How hard is it to learn a new language? Most of us have taken foreign language classes in high school. But I bet for most of us, those languages remain just that–very foreign. We start by learning numbers and colors and the alphabet, then progress to basic phrases like saying our name, asking how someone is doing, and locating the bathroom. I think with one of my foreign language courses we actually progressed all the way to asking which train went to which foreign city, before the school year was over.
After three years, I still struggled with basic sentences. It was like I could understand intellectually what needed to happen, but somehow it never made it to my tongue. Learning a new language in the sterile environment of the classroom does work for some. My sister became quite good at German after only a year. When they got lost on a trip to Germany, she managed to get a cab and get her group to the right city.
Is she smarter than me? I admit. She probably is. But she was clever enough to do something I wasn’t. She was chatting on IRC (am I dating myself?) with German speakers who were more than ready to correct her phrasing and word usage via text. She also took to watching TV shows from Germany on YouTube, with the subtitles off. She learned more in that one year than I did in all of high school.
As I have said before, one of the reasons I came to Liberal was for the challenge of learning Spanish. I came knowing a little, mostly those embarrassing lessons from Spanish class that never really stuck in my head, and seemed to make me more anxious than anything. I have been taking lessons from my sister, I listen to the Spanish radio station to and from. The library. I keep an ear in on every conversation with our front desk staff and our Spanish speaking patrons. I have recently gotten teenagers to help me with very basic Spanish. No, not those phrases about finding the bathroom. We have been reading baby books.
I figured, babies have to learn somewhere, right? They learn from their parents’ voices what the sound of their culture is, even before they learn the words. And then slowly they begin to associate images or actions with words. It could work for me too, right?
I can say, right now I am very solid on my vegetables and circus animals. And soon I may be ready to move up from the library’s collection of Spanish baby board books to picture books for three year olds. I can understand parts of Spanish conversations in the library, and I can read over Spanish books enough to (mostly) be able to figure out what they are about. I still keep up with the DVDs and audio books I am using to learn, but I can say diving straight in has been far more effective than all of the classroom time in the world.
I have a lot of respect for anyone, anywhere, who goes to a new place for a visit or to live, if they don’t know the language. It is difficult to get around. I also have respect for those who have learned second or third languages on their own. It isn’t as easy as it looks to incorporate yourself into a new culture with a whole new language.
There are those of us for whom learning a new language isn’t second nature, even with immersion. But we are all trying. So I hope you will be patient with me, and them. Our brains will eventually wrap around it.
Also, I am sorry I have two of the Spanish language DVD sets checked out right now, if you are looking for them. I will return them as soon as possible. However, if you are interested in learning German or Portuguese…
New Year, New things going on at Library
With the New Year comes many new things going on in the library. Starting Tuesday, January 20th the library will start afterschool programming for kids from 4pm-5pm, Monday through Thursday. Activities will include computer programming, video production, audio recording, creating comics and a variety of other crafts and hands-on learning opportunities. These activities will take place in what we are now calling The Learning Center and is accessible via a walkway from the main part of the library. The Learning Center will also be developing computer classes for adults during the day and providing meeting space when not being used for classes or afterschool programming.
The library has a long history of community participation through the Friends of the Library group which was fairly active up until about ten years ago. Back in September of 2014 we started making plans to get that group going again and thanks to the help of a couple of local volunteers we will be hosting our first Friends Meeting on Thursday, January 22nd at 6:30pm in the library. This first meeting will be a formative meeting to talk about what the Friends group hopes to achieve, election of officers, and other topics of interest. Consider putting this on your calendar if you would like to become more involved in volunteer activities at the library.
Thanks to a grant from the Cooper-Clark Foundation, the library is excited to announce that we are in the beginning stages of installing a digital microfilm station in our genealogy section located in the lower level of the library. The beauty of this machine will be allowing genealogists to search our historical newspapers stored on microfilm with greater efficiency and accuracy. The digital microfilm station will allow users to email documents and to store information on a personal data stick or portable storage. Software included in the microfilm station will also assist users in searching for information without having to read each page in its entirety. We have a librarian on staff who is an expert on these genealogy resources so please stop in and talk to us about getting started with your family tree or family history.
