A.K. Smiley Public Library Blog

Serving the City of Redlands, California since 1894

*Please note: Smiley Library has temporarily suspended in-person services beginning January 18th, but do not despair. You may check out items through our Books-to-Go program by calling, emailing, or using your on-line account. There is no cost to place a book on hold. We look forward to welcoming you back inside soon.

"...I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

~~ from the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, delivered August 28, 1963 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

Archives for July 2021

Enjoying the 2020 Olympiad? Dive, jump, vault!- into Olympic stories of yesteryear: a list of our books, DVDs

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Non-Fiction and Biographies

DVDs

  • I, Tonya [videorecording (Blu-ray disc and DVD)] / Gillespie, Craig, director, 2018. [Harding, Tonya-Drama. Women figure skaters — United States — Biography — Drama.]
  • Foxcatcher [videorecording (Blu-ray disc)] / Megan Ellison, film producer, 2015. [Schultz, Mark, 1960–Drama. Schultz, David L., 1996-Drama. Du Pont, John E. (John Eleuthère)-Drama. Olympic athletes — United States — Biography — Drama. Murder — United States — Case studies — Drama. Wrestlers — United States — Biography — Drama.]
  • Munich [videorecording (DVD)] / Spielberg, Steven, 2006. [Israel. Mosad le-modiʻin ṿe-tafḳidim meyuḥadim — Drama. Olympic Games (20th : 1972 : Munich, Germany) — Drama. Intelligence officers — Israel — Drama. Athletes — Violence against — Germany — Munich — Drama. Terrorism — Germany — Munich — Drama. Israelis — Violence against — Germany — Munich — Drama.]
  • A.k.a. Cassius Clay [videorecording (DVD)] / Ali, Muhammad, 2002. [African American boxers — Biography. Black Muslims — Biography. Vietnam War, 1961-1975 — Conscientious objectors — United States.]
  • Chariots of fire [videorecording (DVD)] / Hudson, Hugh, 2005, 1981. [Academy Awards: Best Picture, Screenplay, Music, Costume design. Abrahams, Harold Maurice, 1899–Drama. Liddell, Eric, 1902-1945-Drama. Olympics — Drama.]

Take advantage of the Library’s many electronic resources!

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Did you know that your A.K. Smiley Library card gives you access to databases, magazines, streaming movies, newspapers, and much more? Just go to our website, www.akspl.org, and click on eLibrary to get started.

We’re excited to announce that we recently added a new database: Black Life in America, presented by NewsBank. This learning resource breaks down various eras of African-American history from 1704 to today. Source material comes from over 19,000 global news sources. The database is updated regularly as new news stories unfold. This is a helpful resource for students, teachers, and anyone interested in learning about Black history and culture.

Job searchers and students can benefit from Brainfuse JobNow. This all-in-one resource takes you through all the steps of job-searching, from writing a dazzling resume to acing an interview. JobNow can match you with a tutor for live help with job coaching and resume preparation. You’ll also find help with applying for unemployment benefits and finding local job-searching resources. This resource also features practice tests including the GED, SAT, ASVAB, U.S. citizenship, and much more.

Also be sure to check out Kanopy for streaming movies and learning courses. Our latest Kanopy staff pick is “Kedi: The Cats of an Ancient City.” This award-winning documentary offers a glimpse into the lives of the thousands of cats who live in Istanbul. The felines navigate the city, interact with people and each other, manipulate deli workers into sharing a few slices of meat, and go about their daily lives in one of the most fascinating cities in the world. Armchair travelers and cat lovers will love this cat’s-eye look at life in the big city.

All this and more is free with your A.K. Smiley membership. Log on and see where we can take you!

Teens, don’t read this… especially if you don’t want to win a prize by reading books!

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Teens, in the following article I will attempt to read your mind multiple times. Please proceed with caution if you wish to keep your thoughts private.

The Dig Deeper Summer Reading Program at A.K. Smiley Public Library is in full swing. If you are thinking, “Eh…that’s kid stuff,” please, teens, think again. Here’s how the Summer Reading Program works for teens: for every 50 pages you read between now and August 3rd, you earn a ticket. Each earned ticket offers you a chance to win one of twelve cool prizes.

My telepathic powers tell me you are skeptical about these alleged “cool” prizes. Would a voucher for Open Door Escape Games for you and your friends excite you? How about a gift card to A Shop Called Quest comic bookstore? Would you enjoy a close-up look at the disturbing micro-organisms that surround you with your very own cell phone microscope? Does your mouth water at the mention of a refreshing pint of gelato from Happy Camper Creamery? Are you craving the special variety of brain freeze only a scoop of Salted Caramel from À La Minute can deliver? Is your stomach pitifully lacking a breakfast burrito from Burger Town U.S.A. right at this very moment?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then join the Dig Deeper Summer Reading Program immediately. All of these prizes and more are on the line exclusively for teens. To get started, simply visit the Young Readers’ Room at A.K. Smiley Public Library, pick up a Teen Reading Log, grab some books, and let your eyeballs do the rest. You could also download the reading log from the Teens’ page of our website (www.akspl.org/teens) or even just record the titles and pages you read on a regular old scrap of paper or the back of your hand…we’re not picky!

