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.

Announcement from the Director

Art Prints No Longer Circulating

We regret to announce that as of today, May 26, 2017, BPL will no longer be circulating our collection of art prints to the public. As custodians of your tax dollars, in a time of increased uncertainty concerning funding for libraries, we have to look at all of the services we provide to our patrons and evaluate them honestly. As of this writing, the total circulation of our art prints in 2017—that is, the number of times a patron has checked out an item from the collection—amounts to .15% of our total circulation. Add in the cost of art prints, which is often more than 10 times that of books or DVDs, and it becomes apparent that the cost-benefit ratio does not support a sustained collection. Simply stated, BPL feels that the money allocated for the purchase of art prints, and the space that the art prints occupy, could be put to better use.

For those of you wondering what will happen to our current collection of art prints, the library is planning to host an art and book sale at a currently unspecified date later this summer. For an opportunity to purchase your favorite prints, please check back with this blog, or follow us on social media for updates.

If you are currently in possession of one of our art prints, you may keep it until its current due date as usual.

Thank you,

Kyle Burkett
Director, BPL

Program Highlight

Summer Reading for Kids

By Children's Librarian Brenda Anderson

The Bremen Public Library is the place to be this summer! We will have activities to keep you from being bored during the 76 days of summer vacation.

Children who have not been to kindergarten yet have a program on Wednesdays in June and July from 10:30 to 11 a.m. Stories will be told using puppets, songs and skits designed to entertain and enlighten.

School-age children have a program on Thursdays in June and July at 1 to 2 p.m. designed to stimulate curiosity and combat boredom with hands-on activities such as giant marble runs, blanket forts, spaghetti noodle and marshmallow towers. If you’re unable to come to the programs, it’s okay! There will activities to do in the Children’s Department every day this summer. And you can still read!

Reading is the main objective this summer. We have lots of new series, fun picture books, and graphic novels that are just waiting to be checked out. The goal is read (or have read to you) 20 picture books or 7 chapter books by mid-July. If possible, you want to read even more because we’ll assign you to one of four teams competing to see which team can read the most this summer. The four teams this year are: Ants, Beavers, Hornets and Prairie Dogs.

Accelerated Reader tests can be taken at the Bremen Public Library this summer for students who have just finished grades 2-5. These will count for the school’s summer AR program. And you can read whatever book level you want during the summer.

Barnes and Noble has a summer reading journal that you can pick up at the library when you sign up for our reading program. Take the completed journal to Barnes and Noble and pick out a free book. That means the books you read can count for three different reading programs -- bonus!

The town-wide scavenger hunt this summer will find us looking for a polar bear with a blue Hawaiian shirt. His name is Larry the Traveling Library Bear. He will be in window of a business in Bremen during the months of June and July. Each week he will be in different window of a restaurant, bank, store, or office. Remember where you see him and tell us where you found him. If you are correct, we will give you a piece of candy.

Since our theme this summer is “Build a Better World,” we will have passports for everyone who signs up. Participating in programs and completing a variety of activities listed earns a stamp in your passport. So don’t forget to bring your passport with you to the library.

Another fun activity this summer is our version of Flat Stanley. We flattened Larry the Traveling Library Bear -- just kidding -- we took his picture and you can check him out and take him with you on adventures. Post photos of yourself with him on social media using #FlatLarry.

Library Service

Homebound Delivery Brings the Library to You!

By Melissa Nunez, Adult Department Assistant

Love to read but can't come to the library? Did you know that the library will come to you?  Bremen residents who are physically unable to make the trip to the library due to age, disability, or infirmity are eligible for free, direct-to-your-door deliveries every two weeks! At Bremen Public Library we value our community and strive to make sure every resident has access to books, as well as audio books and music.

Whether you're under short term restrictions or permanently unable to travel, we are happy to deliver directly to you, totally free of charge, for as long as you need our homebound services.  Those who are able to access the Bremen Public Library website can browse the online catalog to reserve their own materials or our staff are happy to make selections for you based on your preferences.

If you or someone you care for lives in Bremen, Indiana and needs this service, give us a call today to get started. The only requirement is a library card and we can help with that, too. Let us serve you!