What Patrons Love Most About Forsyth County Public Library

 

Last month, Sharon Forks Library patrons were asked what they love most about Forsyth County Public Library. 

Twenty-eight patrons filled out response cards sharing what brings them to the library. Many patrons complimented the library’s books, staff, and atmosphere.  

Here are a few examples of what patrons told us they love about Forsyth County Public Library. 

I like the different varieties of book in the collection in this library. Staff is super helpful and the ambiance is also very nice. I appreciate and feel blessed to have this library.

I love the children's section. It's a bright place with many books. 

This library is a place where people from here and there can read books and little children can imagine so many things at the library. Thank you.

The Colors of Our World Community Photography Exhibit: Call for Submissions

 

This summer Forsyth County Public Library is coloring our world through photographs!

We are soliciting submissions for the 4th annual community photography exhibition! This year’s theme is “The Colors of Our World.” Our world is a kaleidoscope of color. In this colorful world, what inspires you?

Adults may submit up to two original photographs to display in the Sharon Forks Library throughout June and July. Click here for complete guidelines and the submission form. The deadline for submissions is Friday, May 23.

Take a look at the photos from previous years!

Adventure Begins 2024

All Together Now 2023

Capture Your Happiness 2022

Brooke Rose
Branch Manager

Imaginative Fusion: 2nd and 8th Grade Collaborative Art Exhibit at Sharon Forks

Have you ever heard of the rare species Elpegfish? It's part elephant, fish, and penguin and lives in the deep sea. Elpegfishes sing beautifully, but don't let their angelic voices fool you! They eat flamingos and HUMANS (except their creator)!

The Sharon Forks Library is currently hosting a unique and imaginative art exhibit that showcases the creative collaboration between art students from Daves Creek Elementary and South Forsyth Middle Schools. 

Second grade students learned about different types of animals and crafted 22 illustrations of imaginary animals, each one a blend of characteristics of different species. Taking these imaginative drawings as inspiration, eighth grade art students then created "soft sculptures" – or stuffed animals – bringing the fantastical creatures to three-dimensional life using textile art techniques.

Staff Picks: Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil by Ananda Lima

Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil by Ananda Lima

He was sick of being blamed for things that could be fixed,
with a little more understanding. The Devil told them about
the brain, but they only ended up with the abomination of
lobotomy. 

 From Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil by Ananda Lima

After meeting the devil at a Halloween party in 1999, the main character in Ananda Lima’s debut short story collection feels the presence of the fallen angel at key moments in her life for the following two decades. 

Staff Picks: The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

 

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill is a real treat for bibliophiles and mystery fans. This clever literary mystery revolves around four strangers who meet by chance in the Reading Room at the Boston Public Library. Friendships develop when a body is discovered at the library and the four new friends decide to investigate further. 

The novel’s first twist is that Cain, Marigold, Freddie, and Whit exist only as characters in an Australian author’s work in progress. Each chapter of Hannah Tigone’s story about the amateur sleuths is followed by a thoughtful response from an earnest beta reader living in Boston. Along with his personal observations about the emerging pandemic, fanboy Leo offers unique insights into American customs and Boston geography. As the story progresses, uncanny similarities begin to develop between Leo's correspondence with Hannah and the mystery within the story.

Just like her character Hannah, Sulari Gentil is an Australian author whose books are finding fans around the globe. The Woman in the Library is a masterfully crafted example of metafiction, a novel that emphasizes its narrative structure to remind readers they're reading a fictional work. 

Other works of metafiction include Slaughterhouse-five by Kurt Vonnegut, Hell of a Book by Jason Mott, Beatlebone by Kevin Barry, and Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth. 

Visit your local library to find your next read and maybe discover a mystery of your own. 

Alicia Cavitt

Information Specialist

Boston Public Libary Reading Room
Monica Volpin image via Canva

Vacation Reads

 

Summer can be the perfect opportunity to stay up late reading or get lost in a great book. How do you decide which books to pack on your vacation? Do you travel light and rely on ebooks? Personally, I have a strong preference for hardback novels which is why my bags are always so heavy. On road trips, I enjoy listening to books on CD, especially anything by humorist David Sedaris. 

What do you like to read or listen to on vacation? 

Do you like to explore new authors or stick with your favorites? 

Staff Picks: Trending Titles

 

By happy accident, three of the books I've been most anticipating reading this summer arrived on the hold shelf for me on the same day: Under the Bridge by Rebecca Godfrey, The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley, and You Like it Darker by Stephen King. 

What else can a booklover do but check them all out and try to binge read them before the due date? 

Fans of popular authors and trending titles can probably relate to this bibliophile dilemma.

