AudioBooks for the Whole Family

I have often had the discussion with people regarding audiobooks and is it “really” reading. My professional opinion, and I do have my Masters degree in Library and Information Science, is that of course audiobooks are books. They are great for everyone in the family and especially wonderful for families. Remember, before there were books our societies had story tellers. Printed books are relatively new to our culture. Story tellers were the keepers of history and they held honor in our communities.  

When my children were younger, it seemed that every time we got in a car we were driving for two hours. One side of family was in the northwest corner of Connecticut and one side of the family was in the southeast corner of Connecticut. And like they say in Maine, you can’t get there from here.  So we went through a lot of audiobooks. If I picked them up from school and then went South, the first ten or fifteen minutes would be, “What happened in school today?” and then I would ask, “Is there anything else you want to share before we start the audiobook? Where were we in the story?” This would then start our story time. The rule was that if the story had started, they couldn’t speak unless they had a question. This was back in the day when my car had a CD player that had six discs (a luxury vehicle!) and so I could have two discs for the family book and two discs for the book I was listening to and two discs of music. I acknowledge that nowadays no new cars have CD players unless it is a special order.

Children have a great capacity to learn.  Young children are like sponges and given the opportunity can learn so much and be

curious about so many things; however, they need encouragement.  In our trips back and forth across Connecticut we listened to all kinds of books: the complete Harry Potter series, all of Rick Riordan, “Around the World in 80 Days” by Jules Verne and so much more. Some of these books were listened to multiple times and some we had to stop the book and talk about because the books had difficult themes or cultural situations that were not understood without a little explanation (i.e. – the funeral pyre scene in “Around the World in 80 Days” when Phineas Fogg saved the young lady from being burned alive). Children can hear and understand vocabulary that they might not be able to read. Think of when you were learning a foreign language – more than likely you have said that you can understand more listening than you can speak. Yes, they may understand the vocabulary, but they may not be able to spell it because they haven’t seen it but that will come in time. My children and I had some great discussions and wonderful family experiences because of audiobooks. Some of my proudest memories of being a mother was when I would have the children go put away laundry or clean their rooms and I would hear the dulcet tones of Jim Dale coming from the kids’ bedrooms. Some were not intended by authors but nonetheless I think it was a great family building experience. For example, when we were listening to a book that we all were very excited about the release and the children were concerned when the narrator mispronounced the word “brazier” and I had to explain to my children why mommy almost ran the car off the road and talk about history and burning unmentionables in the 1960s. See? I also got to speak to my children about the role of sound editors and why did no one catch this mistake? Audiobooks, a true learning experience for the whole family!

But nowadays we can get so many audiobooks through online resources with our library card. Between the CT State Library’s “Palace App” which merges Libby and other resources and “hoopla” and “Libby: by OverDrive”, more often than not we can find something to listen to at any given moment. We may have to place a hold on a title but if we are a little more open to older titles, but usually we can find something. 

If you need help finding and downloading an app on your phone or device, please feel free to come in and ask our staff for help. Also, if you need your library card number, reach out to the front desk at frontdesk@goshenpublib.org and we can get your library card to you by the next business day.

Remember, it is okay to have someone read you a story while you walk the dog or do the dishes. It is like that spoonful of sugar to help the task get done, in the most delightful way!

Good Luck and Happy Listening!

American Library Association Book Awards

When was the last time you considered what to read next by if the book has won any awards?  There are many that you may have heard about such has the Man Booker Awards, National Book Awards, and the Newberry Awards … but there are so many more.

The following excerpt is from the American Library Association website:

(John) Newbery Medal The Newbery Medal honors the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.

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(Randolph) Caldecott Medal
The Caldecott Medal honors the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.

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(Mildred L.) Batchelder Award
The Batchelder Award is given to an American publisher for a children’s book considered to be the most outstanding of those books originally published in a language other than English in a country other than the United States, and subsequently translated into English and published in the United States.

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(Pura) Belpré Award
The Belpré Award honors a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose works best portray, affirm, and celebrate the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth. 

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(Theodor Seuss) Geisel Medal
The Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal honors the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished contribution to the body of American children’s literature known as beginning reader books published in the United States during the preceding year.

