Guest Blogger: Penelope the Goose, Part 2

Our year-long Your Library Card, Your Ticket to the World program has been a fun way to highlight different places across the globe. I’ve been writing posts that highlight books in these settings, but our faithful, fashionable, and intrepid library goose Penelope has actually been seeing the sights herself. (If you’ve been to the library, you’ve no doubt admired Penelope and her elegant wardrobe as she guards the circulation desk.) She’s back home in Arkansas now, and she posted regular updates on our Facebook page along the way, but she also wanted to share an update here since she’d blogged earlier this year. And who am I to say no to our favorite goose?

[Note: There is some vigorous debate among the library staff about whether or not our dear Penelope is a goose or a duck, and she is kind of evasive on the topic herself. . . .]

As you can see, Penelope picked up some friends as traveling companions along the way. . . .

Guest Blogger: Penelope the Goose

Our year-long Your Library Card, Your Ticket to the World program has been a fun way to highlight different places across the globe. I’ve been writing posts that highlight books in these settings, but our faithful, fashionable, and intrepid library goose Penelope has actually been seeing the sights herself. (If you’ve been to the library, you’ve no doubt admired Penelope and her elegant wardrobe as she guards the circulation desk.) She’s been posting regular updates on our Facebook page, but she also wanted to share a quick blog post. And who am I to say no to our favorite goose?

[Note: There is some vigorous debate among the library staff about whether or not our dear Penelope is a goose or a duck, and she is kind of evasive on the topic herself. . . .]

 

Guest Blogger Courtney: Independently Published Books, A Reader’s Perspective

[Usually blog posts are written by Shirley, Berryville’s library services associate, but today we have a special treat–a guest review written by Courtney, one of our local business owners and fellow book bloggers. She wrote an excellent piece on historical Christian fiction for us last year. This time, she’s talking about indie authors.]

Guest Post: Give Your Library a Little Love

Please check out my guest post about libraries and community on The Green Mockingbird! 🙂

via Guest Post: Give Your Library a Little Love

Guest Blogger Courtney: 12 Books or Series to Read if You Love Historical Christian Fiction

[Usually blog posts are written by Shirley, Berryville’s library services associate, but today we have a special treat–a guest review written by Courtney, one of our local business owners and fellow book bloggers. She’s guiding us through the world of historical Christian fiction.]

One of my favorite things about reading is learning through story. I believe reading encourages empathy and understanding of humanity with all its flaws and virtues. I also love history. Combine these two, and a reader can learn amazing and lesser-known things about true history and the way people lived in different eras. This is why one of my favorite genres is historical fiction — especially Christian or inspirational fiction because I believe its message of hope and faith to be relevant to life today.

I’m delighted to share a list of historical Christian fiction books that I have read and can highly recommend.

Guest Blogger: Tiffany Newton’s The Here and Now review

[We’re continuing our guest blogger posts, courtesy of our friends from the Green Forest Public Library. This one is from Green Forest’s director, Tiffany Newton. She also wrote about Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore a few weeks ago.]

“You can’t even look up tomorrow [on Google].  Who says the Internet is boundless?” (pg 129)

The Here and Now by Ann Brashares is a Young Adult book with some romance, science fiction, and dystopian themes.  It was published in 2014, but it’s only been checked out from the Carroll and Madison County libraries less than 12 times. However, it’s a quick read that you won’t regret.

Guest Blogger–LeAnn Stark

[Last month, Green Forest’s library director, Tiffany Newton, was kind enough to write a review for Robin Sloan’s Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. It was an incredibly popular post, and we’re excited to continue the Guest Blogger series with a new post from LeAnn Stark, the assistant librarian at Green Forest. ]

My New Favorite Women Sleuths

  Early detectives have mainly been male, with a few exceptions–Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple being the most famous.  Recently I discovered 3 authors, Laurie R. King, Jaqueline Winspear and Susan Elia MacNeal, with strong female private investigators. They were inspired by real-life stories from the women who pitched in during the 2 great world wars. While thousands of men were fighting, women found themselves filling in jobs that had previously been deemed unacceptable to them: building ships, aircraft, and tanks, delivering milk and coal and other supplies, driving ambulances, and much more. After the wars were over, many women didn’t want to return to the old restricted ways. Some had to keep working, due to a lack of men lost in the wars. These 3 authors do a wonderful job of exploring these issues.

Guest Blogger–Tiffany Newton

[Usually blog posts are written by Shirley, Berryville’s library services associate, but today we have a special treat–a guest review written by Tiffany Newton, the director of the Green Forest Public Library. She’s reviewing Robin Sloan’s Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore for us!]

“Walking the stacks in a library, dragging your fingers across the spines — it’s hard not to feel the presence of sleeping spirits.”–Robin Sloan, Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore.

Do you love books? Quests with wizards, rogues, and warriors? Do you love code-breaking? What about ancient conspiracies? Living Forever? Modern Technology? 3D Printing? Rock Climbing? Computer Animation? Late nights spent reading your favorite childhood novel? Audio Books? Knitting?

What do all those things have in common? Well, Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan takes all those amazing things and mixes them into one page-turner.