Read Harder Challenge: Sci-Fi Novels

I'm a big fan of the Book Riot website - fun people talking about books and bookish things is ALWAYS something I will support. At the end of last year they put out their Read Harder Challenge for 2015, and we put some bookmarks out talking about it. Basically you can use it as an excuse to try reading some different genres, or books you wouldn't normally pick up. Expand your horizons! I've spent most of my life thinking I wasn't interested in reading science fiction, and have discovered more recently that I do actually really like it! A Sci-Fi novel is one of the challenges, and if you think you're not much of a sci-fi person, maybe try one of these that I liked!

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton - Don't think much description is needed here. HUGE fan of the movie, and HUGE fan of the book! Usually folks get into debates about if the movie or the book was better, but I'm of the opinion both stand equally. Crichton gives additional background in the beginning of the book you don't get in the movie, and it is super creepy and worth the read on its own. With the new sequel coming out soon, maybe you should beat your friends to the punch and give this one a read before everyone else does.

The Martian by Andy Weir - This is also being made into a movie with Matt Damon, and I am greatly looking forward to it. You wouldn't necessarily think a story about an astronaut being marooned on Mars would make you laugh as much as this one did. Our intrepid hero is basically MacGyver in space, and keeps his sanity and your interest with his humorous observations. Does NASA know he's alive? Will they be able to rescue him? Will he survive long enough to see a rescue? You will be hooked to find out!

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel - If you come by the library and ask me for a good, edge-of-your-seat read, this is the one I'll suggest. It made numerous "best of" lists for 2014, the movie right were just bought, and the book world is still buzzing about this book. A famous actor has a heart attack on stage the same night a pandemic flu begins to spread that eventually wipes out most of humanity. You follow the stories of people who were connected to the famous actor, and see what became of them immediately after, 20 years later, and even their lives before the flu. It's beautifully written, a compelling story, and you might want to set aside a weekend to read it, because once you pick it up, you won't be able to put it down!

Have you read any of these? What did you think? Let us know of other great sci-fi reads to try!

Black History Month

Celebrate Black History Month with us at the Bartow County Library System! We have a list up in our Reader's Corner of books to read after watching the film Selma as one way to go if you want to focus on non-fiction. But if you want to try some fiction titles, here are a few to try:

Kindred by Octavia Butler. This is a science fiction novel that takes the main character back and forth between 1970s California and the Old South. She doesn't exactly know why, but she is drawn to the slave-holding family again and again. A staple in the scifi genre. 

Some Sing, Some Cry by Ntozake Shange. A hefty but deliciously well-written epic of a novel that follows a family from their time at a plantation at the time of the Civil War through to modern day. 

Sag Harbor by Whitehead Colson. A privileged teen finds escape in his family's summer retreat in the mid-1980s as he goes through usual teenage-mishaps and starts to form his identity.

Let us know your favorites!

Nick Hornby's Funny Girl

Well, we seem to have settled into the new year. I think I'm used to writing "2015" on things now, anyway. How are your new year's resolutions coming along? Have you registered for winter reading yet? (You really should, you know.)

So far this January I'm off to a slow reading start. But I will tell you that I just read an advanced reader copy of Nick Hornby's new book Funny Girl, coming out next month. I LOVED it!! The main character is a young British woman in the 1960s who wants to be like her idol Lucille Ball, and takes herself to London to achieve her dream. Hornby is one of my favorite authors, because his writing is so humorous and his characters are so quirky and real. Funny Girl gives you not only an entertaining story, but glimpses of life in transitioning 1960s British pop culture, BBC politics, and British comedy in general. It's on order at the library, so be sure to put your name on the hold list when it comes in!

In the meantime, if you're like me and you really like British comedy, why not read something by one of the greats? John Cleese recently published a memoir, So, Anyway..., and we have it on ebook for you to check out! Or maybe watch Peter Sellers at his comedic best in Dr. Strangelove, or, How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.

Or, perhaps you'd rather read a little Hornby while you wait. His book High Fidelity is a modern classic, and was then turned into a lovely film starring John Cusack. If you love music, and are currently in or have been in a quarter-life (or even mid-life!) crisis, it's definitely worth picking up. Or, if you're into more dark, absurdist-like humor, his book A Long Way Down (recently released as a feature film starring Pierce Brosnan) is a story of four people who decide not to commit suicide and instead form a weird friendship together.

Or maybe you just wanna read up on Lucille Ball. What a character.

Serial Read-Alikes

Serial is a true crime podcast that investigates the 1999 Baltimore murder of Hae Min Lee. Creator Sarah Koenig unfolds new pieces of the story in a weekly serialized narrative. The podcast has acquired many fans over the last few months. Unfortnately, this season and story has come to an end. If you are lamenting the end of season 1, or are just a true crime fan, try these other chillingly true stories.

The Devil in the White City intertwines the stories of Daniel H. Burnham, the architect of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, and H. H. Holmes, who used the cover of his hotel to lure victims. Or read about registered nurse Charlie Cullen in The Good Nurse, who used his profession to carry out his murderous intentions in nine hospitals. For a true crime classic, try Ann Rule's The Stranger Beside Me. She tells the story of Ted Bundy, a man with whom she was friends and coworkers before he was a known serial killer. For more suggestions come in to the Cartersville Public Library to see our Serial read-alikes display and bookmark. Ask our Readers Advisory twitter @BartowLibRA for more recommendations! Let's talk about books!

eReaders and eBooks

Did you get a new eReading device for the holidays? Did you know you can get FREE ebooks and eaudiobooks from the library? YES! All you need is you library card and an internet connection. 

