Archives for April 2024

Teens, poor me. I’m always a little late catching on to trends. For example, I started listening to One Direction two years ago (approximately thirteen years after it was cool and seven years after they broke up). I watched the “Twilight” movie for the first time last October (fifteen years after it was released). I’ve been known to say, “Mozart really knows what he’s doing” (a record-breaking two-hundred-thirty years behind the curve).

So recently, I discovered I really like K-pop. Maybe someone out there is like me and finds out about things twenty to two-hundred years after they start being cool. If you are in this category and have been living under a rock since before you were born, K-pop is Korean pop music. But back to the story…I “discovered” K-pop and immediately got hooked on the irresistible tunes, sensational dance moves, and joyful feeling I get when I listen to it.

Good news, teens: even though I’m late to the party, the party is still going on! Imagine my elation when I realized we have five K-pop inspired Young Adult (YA) fiction titles in our collection here at A.K. Smiley Public Library. Of course, I wasted no time scooping them up so I could tell you about them if you live, eat, breathe—and want to read—K-pop.

Author Jessica Jung not only wrote a book about K-pop, she’s actually a former K-pop star (Girls’ Generation circa 2007-2014). In other words, her credentials are unmatched. Do you want an insider’s look behind K-pop’s bubblegum veneer? So did I!

Teens, what a roller coaster ride Jung’s YA novel “Shine” will take you on. When 17-year-old Rachel Kim became a K-pop trainee with an elite Korean entertainment company at age 11, she had stars in her eyes. In the years since, she has competed, sweat, and sacrificed to be selected for the next big girl group. Her dreams are finally inches away when a few major obstacles (ahem, an irresistible crush, a shady competitor, a manipulative music label) threaten to undermine everything. “Shine” will definitely kick-ball-change you behind K-pop’s polished choreography and pitch-perfect voices, and reveal some disturbing truths about what it really takes to make it. If you get hooked, don’t miss its sequel, “Bright.”

Did you know K-pop idols are typically forbidden from having boyfriends and girlfriends? Boohoo if you have heart eyes for Jung Kook (K-pop band BTS heart-throb)…you will have to wait until he retires to make him yours! Axie Oh’s novel, “XOXO,” follows the story of classical cellist/high school junior Jenny Jooyoung Go, whose chance encounter with Jaewoo kicks off an accidental romance that spans continents as well as musical genres. Will these classical/K-pop virtuosos let their musical aspirations silence their hearts? This is a book that’s as delightful and funny as it is fun…read it and be charmed.

If you’re on a roll after these two, you may want to check out Kat Cho’s “Once Upon a K-Prom,” in which perpetual sidekick Elena Soo does NOT want to go to Prom. That is, until her childhood best-friend-turned-K-pop-sensation Robbie Choi, re-enters the scene. Or maybe try “Somewhere Only We Know” by Maureen Goo, where K-pop star Lucky pretends to be a regular girl-next-door after an existential crisis, only to find herself knee-deep in real feelings built on a pretend identity.

Okay, K-pop stans (a.k.a. enthusiastic fans), I hope this little list leads you to some satisfying K-pop reads. Remember, we have YA books for all kinds of musical (and literary) tastes, so come by and find something that’ll light you up like dy-na-na-na, na-na, na-na, dynamite (even if you’re two hundred years behind the trend).

Kristina Naftzger is a Youth Services Librarian at A.K. Smiley Public Library; her bias is Jung Kook, and she is currently making a finger heart at you.

While patrons roam the familiar shelves and hallways of Smiley Library, a hidden world of mysteries lies concealed beneath their feet. Locked away from public view, the basement of the Library harbors a trove of esoteric artifacts, each with a story waiting to be told. Normally a space seen only by Smiley staff and the tireless volunteers of the Friends of the Library, this article aims to pull back the curtain on this space and answer that burning question one can’t help but wonder: What’s in the basement? 

Our exploration begins with a miniature marvel – a dollhouse replica of the iconic Morey Mansion. The beautiful Victorian home, built in 1890, has been dubbed “America’s Favorite Victorian House” and has been featured in films and movies for decades. The dollhouse is one of several in a collection modeled after famous homes in Redlands. Delicately crafted and meticulously detailed, the dollhouse offers a tiny view into a bygone era. 

Elsewhere in the basement is a large metallic scale, manufactured by Toledo company. Its face lists “desirable weights” for men and women, exuding a vintage charm despite its somewhat dated health standards. The scale encapsulates the idea of “They don’t build ‘em like that anymore” as it stands as tall as a grown man and weighs about the same. This specific scale used to stand in front of Gair’s, a local Redlands menswear store, until it was donated and became part of the Library’s historical collection. 

