Kent District Library (MI)'s Blog, page 133

Laugh It Up at KDL

Grow Happiness @ KDL by sharing your favorite joke with the library staff.  Check out the KDL collection of jokes, cartoon books and humorous writing.  Create a funny caption for pictures posted in our library branches and on KDL Facebook pages.  In conjunction with Gilda’s Club LaughFest.

Friday, March 1 – Sunday, March 31

 

 

Grandville Staff Picks: March

Here are the Grandville Branch staff pick selections for the month of March.

A Guide to the Birds of East Africa by Nicholas Drayson: For the past three years, Mr. Malik has been secretly in love with Rose Mbikwa, a woman who leads the weekly bird walks sponsored by the East African Ornithological Society. Just as Malik is getting up the nerve to invite Rose to the Nairobi Hunt Club Ball (the premier social occasion of the Kenyan calendar), Harry Khan, a nemesis from his school days, arrives in town. Khan announces his intent to invite Rose to the Ball. Rather than force Rose to choose between the two men, a clever solution is proposed. Whoever can identify the most species of birds in one week’s time gets the privilege of asking Rose to the ball.

Drayson’s descriptions of the Kenyan wildlife and his sharp take on the foibles and follies of the people and politics sketch a rich picture of contemporary life in Nairobi.

Out of Warranty by Haywood Smith: Wanting to remarry when her health-care costs eat up all of her money, widow Cassie Jones enlists the grudging help of reclusive fellow patient Jack, and devises a pragmatic but unconventional solution when dating proves unsuccessful.

It has a clever plot, fun characters and it would also appeal to inspirational fiction readers.

Sworn to  Silence by Linda Castillo (Kate Burkholder series): Kate Burkholder, who grew up in an Amish community before abandoning their way of life, has recently been appointed Chief of Police in her former hometown. When a serial killer, whose spree sixteen years before was dubbed The Slaughterhouse Murders, returns with spectacular violence, Kate is determined to catch him.

Aya by Marguerite Abouet:  Aya tells the story of its nineteen-year-old heroine, the studious and clear-sighted Aya, her easygoing friends Adjoua and Bintou, and their meddling relatives and neighbors. It’s a breezy and wryly funny account of the desire for joy and freedom, and of the simple pleasures and private troubles of everyday life in Yop City.

     

 

 

KDL on WGVU Radio

Each month KDL staff join Shelley Irwin on the WGVU Morning Show to talk about what’s going on at the library. This month, listen to KDL Director Lance Werner and GRPL Director Maria Warner talk about the Write Michigan Short Story Contest, including the Awards Ceremony coming up on Tuesday, March 19.

Enjoy!

Download WGVU3-7-13.mp3

(photo courtesy of Shelley Irwin)

 

Great Cottage Reads

The Cottage and Lakefront Living Show is coming to the DeVos Place March 15-17. Since so many of you will be thinking about your upcoming trips to the lake, we wanted to recommend some books to take along. We have created a list of Books for the Cottage, perfect for reading with your feet in the sand!

Enjoy!

Ally Carter’s Double Success

Ally Carter has two very successful teen series.  What these two series have in common are a bit of mystery,  humor, good characters and an ebook that puts characters from each series together. (Double Crossed is the ebook and KDL doesn’t have it available but it can be purchased cheaply (or free) from your favorite ebook store.)

Perfect Scoundrels was just released and is the third in the .  This book reveals much more about W.W. Hale V and his relationship with Kat.  Don’t worry, there is still a good scheme and a surprise twist.  And if you look closely at the reflection in the cover girls glasses…

The last book published in the Gallagher Girl series was Out of Sight, Out of Time.  There is a sixth book tentatively scheduled to be released this year!  But no title information or cover as of March.  According to her website, the sixth book should wrap up the series although she is not ruling out another book or spin off.

Grow Some Fun!

Celebrate the  excitement of spring with garden-themed stories, crafts and activities. Children ages 6 and younger are invited to Garden Fun Storytime, taking place at many KDL branches this spring. Participants will even get to decorate a flower pot and plant seeds. It is sure to be a garden full of fun!

Schedule:

Saturday, March 16, 10:00 AM – Krause Memorial branch

Monday, April 1, 10:00 AM – Plainfield Township branch

Monday, April 1, 10:30 AM – Alto branch

Monday, April 1, 6:30 PM – Byron Township branch

Tuesday, April 2, 1:00 PM – Byron Township branch

Wednesday, April 3, 10:00 AM – Gaines Township branch

Wednesday, April 3, 10:00 AM – Plainfield Township branch

Wednesday, April 3, 1:00 PM – Wyoming branch

Thursday, April 4, 10:00 AM – Plainfield Township branch

Thursday, April 4, 7:00 PM – Cascade Township branch

Saturday, April 13, 1:30 PM – Sand Lake branch

Tuesday, April 23, 10:00 AM – Kentwood (Richard L. Root) branch

Tuesday, April 23, 7:00 PM – Kentwood (Richard L. Root) branch

Wednesday, April 24, 10:00 AM – Tyrone Township branch

Wednesday, April 24, 10:00 AM – Kentwood (Richard L. Root) branch

Thursday, April 25, 10:00 AM – Walker branch

Tuesday, April 30, 10:00 AM – Alpine Township branch

Tuesday, April 30, 6:30 PM – Comstock Park branch

Wednesday, May 1, 10:30 AM – Comstock Park branch

Wednesday, May 8, 10:00 AM – Caledonia Township branch

Thursday, May 9, 10:30 AM – Englehardt branch

 

Early Lit Bits: Learning with Crafts — Easter Treats

Easter is coming early this year. Here is a fun way to use extra Easter treats to help children learn the names of colors and build the muscles in their hands needed for handwriting.

