For Adults - Fondulac District Library | East Peoria, IL

FDL Reads: Much Ado About Nada

Much Ado About Nada by Uzma Jalaluddin

Reviewed by: Dawn Dickey, Library volunteer

Genre: Romance

Suggested Age: Adult, Young Adult

What is the book about? Techpreneur Nada Syed’s best friend, Haleema, tricks her friend into attending a large, popular, Muslim convention (“like ComicCon, except with hijabs”) run by Haleema’s fiancé, Zayn, and his family. Nada’s parents and best friend Haleema all think the convention would be a good way for Nada to get out of her shell and meet people, especially with the matrimonial speed-dating event on the agenda. Nada hasn’t yet met Zayn, something she has avoided doing because – unknown to Haleema or Zayn – Nada has a history with Zayn’s brother Baz. Nada is also dismayed and angry after learning that her traitorous, former business partner, Haneef, is attending the convention.

My Review: Author Uzma Jalaluddin says she was inspired in writing this novel by Jane Austen’s Persuasion, while the Shakespearean-style title hints at the complex muddle Nada’s life has become. Both connections – Austen and Shakespeare – hint at some (but not all!) of the plot line and heightened my interest in the tale. Layer by layer, alternating between the present and the past, Jalaluddin deftly unveils the back story that is key to the relationship between Nada and Baz. The history between the two is not pretty, which leads to some surprising developments as present-day interactions between Nada and Baz unfold. My favorite phrase from the book: “She [Nada] had buried her secrets and regrets in a small bundle she kept hidden in a floral hatbox inside her closet.” I loved this book and can’t wait to read Jalaluddin’s next work!

Three Words That Describe This Book: Romantic, funny, opportunity

Give This a Try if You Like… Romcoms and romances such as Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev, Love from A to Z by S. K. Ali, Jane Austen’s Persuasion.

Rating: 5/5

Find it at the library!

Susie Rivera2023-07-19T15:13:34-05:00July 19th, 2023|

#FDL: Overdrive Big Library Read

Fondulac District Library provides access to a large collection of eBooks and audiobooks through the Libby app. Several times during the year, Overdrive hosts a Big Library Read, an online book club for readers around the world. Featured books are chosen by librarians and announced shortly before the Big Library Read begins. Our library is provided with unlimited copies of the eBook or audiobook, and our patrons can read without wait time through the Libby app from July 13-27. A library card number and PIN are required to access the book.

This summer, the Big Library Read has chosen A Very Typical Family by Sierra Godfrey.

Below is a little about the book from The Big Library Read’s website:

“All families are messy. Some are disasters.Natalie Walker is the reason her older brother and sister went to prison over 15 years ago. She fled California shortly after that fateful night and hasn’t spoken to anyone in her family since. Now, on the same day her boyfriend steals her dream job out from under her, Natalie receives a letter from a lawyer saying her estranged mother has died and left the family’s historic Santa Cruz house to her. Sort of. The only way for Natalie and her siblings to inherit is for all three adult children to come back and claim it—together.

Natalie drives cross-country to Santa Cruz with her willful cat in tow expecting to sign some papers, see siblings Lynn and Jake briefly, and get back to sorting out her life in Boston. But Jake, now an award-winning ornithologist, is missing. And Lynn, working as an undertaker in New York City, shows up with a teenage son. While Natalie and her nephew look for Jake—meeting a very handsome marine biologist who immediately captures her heart—she unpacks the guilt she has held onto for so many years, wondering how (or if) she can salvage a relationship with her siblings after all this time.”

Check it out on the Libby app and join the Big Reads discussion at https://biglibraryread.com/current-title/

–Post by Susie Rivera, Reference Specialist

#FDL is an update on all things Fondulac District Library and books.

Susie Rivera2023-07-13T15:35:39-05:00July 13th, 2023|

School Supply Drive July 1-31

Help East Peoria’s kids start the school year off right, and supply them for success! The library’s annual school supply drive is back! The library is collecting new, unused school supplies from July 1 to 31 to distribute to District 85 and 86 schools. Requested items include:

#2 pencils
pens (red, blue, and black)
pink erasers
Expo markers
Sharpies
highlighters
Elmer’s glue and glue sticks
Crayola crayons (24 count)
Crayola washable markers
Crayola watercolors
colored pencils
spiral notebooks
composition notebooks
wide-lined paper
folders
3 ring binders
scissors
rulers
index cards
book bags
paper towels
Kleenex
Ziploc sandwich bags and gallon bags
Clorox wipes

A box for donated supplies is located inside the Youth Services department. Your donations are greatly appreciated!

