A.K. Smiley Public Library Blog

Serving the City of Redlands, California since 1894

Archives for June 2025

For hands-free reading, listen to one of our audiobook offerings!

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Audiobook options: open Playaway case at top, audiobook CD and case at left, MP3 disc and case at right, and a music CD case in middle.

June is audiobook appreciation month. Please visit A.K. Smiley Public Library to check out our variety of audiobook options!

Physical audiobooks in the library include audio compact discs, MP3 discs, and Playaway devices. Compact discs (audiobooks and music) are playable on CD or DVD players, your car’s audio system, or your computer (if there is a CD player option).

MP3 discs may be listened to on MP3 players, CD players with MP3 capabilities, and desktop and Mac computers, or files can be transferred to a portable music player.

Playaway devices are small self-contained recordings that you listen to by connecting earphones (disposable earbuds are available on request), or plugging into speakers or your car speakers from the universal headphone jack on the unit. They are easy to use, are hands-free, and very portable. Plug in your headphones, place the device in your pocket, and listen while walking, exercising, or for entertainment while doing mundane tasks. Electronic audio items are also available through our website, www.akspl.org, and can be downloaded through Libby/OverDrive to your computer, tablet, or phone. Please check our website for instructions.

Our audio items are available in both fiction, non-fiction, and music. Plan a visit to our beautiful library soon to browse the selections or check our catalog online on our website (www.akspl.org) before you arrive.

Happy listening!

 

‘Color Our World’ Teen Summer Reading Program Book Club (look for freebies!)

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Teens, could anything be better than a summer book club? How about a summer book club that offers free Young Adult (YA) books? How about a summer book club that offers THREE free YA books? Surely you are rubbing your eyes in disbelief. I assure you, you read that correctly, and I’m officially inviting you to join us for our 2025 “Color Our World” Teen Summer Reading Program Book Club here at A.K. Smiley Public Library. Before you fire off your confetti canon, let me tell you about the three books we’re reading…and in case you missed it, giving away FREE while supplies last. As a friendly reminder, we encourage you to talk to your parents about which books may be a good fit for you.

Angeline Boulley’s Young Adult (YA) thriller “Firekeeper’s Daughter” won the 2022 Printz Award for literary excellence in Young Adult literature, but great writing is not the only reason it’s one of our summer picks. After putting off her first year of college to help her ailing grandma, Daunis, who is half Ojibwe and half white, gets sucked into an undercover investigation of a spate of drug overdoses in her community, putting her in the dangerous cross hairs of  a network that does not want to be uncovered. Themes of  prejudice, belonging, and family take center stage while the book keeps you on the edge of your seat, knocks you off your seat, and then steals your seat and sits on you (in a good way).

“Death in the Jungle: Murder, Betrayal and the Lost Dream of Jonestown” by Candace Fleming is a nonfiction title that takes readers back to the 1970s, when Jim Jones, leader of the Peoples Temple, leverages his magnetism and manipulation to form a cult of personality that ultimately ends in tragedy. The books offers insights into Jones’ early days and the events that led to his rise to power and considers the allure— and ultimate danger—of forfeiting your personal agency to an unscrupulous leader.

I’ve written about Thien Pham’s YA graphic memoir “Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam” before, but if the title is new to you, it’s an account of Pham’s real-life experiences as a kid immigrating to the U.S. from his native Vietnam. The book, through Pham’s sensitive illustrations, provides an unfiltered glimpse at the life of an immigrant kid, from the strangeness of all the new, and weird (Salisbury steak!), and wonderful (chips!), American foods he’s bombarded with, to the small kindnesses of strangers, to the indignities of not understanding English, and more. It’s the kind of book that stays with you long after you’ve read it, and resonates with anyone who has experienced a longing to belong.

If one or all of these books sounds like something you might like to read, stop by the Young Readers’ Room (or visit www.akspl.org/teens) and register for our Teen Summer Book Club, or any of the other interesting and creative (and free!) events for teens we have in the works this summer. Remember, these YA titles are free while supplies last, and content reviews are linked from our book club registration page, so be sure to check that out so you can make a decision that’s right for you.

And if you just want to read your own thing this summer, we will absolutely cheer you on. Come “Color Your World” with books! Okay…now fire the confetti canon! 🎉

Check out our new movie and television series DVDs!

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Hear ye! Hear ye! Now that I have your undivided attention, I am pleased to tell you that A.K. Smiley Public Library has added some new movies and television series to the collection to check-out for free! Here are some of the new DVDs that are available to check out.

For fans of international films, we have the Japanese film Drive My Car and Korean films The Host, Escape, Train to Busan, Peninsula, and Memories of Murder.

If Sci-fi is more your thing, then you will be happy to know that we have Prometheus, Alien Covenant, and Alien Romulus. These films are part of the Alien franchise, starring Sigourney Weaver.

For fans of Westerns, we have the television series 1883 and 1923, both are a continuing story of the popular television series Yellowstone (which we also have).

For the cinephiles out there who like to watch the Oscar-nominated films we have The Brutalist, A Complete Unknown, and Anora.

For Star Wars fans, we now have The Mandalorain available for check-out.

If you like a good scare, we have Black Phone, Wolf Man, and The Last Voyage of the Demeter.

Fans of the movies in the Marvel Universe will be happy to know that we have Captain America: Brave New World and Shang-Chi: Legend of the Ten Rings.

For fans of binge-worthy shows, we have The Penguin, Better Call Saul, Severance, Interview with the Vampire, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, and the newest season of Outlander.

If none of these selections sound appealing and you want something funny and uplifting, then I am pleased to tell you that we have the television series Ted Lasso.

So come and down and check out these DVDs!