Monday, January 24, 2022

Staff Picks: Reading for International Holocaust Remembrance Day

January 27th—the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau—is designated by the United Nations General Assembly as International Holocaust Remembrance Day

On this annual day of commemoration, nations and individuals are encouraged to honor the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and the millions of other victims of Nazism. The same UN resolution supports the development of educational programs to remember the Holocaust and to prevent further genocide.

In observance of this important anniversary, we are sharing a few of our favorite stories that help ensure we never forget.

 

Brandy's Picks

 

Night by Elie Wiesel

I've read this book every year since first reading it as a sophomore in high school. It is a reminder that we must speak up when we see something that is wrong; our inaction can have a much larger effect than we ever imagine. Elie survived the unimaginable and made it his life purpose to ensure it would never happen again. He shared his story that we may never forget what happened and to try to ensure it'll never happen again.
 

The Tattooist of Auschwitz Trilogy by Heather Morris

With each book, you become more and more involved with their stories. Although the characters overlap in the stories, the stories do not overlap; they are each their own stand-alone stories of their own individual experiences. These stories are not always easy to read, but Morris did an amazing job of making sure they are not books you want to put down. I listened to these books as audiobooks, and the narrators do an amazing job of telling their stories; you definitely do not get hung up on the narration and lose track of the book as you do in some audiobooks.
 

 

 

Susan's Picks

Alicia: My Story by Alicia Appleman-Jurman

This book is the compelling biography of a young teen girl's courageous story of bravery and survival from the Nazi atrocities of the Holocaust. 
 
 

 

 

The Girls in the Attic by Marius Gabriel

A wounded German soldier of the Reich is returned home to discover that his mother is hiding two Jewish sisters in their attic. He is outraged and feels his mother is a traitor by her act of mercy.  He feels the need to turn the sisters in to the Gestapo until he starts to get to know them better and their unfortunate plight.  
 
 
 

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

This is a heart-wrenching love story about an Auschwitz-Birkenau prison camp tattooist who falls in love with a young woman waiting in line for her prison camp tattoo. This is another hope and survival tale based on interviews the author made with the Holocaust survivor tattooist, Lale Sokolov, and the Jewish woman he was determined to marry while trying to survive the prison camp.
 
 
 
 

Tracy's Picks


The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, this visually and emotionally rich tale of the Holocaust reimagines the author’s parents’ deportation to Auschwitz and their post-war experiences in America in a world where the Nazis are represented as cats and Jews are symbolically portrayed as mice. 

 
 
 

Between Shades of Gray
by Ruta Sepetys

This is a truly lovely book; haunting and terribly sad because we know it is based on true events, but also inspirational. Ruta Sepetys's writing is fluid and emotionally evocative. With a few precise words, she is able to make a powerful statement. It is never overdone or cheaply sentimental. The first sentence grabbed me, and I did not want to put this book down as Lina's story gradually and painfully unfurled.

The novel is written in short chapters, which makes some of the atrocities described a bit easier to digest. Scenes are not truly graphic, but they are vividly and powerfully depicted. But, again, there is a thread of hope and perseverance that runs throughout, as well as a budding love story to provide balance. Also, there are flashbacks to Lina's life in Lithuania before the deportation to provide respite and clues to explain why Lina's family was targeted by the Soviets.
 
The characters, especially Lina, her mother, and a crotchety old man who is with the family on the train and at the various work camps, seemed real. Of course, several first-person accounts and interviews where included in Sepetys's research. And the author's own family history undoubtedly made this an intensely personal story. 

 

 

Wednesday, September 29, 2021

Staff Picks: Great Reads for Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

From September 15th–October 15th, we are featuring stories about Latinx people and books from Hispanic and Latinx authors in our buildings and our online platforms. Here, Lexi from our Mt. Washington branch and Tracy from our Public Relations team are share just a few of the titles they've loved.