Adventure Begins at Your Library: Explore Green Reads

 

As part of Forsyth County Public Library's summer reading theme, Adventure Beings at Your Library, visitors to the Sharon Forks Library can explore new genres and find reading suggestions in themed picnic baskets throughout the branch. 

Summer picnic basket themes highlight books for foodies, short stories, classics, and green reads. Green reads titles include fiction and nonfiction books that have an environmental angle. Fictional books that focus on the environment are also called ecofiction. 

Adventure Begins at Your Library - Explore New Genres

 

In keeping with Forsyth County Public Library's summer reading theme, Adventure Beings at Your Library, visitors to the Sharon Forks Library can explore new genres and find reading suggestions in themed picnic baskets throughout the branch. 

Our June picnic basket themes highlight books for foodies, short stories, classics, and green reads, which include fiction and nonfiction books that have an environmental angle.  

The foodie basket includes colorful cookbooks, fun and fascinating fiction for cooks and gourmets, and even a Thai comic cookbook, Noodles, Rice, and Everything Spice by Christina de Witte.

Staff Picks: You Dreamed of Empires by Álvaro Enrique - Adult Fiction

You Dreamed of Empires by Álvaro Enrigue

In 1519 two worlds collided when Spanish conquistadors led by Hernán Cortés entered the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan. Álvaro Enrique’s novel You Dreamed of Empires describes the encounter from both sides, interjecting humor, hindsight, and modern perspectives.   

Arriving at Tenochtitlan, the Spaniards are amazed to find towering step pyramids, painted stone pathways, ornate palaces, pools, and gardens. The Aztec city is the largest and most impressive city on Earth, and the Europeans are offered fine robes, unusual local delicacies, and a sweet drink that is as treasured as gold. 

While Cortés and his entourage make themselves at home in luxury palace suites, Montezuma spends his time napping, dosing with hallucinogenic mushrooms, ordering executions, and frustrating his inner circle. Tactically, the Europeans' only advantages are their obedient antlerless deer and firepower.

You Dreamed of Empires humanizes the story's central players, including Montezuma’s sister/wife Atotoxlit and Gerónimo de Aguilar, the Franciscan friar who serves as a translator for the Europeans. The novel also richly imagines the lives of prisoners, confidantes, advisors, servants, and priests. 

Enrigue’s vision of the epic culture clash, skillfully translated into English by Natasha Wimmer, is both illuminating and wildly entertaining. Álvaro Enrigue is a award-winning Mexican writer who has authored novels, short stories, and essays. Enrigue lives in New York and teaches Latin American literature. 

Alicia Cavitt

Information Specialist 

Aztec Step Pyramid
Image credit: Forsyth County Public Library created in Canva.com

Local Author Spotlight: Dr. Kudo Eresia-Eke, Author of 25 Golden Words Vol 1: Inspirational Poems for Wisdom and Freedom

 

The Right Decision

When you have made the right decision

In spite of ego

In spite of self

A peace descends

And a joy dances

In your heart. 

From 25 Golden Words Vol 1 by Kudo Eresia-Eke

Dr. Kudo Eresia-Eke is an inspirational writer, teacher, and lyrical performance artist from Nigeria. Over the last few years, Sharon Forks library staff and patrons have gotten to know him better as Kudo, the friendly, soft-spoken, and contemplative poet who visits the library regularly to compose poetry.

Dr. Eresia-Eke’s poetry collection, 25 Golden Words Vol 1 was released in 2022 and his latest collection of poetry 25 Golden Words Vol 2 was released as an eBook this month. Both collections are filled with inspiring poems of precisely twenty-five words. While most of the poems have spiritual themes, others focus on everyday matters. 

Staff Picks: Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

 

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld 

During rehearsal week on the set of a late night comedy show, a sketch writer bonds with the guest host and musical guest. The pair share laughs and lingering glances while fine-tuning song parodies and satirical skits. Even though Sally enjoys spending time with Noah, she can't imagine herself dating a rock star. 

Noticing a celebrity trend, Sally composes a skit that hits close to home about one of the show's writers dating a glamourous actress. In real life, Danny Horst always seems to be dating women out of his league, and the skit, called "The Danny Horst Rule," seems to be comedy gold. 

Staff Picks: Again and Again by Jonathan Evison

 

Again and Again by Jonathan Evison

Eugene “Geno” Miles recalls past lives in vivid detail and claims to be 106 years old. The caregivers at his eldercare facility remain skeptical of both accounts, but Geno doesn't mind being left alone. 

With a little persuading, curmudgeonly Geno warms to his new nursing assistant, Angel, and reveals captivating tales of his life as a pickpocket in Medieval Spain, pursued by guards and rescued by a mysterious woman he longs to meet again in his next lifetime. Geno also describes his fascinating experiences as Oscar Wilde’s housecat, traveling with the Lewis and Clark expedition, and being an Incan princess and a beloved history professor. 