Materials:

An empty egg carton
Colored paper and a marker
Various colored candy (gummy worms, marshmallows, gum drops or use building bricks or small colored pom poms for a non-candy alternative)
A pair of children’s chopsticks or a pair of small salad tongs

Directions:

Detach the lid from the egg carton and cut the bottom layer in two to make two smaller six-cup cartons. Cut out six small squares of paper in six different colors. (Optional: Write the name of the color of each square on the top of each square with a marker.) Place a different colored square in each of the six egg carton cups. Place the candies in the lid of the egg carton and ask children to pick up the candy with the chopsticks or tongs and place each candy in an egg cup with the matching color.

Other Ideas:

Write your child’s name on a piece of paper.  Have your child pick up the candy with the chopsticks and place one candy on each letter in his or her name. Say the names of the letters as they are covered with candy.

 

 

This article originally appeared in our Early Lit Bits eNewsletter. Read the most recent issue online or sign up to receive this monthly update highlighting early literacy tips and resources for parents and caregivers.

 

KDL Top Ten – 3/8/2013

Need a laugh? Double up on books from Kent District Library’s Humor collection! To view 10 of the most popular Nonfiction Humor titles at KDL, click on the link to the KDL Top Ten List!

Still need more funny in your life?  Then, get out to LaughFest!  See some great stand-up comedians and support Gilda’s Club Grand Rapids.

(Courtesy of Gilda’s Club and LaughFest)

March 7 – March 17

What Mood Are You In?

Your current state of mind can turn a great book into a boring one, or an unappealing book into a fascinating one.  Sometimes nothing looks good! To help you, here are some of my favorite stories that you might like—depending what mood you’re in!

Funny, fascinating  time travel… Doomsday Book by Connie Willis

In 2025, when you major in history in college, you are required to travel in time to observe your period of study.  In this story, Kivrin misses her target by a few years, and lands in the middle of the European plague.

A moral dilemma… A Simple Plan by Scott Smith

Hank and his two feckless friends accidentally find a wrecked small plane and its dead pilot in the woods. They decide not to tell the authorities about the $4.4 million stuffed into a duffel bag.  Oh, what a tangled web we weave!

Heartwarming historical fiction… Pied Piper by Neville Shute

When an elderly Englishman takes a holiday in France during WWII, trying to get over his son’s death, he is talked into leading a band of children across the country on foot. They are strafed by German planes during the day, and hide in barns by night.

Nail-biting suspense… Half Broken Things by Morag Joss

A gripping, haunting exploration of love and our need for it, of the damage done when we go long without it, and the deeds we might be driven to in its name.  It’s a novel that peers into the lives of three dangerously lost people… and the ominous haven they find when they find each other.

Poignant humor… The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler

Macon Leary is a travel writer who hates both travel and anything out of the ordinary. He is grounded by loneliness and an unwillingness to compromise his creature comforts when he meets Muriel, a deliciously peculiar dog-obedience trainer who up-ends Macon’s insular world.

Total creepiness… Under the Skin by Michel Faber

This book is odd, weird, strange, and bizarre. It is also highly disturbing. It begins with a girl named Isserley, driving the Scottish freeways daily to look for hitchhikers.

Quirky but lovable characters… The Memory of Running by Ron McLarty

Smithy is a 279-pound, hard-drinking, chain-smoking, 43-year-old misfit who works in a factory putting arms and legs on G.I. Joes.  When his parents and only sibling unexpectedly die, he finds peace by riding his bike across the country eating bananas.

 

Hope you enjoy some of these!  We’d love to hear about some of your favorite books!

 

 

Get Pizza Discounts with Your KDL Card!

… and coffee, and gardening stuff, and dinner out with the fam, and hockey tix …

Look for this image at the following vendors and show your KDL card to connect with special discounts. Visit these local businesses and let them know you appreciate all the perks of having a KDL library card!

Clique Coffee Bar , 1600 East Beltline NE, Grand Rapids, 10% off all orders
Creekside Garden Center , 4015 Fruit Ridge Ave. NW, Grand Rapids, 10% off all merchandise (not in conjunction with other discounts)
Grand Rapids Griffins , Van Andel Arena, 130 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids, $7 off the price of a Lower Level Faceoff ticket for all Sunday and Wednesday home games
PJ’s Pizza , 3836 52nd St. SE, Kentwood, 10% off all orders
Quaker Steak & Lube , 515 28th St., Kentwood, 15% off all orders