genna2023-07-06T11:14:36-05:00July 6th, 2023|

FDL Reads: Robert E. Lee and Me

Robert E. Lee and Me: A Southerner’s Reckoning With the Myth of the Lost Cause by Ty Seidule

Reviewed by: Melissa Friedlund, Reference Specialist

Genre: American History (Civil War), Memoir

Suggested Age: Adult, Teen

What is the book about? The myth of the “Lost Cause” is an interpretation of the events before, during, and after the Civil War that portrays the South in the best possible light. It claims slavery was benign or beneficial to those enslaved. It glorifies Robert E. Lee to a point beyond hero-worship, almost as if he was god-like. Belief in it facilitated reconciliation between whites from the North and South during the 19^th and 20^th centuries, at the cost of racial equity and civil rights. The author, a career military officer in the Army as well as a historian, explains how, as an adult, he came to terms with his own indoctrination into these racist ideas by examining his upbringing in Virginia and throughout the South.

My Review: I listened to the audiobook read by the author and thought it was an impressively-researched dissection of the myth of the “Lost Cause.” Seidule is clear-eyed and forthright about the fact that his old belief system was racist and how the Southern culture that he was raised in fostered and nurtured these beliefs into his adulthood. His detailed exploration into things like the cause of the Civil War, Confederate monuments, Gone With the Wind, Confederate flags, military fort names, and beyond is a compelling demystification of the Confederacy and of Robert E. Lee.

Three Words That Describe This Book: Introspective, Compelling, Well-Researched

Give This a Try if You Like…How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History Slavery Across America by Clint Smith, White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DeAngelo, How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

Rating: 5/5

Find it at the library!

FDL Reads

Susie Rivera2023-07-05T11:59:47-05:00July 5th, 2023|

#FDL: Movie Review-A Man Called Otto

A Man Called Otto

Reviewed By: Jeremy Zentner, Reference Assistant

Genre: Drama/Comedy

Suggested Age: Adults

What is This Movie About? Otto Anderson is a 63-year-old widower and after losing his wife and losing his job, he is on the bitter edge of desperation and loneliness. There is a trigger warning in this move: Otto attempts suicide multiple times. His attempts are thwarted by fate and friends and even though he thinks he’s joining his wife, his time on earth is still very much valued. A young family moves into his homeowner’s subdivision and they don’t have many resources or knowledge about things often taken for granted. For instance, the wife, Marisal, does not have a driver’s license, nor does she know how to drive. The husband isn’t particularly great at driving either and when he breaks his leg, the family is essentially grounded unless they get help from their disgruntled neighbor, Otto. As time passes, we get introduced to Otto’s old friends who have hit hard times and are being pressured to move into a nursing home. With the help of Otto, the new neighbors’ youthful vigor, and some other whimsical characters, Otto is able to save his friends’ home and keep the community together.

My Review: I must say, I found this film pretty incredible. Held up against Tom Hanks’ other serious dramas, I would probably classify this movie as one of his greatest. The movie toggles between Otto’s current life as a retired widower, and his youth, someone who was unable to serve in the armed forces during Vietnam, but very capable of finding the love of his life. Another intriguing point of interest is that young Otto is played by Tom Hanks’ son, Truman Hanks. The two actors very convincingly portray a man obsessed with solving problems and someone who cannot be easily silenced, especially with his gruff demeanor. A Man Called Otto is a beautiful film about grief, age, loneliness, and new beginnings. As I stated earlier, there is a trigger warning as Otto attempts to reunite with his passed-wife several times throughout the movie. With each attempt, however, there is a plot-point that emerges and forces Otto to confront the outside world, no matter how irritating it might be for him. What he finds are new reasons to carry on and to live his fullest life. This movie will really tug on the heart strings, but you’ll laugh as much as you cry. I give it five big stars!

Three Words that Describe this Book: comedy, drama, dramady

Give This A Try if You Like… The Weather Man, The Royal Tenenbaums, A Man Called Ove, Birdman, A Serious Man, Lost in Translation, Little Miss Sunshine

Rating: 5/5

Find it at the library!

