Kent District Library (MI)'s Blog, page 88

Caledonia, Spencer & Tyrone Branches Closing Early

The Caledonia Township, Spencer Township and Tyrone Township branches will be closing at 5:00 PM tonight (Tuesday, December 10) due to the weather conditions. They plan to reopen for their usual Wednesday hours tomorrow. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

 

 

Two for Tuesday – Spy Thrillers

 

2 Thrilling International Spy Stories

The Geneva Trap by Stella Rimington

The latest suspenseful spy thriller from the former head of MI5. When a Russian intelligence officer insists on speaking to no one but her about cyber sabotage that has brought down a U.S. communications satellite, MI5 agent Liz Carlyle learns of a plot to hack into the West’s military and begins a race against time to stop a mole who would reignite the Cold War.

 

The English Girl by Daniel Silva

Daniel Silva delivers another spectacular thriller starring Gabriel Allon. When a beautiful young British woman vanishes on the island of Corsica, a prime minister’s career is threatened with destruction. Allon, the wayward son of Israeli intelligence, is thrust into a game of shadows where nothing is what it seems…and where the only thing more dangerous than his enemies might be the truth.

 

Simon & Schuster eBooks Now Available!

Good news for eBook fans — titles from Simon & Schuster are now available from the library! Simon & Schuster had previously chosen to not to sell eBooks to libraries, but they are now launching a “pilot project” with 30 libraries nationwide, and KDL has been selected to participate!

KDL has purchased many Simon & Schuster titles from your favorite authors, including:

Cassandra Clare
Janet Evanovich
Philippa Gregory
Stephen King
Jodi Picoult
Kathy Reichs
as well as popular classics like The Great Gatsby and The Old Man and the Sea

Visit http://ebooks.kdl.org and download one today!

 

               

               

 

Christmas Movies

It’s starting to get cold and snowy outside, and that can only mean one thing — we are getting closer to Christmas. Along with Christmas comes , singing carols, giving gifts and of course Santa Clause and his reindeer. But at my house it also means watching Christmas movies together. Kent District Library has lots of great holiday themed movies to choose from. Some of my favorite Christmas movies are the funny ones. My all time favorite has to be National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation starring Chevy Chase and a young Juliette Lewis and an even younger Johnny Galecki (who plays Leonard on the The Big Bang Theory), although the movie Scrooged staring Bill Murray may be a close second. But there have also been some newer Christmas-themed movies such as Four Christmases starring Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn. Plus we cannot forget the modern day Christmas classic that is A Christmas Story, which now has its own sequel, A Christmas Story 2.

Plus KDL has lots of Christmas movies for kids such as The Muppet Christmas Carol, so be sure to place your requests soon so that you can have them in time for Christmas.

 

Goodreads Choice Awards 2013

Users of the popular readers’ social media site, Goodreads, have spoken, and the winners of the Goodreads Choice Awards have been announced. Check out the winners and the nominees. While you’re looking Goodreads over, be sure to stop by our Kent District Library Group page, a work in progress. Join the group and help us grow our online reading community.

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 Cascade Township Branch Youth Paraprofessional Tricia Kannegieter talk about all the fun holiday events taking place this month, as well as the downloadable materials KDL offers.

Click on the links below for complete schedules and details!

Guys Read Pirate Festival
Minecrafting
Gingerbread Lane
The Reindeer Are Coming!
Mush! (Sled Dogs)
Fancy Nancy Soirée (That’s Fancy for Party!)
Polar Express Party
Teen Film Festival
eBooks
Zinio (downloadable magazines)
Freegal (free music downloads)
hoopla (streaming video)

Enjoy!

Download WGVU12-5-13.mp3

 

The League!

As the NFL season heads into the final quarter of its 2013 season, there is a good possibility your fantasy football season is over. Unless you are the lucky few whose roster wasn’t stricken by injury or bad luck, you are probably facing a consolation playoff or four weeks of football with no fantasy, a bleak few weeks to be sure. But fear not, when the rest of your league is enjoying the playoffs (who wants to play in the playoffs anyway… right?) you could be reveling in your fantasy shortcomings by enjoying the silly shenanigans of the guys and gals of the outrageous and raunchy FX TV show, The League.

If you think the players in your league were a bit off-kilter, wait until you meet these gems. Willing to get divorced in order to make the fantasy draft or even hosting the draft in the delivery room so the mother-to-be can make her first round pick (and not have her husband screw it up), these characters are unforgettable, and will make the personalities in your league seem a bit more… normal. So, forget your fantasy failures and check out The League, the TV series I am personally calling the funniest on TV!