Lexi's Picks:

Anna-Marie McLemore's books are amazing. Their writing is phenomenal and is some of the best YA magical fantasy I've read.  When the Moon Was Ours is my favorite. 
 

Sunday, September 19, 2021

STAFF PICKS: Pirate Books for Kiddos

Ahoy, library buccaneers!

We're still getting our Pirate on this month at BCPL, and our children's team is sharing some of their favorite pirate stories to prove it. These stories be treasures indeed!

Squirrel Me Timbers book cover

Ms. Angel says:

I could not stop laughing through Louise Pigott's Squirrel Me Timbers! I just loved the little squirrel and his adventure. 

Check our catalog

Friday, November 13, 2020

Adventures in Coding with Lexi & Kathryn

Teen programmers Lexi and Kathryn decided the pandemic was the perfect time to give coding a try! To get started, they explored the free Code at Home Activities from Girls Who Code. For their first project, they selected one of the "unplugged" activities for learning binary code.


Lexi sums up the experience here:

This Girls Who Code at Home project was a great way to step away from my computer for a few minutes while still learning something new about the technology I use every day. 

I like that they give you everything you need for the activity including a printable bracelet and poster, and I thought it was very cool that they highlight the women in tech related to each project. So much information that I didn’t know! I had a lot of fun figuring out the binary code for my name and drawing out the design. Does it remind anyone else of the doors from Monster’s Inc.?


Kathryn's take:

Making this poster was a great way to do something hands-on and crafty, while still feeling like I was learning! I definitely recommend doing this if you have a little bit of free time. 

I just did my name, but spelling out a message could be super fun! It’ll teach you a lot about binary code, and a lot about women in technology. I’m excited to try the actual bracelets once I can get my hands on some cute beads! 

 

 

 

Want to explore coding more for yourself? 

Discover more recommended coding resources from Kathryn!

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Trish's Picks: (Mostly) Scary Movies for Halloween

Halloween is only a week away, and we're in the mood for some scary movies! Trish from our Lebanon Junction location has 7 picks sure to give you some chills and thrills this holiday season...



1. Night of the Living Dead
The original! 
Do you fear zombies? Well, this movie might push you over the edge. A cult classic, Night of the Living Dead has spectacularly terrifying and chilling cinematography well advanced for 1968. Even after 51 years Night of the Living Dead easily gives modern-day horror movies a run for their money. I’m coming to get you Barbara… ;)

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2. A Quiet Place
Although not traditional Halloween movie fare, A Quiet Place rates high on the creepy thrill scale and is sure to leave you tense and gripping your seat! I love how wrapped up I get in the characters' fight to avoid detection and even though I have seen this movie 15 times, I am still overcome with anxiety every time I watch it!

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3. The Ring
A mysterious videotape is responsible for the horrifying death at the end of a week for anyone who watches it. Discovering the source of a family member's death is this tape, a reporter must stop the chain of events before it hits even closer to home. “Seven days…”

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4. The Haunting of Hill House (television series)
Flashbacks show the tragic and terrifying circumstances that forced them out of their home, ultimately revealing a terrifying conclusion. I was literally so caught up in this series that I suffered withdrawal from the fear when it ended!

ON ORDER
Psst... Did you know that you can request a purchase on our website?


5. Poltergeist
A family faces terror like they have never experienced when their home and lives are taken over by demonic forces. The fear is real, and I can’t help but feel a shiver down my spine remembering how scared I was! The behind-the-scenes stories are even more frightening. They’re hhhhhheeeerrreeee….

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6. The Sixth Sense
A child sees the dead when no one else can and turns to a psychologist who is facing his own demons. Terrifying and at the same time giving the viewer a mystery to solve. My favorite thing was the build-up and the twist when I realized what had happened! I see dead people…

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7. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
What can I say... I am a kid at heart and who doesn’t love Charlie Brown? A funny and heart-warming classic that I still love to watch every year! I got a rock…

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Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Beth's Picks: Spooky Reads for Halloween

We're in the mood for Halloween at BCPL!


