Book Club Chat

To Kill A Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

By Chris O'Brien, Leader of the Book Questers Discussion Group

Last month, Questers read To Kill A Mockingbird, a classic. We rated it almost a perfect 5 across the board, although one person rated it a 4.5, so the average came out to 4.9. The conversation was, indeed, lively, mostly talking about our reminiscences of that time frame within our own lives, and making comparisons to happenings, and actions and reactions as told in the book.

Fast forward to our June pick, Go Set A Watchman, the treasure found after Harper Lee’s death, which was actually written first. Even knowing this, all agreed it fell short in so many ways. One plus, we all agreed, was that we read To Kill A Mockingbird first. Still and all, we hemmed and hawed when it came to a rating. Some of us went higher, some did not hesitate to go as low as a 2, bringing the average to a 3. Safe to say, it probably sated our curiosity to read both books, one right after the other, keeping all details from one book fresh in our minds, thus aiding us in making our own decision. If you’ve read To Kill A Mockingbird, and are any kind of an avid reader, you simply must read Go Set A Watchman. You’ll love it or you’ll hate it, but it will satisfy your curiosity, and you will enjoy analyzing the good and the not-so-good in each book.

A serious reader is always on a Quest for the rest of the story. Our Quest continues, as we move on to our pick for next month, entitled The Prayer Box by Lisa Wingate, which I eagerly anticipate.

To join the Questers, stop by the Adult Desk!

Book Club Chat

George by Alex Gino

By Holly Heller, Leader of the Night Owls Book Discussion Group

A middle-grade contemporary fiction novel, George tells the story of a 10-year-old transgender child coming to terms with gender identity. Born a boy, George identifies as a girl and calls herself Melissa. More than anything, she wants to play the role of Charlotte in her fourth grade production of "Charlotte's Web." As the story unfolds, we watch George open up to her closest friends and family and we feel the pain of being different and the joy/freedom that comes with being true to yourself.

The Night Owls varied dramatically in viewpoints regarding this book. Some thought it was inappropriate for children to read, while others thought it should be required classroom reading. Ratings ranged from 2 to 4, with the average coming in at 3.2.

To join the Night Owls, stop by the Adult Desk!

Click here to see if this title is currently available for check-out.

Recommended Read

By Lisa Bixel, Adult Department Assistant

Whether it is a homerun or a touchdown you are looking for, the book, Know Who You Are, Live Like It Matters:  A Homeschooler’s Interactive Guide to Discovering Your True Identity by Tim Tebow, will definitely score big for many readers.  Although this book is a devotional guide for homeschoolers, it can be beneficial for any age. Tebow shares what he has learned about how to live when the going gets rough and when you are looking for answers to the tough questions.

Tim Tebow, who was homeschooled himself, shares his life lessons about his joys, disappointments and hopes. 

Featuring lessons on family, bullying and integrity, Tebow gives the reader insight on how to deal with these topics and how to grow in your faith by realizing that every experience in life molds the person you are becoming.

Biblically based, each chapter features a verse from the Bible and encourages the reader to journal his/her thoughts.

Tim boldly states that “There is only one thing, one person, who defines your identity.  His name is Jesus Christ.”

“Expressive writing in a personal and meaningful way positively impacts health, well-being, and self-development.  It can help us process tough situations and challenge us to make good changes.  It can pave the way for a more impactful future.”

When looking for an encouraging, uplifting book, I would recommend Tebow’s creative and relevant book.  It will hopefully brighten and enrich your day! 

To check current availability of this book, click here! 

Under Construction

Summer Update

By Matt Williams, Facilities Manager

Summer is officially here! Our air conditioners are working double-time and somewhere in the fight against the heat and humidity we sprung a leak! With some help from the fine folks at Facilities Mechanical Services in Mishawaka we’re back and running at full power, so the library will stay nice and cool during the upcoming warm months. Believe me, we’re just as happy as you are.

Speaking of summer, the water bottle filling bubblers we installed a few months ago have now saved 500+ bottles from going into the trash! So if you need a bottle of cool water and a place to beat the heat, BPL has you covered.

While the inside is coming together at a steady pace, most of the entrances and halls have been painted, so I won’t be in everyone’s way so much while continuing to paint and modernize the interior of the library. Good news for everyone with small children with little hands that like to explore the world around them.

With the weather as beautiful as it has been, I’ll be the first to admit I’ve spent more time outside than inside, with good reason! We’re looking into a few things to help the accessibility of the library for all of our patrons. We recently added an accessible parking spot to the front of the library, making it easier for our all patrons to park right up front to return a book or come in and get a new one. Hopefully before the summer is in full swing we will also have a small area outside to sit and enjoy a book as well as a bike rack for all of the kids to use in the front of the building.

