Still using the OverDrive app? It’s time to switch to Libby!

April 18, 2023March 29, 2023 / cheshirelib / Leave a comment

On May 1, 2023, the OverDrive app will be discontinued. Now’s the time switch to Libby, OverDrive’s newer reading app. Libby is made by the same people, with the same goal of connecting you to your favorite books, audiobooks, and magazines, and is streamlined to make finding and downloading digital materials easier than ever!

Why is the original app going away? Libby has actually been around since 2017, and and for that period of time OverDrive offered both options. Since then, Libby has seen much more use than the older OverDrive app, and it no longer made sense to maintain both apps.

Making the switch is easy! Simply download the app on your mobile device to get started. Good news, once you add your library card to Libby, all your loans and holds will be waiting on your Shelf! You won’t lose your place in line for any items you have on hold. If you have a Wish List, you’ll be prompted to import it from OverDrive via an in-app notification. Your wish list items will become a tag that’s available on your Shelf.

After checking out a digital item with Libby, you can read/listen right through the app. Prefer to read ebooks on a Kindle? Check out your ebook through the Libby app, then send it to Kindle and read it there:

Tap .
Tap loans at the top of the screen.
Tap Read With….
Tap Kindle.
You’ll be taken to Amazon’s website. If prompted, sign into your Amazon account.
Verify the “Deliver to:” device and tap Get Library Book to finish getting the book.

If you use a Kindle Fire tablet, you can sideload the Libby app to your Kindle Fire by following these instructions. You can also use the OverDrive website or Libbyapp.com in your Fire’s browser.

Finally, if you’re more comfortable using a computer instead of a mobile device to access our digital collection, don’t worry, Libby works on a computer, as well! Visit libbyapp.com to browse, search, read or listen and more on your computer.

Teen Book Reviews: Forestborn & A Thousand Steps Into Night

April 11, 2023March 6, 2023 / cheshirelib / Leave a comment

Teens: did you know that you can earn community service credit for writing a book review and submitting it to us? Today, we’ll hear from someone who did just that. Find out more about how to earn community service hours from home at cheshirelibrary.org/teens/.

Forestborn by Elayne Audrey Becker. Reviewed by Lydia B.

Forestborn is beyond inventive and beautiful.

I knew I would like this book from the moment I saw it, but after reading it, I was blown away! First of all, the world-building is amazing. From rival kingdoms to magical forests, Becker makes her world both intricate and easy to follow, a must in standalone fantasy books. The forest is especially interesting, as are the animals and the way magic manifests there. There are entirely new takes on magic everywhere in this novel, especially in the main characters themselves! Rora and her brother Helos are both main characters and shapeshifters. I loved how Elayne Audrey Becker used clear limits in their abilities to create impressive but not indestructible powers in these two. There was also so much symbolism in the forms the characters took and why, which I loved just as much.

Let’s talk more about the characters! Usually I’m a fan of side characters and not main characters, but this cast was entirely lovable. We have Rora, a shifter concerned she’s overly selfish but concerned for her friend, Helos, shifter and brother to Rora, and Weslyn, the love interest and older brother of Prince Finley. Finley especially is important because the others have to venture into magical danger to find a cure for the magic plague that he’s contracted which will kill him soon without a legendary cure. Every one of these characters is full of depth and emotion. I especially love the romances in this book, even though they’re absolutely the death of me now.

Basically, Forestborn is a work of art. I’d recommend it to fans of Among the Beasts and Briars and maybe Onyx & Ivory too (haven’t read O&I in a while but from what I remember they’re somewhat similar). This is easily one of my favorite reads of 2021 and I’m so glad to have been able to read it!

5 stars.

A Thousand Steps into Night by Traci Chee. Reviewed by Lydia B.

