For Adults - Fondulac District Library | East Peoria, IL

#FDL: Hispanic Authors for National Hispanic Heritage Month

National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated September 15 through October 15 – a time to lift up the cultures and contributions of Americans tracing their roots to Spain, Mexico, Central America, South America and the Spanish-speaking nations of the Caribbean. Learn more about the diverse history and culture of Hispanic Americans, amplify their voices, and support their businesses – and get started by reading books by one of these authors.

Isabel Allende

Gabriel García Márquez

Christina Diaz Gonzalez

Guadalupe Garcia McCall

Anna-Marie McLemore (YA)

Meg Medina (YA)

Luis Rodriguez

Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez

Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Benjamin Alire Sáenz (YA )

– Post by Susie Rivera, Adult Services Specialist

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

Susie Rivera2024-09-18T11:04:22-05:00September 18th, 2024|

FDL Reads: Happy Medium

Happy Medium by Sarah Adler

Reviewed by: Dawn Dickey, library volunteer

Genre: Fiction, paranormal romance

Suggested Age: Adults

What is the book about?: Gretchen Acorn makes her living as a medium, connecting her clients with departed (dead) loved ones. The only problem: Gretchen is a fake. Her best client, an elderly woman, enlists Gretchen’s help in the sale of her bridge partner’s goat farm when it seems the sale is hampered by some paranormal happenings. Despite Gretchen’s protests (she doesn’t perform exorcisms!), the hefty salary her client promises is too much to resist. Gretchen informs her other clients that she is taking a sabbatical and heads for the farm. At the farm, Gretchen finds, to her surprise, that the bridge partner/goat farmer is not geriatric, but Gretchen’s age. Farmer Charlie is young, handsome, and totally unwilling to admit that there’s a paranormal problem at the farm. He doesn’t believe in ghosts and tells Gretchen to get out. As Gretchen dejectedly leaves the farm, she encounters, for the first time in her life as a (fake) medium – an honest-to-goodness ghost. Everett, the ghost-in-residence, convinces Gretchen of a curse and the dire consequences for Charlie if he sells the farm that was his family’s heritage. Knowing that she can’t leave Charlie to this fate, Gretchen decides to stay – and the fun begins!

My Review: I loved this book! The characters are lovable, believable, and hilarious. Gretchen – although her living depends on trickery – has a code of ethics that demands leaving each client in a better spot after a session contacting their loved ones, and this code of ethics includes Charlie. Charlie demands complete honesty from Charlotte, and this creates tension between the two. The tension is laughingly worsened by Everett’s antics, since he is determined that Charlie cannot sell the farm. Just imagine what can happen when prospective buyers come to tour the farm! The tale is filled with quirky characters that interact in ways that make this book very fun to read.

Three Words That Describe This Book: spooky, funny, romantic

Give This a Try if You like… Other paranormal romances such as Sangu Mandanna’s The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches or Therese Beharrie’s A Ghost in Shining Armor or Celestine Martin’s Witchful Thinking

Rating: 5/5

Find it at the library!

Susie Rivera2024-09-12T14:45:10-05:00September 12th, 2024|

#FDL: Creepy Collections Giveaway

Creepy Collections of Sinister Selections– September Giveaway

An anthology is a collection of stories written by different authors that are published together. These collections are usually written in the similar genres and generally have a theme that links the stories together. Three upcoming anthologies crisscross “nail-biting” genres like noir, crime fiction, suspense, and horror. Read more below.

Bound in Blood: Cursed Books, Damned Libraries and Unearthly Authors

Expected Publication Date: 9/10/24

A terrifying and chilling anthology of over 20 original stories exploring cursed and haunted books from award winning authors including Eric LaRocca, A. G. Slatter, and Alison Moore.

You find it hidden in the dark corner of the bookstore; tucked away in a box in the attic, desperate to be read; lurking on your bookshelf, never seen before. Crack the spine, feel the ancient pages. Read it aloud, if you dare. This anthology brings together horror’s best and brightest to delve into the pages of cursed books, Eldritch tomes and haunted bookstores.