     

 

KDL Top Ten – 12/6/2013

If adding those special touches during the holidays makes you merry, then you’ll love this week’s Top Ten list!  From card-making, to keepsakes, to cranberry sauce, these are 10 of the most popular books in Holiday Crafts and Cooking this season at KDL!

HAPPINESS… and the Holidays

Deck the shelves with these holiday reads to enhance your festive spirit:

Sleigh Belles by Beth Albright

It’s Christmas, Southern style! With her hair perfectly coiffed, nails freshly manicured and a heavy trail of perfume wafting behind her, local news reporter Dallas Dubois is sure she’s about to kick her career — and maybe her love life — into high gear.

The Dogs of Christmas by W. Bruce Cameron

While nursing a broken heart, Josh Michaels is outraged when a neighbor abandons his very pregnant dog, Lucy, at Josh’s Colorado home. But Josh can’t resist Lucy’s soulful brown eyes, and though he’s never had a dog before, he’s determined to do the best he can for Lucy — and her soon-to-arrive, bound-to-be-adorable puppies.

Spirit of Steamboat: A Walk Longmire Story by Craig Johnson

Sheriff Walt Longmire is reading A Christmas Carol in his office on December 24 when he’s interrupted by the ghost of Christmas past: a young woman with a hairline scar across her forehead and more than a few questions about Walt’s predecessor, Lucian Connally. Walt doesn’t recognize the mystery woman, but she seems to know him and claims to have something she must return to Connally.

Starry Night by Debbie Macomber

Carrie Slayton, a big-city society-page columnist, longs to write more serious news stories, so her editor hands her a challenge: She can cover any topic she wants, but only if she first scores the paper an interview with Finn Dalton, the notoriously reclusive author. Living in the remote Alaskan wilderness, Finn has written a mega-bestselling memoir about surviving in the wild.

Candlelight Christmas by Susan Wiggs

As single father Logan O’Donnell prepares to give his son Charlie the best Christmas ever on the shores of Willow Lake, he may be in for a Christmas surprise himself, in the form of sharp-witted and independent Darcy Fitzgerald.

 

                

 

Winter Early Childhood Essentials Classes

Parents and caregivers of children are invited to participate in Early Childhood Essentials classes at KDL this winter. If you have young children or if you work in child care and need professional development hours, the Early Childhood Essentials series is for you. All of the presenters are certified and vetted through Great Start. The classes are for adults, and child care is not provided.

Workshops include:



Building Early Math Skills

Saturday, December 14, 10:00 AM – Cascade Township branch

Getting Ready to Write, 3–5 Year Olds

Monday, January 6, 6:30 PM – Kentwood (Richard L. Root) branch

Monday, January 27, 6:00 PM – Wyoming branch

Tuesday, February 18, 6:30 PM – Caledonia Township branch

Getting Ready to Write, Birth–Age 3

Monday, January 13, 6:00 PM – Wyoming branch

Tuesday, February 11, 6:30 PM – Caledonia Township branch

Make & Take Learning Games for Preschoolers

Saturday, January 18, 10:00 AM – East Grand Rapids branch

How to Build a Child Up with Positive Feedback

Thursday, January 23, 6:30 PM – Byron Township branch

Hands-On Minds-On Science

Saturday, January 25, 10:00 AM – Cascade Township branch

Engage with Activities to Promote Success

Monday, January 27, 6:00 PM – Kentwood (Richard L. Root) branch

Teaching Science with Toys

Monday, February 3, 6:30 PM – Krause Memorial branch

Fun Activities in GR for Free

Tuesday, February 4, 6:30 PM – Caledonia Township branch

Inexpensive Green Early Literacy Activities

Monday, February 10, 6:30 PM – Krause Memorial branch

Saturday, February 15, 10:00 AM – Cascade Township branch

Finding Balance in Everyday Life

Monday, February 17, 6:30 PM – Krause Memorial branch

Discovering Play

Thursday, February 20, 6:30 PM – Byron Township branch

Monday, February 24, 6:30 PM – Kentwood (Richard L. Root) branch

Registration is required and participation is limited. Sign up today by clicking on the links above or calling our Patron Services Department at 616-784-2007. If you register and then are unable to attend, please call and let us know so someone else can take your spot.