Shannon Harris

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 96th Academy Awards are approaching and if you are like me, and try to watch the nominations for Best Picture, you are in luck! A.K. Smiley Public Library has some of the Best Picture nominees available on DVD for check out. So, get your comfortable clothes on and grab your favorite snacks, I am taking you all out for a quadruple feature. Let’s go to the movies!

Our first feature film is Barbie. Barbie is nominated for eight Oscars including, Best Picture, Best-Supporting Actor (Ryan Gosling), and Best-Supporting Actress (America Ferrera). Check out this film and see what happens to Barbie and Ken when they leave Barbieland and visit the ‘real’ world.

Our second film in our quadruple feature is Past Lives, which is nominated for two Oscars, Best Picture and Best Writing (Original Screenplay) by Celine Song. Past Lives is a romantic drama and explores the concept of unrequited first love.

Our third film, The Holdovers, has been nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Paul Giamatti), and Best Supporting-Actress (Da’Vine Joy Randolph). The Holdovers is a comedy drama about a cantankerous teacher and a rebellious student who are required to stay together at school during the Christmas holiday. During their time together, an unlikely friendship is formed.

Our last film of the quadruple feature is Oppenheimer which has been nominated for 13 Oscars including Best Picture, Best Actor (Cillian Murphy), and Best Director (Christopher Nolan), just to name a few. Oppenheimer is a biopic about J. Robert Oppenheimer’s involvement with the Manhattan Project and his invention of the atomic bomb.

Come and check out these DVDs at A.K. Smiley Public Library. Popcorn not included.

-Shannon Harris is a Library Specialist at A.K. Smiley Public Library who wants Cillian Murphy to win for Best Actor.

I can’t believe that the holiday season is upon us! It seems like it was just yesterday that I was decorating my Halloween tree and drinking my first pumpkin spice latte of the season (yes, I have a Halloween tree that beautifully transitions to a Nightmare Before Christmas-themed Christmas tree). If you are not quite ready for the upcoming holiday season or you are ready with your peppermint mocha in hand, then here are few new titles from your favorite public library, A.K. Smiley Library.

If you are not ready to read holiday-themed books quite yet, may I suggest Phantom, by Helen Power. Regan Osbourne is in a tight spot–she’s broke, in a bad relationship, and her art career is getting her nowhere. One night, desperate and fed up, a mysterious man approaches her with a proposition she can’t refuse, one million dollars for one of her hands, her dominant hand to be exact. Regan agrees. Come and check out Phantom to see what happens to Regan and her missing appendage.

If you are ready to go all-in on the holiday season, I suggest to you Three Holidays and a Wedding by Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley. Maryam Aziz and Anna Gibson are strangers, but fate has other plans for them. Both are flying home to Toronto, Canada for the holiday season until severe turbulence diverts their plane and plans and leaves them stranded in a picturesque town called Snow Falls where destiny has other plans for them.

If neither of these titles appeals to you and you want something more in the fairy tale realm, then I suggest to you, After the Forest by Kell Woods. After the Forest takes place 20 years after Greta and Hans escape the infamous witch who lived in a gingerbread house. While Greta was being held captive all those years ago, she took the witch’s grimoire which holds magic spells that are more powerful than Greta can comprehend. Will Greta succumb to the lure of the grimoire to help her and the village which she grew up in, or will the villagers turn against her and her new found magical abilities?

So, come visit your favorite local library and check out these festive and not-so-festive titles for your reading pleasure.

-Shannon Harris is a library specialist who enjoys reading horror and holiday-themed books so much that she is currently reading a book called Christmas and Other Horrors.

The fall season is rapidly approaching, so what better way to celebrate spooky season than with some new horror titles from A.K. Smiley Public Library. 

Margaret and her husband Hal just bought their dream home, a beautiful Victorian house with a wraparound porch and sprawling yard. A few months go by and their dream house is slowly turning into a real-life haunted house when blood starts to drip from the walls. Carissa Orlando’s “The September House” is a blood-chilling read that will keep you up at night. 

Halloween night in 1984, the children of Parmenter Road are gearing up for trick-or-treating, until they are met by a group of strangely dressed children, who are terrified and begging to be hidden away from a being called The Cunning Man. “All Hallows” by Christopher Golden will have you second guessing handing out candy this Halloween.  

Imagine a place where the residents are obsessed with the year 1994. They dress like it, and they watch the infamous O.J. Simpson car chase every night like it is happening in real time. Willow Stone discovers this strange and unusual island after finding out that her son has gone missing and the only hint of his whereabouts are two words: Clifford Island. “Dead Eleven” by Jimmy Juliano will leave you weary of strangers. 

So, turn your lights down low and prepare yourself for a scary good time with these books from A. K. Smiley Public Library.  

Shannon Harris is a phobophile who moonlights as a Library Specialist.

“Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind” – Seals & Crofts

In this week’s What’s New at Smiley Library article, I will be taking you all on an unofficial tour of Fire Island, New York. I know what you are thinking, “Shannon, how are you going to take all of your dedicated readers to the glitzy Fire Island? Did you win the lottery or something?” Unfortunately, no, I did not: I will be taking you all there through the art of the written word! The three books that are featured in this article all take place on Fire Island. So, pack your proverbial bags and let’s go!

Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum is our first book that features our destination spot, Fire Island. Every summer, friends Jen and Lauren, along with their spouses, descend upon the island and start their usual summer routine of gossip, backstabbing, and manipulation until their usual summertime antics get thwarted by a dead body. I don’t know about you all, but this may throw a wrench in our vacation. Let’s see what the second book entails.

Kismet by Becky Chalsen is our second stop on our tour of Fire Island. Twin sisters Amy and Jo Sharp pack their bags and head to Fire Island for a whirlwind weekend of celebrations. Like with most gatherings involving family and friends, secrets are revealed and friendships are put to the test.

Ok, we have made it to our final destination on Fire Island, which by chance happens to be the title of the last book featured in this article. On Fire Island by Jane L. Rosen is told through the perspective of 37-year-old book editor Julia Morse. Julia dies and instead of “crossing over” she decides to spend her last summer watching over her family at their vacation home on Fire Island. This book isn’t as sad as it sounds, I promise.

I hope you all enjoyed our tour of Fire Island as much as I did.

Shannon Harris is a library specialist who dreams of living on an island one day.