Depending on the device you have, you can either go to our main library website and click on "E-Library Downloadables" to access the Georgia Download Destination website, or download the OverDrive app to your device from your app store. Sign up for an OverDrive account, and then sign in with your Bartow County Library card number. Then find a great book to read! We have cheat sheets at the library, you can check with OverDrive for help, and as always, your friendly neighborhood librarians can help you out if you need some more assistance. :)

We have THOUSANDS of books ready to checkout! Is there a book you want digitally that we don't have? Let us know! We'll see if we can get it for you. And there are NO LATE FEES with ebooks! Perfect for a cold winter day when you just want to stay in and enjoy a good read.

And while you're at it, why don't you sign up for adult winter reading? Read three books, attend a program, and get a limited-edition Bartow County Library System mug!

Book Year in Review: 2014

This year has seen so many wonderful books published, both fiction and non-fiction. So many, in fact, that you might need help finding the ones that are right for you! Now, I will always suggest that you stop by your local library branch and have a chat with your local librarian - we LOVE to talk about books! But here are some other suggestions of ways to find out about the best books of the year.



NPR Book Concierge
OH MY what a fantastic (and fun!) resource this is! Scroll down and look at the options of "what would you like to read" and let the book experts at NPR narrow down the list. Hover over a book cover and get a quick review, or click on it for the full review. Play around with it! And they've done it for a few years now, so take a look at their backlist for even more reading ideas.

Goodreads Choice Awards
If you're an avid reader, you should join Goodreads. Not only can you keep track of all the books you read and want to read in once convenient place, you can also found reviews and suggestions from other voracious readers! Every year Goodreads users vote on their favorite books of the year, so you can have a list of great books selected by readers like you.

LibraryReads Favorite of Favorites
LibraryReads puts out a monthly list of favorite books coming out that month as selected by public librarians across the country. (One of your BCLS librarians has gotten reviews published with them!) This is their first "best of the best" list since they've only been around for a little over a year. But you can rest assured that your library has these titles!

Buzzfeed Books We Loved
You might be aware of Buzzfeed as the website with the gif-heavy list articles, which they do oh-so-well, but they do have some bright book reviewers as well! Though definitely geared toward the Millennial generation, these edgy titles still make great reads for anyone looking for something a little outside the box.

Book Riot Best Books
Another website aimed at Millennials and Gen Xers, the reviewers at Book Riot take pride in finding the best books of all genres, and from writers of all backgrounds. Their list is very diverse, with a lot of books intended to give you pause to think. Book Riot contributors are frequently also librarians or booksellers, so they really know what the public is looking for!

Your Bartow County Library System Librarians
As mentioned before, your librarians LOVE to talk about books. We may not always feel the need to make up a list of our favorite books of the year (though this year we're asking you to help!), but if you are looking for suggestions for your "to be read" list, stop by and ask us. We will absolutely drop everything for the chance to talk books with our patrons! And while you're at it, follow us on Twitter to get updates on what we're reading, new books to check out, and other book buzz we find interesting. It will make our day for your to stop by!

Christmas Fiction Books

The Nightingale Before Christmas  Some people can take Christmas decorating to the extreme. When twelve designers are asked to decorate a room in a Christmas-themed show house, overly competitive designers start sabotaging other rooms. When one designer turns up dead, tempers flare and the Christmas season is thrown into chaos. This is a good read for someone who likes Donna Andrews' Meg Langslow Christmas Mystery series, or anyone who is looking for a murder mystery with a Christmas flavor.

A Christmas Promise This is a great read for anyone who likes Thomas Kinkade and the Cape Light series. James Cameron, a minister visiting Cape Light for the holidays, has acar accident. No one is hurt, but this event changes the plans and lives ofJames and Leigh Baxter, another visitor in Cape Light who is hiding from herown past. When these two make a connection, their lives are changed in unexpected ways.

1225 Christmas Tree Lane Beth Morehouse, Cedar Cove resident, is anticipating a wonderful Christmas when an unexpected complication arises. Some drops off a basket of puppies at her door. A second unexpected complication comes up when Beth’s daughters invite Beth’s ex-husband for Christmas.  Debbie Macomber is a best-selling author of romance and women’s fiction and a must-try if you’re in a holiday mood.

The Christmas Secret Waitress and single mother Christine Eisley saves the life of a Wilson’s Department Store employee. When the owner sets out to find her and thank her,he can’t find her. Christine who is behind on the rent and loses her job as a waitress, is nowhere to be found.  James Wilson, grandson of Wilson’s Department store owner, Marshall, is given the unwelcome task of finding her. His reluctant pursuit to find Christine will lead readers to the idea that faith, hope and love can be found even when you really don’t want to look for them.

The Christmas Quilt Sylvia Compson, Master Quilter, prefers a quiet, low key Christmas. Her friendSarah McClure wants a big, traditional Christmas. When Sarah decides todecorate, she discovers an unfinished Christmas quilt stored in an old trunk.Sylvia’s examination of the quilt reveals stories of her mother, aunt, sisterand herself. These stories took place during the Great Depression and World War II and help Sylvia with reconcile her past with her present.

Mr.Miracle Angel in disguise Harry Mills is sent to help twenty-something year old Addie Folson set a new course in life and, for added measure, help her find true love. The only trouble is the match for Addie is a neighbor and former classmate who tormented Addie when they were children. Harry has his hands full completing his mission, while trying to avoid the pitfalls of being an angel in a human body. This is story about the miracle of love happening even with the unlikeliest couples.