Staff Picks Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

This slim, thought-provoking book set in a Japanese coffee house is a refreshing read for fans of simple, well-crafted stories. At Funiculi Funicla Café in Tokyo, a freshly brewed cup of coffee delivered to a specific chair allows customers to travel back in time. There are several rules to this unique form of time travel.

1. You can’t leave the chair while time traveling.

2. You can only interact with people who have been in the shop before.

3. You need to return to the present before the coffee gets cold.  

4. Nothing you do in the past will impact the present. 

While some characters dismiss the urban legend or balk at the rules, a few are intrigued enough to try to revisit the past. Before the Coffee Gets Cold presents a tantalizing scenario that begs the question, What would you do if you could travel back in time?  

Alicia Cavitt
Information Specialist
Sharon Forks Library
#WeKnowBooks

OverBOOKed to Read The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

Maeve's and Danny's lives are a fairy tale. They are raised together in the Dutch House, a grand mansion located in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, bought by their father, Cyril Conroy, as a surprise for his wife. Just like in a fairy tale, the children's lives are upended when their mother, who hates the house, abandons her family, and disappears; their father remarries and, after his untimely death, their cold stepmother forces them out of the Dutch House to fend for themselves. Left with nothing, the sister and brother must rely on each other.

The story moves back and forth through time over five decades as Maeve and Danny try to move on, but are unable to let go of the past or the house. The Dutch House explores the themes of secrets, memories, loss, and family, particularly the relationship between siblings.

Join the overBOOKed book club for a virtual discussion of this title on Thursday, June 17, at 10:00 a.m. OverBOOKed meets virtually at 10:00 a.m. every third Thursday of the month. Register here to receive your GoToMeeting link to join the discussion!

The eBook and eAudiobook (narrated by Tom Hanks) versions of The Dutch House are available through OverDrive. Anyone with a Forsyth County Library card can sign up for a free OverDrive account. Sign up for a free card today and start enjoying FCPL's digital catalog from wherever you are!

Melissa

Information Specialist

Cumming Library

#WeKnowBooks

May 2021 Reading Challenge: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

 

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

In 1982 a BBC adaptation of the Douglas Adams novel, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, aired on US television as a six-part miniseries. Years later I caught a rerun of the show and was instantly intrigued by a scene that showed a man in an English pub explaining to his very confused friend that the Earth was about to be destroyed but they were going to hitch a ride on a passing spaceship. 

Even by '80s standards, the special effects were poor and the costumes comical. Nevertheless, I was hooked.  As soon as I learned it was an adaptation of Douglas Adams' novel, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the book. 

If you’ve spotted T-shirts or towels with the slogan Don’t Panic, or heard a reference to the number 42 being the answer to “Life, the Universe, and Everything”, you’ve had some exposure to the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. The book, published in 1979, has been adapted for radio, television, film, comics, and even a video game. 

Filled with comical observations about human nature and many imagined wonders of the galaxy, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy has appealed to generations of fans. The novel tells the story of Arthur Dent who learns his home is being demolished to make way for a highway bypass on the same day that he learns Earth is being destroyed to make way for a hyperspace bypass. (Talk about your bad day!)

The book introduced readers to many undiscovered oddities of the universe like the Vogons who create poetry so bad that it’s used to torture people and the Babel fish, a species that translates languages when placed in the ear. 

If you enjoy witty British humor and funny insights, check out The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. If you were born or graduated in the 1970s, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is an entertaining read that can satisfy FCPL’s 2021 May Reading Challenge – read a book published in the year you were born or graduated.  

Whether you’re already a fan of the story or not, be sure to visit our The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – The Forsyth County Edition – the online version. The interactive virtual parody is an homage to Douglas Adams that highlights the wonders of Forsyth County for extra-terrestrial visitors to the area and will be viewable May 16-29 on forsythpl.org.

Alicia Cavitt
Sharon Forks Library 
#WeKnowBooks

Information Specialist

Helping Kits help kids handle hard times

Helping Kits from Forsyth County Public Library help children and their caregivers to discuss troubling topics and discover ways to work through difficult situations.

Each Helping Kit contains a selection of books, activities, and resources to aid children and their caregivers with:

• Bullying
• Death of a Loved One
• Divorce
• Moving
• Death of a Pet

Helping Kits can be checked out for two weeks and must be returned to the Ask Us desk inside any Forsyth County Public Library branch.