We are currently looking into making some changes to the back parking lot as well, including a new exit onto Center Street and a few additional spots to accommodate our ever growing group of friends. There may be a few days of closures in the back lot at some point in the next couple of months, but it will be announced on social media with plenty of warning. Same can be said for the elevator – with the modernization coming up, it may be down for a few days, but we’ll try to have it up and running as quickly as possible.

Again, I would like to take the time to personally thank everyone in Bremen for being so friendly and patient during this time. Yoder’s Hardware has been invaluable for both materials and advice. The ladies at the Post Office always have a nice word to start the day off right. Trend Weldy with the Town of Bremen has been spot-on responding to any questions or requests I’ve made. While I’m sure the construction has been an inconvenience, our patrons have been very understanding. Almost every day someone has a kind word or a joke for me when I’m laying mulch in one-hundred degree weather or painting what seems like the 100th day in a row, and it’s made both these projects and this job a total joy that doesn’t seem like work at all. I did not grow in a small tight-knit community and it’s really wonderful to see that a place like Bremen still exists.

Book Club Chat

Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid

By Shelli Kauffman, Leader of the Bremen Readers Book Discussion Group

The Bremen Readers gave Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid a 3.11 in the June 21^st book discussion. On the surface the novel seemed like another quick summer love story, but the discussion became very lively as we debated the complex themes involving personal responsibility versus predestined fate.

Hannah Martin is the main character who has bounced around several cities, never finding one to call home. The novel begins with her moving back to Los Angeles to be near her best friend, Gabby. They attend a party one night and then the book splits into two narratives. One follows Hannah when she leaves the party with Gabby, while the other follows Hannah when she leaves the party with her high school sweetheart, Ethan.

The author did a great job, vividly detailing a believable life following either scenario, and it gave the reader a lot to think about when making what seem like mundane, everyday choices. Could your entire future really be altered by one decision? 

To join the Readers, stop by the Adult Desk!

Click here to see if this item is currently available for check-out. 

Recommended Read

Maude by Donna Mabry

By Melissa Nunez, Adult Department Assistant

From the book:

In 1906, I was barely over fourteen years old, and it was my wedding day. My older sister, Helen, came to my room, took me by the hand, and sat me down on the bed. She opened her mouth to say something, but then her face flushed, and she turned her head to look out the window. After a second, she squeezed my hand and looked back in my eyes. She said, “You’ve always been a good girl, Maude, and done what I told you. Now, you’re going to be a married woman, and he will be the head of the house. When you go home tonight after your party, no matter what he wants to do to you, you have to let him do it. Do you understand?"

I didn’t understand, but I nodded my head anyway. It sounded strange to me, the way so many things did. I would do what she told me. I didn’t have a choice, any more than I had a choice in being born.

Maude is the amazing biography of author Donna Mabry's grandmother. It takes us from Maude's birth in 1892 to her passing in 1963 -- through two wars, the Spanish flu pandemic, the Great Depression, and the birth and death of Maude's children. Author Donna tells the story of Maude's tragic life with love, compassion, sensitivity, and above all, honesty.  This is not the story of someone rich or famous but of an average person struggling to find peace in a life fraught with heartache. It's a fascinating true story, written with love, that reads like a novel.

Click here to see if this title is currently available for check-out.

Genre Sampler: Cookbooks

Get Cooking!

By Terrie Bickel

The Bremen Public Library has approximately 857 different kinds of cookbooks. For someone like me, who loves to cook, the extreme number of cookbooks is a veritable smorgasbord. I also love to bake, and, of course, love to eat!

Lucky for me, I can be taught how to perfect my hobby by the likes of Rachel Ray, Mr. Food, Sandra Lee, Giada, and of course, Betty Crocker. I can learn to cook Chinese, Italian, German, Mexican, and even American. I can make treats for a wedding, a baby shower, a birthday party, and just your run-of-the-mill potluck. I can slow cook, quick cook, fondue, toast, roast, and barbecue. I can sharpen my preserving skills, whip up a soup and a sandwich, fix a smoothie to go along, and even bake a dessert. I can do lunch, brunch, breakfast, and supper. I can cook my food fresh from the garden, sizzle it in a skillet, or grill it over hot coals. I can be a bacon freak as well as a beer lover.
And should all this loving go straight to my hips, waist, and thighs, as I’m sure it will, I can cook light, low-calorie, low-carb, and gluten-free. Yeah, that’s not going to happen. Those books I’m going to leave on the shelf. We don’t want to ruin my fun.

