Goodreads and Bookish Quotes

Are you a member of Goodreads?  If you aren't, you really should sign up.  It is a website of all things bookish.  You can keep track of the books you've read, read and write book reviews, find new recommendations, connect with authors and like minded readers, and just generally lose yourself in the world of books! 

Goodreads also has a bookish blog, found here.  Yesterday's post was a list of ten quotes that had inspired people on Goodreads this year.  #8, #5, and #3 are particularly good.

#8.  "Don't wait for a light to appear at the end of the tunnel, stride down there and light the bloody thing yourself." Sara Henderson (Quote of the Day for September 15)

Don't sit around waiting for something to happen.  If you want something, get out and work towards making it happen.

#5 "Sleep is good, he said, and books are better." George R.R. Martin (Quote of the Day for August 6)

No explanation needed!

#3 "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." Dr. Seuss (Quote of the Day for March 2)

We've all heard this quote by Dr. Seuss, but it's worth repeating over and over and over.  And over. 

What are your favorite book quotes?

Merry Christmas!

The Library will be closed

Thursday, December 24th

through

Sunday, December 27th.

We will reopen

Monday, December 28th

We hope you have a happy and blessed Christmas!

Poet's Perch: Christmas Bells by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Christmas Bells

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
    And wild and sweet
    The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
    Had rolled along
    The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
    A voice, a chime,
    A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
    And with the sound
    The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
    And made forlorn
    The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said;
    “For hate is strong,
    And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
    The Wrong shall fail,
    The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men.”

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Julie's Journal : Book Challenges

It's hard to believe that 2015 is winding to a close.  For me, among other things, that means that I need to look at finishing up 2015's book challenges and pick new ones for 2016. 

In 2015, I chose three book challenges.  The A-Z challenge, the Back to the Classics challenge, and a TBR challenge.  To read further about my decision to participate in these three challenges, click here.  Back in August, I made this post, in which I announced that I had finished the A-Z challenge. 

My Back to the Classics challenge list is below.  You can see that I finished all but one category. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be reading a 500+ page classic by the end of the year.

My third challenge was a TBR challenge of my own making, in which I wanted to read 12 books from my To-Be-Read shelf.  I failed miserably at this challenge, reading only 6 books from my TBR shelf.  I guess my constant access to new reading material is my excuse for not finishing this one!

So - onward and upward!  I have been researching book challenges for 2016 and have chosen four to participate in this year.

First, I am going to do the Back to the Classics challenge again.  The categories are a little different this year and I'm excited about finding titles to fit them.  Along with a few more categories, I need a classic:

• in translation
• by a non-white author
• adventure
• fantasy, science fiction, or dystopian
• detective
• banned or censored
• short stories

Then, I am going to do two challenges from purpleinkstudios.net.  The first is her Anne of Green Gables challenge, which is as simple as it sounds.  I am to (re-)read all 8 books in the series this year.  The second is her Grown Up Reading challenge.  For this, I am to read books that fit into 20 different categories she has chosen.  They include things like, a biography, a book about art, a book about religion/theology, and a book that won the Pulitzer prize.  For a full list of the categories, click here.  

Finally, I am taking the PopSugar Ultimate Reading Challenge.  This is also a category based challenge, with a list of 39 categories.  The include categories like, a book finished in one day, a graphic novel, a book of poetry, and a murder mystery.  For a full list of the categories, click here.  

I hope to find some books that will fit more than one of the categories.  What do you think?  Do you think I will be able to finish these challenges?  

Chance's Corner: Christmas Movies

It's hard to believe that it's already December, and Christmas is 15 days away. Yikes! Hold on, I have to let it sink in for a bit. *takes in deep breath*

Whew! Now that I've been avoiding Christmas movies since Halloween (I'm looking at you Hallmark Channel), I've got some catching up to do. Luckily, the Franklin County Library has plenty of Christmas movie selections to enjoy!

Here is a list of some of my favorite Christmas movies our library has to offer:

A Christmas Story - I'm starting off the list with probably the most well-known and well-watched Christmas movie (thanks to the constant loop on TBS). Set in the 1940's, Ralphie has his eyes set on an official Red Ryder, carbine action, 200-shot, range model air rifle for Christmas. He'll do anything to get it -- including asking his parents, writing an emotional class essay, and begging Santa. Their response? You'll shoot your eye out! Filled with humor, heart and nostalgia, A Christmas Story is a great watch for anyone.

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - Those zany Griswold's remind us that anyone that tries to pawn off the idea of a perfect family Christmas is living in some kind of fantasyland. We all have that one family member or that one thing that happens that throws a kink in the whole festive season. But it's the laughs along the way that make things just right.

Dr. Suess' How The Grinch Stole Christmas - The cartoon is fine and swell, but Jim Carrey's delightfully over-the-top performance as the Grinch makes this live-action spectacle just as good, as well.

See what I did there?

It's A Wonderful Life - Considered a box office flop and snubbed at the Academy Awards, It's a Wonderful Life rose from the ashes of disaster and is considered one of the greatest films of all time. Feeling down on yourself and seeking purpose? Then this is the film for you.

Miracle on 34th Street - A Santa working at Macy's claims to be the real deal, but skeptics  push dear old Kris into an insane asylum and into court. It's up to Maureen O'Hara and a very young Natalie Wood to save the day!

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas - When one thinks of Jim Henson, Emmet Otter is tragically overlooked. One of Henson's earlier works, Emmet Otter is a touching tale of a poor mother and son (who happen to be Otters) that sacrifice the things they love to give each other something for Christmas, but in the end the biggest gift of all is love. It's cute, funny and touching.

Christmas With The Kranks - The Kranks have the bright idea of skipping Christmas (to the chagrin of Dan Aykroyd and the rest of the neighbors) and going on a cruise since their daughter won't be home for the holidays. However, surprise! Their daughter is coming home for Christmas to show her foreign lover what a magical Christmas with the Kranks is like. The Kranks race against the clock on Christmas Eve to get their act together, and with the help of their neighbors, they manage to pull it off.

Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer - This is as classic as a classic Christmas movie can get. The songs... the animation.. it all comes together. If you're a kid or not, you'll love it (maybe).

Home Alone - A maybe-misunderstood little boy, played by child-star Macauley Culkin, is forgotten by his family, who are on their way to Paris, France. He mistakes it as a wish come true and has some fun... until a pair of bumbling robbers are determined to break in.

Home Alone is still a fun movie to watch, but to newer and younger viewers the plot can be hard to understand now that times have changed. They may wonder why they don't just use a cell phone to contact a neighbor or their son, and why isn't CPS involved, and why weren't people on Facebook chastising the family for their bad parenting? I guess these qualities make a movie remake impossible. Thank goodness!

There are plenty of other Christmas movies to choose from at the Franklin County Library, but these are the few that are my must-watches to make the holiday complete.

Come let me know what your favorites are!

Painting with a Twist

If you've been around the library the past month, you have heard about the Friends of the Library sponsored Painting with a Twist.  Well, the event was Saturday and was a huge success.

23 adults and 12 kids took advantage of the opportunity to paint either a neon snowman or a trio of Christmas trees.

I think they turned out great!