Library Blog

Library Secrets, part 5

We’re friendly to everyone who comes in, but there’s also a special group called:

Their whole purpose is to support the library. They occasionally have meetings, run the Book Sale, and do some fundraising.

Joining the Friends is a really great way to support the library. The Friends are always looking for new members and new ways to benefit the library. There is a $10 membership fee but all that goes back into the library.

So here’s a couple of FAQs:

Q: how old do I have to be?

A: all ages are welcome. There’s even a family membership available.

Q: how do I join?

A: you can get a membership form at the library and here’s a link, too.

As always, catch us on social media or comment below. If you have a library question, call 972-780-5052 or email librarians@duncanville.com.

Don’t Make Me Choose Between You and My Shoes by Dixie Cash had some great memorable characters. My favorite character was Celina who is a librarian in a small Texas town. I liked reading about her bravery as she stepped out to try something new and found love along the way. The two main characters, Edwina and Debbie Sue, were a lot of fun to read. The dialogue that came from them was laugh out loud funny.

One of the most entertaining parts of the books was when Edwina decided to go win a karaoke contest. She decided in order to win, she first needed some liquid courage. In the meantime, Debbie Sue found the empty mini bottles of said courage and knew trouble was brewing. Sure enough, when Debbie Sue caught up with Edwina she found the bar crawling with cops and Edwina literally hanging on a wall. You’ll have to read the book for yourself to find out how that came about.

As I read the book, I wondered about the very beginning of the book that narrated a murder. ‘‘

“Whodunit” is what you are left wondering as more characters are defined. My initial opinion regarding Celina’s love interest was that he was the culprit of the heinous crime mentioned at the beginning of the book… I won’t say more about that, or what happened with this particular character.

The book had a great epilogue that tidied up how the characters went on from their New York adventure.

I haven’t read any other books by this author, but the next time I want to read something funny and light I will go see what else the library has by Dixie Cash.

As always, catch us on social media or comment below. If you have a library question, call 972-780-5052 or email librarians@duncanville.com.

Title: Attack Surface

Author: Cory Doctorow

After reading this book, I am now officially wary of my phone, my thermostat, my Kindle and various other devices in my possession.

The book centers on Masha, who makes a living analyzing and using the results of surveillance software. She’s a good person, with good intentions, and we all know where that leads.

The events of this book also touch on events that happened in two of Doctorow’s earlier books.

I greatly enjoyed this book. Masha is an interesting character who lives in much more of a moral gray zone than the main character of the two other books (Little Brother and Homeland.) I did find myself wanting to go back and reread those other two, since now I have another perspective on the events.

As always, catch us on social media or comment below. If you have a library question, call 972-780-5052 or email librarians@duncanville.com.

We’ve got a lot going on the week of June 7 – 12, 2021.

It’s the start of our annual Summer Reading Club. There’s going to be an awesome kickoff on the 7th with a Kona ice truck and popcorn.

There’ll be plenty more kids’ activities to come throughout the summer.

We’re also going to be starting our brand-new hours.

We’ll be open Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 10 – 8 p.m. Yes, those of you who asked for evening hours. Here they come!

On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday we’ll be open from 10 – 6 p.m.

OMG! Saturdays, too!

And we’ve saved the best for last…

We’re announcing our first Fine Forgiveness Week. During the week of June 7 – 12, 2021 you have an opportunity to become fine free. If you’ve got overdue materials bring ’em back, along with at least one item for our Little Free Pantry.

If you don’t have any materials to bring back but still owe fines, we’ve got you covered too. Receive $5 waived for every item you bring in for our Little Free Pantry. See below for a list of suggested items.

Title: In case you get hit by a bus

Author: Abby Schneiderman; Adam Seifer; Gene Newman

Topic: estate planning

This is a very practical book on how to make sure that those you leave behind aren’t left with a mess. It clearly lays out a plan for passing on all the information we use daily but don’t really think about.

I found a lot of their advice to be common sense, but they also cover details that I’d never thought about before. The authors are experts in this field (they have a company that does nothing but think about this stuff.)

We have a few other books on this topic that might interest you.

The gentle art of Swedish death cleaning by Margareta Magnusson

This is a great book on decluttering in order to make things easier on loved ones after you’ve passed away. The philosophy is simple: do it now, so your heirs don’t have to.

Get it together by Melanie Cullen

This book is from the publisher Nolo and focuses more heavily on the legal aspects of estate planning.

Quick and legal will book by Denis Clifford

Also published by Nolo, this book offers boilerplate forms and advice on filling them out. The link is for our 2020 edition, but we try to update them regularly so you may want to look for a more recent year. Ask a staff member if you want help.

As always, catch us on social media or comment below. If you have a library question, call 972-780-5052 or email librarians@duncanville.com.

The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It has been awarded annually since 1938 by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.

“We Are Water Protectors,” illustrated by Michaela Goade is the 2021 Caldecott Medal winner. The book was written by Carole Lindstrom and published by Roaring Brook Press.

When a black snake threatens to destroy the Earth and poison her people’s water, one young water protector takes a stand to defend Earth’s most sacred resource.

