Adult Services Newsletter
Vol. 16 10/01/2023
I wish every day was Saturday and every month was October
We participated in the homecoming parade, and it was so much fun, but the best part (as nerdy as it sounds) was how during the parade, everyone was yelling how much they loved the library and showed their support, a couple people even yelled how they don’t want books banned. This was so heartwarming, and something we really needed to hear, especially when sometimes all we hear about is how libraries are being challenged by their community. It is so amazing that we have such a supportive community because not every library around us is as fortunate. I am so proud to work in such a supportive community. We truly do love our patrons, and work hard to support our community by bring them the best, safe, and inclusive environment. Libraries are for everyone. We don’t just offer books, we offer technology classes, computers for people who need to find resources, a place to live or search for jobs, I deliver books to senior communities and homebound patrons, we help homeschoolers and teens, and so much more. We appreciate all of the support from our patrons, more than you know, now more than ever during these crazy times. Let the positive outshine the negative.
Stay positive, and we will see you at Scare on the Square!
Brittany
Adult Services Manager
Fourth Wing (The Empyrean #1) by Rebecca Yarros
Goodreads rating 4.11 Stars
Challenged 73 times
Challenged for: depiction of sexual abuse, EDI content, claimed to be sexually explicit
The Bluest Eye is Toni Morrison's first novel, a book heralded for its richness of language and boldness of vision. Set in the author's girlhood hometown of Lorain, Ohio, it tells the story of black, eleven-year-old Pecola Breedlove. Pecola prays for her eyes to turn blue so that she will be as beautiful and beloved as all the blond, blue-eyed children in America. In the autumn of 1941, the year the marigolds in the Breedloves' garden do not bloom. Pecola's life does change—in painful, devastating ways.
What its vivid evocation of the fear and loneliness at the heart of a child's yearning, and the tragedy of its fulfillment. The Bluest Eye remains one of Toni Morrisons's most powerful, unforgettable novels- and a significant work of American fiction.
A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses #2) by Sara J. Maas
Goodreads 4.64 Stars
Number of challenges: 48
Challenged for: claimed to be sexually explicit
The seductive and stunning #1 New York Times bestselling sequel to Sarah J. Maas's spellbinding A Court of Thorns and Roses .
Feyre has undergone more trials than one human woman can carry in her heart. Though she's now been granted the powers and lifespan of the High Fae, she is haunted by her time Under the Mountain and the terrible deeds she performed to save the lives of Tamlin and his people.
As her marriage to Tamlin approaches, Feyre's hollowness and nightmares consume her. She finds herself split into two different one who upholds her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court, and one who lives out her life in the Spring Court with Tamlin. While Feyre navigates a dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms. She might just be the key to stopping it, but only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future-and the future of a world in turmoil.
Bestselling author Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her dazzling, sexy, action-packed series to new heights.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Goodreads 4.23 Stars
Brittany's Favorite Book in High School
Number of challenges: 55
Challenged for: depiction of sexual abuse, LGBTQIA+ content, drug use, profanity, claimed to be sexually explicit
standing on the fringes of life...
offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see
what it looks like from the dance floor.
This haunting novel about the dilemma of passivity vs. passion marks the stunning debut of a provocative new voice in contemporary fiction: The Perks of Being A WALLFLOWER
This is the story of what it's like to grow up in high school. More intimate than a diary, Charlie's letters are singular and unique, hilarious and devastating. We may not know where he lives. We may not know to whom he is writing. All we know is the world he shares. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it puts him on a strange course through uncharted territory. The world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends. The world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that the perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite.
Through Charlie, Stephen Chbosky has created a deeply affecting coming-of-age story, a powerful novel that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller coaster days known as growing up.
The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon
Goodreads 3.86 Stars
Goodreads Nominee for Best Horror 2022
A genre-defying new novel, inspired by Mary Shelley’s masterpiece Frankenstein, which brilliantly explores the eerie mysteries of childhood and the evils perpetrated by the monsters among us.
1978: at her renowned treatment center in picturesque Vermont, the brilliant psychiatrist, Dr. Helen Hildreth, is acclaimed for her compassionate work with the mentally ill. But when she's home with her cherished grandchildren, Vi and Eric, she’s just Gran—teaching them how to take care of their pets, preparing them home-cooked meals, providing them with care and attention and love.
Then one day Gran brings home a child to stay with the family. Iris—silent, hollow-eyed, skittish, and feral—does not behave like a normal girl.
Still, Violet is thrilled to have a new playmate. She and Eric invite Iris to join their Monster Club, where they catalogue all kinds of monsters and dream up ways to defeat them. Before long, Iris begins to come out of her shell. She and Vi and Eric do everything together: ride their bicycles, go to the drive-in, meet at their clubhouse in secret to hunt monsters. Because, as Vi explains, monsters are everywhere.