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(ALSC/Booklist/YALSA) Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production
The Odyssey Award will be awarded annually to the best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States.

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(Robert F.) Sibert Informational Book Medal
The Sibert Medal honors the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished informational book published during the preceding year.

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Excellence in Early Learning Digital Media Award

The Excellence in Early Learning Digital Media Award (EELDM) recognizes the most distinguished digital media created for an early learning audience by a producer based in the United States.

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Children’s Literature Legacy Award
The Legacy Award honors an author or illustrator whose books, published in the United States, have made, over a period of years, a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children.

The Stonewall Book Award

The first and most enduring award for LGBTQIA+ books is the Stonewall Book Awards, sponsored by the American Library Association’s Rainbow Round Table (formerly the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table). Since Isabel Miller’s Patience and Sarah received the first award in 1971, many other books have been honored for exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience.

Coretta Scott King Book Awards

The Coretta Scott King Book Awards are given annually to outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values. The award commemorates the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and honors his wife, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, for her courage and determination to continue the work for peace an

Books are many things – mirrors to reflect the readers own story, windows to see into the life of another, and sliding glass doors to grow empathy and experience the life of others.   Reading builds empathy.  When we can see the trials and triumphs of another then we can be more understanding of their life experience.  Growing up in a rural environment in Connecticut in the 1970s and 80s, I had no first hand experience of 1930s and 40s Jewish German experience; however, after reading “The Diary of Anne Frank” I had a tad more understanding.  After finding more books, I grew my understanding and developed a framework that I would not normally have received in a typical history class.  Reading fiction builds empathy.  Reading non-fiction is important, because non-fiction gives us facts which are essential for building a framework.  Fiction gives us experiences.  I never want to have to stay standing in a freezing cattle car going across Poland and Germany and see half of my fellow passengers die of cold and dehydration, but a good author can create a space where I understand a fraction of that experience.  

So I challenge you – read something from an award winning author.  Read something that you may never have thought to read.  I promise you.  You will gain a better understanding of people and build upon your framework of the world.

Enjoy!

Book Awards – Do They Matter? The Newbery Medal …

My cousin sent me an email in 2022 saying that it was the 100^th Anniversary of the Newberry Book Award and that she was going to read all of the award winners in order.  She lives in Missouri and with the help of her local librarians has tracked them down and she is still reading.  I must admit that she is an amazing woman and a truly dedicated reader because, though I read a lot of books, I do not think that I could do that.  Some of her comments along the way were – wow this book couldn’t have been published nowadays and some she has truly loved.   She has appreciated that she has noticed the huge difference in children’s literature from 1922 to 2022.  The following excerpt is from the American Library Association website https://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newbery  :

“The Newbery Medal is awarded annually by the American Library Association for the most distinguished American children’s book published the previous year. On June 22, 1921, Frederic G. Melcher proposed the award to the American Library Association meeting of the Children’s Librarians’ Section and suggested that it be named for the eighteenth-century English bookseller John Newbery. The idea was enthusiastically accepted by the children’s librarians, and Melcher’s official proposal was approved by the ALA Executive Board in 1922. In Melcher’s formal agreement with the board, the purpose of the Newbery Medal was stated as follows: “To encourage original creative work in the field of books for children. To emphasize to the public that contributions to the literature for children deserve similar recognition to poetry, plays, or novels. To give those librarians, who make it their life work to serve children’s reading interests, an opportunity to encourage good writing in this field.”

The Newbery Award thus became the first children’s book award in the world. Its terms, as well as its long history, continue to make it the best known and most discussed children’s book award in this country.”

There are some titles that I have read and loved, some which I have hand-sold to patrons because they cover a time period or person that is truly important to history or is just spectacular literature.  There are some that I would probably never open, even with the lovely emblem on the cover. 

“Carry on Mr Bowditch” by Jean Lee Latham (1956) I read when I was working at Mystic Seaport Museum because Nathanial Bowditch wrote the American Practical Navigator which was an almanac which allowed the average sailor learn navigation.   

