New Feature: Content Controls in Libby

FCPL offers free access to downloadable eBooks, eAudiobooks, and eMagazines through Libby, an app managed by OverDrive. This week OverDrive introduced a new feature within Libby called "Content Controls."

The Content Controls feature allows users to manage access to titles in Libby based on the intended audience for each individual title. 

There are four audience categories in Libby: 

• Juvenile: Titles intended for readers ages 0–12
  
  
• Young adult: Titles written for readers ages 13–18
  
  
• General content: Titles written for adult readers or a general audience. This is the audience category for most titles.
  
  
• Mature content: Titles intended only for mature audiences due to the nature of their content

The Content Controls feature is found in the Settings section of the Libby app. OverDrive has created three presets for Content Controls that users can apply to their account settings in Libby. 

Revolutionary War Books

The Revolutionary War started 250 years ago this year. One book that has been getting publicity due in part to this anniversary is Rick Atkinson's The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777 - 1780. Atkinson's book is a military history covering much of the middle period of the Revolutionary War. The book covers events in the war such as the battles of Saratoga, as well as the siege of Savannah. This is the second book in a planned trilogy, with the first book being The British are Coming: The War for America, Lexington Princeton, 1775 - 1777. 

Readers who enjoy Atkinson's Revolutionary War titles may wish to check out his World War II trilogy. This series focuses on the role of the United States Army in western Europe and starts with the title An Army at Dawn: the War in North Africa, 1942 - 1943. This book is followed by two additional titles, The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943 - 1944, and The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944 - 1945, which cover the middle and ending stages of the war in western Europe.

Young readers may wish to check out the juvenile level title, Battle of the Bulge, also by Rick Atkinson, which was adapted from The Guns at Last Light. There is also a Teen Middle version of The British Are Coming. 

Jeff Fisher
FCPL Materials Services Manager

Staff Picks: The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters - Adult Fiction

 

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

Summer reading isn't just for lighthearted, easy reads. Are you like me and prefer your summer reads to be emotionally fraught, with important themes of loss, love, family ties, and memory? If so, then The Berry Pickers might be your next read. The debut novel of Canadian writer Amanda Peters was the winner of the 2024 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, 2023 Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Award, 2024 Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence, and 2024 Dartmouth Book Award for Fiction. 

The story centers around Ruthie, a four-year-old Mi'kmaq girl from Nova Scotia, who goes missing while her family is berry picking in Maine. Alternating between the point of view of Ruthie and her brother, Joe, readers journey across the years to witness the effects of  trauma and family secrets. Ruthie (later known as Norma) tries to make sense of her childhood dreams that hint at the truth. Meanwhile, Joe spends his life trying to outrun his own demons. Ultimately, The Berry Pickers is a tale of the familial ties that bind, the enduring nature of love and family, and the lasting consequences of our actions. 

The audiobook version of the book is beautifully narrated by Aaliya Warbus and Jordan Waunch. 

Tracy MacNaughton

Information Specialist

Color Our World Adult Nonfiction Book Recommendations: When the Earth was Green by Riley Black - Adult Nonfiction

This year's Summer Reading Fun theme is Color Our World. Here is a colorful book recommendation from our adult nonfiction collection. 

When the Earth was Green by Riley Black

Alone, a dinosaur is meaningless. We put them on literal pedestals in our museums, behind glass and railings as befits their place as the world's most ancient and long-standing celebrities. But what is a Tyrannosaurus without a forest to conceal its shadow as it stalks? What is a Triceratops without a buffet of ferns and cycad fronds to eat? 

  

Riley Black            

When the Earth Was Green       

In vivid detail, science writer Riley Black describes the complex relationships between plants and animals that has evolved from 1.2 billion to 15,000 years ago along with interesting facts about biology. The scent of catnip, for instance, irresistible to our feline friends, evolved as a way for plants to defend themselves against insects. 

        

Visit Forsyth County Public Library to sign up for Summer Reading Fun and take part in summer programs for all ages. Library events are open to the public, free to attend, and all supplies are provided. Check out our digital Summer at Forsyth County Public Library magazine or pick up a copy at any branch. Please note that some programs require advance registration.

Alicia Cavitt

Information Specialist

Novel Realities Book Discussion July 8 at Sharon Forks Library The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin

 

The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin

Anxiety-inducing global conflicts, overpopulation, and food scarcity weigh heavy on the mind of draftsman George Orr who believes that his nightly dreams impact reality. Guilt-stricken and terrified by the power of his subconscious, George self-medicates in an attempt to ward off sleep. When George's drug use is discovered, he's forced into a psychiatric treatment program under the care of psychiatrist and sleep researcher Dr. William Haber. 

Like everyone else, Dr. Haber is certain that George is delusional and forces him into an experimental sleep therapy. Even after awakening to a world altered by Dr. Haber’s suggestions during their session, George is unable to convince his therapist that anything has changed. Still, Dr. Haber is so fascinated by George's disorder that he decides to test his new patient's abilities.  

Staff Picks: Books about Juneteenth

Juneteenth For Mazie by Floyd Cooper

On June 19, 1865 soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas announcing the end of the Civil War and the end of slavery in the United States. Every year the United States commemorates this historic event on June 19.  In Juneteenth for Mazie, a young girl learns about her own family history from the first Juneteenth through events of the Civil Rights era as she prepares for the annual Juneteenth celebration. Juneteenth for Mazie uses thoughtful text and colorful illustrations to help young children learn about this important national holiday. 

The Museum of Fake Art at Sharon Forks Library

 

Ever since Grant Wood's painting American Gothic was first exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1930 people have debated its meaning. Some view it as a satire directed at rural communities while others see it as reflecting on hard-working farm families. How do you view this iconic painting? 

Do you notice something different in this version American Gothic?

Take a good look. It's not an exact representation.

One unique detail qualifies this image for inclusion in Sharon Fork Library's Museum of Fake Art.

Is it the curtains? The brooch? The woman's loose strand of hair?

Actually, all of those details are part of Wood's famous oil on beaverwood painting.

Have you noticed what's not exactly like Grant Woods' American Gothic painting on display at the Art Institute of Chicago?  

Color Our World Staff Picks: The Little Kid with the Big Green Hand by Matthew Gray Gubler an Juvenile Graphic Novel

The Little Kid with the Big Green Hand by Matthew Gray Gubler

What would you do if you had a big green hand? 

Lenore in Matthew Gray Gubler’s graphic novel The Little Kid with the Big Green Hand tries to hide her unusual appendage under a long scarf. Kids at school wonder why she always has a scarf wrapped about one of her hands even on the hottest days of summer and Lenore dreams of having two normal hands. Then one night, Lenore’s hand shares its own frustrating story of how it learned to accept the soft, pink blob that it’s always been attached to and Lenore gains a whole new perspective. 

Filled with simple pencil drawings, The Little Kid with the Big Green Hand is a cute and insightful story for anyone who has ever felt uncomfortable about their physical appearance and needs to relearn that our physical differences aren't what define us.