My sixth sense indicates you are slowly coming around to this whole Summer Reading Program idea, but you still don’t know what to read. Teens, we’ve got you covered! From anime to career idea guides, the Teen Underground, located in the basement level of the Library, has something for you.

Want a page-turner that involves a mysterious bequest, a love triangle, an inscrutable riddle, and attempted murder? Try “The Inheritance Games” by Jennifer Barnes. How about a twist on a classic in the form of the new Jane Austen-esque murder-mystery, “Pride and Premeditation” by Tirzah Price? Are you more of a modern fairy-tale fan? “Tokyo Ever After” by Emiko Jean may be up your alley. Or maybe you’d like to take a stab at horror with the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” series by Scott Cawthorn? No? You want to laugh? I thought so (still mind-reading). Try “This Will Be Funny Someday” by Katie Henry, a coming-of-age story about a model high school student turned stand-up comic. 

Teens, I don’t need a Magic 8-Ball to tell you that letting your eyeballs loose on some good books this summer may result in a win-win for you; not only will you be transported/enlightened/made brilliant by the pages you consume, but you may also end up with a mouth full of smoothie from Badger Bowls (yet another one of our cool prizes). Of course the rewards of reading transcend a paleta from Nicho’s Ice Cream or a street taco from Taco Shack (cool prizes numeros once y doce), but I predict you are open to a chance at having it all. You have two weeks left, teens…read with us! And I promise I will now stop reading your minds.

 

Intriguing new biographies, memoirs will keep you turning the page

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A.K. Smiley Public Library is open and the New Book Section is well-stocked and waiting for you. There are several memoirs and biographies about both famous and unknown individuals. Here are a few narratives that are fascinating, entertaining, and informative.

“Nowhere Girl: A Memoir of a Fugitive Childhood,” by Cheryl Diamond is a real page-turner. Raised in a fugitive family of five, the only constant in her life was frequently changing locations and identities. Cheryl lived in multiple countries with six assumed identities by the age of nine. This book is a real thrill ride with chapters headed with her age and where she was living at the time, as far back as age four. Fans of suspense novels, Tara Westover’s “Educated,” Jeannette Walls’ “The Glass Castle,” or Tyler Wetherall’s “No Way Home” will enjoy dipping into this memoir.

“Becoming Duchess Goldblatt: A Memoir” written anonymously, is a dual memoir, of sorts, and a bit quirky. Duchess Goldblatt, age 81, is a fictional character that exists only on Twitter and in the author’s clever mind. The unknown writer who created the duchess did so in the midst of some very difficult times in her own life. It has been a positive thing for both herself and for many of her faithful Twitter followers who have been uplifted by her witty, compassionate, and off-the-wall tweets. There is a mutual admiration between Lyle Lovett (who knows the identity of the creator), the duchess, and the author. A fun and inspiring read that will leave you wanting more and lead you to a Twitter search for the lovable lady and her community of followers.

“Miracle Country: A Memoir,” by Kendra Atleework is inspiring and informative. Readers familiar with the Owens Valley area of California will find this even more interesting with Kendra’s intertwining of her personal history, growing up in the tiny remote community of Swall Meadows, and the environmental history of the region. Her descriptive writing encompasses her family, indigenous people, settlers, water rights, extreme weather, fires, observations, loss, and love.

Looking for fireworks? Enjoy some newly released romance titles

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The long hot summer nights are upon us and what better way to fill those never-ending steamy evenings than with hot summer reads. A.K. Smiley Public Library is here to fulfill those balmy night needs with an extensive and inclusive romance collection that will satisfy even the most discerning reader’s taste.

Here are a few of the latest titles from the romance collection:

“Happy Endings” by Thien-Kim Lam

“The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes” by Xio Axelrod

“Boyfriend Material” by Alexis Hall

“One Last Stop” by Casey McQuiston

“People We Meet on Vacation” by Emily Henry

“Satisfaction Guaranteed” by Karelia Stetz-Waters

“Hang the Moon” by Alexandria Bellefleur

“Seven Days in June” by Tia Williams

“Heart & Seoul” by Jen Frederick

“Talk Bookish to Me” by Kate Bromley

“To Love and to Loathe” by Martha Waters

“Disrespectfully Yours” by Raynesha Pittman

Come and check out these titles and more by visiting us in person or by utilizing our Books-to-Go program. Our hours can be found on our website, www.akspl.org, or give us a call at 909-798-7565.