The last thing I want to talk about today is not a new service or new device, but the library itself and our service to the community. As we all know, things got pretty cold in town the past few weeks. The library is a great place for those people who want a nice warm place to warm up. We offer some comfy furniture and we also check out laptops and have plenty of Wi-Fi to help you pass the time. We even have a book or two that you can check out.
If you have any questions about library services or programs, please stop by the library, check us out online at lmlibrary.org, or give us a call at 620-626-0180.
We have been really busy updating our Spanish section in the children’s department at Liberal Memorial Library and have lots of great books for children of all ages in Spanish. If you are a teenager or an adult looking for fresh, fun Spanish reading materials, head to the children’s department and pick up a book and enjoy it yourself or share it with a child. We have several new Big Nate books in Spanish, some of the 39 Clues Series, some new Fancy Nancy and Katie Woo books and even Divergent in Spanish. The new Spanish books are some of the most popular books in the kid’s section, so if what you are looking for is checked out, you can put a reserve on it from home or while you are at the library and when it comes in, we’ll call you. If you have books that you love in Spanish that we don’t have, let us know, so that we can see if we can order them.
January is also the month when a lot of the big children’s book awards are announced. We will have all of the new award winners displayed once they are announced. If you are looking for past winners of the Caldecott, Newbery, Pura Belpré or National Book Award winners for children, check out our display right across from the circulation desk. Some of my favorite books are up there, so after you read one, let me know what you thought of it. We also have books about popular New Year’s resolutions for kids!
There is a lot planned for the month of January. Of course, we still have story time for children on Tuesday evenings at 6:00, Wednesday mornings at 9:30 and Thursday mornings at 11:15. Join us for stories, songs and crafts. No registration is required and children of all ages are welcome. We also have a lapsit on Tuesday mornings at 11:15 for babies, which includes super short stories, songs, snuggles and play time afterwards. It’s a great chance to give your baby a place to play with other kids and a chance for parents to chat! All are welcome at the lapsit!
We also have programing for older kids. On the 12th of January we are having our first ever coding for kids ages 8+ from 4:00 to 5:30. If you have a child or a teenager who is into video games or playing on the computer, this is a great way for them to see how some of the programs work. It will start out super easy and kids can progress to more difficult coding based on their ability! No need to bring anything for this event, which will be held in the Learning Center at the Library.
Girls ages nine and older are invited on Monday, January 26th from 4:00 to 5:30 for our first Girl’s Club meeting. It will be a lot of fun.
We are having a read-a-thon on the 23rd of January and a scavenger hunt at the library on January 22nd and 23rd. There is no school on either of these days, so kids can come to the library and hang out with their friends and see if they can make their way through the scavenger hunt.
Finally, it’s still a ways off, but mark your calendars for the Children’s Healthy Fun Fair. This year, the fair will be on Saturday, March 7th at the Ag Building. It’s your chance to find out ways to keep your whole family safe and healthy. Last year more than 20 different agencies from across southwest Kansas came together to provide information and to have fun!
Music is a wonderful thing. We all like music at some level, and most of us have a favorite performer or style. Currently at the library we have a bevy of new books focusing in on music that will make for delightful reads during this time of year when the weather keeps us inside for longer periods of time. Let’s talk about three of them today.
The first book is “British Invasion: the crosscurrents of musical influence” by Simon Philo. Prior to the Beatles coming to America in February of 1964 there had only been two British acts to top the pop charts. Within the span of a couple of months the Beatles were accounting for more than half of all album sales in the United States. As with other musical genres that seemingly spring up overnight, once the Beatles had made it, the hunt was on for the next big thing in music. From 1964 to 1965, British acts accounted for half of all hit songs. The British Music Invasion was on. Thanks to the music of the Rolling Stones, The Who, The Kinks, and the Hollies the musical landscape of Rock and Roll was changed forever. This book is a wonderful read for those who enjoy the music from this era and for those who want to learn more about the history of the bands and the songs put into the historical context of the day, both politically and in regards to the music of other musicians of the time.
