LibraryPoint Blog
On Christmas Eve, does a dinosaur sleep? Does he go up to bed without making a peep?
Christmas is almost here, and Jane Yolen's favorite dinosaurs are up to no good. Are they sneaking a peek at the brightly wrapped gifts and picking off ornaments, angels and all? Do they eat the cookies left out for Saint Nick or lick all the candy canes?
When readers of Anne Perry’s Charlotte & Thomas Pitt mystery series first met Charlotte’s grandmother, Mariah Ellison, in The Cater Street Hangman, she was an embittered shrew. She certainly disapproved of her headstrong granddaughter marrying a mere policeman, an occupation considered quite below her well-heeled family’s Victorian-era standards.
But time and some enlightening experiences, including those events taking place in another year’s Christmas novella (A Christmas Guest), have left Mariah finally coming to terms with the damage done by her extremely regrettable marriage. Alone at Christmas, she feels she is strong enough to make A Christmas Return to right an old wrong that threatens people she cares about very much.
Have you met Fiona, the baby hippo born at the Cincinnati Zoo on January 24? She was six weeks premature, and her survival was uncertain. She has quickly grown from an adorable pink blob to a big, healthy teenager. Her father Henry sadly passed away in October. Watching the zoo's regular video updates has kept me glued to my computer. Who knew I could love a baby hippo?
The William B. Crawley Great Lives Lecture Series returns to the University of Mary Washington in 2018 with a fabulous lineup. The popular lectures begin at 7:30 p.m. in Dodd Auditorium in George Washington Hall and are free and open to the public. For more information about each lecture and presenter, see the full schedule here.
This readalike is in response to a customer's book-match request. If you would like personalized reading recommendations, fill out the book-match form and a librarian will email suggested titles to you. Available for adults, teens, and kids. You can browse the book matches here.
The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand
After being visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve, Holly Chase chooses not to mend her spoiled ways. Upon her death, Holly discovers her selfishness has caused her to work for eternity as a ghost of Christmas past. Every year Project Scrooge saves another miserly grouch, and Holly stays frozen at seventeen while her family and friends go on living without her. But this year, everything is about to change . . . (catalog summary)
CRRL has earned the Library Journal 4-Star Library rating for the fourth year in a row. CRRL has received a star rating every year since Library Journal began publication of the Index of Public Library Service ten years ago. This year, of 7,409 qualifying U.S. public libraries, only 259 received a star rating. CRRL is one of only three Virginia libraries to receive a star rating in 2017.
Check out these five popular adult titles that have hit the shelves this month. Check out more new titles through the booklist New January 2018 Books You'll Want to Read and our recent arrivals page.
We know every day is a great day to bring a child to the library, but the first Saturday in February is extra special. Saturday, February 3, 2018, is the seventh annual Take Your Child to the Library Day. The brainchild of Connecticut children's librarian Nadine Lipman, Take Your Child to the Library Day serves as an encouragement to families across the nation to visit their local libraries.
It’s 1938. After the Night of Broken Glass, Oskar’s parents feel they must send him to America, so he can be safe. Traveling all alone, Oskar arrives in New York City on the seventh day of Hanukkah, which also happens to be Christmas Eve. He must walk a long way across the city to reach his Aunt Esther, hoping to reach her house before she lights the menorah at sunset.
Aunt Esther does not know he is coming, so he must navigate the cold streets by himself, over 100 blocks on the big street called Broadway. It is rather daunting for a small boy, but Oskar is comforted by his father’s last words to him: “Oskar, even in bad times, people can be good. You have to look for the blessings.”
What are librarians looking forward to most this holiday season? Besides spending time with loved ones, we eagerly anticipate having personal time to stream movies, read books, and watch logs burning in the fireplace. The library can help you with those movies, books, and, yes, even get you those “burning” logs!