May 2021 Reading Challenge- Kids' Book Spotlight- Teen Collection

The FCPL Reading Challenge for May is to read a book published in the decade you were born or the decade you started high school. High school is right around the corner for some of you but for now you can complete the challenge by reading a book from the year you were born! (High schoolers can do the same or read a recent release from our Teen High Reads Newsletter!)

Teen Middle (Grades 6-8)

Puddlejumpers (2008)

by Mark Jean

Kidnapped as a baby by Puddlejumpers, little people who live in a world below puddles, twelve-year-old Ernie must find courage to save the Puddlejumpers by leading them into battle against their mortal enemies, the Troggs.

The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had (2009)

by Kristin Levine

In Moundville, Alabama, in 1917, twelve-year-old Dit hopes the new postmaster will have a son his age, but instead he meets Emma, who is black, and their friendship challenges accepted ways of thinking and leads them to save the life of a condemned man.

Milo (2010)

by Alan Silberberg

In love with the girl he sneezed on the first day of school and best pals with Marshall, the "One Eyed Jack" of friends, seventh-grader Milo Cruikshank misses his mother whose death has changed everything at home.

Teen High (Grades 9-12)

The Truth About Forever (2004)

by Sarah Dessen

The summer following her father's death, Macy plans to work at the library and wait for her brainy boyfriend to return from camp, but instead she goes to work at a catering business where she makes new friends and finally faces her grief.

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment (2005)

by James Patterson

After the mutant Erasers abduct the youngest member of their group, the "bird kids," who are the result of genetic experimentation, take off in pursuit and find themselves struggling to understand their own origins and purpose.

Vampire Academy (2007)

by Richelle Mead

Two years after a horrible incident made them run away, vampire princess Lissa and her guardian-in-training Rose are found and returned to St. Vladimir's Academy, where one focuses on mastering magic, the other on physical training, while both try to avoid the perils of gossip, cliques, gruesome pranks, and sinister plots.

You can find more books by publication date by using "More Search Options" in the FCPL Catalog or ask a Librarian for recommendations! 

Stephani Lindsey

Youth Specialist

Sharon Forks Library

#WeKnowBooks

Staff Picks — Stillicide by Cynan Jones: Adult Fiction

stillicide, n.
1. A continual dropping of water.
2. Law - A right or duty relating to the collection of water from or onto adjacent land.

Stillicide, by Cynan Jones, is a collection of loosely connected vignettes about people living in a world in an advanced state of climate destruction. The book presents a sobering picture of how existing inequalities will worsen as natural resources become scarcer, and how humans will have to adapt less-than-ideal methods of continuing to supply ourselves with basics like fresh water.

The story is told from a handful of different viewpoints, among them an earnest young engineer working on a project to transport icebergs south to irrigate fields, an older couple determined to stay in their coastal home despite rising sea levels, and a guard who feels conflicted about the ethics of his job. However, despite the doom and gloom predictions, Jones also thoughtfully portrays humanity's resilience with how the characters glean little moments of joy and beauty from what they still have left of the world.

The prose is very sparse in some places, so that reading it and trying to visualize the author's world is kind of like trying to see through a frosted glass window. Characters appear and disappear from the narrative without much resolution to their stories, leaving the reader with the uncomfortable feeling that something bad might happen to the character now that they're out of sight. The style of Jones’ writing reflects our current uncertain relationship with the environment, while also creating a compelling story.

This book is a quick read, and will be interesting to anyone who likes sci-fi or speculative fiction. I liked the way the author incorporated current cultural trends and took them further, to imagine what daily life might be like in the future. It has a sense of continuity, where today’s world believably becomes the almost-apocalyptic world of Jones’ Stillicide.

This adult fiction novel is available in print and as an eBook in our catalog. 

Taylor 
Collection Support Aide 
Post Road Library
#WeKnowBooks

May 2021 Reading Challenge- Kids' Book Spotlight- Juvenile Collection

The FCPL Reading Challenge for May is to read a book published in the decade you were born or the decade you started high school. It may not be time for high school yet, but complete the challenge by reading a book from the year you were born! 