The second book on my nightstand this past month was “Man on the Run: Paul McCartney in the 1970s” by Tom Doyle. As the 70s were beginning the Beatles were ending. As one half of the successful songwriting team of Lennon and McCartney and a founding member of the Beatles, everyone was paying attention to what McCartney would do once the Beatles were over. Through many interviews with the author, the up and down times of McCartney throughout the 70s is told. We hear of McCartney’s feuds with former band mates, the history of the band Wings, and most interestingly the struggles of an artist to reinvent himself after being in one of the biggest musical groups of all time. A must read for anyone who loves the music of the Beatles, Wings, or Paul McCartney.
The third book I finished up this past month was “The Universal Tone: bringing my story to light” by Carlos Santana. Santana spent his entire childhood making music and playing in bands with his family and friends before his breakout performance at Woodstock brought him fully into the spotlight. This book is packed full of details about the artist and traces his career from his earliest beginnings playing in his father’s band, to Woodstock, and more recently the recording and release of the 8 time Grammy winning album “Supernatural”. For me the best parts are when he talks about meeting other famous guitarist and the photos of him playing with Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan. If you are a fan of Santana this is a must read.
There you have it. Lots of fun new music stuff to read about this winter. Not only do we have quite a few new biographies, but we also have a slew of new movies and audio-cassettes to help pass the time this winter. See you at the library.
If there are some tech gifts under your tree, make sure to make the most out of your gifts and have them ready to go out of the box. Tablets, e-readers, mp3 players and smart phones are all popular gifts this year and many of you may have some of these under your tree. Before gifting, take them out of the box and turn them on. You will not only know that you don’t have that rare dud that isn’t going to power up, but it will allow the device to update. It’s not much fun for anyone to unwrap a new tablet, only to find out that it needs a huge update right out of the box you have to wait three hours to use it. While you are at it, give it a full charge so that there will be plenty of time to play once it is opened.
Updated and charged? Now you can add the stuff to your tablet or phone that will make your gift even better.
Get Free Magazines:
If the person you are giving the gift to likes magazine, load the Zinio app on their device. After that, you can download magazines to your tablet, computer or phone and read them for as long as you want. There isn’t any limit to how many magazines you can have on your device either. Some of the magazines that would be great to read are Better Homes and Gardens, Car and Driver, Cosmo (in English or in Spanish), the Economist, Girls Life and more. You do need your Liberal Memorial Library card number to sign up for an account (and if you don’t have a library card, those are free from the library), but the magazines are free.
Entertain the Kids for Hours:
If the tablet or phone is a child or someone who has children, make sure to add the shortcut for Scholastic BookFlix and TumbleBooks. These are two collections of children’s stories. The program will read the book and the words and animations flash across the screen. For TumbleBooks, you don’t need anything but an Internet connection to access the books. Go to our library website (www.lmlibrary.org) and find the dancing blue book. TumbleBooks has some great books… My favorite is Robert Munsch’s The Paper Bag Princess read by Robert Munsch himself. They have new books as well, like Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site. To get on BookFlix, you’ll need a State of Kansas Library Card (which is different from a Liberal Memorial Library Card). Don’t worry. Those are free and easy to get with a visit to the library. Both TumbleBooks and BookFlix have Spanish books as well!
We also have e-books and audiobooks available for download from the State Library. You need a State of Kansas Library card to check them out. Come in and get one before the holidays, and bring your tablet, e-reader or whatever and we will help you to get started downloading. The time after Christmas always brings a rush of people who want help, so beat that rush and come in now.
We have phenomenal resources that can be digitally accessed, giving you a library from your own home. By having a Liberal Memorial Library Card and a State of Kansas Library Card, you have access to these resources for free.
Recap:
Zinio – Free magazines with a Liberal Memorial Library card. Sign up for a Zinio Account by clicking on the Zinio button on our website at www.lmlibrary.org/about/zinioinstructions.pdf.
TumbleBooks-Animated children’s story books. No signup required! Free from our website at www.lmlibrary.org
BookFlix- Animated children’s story books. Free with a State of Kansas Library Card (which is available free at the library).
OneClick Audio Books – Free audio books with a State of Kansas Library Card.
3M Cloud Library – Free e-books with a State of Kansas Library Card.
It’s the Sunday after Thanksgiving, the leftovers are just about gone and all of the Black Friday madness is over. Time to start giving serious thought to putting up the Christmas decorations and planning the holiday dinner. If you’re looking for some inspiration, you might try a few of these books.
