in front of his TV, trying to ignore the gaps in his memory.
And a house cat who loves napping and reading the Bible.

An unspeakable secret binds them together, but when a new neighbor moves in next door, what is buried out among the birch trees may come back to haunt them all.

-Annotations from the publishers

Giveaway

Enter your name here for a chance to win ARCs of the books mentioned in this post. One entry per person. Drawing to be held approximately 7 days after this post.

ARCs are “advanced reading copies.” These are free copies of a new books given by a publisher to librarians and other reviewers before the book is printed for mass distribution.

#FDL is a weekly update on all things Fondulac District Library and East Peoria.

Melissa Friedlund, Reference Specialist

 

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November 11th, 2021|

FDL Game Review: Just One

FDL Game Reviews are back, just in time for International Games Week! Miss Alice shares why Just One is the perfect party game, even over Zoom! Find this game and more at the library!

November 9th, 2021|

FDL Reads: The Maidens

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

Reviewed by: Susie Rivera, Reference Specialist

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Suggested Age: Adults

What is This Book About?: Mariana is a psychologist who is called to return to Cambridge, her alma mater, after a female student was found murdered. She is asked to assist with the investigation  as a group counselor. She finds out that her niece, as well as the deceased, were a part of an exclusive group called The Maidens. This study group is run by Edward Fosca, a handsome, charismatic classics professor interested in Greek tragedy and sacrifice. Mariana begins to suspect Fosca as a the obvious murderer, but can it be that simple?

My Review: The Maidens is not the typical book that I usually pick up, but I thought I would give it a try due to its dark academic vibes and literary references. I really enjoyed this novel! The main character was likeable, and I was interested in how her past experiences shaped her present psychology. There are a few glimpses into the POV of who the reader assumes is the killer. Those are a bit hard to read due to some violence, but they are few a far between. Mariana’s perspective clearly dominates the narrative. I listened to the streaming audio narrated by Louise Brealey who does an amazing job as the protagonist.

Three Words That Describe This Book: Suspenseful, Dark, Surprising

 Give This a Try if You Like… The Silent Patient, Secret History, We Were Villians

Rating: 5/5

Find it at the library!

About FDL Reads

FDL Reads is a series of weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.

FDL Reads
November 9th, 2021|

International Games Week

Join FDL in celebrating International Games Week November 7-13! You know we love games at FDL… because games of all types hold educational, recreational, and social value, and playing games is a great way to connect with family, friends, and your community. While we can’t host our annual full-day event due to the pandemic, we’ve got a few fun events throughout the week this year. Show your Super Smash Bros. skills in our tournament on 11/9, or make a Jenga Block Keychain on 11/12. We’ll also have printable games for adults and children to take home throughout the week. Plus, you can win our Golden Ticket Game Giveaway by checking out a game from our collection of more than 200 games – find the Golden Ticket and win your own copy of the game, courtesy of our friends at Cabbages and Kings Games! Game on!

November 8th, 2021|

2021 Big Rig Petting Zoo with the Fon du Lac Park District Police Department

Hi everybody! We were really sad to have to cancel the Big Rig Petting Zoo again this year due to Covid-19. Since we couldn’t have a big event, we have a surprise for you! We collaborated with the Fon du Lac Park District Police and East Side Community Media (Channel 22), to make a video that highlights the rescue equipment they use, including 4 big vehicles that are always favorites at the FDL Big Rig Petting Zoo. So cool!

We want to send out a huge THANK YOU to Chief Johnson and Sergeant Keil from the Fon du Lac Park District Police and Deral and Susan Dixon and Paul Coussens from East Side Community Media for making this video possible!!

But wait, there’s more Big Rig fun at the library! After you watch the video:

  1. Pick up a Take & Make craft from the Youth Services department or drive-up window.
  2. Enjoy the StoryWalk in the Reading Garden: Alphabeep: A Zipping, Zooming ABC written by Debora Pearson and illustrated by Edward Miller. In this book, you’ll see pictures of lots of the same vehicles that you would have seen at our real Big Rig Petting Zoo.
  3. Next, take a walk around the Civic Plaza building (Library and City Hall) and check out the Big Rig Scavenger Hunt. We’ve put pictures of the vehicles from previous Big Rig Petting Zoos in the windows. You can pick up the Scavenger Hunt Vehicle List in the Youth Services department or at the drive-up window. (You will need to get out of your car to walk around the building.) Return your completed Scavenger Hunt List to the Youth Services department or drive-up window for a prize.

While you’re in the Youth Services department check out some of the great Big Rig books, in the Nonfiction Section, Board Books, and the GO Section in the Picture Books. Don’t forget online resources like Libby, Axis 360, and Hoopla. You can also browse our catalog, put books on hold, and pick them in person or at the drive-up window.

Here are just a few of the many books Big Rig books you can find at FDL:

Nonfiction

Fire Trucks: Racing to the Scene by Molly Aloian

The Usborne Big Book of Big Trucks by Megan Cullis

Humvees by John Hamilton

Trucks: The Ins and Outs of Monster Trucks, Semis, Pickups, and Other Trucks by Jeff Young

Tractor Trailers by Lola Schaefer

GO Section

Five Trucks by Brian Floca

Dump Trucks by Judith Jango-Cohen

Trucks Galore by Peter Stein

Grandma Drove the Snowplow by Katie Clark

I Stink! By Kate McMullan

Board Books

Construction Zoo by Jennifer Thorne

Busy Builders, Busy Week! By Jean Reidy

B is for Bulldozer by June Sobel

Colorful World: Construction Site by Nastja Holtfreter

Colorful World: Vehicles by Nastja Holtfreter

eBooks

Police Cars Machines with Power! by Amy McDonald (Libby)

Heavy-Duty Trucks by Joyce Milton (Axis 360)

Snowplows by Rebecca Pettiford (Hoopla)

Coast Guard Boats by B. J. Best (Hoopla)

– Kris, Youth Services Specialist

November 6th, 2021|
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