Beginning Chapter (Grades 1-3)

The Legend of Diamond Lil (2012)

by Doreen Cronin

JJ, the search and rescue dog, is ready for a bit of rest and relaxation after solving the mystery of the missing chicks, but there is a new dog next door who is stealing the attention of Moosh and her chicks and the threat of a roaming possum keeps JJ on the alert.

Danny Doodles: The Jelly Bean Experiment (2013)

by David Adler

Danny is not sure what to make of Calvin Waffle, a quirky and smart new fourth grader, but when Danny convinces Calvin to use his brain power to help the baseball team, they both have a chance to become heroes.

Unicorn Magic: Bella's Unicorn Birthday (2014)

by Jessica Burkhart

Excited to receive a pet unicorn on her eighth birthday, Princess Bella worries because her friends are fighting and her parents seem to be hiding something, which Bella fears might mean that she won't get the unicorn of her dreams.

Chapter Books (Grades 3-5)

The Bronze Pen (2008)

by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

With her father's failing health and the family's shaky finances, twelve-year-old Audrey's dreams of becoming a writer seem very impractical until she is given a peculiar bronze pen that appears to have unusual powers.

Captain Nobody (2009)

by Dean Pitchford

When ten-year-old Newton dresses up as an unusual superhero for Halloween, he decides to keep wearing the costume after the holiday to help save townspeople and eventually his injured brother.

Savvy (2010)

by Ingrid Law

Recounts the adventures of Mibs Beaumont, whose thirteenth birthday has revealed her "savvy"-a magical power unique to each member of her family-just as her father is injured in a terrible accident.

You can find more books by publication date by using "More Search Options" in the FCPL Catalog or ask a Librarian for recommendations! 

Stephani Lindsey

Youth Specialist

Sharon Forks Library

#WeKnowBooks

May 2021 Reading Challenge- Kids' Book Spotlight- Easy Collection

The FCPL Reading Challenge for May is to read a book published in the decade you were born or the decade you started high school. It may not be time for high school yet, but complete the challenge by reading a book to your child from the year they were born! 

Picture Books

The Word Collector (2018)

by Peter H. Reynolds

Jerome enjoys collecting and using words that he hears, reads, or sees, and then decides to share his collection with others.

In A Jar (2020)

by Deborah Marcero

When Llewellyn, a little rabbit who collects ordinary things in jars, meets a young girl named Evelyn, he joins with her to capture the extraordinary.

Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn (2021)

by Shannon Hale & LeUyen Pham

Kitty, who looks like a kitten yet feels she is actually a unicorn, begins to doubt herself as others ridicule her, until she meets a unicorn that helps her discover and embrace who she is.

Early Readers

Go, Jade, Go!  (2013)

by Tony Dungy

When Jade does well in a track meet, her entire family is excited except Justin, who later confesses to their older brother Jordan that he wishes he were good at something for which people would cheer.

The Good Dinosaur: The Journey Home (2015)

by Bill Scollon

Arlo the dinosaur is on a long journey. Will he ever find his way home?

Moana: Pua and Heihei (2017)

by Mary Tillworth

Can Pua the pig stop Heihei the rooster from causing trouble for Moana at the island feast?

You can find more books by publication date by using "More Search Options" in the FCPL Catalog or ask a Librarian for recommendations! 

Stephani Lindsey

Youth Specialist

Sharon Forks Library

#WeKnowBooks

Library Limelight: Brooke Rose, Information Services Supervisor, Hampton Park Library

Library Limelight is intended to be a quick read to help FCPL patrons get to know our librarians, staff, and volunteers. We hope you enjoy learning about the people who make our libraries great!

Ella Brooke Rose

Information Services Supervisor
Hampton Park Library

Where is your hometown?

I consider Cherokee County my hometown. We moved around a bit but mostly lived in Holly Springs and Waleska. I also spent a lot of time in Alderson, West Virginia because my mom lived there when I was growing up.

How long have you been at FCPL?

Just over 3 years.

What other jobs have you had at FCPL?

This is my first. I worked for 10 years as a Youth Coordinator in another library system.

Why did you choose to work in a library?

Growing up I was always an avid reader but did not use the library. After my first grad school adventure, I was a disenchanted anthropology student who had decided anthropology was not the career I wanted to pursue. I had a “duh” moment when my aunt said, “I always pictured you working in a library.”

