Book Bites Recommends

 Another month means another fascinating list of titles from the Book Bites crew! So many different kinds of stories! What catches your eye? What have YOU been reading?

Book Bites Recommends

Another meeting of the Book Bites crew, resulting in another list of fascinating reads! See anything that catches your eye? What have YOU been reading?

 

Book Bites Recommends

 We're playing catch-up with our Book Bites Recommendations this time, so today you've got December and January lists! Talk about a great way to kick off a new year of reading! Take a look at what the Book Bites crew has been reading, and then let us know what YOU are reading.

Introducing Manager Ashley Rose

 

New years always bring changes, and the Library is starting a new chapter this year. When manager Matt Shaw (aka "Librarian M") retired the end of 2023, we prepared to welcome our new manager Ashley Rose. Of course, the Library's Furry Ambassadors asked her the tough questions. Read on to get to know our new leader better.

Furry Ambassadors: What do you like to do when you're not at work?

Ashley: I love being at home with my husband (Bear), my rescue dogs (Luna and Nisa), and my rescue cats (Rosie and Rosco). They each bring me so much joy and I love spending time with them! I also love traveling to explore new places and visiting my family in Arizona! 

What's your favorite imaginary animal?
Hippogriff! Buckbeak is my favorite "animal" character in the Harry Potter series! 

What's your favorite pizza topping?
Pepperoni, extra cheese.

Favorite ice cream flavor?
Peppermint Bark

Favorite genre to read?
Mystery/Horror, I like a good crime story, even better if there's an unexplained monster involved.

How did you decide to become a librarian? 
Once upon a time I was a Language Arts teacher that taught my students how to love reading! In doing so, I also taught myself how to love reading even more and from there I had a desire to become a librarian. But wait there's more! My first real job was as a Library Assistant at the Montgomery County Public Library during the summers while I was in school getting my teaching degree. From that experience, I knew the secret of how much fun being a librarian could be! 

What's your favorite dinosaur? 
Brachiosaurus, it's been my favorite since "The Land Before Time" movies and will forever be my favorite because they don't eat meat and were peaceful giants! 

If you could "travel" into any book, what would it be and why? 
"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll simply because I would like to have nonsensical adventures in Wonderland and also meet the Cheshire Cat! 

Favorite superhero?
Scarlet Witch - Wanda Maximoff

You can have one superpower - what do you pick?
Flight, so I can travel anywhere for free!

Favorite color?
PINK!

Snacks: Sweet or Salty?

Salty! Popcorn, extra salt and butter!

Welcome to the Archdale Library, Ashley!

Book Bites Recommends

 Another meeting of the Book Bites crew, another list of fascinating books.

Anything in this list catch your eye? What have YOU been reading lately?

Book Bites Recommends

Another engaging time of conversation about books (and life!) with the Book Bites crew. Need some inspiration for your fall reading? We've got a variety to pick from!

What have you been reading lately?

Book Bites Recommends

September's meeting of the Book Bites crew resulted in a very long list of titles discussed (some with only teasers!).

See anything that catches your eye?

What have you been reading lately?

Book Bites Recommends

 

A fair bit of nonfiction slipped into the Book Bites discussion this month! You never know where teh reading will take you, but it's always a good time.

What have you been reading lately?

Book Bites Recommends

The reading is good this summer! 

Another wonderful discussion of books was had at the July Book Bites meeting, and we are clearly in our Historical Fiction era. Always nice to throw in a little nonfiction too, keep your brain sharp.

What catches your eye?

What have YOU been reading this summer?

Book Bites Recommends

 Did you know Book Bites continues through the summer? 

So if your Summer Reading list is in need of a jumpstart, see what the Book Bites crew had to recommend for June.

See anything that catches your eye?

What's on YOUR summer reading list?

Book Bites Recommends

Our Book Bites crew returns with yet another intriguing and varied selection of highly recommended titles! What catches your eye? Have you read any?

Book Bites Recommends

 Another month, and another lively discussion about a variety of books! I'm always amazed at the range of titles discovered and discussed by our Book Bites crew. What catches your eye from our April selection?

Book Bites Recommends

I'm not 100% certain, but this list may have the most diverse genre offering we've ever had discussed in a Book Bites meeting.

See anything that catches your eye?

What have you been reading lately?

Book Bites Recommends

After a whirlwind start to 2023 ... it came to my attention that I forgot to post the January Book Bites list! Oops! So here is a double dose of book recommendations for you!