Featuring stories by: Adam Cesare, Eric LaRocca, Isy Suttie, Charlie Higson, A.G. Slatter, Priya Sharma, Luci McKnight Hardy, Alison Moore, Kin Newman, and more.

Eight Very Bad Nights: A Collection of Hanukkah Noir

Expected Publication Date: 10/29/24

Curated by New York Times bestselling author Tod Goldberg, this collection of eleven delightful and twisted Hanukkah capers will entertain you through all eight nights of the Festival of Lights.

This captivating collection contains old-school slapstick comedy, hardboiled noir, gritty procedurals, and poignant reminders of the meaning of Hanukkah, offering something for almost every reader willing to take the journey through these twisted tales.

With stories by: Ivy Pochoda, David L. Ulin, James D.F. Hannah, Lee Goldberg, Nikki Dolson, J.R. Angelella, Liska Jacobs, Gabino Iglesias, Stefanie Leder, and Jim Ruland, plus a foreword and story by Tod Goldberg.

Death Comes at Christmas

Expected Publication Date: 10/22/24

The award-winning Marie O’Regan and Paul Kane invite you to a festive gathering of bestselling, critically acclaimed and award-winning writers in tribute to classic, British period crime stories. From locked room mysteries on Christmas eve to devilish whodunits and tales of simmering rivalries unfolding at the dinner table, these thirteen original seasonal tales will delight and shock at every twist and turn. So, unwrap the presents, pour a mug of mulled wine and follow the bloodstained footprints through the freshly fallen snow as winter descends and darkness lurks in the shadows.

Featuring stories by: Fiona Cummins, Angela Clarke, A.K. Benedict, Susi Holliday, J.T. Ellison, David Bell, Sarah Hilary, Claire McGowan, Tina Baker, Sam Carrington, Liz Mistry, C.L. Taylor, Helen Fields, Russ Thomas, Tom Mead, Vaseem Khan, Samantha Hayes & Belinda Bauer

Annotations from the publishers

–Post by Melissa Friedlund, Adult Services Specialist

Giveaway

Enter your name here for a chance to win ARCs of the books mentioned in this post. One entry per person. Drawing to be held approximately 7 days after this post.

ARCs are “advanced reading copies.” These are free copies of a new books given by a publisher to librarians and other reviewers before the book is printed for mass distribution.

#FDL is a weekly update on all things Fondulac District Library and East Peoria.

Susie Rivera2024-09-23T09:32:45-05:00September 12th, 2024|

#FDL: Popular Nonfiction

The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt

After more than a decade of stability or improvement, the mental health of adolescents plunged in the early 2010s. Rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide rose sharply, more than doubling on most measures. Why? In The Anxious Generation, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt lays out the facts about the epidemic of teen mental illness that hit many countries at the same time.

The Art of Power: My Story as America’s First Woman Speaker of the House by Nancy Pelosi

In The Art of Power, Pelosi describes for the first time what it takes to make history—not only as the first woman to ascend to the most powerful legislative role in our nation, but to pass laws that would save lives and livelihoods, from the emergency rescue of the economy in 2008 to transforming health care.

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear

Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving—every day. James Clear, one of the world’s leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J D Vance

Vance, a former marine and Yale Law School graduate, provides an account of growing up in a poor Rust Belt town that offers a broader, probing look at the struggles of America’s white working class.

Outlive : The science & art of longevity by Peter Attia

In this operating manual for longevity, Dr. Peter Attia draws on the latest science to deliver innovative nutritional interventions, techniques for optimizing exercise and sleep, and tools for addressing emotional and mental health.

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

Based on Dr. van der Kolk’s own research and that of other leading specialists, The Body Keeps the Score exposes the tremendous power of our relationships both to hurt and to heal—and offers new hope for reclaiming lives.