Describe your job in five words or less.

Creative problem-solving: patrons, programming, schedules

What is unique about your job?

I remember a specific day that illustrates what makes my job unique. A man whom I had assisted filling out a job application on the computer came in to thank me because he had gotten the job. Later that day a woman who had been attending my knitting class came in to show me the dishcloth she had just finished. She was in tears (of happiness) because she felt that learning to knit was honoring her mother who had passed away a couple of years earlier. I get to do a little bit of everything, and these are the moments that make me love my job!

What is your favorite part of your job?

Working with the public is an adventure every day. You never know what interesting people you’ll meet, situations you’ll experience, or problems you’ll help solve. I love solving little mysteries, and we never run short of them in a library!

What’s the most interesting place you’ve lived or traveled?

In college I went to do field research in Santa Cruz la Laguna, Guatemala on Lake Atitlán and ended up staying. The town was unique because you had to take a boat and climb a mountain to get there. There were no roads or cars, but I’ve seen recent pictures of little taxi scooters that will take people up the mountain now.

What are your hobbies?

Reading, knitting, taking pictures, yoga, hiking, chasing waterfalls, swimming, boating, water skiing, fishing, kayaking, scouting for loons – anything water-related!

What are you reading right now?

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow – I just started it, so I don’t know whether I would recommend it or not yet, but it was recommended to me for people who love The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern….which I do!

Paper books, eBooks, or audiobooks?

Paper books are my ultimate favorite, but eBooks are convenient when you unexpectedly get stuck in a waiting room and only have your phone. I forced myself to learn how to listen to audiobooks in the car and while I’m knitting.

FCPL Reading Challenge: May 2021

Summer is almost here and we're a little envious of all these kids getting out of school. So, this month's challenge is designed to take us all back to our youth.

May Reading Challenge

This month we challenge our staff and our patrons to read a book from the decade in which you were born or read a book from the decade when you started high school.

We'd love to hear about your experience reading from these two pivotal times in your life. What did you read? 

Leave a comment on this blog post, join our conversation on Facebook, or tag us in a photo of what you're reading on Instagram.

#WeKnowBooks

If you need help selecting a book for any Reading Challenge in 2021, please Email a Librarian, use our book lists for kids, teens, and adults, or visit the Ask Us desk of any Forsyth County Public Library branch.

April Reading Recap

We read poetry and plays in honor of National Poetry Month. Here are a few highlights:

• Poetree by Shauna Reynolds
• Cast Away: Poems for Our Time by Naomi Shihab Nye
• The White Book by Han Kang

We're so glad to have you reading along with us and crushing your reading goals for 2021. You're doing great!

Tails & Tales: Summer Reading Fun begins soon!

Prevent the summer slide with your library and Summer Reading Fun!

Early Registration Opens May 1

If you participated in Summer Reading Fun, Winter Reading Fun, or 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten, simply sign in to forsythpl.beanstack.org and select the Summer Reading Fun 2021 program.

If you’re a new participant, go to forsythpl.beanstack.org and click “Register an Individual or Family” to create your own personal reading account or a reading account for a child. You can also add multiple family members, both children and adults, and register them from your account.

Track Your Reading & Activities

Earn points for reading and activities from May 26 to July 31. You can track your reading time and activities, earn badges, and check your points by logging in to forsythpl.beanstack.org or on the Beanstack app for Apple or Android devices.

Claim Your Prize

Participants registered for the preschool, elementary, and teen levels will receive a prize after earning 100, 250, and 500 points. You’ll receive a message with instructions on how to pick up your prize. Also, for every 500 points you earn, you’ll also earn an entry in our grand prize drawings.

Participants registered at the adult level will earn an entry in the grand prize drawing for every 500 points earned. Grand prize winners will be selected by random drawing on August 3 and will be notified by email and/or phone.

Need help?

If you’d like assistance registering for Summer Reading Fun 2021 or selecting books to read this summer, please visit the Ask Us desk at any Forsyth County Public Library branch or call 770-781-9840.

Visit Your Library

Stop by your local FCPL branch - or look for the Bookmobile - this summer! Use a computer, browse and check out books, or participate in fun activities all summer long. Be sure to check out the Events Calendar to learn about programs and events.