Live chat is now available at fondulaclibrary.org during the library’s regular operating hours. Quick and convenient personalized assistance from FDL staff is only a click away! Chat is perfect for asking reference questions, inquiring about upcoming events, and getting connected with library services. Click the “Chat Now” link in the upper right hand corner of the website to get started. On a desktop computer the chat will open in a new tab or window.
The library is celebrating the summer reading program, “Reading Takes You Everywhere,” with a Travel Photo Contest. Submit photographs from your trips and vacations for a chance to have one or more printed, framed, and displayed in the library’s second floor exhibit space in June and July. Submissions will be accepted starting April 1, and the deadline to enter is May 1. The framed prints will be given to the photographers when the exhibit is over. Photos entered into the contest must be taken by the entrant and be able to be enlarged to 16×20 inches. Please provide your name and the date and location that the photo was taken. Entries must be in a digital format and may be submitted in person at the library or emailed to elizabeth@fondulaclibrary.org.
Death Warmed Over: Dan Shamble, Zombie PI by Kevin J. Anderson (audio)
Reviewed by: Sarah Baker, Circulation Assistant
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Mystery
Suggested Age: Adults
What is the book about?: Dan Chambeaux (though everyone keeps calling him Shamble now) is a private investigator who also happens to be a zombie. Ten years ago there was an event called “The Big Uneasy” that made monsters a reality. Well, sort of. It brought the monsters out of the darkness but it also started affecting humans. People could be changed into vampires and werewolves; they could come back from death as ghosts or zombies. Murder and suicide drastically up the odds of the last two. He was already working cases for other Unnaturals when he was killed. Now he’s trying to solve his own murder in his spare time. And the murder of his girlfriend-turned-ghost, Cheyenne. Could they be related? Could his current cases shed light on his murder? And will he find answers before someone tries to kill him again?
My Review: I really enjoyed the this book. Dan’s approach with detective works a whole lot more realistic – he’s working multiple cases at a time. Some are from before he died, some are from after, but he takes them all seriously and follows what leads he can. We got a good idea of the cross-section of what’s out there – werewolves, trolls, goblins, ghouls, ghosts, witches, mummies, and zombies. The unnatural community feels authentic; the hate groups seem real; and even the business feel was true to life. At no point does Anderson veer off into tastelessness. Descriptors are clear without being graphic, and as Dan is something of a gentleman, no one and nothing is over-sexualized or over emphasized. A refreshing detail after some of the other urban fantasy I’ve read.
The audio version of this book was really well done and helped give this an immersive feeling. Phil Gigante breathes life (or unlife) into all of his characters, and the man has some impressive range! I’m looking forward to trying more books in this series!
Three Words That Describe This Book: Fun, Ghoulish, Enjoyable
Give This a Try if You Like… Noir, Zombies, Urban Fantasy
Rating: 5/5
Find it at the library!
Welcome to FDL Reads, weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library. Librarians (and possibly some other guest reviewers) review all types of books, from children’s picture books, young adult favorites, to the latest adult thriller, and share their thoughts each week at fondulaclibrary.org. If the book is owned by Fondulac District Library (or another local library), you’ll see a direct link to the catalog entry and whether or not it is available. If it is checked out or at another local library, you will be able to place a hold as long as you have your library card and PIN numbers. As with any book review, these are our opinions…we disagree amongst ourselves about books frequently. We all have different likes and dislikes, which is what makes the world an interesting place. Please enjoy, and keep on reading!
Thanks to sponsorship from the Peoria Riverfront Museum’s Visionary Society, Fondulac District Library cardholders can now borrow a pass to the Peoria Riverfront Museum!
The library has one pass which is available to be checked out on a first-come, first-served basis to patrons with a valid Fondulac District Library library card. The pass can be used on the day of checkout or the following day. The pass includes general admission to all exhibits, galleries, and daytime planetarium shows for two adults and their children or grandchildren. Please see additional details available at fondulaclibrary.org/museum.
Text Me When You Get Home: The Evolution and Triumph of Modern Female Friendship by Kayleen Schaefer
Reviewed by: Carey Gibbons, Reference Specialist
Genre: Non-Fiction, Relationships
Suggested Age: Adults, Older Teens
What is the book about?: Kayleen Schaefer examines modern women and their friendships with each other. She looks at the history of female friendships and the idea that women have been socialized to dislike each other or give up their friendships once they are married. She looks at her own life and interviews other women on everything from the myth of high school mean girls to what adult female friendships look like today. This book is a meditation on the importance of women being able to love and rely on one another and the idea that a female friendship can be just as important as the relationship a woman has with their spouse.
My Review: I loved this book and I wish I had had it when I was younger. This book doesn’t bash marriage, but it does say that a woman’s marriage (if she even chooses to have one) shouldn’t be the one and only relationship a woman has. We should love and cherish our female friends instead of setting them aside on our wedding days. Schaefer looks at female friendships in pop culture and history and also talks about her own life and the women in it. This book reinforces other, perhaps more serious, texts out there that encourage women to love and support one another not so much in the name of girl power but because why shouldn’t we?
