Fall Reading Recommendations |
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If there is a book you would like to recommend, email us at nclibraryfriends@gmail.com.
Nicole Ballance
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas This is a debut novel, expanded from a short story the author wrote in college in reaction to an actual police shooting. This young adult book is narrated by Starr, a 16-year old black girl who witnessed a white police officer kill her childhood friend. The author works to expand readers’ understanding of Black Lives Matter through Starr’s fight against looming injustice. Eileen Burk The Murmur of Bees by Sophia Segovia Penguin Random House calls The Murmur of Bees “the literary discovery of the year.” It is a compelling story set in Northern Mexico at the time of political change, revolution, and the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918. This narrative of the Morales family, which covers four generations is filled with mystery, tragedy, and magical realism. Told from the perspective of a multitude of characters, the reader is enveloped by the love and strength of family, and the hate and destruction of differences. The Murmur of Bees is a must read. Roberta Yarker-Smith Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland A little gem of a novel is Susan Vreeland's Girl in Hyacinth Blue, a series of short tales about a mysterious painting attributed to the great 17th-century Dutch artist Jan Vermeer and its effect upon the lives of all who come in contact with it. |
It Takes a Village
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The term Book-Mobil has taken on a new face in New Castle with our library Book Bike. Introduced last May at A Day in Old New Castle, Sara Thomas, Youth Services Librarian, pedaled the library’s new acquisition to the Court House, bringing the library out to the public. Book Bikes are popular in large cities, seen on Social Media, and touted at library conferences. Nicole Ballance, Principal Library Assistant, loved the idea and asked: why not us? She applied for and received a grant from the Delaware Library Association. She then sought and received additional funds from New Castle Library Friends. Staff person, Patty O’Brien, donated the bike, and a friend of Nicole’s, Rich Worth, built the apparatus under Nicole’s direction and with her assistance.
County Executive Matt Meyer rode the Book Bike in the Separation Day parade. Starting in June, Sara Thomas took the Book Bike to Battery Park every Wednesday this summer for Story Time in the Park. For those sessions the Bike was stocked with books for youth, birth to 12 years old. In July, Nicole started riding the Book Bike on Fridays to the Senior Center to bring books to our adult patrons. The Book Bike has also been available at some of the Wednesday evening concerts in the park, thanks to other staff volunteers, including Patty O’Brien. On all of these occasions, books were available for checkout with one’s library card or id. Thank you, Nicole for taking the initiative and all the others involved in making this vision a reality. Yes, it takes a village to serve a village. |
