Tag Archives: books

Books

Stories where women save the day – Wonder Woman included!

Feeling inspired after seeing the new Wonder Woman movie? Or do you just enjoy books featuring strong women? Then check out this article from the Book Bub Blog, which gives some reading suggestions for books where women come to the rescue!  (And don’t miss our previous CMLE blog post about women in comics, from guest blogger Carli Spina!)

West With The Night by Beryl Markham
“Beryl Markham’s life was a true epic, complete with shattered societal expectations, torrid love affairs, and desperate crash landings. A rebel from a young age, the British-born Markham was raised in Kenya’s unforgiving farmlands. Hailed by National Geographic as one of the greatest adventure books of all time, West with the Night is the sweeping account of a fearless and dedicated woman”

I Am Malala by  Malala Yousafzai
“I Am Malala is the remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls’ education, of a father who, himself a school owner, championed and encouraged his daughter to write and attend school, and of brave parents who have a fierce love for their daughter in a society that prizes sons.”


The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore
“A cultural history of Wonder Woman traces the character’s creation and enduring popularity, drawing on interviews and archival research to reveal the pivotal role of feminism in shaping her seven-decade story.”

 

Books, Communication

Arizona Moon: A Novel of Vietnam wins 2017 W. Y. Boyd Literary Award for “Excellence in Military Fiction.”

 

Arizona Moon: A Novel of Vietnam, by J.M. Graham

Contact:

Cheryl Malden
Program Officer
Governance
American Library Association
312-280-3247
cmalden@ala.org

CHICAGO — “Arizona Moon: A Novel of Vietnam” by J. M. Graham and published by Naval Institute Press is the winner of the 2017 W. Y. Boyd Literary Award “for Excellence in Military Fiction.”

The W. Y. Boyd Literary Novel Award honors the best fiction set in a period when the United States was at war.  The $5,000 award and citation, donated by author W.Y. Boyd II, recognizes the service of American veterans and encourages the writing and publishing of outstanding war-related fiction.

J. M. Graham has written a firsthand account of the trials and tribulations of three individuals, two Marines, Cpl. Raymond Strader, Squad Leader who is on the verge of going home and LCpl. Noche Gonshayee an Apache Indian who is a warrior but caught between two cultures. The third individual is Troung Nghi a North Vietnamese Army (NVA) student volunteer. The novel set in the Arizona Territory in the An Hoa basin of Quang Providence, South Vietnam in October 1967.  The description of the living conditions and fighting is graphic and describes how the men managed to survive, fight and die in this god forsaken place.  Their only lifelines are their radios and the helicopters that often flew through miserable weather and enemy fire to bring food, supplies ammo, and mail from friends and loved ones.  This latter lifeline also brought reinforcements and evacuated the wounded and dead.

Continue reading Arizona Moon: A Novel of Vietnam wins 2017 W. Y. Boyd Literary Award for “Excellence in Military Fiction.” →

Books, Communication

Twelve Things That Happen When You Read for 24 Hours Straight

Bibliotecaestantes

This article is from Book Riot, by Danika Ellis. We are not having an official CMLE 24 hour readathon this April – but we would love to hear from you about the books you are reading!

In Minnesota, this event starts Saturday at 7:00am; so as you read books this weekend, use to connect with the larger community around the world, and to connect with us! Sign up at the official website, and let’s read!

“(If you’d like to follow my journey through these 12 stages, I’ll be live tweeting @DanikaEllis!)”

“Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon is–well, self-explanatory for the most part. It takes place every April and October, and it is a huge internet book party! I love it! (Unsurprisingly, because I’ve written about it a bunch.) There is a misconception about the readathon I’d like to address, though. For some reason–who knows why!–people seem to think you have to read 24 hours during the 24 hour readathon. You can, of course! But you can also just read as much as you want to. I’ve stayed up the full 24 hours before, though I did take breaks during a few of the hours. I usually regret it, though. Here is my experience of reading for 24 hours: Continue reading Twelve Things That Happen When You Read for 24 Hours Straight →

Books

James Patterson is donating money to schools for books!

James Patterson

From the Miami Herald (Click to read the entire story!)

“James Patterson is giving away more money to get kids reading. And your school library could get some.

In the third installment of his School Library Campaign in partnership with Scholastic Reading Club, Patterson — author of books for middle grades and adults — is donating $1.75 million to school libraries around the country.

This time around, the plan focuses on teachers. Patterson will award $500 grants to 3,500 teachers in grades pre-K through 12 in U.S. schools to improve their classroom libraries. The funds can be used to buy new books, expand programming or even build more bookshelves, if that’s what’s needed.

“Many kids rely solely on their classroom bookshelves for reading material, particularly in schools without a library,” Patterson said in a statement. “I’m excited to expand the reach of the program, and make a positive impact on teachers who are working with students all day, every day, in every school in the country.”

Here is the application. Pass this on to your teachers; and we can help with any part of it!
Books

This weekend: Sunday, April 23 is World Book Day

This coming weekend is going to be a big one! After you celebrate Earth Day on Saturday, you can look forward to celebrating books on Sunday, which is World Book Day! As library people, not only do we love books ourselves, but we love to share our love of books with others, and this is a great day to do that!

World Book Day was created in 1995 at UNESCO’s General Conference, “to pay a world-wide tribute to books and authors on this date, encouraging everyone, and in particular young people, to discover the pleasure of reading and gain a renewed respect for the irreplaceable contributions of those, who have furthered the social and cultural progress of humanity.”

Here are some suggestions for celebrating World Book Day:

  • Amazon is participating with their page promoting the day and featuring links to charitable organizations that provide books.
    • You can also use the hashtag #LoveToRead to share your book happy moments on social media!
  • Check out these awesome and adorable World Book Day costumes (or make your own!)
  • Play this free printable World Book Day Game (aimed at kids but could still be fun!)
  • Or simply curl up with a good book and enjoy! 🙂