We Are Thankful

This year, in preparation for this blog post, I asked library staff what they were thankful for.  Everyone had pretty similar answers.  We're thankful for the usual stuff: family, friends, health, freedom.  I was a little frustrated because I didn't know how to make a blog post out of those answers. They seemed a little too generic.

However, in thinking about it, I realized that while the usual things aren't necessarily "interesting", they are still spectacular.  Family, friends, health, and freedom are the best things that life offers.  So as we spend time this weekend with our families and feast on turkey and dressing we are VERY thankful for our blessings. 



We at Franklin County Library hope that you also have a holiday surrounded by family and friends; that you have good health; that you enjoy the freedoms of living in our country.

See you Monday!  

Chance's Corner: The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

Before I get started, I'll go ahead and admit that I've never seen the television show The Man From U.N.C.L.E., so in no way can I compare this film's merits with its original source material. It's a shame, I know, but life must go on. I also had to Google what U.N.C.L.E. stood for: United Network Command for Law Enforcement.

The film version of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is more or less a precursor to the television series, with American spy Napoleon Solo and Russian spy Illya Kuryakin working against each other, and then slowly learning to work with each other. Set mostly in 1960s Rome (after sneaking a nuclear scientist's daughter across the Berlin Wall), Solo and Kuryakin are tasked with stopping an evil secret organization from getting their hands on a nuclear weapon.

Elizabeth Debicki serves up a deadly dose of beauty.

The feel of the movie is very 1960s Bond-era, which shouldn't be too much of a surprise since the Solo character was the brainchild of Ian Fleming. There's the cheeky humor, the over-the-top action, and then there's the dastardly villains spearheaded by fairly-new actress Elizabeth Debicki. I was delighted by the amount of screen presence she had.

Overall, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is a lighthearted spy adventure with an interesting assortment of cuts and edits from director Guy Ritchie that drive the action. Henry Cavill (a British actor playing American) and Armie Hammer (an American actor playing Russian) make a great duo that don't have to rely on their good looks to make their characters interesting.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is a movie I'd recommend you to check out at the Franklin County Library!

Marvelous Mondays! : Geodes

Yesterday I received in the mail an order I had placed for geodes and I decided to use them for Marvelous Mondays!  I got one out and read the instructions.  The instructions said to use a chisel and hammer and gently crack the geode open.  Well.... that didn't work!  I could not get the thing open!  I tried being gentle, then used more force, and finally took it outside and tried to smash it with a hammer on the concrete.  Nothing. 

So, I called John Tutor.  John is a local rock and crystal enthusiast.  When he stopped by he tried to get the geode open as well, but could not.  So he told me that he would make sure the kids had a good program.  He retrieved several of his rock picking tools, and a variety of crystals that he had dug out of the ground in Arkansas and returned in time for Marvelous Monday!.

He talked to the kids about where he had found the crystals and told them that these places were open to the public.  Anyone can go and dig them up!  With his tools, he was able to smash several of the geodes to show the kids.  We found pink, purple, white, and blue crystals.  He also let the kids take home shards of the crystals he had brought.

We very much appreciate John's willingness to share his knowledge of crystals with our kids!

New Books and First Line Friday

I am borrowing shamelessly from our Instagram feed for today's post. 

Chance spent yesterday afternoon and this morning preparing new Y and YA books to go on the shelves.

There is a Nimona (a graphic novel), a new series by Sarah J. Maas, several new releases, as well as a few to finish off series we already have.

To go along with the above picture, today's #firstlinefriday is taken from one of the new books.

#firstlinefriday is exactly what it sounds like.  I post a picture of the first line of a book and our followers try to figure out what book it is from.

Be sure and follow us on Instagram to see behind the scenes pictures from the library!

Julie's Journal : E-books and Reviews

In continuing to work on collection development, last week I purchased new e-books for our collection.  Our e-books are available through the Overdrive app and website.  To check out e-books, you need a library card and a password.  Call or come by the library to have your password set up. 

There are many benefits to e-books:

• You can carry an entire library around in your pocket, which means you will never run out of something to read!
• Font size and contrast can be adjusted for ease of reading.
• E-book readers come with built-in dictionaries for instant definitions of unfamiliar words.
• Our e-book library gives you access to thousands of books that we do not have on our shelves. 

That last one is my favorite.  Many times when I am researching books I find something I want to read that doesn't meet the criteria for adding to our physical collection.  Often the book is already available through Overdrive.  Because we are part of a consortium, over 60 different libraries are constantly adding new material to the library.  I love that our e-book library gives me access to so many books.  It is another great resource for finding (free!) materials, especially for a voracious reader like me. 

Two books that I have read recently on Overdrive are worth a mention.  They are The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley and Vanya by Myrna Grant. 

The War That Saved My Life is set in England during WWII at the time of the exodus of children from London because of fear of German bombs.  The war is a backdrop to the story, but isn't a main player.  Ten year old Ada is crippled and her mother is deeply ashamed of her affliction.  As a result, Ada is confined to their one room apartment while her mother works and her brother attends school.  When Ada's brother, Jamie, is sent out of London with the other children, Ada makes her escape and goes with him to the countryside.  They end up in the home of Susan Smith, a woman who is grieving and is reluctant to take them in.  She provides what seems to her as the bare necessities but to Ada and Jamie, her home is luxurious.  All three begin to heal as they develop new bonds.  The story is heartbreaking, but hopeful.  It is shelved as a teen book, but the story is well written and developed and will appeal to all ages.  This book is available both as a physical book and an e-book.

Vanya is a biography of Ivan "Vanya" Vasilievich Moiseyev.  Vanya was a young soldier in the Russian army.  Drafted in 1970 at the age of 18, he left his home in a small village in Moldavia to become part of the Red Army in Odessa.  The official position of the army and the Russian government was one of atheism.  Vanya however was a Christian.  Through "re-education", imprisonment, torture, and eventually death, Vanya refused to recant his faith.  He was only 20 years old when he was killed in 1972.  Vanya left behind a good record of what was done to him and the miracles he experienced.  He sent letters home and, on a visit home, a recording was made of his story up to that point.  His story is extraordinary, and is not a story from antiquity, but a modern one.  For anyone who professes Christianity, Vanya's story is worth reading and pondering.  Vanya's story also highlights the importance of the 1st amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prevents any law prohibiting the free exercise of religion.  Vanya is a short book, with a powerful story.

Be sure to check out Overdrive for the thousands of books available!  There are also audiobooks and a few movies and magazines.