See anything that catches your eye?

Holiday Hours

Don't get caught without a book to read over the holidays! 📚

For your convenience, here's a quick rundown of how the upcoming holidays will impact our hours.

We hope everyone has a safe and happy festive season! ✨

Book Bites Recommends

Another month, another intriguing list of titles for your reading inspiration! The Book Bites crew always has such an interesting variety of reading material -- what catches your eye?

Book Bites Recommends

Another fascinating selection of recommended reads from yesterday's meeting of the Book Bites crew, and holiday books are started making their way into the pile! See anything interesting?

Q&A with Ms. Liz!

When Ms. Haley left the Library for another adventure, we began searching for our next Children's Programming Guru - and are quite excited to welcome Ms. Liz to our Library family! 

Our furry ambassadors have once more volunteered to ask the tough questions and get the answers we're all curious about ... but first: 

Storytime is resuming SOON. We're waiting for a few final details to make our official announcement, so stay tuned and get ready for fun.

The Furry Ambassadors: Who is your favorite storybook character?

Ms. Liz: Winnie the Pooh

Who is your favorite author?

Mary Pope Osborne

Which is better: the book or the movie?

The book

Who is your favorite Disney Princess?

Mulan

What is your favorite pizza topping?

Buffalo chicken with banana peppers

What is your favorite salty and/or sweet snack?

Cheddar cheese Pringles (salty) and ice cream (sweet)

If you could travel back in time, where/when would you go?

The 70's/80's, for the music

You can have one superpower - what do you pick?

Teleportation

What's your favorite color?

Burnt orange

If you could have any animal in the world as a pet, what would you pick?

A cat

What is your favorite way to spend a weekend (or day off work)?

Getting coffee with friends and reading

I think we can all rest better, knowing these answers -- and many thanks to our furry ambassadors for asking the tough questions.

Welcome to the Archdale Library family, Ms Liz!

Bookish Delights

Brace yourself: today's post may take full advantage of the "catch-all" nature of this header... I've got a little sample of many things I want to share.

Other Birds (Sarah Addison Allen)
⭐⭐⭐⭐
This book was ... enchanting. It's not always the happiest of stories, but it is hopeful - and that is everything. So many threads come together in this one, weaving together individual stories until they've lost (and found) themselves in the broader story being told. It's a story of connections, of love, of survival, of hope. It's beautiful. 

Daisy Darker (Alice Feeney)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Very much an homage to And Then There Were None, with a sneaky twist that makes things so much wilder. I love the trend of weaving flashbacks into the narrative to bring you up to real time, and it works so very well with Daisy's story. There's no way to say a lot about this one without spoiling some of the experience, and even though I figured out a few of the quirks/twists earlier than revealed, it was still a fun reading experience. (Is it socially acceptable to call a family being picked off-one-by-one story as a fun reading experience?)

Cover Love!

This one is too beautiful to keep under wraps until January. 
I've only read one other book by Hawkins (Reckless Girls), but it was an enjoyably twisty read, so I'll definitely be picking this one up for reasons beyond the pretty cover. 

Here's a link to the book page on Goodreads, in case you want to read the blurb / add it to your TBR list.

Sidenote: You'd never guess from the cover that's a thriller, would you? I definitely get the Italian vibes, but not the thriller.

Earlier this month I got an email about Marie Benedict's new novel, and after a moment of excited fangirling (and immediately adding to my TBR on Goodreads), I had to sit back and look at this cover. It's definitely eye-catching, and there's a sense of drama and movement.

I confess to knowing next to nothing about the Mitford sisters (oops?), so I'm doubly-intrigued by the premise and promise of this novel. 

How long again until January? (I tease, but there really are some fabulous books scheduled to publish that month).

 

Finally here's one that is slated to publish the end of November, and I am a fan of the dreamy romantic vibes. Knowing how Kiera Cass writes, it will probably be more "complicated" and less "fairytale," but how's this for the teaser they're blurbing (perhaps a first line?):

Love has a sound. It sounds like a thousand heartbeats happening at the same time.

Now that's something that'll catch your attention! Here's the Goodreads link if you want to read the full description.

Book Bites Recommends

From scientific research (and Humboldt squids!) to the current opioid crisis to classic children's literature to magical retellings ... the October Books Bites recommendations have something for everyone!

Fall reading is the new summer reading 🍁📚🍂