All that being said, I love the variety we have. (I might have mentioned that). I delight in taking home a new cookbook in hopes of finding a new recipe to try. Sometimes I hit the jackpot, other times I’m not so lucky. What even are saffron threads? But I’m trying to be more adventurous. This summer, I’m going to check out a different cookbook each week and try one new recipe from that book. My first book is Food Fest 365! By Yvan D. Lemoine. I already see "Blondies Have More Fun" and "Kentucky Trailer Taters." How could I go wrong?

To see if this book is currently available for check-out, click here.

Firefly Award Winner

Drumroll, please . . .

The 2017 Indiana Early Literacy Firefly Award winner is Don’t Wake Up the Tiger, by Britta Teckentrup!

Over 2,400 Indiana children under the age of 6 voted for their favorite book for this year’s award. Votes were cast in 47 counties across Indiana.

Here is how they voted:

Don’t Wake Up the Tiger – 829 votes (34%)

Race Car Count – 667 votes (27%)

Grumpy Pants – 473 votes (19%)

Music Class Today! – 253 votes (10%)

Best in Snow – 247 votes (10%)

The Indiana Early Literacy Firefly Award is an initiative of the Indiana Center for the Book to promote early childhood literacy in Indiana. The purpose of this award is to encourage parents, caregivers, and very young children to interact together with exceptional picture books. Picture books serve an important role in the first years of the life of a child. 

Click here to see if this title is currently available for check-out from BPL.

Genre Sampler: TV Series

By Shelli Kauffman, Head of Adult Services at BPL

While summer is a great time for outdoor activities, television buffs often go into mourning over the sabbatical their favorite program takes for several months. This is a perfect opportunity to peruse the library's television series collection. Whether you're a fan of The Walking Dead or Downton Abbey, we have something for every fan. Here are some lesser known titles that I still consider worth a good series marathon while you're waiting for the next season of Blue Bloods to start in the fall.

For the Family-Friendly Fan:

When Calls the Heart: Set in a small Canadian coal mining town during the early 1900s, this is a clean view that is still packed with plenty of angst, romance, and drama. The viewer immediately feels invested in the lives of the townspeople who are recovering from a devastating coal mining explosion, killing most of the husbands in town. Lori Loughlin is charming as the matriarch of this little burg, and Erin Krakow and Daniel Lissing have great chemistry as the show's love story developes between the local school teacher and the Canadian Mountie assigned to keep the peace.
Check availability by clicking here.

For the Sentimental Fan:

Everwood: When a New York City doctor loses his wife, he moves his two children to a small Colorado town. The viewer quickly gets emotionally attached to this family and their new friends, but you should be aware that mature themes are addressed in this series. Episodes deal with teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease, and childhood illnesses. There are always lessons to be learned and the characters develop in a touching, thoughtful way. The series was cancelled with enough warning that the writers were able to wrap up the story arcs nicely. Treat Williams leads this cast, but the series was also a springboard for Emily VanCamp and Chris Pratt.
Check availability of Season 1 by clicking here.

For the Book-to-Screen Fan:

Cedar Cove: Fans of Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove bestselling novels will love this Hallmark Channel original series. The plot follows Judge Olivia Lockhart as she compassionately hands out justice to the townspeople, while balancing her newfound love life with Jack Griffith. The scenery of the beautiful coastal Washington setting is worth more than a passing glance in this series that stays true to the themes of the original novels.
Check availability of Season 1 by clicking here.

For the Deep-Thinking, Second-Guessing, Suspense-Loving Fan:

Lie to Me: Dr. Cal Lightman and his team specialize in reading people’s facial expressions to determine who is telling the truth and who is lying in this psychological drama. Tim Roth and Kelli Williams have an electrifying chemistry as the two lead actors, mixing just enough human emotion into a scientific show to make us really care about the characters. I will warn you, after watching a few of these episodes, you might become a little paranoid the next time you raise your left eyebrow or tug on your earlobe. There’s a lot to be learned from this series, that bases its premise on the actual work of Dr. Paul Ekman.
Check availability of Season 1 by clicking here.

For the Socially Conscious, Yet Sappy Fan:

Life Goes On: This was a television milestone in 1989 because the main character, Corky, and the actor who plays him, Chris Burke, has Down Syndrome. As Corky navigates his mainstream school, he makes friends who learn as much from his as they do from their teachers. The series follows the entire Thatcher family, chronicling the parents’ career struggles and the children’s teenage angst, wrapping it up in a heartfelt bow for the viewer who is looking for some feel-good television.
Check availability of Season 1 by clicking here.