Four Caldecott Honor Books were also recognized in 2021.

“A Place Inside of Me: A Poem to Heal the Heart,” illustrated by Noa Denmon and written by Zetta Elliott

“The Cat Man of Aleppo,” illustrated by Yuko Shimizu and written by Irene Latham & Karim Shamsi-Basha

“Me & Mama,” illustrated and written by Cozbi A. Cabrera

“Outside In,” illustrated by Cindy Derby and written by Deborah Underwood

The Caldecott Medal winners are shelved in Bin 1 so come browse these award-winning books.

Each year, 20 books are chosen by librarians for the Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List. It is a unique program that encourages reading for pleasure for students in grades 3 – 6. Schools and libraries around the state participate in the program, encouraging students to read a minimum of five books from the list. In January, students vote for their favorite title. The author of the book receiving the most votes wins the Texas Bluebonnet Award (TBA) which is presented during the Texas Library Association Annual Conference in the spring.

Students voted for “If I Built a School” by Chris Van Dusen as the 2021 Texas Bluebonnet Award winner. Visit the library’s YouTube channel Stories with Ms. D playlists and read along.

If Jack built a school, there would be hover desks and pop-up textbooks, skydiving wind tunnels and a trampoline basketball court in the gym, a robo-chef to serve lunch in the cafeteria, field trips to Mars, and a whole lot more.

The 2021-2022 master list has been released. All these Bluebonnet books are shelved together on a display in the children’s section so come pick your favorites.

Everyone knows we have books. Regular print and large print. But did you know that we also have a few in Braille?

Today we’re going to let you in on a cool secret. We have a copy of the New Testament from the Bible written in Braille. It takes up 18 volumes!

These can’t be checked out. But they’re still really cool to look at. Please be careful with them though, they’re old.

Here’s something that might help if you ever want to try and read a few words.

The Braille Bible isn’t all we have. There are a couple of children’s books available in Braille. We also have books that are written on the general topic of learning about the Braille system. Check them out!

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As always, catch us on social media or comment below. If you have a library question, call 972-780-5052 or email librarians@duncanville.com.

So many things in this world seem wrong to many people in many different ways. There are so many different viewpoints on how things ought to be done and how life ought to be lived. Some believe their freedoms are being trampled on by others. Others view people different from themselves as dangerous, and not worthy. Some trust the government or at least some of the elected officials, others think the government should barely exist at all.

In the book 1984 by George Orwell, the government looms large and ominous. Big brother is everywhere you are. There is no freedom of movement or thought. Everywhere there are screens watching your every move, scrutinizing every facial tic and word uttered. People often disappear for unknown reasons. In this world, the government is constantly  changing written history so that only the narrative they want is available. There is no truth to things;  everyone is made to believe a lie. If you question anything, you  will get found out and tortured to believe nonsense like 2+2=5. This book gets you to think that when we have dishonest officials spreading a false narrative, the world can get very dangerous indeed. What is truth and what are we to believe?  Who is right and true and looking to serve you and the greater good? Reading this book, I was reminded to be careful of what I take in and what I believe to be true. Indeed, everyone should, so that we do not descend into a chaotic world, like what is portrayed in 1984.

This book was fascinating, but there was not a happy ending. The book was full of misery and the misery was never ending.  So, if you do not like unhappy endings and you would rather not think about how bad things could really get, don’t read this book. If you would like to expand your thinking and world view,  this book is definitely worth a read.

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As always, catch us on social media or comment below. If you have a library question, call 972-780-5052 or email librarians@duncanville.com.

Like many people trying to survive in this pandemic world, I’ve been dutifully staying at home. Like everyone else stuck at home, I  shamelessly indulge in way too much TV. One recent binge worthy day was spent engrossed in Bridgerton. Belatedly, I discovered that the show was based on a book series by Julia Quinn. Normally I have a strict ‘read the book first’ policy. The reason is that as I delighted in the sappy romance of Daphne and Simon in visual form, I was denied what my imagination could have cooked up.  Instead of seeing Daphne, her colorful family, and brooding Simon in my own way, I saw the characters as they were portrayed in the show. To me, discovering characters this way is backwards and plain wrong. Nevertheless, I will continue reading the Bridgerton series.

The first book in the series is The Duke & I. This is a quick read that is both fun and engaging. It is slightly different than the show,  and I won’t say what those differences are except they are among my favorites. My mind has been spoiled by the characters in the show, but I know I’ll still enjoy the books. Especially the tidbits that won’t make it in the show and are seen by my own imagination! As you can see even the newest cover of the book is spoiled by the show… but this is the copy the library has.

Dear reader, I  must warn you that this series includes a second epilogue at the end of each book that is full of spoilers. If you do not like spoilers do not read them. They are all put together in a separate book called The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After. I haven’t made up my mind whether I’ll continue to read the second epilogue. I love epilogues and don’t know if I can resist peeking.

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As always, catch us on social media or comment below. If you have a library question, call 972-780-5052 or email librarians@duncanville.com.