Our next item comes from a group of books going back over a century on a variety of topics ranging from local to international. One such book, selected at random, is the Reports of the Secretary of War, 1881-1885. Ancient volumes like this, while not the most riveting read, provide a crucial window into American history for historians and scholars. During this period the United States Army would have been involved in expanding into the Pacific with the establishment of naval bases on Hawaii and Guam. The decade also saw wars with Native American tribes, which would ultimately culminate in the Battle of Wounded Knee in 1890. 

Another book in the basement is called Current Literature from 1911 to 1912. This title provides a fascinating glimpse into what people were reading over a century ago, and is reminiscent of our own “What’s New” articles today!  Some noteworthy titles from that year included “Ethan Frome,” by Edith Wharton, “The Secret Garden,” by Frances Hodgson Burnett, “The Lost World” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and “Tarzan of the Apes” by Edgar Rice Burroughs. 

Although the secrets of the Smiley basement may remain hidden from view, they serve as a reminder of the rich tapestry of history we curate at the Library. As you explore the stacks above, we invite you to ponder the mysteries that lie beneath your feet, and perhaps you too will find yourself asking, “What’s in the basement?” 

One of the most commonly asked questions I get working at A.K. Smiley Public Library is “what’s the last good book you have read?” Most of the time I get nervous and can’t remember; well luckily for you, my dear reader, I can recommend two good books to you.

I know it is only April, but my favorite book that I have read so far this year, is Murder Road by Simone St. James. Newlyweds April and Eddie are on their way to their honeymoon when they come across a young woman on the side of the road who looks like she is in need of help. They pick up the despondent woman and take her to the hospital where she is later pronounced dead. The cops immediately suspect them as the murderers. Trying to prove themselves innocent, April and Eddie uncover a sinister secret where more than one hitchhiker has been murdered on this murderous road. Check out this title to see what or who has been murdering innocent hitchhikers.

Another novel that I really enjoyed reading is The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo. If you are familiar with the mythology of the fox in Asian cultures, then I highly recommend this book. The Fox Wife takes place in 1908 in Manchuria where a ‘woman’ named Snow is seeking revenge and a detective named Bao is investigating a mysterious death of a young woman. Check out this novel to find out how Snow’s and Bao’s fates are intertwined.

Make your way down to A.K. Smiley Public Library and check out these two titles today!

The official start to baseball season is under way and exceptional books are in the lineup for fans of the game. Hope you’ll find one that knocks it out of the park.

April 15 is Jackie Robinson Day in Major League Baseball commemorating the day Robinson made his debut as the first Black athlete to play in major league’s modern era. The year was 1947, and when Robinson took the field that day as a Brooklyn Dodger, the historic occasion marked the first steps towards ending over 60 years of segregation in professional baseball. “True: The Four Seasons of Jackie Robinson” by Kostya Kennedy focuses on four major chapters in the life of this incredible baseball hero and civil rights leader. A wonderfully unique book, it’s a great look into both his professional and public life.

Not your typical baseball book, the engaging read, “The Wingmen: The Unlikely, Unusual, Unbreakable Friendship Between John Glenn and Ted Williams” by Adam Lazarus examines the connection and surprising friendship between two iconic figures, astronaut John Glenn and baseball icon Ted Williams. Both became Marine pilots during the Korean War serving in the same squadron and flying several missions together. Coming from different backgrounds with vastly different personalities, Glenn eager to serve while Williams extremely reluctant, they both had something very significant in common. They both were great pilots. Through letters, diaries, and military records, learn the story of these two remarkable men who met in the airways above Korea, their diverse lives after the military, and enduring friendship.

As a child, a friend of mine and her family were hardcore Los Angeles Dodger fans and secured season tickets to watch them play for many years. I was lucky enough to be invited along on occasion and enjoyed watching these all-star players during the 70s and early 80s. Names like Tommy Lasorda, Steve Garvey, and Fernando Valenzuela were familiar to me. Of course, there was also the “Penguin,” a nickname given to Ron Cey due to his waddling running style.

In “Penguin Power: Dodger Blue, Hollywood Lights, and My One-in-a-Million Big League Journey,” author and former Dodger’s third baseman Ron Cey, along with Ken Gurnick, recounts his life in baseball. From college to the professionals, playing for the Dodgers and Cubs, Cey shares insights and opinions on teammates, recalls childhood idols like Willie Mays, weighs in on who were the best owners, and reveals celebrity encounters he’s had along the way. If you remember Major League Baseball from the 70s and 80s, this is a fun reminiscence into Los Angeles Dodger history and background on an outstanding player who was a six-time All-Star and the World Series Most Valuable Player in 1981.

Enjoy our new baseball books and be sure to catch a local softball or baseball game when you can. Redlands has amazing youth, adult, high school, and college teams that would love your support.