Leisure Arts presents
The spirit of Christmas: creative holiday ideas book four
Full of Christmas recipes and craft ideas, The spirit of Christmas is a great help when it comes to creating your own gifts and decorations. The cranberry muffins and fudge pound cake recipes look like they would be particularly yummy.
 Trash to treasure Christmas
From the Book Description
This edition of Trash to Treasure is packed with resourceful ideas for holiday home decor, tree trimmings, gifts and gift-wrappings. From fun and simple, to fancy and elegant, the more than 100 economical, easy-to-make projects pave the road to thrifty, yet exciting, holiday crafts.
Stories behind the great traditions of Christmas
by Ace Collins
If you’ve ever wondered where all of those Christmas traditions, such as hanging stockings, came from then this little book can explain them.
From the Book Description
Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas reveals the people, places, and events that shaped the best-loved customs of this merriest of holidays. Here are spiritual insights, true-life tales, and captivating legends to intrigue you and your family and bring new luster and depth to your celebration of Jesus’ birth. Discover how
- after eighteen centuries of all but ignoring the event, churches began to open the door for believers to commemorate Jesus’ incarnation.
- the evergreen tree, once a central theme in the worship practices of pagan cultures, came to represent the everlasting love of God.
- the magi’s three gifts—gold, frankincense, and myrrh—are filled with spiritual symbolism.
The Santa Claus Book
by E. Willis Jones
From the Book Description
The Santa Claus Book presents a worldwide view of the jolly gift-giver from his start as an early Christian miracle worker—his 1,200 years as St. Nicholas, patron of sailors, virgins, pawnbrokers, and all kinds of children—to the hearty and ubiquitous benefactor of nineteenth and twentieth-century America.
Another option is to checkout and download magazines for free using your Liberal Memorial library card and Zinio. December’s issues of food and cooking magazines and craft magazines have a lot of helpful holiday tips.
- EatingWell offers must-make cookies and holiday salads
- Every Day with Rachael Ray has a special holiday cookie blowout
- Taste of Home shows us how to make extra cheesy casseroles and super quick holiday sides
- Even Weight Watchers magazine weighs in with “Desserts with a Sweet Secret”.
These are a few of the magazines offering recipes and decorating tips that are available for download through Zinio. If you haven’t created your free account yet, just follow these instructions, http://www.lmlibrary.org/about/zinioinstructions.pdf, or call or come by the library for help.
When I was a young boy there was nothing more that I enjoyed than going to the grocery store with my grandfather. Not because I was particularly fond of bargain shopping or squeezing melons. The reason was my grandpa would always buy me a comic or two from the comic rack if I managed to behave during the shopping trip. These trips started with the adventures of Richie Rich, Archie, and Casper the Friendly Ghost, and turned into a lifelong devotion to comics.
Of course, now that I am older and a librarian, I think a lot of people surmise that I read voraciously or only the finest in literature. I wish this was true, but to be honest I still read comics all the time. At least they call them graphic novels now. Makes me feel a bit older and a bit more mature. One thing that has definitely changed is the newfound acceptance and success crossover they have had in mainstream culture.
When I was a boy back in the 1970s, comic book heroes on television and in the movies where silly and corny. Those of us that remember the old Batman TV series or The Amazing Spiderman show can attest to that. The Incredible Hulk was Incredibly Hokey.
Flash forward thirty years and the landscape has completely changed. We now live in the age of the comic superhero. Leading the way is Marvel Comics. Even as a lifelong DC Comic devotee, I have to admit that Marvel has done a much better job with marketing and bringing the heroes from the comic page to the movie screen.
A book that speaks towards the awesomeness that has come into the library this week is “Marvel Comics: 75 Years of Cover Art.” This book collects all the brilliant covers that Marvel readers will remember throughout the years. Starting in 1938 with the Human Torch fighting evil and Captain America fighting Nazis (even before America went to war with Germany.) This wonderful book shows the covers in full size and takes us on a history of American Comics, from super teams, aliens, the troubled hero, and all points in between.
This past summer Marvel and movie fans were treated to the movie “Guardians of the Galaxy”. A couple of weeks ago the library put on the shelf the comic based on the movie that was based on the original comic. Yes, that happens nowadays. (Look for the movie to be available at the library in a few weeks.)