For a book about a girl turning into a malevolence demon, this book is surprisingly fun. This is the story of Miuko, a girl cursed to become a demon unless her human soul can prevail and she can kill the demon prince following her before she fully turns. This book is really told in the style of a fairy tale, which I really love. It reads normally, but the plot structure is like you’re reading a myth, which is so fun. There are also so many interesting characters to observe, between humans Miuko scares or spirits she enlists. My favorites were Senara and Geiki (obviously) but everyone in this story is someone worth reading about. Geiki’s natural charisma really humanizes Miuko even more than before in making her more lighthearted during a hard situation.

The world itself is done so well. I did think it was tiresome to have such a detailed world that you needed footnotes to say what everything was, and I still do, but it thins out after a while to be more manageable. I thought that while the footnotes were cumbersome, it was overall very readable since most things were recurring and not entirely new. Given that Miuko herself doesn’t know everything about the hierarchy of spirits or how on earth she can undo her curse, it’s easy to learn with her.

In terms of the plot, I did think there were a few too many twists and turns. It wasn’t too many for the book itself, just a lot to keep up with. There was a segment of the book that was entirely unexpected and while it did make everything make sense a bit more, it also delayed the climax of the novel by a lot. This was really the only thing that bothered me though, and as I just said, it was extremely plot-relevant.

Overall, I’d definitely recommend this to fans of dark fantasy with detailed world-building. Although I personally would’ve gotten fed up with the sexism and exclusion and just became a demon, I enjoyed reading about Miuko’s journey and every part of the book.

4.5 stars.

10 Recent Favorites From Our Staff

April 4, 2023March 6, 2023 / Louise / Leave a comment

What was the best book you read in 2022? I recently asked staff members this question and have compiled their answers here. Interestingly, there were no duplications, everyone had a different favorite. Some books were published in 2022, some were many years older, some were fiction, some were nonfiction. Without further ado, here’s a selection of 10 recent favorites from our library staff.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. In the early 1960s, chemist and single mother Elizabeth Zott, the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show due to her revolutionary skills in the kitchen, uses this opportunity to dare women to change the status quo.

Neopolitan series by Elena Ferrante. Beginning in the 1950s in a poor but vibrant neighborhood on the outskirts of Naples, Ferrante’s four-volume story spans almost sixty years, as its protagonists, Lila and Elena, become women, wives, mothers, and leaders, all the while maintaining a complex and at times conflictual friendship.

Boneshaker by Cherie Priest. Commissioned to build a machine that will promote gold-rush land-breaking efforts between Civil War-era Seattle and Alaska, inventor Leviticus Blue inadvertently triggers the release of a deadly gas that transforms people into the living dead, a situation that prompts his teenage son to restore the family reputation years later.

Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo. When his best friend dies of an apparent suicide, Andrew uncovers lies and secrets left behind by the person he trusted most, discovering a family history soaked in blood and death.

What We Wish Were True by Tallu Schuyler Quinn. A non-profit leader, humanitarian and minister, after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of terminal brain cancer, pens profound essays on what it means to live with a terminal diagnoses and still find meaning and how to discover beauty in life’s ordinary moments.

Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett. A thief in a city controlled by industrialized magic joins forces with a rare honest police officer to stop an ancient evil ritual that endangers thousands of lives.

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. Living in a labyrinthine house of endless corridors, flooded staircases and thousands of statues, Piranesi assists the dreamlike dwelling’s only other resident throughout a mysterious research project before evidence emerges of an astonishing alternate world

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson. During Kentucky’s Great Depression, Pack Horse Library Project member Cussy Mary Carter, a young outcast, delivers books to the hillfolk of Troublesome Creek, hoping to spread learning in these desperate times, but not everyone is keen on her or the Library Project.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. A modern love story about two childhood friends, Sam, raised by an actress mother in LA’s Koreatown, and Sadie, from the wealthy Jewish enclave of Beverly Hills, who reunite as adults to create video games, finding an intimacy in digital worlds that eludes them in their real lives.

Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard. The world’s leading forest ecologist, in her first book, draws us into the intimate world of trees where she brilliantly illuminates the fascinating and vital truth — that trees are a complex, interdependent circle of life.

What’s Happening at Cheshire Library in April

March 28, 2023March 28, 2023 / cheshirelib / 2 Comments

We’re springing into April with so many great programs for kids, teens & adults, we can’t fit them all here! Check our Event Calendar for the full list of programs coming up this month.

Movie Matinees

Tuesday April 4: Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris (2022)
Tuesday April 18: Sherlock Holmes (2009)

Join us for a movie on the big screen! No registration is required and movies begin at 1pm.

This Business of Fighting: A Human Face on WWII

Tuesday, April 4, 2023, 6:30 – 8:00pm

Equipped with a Ph.D. in history from Yale and a lifetime of storytelling experience, Arnie Pritchard paints a picture of his father’s WWII experience. Registration is required.

Upcycled T-shirt Party

Wednesday, April 5, 2023, 10:30am – 12:00pm

Reduce, reuse, and recycle your old t-shirts! We’ll provide a variety of sewing and no-sew projects for you to breathe new life into old t-shirts. Bring a t-shirt from home or use a thrifted t-shirt provided by the Library. Registration is required for this adult program.

Wags & Tales (Grades K-3)

Monday April 10 4:00 – 5:00pm
Monday April 24, 4:00 – 5:00pm

Gromit, a Newtown-Strong Therapy Dog will be available to be read to by independent readers in grades K-3. Reading aloud in a relaxed environment is a confidence booster to all readers. 15 minute visits will be available, please register and come with a preselected book to read to Gromit. Registration is required for each child.

Tween Escape Room: The CPL Art Gallery (Grades 3-5)

Tuesday, April 11, 2023, 2:00 – 3:30pm

Work as a team to solve the puzzles and get the final prize! For grades 3-5. Please note this is a school vacation day. Please register in advance.

Adult Loft Knitters

Wednesday, April 12, 2023, 6:30 – 8:00pm

Come socialize, learn, and share your techniques with other knitters. Experience the relaxing and calming effect of knitting. All levels of adult knitters are welcome. Please bring your own yarn and knitting needles (crocheters are also welcome!). This group meets monthly, please register in advance.

Basics of Chocolate Truffle Making

Wednesday, April 12, 2023, 6:30 – 8:00pm

The lecture by Maria Brandriff will include some basic information about chocolate, the various types, and how to work with it. Samples and recipes will include several different types of truffle candies, perfect for giving your loved ones at any time. Space is limited and registration is required.

No-Sew Upcycled T-shirt Tote (Grades 6-12)

Thursday, April 13, 2023, 3:00 – 4:00pm

Keep the earth in mind this month and create your own customized t-shirt tote bag made out of recycled materials. Bring your own t-shirt to upcycle or choose from a selection of washed, thrifted t’s. Registration required.

Cat Tales Writers Group

Thursday, April 13, 2023, 6:30 – 8:00pm

Join us for a monthly open writing group that can help answer your questions on writing, editing, grammar, and publishing. Read a selection of your work to the group for general constructive feedback, or discuss a book you’ve read that might help someone else. Registration is required.

Builder’s Block (kids of all ages)

Friday, April 14, 2023, 10:00 – 11:15am

Block off some time to build freely with LEGOs, Duplos, KEVA Planks, Strawbees, and more! For kids of all ages and their caregivers. No registration required.

Titanic A Date with Destiny

Monday, April 17, 2023, 6:30 – 8:00pm

Join us as we will learn of the Titanic’s celebrated construction, employing thousands during difficult times, its sailing, life on board and final hours. Join us as we share insights about a well-known story that might change your viewpoint of that fateful date with destiny. Registration is required.