Staff Picks: The Vulnerables by Sigrid Nunez

 

The Vulnerables by Sigrid Nunez

In her latest novel, National Book Award winning author Sigrid Nunez hones in on one writer's experience living in New York City during the COVID-19 pandemic. Full of internal dialog, unanswered questions, and candid opinions, The Vulnerables is a difficult book to describe. It may best be read as reflections from your best friend on some of the unusual circumstances, inconveniences, and adjustments of recent years.   

Feeling socially isolated, Nunez’s unnamed narrator reluctantly agrees to care for a pet parrot whose pregnant owner is stranded on the West Coast, unable to fly home in the Spring of 2020, when her twenty-something bird sitter abandons his perch. But after the writer lends her own apartment to a doctor treating COVID patients, she finds herself stuck sharing her temporary living space with the original bird sitter who returns, having worn out his welcome at his parents' home. Though longing for human companionship, the housemates are so mismatched that they quietly adjust their schedules to limit interactions while they both vie for the limited attention of Eureka the parrot.

Working as an Extra: Stories from the Set - January 24 at Sharon Forks Library

 

Have you ever wondered what it's really like to work in film or television? 

This month Bob Lusher, who has worked as an extra on more than 50 movies and 35 television shows, will share his personal experiences working on projects like The Founder, Sully, The Hunger Games, Captain America, The Walking Dead, Ozark, and Stranger Things. 

Working as an Extra: Stories from the Set will be held at Sharon Forks Library on Wednesday, January 24 at 6:30 p.m. 

If you're curious about what it's like to be in the movies, this is your opportunity to find out!  

Staff Picks: Nerdy Birdy Tweets by Aaron Reynolds

 

Nerdy Birdy Tweets by Aaron Reynolds

Bestselling children's book author Aaron Reynolds has an interesting view of vultures. Reynold’s picture book Nerdy Birds and its sequel, Nerdy Birdy Tweets, chronicle an avian friendship between Nerdy Birdy and Vulture. Both books are illustrated by the Pulitzer Prize winning editorial cartoonist Matt Davis and offer timely lessons on friendship that could even alter your opinion of a certain carrion-eating bird.  

What would you do if you found an injured vulture? 

Recently a patron came in and asked if we could tell her what to do about an injured vulture. Her friend in a neighboring county had spotted the bird and called her for advice. She didn’t know the answer but told her friend, “I’m right by the library. I’ll run in and ask.”  

Her instincts were right. I was happy to inform her and her out-of-county friend that several organizations that can assist people who encounter injured wildlife. 

Free eResources for FCPL Card Holders: Consumer Reports

 

As we head into the holiday shopping season, how can you make sure you’re getting the best value for your hard-earned cash? 

One trusted source for accurate product reviews is Consumer Reports. Forsyth County Library card holders can access CR’s product reviews online through our eResources page. Print editions of Consumer Reports magazine are available for checkout at each of our four branches. When you're comparison shopping, remember that your library card gives you free access to reliable product reviews from Consumer Reports. 

Staff Picks: Happiness Falls by Angie Kim

 

Happiness Falls by Angie Kim

Do you equate verbal skills with intelligence? 

The question becomes a plot point in Angie Kim’s new novel, Happiness Falls, in which a young man on the autism spectrum rushes home from a hike with his father unable to explain why his father isn't with him.  

Fifteen-year-old Eugene Parkson exhibits signs of Angelman syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes developmental problems with speech and balance, intellectual disabilities, seizures, and unusual smiling and laughing. While Eugene’s enigmatic behavior is cause for concern and resentment from his siblings, their father wonders whether Eugene’s energetic jumping and carefree facial expressions indicate genuine happiness or are simply symptoms of his condition. 

Staff Picks: Vita Nostra by Marina and Sergey Dyachenko

 

Vita Nostra by Marina & Sergey Dyachenko

A sixteen-year-old girl’s life takes some very weird turns when she notices a strange man watching her during her beach vacation with her mother. Every time Shasha successfully evades the stranger, she awakens in a terrifying time loop until she finally agrees to hear his bizarre request. 

At precisely four in the morning, Shasha is instructed to swim out to a buoy in the ocean. When she complies, she receives three gold coins and is ordered to continue the practice daily. But when she oversleeps one morning, a close family friend pays the consequences. 

Staff Picks: How Can I Help You by Laura Sims

 

How Can I Help You by Laura Sims

A fugitive nurse with a history of hurrying patients to their deathbeds adopts a new identity as a librarian at the Carlyle Public Library. Margo keeps the patrons in line while keeping her dark secrets to herself—until a failed novelist becomes the new reference librarian and questions Margo about her abrupt career change.