“A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeleine L’Engle (1963) I recently just reread because of a Banned Book Discussion that I am a part of, about a young lady who is dealing with the grief of losing her father and the fantastical journey she goes on to find him again. 

Many of these books have become used in school curriculum: “Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry” by Mildred D. Taylor (1977), “Bridge to Terabithia” by Katherine Paterson (1978), and “Number the Stars” (1990) by Lois Lowry.  Some have been made into movies and have just become part of the cultural norm. 

These books are worthy of investigation.  Some deal with harsh historical events and some with harsh personal events like divorce, death, and friendship.  I would encourage you to look into some of the books because when we understand our past, we have a stronger foundation in which to move forward.

Please follow the link to find the complete list of Newbery Medal Books: https://abqlibrary.org/newbery/All

Thank you!

Do you Read One Book at a Time, or Many?

I read many books at one time.  I will have one (or more) as an eBook.  I will have one as an audiobook.  I will have a few in print format – maybe a graphic novel and a book.  So many people I speak with are just in awe and ask me how I can keep all these stories straight and in the past I have always said, I don’t know, I just do.

However, recently I came up with a comparison that I think may help people who read just one book at a time understand better.  

Typically, I have a larger family Thanksgiving gathering.  (Insert your own family gathering here.)  I am able to have different conversations with different family members.  I can talk to my aunt about gravy.  I can talk to a sibling about horses.  I can speak with a cousin about their work.  I can speak with my cousin’s child about whatever they are needing to speak about.  I can speak with my own child about their partner and all these conversations are kept separate.  I would never ask my aunt about my cousin’s work or my child about horses.  Each person has their own voice and their own themes.  If my aunt mentions her mother and how she met her father during World War II – that is a completely different story than my cousin’s child story about how they got their dog.  Sometimes, we may need to go back very briefly when something big happens and dislodges the conversation.  Think oh dear the Thanksgiving turkey needs to come out of the roasting pan and everything in the kitchen needs to stop.  But then you ask – “Oh where we before we were interrupted and you go back and then move forward” yet it doesn’t take a huge effort.  

I tend to have a non-fiction book going, a youth fiction book, a more literary book, a romance and something that has just caught my eye.  Every once in a while I go into the children’s room and find a new picture book that I wish was available when my own children were young because it is just that cool!

I am a co-chair for the High School Selection Team of the Nutmeg Book Award so my youth fiction list is a never ending and growing list of novels in verse, graphic novels, horror, romance, and social justice titles.  It is fun and exciting and a little daunting.  

I think this list that I have is partly because I want options, maybe I don’t feel like reading the book about the Founders of the US and what they were reading, maybe I want a light shape shifter romance or a high school book about a student witnessing a murder.  Having different titles available to me helps me get through the different obligations that I have and helps me to meet the goals that I have. 

What is the difference between a comic and a graphic novel?

The most basic difference between a comic book and a graphic novel is the binding – a comic book is stapled and a graphic novel is glued like a regular book.

Youth adore graphic novels and they seem to perplex adults.  The most often asked questions by adults is – “Is it reading?”

While I might not recommend that anyone have a 100% graphic novel reading list, they do make some amazing graphic novels and I would certainly recommend adding a few each month to your list.  Think of them like dessert, you do not want to make your whole diet to consist of cookies and ice cream, but it is certainly a treat to have them once in a while.

I have read some truly difficult themed graphic novels.  I have read classics that have been re-issued as graphic novels.  I have read non-fiction graphic novels.  Truly, it can be an impressive collection.

“Isla to Island” by Alexis Castellanos tells the story of a young girl who comes to the United States in the 1960s from Cuba.  This wordless graphic novel has such amazing illustrations that you see what it is like to move away from all you know to a new place where you need to learn a new language and explore new passions.  This story is such a sweet heartfelt story.

“Maus, volumes 1 & 2” by Art Spiegelman is a non-fiction graphic novel about the author’s parents’ experiences during World War II in the concentration camps of Germany.  This title has recently gained headlines because the State of Tennessee has banned it from all schools because of the violence and nudity.  The characters in Maus are either mice, cats, dogs or pigs; each animal represents a different nationality so “nudity” in my mind is a mute question but this book is not for all audiences.  It is a non-fiction account which deals with the trauma of war and prison camps.  It is a difficult book, but it is a wonderful book.  It shows the pain of intergenerational trauma.  It shows the ways that families have to process pain, health issues, and the question of “what does it mean to survive?”