Book Club

Books Over Cocoa, Tuesday April 18, 7:00pm
Books Over Coffee, Wednesday April 19, 12pm

A monthly book group where you can meet new people, sip a warm drink, and have great discussions. This month we’re reading I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys . Register for our afternoon or evening group.

Life in the White House: The President’s Butler

Wednesday, April 19, 2023, 6:30 – 8:00pm

Join us as former White House butler, Mr. Alan DeValerio, shares his memories, stories and adventures of the 10 years he spent working in the White House under Presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. He will describe how staff prepares to entertain guests at the White House and how that process has evolved since the time of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Registration is required.

Jellyfish Science: Are You Ready for This Jelly? (ONLINE)

Thursday, April 20, 2023, 6:30 – 7:30pm

Learn about the importance of jellyfish and how studying them is leading to discoveries that could change our lives.These animals have inspired many technologies used in medicine, robotics, and engineering. In this talk learn about the importance of jellyfish and how studying them is leading to discoveries that could change our lives. Presented by Yale graduate student Lauren Mellenthin. Registration is required for this online program.

Earth Day Storytime (All Ages)

Saturday, April 22, 2023, 11:00 – 11:30am

Join us for a storytime focused on celebrating the earth and the ways that we can help it. Complete with a craft which inspires us to use recycled materials from home to make art! All ages. Registration not required.

Smartphone Photography

Monday, April 24, 2023, 6:30 – 8:30pm

Professional Photographer Andy Mars will show you how to take better photos with your smartphone and/or iPad. Learn tips on photo composition and how to gain control over your
shutter speed, aperture, and ISO settings. Then learn to edit your photos with the free editing
app Snapseed. Registration is required.

Plant & Seed Swap

Tuesday, April 25, 2023, 3:00 – 8:00pm

Calling all plant enthusiasts! Bring your healthy house plants, outdoor plants, cuttings, seedlings, seeds, and containers to the library and swap them out for others. Maybe your houseplant has had a major growth spurt and needs to be tamed- take some cuttings and bring them to the swap! Maybe you bought 14 packets of pumpkin seeds but now realize you don’t actually want to be a pumpkin farmer- bring some to the swap! This is a great way to diversify your collection, try growing a new type of plant, and see what others are growing. Drop in anytime between 3:00 and 8:00pm, registration is required.

Explore New Worlds: Virtual Reality

Tuesday, April 25, 2023, 6:00 – 7:30pm

Experience virtual reality with the library’s Oculus headsets. Choose from a wide selection of tours adventures and games all in an interactive virtual world. 30 minute spots available from 6:00 to 7:30. Registration is required, you will be contacted prior to the program to select your spot.

TAB: Teen Advisory Board (Grades 6-12)

Tuesday, April 25, 2023, 3:45 – 4:45pm

The Teen Advisory Board is a group of teens in grades 6-12 who want to take an active part in helping the library and the community. Giveaways and snacks will be provided. Registration is required.

Book-to-Screen Adaptations Coming in 2023

March 21, 2023March 30, 2023 / Louise / 1 Comment

If you love seeing your favorite books come to life on the big or small screen, 2023 is shaping up to be a great year. And if you’re a read-it-before-you-see-it person, you’ll want to take note of the screen adaptations slated for release this year, and add the following books to your reading list! (Release dates are given when known, though they are subject to change).

Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano (on Apple TV+ Feb. 3)

The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay (in theaters Feb. 5)

The Black-Eyed Blonde by Benjamin Black (in theaters Feb. 15)

Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (on Amazon Prime Mar. 3)

Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume(in theaters Apr. 28)

Text for You (movie title: Love Again)by Sofie Cramer (in theaters May 12)

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann (in theaters May 2023)

Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson (in theaters June 30)

American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin (in theaters July 21)

Hallowe’en Party (movie title: A Haunting in Venice) by Agatha Christie (in theaters Sept. 15)

Dune (Part Two) by Frank Herbert (in theaters Nov. 3)

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins (in theaters Nov. 17)