WooReads Fall Reading Challenge For Adults: Patron Book Reviews

 

Welcome to the WooReads Fall Reading Challenge for adults! In partnership with The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts, we are offering readers a chance to win a pair of tickets to A Christmas Carol, showing December 17 - 23, 2022 or Annie, showing February 23 - 26, 2023! 

Click here to log into your Beanstack account to start logging your books and reviews. If you don't have an account, you can create one today!

Read these patron book reviews submitted by your fellow WooReaders to get an idea of what to read next! 

The Sign for Home by Blair Fell

Love, love, love this book. One of the best I have read this year. It centers on an ASL interpreter and a DeafBlind young man. So interesting. It really makes you stop and think about how we perceive the world, the assumptions we make. The ending was great, although a bit unbelievable. I found myself rooting for almost all the characters.      ~ Abigail H. 

All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers

Solid 4/5. Ashley Flowers is a great storyteller, although the book was clearly JonBenet -inspired. I can't wait to see more from her! ~ Shana B. 

The Toni Morrison Book Club by Juda Bennett

This book was phenomenal. I loved that it wasn't just an analysis/review of Toni Morrison's work but interwoven memories and direct comparisons to the world in which we live. It goes to show that her work is timeless. ~ Chloe H. 

Lucky by Marissa Stapley

Easy read that moves quickly. Back on forth timing with present day and past that tell Lucky’s back story and people she is interacting with. Enjoyed but thought the ending was rushed.~ Shannon V. 

Market Research and Small Business Resources at WPL

The library offers an extensive collection of  books on business topics such as writing a business plan, hiring and managing employees, the dynamics of leadership, selling and marketing strategies, business accounting and advertising. This collection to be checked out can be found on the second floor of the library with the newest titles just published located on display shelves near the Welcome Desk on the first floor.

When it come to research, there are several business databases that can be accessed in the library or remotely from work or home with a Worcester Public Library card. Reference Solutions is a database that offers small business owners and would-be entrepreneurs rich content and data to assist with starting or growing a business. Learn how to identify potential customers, competitors and revenue data on companies within an industry sector with this source. This database offers the ability to create sales lists too. The library also has A to Z Database that provides similar content, tools and capabilities.

These business databases can be helpful for everyday consumer needs. Have you ever wanted to find a new dentist or been in search of a plumber for home repairs but weren’t certain of results you found Googling? That’s where Reference Solutions and A to Z Database come in handy. In addition, both offer an easily searchable healthcare database to locate medical professionals in your area or across the country.  Both A to Z and Reference Solutions include U.S. and Canadian White Pages and even a job search platform.

Also relevant to business research are the Gale General OneFile and the New York Times databases. If you have any questions about business research resources and need assistance getting started, please email our business resources librarian, Jackie, at jdzugan@mywpl.org.

Visit our Small Business Resources page to learn more. 

To access these databases go to the library’s website at www.mywpl.org, click on the Resources tab and then select Online Databases. You will need your Worcester Public Library card number and PIN to login.

New Releases: October Edition

Check out these highly anticipated October releases featuring fiction and nonfiction titles. Click on the title to request a copy or get your name on the waitlist. Don’t forget to watch for more featured releases next month! 

Fiction

When We Were Sisters by Fatima Asghar

After the death of their parents, three Muslim American sisters are left to raise one another, and as the youngest, Kausar, grows up, she must choose whether to remain in the life of love, sorrow and codependency she’s known or carve out a new path for herself.

A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson

Saved from the brink of death by a mysterious stranger, Constanta is transformed from a medieval peasant into a bride fit for an undying king. But when Dracula draws a cunning aristocrat and a starving artist into his web of passion and deceit, Constanta realizes that her beloved is capable of terrible things. Finding comfort in the arms of her rival consorts, she begins to unravel their husband's dark secrets. With the lives of everyone she loves on the line, Constanta will have to choose between her own freedom and her love for her husband. 

Blackmail and Bibingka by Mia P. Manansala

It’s Christmastime in Shady Palms, but things are far from jolly for Lila Macapagal. Her cousin Ronnie is back in town after ghosting the family fifteen years ago, claiming that his recent purchase of a local winery shows that he’s back on his feet and ready to contribute to the Shady Palms community. Tita Rosie is thrilled with the return of her prodigal son, but Lila knows that wherever Ronnie goes, trouble follows.

Nonfiction

The Abyss: Nuclear Crisis Cuba 1962 by Max Hastings

An award-winning journalist reevaluates the Cuban Missile Crisis, one of the most gripping and tense international events in modern history, seeking to explain the attitudes and conduct of the Soviets, Cubans and Americans, and recreate the heightened fears of countless innocent bystanders whose lives hung in the balance.

Song of the Cell: An exploration of Medicine and the New Human by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Presenting revelatory and exhilarating stories of scientists, doctors and the patients whose lives may be saved by their work, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, drawing on his own experience as a researcher, doctor and prolific reader, explores medicine and our radical new ability to manipulate cells.