 

“Wynd” by James Tynion IV and Michael Dialynas is a graphic novel set in a fantasy realm where this city is isolated from other cities and surrounded by magic filled forests.  In the city, magic is punishable by death and our hero, Wynd, must keep his magic secret or be executed.  He was raised by a kind bar owner and her daughter.  This fantasy graphic novel has adventure, magic, evil kings and princes trying to do the right thing in hard times.  It has a strong storyline and beautiful illustrations.  

These are just a few examples.  Graphic Novels have come a long way from the “Betty & Veronica” high school hijinks.  Many have very deep themes of identity, domestic violence, substance use, and dark times in history.  However, graphic novels can shine a light on topics that we might try to shy away from in “normal” reading so that we get a peek at a topic that we otherwise might choose to ignore.   

The next time you go to the library, why don’t you look at the graphic novels and see what you think.  Come on in and check them out!

Nutmeg Book Awards & Nominations

Have you ever seen the image to the right of this post?

Do you know what the Nutmeg Book Award is?  Every year a select group of students and librarians gather together and read from 60 to 130 books, this number is dependent on for which level they are participating in.

Though I know many adults who do not think of reading youth books — if you are ever looking for some books that speak to an age group; you might consider looking at the teen (grades 7 & 8) or high school (grades 9 to 12) to find what Connecticut tweens and teen say are interesting.  Teen readers read 80 books and had to write short blurbs defending their position about if this book should be a nominee … one of 10 books they are asking the rest of the Connecticut students to read.  High School readers had to read at minimum of 60 books and find 10 that they recommend to others.

Some of the past award winners are very familiar to readers and movie goers — “The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan and “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins — please don’t a book by its movie!

These awards are wonderful to be a part of … if only to use the lists as a short list for gift giving or an idea to find some recommended books.  The Goshen Public Library always purchases two of each Nutmeg Nominee so that many people can have the opportunity to read these amazing books.  You can tell a past nominee because they have the Nutmeg sticker on their spine with the normal library markings.

Code: a Virals Novel by Kathy Reichs and Brendan Reichs

Code: a Virals Novel by Kathy Reichs and Brendan Reichs  ISBN 978-1595144126 (read by Cristin Milioti )

When many people see the name Kathy Reichs, they think of “Bones” an adult mystery/suspense series revolving around a forensic specialist, Temperance Brennan.  Tory Brennan is the niece of the Temperance and in every book there is a phone call to the esteemed scientist for help with scientific information and translation.

cover art for Code by Kathy and Brendan Reichs

This was a book that I thought was great because I like the concept of mutations and shape-shifting and extra powers; however my teenage son was less than thrilled about … but it could have been the reader that he really didn’t like.  Also, though the teens acquire the heightened olfactory abilities of the wolf and speed — they actually don’t change.  Their eyes just turn color and really where is the cool factor of yellow eyes?

I like this series because Tory and her friends are just your average every day teens who are smart and live in isolation on this island off the coast of South Carolina.  Their families live on an island owned by the University and their families are all co-workers.  The kids take a ferry to school on the main-land and they need to go by boat anywhere they want to travel.  This series shows a group of youth with initiative and intelligence.  A group of teens that like each other and though they may not always agree, willing to work towards common goals.  They overcome hardships and issues and remain committed to the pack.

I would recommend these books to tweens and teens who like to read about the what might have beens.  The ideas of science and questions of solidarity are important recurring themes.

