Adult Services Newsletter
Vol. 22 4/1/2024
April - Welcoming Spring and our new Adult Services Manager
The Danville-Center Township Public Library is very happy to welcome our new Adult Services Manager, Kay Garsnett! Kay comes to us most recently from the Selby Library, Sarasota County Libraries & Historical Resources in Sarasota, Florida. However, some of you may recognize her. She previously worked in the Indiana Room.
Kay, Beth, Melody, Jonathon, and Olivia
Adult Services & Indiana Room Staff
Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange
Goodreads rating: 4.04
The eagerly awaited follow-up to Pulitzer Prize-finalist Tommy Orange’s breakout best seller There There —winner of the PEN/Hemingway Award, the John Leonard Prize, the American Book Award, and one of the New York Times 10 Best Books of 2018— Wandering Stars traces the legacies of the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864 and the Carlisle Indian Industrial School through to the shattering aftermath of Orvil Red Feather’s shooting in There There.
Colorado, 1864. Star, a young survivor of the Sand Creek Massacre, is brought to the Fort Marion Prison Castle, where he is forced to learn English and practice Christianity by Richard Henry Pratt, an evangelical prison guard who will go on to found the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, an institution dedicated to the eradication of Native history, culture, and identity. A generation later, Star’s son, Charles, is sent to the school, where he is brutalized by the man who was once his father’s jailer. Under Pratt’s harsh treatment, Charles clings to moments he shares with a young fellow student, Opal Viola, as the two envision a future away from the institutional violence that follows their bloodlines.
Oakland, 2018. Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield is barely holding her family together after the shooting that nearly took the life of her nephew Orvil. From the moment he awakens in his hospital bed, Orvil begins compulsively googling school shootings on YouTube. He also becomes emotionally reliant on the prescription medications meant to ease his physical trauma. His younger brother, Lony, suffering from PTSD, is struggling to make sense of the carnage he witnessed at the shooting by secretly cutting himself and enacting blood rituals that he hopes will connect him to his Cheyenne heritage. Opal is equally adrift, experimenting with Ceremony and peyote, searching for a way to heal her wounded family.
Extending his constellation of narratives into the past and future, Tommy Orange once again delivers a story that is by turns shattering and wondrous, a book piercing in its poetry, sorrow, and rage—a masterful follow-up to his already-classic first novel, and a devastating indictment of America’s war on its own people.
Sun of Blood and Ruin by Mariely Lares
Goodreads rating: 3.16
Rumor has it on the streets of sixteenth-century New Spain, there's a new vigilante in town serving justice. This reimagining of Zorro--featuring a heroic warrior sorceress--weaves Mesoamerican mythology and Mexican history two decades after the Spanish conquest into a swashbuckling, historical debut fantasy with magic, intrigue, treachery, and romance.
A new legend begins...
In sixteenth-century New Spain, witchcraft is punishable by death, indigenous temples have been destroyed, and tales of mythical creatures that once roamed the land have become whispers in the night. Hidden behind a mask, Pantera uses her magic and legendary swordplay skills to fight the tyranny of Spanish rule.
To all who know her, Leonora de Las Casas Tlazohtzin never leaves the palace and is promised to the heir of the Spanish throne. The respectable, law-abiding Lady Leonora faints at the sight of blood and would rather be caught dead than meddle in court affairs.
No one suspects that Leonora and Pantera are the same person. Leonora's charade is tragically good, and with magic running through her veins, she is nearly invincible. Nearly. Despite her mastery, she is destined to die young in battle, as predicted by a seer.
When an ancient prophecy of destruction threatens to come true, Leonora--and therefore Pantera--is forced to decide: surrender the mask or fight to the end. Knowing she is doomed to a short life, she is tempted to take the former option. But the legendary Pantera is destined for more than an early grave, and once she discovers the truth of her origins, not even death will stop her.
The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang
Goodreads rating: 3.90
From bestselling authors Janie Chang and Kate Quinn, a thrilling and unforgettable narrative about the intertwined lives of two wronged women, spanning from the chaos of the San Francisco earthquake to the glittering palaces of Versailles.
San Francisco, 1906. In a city bustling with newly minted millionaires and scheming upstarts, two very different women hope to change their fortunes: Gemma, a golden-haired, silver-voiced soprano whose career desperately needs rekindling, and Suling, a petite and resolute Chinatown embroideress who is determined to escape an arranged marriage. Their paths cross when they are drawn into the orbit of Henry Thornton, a charming railroad magnate whose extraordinary collection of Chinese antiques includes the fabled Phoenix Crown, a legendary relic of Beijing’s fallen Summer Palace.
His patronage offers Gemma and Suling the chance of a lifetime, but their lives are thrown into turmoil when a devastating earthquake rips San Francisco apart and Thornton disappears, leaving behind a mystery reaching further than anyone could have imagined . . . until the Phoenix Crown reappears five years later at a sumptuous Paris costume ball, drawing Gemma and Suling together in one last desperate quest for justice.
Bacon Guacamole Deviled Eggs
NOTE: This is how I make the perfect hard-boiled eggs. Place the eggs in a large sauce pan with cold water. Add enough water that the eggs are fully submerged. Over high heat bring the water to a rolling boil. Once the water is boiling, remove the pan from the heat, cover and let sit for 12 minutes. Run cold water over the eggs and peel.
INGREDIENTS
- 6 large eggs, hard-boiled
- 4 strips thick cut bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled, divided
- 1 large avocado, peeled, pitted and cubed
- 2 tablespoons salsa
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon dried minced onion (I use this brand)
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- pinch of cayenne pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Slice the eggs in half, pop the yolks out into a large mixing bowl and fork mash.
- To the mixing bowl, add the bacon, avocado, salsa, garlic, lime juice, onion, salt, and cayenne pepper. Mash, and mix until all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Put mixture into a piping bag or a resealable plastic bag. Squeeze the mixture to one corner of the bag and snip off the corner of the bag. Use this to pipe the mixture back into the egg halves.
- Top each egg with remaining bacon.
NUTRITION
- Serving Size: 2 deviled eggs
- Calories: 140
- Fat: 10.5g
- Carbohydrates: 2.7g net
- Protein: 7.5g
Find it online: https://peaceloveandlowcarb.com/bacon-guacamole-deviled-eggs/
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.