Muppets in Moscow: The Unexpected Crazy True Story of MakingSesame Street in Russia by Natasha Lance Rogoff 

Muppets In Moscow reveals how-in between bombings and political chaos in 1990s Moscow-a team of Russian and American artists, producers, educators, writers, and puppeteers overcame their many differences to create an unprecedented hit in a post-communist era. 

WooReads Fall Reading Challenge for Adults 2022

 

Welcome to WooReads on Beanstack, an online tool where you can track reading, post book reviews, discover good reads, win prizes, and stay connected with library-related programs and resources!

***Win tickets to a show at The Hanover Theatre!***

In partnership with The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts, we are offering readers a chance to win a pair of tickets to A Christmas Carol, showing December 17 - 23, 2022 or Annie, showing February 23 - 26, 2023!

To win, readers need to log books and/or write reviews to earn badges.
With each badge, the reader will receive a certain number of tickets to put towards the show of their choice. The more tickets earned, the more likely you are to win the drawing! If you don't have a Beanstack account, click here to create one. 

The drawing will be held shortly after November 30.
Winners will be contacted directly by staff and will be able to select the date they would like to attend the show. The Hanover tickets will also come with free admission to the Worcester Art Museum and some other Hanover swag!

*Books read starting September 1, 2022 must be logged by November 30, 2022.
*Must be a Worcester resident to win prizes. Staff and members of their household are ineligible.

***WPL Programs and Resources***

Attend a WPL author event, writing workshop, or poetry event to meet and be inspired by local talent.
Join one of our WPL virtual author events featuring bestselling and prize winning authors.
Visit WPL’s Reader’s Corner for staff picks, new titles, book lists, and more.
Attend one of our several librarian-led WPL book clubs to discuss books and meet like-minded readers.

***How to Track Reading and Share Reviews***

Use the "Log Reading and Activities" and "Add a Review" buttons on the top of the page to add to your log and share your reviews. Reviews are shared on Beanstack, and may also be shared on WPL's Blog and Facebook page.

For mobile users, download the Beanstack Tracker app to get started.
For more information, call 508-799-1663 ext. 3 to speak to a librarian.

MASS DOT Allston Multimodal Project Update August 2022

As a Metrowest community whose commuters may potentially be affected, MASS DOT has provided an updated fact sheet about the Allston Multimodal Project. Read below for project benefits, project background, and an environmental documentation preview. To view the fact sheets with corresponding images, click here. Fact sheets are available in the following languages: English, Amharic, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.

The fact sheet is also available at the second floor reference desk at the Main Branch along with the National Environmental Policy Act Review Scoping Summary Report. If you have any questions, please call our information line at (508) 799-1655 (ext. 3) or use our chat service. 

Recent Updates

The Notice of Project Change (NPC) was published in August 2022. A print copy of the NPC is located on the second floor reference desk at the Main Library and is available to borrow. To view the NPC electronically, please use this link.

The I-90 Allston Multimodal Project has made advancements since the publication of the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) in 2017. The purpose of the NPC is to update the status of the Project in the state environmental review process (MEPA) to align with these advancements. The NPC also provides a preliminary analysis of environmental effects associated with the Throat Area options which will be expanded upon in the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Report (SDEIR).

The Notice of Project Change will be noticed in the Environmental Monitor on August 10.

Comments will be accepted through September 13. Comments can be submitted through the EEA Public Comment Portal.

To learn more about the project and view project documents including past meeting presentations and minutes, or to be added to the project email list, visit the project website: www.mass.gov/allston-multimodal-project or contact the project team at I-90Allston@dot.state.ma.us.

New Databases at WPL!

In addition to all the helpful resources you can find on our databases page, you can now access the following online resources with your library card/PIN. These resources are brought to you by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

Gale Legal Forms

Provides Massachusetts-specific, downloadable, legal forms such as:

• Real estate contracts
• Wills and estates
• Bankruptcy
• Divorce
• Landlord tenant
• and many others!

Many forms are ideal for legal tasks relevant to business owners, such as filing for copyrights, patents and trademarks, articles of incorporation, licenses, and more. You will also find information on a variety of legal topics and a legal dictionary. 

Transparent Language Online

Choose from over 100 languages to learn!  Create an account to save your progress and download the mobile app to learn on the go.  This is a complete language-learning system with courses and lessons designed to build skills in these areas:

• Listening
• Speaking
• Reading
• Writing 
• Grammar
• Vocabulary 

Whether you’re starting at the very beginning with a new alphabet or you’re an intermediate learner, this resource has something for everyone!

Peterson’s Test Prep

Need help preparing for an exam?  This valuable resource includes full-length practice tests for:

• GED
• SAT, PSAT and  ACT,
• AP exams, ASVAB
• CLEP
• GRE, LSAT and MCAT
• TOEFL, U.S. citizenship
• and more!  

You will also find information on undergraduate and graduate programs and tuition and scholarship assistance, as well as a resume builder and interviewing advice. 

 

These databases are brought to you by MBLC