Another big movie to come out in the past few months from Marvel was “X-Men: Days of Future Past.” This movie centers on the character of Wolverine and his attempt to change the past to avoid the world becoming a dark, dreary place ruled by the Sentinels. This movie is already on the shelves at the library. Also available is the original comic, I mean, graphic novel of the same name. Hard to believe that the original story came out in 1980.
As if all of this awesomeness was not enough, we also have all the other Marvel movies and comics (graphic novels) that people have come to love: Marvel Avengers, X-Men, Spiderman, Thor, Captain America, and last but not least Iron Man.
So make a point of stopping into the library and enjoying the superheroes that you grew up with. No matter what age you are now.
Today is the beginning of Kansas Reads to Preschoolers, an annual week-long celebration that promotes reading to preschool aged children. Most of the libraries around the state are participating with special events and by reading the same book to children from birth to age five. The book this year is titled Is Everyone Ready for Fun? by Jan Thomas. Last year, Liberal Memorial Library read the Kansas reads to preschoolers book to almost 450 preschool aged kids around the community, and this year we are going to try to beat that and read to even more children in the community.
Because Is Everyone Ready for Fun? is such a fun book for kids of all ages and because the book promotes physical activity, in addition to all of the story times and class visits that we are doing this week, we have also made a StoryWalk down Kansas. Until a few weeks ago, I had no idea what a StoryWalk was, but it’s simple and fun. Basically, we cut up a copy of the book Is Everyone Ready for Fun? and posted it in the windows of businesses down Kansas Avenue. At each business, you stop, read a page and then walk to the next business to read the next page. The StoryWalk starts and ends at the library. Below, you will find a list of the 17 great businesses that have a page posted in their windows. We are super excited that they have all agreed to give up a part of their display windows for this project. When you finish the StoryWalk, be sure to sign the StoryWalk guest book and have your children pick up their prizes. It’s a good way to get out of the house, take a walk and read a book. The StoryW alk will be up in windows for two weeks, and the weather this week is looking a little more promising than last week. The StoryWalk Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT and developed in collaboration with the Vermont Bicycle and Pedestrian Coalition and the Kellogg Hubbard Library.
Whether you do the StoryWalk or not, just make sure to read to your children. It is one of the most important things you can do for them as parents. Remember, Liberal Memorial Library is here to help. We have regular story times, parenting books and free library cards for everyone in the community. Come and check us out.
StoryWalk Route: Start at #1 and go in order to read Is Everyone Ready for Fun?
- Liberal Memorial Library
- Sharp McQueen Law Office
- Southern Office Supply
- Circle D Appliance
- Landmark Real Estate Center
- Farmers Insurance
- Sisters Boutique and Gifts
- 5 Estrellas/Five Stars
- Earles Engineering and Inspection
- Meemas
- Leader and Times Newspaper
- Heritage Real Estate
- Flowers by Girlfriends
- My Dream Boutique
- Yippee Yi Yea
- Burlap and Blossoms
- Brier and Hale Music
- Borjas Sattelites
- Liberal Memorial Library.
Yesterday, the first Saturday of November, was National Book Lovers Day, at least according to some calendars anyway. So let’s look at a few of our good-book-to-curl-up-with options.
The classics have be revisited by many authors and in about as many different ways. Here are a couple of classics retold with a horror twist, just in time for the Halloween season.
Pride and prejudice and zombies : the classic Regency romance — now with ultraviolent zombie mayhem!
by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith.
I think the first sentence of the book describes this adaptation of the classic very well – “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains.”
According to the book description ”A mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton–and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she’s soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy.”
Little women and werewolves
by Louisa May Alcott and Porter Grand.
This is the original text of Louisa May Alcott’s classic, the first draft, before the editor altered it . . . according to the back cover anyway. At the beginning this uncensored version, it includes a letter from the editor to the author telling her to try again. This time without the werewolves.
Here is another way to honor the classics, by picking up where the author left off. The following two books are both mysteries set after the events of Pride and prejudice.
Death comes to Pemberley
by P.D. James.