These books are great and may fall under the category of best read if you are sensitive to voices on audio…

From School Library Journal

Gr 7-9-Months ago, 14-year-old Tory and her friends accidentally acquired supernatural abilities while attempting to solve a decades-old cold-case murder. Now, the group has discovered a geocache, left behind by someone they know only as the “Gamemaster.” The Gamemaster leads the gang on a scavenger hunt peppered with puzzles, codes, and riddles. As the treasures they find become increasingly dangerous, Tory and her friends suspect that one geocache may be a ticking time bomb. The Virals must race against the clock to find it before it detonates and kills innocent people. While this sci-fi/mystery mash-up has some plot inconsistencies and implausible moments, it will appeal to fans of the first two books. The four Virals-Tory, Shelton, Ben, and Hi-are well defined in the course of the story. Though they are all intelligent and protective of one another, their actions are not always prudent or legally sound. The group’s “save the world” mentality thrusts them into plenty of perilous situations, and simply letting law enforcement handle the Gamemaster is never a real consideration. Still, the friends admirably stick together and will stop at nothing to protect the innocent.-Leigh Collazo, Ed Willkie Middle School, Fort Worth, TXα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger ISBN 978-0156029438 – Read by William Hope (Reader), Laurel Lefkow (Reader)

 

Have you ever listened to a book which was a little confusing in audio but thought that if read from a page would have made much more sense?  I do not know about anyone else but this book fell into that category for me.  I really enjoyed the book and the lovely twists and turns and back and forth; the idea of love that transcends time and place.  Maybe my confusion was something that every reader felt, but I believe that this is one book to be read.

cover art from The Time Traveler’s Wife

Each chapter opens with a time date and age of Henry and Clare.  The audio book has two readers – one reads Henry perspectives and the other reads Clare’s.  They are excellent readers and my complaint has nothing to do with the readers, but unless you have an eidetic memory, very few people as they are driving down the road can remember “Christmas Eve 1991 (Clare is 20, Henry is 28)”

Henry has a condition.  With no control or planning he will all of a sudden leap from this life into a scene from the past, usually a scene with great emotion.  He has seen the car crash where his mother died on any number of occasions, he goes back to when he meets Clare for the first time.  As he ages, the condition is worsening and he has less and less control.  He has found a doctor who is trying to help and found a friend who concocts drug combinations to try and help him stay in one place; but there comes a point when nothing helps.

Clare is a studio artist and Henry is a librarian in a special collection.  A fitting occupation for one who travels through time.

Henry takes nothing from one time to another and arrives naked. So he has had to adapt — find clothes quickly, be able to pick locks and has a loose moral code to allow himself to survive.  Though I may not agree with theft, I might think otherwise if I continually ended up in a strange place in winter with lots of snow on the ground.

This is first and foremost a love story.  Henry and Clare are truly an amazing couple.  Yet this is also a story of fantasy and the magical “what-if”.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys literature with a hint of romance and fantasy.  It is a very well written work with some great characters.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This highly original first novel won the largest advance San Francisco-based MacAdam/Cage had ever paid, and it was money well spent. Niffenegger has written a soaring love story illuminated by dozens of finely observed details and scenes, and one that skates nimbly around a huge conundrum at the heart of the book: Henry De Tamble, a rather dashing librarian at the famous Newberry Library in Chicago, finds himself unavoidably whisked around in time. He disappears from a scene in, say, 1998 to find himself suddenly, usually without his clothes, which mysteriously disappear in transit, at an entirely different place 10 years earlier-or later. During one of these migrations, he drops in on beautiful teenage Clare Abshire, an heiress in a large house on the nearby Michigan peninsula, and a lifelong passion is born. The problem is that while Henry’s age darts back and forth according to his location in time, Clare’s moves forward in the normal manner, so the pair are often out of sync. But such is the author’s tenderness with the characters, and the determinedly ungimmicky way in which she writes of their predicament […] that the book is much more love story than fantasy. It also has a splendidly drawn cast, from Henry’s violinist father […] to Clare’s odd family and a multitude of Chicago bohemian friends. […] It is a fair tribute to her skill and sensibility to say that the book leaves a reader with an impression of life’s riches and strangeness rather than of easy thrills.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Jester Jim Juggling Show — come and wel

Jester Jim Juggling Show — come and welcome back Jester Jim to Goshen. We are SO happy he will be joining us on Tuesday August 5. http://ow.ly/i/6neij

Spring EGGstravaganza A Morning of Craft

Spring EGGstravaganza

A Morning of Crafts! Bunny Mask, String of Bunnies, Nest of Yummy Treats…

April 17th — 10:30AM – call to register