Susie Rivera2023-06-30T15:37:24-05:00June 30th, 2023|

FDL Reads: Murder in an Irish Village

Murder in an Irish Village by Carlene O’Connor

Reviewed by: Dawn Dickey, library volunteer

Genre: Mystery

Suggested Age: Adults, Teens (15+)

What is the book about?: Less than a year before the tale begins, the parents of Siobhán O’Sullivan and her five siblings were killed in a horrible car wreck caused by a drunk driver. The small town of Kilbane, Ireland, gathered round the O’Sullivans to support them through the tragedy. The driver who caused the accident, Billy Murphy, is in jail. Billy’s brother, Niall, was thought to have moved to Dublin until one fateful day when Siobhán encountered Niall in a local shop. Niall, in a rather threatening tone, hits Siobhán up for 10,000 Euros, saying that his brother is innocent and that he, Niall, has information about the real perpetrator of the crime. Later that day, Niall appears in the O’Sullivan family bistro, where he is decidedly not welcome. At the bistro, Niall argues with Siobhán’s older brother, James, who is close to celebrating six months of sobriety. The next morning, Niall is found stabbed to death in the bistro. James was out all night – drinking – and has no memory of the night. Customers from the local pub remember another heated argument between James and Niall, and soon James is arrested for the murder. Siobhán must rescue her brother and prove his innocence by finding the true killer.

My Review: Author Carlene O’Connor makes the characters and setting come alive in this cozy mystery, the first in O’Connor’s Irish Village Mystery Series. Characters are real, sympathetic and friendly – just the sort of folks you’d like to sit down and have a pint with at your local pub. The ancient walled (fictional) town of Kilbane is the beautifully described setting for the mystery. As a reader I happily walked and ran with “O’Sullivan Six” and their community of friends through the streets of this interesting village. It’s a satisfying read that will leave you feeling as if you’ve found friends and a home away from home. I’m looking forward to reading more in the series!

Three Words That Describe This Book: Warm, charming, engaging

Give This a Try if You Like…Cozy mysteries such as Sheila Connolly’s County Cork Mystery Series or Nancy Atherton’s Aunt Dimity mystery series

Rating: 5/5

Find it at the library!

Susie Rivera2023-06-28T13:57:56-05:00June 28th, 2023|

Tree Planting: 2023 Community Project

tulip tree We need your help for this summer’s community project! The Fon du Lac Park District will match the library’s $500 pledge to go towards planting beautiful tulip poplar trees at Neumann Park for everyone to enjoy – but only if all of our summer readers help us hit our goal of 500,000 minutes!

That’s a lot of reading, but we’re positive that our voracious readers will be up to the task. Tulip poplars are the official tree of East Peoria and are actually closely related to the magnolia tree, but are called tulip trees because of their greenish yellow and orange flowers. So register for summer reading and track your reading June 1 – July 31 to help us plant new trees in the community! Plus, everyone who completes the summer reading program will be able to add a leaf to the tree bulletin board in the Youth Services department!

genna2023-06-27T11:57:03-05:00June 27th, 2023|

FDL Reads: Into the Black Nowhere

Into the Black Nowhere by Meg Gardiner

Reviewed By: Rebecca Cox, Business Manager

Genre: Fiction

Suggested Age: Adults

What is This Book About? Women in Texas begin disappearing on Saturday nights from conspicuous places –a movie theater, a car idling at a stoplight and a third vanishes from her own home while checking on her baby. Caitlin Hendrix, rookie FBI agent and profiler for the Behavioral Analysis Unit, along with her team are dispatched to Austin to investigate. They find the first victim’s body in the woods laid out in a bloodstained white nightgown, surrounded by polaroid pictures. Each photo pictures a different woman laid out in the same way showing that the unknown subject (unsub) has killed far more women than the FBI realized. In order to catch him, Caitlin and her team must get inside his mind to catch him before he claims more victims.

My Review: Fans of the television series Criminal Minds (like me) and true crime buffs are going to really enjoy this fictional crime thriller, the second in the Unsub series by Gardiner. It is fast paced and detailed, easily pulling you into the story and simultaneously freaking you out! With details paralleling the famous murders of infamous serial killer Ted Bundy in a modern-day context, this book was hard for me to put down. Caitlin Hendrix is a fantastic character – unlike so many female law enforcement protagonists who tend to be unbelievably portrayed as “good at everything,” her character has a depth and flaws that make her extremely relatable. She is a rookie in the FBI and this novel shows her start to understand her new role as an agent and learn to trust her instincts when it comes to profiling a killer.

Three Words that Describe this Book: Fast-paced, Suspenseful, Compelling

Give this a try if you like… Criminal Minds, Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris, China Lake by Meg Gardiner,

Rating: 5/5

Find it at the library!

FDL Reads

Susie Rivera2023-06-15T17:22:10-05:00June 15th, 2023|

#FDL: 2023, The Year of Sanderson

What did you do during “Lockdown 2020?” Brandon Sanderson wrote 4 secret books!

Just over one year ago, Brandon Sanderson, the popular science fiction and fantasy author, started a crowdfunded project on the Kickstarter platform called “Surprise! Four Secret Novels by Brandon Sanderson.” With only vague, yet tantalizing hints, Sanderson’s fans did not disappoint. Nearly 186,000 people pledged over $41 million to see these books come to fruition. Sanderson now holds the bragging rights for the highest funded project on kickstarter.com!

