Monday, September 28, 2015

September 2015 Book Recommendations

September 28, 2015

The Host 
By Stephenie Meyer 

Ever have that book that makes you so anxious that you are yelling at the character to “run” even though you know they cannot hear you? If you like fast-paced action thrillers from the first page to the last, The Host is for you. 


When aliens perceive our planet and its inhabitants to be violent creatures capable of starting wars over nonsense and killing their neighbors, they decide to take action into their own hands by entering the minds of Earth’s inhabitants. With the world at their fingertips and humanity on the brink of extinction, what else can one do but try to survive? 

After she witnesses her parent’s demise and the world as she knows it is crumbling, it is up to Melanie Stryder to save her only remaining family, her brother. With just the two of them hiding from the creatures that took over their planet, it is up to her to keep them both safe. When night falls, Melanie uses the cover of darkness to scavenge for supplies, but despite her best efforts and the promise to her little brother to return, the worst happens. Melanie must take what happens to her next and fight for what she believes in, to save not only herself but her brother and the people she loves. Unfortunately, this means that she must endanger her own life even more than she already has. 

Jump into this thriller and see how the hopes and strength of one girl can save more than she would have ever imagined! 

--Jess

September 21, 2015 

The Choice 
By Nicholas Sparks 

I am not very good at making choices, from what to wear, to what to do, to what to read, so when it came to reading Nicholas Sparks’ book The Choice, I thought it might help my indecisiveness. Let me tell you now that I was waaay wrong.

Life is about many things, but one could say that finding someone to share life with is on the top of many people’s to-do list…or not. For Travis Parker, life is about living it up with backyard BBQs and hanging out with his buddies. Of course living it up with the buddies can only last for so long, right? You would think the eagerness to move on in life would just be itching away at Travis, so when a new gorgeous redheaded neighbor moves in one would think Travis would make his move. But alas, life is not that simple, for of course the gorgeous next door neighbor is already spoken for. Gabby Holland has a steady boyfriend and soon-to-be husband, but when two roads cross is it fate to stay the course you are on, or jump to another one? 

This heart-gripping story will bring tears to even the most indifferent readers. Once the scene is set and the pieces fall into place, the protagonist is left with a decision that would make most people question not only their hearts, but their entire lives. 

--Jess

September 14, 2015

The String Diaries
By Stephen Lloyd Jones

Every now and then I crave reading a scary, suspenseful book. I suppose you can call it my guilty pleasure. Tucking under the covers on a stormy night while my breath catches and my heart pounds along with the characters, as monsters seemingly real, yet, thankfully imagined, terrorize me...The String Diaries by Stephen Lloyd Jones met all of my guilty pleasure necessities and more.

In the very first pages of this creepy thriller, an SUV tears down a black highway. A wife grips the steering wheel, her husband’s blood spills out from wounds all over the passenger seat while their little girl sleeps soundlessly in the back. Time is running out. The road ahead is winding and weaving. Is he behind them? They pray not. Hope and each other are their only anchors. Their stalker, dripping with the stench of ancient wickedness has been gifted with longevity- and with monsters like him prowling through the spans of time there’s no need for vampires.

Frighten yourself with an age-old tale of obsession that preys on the conviction that wants and dark desires that must be filled no matter what the cost.  Brace yourself for a relentless ride where identities shift, time is both fleeting and endless, and trust and distortion are weapons.

Be forewarned: you’ll either finish String Diaries because you can’t wait to see what happens or because you desperately want to get off the ride.

--Cara

Thursday, September 17, 2015

BIG Library Read with OverDrive E-books

From October 7th through the 21st, readers from around the world will be able to enjoy the same eBook titles at the same time--a global book club!

Yes, the Big Library Read is returning in October with two titles. OverDrive will make two popular eBooks available to public libraries and schools for guaranteed lending. During this two-week program, the Big Library Read titles are available to borrow through CWMARS digital catalog with no waiting list! All you need is a library card or student ID to get started. 

So what are the books? The genre this time around is Young Adult and the titles are The Door in the Hedge by Robin McKinley and In the Shadow of the Blackbirds by Cat Winters. Join in this worldwide reading event! 

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Find Your Next Book with Novelist Plus

Figuring out what’s next on your reading list has never been easier, or more entertaining, with access to Novelist Plus, the premier Readers Advisory resource. Whether you are a librarian, a teacher, a bookseller or a bookworm, there is something to peak your interest here. Lucky for you, with a Worcester Public library card, you can access this database from wherever you have Internet access just by visiting www.worcpublib.org and clicking on Online Databases. Novelist Plus boasts many browsable options, including Author Read-Alikes, expert articles such as “Books to Movies”, an extensive collection of book discussion guides, and Curricular Connections, an element that would certainly augment any educator’s lesson plans.  The homepage presents an array of Recommended Reading lists, arranged by genre and age group, plus there is a keyword search box for the person who needs to retrieve a book title about which they only remember a few details.  Perhaps most engaging is the outstanding “I’m in the mood for books that are…”, a feature in which you can search by the following descriptors (or appeals in Novelist-speak): Nostalgic and Bittersweet, Offbeat and Witty, Fast-paced and Strong Female, or Nonlinear and Compelling.  You can also customize a personal reading list by choosing your own appeals—have fun!

Free Adaptive Technology Training from Worcester Talking Book Library

WPL is happy to announce the Worcester Talking Book Library’s Fall 2015 series of free adaptive technology training workshops. These will take place in the 3rd Floor Computer Lab at the Worcester Public Library Main Branch on Saturday mornings from 9:45 AM to 11:45 AM. There will be four sessions as outlined below:

Saturday September 26: Topics in Outlook
Creating messages, navigating folders, attaching documents, and several other Outlook tools.

Saturday October 17: Excel Basics
Spreadsheet navigation, composing simple formulas, cell formatting, inserting and deleting rows and columns, sorting columns alphabetically and by value, automatic reading of column and row titles with the define names command, and adjusting column width.

Saturday November 7: To Be Determined
To be decided by the consensus of participants from previous sessions.

Saturday December 5: To Be Determined
To be decided by the consensus of participants from previous sessions.

To register for these workshops, as well as to seek any additional information, please contact Jim Izatt or call the Worcester Talking Book Library at 1-800-762-0085 or 1-508-799-1730.

The only prerequisite for participation is a minimum typing skill level of approximately 20 words per minute. Please remember to bring a pair of personal headphones so you can work on one of the lab computers. Reminders and registration requests for subsequent workshops will be sent out shortly before each of those workshops.

Please do not hesitate to share this message with someone whom you think might be interested in attending this workshop. Thank you for your interest!