Wednesday, August 27, 2014

YA Fiction

Peak by Roland Smith


Peak Marchello (named by his mountaineering parents) gets into trouble with the law after one of his own climbing escapades. His estranged father arrives to help with the legal troubles bringing a solution that involves taking Peak back to Tibet with him where he runs a commercial enterprise guiding climbers up Mount Everest. Peak’s father wants to take his son to the top which will make him the youngest person to reach the top of Mount Everest if he can make it before his upcoming 15th birthday. Peak is writing his story as part of an English assignment and there is a lot of family conflict to negotiate.  The descriptions of the mountain terrain and the determination to not only survive but work through the incredible stress on the body (due to the extreme physical exertion needed to make the climb) and dealing with the effects of altitude sickness keep the reader hooked.

I found Peak’s narrative voice authentic and the story kept me engrossed. The descriptions of the base camps with their pile ups of discarded equipment, empty oxygen tanks, other detritus, and frozen corpses that cannot be brought down from the mountain angered me. The reader will begin to think seriously about the commercialization and defacement of Mount Everest which is one of our planet’s greatest natural wonders. The reader will also be fully engaged with Peak’s climb and his personal growth and realizations.


Holly Raus
Information Specialist - Youth Services

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Audiobook Selection for Commuters

Commuters in and around Atlanta often find themselves in their cars for 40-120 minutes a day.  Audiobooks are a great way to pass the time and can make driving to and from work much more pleasurable. Listening to audiobooks during this time can be challenging as you will be breaking up your listening into many small chunks, so it’s important to select a novel you can keep up with.  Here are some helpful tips for making a great selection.

  1. Get audiobooks in your favorite genre or by a favorite author. This is a great way to ensure your enjoyment.
  2. Unless you are already familiar with the story, avoid any book described as ‘epic’ as there will likely be too many characters to keep track of from day to day.
  3. Avoid novels that are technical or extremely detailed.  Listening while driving should not require too much of your attention.
  4. Avoid dramas that you know will make you cry.  The Fault In Our Stars is a great audiobook, but do you really want to explain to your coworkers why you are arriving at work with swollen, red eyes from crying?  Probably not.
  5. Consider comedy.  It will put you in a great mood while you are stuck in traffic.
  6. If you commute with kids in the car, consider a juvenile title.  Classics like C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia series are likely to entertain everyone.
  7. Do not hesitate to abandon an audiobook if it hasn’t grabbed your attention in the first 10 minutes.

Visit your Forsyth County Public Library to check out our extensive audiobook collection on CDs or visit our website www.forsythpl.org to download an eAudiobook to your digital device.


Kim Ottesen
Information Specialist - Youth Services

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Staff Picks

The Broken Teaglass by Emily Arsenault






Terms and Conditions by Robert Glancy






The Divorce Papers by Susan Rieger






Attachments by Rainbow Rowell






The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin






I’ve become a big fan of novels with something special to intrigue me. I'm especially fond of novels that are told in letters, emails and diaries; footnotes that add to the richness and humor of the characters; and documents sprinkled throughout that add to the realism of the story. These are some of my recently read favorites. I hope you'll enjoy them as well.

Mary White
Information Specialist

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Staff Picks

If I Stay based on the novel by Gayle Forman hits movie theatres on August 22 and it looks like it will be the next big movie for teens.   I really enjoyed the book as well as its sequel, Where She Went.  The first book is from Mia's perspective, and the sequel is from Adam's perspective and the aftermath of events from the first book.   These books are both emotional and I felt Forman did a wonderful job writing about first love, death, and real life. I'm very glad there was a sequel.

Meredith Bowermeister
Information Services Supervisor

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Reading Rules: A Book Club for Grades 3-6 - Cumming Library

Billy Miller, a quirky little fella with a worrisome mind learns to overcome his fears and soar. His dad is an artist and encourages Billy in his creativity, constructing found-art sculptures at home. One of his sculptures he shares with his teacher, helping to ease his fears at school. If he could only squelch his biggest school critic, Emma.

The Year of Billy Miller is the selection for the Reading Rules book club for children in grades 3 – 6.  It meets on August 28th at 1 p.m.  This book club is designed for schedules of families who homeschool their children, but all children whose schedules allow are welcome to attend.

Lorraine Lane
Information Specialist - Youth Services

Monday, August 18, 2014

Staff Picks

Whether fiction or nonfiction, I enjoy reading about the new immigrant experience in America.  Winner of the 2013 National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction, Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is an extraordinary novel about a woman named Ifemulu who emigrates from Nigeria to the United States, where she achieves minor celebrity writing a blog about race in America.  Lupita Nyong'o, who won an Oscar for her performance in 12 Years a Slave, will be producing and starring in the film adaptation.

Stephen Kight
Assistant Director for Public Services

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Chatterbooks: A Book Club for Grades K-2 - Sharon Forks Library - August 21st at 4:00 p.m.