-annotations from the publishers

Susie Rivera2024-09-07T15:37:23-05:00September 7th, 2024|

Library Card Sign-Up Month 2024

Beyond our community, Library Card Sign-Up Month is celebrated in September by the American Library Association and libraries nationwide to remind everyone that a library card is the first step towards academic achievement and lifelong learning. So this September, sign up for a new FDL card, renew your expired card, or replace your lost card to be entered into a prize drawing for an Amazon Fire tablet! Already have an FDL card in good standing? Use it to check out physical materials within FDL throughout September, and you could win an Amazon Fire tablet, too! Encourage your friends and neighbors to get their library cards, and discover all of the great resources and programs available at FDL!

For more information about how to sign up for your library card, visit fondulaclibrary.org/library-cards/.

Julie Nutt2024-09-04T10:22:12-05:00September 4th, 2024|

FDL Reads: Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade

Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles

Reviewed By: Rebecca Cox, Business Manager

Genre: Fiction

Suggested Age: Adults

What is This Book About? Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade highlights the efforts of librarian Jessie “Kit” Carson to bring children’s literature to the devastated French communities during World War I. The story is told through a dual perspective of Kit in 1918 and Wendy Peterson, an aspiring writer and New York Public Library employee as she stumbles across information about Kit and the CARDs – the American Committee for Devastated France founded by millionaire Anne Morgan. The book follows Kit’s journey in France in tandem with Wendy’s of trying to discover what became of Kit in the wake of the war. The characters are based on real people who were apart of the international group of women who helped to rebuild French communities.

My Review: I could not put this book down! I’m not always a fan of the dual perspective narration but the way that the stories weave together as Wendy is attempting to track down what happened to Kit was masterful. Even though this is historical fiction, it told a powerful story of the women who stepped up to rebuild communities and care for women and children during and after World War I. It spoke of loss, of love, and of the strength that it takes to move on in the face of devastation, both personal and global. A must-read all the way to the author’s note where she details the real life people, places and events that inspired her narrative.

Three Words that Describe this Book: Inspiring, Historical, Compelling

Give this a try if you like… The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles, The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan, The Lost Book of Bonn by Brianna Labuskes

Rating: 5/5

FDL Reads

Find it at the library!

Susie Rivera2024-08-29T17:21:28-05:00August 29th, 2024|

#FDL: Dark Academia Books for Fall

Check out one of these dark academia titles that feature Gothic elements, academic settings, mysteries, or autumn imagery.

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

If We Were Villians by M. L. Rio

Bunny by Mona Awad

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

Ghosts of Harvard by Francesca Serritella

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

Vicious by Victoria Schwab

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

The Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

The Queen’s Gambit by Walter Tevis

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

– Post by Susie Rivera, Adult Services Specialist

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

Susie Rivera2024-08-22T17:40:49-05:00August 22nd, 2024|

FDL Reads: Juniper and Thorn

Juniper and Thorn by Ava Reid

Reviewed by: Susie Rivera, Reference Assistant

Genre: Fantasy/Horror

Suggested age: Adult

What is this book about? Set in an alternate Ukrainian fantasy world, this second novel by Ava Reid focuses on Marlinchen, the daughter of an evil wizard. Marlinchen, along with her two sisters, are witches who charge for their services. People in their town come to have their futures told or buy various potions. The sisters are highly controlled by their father who does not allow them to leave the house and uses them to constantly serve him. One night, though, they all sneak out and see the local ballet performance. Marlinchen develops an instant crush on Sevas, the lead male dancer. Afterwards she begins to question her own purpose in life and begins to hunger for more freedom and escape.

My review: This book is loosely inspired by the Juniper Tree, a lesser-known Grimm’s fairy tale. It really just has similar motifs such as cannibalism, magic, child abuse and murder. It is not for the faint of heart as it does include some disturbing content and I would say, goes more towards the horror, rather than fantasy genre. The world-building and writing is very well done and pulls the reader in to Marlinchen’s story. I listened to the digital audiobook on Hoopla and was completely invested in Marlinchen and Sevas’ story.