This year, we want to make your Halloween extra spooktacular with fun events for the entire family all October long. From a special Halloween Family Storytime in the dark to our illuminated pumpkin trail and a haunted house, we've got you covered for pre-Halloween activities.

We've also got you covered this month for some awesome, spooky reading recommendations. Beth from our Lebanon Junction Branch is kicking us off with six picks she thinks you'll love!



Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay ​
A teenaged girl begins to show signs of possession, and the family enlists the help of their priest and a reality show. Is she truly possessed, schizophrenic, or is the whole thing fake??
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson ​
Two sisters and a feeble uncle are the only survivors of a family tragedy, one that ostracized them from the villagers. Is there a murderer among the family or the villagers, or is it something else?

"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson ​
I think this is one of the best short stories ever written. It has had a lasting impact on me, and the story of sacrifice, mob action and just going along with something... these themes stand out in all of Jackson's works, but most especially this one.

The Best of Richard Matheson by Richard Matheson ​
Matheson is a greatly overlooked author—his stories range from slightly twisted to terrifying. Many people don't realize how prolific he was, but they've likely seen a movie or TV episode written by him.


With Their Dying Breaths by CC Thomas ​
I knew about Waverly Hills even before I moved here 8 years ago—the history, hope, hopelessness, and possibility of hauntings make this a must read for ghost and history lovers alike.


Night Shift by Stephen King
There's one story, "The Boogeyman," that scared me so much ​in 1978, that I still CANNOT sleep if the closet door is open. Even the tiniest bit.



Psst.. Want to learn more about our upcoming events? Discover ALL THE HALLOWEEN THINGS at bcplib.org/enjoy-fall-festivities.

Tuesday, September 11, 2018

The Great American Read: Favorites from Jenn

BCPL is jumping on the Great American Reads bandwagon! 

Designed to spark a national conversation about reading, literacy, and the books that have inspired us, moved us, and shaped us, The Great American Read is an eight-part PBS series and nationwide competition that explores the joy of books and the power of reading through the prism of America’s 100 best-loved books, as voted on by the public. That’s a mission we can get behind! 

To that end, we'll be featuring a new series here on Book News & Reviews where staff talk about the books they're reading from the list of America's best-loved novels. To get us started this month, we're discussing some of our all-time favorites!



Jenn, Assistant Director
Jenn's Number: 67 (she thinks) and counting

I know for sure that I've read 67 of the 100. To be honest, with some of them, I had to ask myself, "Did I actually read this or have I shelved it so many times that I just think I did?" Tom Clancy's Hunt for Red October falls into the latter category. Also, if I only read the first book in the series, and not the entire series, I didn't include it in my read list.

I was an English major in college, as well as spending 13 years as a bookseller before starting my library career. The experience of first encountering some of these books is seared into my memory; I can still smell the chlorinated water of the public pool where I devoured the Narnia series one summer while waiting for my younger brother to finish his swimming lessons.

However, I'd like to share a few that I've re-read over the years and found something valuable each time.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The unique narrator, Death personified, was the hook for me on the first read. Later, I chose it for my first selection for a book club I was starting up. I was a little nervous about choosing it for adults to read, but years later, the club was going strong, and we still talked about it! Although the setting is terrifying, the book's message about the power of literacy makes it an exceptionally inspiring read.

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Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
The exquisite writing in this imagined letter from an ailing 77-year-old preacher to his young son always gives me something new to ponder. In my opinion, it's an American classic.

Get from the library





The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
We translated this from the French into English in my high school French class. I loved the illustrations; I will never forget the elephant inside the boa constrictor. I often re-read it to remind myself about the importance of seeing reality with fresh eyes.







Join The Great American Read with BCPL! Learn how you can participate at bcplib.org/GreatAmericanRead.



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