Three Words That Describe This Book: Supportive, Positive, Empowering
Give This a Try if You Like… Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay, Leslie and Ann from Parks and Recreation, Absolutely Fabulous
Rating: 5/5
Welcome to FDL Reads, weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library. Librarians (and possibly some other guest reviewers) review all types of books, from children’s picture books, young adult favorites, to the latest adult thriller, and share their thoughts each week at fondulaclibrary.org. If the book is owned by Fondulac District Library (or another local library), you’ll see a direct link to the catalog entry and whether or not it is available. If it is checked out or at another local library, you will be able to place a hold as long as you have your library card and PIN numbers. As with any book review, these are our opinions…we disagree amongst ourselves about books frequently. We all have different likes and dislikes, which is what makes the world an interesting place. Please enjoy, and keep on reading!
For patron convenience, Fondulac District Library offers online fine payment.
To pay a fine online:
Please call the library at (309) 699-3917 with questions.
Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty
Reviewed by: Jonathan Richardson, Reference Assistant
Genre: Science Fiction, Murder Mystery
Suggested Age: Adults
What is the book about?: In the future, a starship travels from Earth to a distant star. A small crew of only six people pilot the ship on its centuries-long journey. They are clones, destined to repeatedly download their consciousness into new bodies. They are also convicts, their only hope of redemption to successfully transport 2500 travelers to a new world. Suddenly, the entire crew awakens from cloning at once, surrounded by the corpses of their former selves, with no memories of the past twenty-five years.
My Review: I really liked the concept of this book, a sci-fi take on the locked-room murder mystery genre. Using the clones’ histories of their former lives (before they joined the ship’s crew) the reader is able to start piecing together possible suspects and motives. The author gives insight into each of the characters’ minds rather than only having the story unfold through the eyes of a single crewmember, so the reader is allowed to see more of the whole picture. I wish the author would have given more description of the spaceship or the technologies involved, but that’s a personal preference, and the reader doesn’t miss anything from the main story arc by not getting to see those details. There were some nice surprises and interesting characters; an overall good read!
Three Words That Describe This Book: Interwoven, Suspenseful, Hidden
Give This a Try if You Like… Clue, Murder on the Orient Express, Sherlock Holmes
Rating: 4/5
Welcome to FDL Reads, weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library. Librarians (and possibly some other guest reviewers) review all types of books, from children’s picture books, young adult favorites, to the latest adult thriller, and share their thoughts each week at fondulaclibrary.org. If the book is owned by Fondulac District Library (or another local library), you’ll see a direct link to the catalog entry and whether or not it is available. If it is checked out or at another local library, you will be able to place a hold as long as you have your library card and PIN numbers. As with any book review, these are our opinions…we disagree amongst ourselves about books frequently. We all have different likes and dislikes, which is what makes the world an interesting place. Please enjoy, and keep on reading!
The latest issue of Community Connection, Fondulac District Library’s quarterly newsletter, is now available! It is mailed to residences within the library district and also is available for download and printing from our website. Printed copies can also be picked up at the library.
Whether you are into history, writing, gaming, music, science, or crafts, we’ve got something planned for everyone at the library this spring! Please take a moment to review the newsletter and mark your calendars with the great lineup of programs happening at Fondulac District Library through June. Enjoy!
Murder in an English Village by Jessica Ellicott
Reviewed by: Dawn Dickey, Library Volunteer
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Suggested Age: Adults
What is the book about?: Shortly after the end of The Great War, famous American adventurer Beryl Helliwell descends on the English countryside to visit her longtime friend, Edwina Davenport. Beryl has been seeking peace and quiet and just by luck, she sees an advertisement placed in a newspaper indicating that Edwina is seeking a lodger. Beryl finds her friend on the brink of poverty and embarrassed by her current financial situation. In an effort to quash rumors about Edwina’s need for a lodger, Beryl plants a rumor of her own: She and Edwina have been and are still in the employ of His Majesty as secret agents. The rumor quickly spreads through the small town and sets in motion a chain of mystery and murder that begin with an attack on Edwina’s life.
My Review: The post-War time period, English small town setting, and cast of unique characters all make this cozy mystery a good read. Beryl and Edwina, the two protagonists, contrast strongly with each other: Beryl the fearless, rather flighty adventurer, Edwina the staid, reliable pillar of the community. Because it is a “cozy” mystery, there isn’t a lot of blood and violence, but there are enough well-developed secondary characters with troubling pasts to keep you guessing about who is the murderer. A satisfying read, indeed, and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series when it is published!
Three Words That Describe This Book: cozy, historically accurate
Give This a Try if You Like… historical fiction, cozy mysteries, Maisie Dobbs series (by Jacqueline Winspear, set in a similar time period) or Agatha Raisin series (cozy, contemporary mystery series set in a small town in England, by M.C. Beaton)
Rating: 5/5
Find it at the library!
Welcome to FDL Reads, weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library. Librarians (and possibly some other guest reviewers) review all types of books, from children’s picture books, young adult favorites, to the latest adult thriller, and share their thoughts each week at fondulaclibrary.org. If the book is owned by Fondulac District Library (or another local library), you’ll see a direct link to the catalog entry and whether or not it is available. If it is checked out or at another local library, you will be able to place a hold as long as you have your library card and PIN numbers. As with any book review, these are our opinions…we disagree amongst ourselves about books frequently. We all have different likes and dislikes, which is what makes the world an interesting place. Please enjoy, and keep on reading!
Fondulac District Library is seeking a creative, enthusiastic, and fun-loving person who enjoys working with children of all ages and their parents for a part-time Youth Services Assistant position. Please visit https://www.fondulaclibrary.org/about-us/jobs for more information.