Three words that describe this book: Dark, Immersive, Lyrical

Give this a try if you like: The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid, Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik, For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten

Rating: 4/5

FDL Reads

Find it at the library!

Susie Rivera2024-08-21T11:36:11-05:00August 21st, 2024|

FDL Reads: Days at the Morisaki Bookshop

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa

Reviewer: Deb Alig, Circulation Assistant

Genre: Japanese fiction

Suggested Age: Adults

What is this book about? With only 147 pages, Days at the Morisaki Bookshop is an easygoing read. This feel good novel was originally published in Japanese in 2009. It was an award winner, and the Japanese made it into a hit movie. Then, in 2023, an English translation was published, and the book became an international bestseller. The story is mainly about lost love, new beginnings, and the healing power of books. The protagonist, twenty-five-year-old Takako, is dumped by her boyfriend, Hideaki, who has proposed to another woman. Takako is devastated. She quits her job and sleeps all day. One day, her Uncle Satoru, who runs a family owned second-hand bookshop in Jimbocho, Tokyo’s famous book district, gives his niece a call. He asks her if she would like to come and live on the second floor of the book store rent free in exchange for helping him out with the business. Remembering that her uncle is a little unconventional, she is hesitant at first. But Takako agrees hoping that she can escape the emotional pain of her recent breakup. At first she is uncomfortable living in a small room surrounded by stacks of books. In time, however, she discovers a love for reading, she meets new people who frequent the store, she becomes friends with the wait staff and customers at a local coffee shop, and she begins a new relationship with an editor from a nearby publishing company. Takako also helps her uncle save his marriage. Much of the healing that occurs is in this story is due to the power of books.

My Review: I really enjoyed this novel because it was a quick, enjoyable read. The characters had colorful personalities, and they were kind and respectful of one another. I especially appreciated the familial relationship that Satoru had with Takako. It reminded me of the special relationship I share with my niece. If I ever visit Japan, I would like to go to Jimbocho. There are about 130 used bookshops in this district of Tokyo. It’s hard for me to imagine what this “paradise” of books must look like.

Rating: 4/5

Three Words That Describe This Book: insightful, charming, cozy

Give This Book a Try is You Like: the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series; What You are Looking For is in the Library; The Nakano Thrift Shop

Find it at the library!

Susie Rivera2024-08-14T10:09:19-05:00August 14th, 2024|

#FDL: Staff Picks from this Summer

FDL staff has been reading this summer! Here are some our our favorites.

Deanna: You With a View by Jessica Joyce – “This summer romance was tender, sweet, and so unbelievably cozy. Grief and expectations are also major plot points throughout the book that brought me both heartache and closure.”

Jeremy: The Last Colony by John Scalzi – “This is a sequel to Old Man’s War and The Ghost Brigades, but can be read as a standalone sci-fi adventure as ex-colonial soldier John Perry and his super-soldier wife, Jane Sagan, get roped into fighting a new type of battle, founding and leading humanity’s last colony.”

Grace: Ready or Not by Cara Bastone – “I just finished Ready or Not by Cara Bastone and I really liked it! It was a very wholesome romance that felt realistic but sweet, while also being something I think many people could relate to.”

Julie: Pete the Cat: Pete at the Beach by James Dean– “I love Pete the Cat’s unflappable positivity, so it’s interesting to see how he conquers his fear of water! I can identify, since I am also afraid of oceans, lakes, rivers…but not pools.”

Sylvia: The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World By Stephen Brusatte– “This book was science-y enough to make me feel smart by following along, and the author is very knowledgeable about his subject.”

Susie: A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid- “This novel is a gothic fantasy romance for literature nerds! A two college students investigate a renowned manor and uncover shocking secrets about it’s former owner.”

Susie Rivera2024-08-14T09:49:03-05:00August 14th, 2024|