It is 1803, six years since Elizabeth and Darcy embarked on their life together at Pemberley, Darcy’s magnificent estate when Pemberley is thrown into chaos after Elizabeth’s disgraced sister Lydia arrives and announces that her husband Wickham has been murdered.
North by Northanger, or, The shades of Pemberley : a Mr. & Mrs. Darcy mystery
by Carrie Bebris.
This book is actually the third in the Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mysteries series, the first two beingPride and Prescience and Suspense and Sensibility. North by Northanger brings the Darcys into contact with the characters from another of Jane Austen’s books Northanger Abbey.
From the book description — “Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy retire to the peace and quiet of Pemberley as they await the birth of their first child. Such tranquility, however, cannot last.”
Splintered : a novel
by A.G. Howard.
Splintered and its sequel Unhinged are both recent additions to the library’s collection of young adult classics with a twist. Alyssa is the great-great-great-granddaughter of the famous Alice who told her strange dreams to Lewis Carrol, inspiring his classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Now Alyssa must travel to a very real Wonderland to right the wrongs done by her ancestor.
Cinder : a Lunar chronicles novel
by Marissa Meyer.
Another young adult book, Cinder is a very different sort of Cinderella story. “As plague ravages the overcrowded Earth, observed by a ruthless lunar people, Cinder, a gifted mechanic and cyborg, becomes involved with handsome Prince Kai and must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect the world in this futuristic take on the Cinderella story.”
Wicked : the life and times of the wicked witch of the West : a novel
Gregory Maguire
Gregory Maguire’s Wicked is a very well-known book with several sequels and even a Broadway musical based on it. It tells the story of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in a way that L. Frank Baum never imagined. But it isn’t the only twisted tale that Maguire has given us. He also retold Snow White and Cinderella in Mirror Mirror and Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister.
Just remember while you’re curled up in your favorite chair reading whatever book you’ve chosen, that Daylight Saving Time ends today and to set your clocks back an hour.
I am so excited about this week at the library, because on Wednesday, the finalists for the National Book Awards will be announced. The National Book Award is awarded every year to recognize the best in American literature. There are four categories: fiction, nonfiction, poetry and young people’s literature. The longlist of books for the National Book Award came out a few weeks ago, and Liberal Memorial Library has all of the long listed books in the young people’s literature category and I am reading my way through them as fast as I can. Here are my top recommendations from the longlist (and the ones that I hope are at least a finalist for the award).
Girls Like Us by Gail Giles. This book will make you want to cry and laugh and then cry and laugh again. At the end, you won’t know if you want to cry or smile. Two mentally challenged girls are kicked out of their homes after high school graduation and are set up with jobs and an apartment that they have to share. Each girl has her own problems and history and the book alternates between each girl telling her story.
Noggin by John Corey Whaley. A sci-fi YA read that is funny, and not too science fictiony. A 16 year old teen gets brought back from the dead (because of cryogenics) to find that his head has been sewn onto the head of another teen and five years has passed since he was put to sleep. That’s the only science fiction part of the book – the rest deals with everyone else being five years older and him figuring out how to cope.
Fans of Carl Hiaasen will be pleased to know that he has his first YA book out. Skink-No Surrender is a bit tamer than his adult reads and a lot more interesting than his children’s books. Richard and Skink (the one-eyed, hermit, eco-terrorist, ex-governor are trying to find Richard’s cousin who ran away right before she was supposed to be shipped off to boarding school. You will either love this book or hate it. If you love it, check out Hiaasen’s other books that we have in the library. It is not as over the top like a lot of Hiaasen’s books, which could be a good thing or a bad thing.
One book that I haven’t read yet (and will be next on my list if it isn’t checked out when I’m looking for a book to read) isThreatened by Eliot Schrefer. This book takes place in the African jungle and brings up questions of conservation. Luc lost his whole family to AIDS and as an orphan, has to fend for himself. He gets a job offer to go to the jungle with a stranger to study the lives of chimpanzees. The cover sold the book to me and I’ve been intrigued since.
Come by the library and check out some of our National Book Award long listed books in the young people’s literature category. You don’t have to be a child or a teen to enjoy these books and I guarantee that they are a lot more fun than many of the books in the adult fiction category! The winner of the National Book Awards will be announced in mid-November, so if you can’t finish them all, make sure to at least check out the winners.
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