Detective LaRue: Letters from the Investigation by Mark Teague






Meanwhile by Jason Shiga





Join us for exciting, new elementary book clubs at the Sharon Forks Library! Chatterbooks: A Book Club for Grades K-2 combines a read-aloud story, age appropriate book discussion and questions, as well as crafts and activities to reinforce what we read.  This month we’ll be discussing Detective LaRue: Letters from the Investigation by Mark Teague. Poor Ike!  This innocent dog has been arrested for the disappearance of two local cats.  His owner is on vacation, so Ike takes matters into his own paws to solve the mystery.  This story is told from the letters Ike writes to his owner and from newspaper articles. Participants in Chatterbooks will be making their own exciting edition of The Snort City Register/Gazette. S.T.E.A.M. Reads: A Book Club for Grades 3-5 This new book club integrates science, technology, engineering, art, and math (S.T.E.A.M.) concepts into a fun literacy-based program. Participants can read the book in advance, but it’s not required!  This month we’ll be discussing Meanwhile by Jason Shiga. This choose-your-own-adventure style graphic novel includes 3,856 different possible adventures as you follow wacky mazes and colored lines throughout the book. Participants in S.T.E.A.M. Reads will learn about mazes and make their own marble maze while discussing Meanwhile.   Join us for these new book groups at the Sharon Forks Library on August 21 from 4:00-4:45 p.m. Advance registration is suggested.

My Favorite Books of 2014...so far (7th in a Series)

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

I recommend the audio book version.  It's read by the author, Neil Gaiman.
Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys

Night by Elie Wiesel

Vikki Doer
Information Specialist

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

FCPL Hosts Digital Storytelling Camp 2014

The Cumming Library hosted the third annual Literacy Forsyth Digital Storytelling Camp the week of July 21st. Since its inception the camp has gone from nine campers to this year’s thirty attendees. Each year with the help of library computers, iPads, other technologies, and eResources, the students are taught to create a Digital Story.

The students were born in eight different countries and spoke many different languages including English, Spanish, Tagalog, Hindi, Ukrainian, Russian, Thai, Lao Language, Taiwanese, and Chinese. These students represented all four high schools in the county plus three middle schools.  There was even one 5th grader from Cumming Elementary. Another young camper has been in the United States for a month but was already excited about starting school this fall. 

On Monday morning, Denise Leeson and Julie Boyd participated in ice breaker party games to help everyone learn names and to feel comfortable with staff. The class began with each student designing his or her own personal atlas which showed place of birth and provided information about each student. One young man went home and brought his back the next day with a 3-D house including a battery operated garage door and lights. Having a family home was the most important thing to him.

Each student wrote personal narratives, took and gathered photos, made videos, and collected music to incorporate into their own personal stories. The Cumming Library Youth Services staff also presented book talks, gave a tour of the library, held eResource scavenger hunts, and played games with the students during the day. One budding graffiti artist painted a mural out by the dumpsters.


On Thursday evening a preview party was held for the students and their families and many of the stories were shared while enjoying a lovely dinner together. On Friday all the stories were finished and the students hosted a viewing party for library staff members as well as Literacy Forsyth Board members, and representatives from the United Way and the press. This year we had repeat campers and one young lady from the first year of camp (who graduated high school in May) was back as a translator and volunteer. She also provided all the students with a goodie bag of supplies for school. The group had such a great time this year that Literacy Forsyth is considering holding monthly meetings so the students can all stay in touch as they are all still learning English this year.

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Staff Picks

False assumptions prove tragic in Thomas H. Cook’s The Last Talk with Lola Faye.

A struggling author encounters the woman he holds responsible for tempting his father into a fatal affair.  At least that’s what Lucas Page has always believed.   Over the course of a single evening filled with drinks and conversation, Lola Faye’s version of events places the Page family tragedy in a whole new light.  

A skillfully crafted drama with characters you’ll never forget!

Alicia Cavitt
Information Specialist

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Forsyth Reads Together: An Evening with Lisa See - September 16th - Save the Date!

China Dolls by Lisa See

Lisa See writes such compelling stories and Jodi Long's audio narration brings Grace, Helen and Ruby to life. I found myself both cheering for the heroines and wanting to slap them all at times, but that's true of best friends' relationships.   These women were very modern for their time and I thoroughly enjoyed the little details that See included in her story. However, I did feel like she glossed over some major historical atrocities, but in doing so, she kept the novel's plot flowing.


Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

Be sure to read Lisa See's Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and register to attend our Forsyth Reads Together event in September to meet Lisa See in person.  I loved Snow Flower and the Secret Fan! See writes about a powerfully emotional relationship between Lily and Snow Flower during a time when women were not supposed to leave the house, and yet, these two women defied their society's expectations and formed a bond stronger than filial piety. See includes meticulously researched historical details that enhance the story and let reader's glimpse a tiny portion of what life must have been like during nineteenth-century China. I suggest you have your tissues handy, as this is a sorrowful, yet lovely, story. I could not put this down. Janet Song also provides a wonderful audio narration.

Meredith Bowermeister
Information Services Supervisor
Sharon Forks Library