2019: Lizzy Shelley, the host of the popular podcast Monsters Among Us, is traveling to Vermont, where a young girl has been abducted, and a monster sighting has the town in an uproar. She’s determined to hunt it down, because Lizzy knows better than anyone that monsters are real—and one of them is her very own sister.
The Children on the Hill takes us on a breathless journey to face the primal fears that lurk within us all.
The Hacienda by Isabel Canas
Goodreads 3.86 Stars
Goodreads Nominee for Best Horror 2022
Mexican Gothic meets Rebecca in this debut supernatural suspense novel, set in the aftermath of the Mexican War of Independence, about a remote house, a sinister haunting, and the woman pulled into their clutches...
In the overthrow of the Mexican government, Beatriz’s father is executed and her home destroyed. When handsome Don Rodolfo Solórzano proposes, Beatriz ignores the rumors surrounding his first wife’s sudden demise, choosing instead to seize the security his estate in the countryside provides. She will have her own home again, no matter the cost.
But Hacienda San Isidro is not the sanctuary she imagined.
When Rodolfo returns to work in the capital, visions and voices invade Beatriz’s sleep. The weight of invisible eyes follows her every move. Rodolfo’s sister, Juana, scoffs at Beatriz’s fears—but why does she refuse to enter the house at night? Why does the cook burn copal incense at the edge of the kitchen and mark its doorway with strange symbols? What really happened to the first Doña Solórzano?
Beatriz only knows two things for certain: Something is wrong with the hacienda. And no one there will help her.
Desperate for help, she clings to the young priest, Padre Andrés, as an ally. No ordinary priest, Andrés will have to rely on his skills as a witch to fight off the malevolent presence haunting the hacienda and protect the woman for whom he feels a powerful, forbidden attraction. But even he might not be enough to battle the darkness.
Far from a refuge, San Isidro may be Beatriz’s doom.
Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak
Goodreads 4.14 Stars
Goodreads Winner for Best Horror 2022
A wildly inventive spin on the supernatural thriller, about a woman working as a nanny for a young boy with strange and disturbing secrets.
Mallory Quinn is fresh out of rehab when she takes a job as a babysitter for Ted and Caroline Maxwell. She is to look after their five-year-old son, Teddy.
Mallory immediately loves it. She has her own living space, goes out for nightly runs, and has the stability she craves. And she sincerely bonds with Teddy, a sweet, shy boy who is never without his sketchbook and pencil. His drawings are the usual fare: trees, rabbits, balloons. But one day, he draws something different: a man in a forest, dragging a woman’s lifeless body.
Then, Teddy’s artwork becomes increasingly sinister, and his stick figures quickly evolve into lifelike sketches well beyond the ability of any five-year-old. Mallory begins to wonder if these are glimpses of a long-unsolved murder, perhaps relayed by a supernatural force.
Knowing just how crazy it all sounds, Mallory nevertheless sets out to decipher the images and save Teddy before it’s too late.
The Pioneer Woman Cheesy Ham and Egg Hand Pies
Level Easy:
I just made these last week, and they were so easy and delicious! You can make them the night before and then reheat for an easy grab and go breakfast.
Total Time: 50 mins
Ingredients
2 tablespoons salted butter
7 large eggs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup diced ham
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar
One 17.3-ounce box frozen puff pastry, thawed
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Add the butter to a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Beat 6 of the eggs together in a bowl. When the butter has melted, add the beaten eggs and the chives to the skillet, then a pinch of salt and pepper. Scramble the eggs until cooked through, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and add to a bowl to cool slightly.
- Add the ham, mozzarella and Cheddar to the eggs and mix to combine. Set aside.
- Make an egg wash with the remaining egg and a splash of cold water in a small bowl.
- Lay out the sheets of puff pastry and cut into twelve 3-by-5-inch rectangles. Divide the egg mix among six of the puff pastry rectangles, leaving borders empty around the edges. Brush the borders with the egg wash and top each with another puff pastry rectangle. Using a fork, crimp the edges to seal. Transfer to the lined baking sheet. Brush the tops with the egg wash and sprinkle with the poppy seeds. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes.
- Source https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/cheesy-ham-and-egg-hand-pies-10004592
Friends of the Library
All of our events are made possible through the generosity of the Friends of the Library. The Friends of the Library was founded to support the Danville Public Library in various ways. They sponsor all library programs as well as help buy the supplies/equipment needed for programs through membership dues and fundraising activities. We are always looking for more members! If you are interested in becoming a member of the Friends of the Library, please visit our website here for more information. You may also click here to download a printable brochure and membership form.
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