If you missed out on participating, don’t worry. The books are also coming to Fondulac District Library. The first book is already on our shelves, with the second set to arrive over the summer. Find out more below.

Secret Project #1: Tress of the Emerald Sea

Publication Date: April 4, 2023

Author Brandon Sanderson expands his Cosmere universe shared by The Stormlight Archive and Mistborn with a new standalone novel for everyone who loved The Princess Bride.

The only life Tress has known on her island home in an emerald-green ocean has been a simple one, with the simple pleasures of collecting cups brought by sailors from faraway lands and listening to stories told by her friend Charlie. But when his father takes him on a voyage to find a bride and disaster strikes, Tress must stow away on a ship and seek the Sorceress of the deadly Midnight Sea. Amid the spore oceans where pirates abound, can Tress leave her simple life behind and make her own place sailing a sea where a single drop of water can mean instant death?

Find it at the library!

Secret Project #2: The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England

Expected Publication Date: June 27, 2023

Brandon Sanderson meshes Jason Bourne and epic fantasy in this captivating adventure that throws an amnesiac wizard into time travel shenanigans—where his only hope of survival lies in recovering his missing memories.

A man awakes in a clearing in what appears to be medieval England with no memory of who he is, where he came from, or why he is there. Chased by a group from his own time, his sole hope for survival lies in regaining his missing memories, making allies among the locals, and perhaps even trusting in their superstitious boasts. His only help from the “real world” should have been a guidebook entitled The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, except his copy exploded during transit. The few fragments he managed to save provide clues to his situation, but can he figure them out in time to survive?

Find it at the library!

Secret Project #3: Yumi and the Nightmare Painter

Expected Publication Date: October 3, 2023

A gripping story set in the Cosmere universe told by Hoid, where two people from incredibly different worlds must compromise and work together to save their worlds from ruin.

Yumi comes from a land of gardens, meditation, and spirits, while Painter lives in a world of darkness, technology, and nightmares. When their lives suddenly become intertwined in strange ways, can they put aside their differences and work together to uncover the mysteries of their situation and save each other’s communities from certain disaster?

Secret Project #4: The Sunlit Man

Expected Publication Date: January 2, 2024

Brandon Sanderson shows us a future in the Cosmere universe where a perpetual planetary wanderer must decide whether to keep running or stay and make a difference on a struggling planet.

Years ago, he had comrades in arms and a cause to believe in, but now the man who calls himself Nomad knows only a life on the run. Forced to hop from world to world in the Cosmere whenever the relentless Night Brigade gets too close, Nomad lands on a new planet and is instantly caught up in the struggle between a tyrant and the rebels who want only to escape being turned into mindless slaves—all under the constant threat of a sunrise whose heat will melt the very stones. Unable to understand the language, can he navigate the conflict and gain enough power to leap off-world before his mind or body pay the ultimate price?

-Annotations from the publishers

–Post by Melissa Friedlund, Reference Specialist

Susie Rivera2023-06-15T17:09:48-05:00June 15th, 2023|

FDL Reads: The Love Hypothesis

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Reviewer: Susie Rivera, Reference Specialist

Genre: Romance

Suggested Age: Adults

What is This Book About? Olive Smith is a Ph.D. candidate in Standford University’s biology department. She tries to convince her friend Anh that she is in a relationship after Anh develops a crush on Olive’s ex. She does this by impulsively kissing the first guy she sees in the hallway–Adam Carlsen, a respected professor. Adam is known to be the toughest instructor in the department–teaching wise and personality wise. But, after talking about the kiss, they agree that a fake relationship would benefit them both and begin “dating.” When the fake dates turn into real feelings, emotions run high between the professor and student. Olive is forced to overcome sexism in her chosen field while she and Adam come to terms with their true feelings about each other.

My Review: If you can get over the very beginning of this book, it really is a great read. I just wasn’t quite convinced of the premise that a Ph.D student would just randomly kiss any guy in the department without thinking of the ramifications. But, the whole book is actually a satisfying romance. I wish Adam’s personality was a little more developed because I loved Olive’s. The competitive, academic environment led to additional tension and plot twists. If you like STEM romances or fake romances that become real ones, try this book!

Three Words That Describe This Book: Cute, Academic, Heartwarming

Give This a Try if You Like: The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang, Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood, Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams

Rating: 4/5

Find it at the library!

Susie Rivera2023-06-10T10:31:17-05:00June 8th, 2023|